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Lady Sneasler has a new warden.
Melli doesn’t like him. Not one bit.
Honestly, the whole situation is preposterous. He’s surprised that the Almighty Sinnoh hasn’t struck Pearl Clan down for their insolence. What is that child in charge thinking, appointing some… some… outsider , a total stranger, to the sacred position of warden?
Maybe the Pearl Clan has no standards for their wardens, but in the Diamond Clan, the title actually means something. Melli spent years of his childhood being trained for the position; learning about the Highlands, about Lord Electrode, about the importance of his job.
Meanwhile, the Pearl Clan seems more than willing to give anyone the title. Melli would bet anything that the strange man he’s sharing the Highlands with hasn’t received even close to adequate training. He scoffs, sorting through his food stocks.
Generously, Melli gives him 3 weeks max before he starves, falls off a cliff, or gets eaten by Pokémon.
To Melli’s disappointment, Ingo appears to be sturdier than Melli gave him credit for. He catches a glimpse of the strange man every once in a while, wandering around with his tattered coat and severe face like something out of a story told to scare kids into behaving.
On good days, they exchange the most bare-bones pleasantries Melli can muster. On bad days, they get into tiffs about the proper way to do things, with Melli feeling like he’s speaking to a brick wall. But most days, they don’t even see each other.
It’s not as though their domiciles are particularly close; the Highlands are quite large, and Melli often goes long stretches without seeing other human beings. Not that it bothers him.
Melli looks out at the vast landscape sprawled before him. No, it doesn’t bother him one bit.
Melli sighs as he sits on the sturdy log, gently packing away the herbs he had gathered. At the other end of the log sits Ingo, his head tilted up as he looks at the night sky.
“I appreciate your Lady’s assistance today,” Melli says, not looking up from his work as he loads his pack with valuable plants. He hadn’t particularly wanted to ask the strange warden for help, but the sudden appearance of an alpha Luxray in his normal gathering spot had thrown his plans into disarray.
Chancing upon the other warden proved to be rather fortuitous, as Ingo had led him to his own foraging grounds. Of course, his foraging grounds just had to be atop a sheer cliff, so he had called upon Lady Sneasler to escort Melli. He hadn’t particularly enjoyed being stuffed in her little basket, but he’s glad to have replenished his supplies nevertheless.
Deciding to be exceedingly polite and gracious, Melli continues, “I suppose I appreciate your assistance as well, Warden Ingo.” He can’t keep a hint of contempt from slipping into his tone when he utters the word “warden”; even if Ingo is a warden in everyone else’s eyes, he isn’t to Melli. Not really.
Melli waits for Ingo’s response, hoping to provoke some kind of response from the stoic warden. When one doesn’t come, Melli chances a glance over at Ingo. The strange man’s eyes are still locked on the sky above, completely captivated. It seems he hasn’t heard a single word Melli has said to him.
“By the grace of the Almighty Sinnoh—are you really so bored by me that you’d rather just stare at the sky?” Melli snaps. He has never been a fan of being ignored, and being ignored by Ingo of all people particularly irritates him. It’s a stark reminder of why he doesn’t spend any time with him, when he has the option.
His sharp voice seems to snap Ingo out of whatever stupor the man has lost himself in, pulling his piercing gaze back to Melli. He almost wishes he hadn’t said anything; the way that Ingo seems to look straight through him always prickles his skin.
“I apologize for my rudeness,” Ingo says, tipping his hat. In Melli’s opinion, he doesn’t sound all that apologetic. “I simply… The skies of Hisui have so many stars. I often find myself stargazing without even realizing it.”
Melli raises an eyebrow suspiciously. “What, they don’t have stars in…” he gestures vaguely, making liberal use of his hands to little effect, “…wherever you’re from?”
“They were still there, I believe. But it was much more difficult to see them. Too much light, too many buildings.” Ingo falls silent for a moment, his eyes sliding closed as he thinks. He looks as though he might have something else to say, but he doesn’t get the chance. A thought enters Melli’s mind, too pressing to wait.
