Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Elesa couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Burgh’s face fall at the sight of just her and Skyla waiting for him at the entrance to Chargestone Cave.

“What do you mean no one else could make it?” He cried.

“Well… we already knew Clay and Drayden wouldn’t be coming. I sent an invite to Brycen to see if he was interested, but he’s too busy with filming.” Skyla ticked off her fingers as she spoke. “Marlon’s helping with a basculin run, and Roxie picked up a last-minute gig and is on a plane to Galar as we speak.”

“We can’t even get the newbies to commit?” Burgh sighed. “Lenora said she couldn’t make it either, but at least she tried to come, instead of shooting me down as soon as I asked.”

“What about Cheren?” Elesa asked.

“No good.” Burgh tsked. “He’s studying for finals, and getting his gym ready for its grand opening in time right after that.”

“It was nice knowing him, then.” Skyla snorted, standing up to stretch. “I sure as heck don’t miss school.”

Elesa got to her feet as well, shouldering her pack and fighting the urge to grin as Zebstrika bumped her shoulder with his snout. “Same. You could say that it tested my patience.”

Skyla made a gagging sound while Burgh gave her a look of disgust.

“Leavanny, darling, I think we forgot to pack a shovel for the weekend.” He said to his partner. He strode past the other gym leaders with his head held high, Leavanny following right behind with a soft chirp. “I’d rather not have to deal with various levels of poor quality puns.”

“Dude, the camping trip was your idea. You should know by now what you’re getting yourself into!” Skyla called after him, swinging her backpack over her shoulders. Elesa laughed unrepentantly as they followed Burgh into the cave.

It had been a while since Elesa was in here, not since she’d caught Joltik. The familiar feeling of electricity and the sight of the cave’s floating boulders filled with a bit of the same wonder she’d felt the first time she’d ever seen the place. She didn’t go to Mistralton via the walking paths these days, since she usually took the train over or drove, so it was a nice reminder for her that Unova had more than blinding city lights and scorching desert.

Not that she was getting tired of Nimbasa. Far from it! It’d just… been a lot, recently.

She noticed that Skyla was struggling to keep up with the longer-legged gym leaders, and called over to Burgh to try to get him to slow down. “You know, I never took you for the camping sort.”

Whether intentional or not, Burgh’s pace slowed so he could walk closer to the rest of the group. “Oh, come on. I specialize in bug types. How could I not love the outdoors?”

Elesa gave him a nudge with her elbow when he fell into step next to her. “That wasn’t what I was insinuating.”

“…No, camping is not really my thing. Not since my journey.” Burgh sighed slowly. Leavanny chittered at him in worry, and he gave her a pat. “Truth is, I’m going through a bit of an art block. I figured some time out my gym would do me some good.” He glanced over at her and Skyla and shrugged. “And maybe some of you would also feel the same.”

Elesa subconsciously tucked a blonde lock of hair behind her ear, frowning. “I can get that, I guess.”

It had been a hell of a time in Unova lately, no thanks to Team Plasma’s efforts to dismantle the bonds between humans and pokemon and take control of the region. The scariest thing was how far they got in their efforts. If it wasn’t for a couple of determined trainers leading the way, things would be very different.

The gym leaders provided proper backup in the end—maybe a little too late—but everything was getting back to normal… for the most part. Some gym leaders retired, with new ones taking their place. Some of the ones remaining were still dealing with the fallout of Team Plasma’s attempt to take over the region.

For Burgh, it seemed he was trying to recapture his creativity. For Iris, she had suddenly struck out and dethroned Alder from his seat as Champion. For Clay, he was elbows-deep in a project in an effort to revitalize interest in the Unovan League after the scare. Drayden was helping him, as far as Elesa heard. Clay was the only one aside from Iris who could get the reclusive gym leader out of Opelucid most consistently.

And for Elesa? Well, she was still figuring that out. Recent months had made her realize that she didn’t like the public persona she’d built for herself since becoming a gym leader, but she wasn’t sure how she wanted to change it. All she had so far were loose sketches, some notes on her Xtrans, and a box of black hair dye on her bathroom shelf. As of now, she had yet to feel confident enough to take the leap and just start on something.

Like Burgh, she was also not the camping sort, but she needed some time away from her gym.

She felt Skyla slide her hand into hers and give it a comforting squeeze. Elesa squeezed hers back.

Cool air greeted them as they entered Route 6. It was a gorgeous part of the region, with well-worn paths that crossed over a river that cut the mountain range in half. They passed by a cabin on their way into the woods, not even catching a glimpse of the season research lab as Burgh led them from down one of the side paths.

The campsite he had in mind was far enough away from the main trail that they wouldn’t be bothered by trainers passing through. Since it was close to the end of the school year, they weren’t expecting many. Between the three of them and their pokemon, they managed to recall enough of their journey experience to set up the tent and get a fire started.

It was nice, roasting marshmallows after their dinner and chatting about anything that came to mind, gym related or not, as their combined teams sprawled around the clearing. The best part was that there was absolutely no talk about Team Plasma.

It was the most normal Elesa had felt in a long time.

“A flying type team, huh?” Burgh said as Elesa regaled the tale of one of her more recent challengers. He hummed thoughtfully as he bent over his sketchbook. “I think I remember this trainer. They came through my gym before yours… Naturally, they had an easier time of it in mine.”

“Hey, there are ways around the type disadvantage.” Skyla cut in, smirking.

“It definitely leads to more creative strategies in battles.” Elesa agreed, poking at her cooked marshmallow and reaching over for the graham crackers and chocolate. “They came around three times before they could finally beat me. They didn’t even try to pick up other badges before coming back around.”

She took a messy bite of her s’more and smiled to herself. “Seeing them finally win was so fun to watch. I could barely keep a lid on my own excitement! I love watching people win because of their hard efforts.”

“It’s always fun to watch trainers get their badges.” Skyla watched her own marshmallow catch on fire for a good few seconds before she pulled it close to blow it out. “Well, except if they’re being dicks about it.”

Burgh nodded in agreement. “I’d love to hear how it goes if they come around to your gym, Skyla.”

Skyla pulled the burnt part of her marshmallow off and popped it into her mouth. “I’ll let you guys know if they do!”

Their conversation continued to wander aimlessly as the sun sunk behind the trees. Elesa finally had to spur the group to do something about their dishes before it got too dark. Most of their pokemon had returned to their pokeballs over the course of the evening, so Skyla and Burgh went to get some water with just Swanna and Leavanny while Elesa and Zebstrika got their storage covered with a tarp. There wasn’t enough room in the tent for their stuff, and it was always good practice to not keep their food in the same place they would sleep. Elesa had only needed one lecture from a ranger at fourteen for that lesson to sink in.

She finished staking down three of the corners when she heard Skyla scream, followed by Burgh yelling. Elesa jumped to her feet and started running towards the river.

“You know, it’s not funny! If you want to see a gym leader so badly, then come see us at our gyms!” Burgh shouted over his shoulder as he and Skyla emerged from the trees, water in hand.

“Everything alright?” Elesa checked, putting a hand on Zebstrika as he stopped next to her.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just—” Skyla’s posture was tense as she glanced behind them. “I saw something that freaked me out.”

Elesa looked at the trees around them. With as dark as it was now in the forest, all she could see was the intermittent spark of a wild emolga flying around nearby. “What did you see?” She asked.

Skyla swallowed and waited for Elesa to lead the way back to camp before she started walking again. “I saw a pair of glowing eyes across the river. It scared the shit out of me!”

Burgh clicked his tongue, visibly holding back the urge to shiver. “Let’s be reasonable about this. I already said no ghost stories. It was probably just a hex maniac being a terror to campers.”

“Or maybe it was a zoroark?” Elesa suggested.

“Maybe.” Skyla sat against the log next to their fire and pulled her knees up to her chest. “They aren’t usually found in this part of the region, though.”

Elesa sat and put a hand on Skyla’s back as Swanna nestled up against her trainer’s other side. The nervous tension in her frame eased somewhat, but not entirely. Whatever it was she saw had really spooked her. Zebstrika settled in the grass next to them, keeping an eye on the direction they had come from.

Burgh shook his head as he cleaned off the last of their dishes and set everything in their storage tarp, closing it off with the last stake. “If they’re smart, they won’t come around again.”

“Yeah.” Skyla shuddered and leaned against Elesa’s side, letting out a sigh. “I’m fine. It’s just been a long time since I’ve been out camping like this.”

Elesa chuckled, resting her head on top of Skyla’s. “I feel that. I promise our next date won’t be out in the woods.”

That won a small laugh from Skyla. Burgh sat down in his camping chair and pulled out a sketchbook. “So, you two are dating.” He said, smirking over at them.

Elesa felt her face warm while Skyla grinned sheepishly. “Yeaaaahhh…”

“We’re trying to keep it under wraps for now.” Elesa said. “Don’t want the public to know until we’re ready to make it official.”

“Uh huh.” Burgh snickered, his eyes on his paper as he started drawing. “Like anyone wouldn’t notice you two making eyes at each other.”

“I mean, not everyone notices.” Skyla shrugged, stretching her legs out again. “Don’t you want something to be yours for a bit, before it goes out to everyone else?”

“No, I get it.” Burgh gave them a glance and smiled. “I’m happy for you two. There’s been a lot of talk about the two of you getting together. It’s about time, in my opinion!”

Elesa and Skyla shared a knowing look with each other. They could think of a few people in their shared social circles who would be thrilled to hear the news.

“…You aren’t going to throw anything into the tabloid rumor mill, are you?” Elesa had to ask.

“No, I don’t do that.” He tilted his head and smirked at her. “That’s more your style, anyway.”

Elesa put her head in her hands, her face now burning. “Dragons, it was one time!”

“That we know of.”

“It wasn’t even a rumor, either.” Skyla groaned. “It was an awful pun.”

“It was a great pun!” Elesa argued. “Nobody wanted to appreciate it! How about we stop talking?”

Burgh laughed while Skyla patted her on the shoulder. Elesa leaned more fully against Skyla, still hiding behind her hands. For a few minutes it was just the sounds of the slowly dying fire, the forest around them, and the soft scratch of pencil against paper.

“Really though, I am happy for both of you.” Burgh broke the silence, and Elesa could hear him shifting in his chair to lean in closer. “What do you think? A little something to commemorate the occasion.”

Elesa looked up to find Burgh holding out his sketchbook to them. Skyla took it for a closer look, and Elesa peered over her shoulder to see.

It was the two of them, resting against each other by the fire like they were currently doing. The scene looked a lot more peaceful than the actual conversation had been.

“Aw! It’s really good.” Skyla smiled. “So sweet and soft.”

“Yeah, it’s great.” Elesa paused for a little too long as she thought on saying something else or not. She could tell that Burgh was already tensing in the corner of her eye.

She decided to say it. “I’m really drawn to it.”

The sketchbook was snatched out of Skyla’s hands, and Burgh inhaled carefully as he pocketed it in his bag. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

Skyla chuckled, the last of her nerves from earlier melting away as their fellow gym leader zipped up the tent to change while Leavanny returned to her ball to rest. Her laugh turned into a groan as she leaned against Elesa again.

“That was awful.”

Elesa grinned and rested her head on top of Skyla’s. “You’re welcome.”

Burgh’s ire dissipated by the time he emerged in his pajamas. He waited outside of the tent and doused the fire as Elesa and Skyla changed into their own sleepwear, then joined them inside for the night. His karrablast released itself to burrow into his sleeping bag with him.

“How do we feel about a hike in the morning?” He asked nonchalantly as he set an alarm on his Xtrans.

Skyla ran her hands down her archen’s back as it curled up on her chest. “So long as it’s not one of those sunrise hikes.”

Burgh paused, then lifted the device again to set his alarm for a little later. Elesa chuckled as her emolgas, Gus and Perla, nestled on either side of her. “Just not too early.” She said.

“I will make one attempt to wake you two up, and if you don’t, I’ll just head up with my team.” He decided, dropping his arm to his side. “I brought some watercolors that I want to use.”

“Fair enough.” Elesa yawned. “Good night.”

In spite of the earlier scare, Skyla and Burgh somehow managed to fall asleep rather quickly. Elesa was left awake between them as the sounds of nocturnal pokemon filled the night. It was keeping her awake, no matter how exhausted she felt. She slowly and gently pet her emolgas’ sides, staring up at the nylon ceiling of their tent.

It was late enough that she knew not to trust her own thoughts like this, but she still fell into the old spiral of self doubt. Getting some time away was all well and good, but…

What did she want, afterwards?

She wasn’t burning out, like Striaton’s leaders had, was she? No, that didn’t feel right… but what if she was?

She inhaled and pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes, trying to stay as quiet as possible as she thought it over. She still loved battling, and she loved seeing challengers at her gym, but something about the gym itself wasn’t making her happy anymore. It was her mentor’s before she took over as gym leader, so it never really felt like her.

Maybe that was it. She was already looking at changing her public image, so why not her gym to go with it? A renovation would be expensive though, especially because of the roller coaster. Would that be worth it? Maybe she could just repurpose the storehouse next to it, instead.

Clay would probably back her on freshening up her gym if she told him about her ideas. He was working harder than most to get trainers back on their journeys. It was more important than ever to have people and pokemon working together, after everything that had happened.

She exhaled slowly, pulling her hands to her chest. Skyla shifted closer and rested her head against her shoulder, sighing in her sleep.

Elesa smiled at her warmly. She and Skyla had been friends for years before they had decided to start dating. She wasn’t sure where she’d be if it wasn’t for her. Nimbasa was a big city, and she had a lot of fans between her modeling and gym careers, but there was a loneliness to it, too. Part of that was her fault. She’d been keeping her cards close to her chest and not really sharing much with other people since she was a kid on her journey. She was great at working behind a facade, a persona, but not a lot of people really got to know the real her.

She hadn’t even realized that her penchant for terrible jokes had been a little-known fact until recently! Her letter to the National Gymquirer had been an effort to change that… though in hindsight, she should have used a better pen name.

Until she met Skyla, she didn’t feel like anyone got her. Honestly, it was revelatory. Skyla was more extroverted than she was, and less afraid to be awkward in front of people, which in turn helped Elesa to open up more. It led to her getting to know Caitlin of Unova’s Elite Four, and Cynthia, the old Sinnoh Champion, among others, over the past few years.

Now she was in her late twenties, and finally feeling like she was fitting in somewhere, with friends, instead of just coworkers. She was here, camping, with Burgh of all people, and she felt fine with it.

Not that she ever disliked the man before. She’d just never realized that over the course of them knowing each other, that he’d become her friend along the way, too.

Maybe things weren’t as bad as she originally assumed. She could get through this slump, with a bit of hard work and support.

Her mind quieted with that thought, and she could feel herself finally relaxing. She yawned quietly and turned to face Skyla, closing her eyes. Before sleep could fully claim her though, she heard something snap just outside their tent.

Elesa’s eyes shot open, but she didn’t move. Dragons, she really hated it out here. All the noises were so loud and close. it was nothing like the muffled hum of a city from her apartment.

She strained to listen outside of the tent for whatever it was that was passing through. For a few tense minutes, there was nothing, and she almost let her guard down enough to fall asleep before she heard the the softest shuffle of dirt being displaced by footsteps.

Something was in the camp.

She scooted her way out of the sleeping bag that she and Skyla were sharing, putting a finger to her lips as one of her emolgas stirred. In the dim light, she could see Gus’s ears twitching at the sound of a tarp being carefully moved outside. Their tarp.

Elesa’s mouth set into a stubborn frown. Something was in the camp, and it was trying to steal their food! Her other emolga was awake now, and both of them ran up Elesa’s back to perch on her shoulders as she quietly pulled on her shoes.

Skyla stirred and looked over at her in confusion. Elesa managed to convey the need to stay silent as she crept to the tent door. She unzipped the entrance as quickly as she could and ducked outside.

“Hey!” She hissed low to the intruder. “You’ve got one second to—!”

Elesa froze as glowing, silver eyes blinked back at her. She only had a moment to take in the dark, humanoid form before they bolted from the clearing. Another moment passed, before she then realized that their only pan had been in the thief’s hand.

“You motherf—!”

Elesa ran after without thinking, leaping over the fire pit and crossing into the trees while her pokemon held onto her shoulders. Skyla called for her before she could get too far away.

“Where are you going?!”

“They stole the pan!” She called back over her shoulder, but she didn’t stop the pursuit. Maybe if it wasn’t stupid late into the night and adrenaline wasn’t pumping through her, she would have considered a different approach. However, her only thought now was to not let the thief out of her sight.

“Let’s put the spotlight on them, shall we?” She said to her emolgas. The twins chittered and took off, Gus sparking and lighting the ground for his trainer as Elesa made her way through the trees while Perla flew ahead. “Don’t let them get away!”

Perla sparked at the figure in an attempt to paralyze them, but the move missed, hitting bark instead. Elesa caught a glimpse of silver and pink dashing through the trees, but not much else. Whoever they were, they moved expertly through the forest, far too quickly for her to keep up with.

She didn’t have the energy to keep up at this pace for very long. She could do a mean power walk, but running long distance wasn’t in either of her jobs’ criteria.

“Stop!” She tried, deciding to haul herself over a fallen log instead of going around and nearly face-planting into the dirt because of it. “Stop, Dragons-dammit!”

The figure did not stop, naturally, but she did. Elesa panted and sat on the log to catch her breath, Gus landing on her head. There was no way she could catch up now. She’d just have to buy Burgh a new pan once they were back in town.

At least they had fixings for sandwiches.

Perla’s squeaking came close again as she returned to her trainer’s side, looking guilty at the failed chase. Elesa gave her a scratch between the ears. “It’s okay, girl. You did your best.”

She brushed herself off and looked around. Their pursuit had taken them… somewhere. She wasn’t sure where, exactly. She had been running for a while. All the trees looked the same to her, especially in the dark. With a sigh, she glanced up at Gus as she turned on the light on her Xtrans.

“Hey, buddy? Think you can fly over the trees and figure out which way is camp?”

Gus chittered and gave her a small spark to the cheek before he leaped up into the branches and disappeared from sight. Elesa stretched out her legs as she waited, trying not to think too much about what else might be in the forest with her, aside from pan thieves with glowing eyes.