“I feel like I already know the answer, but… Do you even know the constellations?” In most cases, Melli wouldn’t particularly spare a thought to the empty head of the strange warden. However, learning the constellations was one of the first tasks of a warden-in-training.
Each of the ten ancient Pokémon, from which the Nobles and lesser Nobles are descended, were immortalized in the night sky, from where they can continue to watch over the future generations. When a Noble’s constellation is at its highest point in the sky, a warden is expected to provide extra offerings and words of praise to their Noble, in hopes that perhaps the ancestor will look down at their descendant and see the continued coexistence of people and pokemon they worked hard to create. Lord Electrode had graced the peak of the sky last season, and Melli had ensured that his Lord felt amply honored.
Something tells him that Ingo knows none of this.
The other warden turns his gaze back to the sky, but this time, Melli can tell he heard the question.
“I fear that if I once knew them, they’ve all but left me now, as with most of my memories. However…” Ingo’s eyes comb the skies, searching for something. When he finds it, his demeanor shifts ever so slightly, his movements becoming more animated. He lifts a hand from the ground and traces a shape in the stars. From where Melli is sitting, he doesn’t have the proper angle to discern whatever it is the other man is seeing.
“I still recall that one, it seems. The Twin Dragons.” And, oh, that’s sort of… weird. He’s not quite smiling—Melli’s not certain that Ingo is physically capable of that—but there’s a definite softness to his features, an unmistakable fondness. It’s subtle, but it’s a level of expressiveness Melli hasn’t seen from the man until now. Part of him almost wants to let Ingo just have the moment.
A much louder part of him demands that he let Ingo know how wrong he is, and Melli submits easily.
“Uh, no. Wrong. That’s definitely not one of them. Even children know the constellations—those Pearl Clan brutes really didn’t bother to teach you them?” Melli shakes his head disapprovingly. “My, their standards for wardens must be lower than I imagined.”
As per usual, Ingo does not rise to the bait. However, Melli does note the disappearance of that subtle fondness as the other man returns to his typical, shuttered self. Once again, he is impossible to read.
Ingo’s next words are firm, leaving no room for debate. “Then I would ask that you enlighten me.”
Melli’s eyes widen in surprise and he finds himself momentarily at a loss for words—a rarity for him. Neither of them much likes having to ask the other for anything, and Ingo typically avoids prolonged conversation with him. To call this uncharacteristic would be an understatement.
Ingo takes his unusual silence as a request for elaboration, which Melli is thankful for. “I’ve thought about what you said before, how your resentment for me stems from my lack of qualifications as a warden. Though my position will always be temporary, as I must find a way to return to my own station, I want to serve Sneasler and Hisui as best I can while I am here.”
“I know we do not see eye-to-eye on most things, Warden. I do not expect that to change. However, I recognize that you are extraordinarily dedicated to your position, moreso perhaps than any other I’ve met so far in my time here. If you find that my work is not up to code, then I would ask that you perform an inspection and provide me with a proper report, so that I might—“
“You’re losing me,” Melli cuts in, still trying to figure out what code Ingo is referring to.
“Apologies. What I mean to say is, if you take note of my lack of knowledge as a warden in a situation, I believe it would benefit all parties for you to educate me.” He levels Melli with a stare that almost feels like a challenge. “Though I did not choose to become a warden, it is not my goal to take the position lightly.”
There’s a strange feeling in Melli’s chest, one that he’s struggling to fully understand. Of course, having the impassive Pearl Clan warden practically groveling at his feet for his guidance and wisdom felt great. It felt like a battle won in the war between them—the war that Melli wasn’t sure Ingo knew he was a part of.
But there’s something else, too. It takes Melli a moment longer to identify it, because it’s certainly something he’s never felt towards Ingo; but when he does, he almost feels betrayed by himself. Respect . Somehow, impossibly, he respects Ingo in this moment.