Her pokemon returned and motioned in the direction to go. Elesa started at a brisk pace, keeping her light steady on the ground ahead. She wasn’t sure how far out she’d gone, but she wanted to get back to camp as soon as possible, and drown out any unpleasant noises with the headphones she’d left in the tent.

She had to stop a couple times to have her emolgas check that they were still headed in the right direction before continuing onwards. Try as she might to keep heading in as direct of a path as she could, she had to keep moving around the trees and boulders in the way. Her thief hadn’t taken a direct route when she was chasing them, so naturally she had no hope of recognizing the way she was taking now.

Especially when the path suddenly came to an end.

Elesa had enough of a warning to catch herself before she could fall too far down the steep slope, but she cried out when her foot twisted painfully under her. Her emolgas squeaked and sparked in distress as she slid to a stop, landing next to her as she dropped her head against the ground, panting.

“M’okay.” She tried to assure, but her arms were shaking, hands still curled into the ground. Tears pricked in her eyes as she tried to control her breathing. Her ankle throbbed in pain, but she couldn’t get herself to move her legs to get back up the slope. It didn’t help that when she looked further down with her light, she couldn’t see the bottom. Whether it was because it went too far down for the meager light to reach, or the slope gave way to a sheer drop, she wasn’t certain, and she sure as hell didn’t want to find out which it was.

Perla got in her face, blocking her vision and pulling her back to the present. Elesa gulped in a breath of air and turned her gaze to the sky, then towards the top of the slope. Skyla and Burgh had to be looking for her by this point, right? They just needed to find her and she’d be okay.

“…G-get help, girl.” She managed to wheeze out. Gus climbed onto her chest and curled up against her neck as Perla ran to take off again.

She focused on her pokemon through the haze of panic while she waited, very slightly managing to rub her cheek against his fur. He chittered and nuzzled back as hard as he could, giving her something to anchor to while they waited.

It felt like ages, but her Xtrans said only a several minutes passed before she could hear light footsteps and Perla squeaking from above. She flinched when she heard and felt a few stones falling around her, but she managed to tilt her head back to look up the slope.

For the second time that night, glowing eyes blinked back. The figure’s silhouette was backed with a violet light this time, but Elesa couldn’t make out the source of the light. It gave him an eerie look as he glared down at her.

Perla swooped down from behind him and landed next to her sibling, chittering up at the stranger.

Elesa kept trying to breathe evenly, shoving down another wave of panic. Sure, it was the pan thief, but she trusted that her pokemon wouldn’t have brought him if she didn’t think he could be dangerous.

“H-help.” She croaked.

The man nodded and put a hand on a nearby branch to carefully lean out and get a better look at the slope. The light from behind shifted in front of him to reveal a chandelure with him.

A ghost partner. That explained the glowing eyes, at least. Maybe Burgh’s hex maniac theory held some water.

He scowled as leaned back and pulled a pokeball from his belt, but Elesa couldn’t see what pokemon he was releasing from where she was laying. She heard him say something, and then he appeared over the edge again a moment later, a blue rope tied around his waist as he carefully made his way down to her.

Elesa couldn’t help but wince with every small tumble of stones, her fingers curling further into the dirt. The man’s chandelure floated above them as he came to a stop at her side and offered her his hand. He still frowned, but his voice was paradoxically calm and reassuring as he spoke to her. She realized then that she couldn’t understand a word that he was saying. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t Galarian.

She managed to lift an arm to take his hand. Her emolgas scurried up the slope as she was hoisted to her feet with little effort, but she nearly crumpled again when she accidentally put weight on her injured foot. Somehow, he kept them from slipping, pulling her arm across his shoulders to help support her weight and holding her around the waist. He gave the rope a tug, and she felt the line being pulled, helping them walk back up the steep slope.

What she thought was a rope turned out to be a vine from a tangrowth. The man untied himself as soon as Elesa was safely sitting on flat ground, muttering to his pokemon in his language before returning it to its ball. Elesa thought it sounded like Kanjoh, but she wasn’t sure.

Now that the area was properly illuminated and she wasn’t in any immediate danger, she could finally take in the stranger. His hair was gray under his black hat, almost silver in his pokemon’s light, with sideburns that took up the sides of his face. He wore a short, black kimono (haori, she recalled) over a pink tunic that she was pretty certain was lined with fur. His leather boots were weathered with age and use, and it looked like they had been repaired many times by hand. She didn’t recognize the symbol dyed onto his tunic, or the one carved into the wooden band around his wrist. They didn’t look like anything Unovan, for certain.

She caught a glimpse of wooden pokeballs on his belt from under his haori and frowned to herself. This guy looked straight out of a history book, if she had anything to say about it, and his whole persona screamed rugged mountain man. She’d seen weirder characters in her gym and on the runway over the years, and that wasn’t even taking Plasma into account, but this didn’t seem like some trainer act.

If living out in the wilderness was what floated his boat, so be it. She’d just never heard of anyone being out here before. It was odd.

“Thank you.” She said, as soon as she could breathe properly again. He probably couldn’t understand her, but she wanted to say something, anyway.

The man turned to her when she spoke, still glaring. He hesitated before he nodded his head at her, then hid his eyes beneath the brim of his hat.

Elesa took a look at herself and sighed. Her pajamas were ruined and filthy, but she was still decent, at least. She carefully straightened out her legs, hissing under her breath as her ankle throbbed.

The man crouched down in front of her, not quite looking at her directly as he spoke something. His tone had a lot of intent to it, probably to help convey what he was trying to say even with the language barrier. He sounded apologetic as he slowly reached for her foot, ending his sentence on a questioning note and waiting for her to respond.

“You… want to take a look?” She guessed. She hesitated before she gave a half-hearted shrug. He seemed to be someone who could perform some first aid in the wilderness. Better than she could, at least. “Knock yourself out, I guess.”

He paused at the expression and gave her a puzzled look before letting out a short bark of a laugh that cut through the night. It surprised them both, with Elesa jolting in place and the man clapping a hand over his mouth. He mumbled what she assumed was an apology through his fingers, his face tinging slightly more pink in his chandelure’s light.

“Hey, it’s fine! It just scared me a bit.” She laughed, then blinked at him. “Wait, you can understand me?”

He nodded, then after a pause, raised a hand to make a so-so motion. Okay… so that made things a little easier, she supposed. “Can you speak Galarian?” She asked.

His expression clouded in serious thought at the question. He answered uncertainly after a few moments, his face flushing again in embarrassment. “N-no. Not good. Not… well.”

Elesa laced her fingers in her lap and nodded. “That’s okay, then.” She looked down at her hands before she added. “The name’s Elesa.”

His hands hovered just over her foot as he gave her a small nod. “Ingo.”

She breathed in sharply as Ingo started to carefully inspect the damage, pressing his fingers around her swollen ankle to check for breaks. He lifted her foot and set it in his lap, his chandelure drifting closer for light as he opened a leather pouch on his belt. Producing a small roll of cloth, he began to wrap it snugly around her shoe and ankle, bracing the joint as best he could before he tied it off.

“Is that it?” Elesa gave the wrapping a look over and tried to get back to her feet. Ingo said something in an affirmative tone, rising quickly to help make sure her weight was more on him than her injured foot.

She hadn’t noticed it before, but he seemed to be tense about touching her.

“I’ve got it, sweetie.” She told him, hopping over on one foot to lean against a nearby boulder. Ingo stayed where he was, his frown uncertain as he clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides. He spoke again, and she recognized the words as yet another apology.

She waved him off as her emolgas sniffed at the wrappings. “It’s fine! I’m not offended.” She gave him a small smirk and tilted her head to him. “What would make this a lot better though, would be if you gave back the pan you stole.”

Ingo blinked at her like a deerling in headlights, his brows furrowing in thought. She could see the gears working in his head as he tried to dissect the meaning of her words. Oops. Maybe she’d said too much at once for him to understand.

Eventually, he apologized again and put a hand to his head, wincing. His chandelure chimed in concern and drifted closer to him. Elesa smiled at him reassuringly and sighed. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

Somehow, even with the frown, Ingo still managed to look worried. Elesa felt a wider smile tug on the corners of her mouth. Going from speedy thief to concerned helper was a bit of a personality whiplash, but there was no doubt that he was feeling guilty about her predicament. At least he’d come back to help her. He could take the pan as payment, she supposed.

The question now was why he wanted the pan in the first place.

“ELESA!”

Skyla’s worried shout broke through the trees from above, startling Ingo and making his chandelure flare her flames in surprise.

Elesa gave them a glance before she raised her hands to call back. “Skyla! Over here!” She looked down at her emolgas and beckoned Gus up her arm. “Can you bring her here?”

Ingo looked nervous as she threw her pokemon into the air and he disappeared past the treetops. She gave him a sympathetic glance and nodded her head to the trees behind him.

“You can go, if you want.” She said to him, as Burgh’s shouting and Zebstrika’s whinnies added to the mix.

Ingo looked conflicted, glancing between her and the approaching voices, before he took a step back. He apologized one more time as he gave her a small bow, his chandelure disappearing into her pokeball.

“You don’t need to apologize.” Elesa shooed him away with a hand. “Thank you for your help.”

It was pitch black without his partner’s light, so all she could see were his silver eyes before he turned and disappeared into the forest. She had to assume that he was long gone by the time Burgh and Zebstrika burst through the undergrowth.

“Reshiram and Zekrom above, you’re alive.” Burgh wheezed, putting his hands on his knees. Her partner came over and hurriedly pressed his head against her middle, snorting in worry. One of her jackets was tied around his neck. “Skyla was just about to call for a ranger if we couldn’t find you!”

He straightened and finally got a look at her disheveled form as Skyla came in from above on Swanna. “What happened?!” He cried out.

Elesa winced at his tone as she ran her hands down Zebstrika’s snout before untying the jacket to put it on. “I took a fall and hurt my ankle.” She explained, nodding her head in the direction of the slope. “On that note, don’t go that way. It’s a steep drop.”

“You fell?” Skyla jumped off of her partner and came over to Elesa’s side to take a look. She blinked at the wrappings in confusion. “Where did this come from?”

Elesa glanced down at her foot and winced when she tried to rotate it. With how Ingo had tied it, it wasn’t moving much. Probably for the best. “Someone helped me wrap it up, but I think I still need to get to a center as soon as possible to get it looked at.”

“Someone… helped you.” Burgh said, glancing around warily for another person. “Who?”

Skyla was already releasing Braviary and helping Elesa onto his back. “I’ll explain later.” She said, recalling Zebstrika and the emolgas to their pokeballs. “It wasn’t a ghost, though!”

“That does not reassure me in any way.” Burgh said dryly. It was obvious that he didn’t like the non-answer, but fortunately he understood the current priorities. He grounded out a sigh and put a hand on his hip, shaking his head.

Elesa gave him an apologetic look as Skyla hopped back onto Swanna. “Sorry about ruining the camping trip.”

“You’ll pay me back for it in some way, I’m sure.” He tsked. “You two get out of here. I’ll get everything at camp packed up and bring your stuff to you.”

“Thanks, Burgh.” Skyla smiled. “We’ll be at Mistralton’s Center.”

“I figured. Be safe.”

Elesa nodded, then started to slowly grin at him. “Don’t leavanny trace at the campsite, as the rangers say!”

Burgh flipped her off with both hands as they flew up past the trees. Skyla groaned loudly.

“Glad to know you’re feeling good enough to say such terrible things!” She shouted.

Elesa laughed, wincing at the twinge of pain in her ankle as she shifted on Braviary. She glanced down at the dark forest as Skyla led the way through the sky, her smile sobering as she thought about Ingo.

Who the heck was he, and what was he doing out here?

Chapter Text

When Elesa originally accepted the title of Gym Leader, she never expected to be doing something like this. Standing in a line with the rest of her gym leaders, shielding children from adults who wished harm upon them.

Shielding them long enough so that they themselves could continue the fight for Unova’s future.

How had it come to this?

“Hilda, Hilbert, please proceed!” Drayden barked, taking a pokeball from his belt.

“Yeah, we’ve got these windbags!” Iris shouted from the opposite end of the line. “Get going!”

Elesa glanced back at the twins, who nodded and darted towards the staircase. The sage closest to the stairs made to intercept before Drayden’s haxorus appeared to block his way, stomping a foot against the floor.

“You will not touch them.” Drayden growled low, raising his hand as the sage released his own pokemon. “Haxorus! Dragon Tail!”

The twins disappeared up the stairs as the corridor exploded into chaos. Elesa released Zeb alongside Clay’s excadrill and the two charged forward together. Against the might of eight gym leaders, the so-called sages never stood a chance.

Alder had joined them by the time the last opponents’ pokemon fell. The former Champion volunteered to stay behind to keep an eye on the incapacitated sages while the rest of them continued after Hilda and Hilbert. Drayden was the one who led the way deeper into the castle, keeping a furious silence as he fixed his gaze ahead.

Elesa was angry, too. Angry at herself, angry at the situation they were in, with only themselves to blame for not acting. It took Bianca—a child—to finally get her off her ass, to realize that the seeds Plasma had been planting around Unova were actually bearing fruit.

They should have been here much, much sooner.

The Plasma members on the subsequent floors did not put up a fight. Elesa split up with Skyla to search and round up who they could as Drayden and Clay spoke with a pair of women who weren’t wearing the usual grunt uniform. With each room searched, with each grunt spouting nonsense about Plasma’s victory and the freedom of pokemon everywhere under the rule of their king, Elesa grew silent, focusing only on the task ahead so she could ignore the growing dread in her gut.

Playing gym leader in an amusement park seemed so far away right now, and so silly in the face of what could happen if Hilda and Hilbert weren’t anything short of victorious.

She stopped when she heard the roars of Reshiram and Zekrom erupt from above. All the gym leaders paused when they heard them, and she felt Skyla find her hand and hold it tight. Elesa squeezed back, swallowing hard.

It was the smallest of comforts to know that she wasn’t the only one who was scared, too.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Fortunately, Elesa only ended up having a sprained ankle. A chansey nurse helped to heal up the various scrapes and scratches she’d accumulated in her fall, while another nurse bound up her ankle and set an ice pack over the joint.

“I’d recommend staying off your foot for a while, Miss Elesa.” He instructed. “Keep it elevated to help reduce the swelling, and ice it at least three times a day.”

Elesa grimaced. She might have to tell the studio that she won’t be able to do the shoot on Monday. Not good. She needed to be back on her feet as soon as possible.

“Do you have a chansey egg, by any chance…y?” She finished slowly. Skyla groaned into her hands in the seat next to her.

The nurse let out a tired sigh at the pun. “Never heard that one before.” He said wearily.

She highly doubted that.

The chansey hummed and gave Elesa a nod before stepping out of the room. “We’ll let you take one.” The nurse continued, glancing to Skyla. “Are you needing to spend the night here, or do you have a place to go?”

“I’ve got a place.” Elesa nodded. “No need for me to take up a bed here if it’s not too bad.”

“All right, then.” The nurse stood and took his clipboard again. “I’ll get some paperwork printed out for you and send you on your way. Be right back.”

“Thank you.” Elesa and Skyla said at the same time. Skyla looked to Elesa as soon as the door clicked close.

“Mind telling me what happened?”

Elesa shrugged and poked at the ice pack on her foot. “Should we wait until Burgh is here?”

“I just texted him and told him to meet us at my house.” Skyla explained. She scooted her chair closer to Elesa’s and leaned over. “Can I at least get the short version?”

Elesa felt a lump grow in her throat as she glanced at her. “…I’m sorry for running off like that. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Like I haven’t done anything stupid before.” Skyla huffed, staring down at her lap as she laced and unlaced her hands together. “You said you fell?”

“Yeah,” Elesa cleared her throat, trying and failing to not think too much on it. “You know, just Nimbasa’s gym leader, who helped to fight back Plasma’s sages, nearly bested by the mountains in one go!”

Her voice cracked at the end, and with it came some unexpected tears. Skyla was quick to take her hand, pulling her in for a hug.

“Oh, Dragons. I’m sorry.” Elesa sighed shakily, sniffling as she hugged Skyla back with one arm and brushed her face with her free hand. “I’m fine, really. I don’t know where this is coming from.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Skyla held her closer. It felt so nice, and she couldn’t help but rest her head on her shoulder. “I think I get it. That stuff with Plasma scared the hell out of me, too, and it’s really late right now.”

Ah, it was that. The very thing she tried not to think about, these days.

Elesa swallowed hard and regretfully pulled away, drying her face. She still held onto Skyla’s hand, though. “I do not want to fall apart in a center, in this outfit.” She attempted to joke, then sighed. “Can we talk about it later?”

Skyla nodded, giving her hand a squeeze. “So, someone helped you?” She prompted.

Grateful for the subject change, she nodded. “It was your, uh, glowing-eyed scare from the river. His name is Ingo.”

“Wait, really?” Skyla’s voice rose in disbelief.

“Yeah, he also stole Burgh’s pan.”

“What a jerk!”

The door opened again, and both women jumped in surprise. The nurse from earlier smiled in apology. “Sorry about that.” He held up a packet and gestured towards the hall. “If you’re ready, I can show you two to the front desk, and the receptionist will assist you with checking out.”

Elesa took the crutches the center had provided her and hobbled her way to the lobby with Skyla’s help. The receptionist at the counter had a boxed chansey egg waiting for them, and within minutes, the two were headed to Skyla’s house.

“So, what was his deal?” Skyla asked once Elesa hit her stride with the crutches. “Did you get to ask him why he was creeping around in the woods?”

“Nope.” Elesa shook her head. “Communicating was a bit difficult. He couldn’t speak Galarian really well, but he could understand me okay.”

Skyla frowned slightly. “Weird. What did he speak?”

“Kanjoh, I think?” She guessed, shrugging. “He was nervous about sticking around once he heard you coming, so… yeah. Didn’t really get to ask anything.”

“Yeah, nervous, because he’s guilty of theft.”

“That might’ve been why.” Elesa chuckled. “In the moment I just thought he was nervous about meeting more people.”

Skyla raised her hand and waved down the street. Elesa turned to find Burgh and his team coming up the way, with all their camping gear in tow.

“Oh, whoops.” Elesa reached for a pokeball and released her partner. “Hey, Zeb? Could you give them a hand?”

Zebstrika snorted softly and trotted over to Burgh’s side. Elesa could hear his thanks as he slung a couple bags over the pokemon’s back and continued walking.

“So sorry about leaving you in the dust.” Skyla gave him a sympathetic look as he joined them. “But thanks for helping out.”

Burgh took a moment to pop his back and roll his shoulders. “Like I said earlier, you’ll find a way to pay me back.” He looked to Elesa with a mild huff, glancing at the crutches. “Doing alright?”

Elesa nodded. “It was just a sprain. I’m okay.”

“We should be getting her off her feet, though. Come on,” Skyla urged them all forward, Burgh’s crustle taking up the rear as they started moving again.

Elesa recapped her story in more detail as they walked, going over a little about what she gleaned from Ingo in her short encounter. She was finished by the time Skyla let them in the front door. Burgh was shaking his head angrily.

“What’s up with you?” Elesa asked, raising a brow.

“That asshole stole more than the pan, just so you know!” He said. “When I got back to the camp to pack up, my portable stove and my chair were missing!”

Elesa blinked over Skyla’s head as she was herded towards the living room and onto the couch. “Wait, what? How?”

Skyla snorted and propped a pillow under Elesa’s foot once she was situated. “Dude, Ingo’s got no chill.” She gave Elesa a look and pointed at her as she walked out of the room. “Stay.”

Elesa stuck her tongue out at her but didn’t try to move, leaning against the back of the couch. For the first time since the chase, she could finally let herself relax. “Why is he stealing that stuff, though?” She wondered aloud.

Burgh huffed at the question as he set their camping gear near the front door. Crustle was the last to be unburdened before he returned himself to his ball. “You think he’s living out there?”

“He didn’t prepare very well, then, if that’s the case.” Skyla commented from the kitchen.

Burgh dropped into the chair next to the couch, sighing. He still looked annoyed, but Elesa’s question seemed to have defused some of his anger. “Yeah. he didn’t.”

As interested as she was to continue talking, Elesa could already feel herself nodding off now that she was comfortable. Burgh looked as exhausted as she felt, as did Skyla, as she came back into the living room and plopped onto the floor next to the couch.

“We should probably get some sleep.” Burgh said as he fought back a yawn. Elesa pried open her eyes (when had she closed them?) and hummed in agreement.

“Burgh, you can take the guest room.” Skyla said, tugging her hair tie out and letting her hair fall to her shoulders.

“I don’t want to get your sheets dirty.” He shook his head. “And I don’t think I can shower without falling over right now.”

Elesa glanced to the pile of camping gear by the door. Fortunately for them, their sleeping bags hadn’t been stolen.

“Sleepover in Skyla’s living room?” She suggested. “We can shower in the morning?”

Skyla and Burgh looked at each other and shrugged. “Sure, but you’re staying on the couch.” Skyla insisted, getting back to her feet. “I’ll grab some pillows and blankets.”

Elesa watched as Burgh moved the coffee table to the side while Skyla disappeared down the hallway. She carefully laid down on the couch and repositioned her foot, putting her head on the throw pillow she had been leaning up against. Burgh grabbed their sleeping bags and started to unroll them on the floor.

It didn’t take long for Elesa to start drifting off as soon as she was horizontal, try as she might to stay awake a little longer. Skyla returned with a stack of blankets under one arm and a few pillows under the other, and Elesa only hummed sleepily as she came over to replace the throw pillow under her head.

“Don’t try to stay up on our account. We’ll be conking out soon enough.” Skyla said softly.

Elesa nodded and dropped her head onto the much more comfortable pillow, sighing. “You’re the best, y’know that?” She mumbled.

Skyla checked that her ankle was properly elevated before she threw a blanket over her. “Well, I certainly try to be.” There was a warmth in her voice as she said it, making Elesa smile. “Get some rest.”

Elesa tiredly squeezed Skyla’s hand before closing her eyes for good. The last thing she registered as she surrendered to sleep was a hand slowly brushing her hair behind her ear.

———

“So, I have a theory.” Said Burgh the next morning.

Elesa poured out pancake batter on the pan, leaning on one crutch for support. Skyla was scrambling the chansey egg in another pan next to her. “About?” She asked.

“About Ingo.”

“Ah.” Elesa waited a moment for him to continue. He didn’t. “Well, what is it?”

Burgh scooped up cut pechas with the flat of his knife and dumped them into a bowl. “Mountain man on Route 6 who can’t speak Galarian and steals camping supplies? He’s got to be an escaped convict from another region.”

“How did you go from hex maniac to convict?” Skyla asked incredulously. “He saved Elesa!”

“He could be a wrongfully accused convict!” Burgh said, throwing up his free hand. “I’m just putting ideas out there.”

Skyla frowned in thought. “He didn’t seem like a Plasma grunt, did he?” She asked quietly.

“Absolutely not.” Elesa shook her head quickly. “His chandelure didn’t look like a pokemon that was being forced to be there. Also, the symbol on his clothes wasn’t anything I’ve seen before.”

“He had a symbol on his clothes?” Burgh asked.

Elesa shoved her spatula under the pancakes to flip them over. “Yeah. I didn’t get a great look at it, but it was circular, and pink. Very much not Plasma.”

“Well… that’s good, I guess?”

Food was set on the table and the three of them took their seats while their teams had their own breakfast around them. Elesa used the fourth chair to prop up her foot while Skyla scooped the scrambled egg onto her plate.

“You’ve got to have a theory of your own.” She said, grabbing a couple pancakes for herself. “You’re the one who actually saw him properly.”

“Yeah…” Elesa chewed on her lip as she filled her plate. “I dunno, I think he might be from Johto?”

“Because of the apricorn pokeballs?” Burgh guessed.

Elesa nodded. “Maybe he just wants to be a hermit in the mountains.”

“Well, the rangers won’t like that.” Skyla poured a ridiculous amount of syrup over her berry-laden pancakes and passed the container down. “There’s a reason only a small part of Route 6 is pathed for travelers. The rest is supposed to be for wild pokemon. Also, that area is maintained by the season team, for research purposes.”

Elesa exchanged a glance with Burgh. As a fellow city dweller, he didn’t look like he knew about this, either. “So the rest of Route 6 is off limits to people?” She asked.

Skyla swallowed a bite of pancake and leaned back in her chair. “Not really? I mean, you can still camp and hike, and trainers aren’t discouraged from catching pokemon, either. They just don’t want anyone living out there, or doing anything that could permanently disturb the deerling and sawsbuck population.”

“So if Ingo is living out there, what would the rangers do?”

Skyla shrugged, digging into her pancakes again. “If he doesn’t leave when they tell him to, he could get arrested.” She snorted softly. “Well, they’d have to find him out there, first.”

“How do you know so much about this?” Burgh asked.

“A lot of the people in and around Mistralton are either farmers, or rangers.” She explained. “A couple of my gym trainers used to be rangers, actually, so I’ve picked up a few things from talking to them.”

Elesa started on her breakfast and listened while Skyla went into more detail about ranger work. The egg was amazing, as expected; the chansey who provided it to the Mistralton center had to be really be loved by the staff. The syrup might have counteracted some the vitamins in the egg, but Elesa was happily full by the time she cleaned off her plate.

Hopefully, because of it, she’d be back on her feet sooner than normal.

She was forced to stay sitting while Burgh and Skyla cleaned up the kitchen. Zebstrika took advantage of her situation and laid next to her for pets, putting his head on her lap.

“All in all, I don’t think our gym leader trip was a total loss.” She said, scratching her fingers around her partner’s ears. “Breakfast was nice.”

Skyla laughed as she handed Burgh dishes to dry. “So long as it doesn’t end in another center visit and we don’t get jumpscared by strangers, I’d be down to do something like this again! Maybe not camping, though.”

“We didn’t even get to go hiking.” Burgh sighed. “I really think you two would have enjoyed the trail.”

“Hey, we could totodile-y try a hike sometime.” Elesa smirked.

Skyla made a noise like a game show buzzer and crossed her arms into an X, throwing soap suds into the air. “No, bad. That one was very bad.”

“Agreed.” Burgh frowned. “Not your best work.”

Elesa hummed in agreement, then grinned in realization. “So, you admit that I do make some good puns?”

Burgh balled up the cloth he was using to dry dishes and chucked it at her. Elesa laughed and ducked to the side before it could hit her on the face. Zebstrika huffed and twitched his ears, mildly annoyed at the lapse in scratches.

She resumed her pets and let Skyla and Burgh chat with each other, falling into thought. Her question of why Ingo stole their camping gear was still in the forefront of her mind. Why was he out there in the first place? Then there were the other things…

Dragons, this was going to keep nagging at her, wasn’t it?

“You’re not going to say anything to your ranger friends, are you?” She asked Skyla once Burgh had left to return home.

Skyla glanced over, and Elesa gave her the most pitiful look she could muster. A good few moments passed before Skyla sighed, dropping next to her on the couch.

“Well, we don’t know for sure if the guy is living out there. He could just be passing through.” She conceded grumpily. “Mind me asking why this is important to you?”

She looked away, shrugging. “I don’t know.”

“Elesa.” Skyla sounded a little exasperated. “You know I need more than that.”

“I know.” She felt her face heat up as she turned back to her. She laced her hands together and then unlaced them.“There was something… off, about him. Not in a bad way, though.”

Skyla raised a brow at her to continue.

“Okay, bear with me.” Elesa shifted in her seat and leaned forward to fix the ice pack on her foot. “I’ve been thinking about his clothes.”

“His... clothes.” Skyla said slowly, no hint of sarcasm in her voice. “Alright, can you explain?”

She still kept forgetting that she could nerd out to her without judgement.

Best girlfriend.

“Okay, so,” She reached for her tablet and pulled up a croquis to draw over. “I know it was dark, but I still got a pretty good look at what he was wearing when his chandelure was hovering close.”

“And I know how you are with remembering outfit details.” Skyla said, waiting patiently.

Elesa was quiet for a few minutes before she turned the tablet around for Skyla to see. “I know I mentioned it last night, but what Ingo had on was extremely old-fashioned.”

“…Huh.” Skyla looked at the sketch with a frown. She pointed to the blank circle on the figure’s chest. “Is that the symbol you mentioned earlier?”

“Yeah, it was obscured under his haori.” Elesa tapped at the kimono for her. “So I didn’t get a good look at exactly what it was.”

“Fur-lined tunic. Hide boots.” Skyla read the notes she’d scribbled around the sketch. “Whoa, hand-woven fabric, you think? What year would you put this outfit in?”

“I don’t know.” Elesa admitted. “It’s not from the part of the world I studied in fashion history class. Definitely not Unovan. I’d have to look into it.”

Skyla nodded, giving the sketch another look before Elesa set the tablet aside. “So he’s into historical cosplay?”

“I’m not sure if it is cosplay, unless he’s really committed to the bit, what with him saying that he couldn’t speak or understand Galarian very well.” Elesa said. “His clothing was really worn in. Kind of like your old concert tees.”

“Faded and holey?” Skyla guessed, smirking faintly.

“Yeah.”

Skyla hummed in thought. “Do you think he’s the real deal or something?”

“Or something.” She groaned, sinking further into the couch. “Dragons, I don’t want to be overthinking this. I’ve got enough on my plate, right now.”

“Yes, you do.” Skyla agreed, reaching for the remote and turning on the tv. She flipped through channels until she stopped on some detective show they’d seen before, something they didn’t need to pay full attention to. “But for now, we are going to spend the day relaxing. So you can stay off your feet.”

Elesa didn’t argue as Skyla grabbed a fresh blanket and tucked herself next her. Elesa wrapped her arms around her shoulders, and blushed as Skyla turned her head to kiss her on the cheek.

“I won’t say anything, for now.” She said, her own face red as she gave her a small smile. “Just let me know if you find out anything.”

Elesa gave her a squeeze, pressing a kiss into her hair before hiding her face against her red locks. She still smelled like shampoo. “Thank you.”

———

Unfortunately, very little pertaining to Route 6 or Ingo could be done once her days off were over, and reality came crashing back. She didn’t have the time to look up anything between getting her gym trainers ready and sketching out her ideas on the direction she wanted to take her gym.

Well, she did have some time after getting her photoshoot rescheduled, but she knew how she was about going down buneary holes when it came to clothing research. She couldn’t afford the distraction this close to the summer rush, as much as the mystery tempted her. For now, she settled with keeping an eye on Unova’s ranger website for any notices about anyone who might match Ingo’s description.

It was Skyla who finally convinced her to take the leap and bring her gym ideas to a trusted source for for a professional opinion. Fortunately, Clay was willing to meet her at a cafe in Nimbasa for a meeting.

“A full-on rebuild, you’re sayin’?”

“Yeah, well, I was just thinking about it.” Elesa shrugged as nonchalantly as she could as Clay swiped through the sketches on her tablet. “I don’t want to get rid of Kami’s roller coaster, since they built the thing with the rest of the park, so I was thinking of donating it to use for guests.”

She took the illustrated map she’d grabbed on her way over and tapped on a corner of it. “There’s an old warehouse right about here that’s currently hidden from the rest of the park, behind the gate and bushes. It used to be a ride that broke down a long time ago, but they never had the budget to fix or renovate it. I’m thinking of using that for the new gym.”

Clay hummed and nodded, taking a moment to look over everything again. She really shouldn’t be this nervous. Clay may be a businessman, but he had a love for the League and a fiery passion about seeing trainers grow. He helped out a lot in the background around the region, outside of his tenured gym career. If she was going to share her ideas with anyone aside from Skyla, he was the best choice.

“I like it, and I think Kami would, too!” He finally said, writing down a few notes of his own on a pad of paper. “And keepin’ the gym in the amusement park would still encourage visitors to come.”

He took a sip of his drink and muttered under his breath as he continued to write. Elesa glanced down at her coffee, her stomach still too twisted up in knots to have any of it just yet.

“So it’s doable?” Elesa cut in after a minute, her hands braced against her knees.

“Of course it is!” Clay grinned, setting his pen down and looking at her. “I can help you draft up the proposal to send to the League along with your plans, if you’re interested.”

Elesa’s shoulders fell in relief. “That would be awesome. I’m terrible at all the paperwork that comes with this sort of thing. I saw Skyla’s remodel application when she submitted hers last year and about had a heart attack.”

“You did, huh?” A small, knowing smirk flashed across Clay’s face before he cleared his throat. “How’s that old mentor of yours doin’, by the way?”

Elesa narrowed her eyes at him as she took a long sip of her drink. “Currently enjoying their retirement by striking fear into the hearts of unsuspecting Galarian trainers and driving the ferris wheel staff in Wyndon crazy.” She answered. “I get pictures, sometimes.”

Clay laughed heartily in amusement. “Sounds about right! Dragons, I miss them.”

“Me too.”

Kami had been the previous gym leader of Nimbasa, and Elesa’s teacher. They were quiet and unassuming to the uninitiated, but Elesa knew how passionate they could get about mechanics and ride design. They took the city by storm back in the day, opening the amusement park in tandem with their gym as a huge publicity stunt to pull in challengers. It had worked, spectacularly.

How someone like that had taken notice of someone like Elesa was beyond her, but she was forever grateful for the opportunity. Then again, most gym leaders seemed to have a hyper-fixation outside of battling. It was good to have more than one hobby, after all.

Clay tore off the sheet of paper he’d been writing on out of his notebook and handed it to Elesa. “Here’s a list of things you’ll need on hand to start on the application. Just let me know when you’re ready and we’ll meet back up to write that proposal.”

Elesa looked over the paper and nodded. It was a list of documents that she was sure she could find in her office. “Seems doable. I’ll text you when I’ve got everything together.” She smiled over at him. “Thanks a lot, Clay.”

“Anythin’ for a friend.” He smiled back. He paused for a moment before gesturing to under the table. “So, you’re gonna tell me what happened to your foot, right?”

“Oh, I just had a dumb fall during the camping trip.” She shrugged, waving off his concern. “We missed you there.”

Clay laughed at that. “Eh, ain’t no way you missed an old fart like me. It was probably nice just havin’ the younger crowd there! Sorry about the injury, though.”

“Come on, Clay, we do like having you around,” Elesa chuckled, “and Drayden, too.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sure. What about the older has-beens?”

“Brycen was fun to talk with.” Elesa smirked. “And Lenora actually made an effort to hang out with everyone.”

“That’s because she’s an extrovert and a mom friend.” Clay snorted. “If I wasn’t so damn busy all the time I’d be more social, but I guess I only have myself to blame for addin’ another project to my plate.”

“Speaking of the PWT… How is that coming along?”

“Right on schedule, Zekrom willing!” Clay laughed as he rapped his knuckles against the wood of the table. “Been talkin’ to other leagues around the world to gauge interest in an openin’ exhibition.”

Elesa leaned forward in her seat, her own interest piqued. “And?”

“I have a confirmation from at least one gym leader from every region. Your friend Cynthia is bitin’, too, and I think the current Sinnoh champion has expressed a desire to join her.”

“Oh, Dragons, what was her name? Don’t tell me. Cynthia told me the last time she was here.” Elesa put a hand to her head and frowned in thought. “…Dawn, right?”

“Yup.” Clay huffed. “Darn kids gettin’ to Champion level at such a young age.”

“Iris is about the same age as her, I think.” Elesa pointed out. “And there are regions with younger Champions.”

“Yeah, I know.” Clay sighed, scratching his head. “Maybe part of it is that I’m a father, and ‘nother part is that we had Alder before Iris kicked him out. Sometimes I forget that the League tends to be more for the youngin’s.”

He tapped Elesa’s tablet awake and sifted through the sketches again. “I’ll take the kiddos, though. They get excited about pokemon, ‘bout goin’ on journeys and gettin’ stronger with their teams. More easily than adults tend to be.”

“Not everyone holds onto a passion for battling like we do.” Elesa smirked faintly.

“It’s a shame, really.” Clay sighed. Elesa’s smile faded as a silence hung between them. Neither of them had to say aloud about the effect that Plasma had on Unova. Even though it was proved they were full of shit, the group had still messed up the region and made a lot of people nervous about bonding with their pokemon. She knew that Nimbasa’s police still received the occasional case of pokemon being abandoned, unable to survive in the wild after being used to the care of a trainer that no longer wanted them.