Melli has always figured that Ingo’s poor performance as a warden is a combination of the Pearl Clan’s negligence and Ingo’s contempt for their traditions. Outsiders always held some disdain for their beliefs; Melli could feel it every time he had to speak with a member of the Galaxy Team, regardless of how well they hid it. But even among outsiders, Ingo is an outsider. He has no place but the one the Pearl Clan has given him. And he’s trying to fit into that one.
Huffing, Melli twirls his hair, doing his best to look unaffected by the request. “Fine, I suppose you have a point. Consider yourself lucky—you’re about to receive a lesson from the Great Melli! I don’t do this for just anyone, you know.”
Ingo is giving Melli his full attention, so he begins. He starts with the constellations that are visible at the moment, pointing out their locations and then drawing them in the snow with a stick when Ingo struggles to see the shapes unassisted.
He then moves on to the rest, indicating which season they’d grace the sky. He highlights the importance of Lady Sneasler’s constellation and the surrounding traditions. Ingo, who has been listening with rapt attention, seems surprised by this.
“I had no idea! I hope Sneasler is not upset with me for overlooking this duty.” His frown grows a bit as he thinks. “Though, she never made any indication that she was expecting otherwise.”
Melli just shrugs. “ Lady Sneasler has been without a warden for quite a while. She may have become unaccustomed to the expected relationship between herself and a warden after so long.”
Ingo nods, and Melli finishes up the last of his explanation. Over the course of the lesson, the moon has made great progress on its journey through the night sky. Melli suddenly wonders how long he’s been sitting here with the warden he claims he can’t stand.
“Thank you, Warden,” Ingo says to him, genuine and meaningful. Melli can’t remember the last time he was thanked for something. “The stars clearly hold a much larger significance to the people of Hisui than I realized. I appreciate you taking the time to educate me.”
Melli snorts. “Any respectable warden would already know that; I’m just compensating for the Pearl Clan’s shoddy work.”
Ingo says nothing to that, and they fall silent. There’s not much left to say, truly. The silence that lingers between them is… oddly pleasant. Melli knows the conversation could easily end here, and he’d return home feeling satisfied.
If that’s the case, then why does he feel…
Melli closes his eyes, resting his chin atop folded hands. A memory springs to mind, unbidden.
“You’re leaving?!” Melli asks in disbelief, trying to keep pace with the other as she hastily moves around the tent, packing. “I don’t—Why?”
“Because I want to decide my own life!” Clover snaps at him, finally pausing to look at him. “Maybe you’re happy being raised to be a warden, without anyone ever asking what you want, but I’m not.” She casts her gaze to the ground, anger lining her brow. “The Galaxy Team will be a fresh start for me. They don’t have these… stupid expectations.”
“So you’re just going to abandon your duties, then?” Melli shoots back, unable to keep a hint of anger from his voice. “You’re supposed to become Lord Braviary’s warden in less than a month!”
Clover rolls her eyes. “They’ll find someone else. That runt Sabi, maybe.”
“Sabi is eight!”
She just shrugs, resuming her packing with renewed fervor.
“I can’t believe you’d forsake Almighty Sinnoh like this,” Melli hisses, disappointed. “And your clan.”
Clover rounds on him, and for a moment, Melli is afraid she might throw a punch his way. Instead, she fixes him with a cold glare that pins him in place.
“Regardless of what the clan might say, there is more to this world than our tiny settlement and stifling traditions,” she states, steadfast and confident. “I’m going to leave Hisui, one day. I want to see the rest of the world, see what lies across the sea. I’m going to broaden my horizons; maybe you should consider it, too.”
Melli looks away, and Clover huffs in response, pushing her way out of the tent without a word of goodbye. He doesn’t go after her.
Snapping back to the present, Melli shakes the lingering remnants of the memory from his head. But something sticks with him, hooked in his mind like a Sneasel’s claws in a sheer cliff face.