“People are coming back around, though.” She said. “League card applications are up this year, closer to what it used to be.”

“The new gym leaders have helped, thank the Dragons.” Clay nodded in agreement, handing back her tablet. “And Cheren was smart ‘bout holding off his gym openin’ until school’s out. It’ll be a good summer, I feel.”

She paused as she tucked her tablet away into her bag. Right, it was going to be all hands on deck once school was out in a few weeks. If she was going to follow up on the question that was Ingo, she only had so much time to do it before she got too busy.

“…Hopefully it will. We’ll see.” She said.

Chapter Text

Elesa finished polishing her newest badge and set it in the case next to the rest of her collection.

“What do you think, Zeb?” She grinned, holding the case up so Zebstrika could see it from over her shoulder and tilted it in the light.

Her partner snorted in approval. Gus and Perla came running over from wrestling in the grass and climbed into her lap for a closer look.

“Pretty and shiny, huh?” Elesa laughed as her emolgas pawed at the case, trying to get it open. She stowed it away in her bag and stood up to pose dramatically. “Only five left to go! Then, we give the Elite Four a try!”

The air sparked around her as her team let out a rallying cry. She couldn’t help but giggle at everyone and joined in with an enthusiastic shout of her own. How she acted in her camp didn’t matter, anyway. Aside from her own team, the only ones to see or hear her were other pokemon, and they weren’t judgy, like some trainers could be.

Not like anyone really wanted to be her friend, anyway. There were a lot of people who went on their journeys, but… not as many who got as intense as she could. It tended to ward people off once they spent enough time with her.

She couldn’t help it! She loved battling! A lot!

At least the gym leaders were nice, as were the trainers in the gyms. Elesa could tell that each of them loved to battle with their pokemon, and that they got it like she did. It wasn’t just about getting stronger, it was about trust and love and fun. She and her pokemon were having such a great time! Traveling around Unova by herself made her feel so grown up and free. She wished it could never end.

Once everyone got their yells out, she sat down and pulled out her town map to plot her route to the next gym. Where she was thinking would put them through a long stretch of road, and the possibility of dealing with a lot of challengers along it would be pretty high.

“I gotta make sure I’m stocked up on repels and potions for you guys.” She noted aloud, reaching into her pack and pulling out her wallet. “I think I can get enough to last until the next town.”

Perla launched herself off of Zeb and landed on top her head to watch. Elesa smiled as she felt her hair start to stand up from static, and snapped her wallet shut decisively. Yep, she’d have enough to tide her over. By the time she made it to the next town, she will have probably won back what she’d spent, too.

“So, who’s ready to have some fun, tomorrow?” She asked.

Another chorus of calls sang back to her.

———

~~~~~~~

———

“What you two say about going back to try and find Ingo again?” Elesa suggested. “Once my ankle’s better.”

Burgh stared at her from the Xtrans screen while Skyla coughed on her water next to her. “Uh, what?” She sputtered.

“This was why you wanted me to get on a call?” Burgh asked, leaning in closer to his camera.

Elesa smiled sheepishly. “Well, I’ve been checking the ranger website. They put up a notice this morning, warning campers to secure their things while on Route 6, sooo… pretty sure that means he’s still out there.”

“He’s been stealing more stuff?”

Skyla cleared her throat and capped her water bottle after taking another drink. “Was there anything on the guy, himself?”

“Nothing on the ranger site.” Elesa said. “But I found a thread on a forum site—”

“Oh, gods.” Burgh muttered.

“—about a weird person in the mountains challenging people to battles, but I don’t know how elaborated the stories are.”

Skyla gave her a skeptical look. “Those places are always full of elaborations. What were they saying?”

“Apparently, he's got a strong team, and can order his pokemon to move faster than they should be able to? Also, he can disappear in one place and reappear in another within seconds.” Elesa rolled her eyes. “A lot of people are thinking that he’s a ghost that died up in the mountains a long time ago.”

Burgh stared at her for a little too long, and she frowned at him. “I already told you that he’s not.”

“I knew that.” Burgh scoffed dismissively, waving her off. “There are several pokemon that could help with the disappearing trick, and his opponents could be a lot more under-leveled than they claim to be.”

“Yeah, it just sounds like creepypasta clickbait to me.” Skyla said, then glanced at Elesa. “You really want to look into this?”

“Yeah, well,” she shrugged as she glanced at her foot, which after a few weeks, was nearly good as new. “He helped me out.”

“If he’s a hermit like you think he is, then we’d be going out of our way to bother a guy who just wants to be left alone.” Burgh noted.

“He’s not leaving other people alone, though.” Elesa countered, leaning more against the pillows propped up against the head of her bed. “I just want to thank him. That’s it. Maybe bring him a blanket, or something.”

She paused as both of them stared at her. “…And maybe see if he wants to battle.” She finished quietly.

“Dragons, I knew it.” Burgh said, failing to hide a fond smirk as he shook his head.

“Sounds like fun, but what we should be doing is telling the rangers about him.” Skyla pressed, poking her on the arm.

“Aren’t you at least a little curious about why he’s out there?” Elesa asked.

“I mean, yeah, I am.” Skyla scooted against Elesa’s side, and Elesa put an arm around her to pull her closer. “But I don’t think this is something we should be sticking our nose into.”

“Are you still not over him for scaring you at the river?” Burgh asked, chuckling.

“Hey!” Skyla pointed a finger straight at the Xtrans camera. “He scared you, too!”

“Well, I’m going to go, whether or not you guys come with.” Elesa said before any squabble between them could break out.

A beat of silence passed before Skyla let out a long, dramatic sigh. “I guess I can be there to make sure you don’t get lost out in the middle of nowhere again.” She said.

“Sure. We can be backup.” Burgh shrugged. “You two owe me a hike, anyway.”

Elesa rolled her eyes and smirked. “Gee, thanks, you two. Real swellow of you to volunteer to come along, out of the goodra-ness of your hearts.”

Burgh’s face dropped from view, and Elesa could hear the sound of something hitting the table with a thunk. “Ugh. Please don’t. I just had dinner.” He said, his voice muffled.

Skyla, meanwhile, looked like she was in pain.

Elesa was going to call that a win.

“Seriously, though? Thanks for having my back, you two.” She said.

Burgh cautiously peeked his face back into the view of the camera. “Well, it’s not like we aren’t interested in what his team might consist of, either. Or how skilled he is.”

“Yeah.” Skyla nodded. “I'd be interested to see if he's as strong as people are saying.”

Elesa couldn't help but laugh. "Good to know it's not just me, then."

———

Try as she might, Elesa couldn’t keep her curiosity at bay forever.

She folded only after she’d managed to get all the paperwork together for Clay, though, so she was pretty proud of herself for doing that much. All she needed now was to get the proposal finished and sent to the League board, where it would be reviewed and (hopefully) approved, so a construction team could them be assigned to start on the build.

Compared to the current gym, the layout for this one was a lot more straightforward, so she had high hopes that it would be approved without issue. She’d miss the puzzles, for sure, but she was excited about the (literal) glow up.

Elesa swiped through the sketches of new outfit ideas on her tablet until she found the drawing of Ingo. She put her chin in her hand and stared at it for a minute before she brought her laptop close and pulled up a search engine.

Team logos

She browsed through the image results before she clicked on a Bulbapedia link. The page listed a comprehensive list of symbols for notorious teams around the world, including Plasma. Fortunately, there was nothing on the list even remotely similar to what she’d seen on Ingo’s tunic.

Pink round logos

Unsurprisingly, the results for this search ended up being even less helpful than the first. The engine seemed to really latch on to the “round” aspect, and she was mostly subjected to logos of various business brands.

Elesa looked over the sketch again. She knew the clothing’s origins were old, just not how old (a century, at least, she surmised). The flat cap was probably the only thing she could date, but that style of hat had been around for centuries, so the margin of error was high. The kimono was another issue. The type of garment had been around for even longer than the hat, and she wasn’t as familiar with the history of it.

Maybe Cynthia would know something. She was a historian, and she lived in a region where they probably had clothing like this at some point.

Elesa paused, frowned, and slowly reached for the laptop again. It was a shot in the dark, but…

Sinnoh historical clothing

She blinked at the screen as the results loaded, and she saw the image of a very familiarly-styled tunic.

“Well, okay. The Dragons love me, apparently.”

Zebstrika flicked his ears and glanced up from his spot next to her.

“You love me the most, of course.” Elesa amended, reaching down to rub his head.

Zeb snorted softly.

She chuckled and gave him a few more scratches before turning back to the computer. From there, it didn’t take her very long to find the symbol she was looking for.

It was the crest of the Pearl Clan. A people who descended from immigrants who came to Hisui a long time ago, which was what Sinnoh eventually became. Their way of life dissolved some time after Jubilife was founded and modern society took over. What little remained of their culture could be found in a small town near Mount Coronet, called Celestic Town.

So… Ingo was from Celestic? That did not explain what he was doing in Unova’s mountains, or why he was dressed in an old tunic. Elesa drummed her fingers on the table, mulling it over. Cynthia mentioned something about the town at some point, hadn’t she? She couldn’t recall it off the top of her head.

Maybe she could ask her for some information. Elesa reached for her Xtrans. It was probably early morning in Sinnoh at this point. Maybe she could—

She felt a familiar wave of discomfort roll over her as she realized what she was doing. Setting the Xtrans aside, she closed the browser and shut her laptop decisively, then put her head in her hands.

She didn’t want to assume anything, she couldn’t assume. She had barely interacted with the guy for ten minutes, for crying out loud. She’d been on the receiving end of rumor-mongering and conspiracies spiraling out of control before, and she hated it. They were always PR nightmares.

This wasn’t some sort of puzzle she could play with. This was a person.

What she needed to do was to talk to him before jumping to any conclusions. Get her answers straight from the source before anyone else. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to say anything to the others about her search, not until she knew more details.

With a sigh, she rose from the table to grab her shoes for a short walk around the block. Zeb got to his feet and trotted after her hopefully, his tail wagging behind him.

———

It was early in the morning when Elesa was back on Route 6 with Skyla and Burgh in tow a couple days later. She was kitted out a lot better for a stroll through the woods this time, with plenty of water and a backpack on her back. Zebstrika had a first aid kit secured around his neck, just in case.

“This was our campsite?” Elesa asked as they came to a stop in a camp clearing. It was somewhat familiar, but she wasn’t sure. It had been close to evening when they had originally set up their camp, and it was currently early morning.

“Yeah, this is the one.” Burgh confirmed, kicking at the remains of the designated fire pit. “No sign of my pan, or my stove.”

“Well, if the dude’s been roughing it out in the mountains here, then at least they’re getting some good use?” Skyla shrugged.

Burgh sighed irritably. “I guess?!”

Elesa came to a stop at the beginning of the hiking trail and absently ran her hand down Zeb’s neck. She had continued to check the ranger reports online while she waited for her ankle to heal up enough to hike. No reports of glowing eyes or of a chandelure had been posted, but she had seen a copy of the notice had been pinned on the route bulletin board as they passed it. If the rangers knew anything about Ingo, they weren’t making it public information.

“Soooo…” Skyla came up to her side and glanced around as she took her hand. “Where do you want to start?”

Elesa tucked her hair behind her ear with her free hand. “Would you still come with if I told you that I don’t really know?” She admitted. “I figured we’d just go down a hiking trail and see if he finds us.”

Skyla glanced up at her. “I guess we don’t really have much to go off of, do we? But, yeah, I’ll still come with.”

Elesa gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“Eh, it’s fine!” Skyla smiled. “We’ll just fly back to Mistralton once we’re done here, whether or not we find him. The perks of having a flying type gym leader at your disposal.”

“Third wheel speaking.” Burgh raised a hand to get their attention. “You don’t actually know where people have been seeing him?”

“I mean, he was here, that night.” Elesa said, then paused. “Maybe camping again would have been the best option, since he’s most likely the one stealing people’s stuff.”

“Well, we don’t have the right gear with us to camp today.” Burgh said. He marched forward and ahead, then paused to look back. “Come on, then! I’ve done this trail before, so we should be fine.”

Skyla stuck her tongue out at Burgh’s back and pulled Elesa along with her with a laugh. Elesa checked the battery on her Xtrans as she followed, pulling up the translation app she’d downloaded to make sure it worked without a signal. Check.

It was a nice morning for a hike, she had to admit. Morning dew was still drying up in the sunlight that was taking its time to come into the mountain valley. Pidove and tranquil chirped overhead while small herds of deerling ran through the trees. Summer was nearly here, and with it would be a wave of hopeful trainers who were ready to be out of school to start on their gym challenges.

Elesa loved this time of year, for that reason. Challengers came around at all times of the year, but the influx of summer trainers always left her and her pokemon exhausted by the end of the day, but at the same time fired up at seeing and feeling the passion of those they faced. She was looking forward to it.

The path got steeper the longer they hiked, the trail leading from the more gentle slopes of the valley, and up the sides of the mountain that bordered it. Burgh informed them that there was supposed to be some good views of the river once they got high enough.

Elesa wasn’t sure that sticking to a hiking trail was the best way to look for Ingo, but she had to admit that it was safer for them. She couldn’t afford another injury so soon after the last one. Her next scheduled photoshoot would not be very happy about it.

“How long until you think until he shows up?” Skyla said as they stopped for a moment to rest.

“If he’s been approaching hikers for battles, he could be waiting around a certain area.” Elesa answered, fixing the wrap around her ankle before tying up her boot again. “Where that is on this trail, I have no idea.”

“It could be somewhere along where the path widens.” Burgh straightened as he finished up a quick sketch of a small foongus taking shelter in a half-rotted log. He closed his sketchbook and pocketed it away. “That would be further up, where there’s less trees.”

Elesa didn’t want to get her hopes up as they continued onwards. It was an enormous forest and mountain range, after all. The forum thread had been sparse with information and anything but helpful in narrowing down the trail (or trails) people had encountered Ingo at. For all she knew he could be anywhere but where they were walking.

True to Burgh’s word though, the path did open up into a clearing as they reached a level part of trail. They had gotten past the trees and to an outlook that provided a beautiful view of the valley below, with a nice breeze, to boot. Burgh was already pulling out his sketchbook again as they decided to take another break and see if Ingo would show up.

“You were right. This is nice.” Elesa agreed, looking out as Burgh sat down on a boulder.

“It’s even better earlier in the morning, when you can watch the sunrise.” He explained. “A good change from the hustle and bustle, sometimes.”

“How did you find out about this trail?”

“Lenora and Hawes brought me here when I first became gym leader.” He kept his gaze down as he sketched out the silhouette of the mountains on the opposite side of the valley. “Imposter syndrome hit me really badly in those early days, so they took me out of Castelia to get some fresh air.”

Skyla came over and leaned against Elesa lightly. “Did it help?”

“It did! After I broke down and cried for a bit.” He paused and chuckled fondly. “I think it’s safe to say that they became my best friends after that.”

“What, we’re not your best friends?” Elesa teased.

“I like you two well enough.” He smirked back at her. “Maybe even more since our camping trip.”

She had known the answer, of course, and wasn’t offended by it. Since becoming gym leader, it was obvious to her that Burgh liked hanging out with Lenora the most. Her retirement was sad for the older gym leaders (everyone, really), but she knew that Burgh had taken the news hard.

Elesa took a seat next to him on the boulder and pulled Skyla down to join her. “Thanks for inviting us, then.”

“No, thank you for coming.” He looked up from his drawing and smiled at the two of them. “I kind of like that it ended up being a small group, catastrophe aside.”

“It was fun.” Skyla agreed.

The three of them lapsed into a comfortable silence while they waited. Elesa and Skyla ended up leaning against each other while Burgh sketched the view. Zebstrika and Swanna started to doze nearby, with Swanna resting her head on Zeb’s back.

Eventually, the peaceful moment was ruined by a sudden yelp from Burgh.

“Ow, what—” Burgh raised a hand to his hair and pulled out an unripened cheri berry. They all looked at it in surprise.

“Where did that come from?” Asked Skyla.

“I was hit with it.” Burgh said, glancing behind them in time for another berry to hit him right on the forehead with an audible pap. “Ow!”

Elesa’s gaze snapped to the trees when she heard a snicker coming from the branches, somewhere from across the clearing. “Ingo?” She guessed, getting up from her seat.

The trees went silent for a moment, before a figure dropped down to the ground, landing quietly on his feet. He was still wearing the same tunic as before, but he’d switched out his black hat and haori for white.

He looked like someone who’d been living in the wilderness for about a month by this point. The whites in his clothes were dirt-stained, and his hair was shaggier than the last time Elesa had seen him, with some scruff hanging from his chin.

Ingo kept his back to the trees as he looked between the three of them. His eyes fell to the pokeballs on their waists and he smiled broadly. Elesa furrowed her brows in thought. Somehow, this version of Ingo felt more like the thieving twerp she had tried to chase down that night.

Weird, almost like there was—

No, she was reading too much into it.

She took a step forward but froze when he very firmly held out a hand to her to stop. Right, personal space. “H-hey Ingo, I just wanted to-”

Elesa was interrupted with a quick shake of his head. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it again, and instead made another motion with his hands.

“You… want us to wait?” Burgh guessed.

Ingo’s face lit up and he pointed sharply at Burgh, humming a pleased note. After a moment of staring at him, he made another few gestures.

Burgh blinked in surprise. “Y-yes, I can understand you, a little bit.”

Skyla leaned in and whispered to him. “Hang on, is that USL?”

Wait, what?

Elesa looked to Burgh for confirmation, and then to Ingo, questions piling on her tongue. Ingo didn’t respond to Skyla’s remark, only looking between the three of them with interest while Burgh spoke.

Was he even paying attention?

“I’m not sure. I only know a little bit because of one of my gym trainers, so please don’t count on me as an interpreter.” Burgh tilted his head to Ingo. “But you can hear us just fine?”

Ingo’s gaze refocused at the question, and he nodded.

“Not interested in talking today?” Elesa asked.

He raised a brow at her and chuckled in amusement, making the sign for “wait” again.

“So, uh… what are we waiting for, exactly?” Skyla asked.

Ingo only laughed and brushed back his haori to reveal the pokeballs on his belt. He had a full team of six, much to everyone’s surprise. Five apricorn balls, and a badly scuffed, regular one.

“Whoa, dude.”

Elesa straightened when he looked directly at her, meeting her eyes in a familiar challenge. The forums had one thing right, at least. Ingo looked to Burgh and signed something in question.

“…A double battle?” Burgh checked. Ingo nodded enthusiastically and started marching to a better spot in the clearing. Burgh narrowed his eyes at him and frowned. “Are you trying to distract us?”

Ingo just laughed again, looking to Elesa expectantly. She had no idea if he was completely understanding them or not. He seemed to be much more invested in getting a battle started over giving them any proper answer.

Burgh had a point, though. It could all be a distraction or a ruse, but Ingo was appealing to the part of her that was forever in love with battling. She was really interested to see what he could bring to the table.

Good thing she wasn’t alone here on the trail.

“If he is, just keep an eye out for me. I got this.” Elesa said, taking the first aid kit off of Zebstrika and returning him to his ball. “Four pokemon each. Understand?”

Ingo nodded and held up four fingers in acknowledgement while he waited for her to take her place across the clearing. When she took her spot, he suddenly snapped his arms out, pointing straight at her with his left hand, while his right pointed to the ground. His excited grin matched the glint in his eyes.

“All aboard!” He shouted, tossing out his chosen pokeballs and grabbing at the brim of his hat.

Dragons, he was just confusing her more and more.

“Dazzle them, sweeties!” Elesa called, throwing out her picks. Emolga and Ampharos appeared on her end, while an alakazam and a tangrowth appeared on his. She was fairly certain it was the same tangrowth she had seen that night.

She didn’t do double battles often. Her gym wasn’t designed for it, and it was more popular in circles outside of the League. Clay had mentioned implementing doubles, even triple battles into the PWT, so she might as well get some practice in.

“Gus, Charge!” She called. “Ampharos, Thunder Wave on Tangrowth!”

Ingo called out his own orders to his pokemon, his eyes tracking the moves hers performed. She had to pay extra attention as well; it wasn’t often that she battled against someone who didn’t speak Galarian. It took a practiced eye to see what was happening on the field without having the opponent’s calls to clue her in.

Unsurprisingly, he seemed to have a lot of practice with it.

Alakazam tapped the spoons in her hands together and hummed while Tangrowth plunged her arms into the ground, firing rocks to her left in Gus’s direction and hitting him hard. Calm Mind and Ancient Power, if Elesa had to guess. At least the Thunder Wave hit its mark.

She supposed she could use the translation app now, but she decided to keep her focus fully on the battle.

“Gus, use Volt Switch on Tangrowth! Ampharos, Signal Beam on Alakazam!”

Ingo called again. Tangrowth and readied another Ancient Power as Gus shot forward and hit the pokemon head on in a flurry of electricity, before bouncing back to his ball. Zebstrika came out to take the move in Gus’s place as Ampharos was hit with a Psychic from Alakazam. He staggered, but fired off the super effective move on the psychic type.

Elesa figured Ampharos might only be able to get one more move out if Ingo targeted him again. It was risky, but switching him out was a toss up, too. She glanced at Tangrowth, who was finally seizing up from paralysis.

“Zeb, Flame Charge! Ampharos, Volt Switch! Take down Alakazam!”

Ingo pointed at Ampharos. “Foodin, haya!”

Something about Ingo’s inflection at the end made Elesa take note. Alakazam suddenly moved faster than she had before, slamming Psychic energy onto Ampharos and knocking him out before he could even start sparking. Ingo pointed to Zebstrika and called again, and Zeb was hit with another Psychic before his own Flame Charge took Alakazam out.

“What the fuck was that?!” Skyla shouted.

Ingo grinned at the outburst, returning his fainted pokemon to her pokeball. Elesa did the same with Ampharos and selected her next pick.

A bastiodon appeared on Ingo’s side, stomping his feet into the ground. She released Perla and called for a Flame Charge and Acrobatics combo at Tangrowth. Ingo made his own calls, his fourth pick already in his hand.

Zebstrika and Perla were the first to move, with Zeb striking first. Tangrowth keeled backwards as Perla made the finishing blow, but Elesa noticed the pokemon seemed to exhale something before she fainted completely. Perla wobbled in the air, her eyes closing as she inhaled whatever Tangrowth had released.

Sleep Powder.

Bastiodon fired off an Ice Beam that struck Perla before she could hit the ground. Elesa recalled her with a soft “thank you” and brought Gus out in her stead. Ingo’s last pokemon ended up being a machamp.

Two for two.

Elesa was already at a disadvantage with Gus having taken a hit earlier. Sure enough, her team went down with a few well-placed moves, with Zeb falling last from a Close Combat that seemed way too overpowered to be considered normal. She felt she was a good judge of character when it came to battling, and it didn’t seem like he was cheating. Was this a new technique that she hadn’t heard of yet?

She was panting as the dust settled, and she brushed back the hair from her face. “Dragons, that was fun.” She breathed, unable to keep from smiling.

Ingo put his hands on his hips and beamed back at her. He looked excited. “Good battle!” He said. “Verrry strong.”

“Thanks. You’re pretty good, yourself.” Elesa pulled out revives from her pocket and started the process of healing her team. Ingo did the same, kneeling down at his end of the trail and muttering what she assumed were praises to his pokemon under his breath.

“Uh… Elesa?”

She raised her head at the tone in Skyla’s voice, and saw that her and Burgh were staring behind them. Elesa turned to look.

…There was another Ingo, watching them from the edge of the trees. Practically glaring at them. Elesa did a double take, quickly glancing over her shoulder to check that the first Ingo was behind her.

Sure enough, he was still there, grinning over at the new arrival. His smile had all the mirth of someone who was finally able to tell the punchline of a joke.

This was what he’d wanted them to wait for, wasn’t it?

Chapter Text

Elesa didn’t know what the big deal in movies and tv shows was all about. Making friends was easy! Especially when you had something exciting to talk about. Like pokemon, and battling, and birthday presents.

…Maybe it was something that got harder when you got older? Now at the wise old age of eight, she could hardly imagine why that would be the case.