Broaden my horizons, huh? Melli thinks, stealing a glance at Ingo. The man is looking at the sky once more, mouth moving silently as his eyes shift from one group of stars to another. He’s practicing what he just learned, Melli realizes. Making an effort.
Awkwardly, Melli clears his throat to get Ingo’s attention. “What was that one you mentioned before?” Melli asks, gesturing up vaguely at the sky to clarify what he’s talking about. “The Twin Something-or-Other?”
Now it’s Ingo’s turn to look surprised. In the same way that Ingo asking for his expertise had been unexpected, Melli’s not sure he’s ever tried to learn anything about Ingo. Everything he knows about the other man has been learned through their interactions, which have largely consisted of disagreements. Ingo’s life outside of the scope of his role as warden is not something that Melli had considered worth his time.
Melli’s not even sure why he said it, really. Maybe he feels guilty for killing Ingo’s brief moment of reminiscence earlier. Maybe he does want to broaden his horizons, to reach out the way Ingo had. Maybe he just wants a reason to keep talking to another human.
Ingo, polite to a fault, does not make mention of the fact that Melli was the one who had stepped on his first attempt at explaining. He simply hums in thought as he returns his gaze to the sky. Melli can see his eyes roving across the field of stars, clearly trying to find whatever he had seen once more. When he finally locates it, his eyes shine brightly once more.
“There,” Ingo says, pointing to the sky. Melli moves a bit closer—not too close, mind—so as to put himself in a better position to see what Ingo is tracing with his finger. Melli squints, but he can’t seem to see whatever has captivated Ingo so thoroughly.
Glancing to his feet, Melli snatches the stick laying there. It’s the same one he had used to draw out the constellations earlier. His drawings have begun to fade, washed away by the falling of fresh snow. Melli hands the stick to Ingo, who seems to understand his unspoken request.
Ingo draws in the snow slowly, hesitantly. His movements are halting and uncertain, as if he isn’t sure of what he’s seeing and his ability to capture it accurately in the snow. When he’s finished, Melli is only more confused.
“Are those… Pokémon?” Melli asks, studying the intertwined figures with interest. They certainly don’t resemble anything in Hisui—at least, nothing he’s ever seen. Ingo nods, confidently.
“Yes, and quite important ones at that.” Ingo is quiet for a moment, seeming a bit frustrated as his eyebrows draw together. “I… cannot recall their names, regrettably. But I know for certain that they are foundational to the place where I’ve come from, in much the same way Sinnoh and the Nobles are to Hisui.”
Nodding, Melli finds that his curiosity is surprisingly genuine, rather than simply a courtesy borne out of guilt. “Are there other constellations?”
Ingo nods, but he hesitates after. “There are, I’m certain of it… but they’ve escaped me at the moment. The Twin Dragons was always my favorite, so it seems to be one of the few things I can still recall. It’s the first one I was shown as a child. Many people say that it’s a sign of good luck for twins, so I always liked to know when it was overhead.” There’s a small smile on Ingo’s face, wistful and far away.
So he can smile, Melli thinks.
Melli’s next thought comes only after he actually digests what Ingo has just said to him. “I wasn’t aware that you had a twin.”
The strange, peaceful atmosphere is shattered as Ingo’s body tenses and his head swings around. The warden’s eyes are cloudy but intense as he holds Melli’s gaze. His lips part slightly as though he’s on the cusp of a major revelation, his brain working overtime to piece something together.
Melli all but jumps backward, distancing himself from Ingo in his surprise. The gap between them reappears. “What—“ Melli starts, but Ingo cuts him off, something rather rare for him.
“I have… He, he’s—“ Ingo babbles over Melli. His gaze shifts rapidly between Melli, the stars, and his own hands as he tries to arrange his thoughts into something comprehensible. “ Dragons , I have a twin!”
With no clue what dragons Ingo’s referring to, Melli is about to excuse himself and let the strange warden have his mental breakdown in private, but he doesn’t get the chance. Ingo leans forward, closing the gap between them once more and clasps his strong hands on Melli’s shoulders. Melli nearly squeaks out a noise of surprise, but he manages to suppress it.
“Warden, I have a brother! A twin brother!” Ingo is shouting, louder than Melli has ever heard him. This tone is new for him as well; if Ingo has ever been this excited about anything, it wasn’t in Melli’s presence. He’s so used to Ingo’s unemotional, passive response to his prodding that he can’t help being knocked fully off kilter.
All of a sudden, Ingo’s mood changes faster than a Yanma can flap its wings. He releases his grip on Melli’s shoulders—thank Almighty Sinnoh—and draws in on himself, hiding his face in his hands. Though muffled, Melli can still parse his next words. “…I have a twin brother, and I can’t even remember his name.”
Melli likes to think he generally has things under control in his life. Even so, he’s certainly been in over his head before. Trying to gather herbs in Gabite territory stands out in his memory. And, well—right now might be the most out of his depth Melli has ever felt.
People don’t come to Melli for comfort. Well, people rarely come to him at all, but certainly never for comfort. It’s a good thing that Ingo’s face is buried in his hands at the moment, or he’d probably see Melli’s discomfort and feel even worse. Ingo seems so distressed, Melli realizes that he could probably sneak off without Ingo even noticing. He could walk far, far away from here, far from Ingo’s baggage and the dangerously companionable relationship tenuously blooming between the two of them.
And only Sinnoh knows why, but he doesn’t.
“Um,” Melli starts lamely, rearranging himself into a more comfortable position on the log. “Well, maybe you can’t remember it right now, but you didn’t even remember you had a brother at all a few minutes ago. So, uh…” Melli grimaces, not sure how any of this is going over with his fellow warden, “Maybe it’ll come back to you soon, right? Isn’t it good that you remember him at all?”
Ingo is still for a moment before he draws in a deep breath and exhales slowly. He lifts his face out of his hands, eyes closed as he takes another breath. Once he has composed himself, he looks at Melli once more. His eyes are a bit sad, but still shining with a brightness that is foreign in the warden’s typical foggy, unfocused gaze.
“It seems I’m reliant on your wisdom once more tonight, Warden,” Ingo says, and Melli is surprised to hear a borderline joke leaving the lips of his fellow warden. “You are correct, of course. If I allow my engine to stall on account of all the things I cannot remember, I will overlook the distance I’ve managed to cover. This is progress, undoubtedly. Now I know for certain I have someone to return to.”
Still feeling incredibly awkward about the whole situation, Melli twirls his hair as he breaks away from Ingo’s much too earnest gaze. “Uh, yeah. Good. Whatever helps you perform your duties as Lady Sneasler’s warden as best as you can.” Sensing an opening, Melli stands up quickly, flicking his eyes over to the position of the moon.
“My, hah, look at the time! I should really be making my way back to Moonview Arena; I would not want to keep my Lord Electrode waiting any longer than necessary!” The words spill out of him hastily as he prepares to retreat into the isolation of his own post. He needs some time to reflect on… everything that has occurred tonight.
Before he can disappear into the approaching dawn, Ingo’s voice stops him. “Warden,” the other man says, halting Melli for a moment. “Thank you. The information you’ve passed on to me tonight is invaluable. I hope it will help me become a man you find worthy of holding the title of warden alongside you.”
The gears in Melli’s head are turning as he struggles to respond, torn between the comfort of falling back into his egotistical persona or giving in to his nagging desire to be genuine with the frustratingly earnest warden. Ingo saves him from having to make the choice by continuing.
“If you wouldn’t mind terribly, do you think our cabs could link up more often in the future?”
Melli turns around to face him, fully baffled. “Our what?”