“It can do all sorts of things, like call people and do games! Like Ekans!” She showed off her new phone to the kids she’d met at the playground. The screen only listed her parents, and home, as contacts. “I only have three numbers, though.”

The boys were still impressed, the first one leaning forward on his swing to take a closer look.

“We have a phone number, but it’s for home.” He said. “Dad said we’ll get phones once we go on our journey.”

The second grumbled wordlessly at that, resting his cheek against the chain of his own swing.

“We’re gonna get our starters soon, though!” The first shouted excitedly.

“Really?” Elesa leaned in closer. “What are you guys gonna get?”

“Secrrrret.” The second grinned.

“Maybe we can give you our home number, and we can tell you when we get them?” The first suggested.

Elesa gasped. That was a great idea. Why didn’t she think about asking kids she’d met for their number before? She should ask all the kids here at the park before she had to go home.

“Yeah! Here, lemme figure out how to add someone real quick.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

“Ingo!” Said Ingo.

“Emmet.” Said Ingo.

“Boku Emmet.” “Ingo” said cheekily, returning his pokemon and passing by Elesa to join to his doppelgänger’s side.

Ingo sighed and looked between Elesa and her companions, his frown deepening. Okay, she recognized this Ingo, for certain. His grumpy face was a lot more familiar to her, more so than the other’s expressive smile. His chandelure was also at his side, and he was wearing black.

Her mind jumped to “zoroark” before she quickly tamped the thought down. She had seen him using pokemon that night, and the other just now. Neither of them could be an illusory double.

“You’re Ingo?” She checked.

Ingo nodded and looked to her, his brows furrowing in thought. “You are Elesa?” He asked.

“Yep, that’s me. Hi, again.” She waved. Ingo blinked at her blankly, so she prompted, “You helped me out a few weeks ago?”

“Ah,” Ingo reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small notebook.

“Anyways, I brought friends.” She gestured to either side of her. “This is my gir-” She blushed as she tripped over the new word. “My girlfriend, Skyla, and this is Burgh.”

“Hello.” Burgh greeted, his gaze moving between the two.

“Hi, Ingo!” Skyla raised her hand in greeting and smiled, her own face flushed. “And Ingo’s… twin?”

Both men nodded, and Ingo spoke in Galarian. “My brother, Emmet. We are twins.”

Emmet quickly signed to his brother in question as Ingo scanned over something in his notebook. He starting answering his brother in their language, and Elesa quietly pulled up the translation app on her Xtrans. Sure enough, the app was picking up on Kanjoh.

“-wasn’t expecting her to come back and look for me.” He was saying, tucking the notebook away. “I see you kept them entertained while I made my way over here?”

Emmet smirked at him and signed again.

“Bravo,” Ingo said before he continued in Kanjoh, “your winning streak continues.”

Emmet nodded and continued to move his hands, gesturing to Elesa excitedly. Ingo’s brows raised as he glanced at her. He was still frowning, but something about his expression still portrayed intrigue. “Is that so? Interesting…”

She felt like she needed to say something, instead of just creeping in on half a conversation.

“Hey, um,” raising her wrist, Elesa showed them the app on her Xtrans. “Just so you know, Ingo, I can kind of understand you right now.”

Ingo blinked at her in surprise, while Emmet stared at the device. The pair stepped a little closer while she held out her arm for them to see.

“What is this?” Ingo paused as he saw the Kanjoh text populate the screen, before the Galarian translation popped up underneath. “Oh!”

It was almost like he’d never seen a translation app before, or maybe a Xtrans. “Neat, huh? Now we can talk to each other a little better.”

He watched as her own speech was translated into Kanjoh, then stepped back with a nod of his head. “It is… neat, but, I want to practice understanding.” He said carefully. “It’s been a long time.”

“Verrry long time.” Emmet added under his breath, his eyes still on the device.

“That’s okay. We can just use it.”

The five of them stood there awkwardly for a moment before Ingo nodded off to the side of the trail. “Sit?” He suggested.

Elesa glanced to her companions before they all followed the twins into the shade. Zebstrika settled down next to her as the five of them took their seats on a mixture of boulders and fallen logs. Chandelure swung from an invisible point just behind Ingo’s shoulder, humming softly.

The twins didn’t know what to do with themselves, at first. Emmet bounced his leg while Ingo sat stiffly, staring down at his hands. Elesa glanced to Skyla and Burgh before deciding she’d be the one to break the ice. “Haven’t talked to anyone in a while?” She guessed.

Emmet smiled sadly as Ingo’s ears turned pink from under his mess of hair. “It’s been a long time.” He said again, then continued slowly in Kanjoh. “We have yet to find anyone out here who can understand us.”

Elesa nodded at her Xtrans when the translation came through. She noticed Burgh pulling up the app on his own Xtrans out of the corner of her eye. Skyla leaned against her to read off of her own device, so she did what she could to keep her arm steady. “Well, we’ll do our best. Just let us know if there’s anything we’re saying that you don’t understand.”

Ingo paused for a moment to take in her words before he nodded, his frown twisting slightly. Emmet didn’t say anything, but he was watching the three of them with a scrutiny that made her a little uncomfortable. Elesa wondered if this was the result of being isolated for so long, or if this was just how he was.

“How is your ankle?” Ingo spoke up again, then elbowed his brother. “Don’t be rude.”

“It’s much better. Thank you for your help that night.” Elesa reached into her bag and pulled out a rolled-up blanket. “I wanted to get you something as a thank you.”

She paused as she held it out for him to take, glancing to Emmet. “Granted, I thought there was only one of you.”

Emmet chuckled in amusement. Ingo ducked his head slightly and accepted the blanket with both hands. “This is very thoughtful. You didn’t have to come all this way, but I appreciate the gift.” Ingo said.

Emmet ran a hand over the soft material and hummed in approval.

“Well, I have to admit, we were interested in finding out more about you,” she said, “which is why we came back.”

“Yeah, quick question,” Burgh cut in. “You are the ones stealing gear and food around here, right?”

Ingo set the blanket to the side and narrowed his eyes at his brother. Emmet grinned back unrepentantly. He let out a squawk as Ingo planted a hand on the back of his head and pushed it down. Ingo bowed his own head low to the three of them, his other hand braced on his knee.

“Apologies!” He just about shouted, making all three of them jump. “I know that Emmet keeps stealing from campers. I have tried to stop him!”

Burgh turned his sights on Emmet, exasperated. “That was my stuff you stole, I’ll have you know!”

Emmet laughed and shoved his brother away, raising his hands and signing. Ingo interpreted for him. “Ingo would rather be polite and ask, but we scare off a lot of people, and they do not understand us anyway.”

Ingo huffed as soon as he finished interpreting. “You’ve asked anyone who says a couple words to you to battle, and then when you win, that’s what scares them off!”

“I don’t think that’s the only reason.” Elesa heard Burgh mutter under his breath as he looked down at the translation on his own Xtrans. “Fucking mountain cryptid.”

“Fucking mountain cryptid?” Emmet parroted back. Burgh grimaced, embarrassed.

Ingo’s face twitched. “Language.” He said in Galarian, as if on reflex. He blinked in confusion. “What is ‘cryptid’?”

“It’s… a weird creature?” Skyla spoke up. “It’s something that people aren’t sure exists or not.”

Emmet signed something at Ingo before pulling on one of his shaggy sideburns with a grin. Ingo pushed the hand away from his face and frowned harder, unimpressed.

“I am not translating that.”

Emmet snorted.

Burgh held onto his ire for a moment longer before he released it with a sigh. “If it’s helping you, I guess I can let it slide.” He shrugged. “It’s not like I camp a lot, anyway.”

Ingo hesitated before he nodded. “It has helped, yes.” He said, looking a little uncertain that he was saying the right thing. He paused again and looked between the three of him. Something in his expression seemed to thaw in that moment, his frown becoming not as harsh as before.

“…You can really understand us.” He said, no small amount of relief in his voice. Emmet’s own smile softened and he leaned against Ingo’s side.

Elesa couldn’t help but feel pity. Dragons, she couldn’t imagine how rough it was for both of them, not being able to communicate properly. “Yeah. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

“Yes.” Ingo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed slowly. “I know you have questions. We have questions.”

Emmet nodded, his smile falling.

“We’ll answer what we can.” Skyla said, her posture straightening.

“Thank you.” Ingo got to his feet, Emmet following his lead. “But first, I think some proper introductions are in order.”

He and Emmet bowed to the three of them in unison, then he put a hand to his chest as he straightened. “I am the Warden, Ingo. The person next to me is also a Warden, Emmet. Together we attend to Lady Sneasler, and assist travelers with making their way through the Highlands.”

Lady Sneasler? Highlands?

“Nice to meet you.” Emmet said, taking a seat again with his brother. He grinned at Elesa and added, “And nice to battle against you!”

“Same here.” Elesa smiled, clenching her jaw in an effort to hold back on her questions as Skyla leaned in slightly.

“Could you tell us what you two are doing out here?” She asked.

Ingo glanced to Emmet, who shook his head. “We don’t know.” Ingo answered. “We suddenly arrived here one day, and have been here ever since.”

“Twenty-seven days.” Emmet added.

“Okay…” Skyla said, an edge of worry in her voice. “Where were you before? What happened?”

“We are not certain. One moment we were traveling through the Highlands to head to our post at Jubilife, and then we were suddenly here.”

“Jubilife?” She noted. “So you guys are from Sinnoh?”

The name got a reaction from both of them. Emmet’s brows furrowed, while Ingo looked perplexed about her question. “…Apologies, I’m not sure if I understand correctly. Sinnoh is not a place. We are from Hisui.” He explained.

Hisui. Elesa’s stomach flipped at the familiar name. “Are you descended from the Pearl Clan?” She tried. She could feel Skyla and Burgh turning their gazes to her at the question. Emmet did the same.

“Pearl Clan?” Ingo rubbed his head at the Galarian words. Emmet shrugged, looking just as confused. “Apologies again, we do not understand. Again, we are from Hisui, as a part of Pearl Clan.”

“Sorry, that’s what I meant.” She gestured to their matching tunics. “That’s the symbol on your clothes, right? Pearl Clan?”

“Ah,” Ingo’s frown deepened in thought. “…Shinju is pearl?”

The translation came back to Elesa as “pearl is pearl.” She nodded. “Yeah, that’s what it means.”

Ingo mouthed “pearl” under his breath as he plucked at the crest on his tunic, his brows furrowing. “It is the symbol of our clan. One of two in the region.” He explained. “Our clan practices the sanctity of space, while the Diamond Clan values time, overall.”

“I’ve never heard about this, before.” Skyla said, looking more to Elesa than to the twins. “But you knew?”

Elesa gave her a small shrug. “I only knew the bare minimum. Bare, bare minimum. I’ll explain later.”

Emmet started to bounce his leg again, frowning as he looked to his brother. Chandelure was nudging herself against her partner’s shoulder with a soft trill, and Ingo gave her a reassuring pat as he hid his eyes under the brim of his hat, gradually slouching forward in his seat.

“We have questions, still.” Emmet spoke up. “What is this place? This is not Hisui.”

“N-no, it isn’t.” Elesa was a little taken aback by how to the point he was, compared to Ingo. “You’re in Unova, Route 6.”

Emmet’s eyes widened and his face paled. Ingo quickly straightened and then winced, putting a hand to his head. “What?”

“Year?” Emmet clipped in Galarian. “What year?”

The alarm bells in her mind really started going off with that question. “Um, 2012?”

Emmet paused, thinking over something before he abruptly stood. Ingo clumsily followed him up, grabbing his wrist before he could walk off.

“Talk to me.” He urged.

Emmet jerked out of his brother’s hold and gave Burgh a warning look before he raised his hands to sign. Burgh took the hint and turned away so he couldn’t see.

Ingo ended up signing back to Emmet, so Elesa and Skyla also didn’t know what they were saying, aside from the expressions on their faces. Elesa looked away after a few moments, when Emmet’s ranged from upset to stormy to panicked all within a few seconds, and she stared down at her Xtrans until they were finished.

Ingo eventually dropped into his seat across from them with a weary sigh, full-on grimacing, now. Chandelure nudged herself against his cheek and he hummed softly, resting his forehead against her glass. Emmet remained standing, staring down at him.

“What’s wrong?” Skyla asked, breaking the silence. “What happened?”

“No.” Emmet shook his head before Ingo could open his mouth to speak. “No more talking. Time to depart.”

“I’m fine, Emmet.” Ingo sighed.

“Liar.”

Emmet released Alakazam and hoisted his brother back to his feet. Chandelure returned herself to her pokeball (normal, but scratched to all hell) as Ingo took one of the apricorn balls from his belt and traded it with Alakazam’s for some space.

Elesa stood up when she realized what could be happening. The other two followed her up. “Wait, can we see you again?” She asked.

“Yup.” Emmet nodded, putting a hand on his brother’s back and pushing him towards Alakazam.

Ingo looked to the three of them, then bowed his head slightly, wincing. “Apologies about the abrupt departure. It has been a pleasure meeting all of you.”

“Ingo, no. Stop stalling.”

Ingo sighed again, swaying a little as he took Alakazam’s offered wrist. “Fine, fine…”

The two disappeared as they Teleported away, leaving Elesa and the others alone with Emmet. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, lost in thought.

“Is he going to be okay?” Skyla asked.

Emmet straightened and looked over at them. “Yes.” He said. “He needs rest.”

Skyla didn’t look too happy with that answer. “Are you sure that’s all he needs?” She pressed. “You two have been out here a while. Are you sure that you guys are okay?“

Emmet narrowed his eyes at her. Alakazam reappeared at his side.

“Back at the river, you said you were gym leaders.” He said, partially in Galarian.

“Hey, dude, don’t go changing the subject.”

“We did not ask for help.” He said bluntly. “You are strangers. Please respect our space.”

Elesa moved to step forward, before Skyla stopped her with an arm and sighed. “Okay… fine. Fair enough.”

“Thank you.” He paused before he added in a more careful tone, “Sorry. We will let you know if help is needed. Deal?”

Skyla stared at him, then nodded. “In answer to your earlier comment: yes. All three of us are gym leaders.”

Alakazam looked to Emmet as he inhaled deeply, flexing his hands at his sides. “Interesting.” He said, his voice tight. “Do… Do you know if—?”

Whatever he was trying to say died in his throat, and his jaw clicked shut.

Elesa frowned at him worriedly, her earlier irritation fading. “Do we know, what?”

Emmet shook his head, swiping at his face and grabbing the blanket Ingo had left behind. “Come tomorrow.” He said in Galarian. “No, two days.”

Before anyone could say anything else, he and Alakazam Teleported away.

Burgh was the first to break the silence that followed.

“Well, that was weird.”

The three of them sighed at the same time, releasing what tension that had been held during the entire exchange.

“Yeah.” Skyla glanced at Elesa. “What do you think?”

Elesa shook her head. “Tell me first. You were getting into Captain mode a bit, I noticed.”

Skyla chewed on her lip and sat back down again. “It was… a lot. I don’t like them being out here, firstly. If they suddenly arrived here like they said, then they’ve been largely isolated this whole time, and they don’t need to be. How did they look compared to the last time you saw them?”

“I only got a good look at Ingo back then, and it was at night.” Elesa prefaced as she thought on it. “He looked… dirtier, more unkempt. Probably more tired, for sure. Honestly, all things considered, they looked better off than I thought they’d be.”

“Legendary fuckery.” Burgh muttered, then gestured to the space the twins had been sitting at. “They’re not from this time, right? Can we all agree on that?”

Elesa nodded very slowly. Time travel was not a new or unknown concept, but it was rare, and not something that happened in Unova, to her knowledge. But they said they were from Hisui, old Sinnoh. A region home to Palkia and Dialga. In terms of space-time shenanigans, it checked out.

But, there were inconsistencies.

“Unless they’re scary good actors or delusional… yeah, I think it might be safe to say that.” Skyla frowned. “Wherever Hisui is, they seem to have some experience living in the wilderness to have lasted this long.”

Swanna came up to Skyla’s side and nudged her head under her partner’s hand. “Where did that question about Pearl Clan come from?” She asked, turning to Elesa. “What did you figure out?”

“Honestly, what they told us was about the extent of what I found.” Elesa said. “I didn’t want to make any assumptions, but I did enough searching to learn out the Pearl Clan symbol on their tunics.”

Burgh tapped on his Xtrans and clicked his tongue. “Can we go back to somewhere with a signal? Something’s driving me crazy here and I want to look something up.”

“Only one thing?” Elesa smirked wryly.

“Dragons, if only.” He sighed.

Skyla released Braviary and Skarmory for them both and they took off from the outlook, heading towards Mistralton.

———

Emmet pushed Gliscor off his brother to throw the new blanket over him, covering him completely. Ingo mumbled a wordless thanks, and Emmet could see his frame relax a little before Gliscor climbed back on top. Chandelure hummed from her spot just above, and Emmet gave her a small pet before standing.

Hopefully the extra layer of shade would help with the migraine. Elesa had gotten them a thick blanket, so he figured it would.

That done, Emmet went to the firewood pile and pulled out a moderate-sized stick, then sat at the edge of their camp. Eelektross released himself and curled around him, keeping Emmet’s lap clear as he took out his knife and started whittling.

“Sorry you didn’t get a chance to battle today, buddy.” He said quietly. “But she only had electric pokemon. Not the best matchup.”

Eelektross huffed, unbothered about being benched. All their pokemon knew that battles had to be serious for them to be fun.

“We won again, but she was verrry strong. Stronger than anyone we’ve battled here.” He smiled to himself. “I wonder what a rematch would be like. Or what the others’ teams are.”

He dug the knife into the stick and cut out an angled piece, sending it flying with a flick of his wrist. He wasn’t going for anything in particular this time. He just needed something to occupy his hands while he thought the encounter over.

“…They said they were gym leaders.” He said to Eelektross. “They said it’s the year two thousand twelve.”

He repeated the number in Kanjoh and frowned. He never understood Pearl Clan’s aversion to time, even from a young age. Time was good. It was structured and empirical. It helped with their daily schedule in the Highlands and at Jubilife. It helped to make things predictable, which made things easier for the both of them. It let him know just how long he’d been in this space. It let him know how long they’d been in Hisui.

Sinnoh, they were in Unova. It was 2012.

How the fuck-

Emmet set his knife and stick aside and let out a shaky sigh. Eelektross curled around him into his version of a hug and sparked gently. They stayed like that for a some time, Emmet running a hand down his partner’s side while he pressed his face against leathery scales. After a while, Ingo’s snores started to reach Emmet’s side of the camp, and he chuckled weakly, uncurling himself.

Gliscor opened an eye to watch him stand, but didn’t move otherwise. Emmet sighed and looked around their ramshackled space. Honestly, he was growing to hate it. He had done his best trying to grab what items seemed the most useful for them, but some of it he and Ingo weren’t sure what to do with.

The tents were too confusing to put together, so they just draped the fabric over a lean-to shelter, similar to the survey corps tents. The little stove he had found early on worked with some sort of fuel they didn’t have, so they tore it apart to feed the metal bits to Bastiodon. The bedrolls were made of a slippery material that both of them hated the feeling of, so they covered the things with pine needles so they could at least have them as cushion while they slept.

Ingo didn’t like that Emmet was stealing from people—he didn’t like it, either—but they knew better than to return them. They needed stuff. A lot of their supplies had been provided to them by their clan and the ginkgo guild. They didn’t have either of those groups here.

Until Elesa and her blanket, they hadn’t received any help. And Skyla… Skyla asked if they needed assistance. Nobody here had done that before. He felt bad about snapping at her. Ingo would have gotten after him about it.

Emmet took a look at their food stores before he reached for their collection of pouches and pots. He released Machamp once he was a ways away from Ingo, so as to not wake him up.

“Need to make a water run. Maybe get some basculin for dinner.” He explained. “Want to help?”

Machamp rumbled back, relieving some of Emmet’s load into their arms. Eelektross swam through the air along with the pair as they made their way through the forest, keeping an eye out, just in case. Unova was not dangerous compared to Hisui, though. The herbivorous pokemon were docile, friendly even, and what few carnivorous ones they had seen never got close to their team.

Eelektross and Machamp knew what to do by this point, so Emmet didn’t need to say another word as they reached the river.  He was still reeling about what he’d figured out from Elesa and Skyla. And that other guy. Bug, or something.

2012.

Nineteen years.

Nineteen years in Hisui.

Nineteen years in Unova.

That was not a coincidence.

———

“Let’s go over what we know.”

Burgh steepled his fingers in front of him and stared across the table at Elesa and Skyla. Elesa stared right back at him. Ever the lover for the dramatics, Burgh let the pause go on for a little too long before he finally started.

“Twins in the mountains. Not ghosts.” He said.

“They say they’re from Hisui, which is what Sinnoh was called previously.” Elesa tapped her pen against her paper. “They’re Pearl Clan… wardens? Whatever that means?”

Skyla typed something into her laptop, then blinked. “Okay… the time traveling thing is checking out, so far.”

She turned her laptop to the two of them to reveal a black and white photo of the twins on her screen. They stood with their backs to each other, in a mirrored pose that was similar to the one Emmet had taken just before their battle. Chandelure was on Ingo’s side, while an Eelektross hovered next to Emmet. Sure enough, the photo was captioned “Wardens Ingo and Emmet, circa 1870.”

“What the fuck?” Burgh chuckled nervously. “You mean they were an internet search away, just like that? Are they famous or something?”

Skyla turned the computer back and scanned over the page. “…Looks like being a warden was a big responsibility, back then. They took care of special pokemon around the region. Ingo and Emmet helped with one called Sneasler. Again, checks out.”

Elesa furrowed her brows. “We’re not going to cause a paradox by reading this, are we?”

Skyla shrugged and continued, “They suddenly disappeared one day in the early 1870s, and neither their bodies or pokemon were found.”

“Which leads us to here, in 2012, where they reappeared.” Burgh threaded his hands into his hair. “Dragons, at least our legendaries don’t hurdle people through space and time.”

“Okay, but how are they still not making sense?” Elesa said. “If they’re really from old Sinnoh, how does that explain the modern pokeballs? The Unovan sign language? And I might be reading too much into it, but did Emmet understand what a gym leader was?”

“He tried to ask us something about it.” Skyla said softly.

Elesa nodded. “We’ll have to ask them about it, next time.”

Burgh raised his hand for their attention after checking something on his Xtrans. “About the USL. I’m not a hundred percent certain if it was Unovan sign.”

“I thought you said you could understand him?” Elesa asked.