“My apologies.” Ingo inclines his head. “I’m asking… Would you spend time talking with me again? You’ve helped me to remember something more important tonight than anything I’ve managed to piece together in all the time I’ve spent alone. I wouldn’t ask that you neglect your duties as Warden in favor of socializing, of course. But perhaps we could embark on more joint gathering missions?”
If he could see his own reflection at that moment, Melli is certain that surprise would be written all over his face. Ingo just keeps knocking him off balance tonight, acting unexpectedly at every opportunity. Maybe it wouldn’t have been unexpected, if Melli had made any effort to get to know him in a meaningful way. He takes a breath and then puts on his best, haughtiest smile.
“Can’t get enough of the Great Melli, hm?” Melli says confidently, falling back into something comfortable, something routine. “Well, my time is rather precious… But I suppose I can set some aside, if it means teaching you to act like a proper warden. Lady Sneasler deserves as much.”
Melli thinks he’s getting better at reading Ingo’s micro expressions; though the man doesn’t smile, Melli can still detect something like relief flashing across his face. Ingo takes a step forward, clasping one of Melli’s slender hands with both his own. Melli fights his knee-jerk reaction to pull away. Ingo has never struck Melli as a particularly touchy guy, but perhaps that assumption was incorrect as well.
Ingo squeezes Melli’s hand like a firm handshake. “I look forward to learning more from you, Warden. Please be safe on your way to your station! Full speed ahead now, and don’t allow your car to become derailed!”
Feeling his face heat up from embarrassment and bewilderment, Melli finally yanks his hand free, fuming. “Who—who said you could grab my hand, old man! And I have no idea what you’re even babbling on about!”
Ingo laughs a deep, rumbling laugh that surprises Melli more than just about anything else he’s seen tonight. One of Ingo’s sturdy hands comes down hard on Melli’s back, forceful enough to make Melli stumble a few steps forward as he bristles. “Take care on your way home, Warden!”
Stomping off back in the direction of his Noble, Melli huffs. “You’re making me regret being so nice to you!” Melli grouses, loud enough that Ingo can still hear him. He doesn’t look back, focused only on getting as far from Ingo as possible.
Well, his relationship with the other warden has definitely changed after tonight. Only time will tell if it’s ultimately for better or worse.
Okay, so maybe Ingo wasn’t the worst possible person to end up as his fellow warden. Sure, the guy was weird, and off putting, and spoke in a way that Melli could hardly follow, and didn’t know how to do a single thing right—but he wasn’t, like, the worst .
Ever since their prolonged conversation that night, Melli’s thoughts have been messier than he’d like to admit. Another crime of the unqualified, strange, not-the-worst-but-pretty-bad warden. Before he showed up, everything was simple: Melli’s thoughts were focused largely on his Lord Electrode, with only a bit of spare time for the crushing loneliness of his little tent in the wilderness to creep in.
Now, they’re all over the place. Lord Electrode remains his priority, obviously, but he finds himself distracted frequently. Sometimes they’re thoughts of that weird warden— gross. He’s been thinking of Clover more often too, of the day she walked away from it all. As if that’s a viable option.
But it is, isn’t it? After all, Warden Ingo will presumably do the same as soon as a way home presents itself. He’ll return to wherever he’s supposed to be, leaving Lady Sneasler behind without a warden. Shirking his duties. Abandoning his post.
Melli will be alone again.
Shocked disgust paints his face as he realizes that he’d actually thought that. His face goes red with embarrassment, despite the lack of witnesses to his private and revoltingly sentimental thought towards Ingo. He exhales, mouth flattening into a thin line as he looks out at the mountainous scenery. The color fades from his face as his thoughts continue to wander further.
It’s not really about Ingo—it could be anyone. Melli just likes the company, he’s realized. Who knows if Sneasler will choose another warden after Ingo departs; she had refused for many years prior to his arrival. Perhaps the silence left by Ingo will straighten his thoughts back out.
Infuriatingly, Melli thinks about Ingo even more after he leaves.