“I said not to depend on me as an interpreter.” Burgh huffed. “I only know very basic signs, especially ones pertaining to battling. His style of signing was very… different.”

“Different?”

“It was all jumbled up.” He waved a hand into the air aimlessly. “I stopped trying to follow after a bit. I don’t know how to explain it, but my gym trainer doesn’t sign like he does. I just tried looking it up, but I’m not familiar enough on the subject. I’m just saying, maybe it’s Sinnoan sign, or, Hisuian sign.”

Elesa tapped her pen to her paper again, reading over the list of supplies she was writing. Another blanket for Emmet, soap, first aid kits. What else might they need?

She was feeling a bit of that same discomfort from before as they talked. It was different now, though, she tried to tell herself. They weren’t theory chasing, per say. They had a full-on conversation with Ingo and Emmet. They had some answers, even if it led to more questions.

Skyla seemed to notice her unease and put a hand over hers. “Hey, we’ll talk to them again and get some more answers before jumping into anything.” She assured. “I think what we should focus on first is getting them off of Route 6. They’re only going to continue drawing attention to themselves as time goes on.”

Elesa nodded, exhaling slowly. This was why having Skyla here was the best. Maybe it was because of her training as a pilot, but she was better at thinking a couple steps ahead, of seeing the bigger picture, especially when it came to assuring a person’s safety.

“What if they want to stay out there?” Elesa asked. “Not that I don’t agree with you—I do—but it’s still their choice at the end of the day.”

Skyla shook her head. “I don’t know how much longer it could be their choice. I already told you about the rangers. They have every right to arrest them if they decide not to follow the rules after a warning. We should at the very least give them an option to leave the mountains before they’re forced off them.”

She stood up from her chair to refill her water glass. “Also, they both had six pokeballs on their belts. Two full teams. I can’t imagine the upkeep out in a place like that, especially if one or both of them have been battling hikers.” She paused and gestured to Elesa’s list. “Add potions and revives on there.”

Elesa nodded, writing down the items. “We still don’t know what’s going on with those modern pokeballs, either.” She noted.

“It’s just another thing we’ll have to ask.” Skyla sat back down next to her.

“So, the plan is to meet them back out there in a couple days.” Burgh said, pulling up something on his Xtrans. He grimaced at the screen. “…I hate to break it to you two, but I won’t be able to come with.”

“What?” Elesa and Skyla said at the same time. Burgh flinched.

“I just realized that I have an event to go to that day!” He explained, shrinking in his seat. “Castelia is hosting a region wide school art competition, and I agreed to be one of the judges for the finalist round. I really can’t miss it!”

“Why do we have to fit this around being functioning adults?” Elesa bemoaned.

“That’s just life.” Skyla shrugged, checking her own calendar. “You and I can still go and talk to them. We’ll let you know how it goes, Burgh.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Elesa drummed her fingers against the table, thinking. “What happens after we get them off Route 6?” She asked.

Skyla looked between the two of them. “I’m thinking of calling Cynthia, depending on how it goes.”

Elesa raised a brow at her. She was pretty sure she hadn’t said anything about her almost-call to the old Sinnoh Champion. “Why?” She asked.

“She’s familiar with Sinnoan myths, and the region’s legendaries, especially since that Team Galactic event several years ago.” Skyla closed her laptop. “She might have an idea of how to get them back to their time, before Interpol gets involved.”

Elesa blinked. Of course, the twins would probably want to go home, after arriving in Unova so suddenly. Why hadn’t she thought of that?

Burgh groaned at the mention of Interpol. “Hell, I think the only reason they haven’t shown up already is because no sane person in Unova would stop to think about time travel.”

“What does that make us, then?” Elesa snorted, adding shaving kits to the list.

“Gym leaders.” Burgh said simply, as if that explained everything.

…It kind of did, though.

Chapter Text

Emmet was walking a ways ahead of Ingo when the world suddenly shifted from one moment to the next. It happened so quickly and abruptly, that Ingo worried he wasn’t remembering something correctly.

The gradient below his feet changed, leaving him tripping down the new hill. Chandelure chimed in alarm and caught him under the arms before he could fall onto his face.

“I’m alright.” He panted. “Just startled.”

She curled her arms around his and hoisted him to his feet. Ingo sighed and brushed himself off before he paused at the dirt below him.

It was a different color from what was on his boots.

Ingo quickly looked up and blinked. He was on a path, but not the one he had been taking moments before. The mountains were different. The trees were different. Even the air smelled different.

“…This is not the Highlands.” He said.

Chandelure trilled in confirmation, glancing around them worriedly. He placed a hand against her side and stepped forward, his mind spinning with the implication of what had happened.

Oh no. Emmet.

Where was Emmet?

“INGO!”

He moved forward into the trees without thinking, spurred on by the sheer panic in his brother’s voice. “Emmet! Stay where you are! I’m coming!”

Chandelure led the way until Ingo could hear wheezing breaths ahead of him, and he darted ahead of her. Eelektross was wrapped around Emmet as he clung to his partner, shaking with shallow and uneven breaths. Ingo nearly tripped again in his haste as he landed next to him.

“Emmet. Breathe.” He took his brother’s face in his hands and wiped away tears with his thumbs. “Deep breaths. I’ve got you.”

Emmet leaned into Ingo’s hands in unspoken desperation, keeping his eyes squeezed shut as he followed Ingo’s lead with breathing. Eelektross unwrapped himself around Emmet to allow Ingo to get closer. Ingo gently put his forehead against his.

“I’m here.” He said. “I’m right here.”

Emmet grimaced, his expression pained before he opened his eyes. Silver met silver, and Emmet reached out urgently to take his arm.

“…You’re okay.” He said, his tone flat with shock. “Are you okay?”

“My cab is unharmed.” Ingo confirmed, giving his hand a squeeze. “As is yours.”

Emmet’s gaze flitted to the forest around them. “This is not Hisui.”

“I believe you are correct.” Ingo agreed. “I did not recognize the mountain range when I saw it.”

“Then, where-?” Emmet noticed their partners hovering close and slapped his hands to his belt. Ingo did the same, finding six pokeballs in total.

“Everyone, depart from your seats!” He called urgently.

Several flashes went off around them as their team released themselves to join Chandelure and Eelektross. Confusion and worry rippled through the group as their partners caught the rest up on what was happening with chimes and gurgles. Gliscor came over and clicked in concern, and Ingo rubbed his knuckles along the top of his head in reassurance.

“Everyone’s here.” Emmet said quietly, looking over the crowd of pokemon. His eyes were brimming with tears again as he looked back to Ingo. ”You’re here.”

Ingo gave him a small smile, his throat growing tight with too many emotions to name. “Whatever it is that’s happened, we were not uncoupled.” He managed.

Emmet nodded before covering his mouth with a hand, his shoulders shaking. “Oh, gods. Thank the Drrrragons. Thank Sinnoh, Palkia, or—or whoeverrrr the f-fffuck—”

For once, Ingo didn’t chide Emmet as his words dissolved into heaving sobs. He pulled his brother into a hug and held him as tightly as he could.

“It’s okay.” He assured, nudging Emmet’s hat off his head to run a hand through his hair. “I have you.”

Emmet nodded against his shoulder and continued to cry. Ingo tried not to think about how this was not the best place to have a breakdown in. It left themselves vulnerable, being out in an unfamiliar space, but he trusted that their pokemon would keep them safe, especially when everyone was too agitated at the moment to return to their pokeballs.

He could hardly fault his brother for falling apart like this, given the situation.

A large form curled around them both, giving Ingo something to lean up against and sheltering them from the new, unfamiliar world. The gesture helped him greatly, the pressure of being between his pokemon and his brother chasing away  his own panic to the edges while he helped with Emmet’s. Gliscor joined them a moment later, draping himself over Emmet’s back and adding to the weight.

“It’s okay.” Ingo swallowed hard, resting his head on top of Emmet’s. “It’s going to be okay.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

“Dragons, I’m so, so sorry.”

“Hey, it’s fine.” Elesa assured again, pulling off her shoes and setting the grocery bags onto the table. “Things happen. They really needed a pilot to cover the shift, last minute. I’ll just go on my own.”

She could hear Skyla behind her, locking the apartment door and taking off her own shoes, as she started to pull things out of the bags. “You’re still gonna go?”

“Well, Emmet said to come back tomorrow.” Elesa said, stacking bars of soap on top of each other. “We don’t have any way to reschedule. I don’t want them thinking we’re flaking out.”

She heard Skyla’s socked footsteps cross the room before arms came around her waist from behind. Skyla hid her face against her back.

“The timing of this is terrible, and worrying.” She said, her voice muffled. “Elesa, they’re saying it was a Plasma theft.”

Elesa froze, nearly dropping the first aid kit. “What?”

“I’ll have to bug her for more details, but they were saying Petra thought she saw their emblem when they tried to take her unfezant.” Skyla held her a little closer. “The uniform wasn’t the same, though.”

Elesa turned to hug Skyla properly and held her tight. “How is she doing?”

“How’d you feel if someone attempted to rip your partner away from you and nearly succeeded?” Skyla said. “That’s why they called me up, to cover for her while she took a mental health break.”

Elesa gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head. “Let her know that I’m thinking about her, okay?”

That won a small laugh from her. “Dragons, that would make her day. I’ll definitely tell her.”

Skyla pulled out of the hug and sighed, brushing at the corners of her eyes. “But, yeah, if you’re still set on going, I want you take Braviary with you so you can fly back. It would give me peace of mind if you did. I won’t be back for a couple days, so you’ll have to hang onto him for me.”

“I can do that. He and I are buddies.” Elesa smiled. “Where are you headed?”

“I’ll be flying out to Kalos first, then to Paldea before I come back.” Skyla reached into one of the bags and pulled out a blanket, identical to the one Elesa had given Ingo the day before. “Want me to bring you back some chocolate?”

“Ooo, yes, please. No pressure, though.”

They began to assemble the twins’ care package into a proper bag, full of things they might not have currently. Skyla hummed softly to herself as she stowed away matching black and white vinyl pouches into a side pocket. “…Maybe I should text Burgh and see if he wants anything, too.” She said.

“I think he’d love that.”

It was a quiet, but short evening for the two of them. Skyla couldn’t stay as long as originally planned, so once dinner was cleaned up, she was putting her shoes back on while Braviary ruffled his feathers, standing between her and Elesa.

“You take good care of Elesa, okay?” Skyla said to him. “Play nice with her emolgas.”

Braviary reached for her topknot with his beak and warbled sadly.

“I know, buddy.” Skyla buried both her hands in his feathers and peppered kisses up his head. “I’ll miss you soooo much, but I’ll be back before you know it. I love you.”

Braviary nodded, before returning himself to the pokeball in Elesa’s hand. Skyla turned to her and smiled.

“I’ll be sure to take good care of him.” Elesa assured, giving the pokeball a squeeze before pocketing it.

“I know you will.” Skyla pulled her in for another hug. “And I know you can take care of yourself just fine! This isn’t me not thinking you can.”

“The thought never crossed my mind.” Elesa said. “I know you that you want to make sure I’m prepared.”

Skyla got on her tiptoes as Elesa bent down to kiss her, before she rested her forehead against hers. She felt herself be pulled in a little closer.

“Please be safe.” Skyla urged. “Text me when you can, about the twins, Plasma, anything.”

Elesa hummed in agreement. “Same here. Let me know whenever you’ve landed safely, and any other time you can text. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Skyla paused, before she added more softly, “I love you.”

Elesa smiled warmly, her heart fluttering, and pressed another kiss to temple. “I love you, too.”

———

Ingo wasn’t one to stay in place for too long. He liked patrols, routes, a schedule, something repetitive enough that he could keep track of time passing through the day. Without Lady Sneasler or Jubilife available to be his usual benchmarks, he had to make his own.

One of those things was to check on the strange building in the mountains.

He wasn’t sure what it was. Something pertaining to science, at least. People dressed in white jackets similar to Professor Laventon’s came in and out of the building, usually with the stantler-esque pokemon in tow. There was a glass building next to the main one with all sorts of plants growing inside. Was it a some sort of research building? It was very different from Galaxy Hall.

He really wanted to take a look inside and see for himself, but he never ventured close enough for anyone to notice him. One thing him and Emmet had agreed upon since arriving here, was that they needed to exercise caution.

Granted, he knew that Emmet was initiating battles to stave off boredom, so… inspect the strange building he would.

He was smart about it, though. After a lifetime of sneaking around alphas and guiding passengers through the caves, he was practically a master at stealth.

At least, he thought he was.

“Oh, hello there!”

Ingo froze and turned his head in the direction of the voice, Chandelure chiming softly from behind his shoulder. Sure enough, the greeting was directed at him from the clearing across from the building. Ingo blinked at the stranger for a few moments.

“Good morning.” He called back.

The man smiled politely and waved him over to the wooden table he was sitting at. “I think I’ve seen you ██████ █ ███ ████." He glanced to the trees around him. "You like ██ ████ ██ this ████?”

Ingo hesitated and glanced to his partner before he came over. The man was another scientist, going off of his attire, and he was vaguely familiar. He must have seen him around before.

Apparently, this person had also seen him.

“Yes.” Ingo answered, standing a few feet away from the table the man sat at, close to the trees. “I like mountains.”

Hopefully that was a good enough answer. He did like these mountains. It was nice, here.

The man gestured to the bench across the table, and Ingo looked at the empty seat before he shook his head. “Apologies, I should depart.”

“Just a ███ minutes?” The man nodded to the building. “I’ve ███████ your interest in ███ ██████ ████████ ███, if you want to hear ██ ███████████ about it.”

Ingo would like to know more about the building, but something about trying to understand his way through what would most likely be a scientific Galarian conversation already made him feel embarrassed. The feeling was accompanied with the impression of an encounter with Professor Laventon, and his fingers itched to check his notebook about it, but he decided not to follow up on the instinct in front of this stranger.

Chandelure chimed her displeasure when she sensed his hesitation. Ingo put a hand on her side. “I don’t…” He started, then shook his head. “I should depart.”

The man half rose from his seat and spoke again, but Ingo didn’t give it enough attention to parse out what he was saying. He could do okay with simple conversations, given enough context, but the language barrier got harder for him to break through the more anxious he got.

And, oh dear, now it was getting awkward.

“I’m sorry, I do not speak Galarian well.” He said, stepping back as he brushed over the pokeballs on his belt to take stock of who he had today. He recognized the carving on Alakazam’s ball and held his hand over it, in case he needed to make a quick exit.

“Oh, you speak Kanjoh? Well, that’s all right.”

Ingo stopped in his steps and stared at him in shock. Chandelure trilled in equal surprise. “You can understand me?” He asked. “You speak my language?”

The man smiled at him. “I am fluent enough, yes. I’m sorry for causing you any trouble.”

“It’s… it’s fine.” Ingo stammered, letting his hand drop back to his side. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t think I’ve been able to speak with anyone in a while.”

“Ah. Well, I’m sorry to hear that.”

He stood there for a moment, at a rare loss for words, before he took a seat across from the man at the bench.

“I suppose I should repeat what I was saying earlier.” He said, tucking a rectangular device into his coat. “Would you be interested in learning about the season research lab? I’ve noticed you watching it from afar, before.”

“It’s called the season research lab?” Ingo looked over at it. He felt strangely emotional over finally learning the name of the odd building.

“Yes. Would you like to hear about what’s studied in there?”

Ingo looked back to the scientist, before pulling a folded paper and a pocket watch from one of the pouches on his belt. “I might have some time. Let me check my schedule.”

He looked over the itinerary he and Emmet had planned out earlier that morning. Emmet was doing his own patrol in another part of the mountains, but they were to meet back up at eleven at the cleared outlook (Chandelure would know the way) for another meeting with Elesa, Skyla, and Burgh/Bug.

Another meeting? Ingo checked the scribbled out schedules from the last few days on the paper, but found none of the three/four names on them. It must have been an unscheduled reroute at some point. That would be in his notebook, which he would check later.

He glanced to his pocket watch and found the time read nine forty-two. “I have about a half hour.” He decided, looking to the scientist with a nod. “I would love to hear an explanation. I’ve been curious.”

The man was being extremely modest when he said he was “fluent enough.” He spoke Kanjoh with perfect precision as he explained to Ingo the ins and outs of season research related to pokemon. On top of it all, he spoke in very polite terms, much like how Ingo preferred to speak. He couldn’t understand a lot of it from a technical standpoint, but he was so happy to understand a full-on conversation again that he could cry if he thought about it too much. He knew in his heart that it had been a very long time.

He learned that the stantler-like pokemon they studied were called deerling and sawsbuck, and that the glass building was called a greenhouse. People could control the environment inside it in order to grow any plant, regardless of the season. Amazing! Bravo, even!

Before he knew it, over twenty minutes had flown by. Chandelure had to nudge him to pull him out of the conversation, and he rose to his feet with a bow of his head.

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you.” He said, unable to keep from smiling. “I’ve enjoyed it.”

The man rose from his own seat and smiled back at him. “Of course.”

Ingo made to head out right then—after a goodbye, of course—but noticed that the scientist looked like he had something on his mind.

“Do you require assistance?” He asked.

“Well, actually…” The scientist nodded to his belt. “I couldn’t help but notice that you carry a full team with you. You must be a strong trainer.”

“Ah, yes.” Ingo looked down at his pokeballs. “I will admit that me and my team are quite experienced in battling.”

“Fascinating.” He readjusted the glasses on his nose. “My primary research is centered around drawing out the strength of pokemon. I came here to the season research lab as part of my studies.”

Ingo hummed. “The strength of pokemon?”

“Yes. I know you are short on time, but if it’s not too much of an inconvenience, I would be interested in seeing what hidden potential you’ve been able to bring out of your team through your time together.”

Ingo glanced to Chandelure, who stared back at him, slowly narrowing her eyes. He knew that she knew where this was going.

“…I could make time for a battle.” He said. Chandelure laughed softly and returned herself to her pokeball, just as eager as he was.

“Splendid!” The man beamed, his eyes lighting up for the first time since they started speaking with each other. “We can have it over here in the corner.”

Ingo tried not to appear as excited as he felt as he followed the man’s lead and took his spot across the space they determined as the field. He jolted as he realized something. “Ah, I’m so sorry! I don’t think I ever introduced myself.” He gave him a short bow. “My name is Ingo.”

“Of course, my apologies.” The man put a hand to his chest and bowed back. “My name is Colress. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ingo.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Ingo said before snapping his arms into position. “I’ll be sure to give you a proper battle in exchange for the space we’ve shared!”

———

Deciding that she didn’t want to hike all the way back, Elesa used Braviary to fly to the outlook. It wasn’t hard to spot once they got close. Emmet was out in the open, leaning against a tree as he watched her approach, with an eelektross lingering close by. He pushed away and stepped to the side as she came in for a landing, tapping a hand against his side.

“I am Emmet. You are back.” He said, once she was close enough. He blinked at Braviary for a moment. “Ah. Forgot they look like that.”

Elesa paused and glanced at Skyla’s pokemon. “What, like normal?”

“Normal.” Emmet tilted his head. “Normal, Flying?”

“Uh, yes?”

He hummed thoughtfully. “In Hisui, they are Psychic, Flying.”

“What?” Elesa chuckled in disbelief. “I’ve never heard of that.”

He smirked at her as Braviary stepped forward to inspect him. Emmet was a little surprised by the approach, but didn’t move away, only raising his hand in a silent question. Braviary stared at him, before nudging his hand with his beak.

“Verrry nice. Kirei, ne?” He muttered, scratching around his face until he found the spot he liked under his chin. Braviary churred happily and leaned more heavily against his hand.

“Wow.” She smiled as she released Zeb. “He sure likes you.”

“Baby.” Emmet laughed softly, then glanced to her. “Where are Skyla and Bug?”

“Um, his name is Burgh, though he is a bug type specialist.” Elesa held back a laugh. “They couldn’t make it today, so it’s just me.”

Having gotten his fill of attention, Braviary gave Emmet one last nudge and returned to his ball.  She had to admit, the mark of approval did help her feel a bit more at ease. “Where’s Ingo?” She asked.

Emmet waved his hand for her to follow, and headed away from the trail. His eelektross swam alongside him. “He will come.”

Elesa and Zeb followed after. “Do you guys get lost around here at all?”

Emmet shrugged in answer, sitting back sat down in the same spot as before and raising his arms so Eelektross could flop his head onto his lap. “Chandelure will find me, or Foodin.”

“Foodin?” Elesa sat down across from him, also in the same spot. “Alakazam?”

He stared at her for a moment. “Yes.”

It was weird to hear him speak this much, after all the signing he’d done the last time. Elesa removed her extra pack and set it at her feet. “How’s his headache?”

“Better.” Emmet answered simply.

Elesa chuckled. “You’re a bit more to the point than your brother is, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. Not really an answer, but maybe he didn’t understand the question very well? She waited for a moment to see if he'd say anything, but he kept his eyes down, busying himself with playing with the claws on Eelektross's hand.

He looked like he had something on his mind.

She held out the bag for him to take. “Here, we got some more stuff for you guys that we thought you might need.”

"Oh?" He accepted the bag with a bow and immediately started to look in with interest. Eelektross moved his head from his lap to make room. Emmet let out an inquisitive hum as he pulled out a white vinyl pouch, unzipping it for a closer look.

“That’s a shaving kit. There’s another one in there for Ingo, too. I noticed you guys could probably use a trim.” Elesa explained, then added, “You seem to speak Galarian better than he does.”