They hadn’t exchanged any grand parting words. There was no reason for that sort of thing—they weren’t friends, after all. A week ago, Ingo had come by his dwelling, bearing a basket of Lord Electrode’s preferred berries. He had handed it to Melli, thanked him for his guidance as a fellow warden, and then walked off for the final time.
And that was that. The Coronet Highlands were quiet again, with only a single warden who preferred to keep to himself. Well, it wasn’t that he preferred it—but he certainly wasn’t about to try chatting up the Galaxy Team members who traipsed around with no respect for the ground under their feet.
His initial impression of Ingo hadn’t been much better, but time had shown him to be a different man than Melli had first assumed. A deficiency of important knowledge belied an insatiable hunger to learn and master his role. Melli had no clue what Ingo used to do before he came to Hisui, but he was fairly certain that the man performed his duties to the fullest. He was anything but a slacker.
Despite their disagreements—Melli still holds that harmfully altering the environments of Pokémon for human comfort is unacceptable behavior, especially for a warden—Ingo had clearly put a lot more stock than most outsiders into everything Melli had said to him.
Melli hates to admit it, but Ingo made him feel more pride for his role as warden than he had in a long time. The way that Ingo asked him for guidance, allowed himself to be taught—it made Melli recall exactly why he held so much passion for the practices he was trying to drill into the strange warden’s head. Why they were important to him, and so important for Ingo to understand.
Even with Ingo’s departure, Melli can still feel that ember of genuine pride smoldering in his chest.
Well, whatever. He didn’t have time for growing chummy with a Pearl Clan warden anyway. There was plenty of work to be done to prepare for winter’s arrival, and little time to do it all. He’d have to gather extra supplies to bring to Lady Sneasler as well; the first winter without a warden is always the hardest.
A shrill cry rings out overhead as a large Braviary circles, lazily drifting downwards until it lands on solid ground. Ingo opens the door to his apartment, hailing the large bird Pokémon as he walks out to meet it. The Braviary struts towards him, trilling with interest.
Ingo can recognize Lenora’s Braviary with a single glance; he’d seen it battle alongside her in the Pokémon World Tournament before with his own eyes. The well-trained Pokémon turns around, giving Ingo access to the pack strapped securely to its back. Carefully, Ingo reaches in and extracts the precious cargo within. Once Braviary has ensured the success of the delivery, it takes off once more, heading back in the direction of Nacrene City.
Ingo returns to his apartment, the book held to his chest with one arm. Lenora had gone through the trouble of reaching out to archivists in Sinnoh, having a copy of a rather rare book produced, and even sending it to his home—all for his sake. He owes her several times over for the favors she’s done for him, though all she seems to desire is some time to sit down together and discuss his time in Hisui further. That’s certainly something he can do.
Stepping back into the quiet of his apartment, Ingo takes a seat at the table, placing the book down in front of him. He turns the pages gently, eyes scanning the words intently as he does. According to Lenora, this book contained the most comprehensive written record of the Wardens of Hisui, compiled largely from oral recollection.
There are vastly more names that Ingo doesn’t recognize compared to those that he does. Even so, he lingers on each page. In time, he comes upon an entry about Melli; his fingers stop turning the pages as he reads more intently. After a few minutes, a small smile finds its way onto his face.
Though his entry isn’t particularly long, the passage details Melli’s dedication to his role, his compassion for Pokémon, and, later in life, his role as a mentor for younger generations. Despite the fact that the two of them never managed to grow particularly close, Ingo can’t help but be glad to see that Melli was remembered for his more favorable characteristics.
At some point, Emmet had entered the room; Ingo’s not sure if his brother had been quiet, or if Ingo had simply been lost in his thoughts. He’s leaning over Ingo’s shoulder, looking at the page Ingo has stopped on.
“Friend of yours?” Emmet chirps, taking a sip from his mug.
Ingo laughs. “Something like that.”