Emmet shrugged again as he tucked the shaving kit away. “Maybe. I like smaller…” he paused, thinking, “bunshou. Ingo does not. For him, Galarian is harder.”

“Can’t say what he means very well?” She guessed as she pulled up her translator app.

Emmet didn’t answer, but his smile softened as he peered further into the bag. “Thank you for this. The blanket was verrry nice.”

“Of course. Sorry that I didn’t know there were two of you.”

He chuckled at that. “That was funny.”

Elesa rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’m ready for some Kanjoh if you need to switch.”

Emmet nodded as he rifled through the first aid kit. “Is that a phone?” He asked, still in Galarian.

Elesa was taken aback by the question. She had no idea when phones were invented, but how did he know to ask that about a device around her wrist? “Sort of. It’s called a Xtranceiver. Xtrans for short.”

“Xtrans… Does it call?”

“It does a lot more than that, but yeah.”

“Hm.” He closed the kit thoughtfully before he raised his head. “Niisan!”

Elesa turned her head to find Ingo stepping out from the trees with Chandelure drifting ahead of him. He gave Elesa an oddly blank look as he took a seat on the log next to his brother.

“Good afternoon…” His voice trailed off as he stared at her. “Elesa?”

Elesa gave him a thumbs up. “You got it.”

Ingo squinted his eyes, his frown curling at the corners as he pulled his notebook from his belt and opened it. Emmet put his head on his brother’s shoulder while Chandelure trilled happily.

"Oh, you had a battle?" Emmet noted as Elesa tapped the screen on her Xtrans to wake it back up.

"Yes, but it was short." Ingo sighed sadly. "Too short."

Elesa couldn't help but chuckle. She could understand the feeling. “I'm guessing you're feeling better today, Ingo?”

“One moment, please.” Ingo scanned over the pages of his book before his gaze rose to her. “Yes, I am doing much better today, thank you. I am glad you decided to return to talk again.”

“I’m glad to be back.” She smiled. She was getting the feeling that Ingo had trouble remembering things, but it felt rude to ask about it.

He scratched the side of his head as he glanced to the empty spaces next to her. “Where are the others?”

“You just get me today.” Elesa explained. “Skyla is covering for someone at her work, and Burgh had to go look at art.”

“Skyla, Burgh.” Ingo repeated, checking his notes. "Not Bug."

"Yep." Elesa's lips twitched slightly.

Ingo nodded and scratched something out with a pencil. He continued in Galarian. “Emmet said you are gym leaders.”

Elesa raised a brow as Ingo shot a meaningful glance to his brother. Emmet gave a short shake of his head, making the sign for “wait.” Ingo cleared his throat and continued.

“Skyla is your girlfriend.”

He wrote a note on that? Elesa blushed and stared down at her hands. “Uh, yeah, she is…”

Both of the twins snickered, and she glanced up to find Ingo looking a little too smug with himself.

“You punk.” She huffed.

“I do not understand that.” Ingo replied innocently.

“It means you’re terrible! Both of you!” She reiterated, shaking her head in exasperation.

Ingo laughed more fully, his voice easily carrying through the trees and scaring a few wild pokemon away. Dragons, he was loud when he wanted to be.

Elesa couldn’t help but smile as she watched Emmet hand the bag to his brother, grinning like a kid on Delibird Day. “Look what she brought!”

Ingo was taken aback by the gift. “You got all this for us?” He asked.

“I felt bad about only getting you one blanket yesterday, so me and Skyla did some shopping.” She said, running a hand down Zebstrika’s side. “Burgh pitched in, too.”

“Ingooooo, they got us soap.” Emmet said excitedly. “And scissors.”

“Did they?” Ingo pulled out the black shaving kit bag before he noticed something else underneath. “Bravo!”

“I take it that it’s a hit, then?” She asked, then changed the question when both of them paused to look at her. “Er, that stuff works for you?”

“Yes, this will work perfectly.” Ingo made a face like a purrloin again. Was that his way of smiling? “Thank you very much.”

“Dragons, now we can finally stop looking like fucking mountain cryptids.” Emmet closed the bag and set it between them.

Elesa blinked at the hodgepodge of Galarian and Kanjoh. She was amazed her translation app could keep up.

“Emmet.” Ingo sighed. “Let’s be professional, here.”

“How can I be professional in these conditions?” Emmet gestured to himself. “We’re disgusting. I feel like a trash burmy, nearly evolved into a wormadam.”

Ingo eyes darted to Elesa, his face flushing slightly. “It certainly isn’t becoming. Apologies on the state of our selves, Miss Elesa. We are used to taking more pride in our appearance.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault.” Elesa assured, slowly reaching into the front pocket of her day pack. “Hey, if you’re all good there… can we talk a bit about what happened the other day?”

“Of course.” Ingo nodded. Emmet’s smile became a flat line, almost wary.

Maybe she’d hold off on the gym leader thread for a bit.

“So… we did a little digging on you two, and we found this.”

Ingo took the paper she was holding out and made a noise of surprise when he unfolded it, revealing the photograph of the two of them. “Oh! It’s us!”

“Where did you get this?” Emmet said.

“It was on the, uh… internet.” Elesa started, realizing they wouldn’t have a clue about what she was saying. She held up her hands as she started to explain. “It’s kind of like a library, but you access it from a thing called a computer…”

Shit, she’d have to explain that, too.

“I am Emmet. I know what internet is.” Emmet huffed. “It screams at you when you use it, right?”

“Uh—”

“Oh, Sinnoh. Really?” Ingo asked.

“Yeah, like that porygon Rei found.”

“Wait, how do you know about the internet?” Elesa asked, gesturing to the picture. “Aren’t you guys from the past?”

“Yes.” Said Ingo.

“And no.” Said Emmet.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Ingo continued to look over the photo. Emmet’s smile returned a little as he peeked at it from over his brother’s shoulder. “We had to hold still for a long time while this was being taken. Look, Chandelure’s flames are all blurry.”

“It’s a very nice photograph.” Ingo said.

“Verrry nice.”

“Yes, you two are stunning, but can we get back to the fact that you are staring at a picture of yourselves from 1870, yet sitting here in 2012?”

“I did not understand a lot of those words.” Emmet said. “But you probably want an explanation, right? Probably about where we left off the other day.”

Elesa sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She wished Skyla was here, right now. She missed her. “Yes, please.”

Ingo handed her the photo back, but she held up her hands in a silent gesture to keep it. He gave her a nod of his head and folded it back up, tucking it into their new bag.

To her surprise, it was Emmet who started to explain, instead of Ingo. His nervous smile was back. “We are from Hisui, in the past. We lived there for the majority of our lives.” He laced his hands together and rested his arms over Eelektross. “Before that, though… we were from here. Unova.”

“So, you immigrated there when you were younger?” Elesa guessed. When she noticed the twins’ brows furrow, she tried a couple more words to get the point across. “Moved? Traveled to?”

“Something like that.” Emmet chuckled wryly. He pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes and inhaled deeply, as if readying himself. “We were displaced from Unova in 1993 and landed in Hisui. We were there for nineteen years, until we were suddenly brought back.”

Emmet went silent and left Elesa to put the pieces together herself, going back to running his hands over Eelektross’s head at a faster pace. She stared at the ground, thinking.

The modern pokeballs.

The weird USL. The question about her Xtrans.

They knew what a gym leader was. Emmet knew what the internet was. An old version of it, but still.

...Chandelure and Eelektross were not pokemon native to Sinnoh, were they?

To top it all off they were wearing black and white over their tunics. They were traditional colors for twins to wear in Unova, even if it was a little old fashioned. She had originally passed it off as a funny coincidence, but now it couldn’t be more obvious.

“Holy shit.”

It was insane. She felt like she was going crazy, but somehow the explanation that they were time travelers, twice over, made a whole lot more sense when she looked at all the facts at once.

Dragons, what would the others think?

“How did this happen?” Ingo sounded worried.

Elesa glanced at him, then to Emmet. “I was just about to ask that.”

“I don’t know.” Emmet answered quietly.

They just happened to come back here in the same amount of years they were gone? “You’re sure about the time stuff? The years?”

He visibly bristled at her doubt. “I may be a Pearl, but I can keep track of time as good as any Diamond.” He said.

“Okay, okay…” Elesa tucked her hair behind her ear, frowning. “Sorry. This is just… a lot to take in.”

He nodded, casting his gaze downwards with his face hidden behind his hat. “Imagine what it was like for us, finding out.”

“I can’t even imagine.” She said. “Was it Dialga, and Palkia, maybe? The region's legendaries?”

Emmet shook his head readily, his voice growing unsteady the more he talked. “Don’t think so. They have a Pressure to them." He took a shaky breath. "Didn’t… Didn’t feel like that. Could be wrong, though.”

He’d already thought on the possibility, she realized. She paused. “Hang on, don’t tell me you’ve met them before.”

Emmet let out a weak chuckle and shrugged. Ingo put an arm over his brother’s shoulders and pulled him in close. It was then that Elesa noticed something wet was falling onto Eelektross’s scales, and Emmet’s hands were trembling.

“Hey,” Elesa reached into her pack, pulling out a tissue and holding it out for him. “It’s going to be okay.”

Emmet accepted the tissue and blew his nose into it. “N-no. Nnnnot okay.” He said. “I c-can’t—”

He swallowed hard, clenching the tissue in his fist.

“Emmet,” Ingo’s voice was soft as he took his brother’s other hand and held it tight. “We need to ask.”

“No.” He said, shaking his head against Ingo’s shoulder. “Not ready.”

“I know, but we owe it to ourselves to find out.” Ingo put his head over Emmet’s, then chuckled softly. “Ishimi would scold us if she knew we let this opportunity pass us by.”

Elesa kept her eyes on her Xtrans screen as Emmet hummed a laugh, then sniffled grossly. She pulled out the entire package of travel tissues and held her arm up until she felt him take it.

“Thanks.” He mumbled. Elesa raised her gaze as he blew his nose again.

“It’s the least I can do.” She smiled faintly. “What is it that you two wanted to ask?”

Ingo rubbed his brother’s back until Emmet sighed shakily and gave him a hesitant nod. Ingo looked to Elesa.

“You are a gym leader,” He started in Galarian. “Do you know-”

He opened his mouth a few times before he could form more words, and his own voice started to waver as he continued. “D-do you know Drayden Gray? He was a gym leader, w-when…”

Elesa straightened at the mention of Drayden. Her eyes slowly widened as her gaze darted between the two of them.

Oh, dragons above.

Ingo licked his lips as tears of his own started to fall down his face. “H-he’s our dad. Is he okay?" He switched back to Kanjoh as his voice broke. "Please, tell us he’s okay.”

This was what Emmet had tried to ask. Elesa had to force herself to take a breath, realization dawning.

She remembered this.

She remembered this.

The story had been all over the news at the time. Elesa had only been about nine when it happened, but she grew up hearing about it. It was a story that continued to follow Drayden through the last, almost-two decades--the last nineteen years. It was the reason why he kept mostly to himself, in Opelucid.

“You’re his kids. The ones who went missing.” She gasped and put a hand to her mouth, her eyes watering.

“Oh, my gods. You went missing here, on Route 6.”

Chapter Text

“Emmet, we have parents, right?”

Emmet paused, glancing over at what his brother was looking at. Irida was following her mother around camp again, doing… something. Whatever it was a leader did. It was hard to figure out what anyone did around here when he couldn’t understand what they were saying.

“Yeah. We have a dad.” He said quietly, then added. “Mom passed away a long time ago.”

“…Oh.” Ingo’s tone was distant and detached. He stared down at the shell in his hands and slowly tore it open, setting the beans in the basket someone left for them. “Where is our dad?”

“I don’t know.” Emmet’s eyes burned as he turned back to his own work. This was the third time he’d asked these questions, and they made his heart ache each time. “Wherever this station is, he’s not here.”

Ingo went silent as Emmet continued to shell, losing himself to thought. He did that a lot, these days. He’d zone out for long periods of time until Emmet or someone else snapped him out of it. Since they had been left with a task to do, Emmet figured that they’d be left alone for a while without being bothered, so he let him be for now.

It wasn’t until he heard a sniff that he realized his brother was crying. He raised his head in surprise.

This was the first time he’d reacted like this about it.

Ingo was shocked about the tears, too. Litwick trilled from his shoulder as he touched his own cheek, then stared at his wet fingertips.

“I think I miss him.” He said, his lip trembling. “I think I miss Mama, too.”

Emmet quickly dropped what he was doing and pulled Ingo into a hug, careful not to jostle his head or displace Litwick from her perch. “Do you remember anything?” He asked.

“N-no, but my heart hurts.” Ingo said, hiding his face against his shoulder. “I think it remembers.”

Emmet placed a cold hand against the bandages on his brother’s head, and Ingo leaned into it. “Maybe this means you’re getting better.”

“Maybe.” Ingo mumbled. He was slowly putting more of his weight against him the longer they stayed in the hug. “My head’s hurting again.”

“You should lay down. Come on,” Emmet grabbed his crutch and pulled himself to his feet before dragging his brother up after him. “We’ll see if Calaba has more of that medicine and then you can take a nap.”

Ingo grimaced at the ground as he took Emmet’s hand. “My heart also remembers that I don’t like her medicine.” He said.

Emmet gave Ingo’s hand a reassuring squeeze as he led the way. “I know you don’t, but she’d get grumpy if you don’t do what she says.”

Ingo sighed wearily. Emmet gave him a sad smile as he pulled him a little closer.

“…I miss them, too. Dad, and Mama.” He said, tears welling in his eyes. “I miss them a lot.”

In spite of his headache, Ingo pulled Emmet into another hug, letting Emmet sniffle quietly into his shoulder until he was ready to take them the rest of the way to Calaba’s tent.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Emmet had to hold back the urge to scream as Elesa stared at them in shock. Not only had they been sent back to Unova in the same amount of years they’d spent in Hisui, but they had also been brought back to the same space they’d disappeared from.

He wanted to fight Palkia itself, and Dialga. Whoever the hell was responsible. This wasn’t funny.

He’d love to say that he had recognized the mountains when they first arrived, but their derailment had been nearly twenty years ago. His memories as a child in Unova were faded and fuzzy, try as he might to cling to them. When their dad took them out camping that weekend, Emmet hadn’t cared about the name of the place they were staying at, only that they were able to explore around once the tent was put up.

“Is he okay?” Ingo asked Elesa again. Emmet fiddled with the wrapping the tissues were in and pulled one out for his brother.

“Y-yeah. He’s-” Elesa quickly dried her face on her sleeve. “He’s okay. He’s still a gym leader, -- ---- --- ---- ---------.”

“Oh, thank Sinnoh.” Ingo said thickly, his shoulders sagging in relief.

Emmet swallowed and let out a slow breath as Ingo blew his nose loudly. Paying attention was hard when he heard all he needed to hear.

Dad was alive. He was here.

The fear that had been constricted around his chest since learning what year it was eased, but with that came new fears. Different anxieties.

They needed to get away from these mountains.

Eelektross sent a small shock to his fingertips, and he shook his hand out as he looked to Elesa.

“…I can’t ------- that you’re his kids.” She was talking again, moving her hand between the two of them. “I guess I can kind of see the ----------- now, but that might be just because of the ---------- - ---- ----.”

“…I don’t know how much we look like Dad.” Ingo responded uncertainly. It seemed like the right thing to say, because Elesa didn’t react strangely. “I think we look more like Mom.”

He glanced to Emmet to confirm. Emmet nodded slightly.

“I just— I never ----- ---- -------…” She looked a little confused. “How old are you two, ------?”

Emmet snorted. He knew where this was going. “We are twenty-nine, almost thirty.”

“Wait, really?” Yup, there was that familiar surprise. Nice to know that will never change. “I thought you were older ---- ----. I’m just a year younger.”

“We were ten when we arrived in Hisui.” He smirked faintly as he connected the spots on Eelektross’s scales with a finger. Melli always hated that he was four years older than they were, in spite of them looking like “raggedy old men” compared to him.

Emmet’s smile twitched. No, he was not going to think about that. He’d been doing a verrry good job this past month just focusing on the present. Melli of all the people in Hisui was not going to be the one he would get emotional about.

He would think instead about how disgusting he looked, and felt. He really wanted to use the supplies Elesa brought, right now.

Shit. He wasn’t paying attention again.

He tuned back in to find Elesa talking about something called “rangers.” He could tell that Ingo was doing his best to follow, but Elesa was getting more comfortable with their conversation, which meant she was gradually talking faster, and with less pauses.

“Too much.” He cut in. “Hard to understand.”

Elesa, to his surprise, didn’t even look offended about him butting in like he did. “Oh, sorry about that.”

Ingo played with the brim of his hat, staring down at the ground. He hadn’t gotten after Emmet for being rude, which spoke to how flustered he was right now. Dragons, he hated how uncertain his brother was here in Unova. It was another reason for him to go punch a god.

“Apologies, Galarian may have been our first language, but we are terribly out of practice.”

“I’ll make sure to keep that -- ----.” She said. Her words were slower, but they weren’t over-pronounced, like some of the hikers did when they realized he didn’t want to talk to them.

Emmet was finding that he really liked her.

Elesa explained herself again. Basically, she and her friends were worried about them staying in the mountains. Fortunately for her, Emmet was all for leaving, now that he understood where it was they ended up.

She hesitated when he expressed the desire to depart, and was probably even surprised by it. Maybe she was expecting more resistance from them. She went quiet for a minute and checked something on her Xtrans before she spoke again.

“I’ll see what I can do, but let me think about it first.”

Emmet nodded. Whatever it was that she had to think about, there was something about her concern that was… nice. It was nice, to be cared about, even if they were strangers. It was nice to share space with someone, again. Solitude really didn’t suit them well.

Elesa stood and brushed herself off, taking a deep breath before she smiled at his brother. “Hey, Ingo. What do you say to a battle in the --------? To make up for that short one you had earlier?”

Ingo’s eyes widened and he sat a little straighter. Emmet snickered. “Ingo is verrry strong.” He said in Galarian. “The best.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be ---------, if he’s -------- like you.” She smiled at his brother. “What do you say?”

“If it’s not any trouble.” Ingo said, already getting to his feet. Emmet stood and walked to the clearing.

“Do you like doubles, too?”

“Singles is my preferred format. I can match the number of your team.”

“I can do five pokemon.” She held up her hand and came to a stop at one end of the clearing.

“Very well.” Ingo brushed his haori aside and ran a hand along the pokeballs on his belt. He paused and pulled one out. “What is your opinion on alphas?” He asked.

“I don’t think they are a thing here, Ingo.” Emmet said.

“No, they’re not.” Elesa confirmed, frowning a little at her Xtrans as she read the translation. “I’ve never heard of an ----- before.”

“Really? Hm.” Ingo rolled the pokeball in his hand thoughtfully. “She’s a sweetheart, I assure you. She just looks a little intimidating, due to her size.”

“Hey, look, I don’t really care --- --- ---.” Elesa put a hand on her hip and smiled over at him. “What ------- is that you and your team have a good time! Don’t go -------- yourself.”

Ingo squinted a smile back at her. “Very well. I remember Emmet saying you were strong, so I certainly will not hold back.”

Emmet felt his own smile grow as he watched his brother point to Elesa. Ingo’s gaze sharpened, his eyes clearing of any doubt as all the confidence and assertiveness of a seasoned Warden reignited in him.

Ingo was so excited.

“ALL ABOARD!”

He tossed out his first pokeball…

…and Emmet couldn’t help but cackle at Elesa’s reaction to seeing an alpha garchomp for the very first time.

———

Elesa found Skyla’s key on her keyring and unlocked the door to go inside. She couldn’t believe she was doing this.

Zebstrika and Braviary let themselves out as she made her way to the kitchen and turned on the lights. She peeked into the fridge, taking stock of what Skyla had on hand.

…Probably not great choices for people who had lived in the late 1800s for the past two decades, but she had time to grab some things from the store.

She grabbed the magnetic notepad from the fridge door and started on a list as she looked up something on her Xtrans.

Sure enough, with the combination of Ingo and Emmet’s names and Drayden’s, the search immediately produced a news article from the incident. The twins had been ten at the time. They had gone running off into the woods to play during a family camping trip, and never came back. Everything from Herdier to Lucario had been brought in to help sweep the area for the twins, but nothing could be found, not even their new starters. It was like they had vanished into thin air.

And now they were back, and she had to figure out how to tell Drayden about them.

Oh no. She had to talk to Drayden.

Opelucid’s spartan mayor had a reputation that well-proceeded him, and for good reason. He was Unova’s best-known dragon master, arguably one of the strongest gym leaders in the region, and had been holding both titles for decades. From what little interaction Elesa had with him over the years in her career, he had been nothing but polite and kind to her, if a bit old-fashioned.

He was still intimidating as hell, though, and didn’t make a lot of public appearances outside of Opelucid, which didn’t help the image. Iris assured everyone that her adoptive father was a downright softie, but Elesa had yet to see that in person.

The photo she was currently looking at seemed to prove Iris’s point, though. She’d never seen him look so happy before, smiling at the camera, with Ingo and Emmet on either side of him.

Dragons, she also needed to tell the twins about Iris.

Unsurprisingly, since the last text from Skyla was letting Elesa know she was taking off, calling her number sent Elesa to voicemail, so she went with her next option. Tears welled in her eyes as Burgh picked up only after the second ring. The expression he wore was that of someone who had been waiting on pins and needles for an update.

“Elesa— Dragons, are you crying?” He said. A scowl started to form on his face. “What did they do?”

“Nothing. They’re good guys.” Elesa sniffled, rubbing her arm against her cheek. “I’m fine, really. Just panicking, a bit.”

“What happened?”

Where did she even start?

“Burgh, they’re Drayden’s kids. They’re the boys who went missing in the nineties.”

Burgh’s eyes widened, blindsided by the news. “Wait, what? Aren’t they from the 1800s?”

“I just sent you the article.” She copied the news link and texted it to him. “The names match, and so do their starters. Emmet had an Eelektross with him.”

She relayed her conversation with the twins to him, going over each point and why it made sense, in spite of how crazy it sounded. Burgh stared at her through her Xtrans between reading over the article, stunned into silence.

“…What the hell?”

“I know.”

“The same time and place— Why is this happening?”

“I don’t know. They don’t know.” She put her head in one hand as she stared down at her shopping list. “Burgh, I don’t know what to do. Skyla’s in the middle of flying to Kalos so I can’t reach her, but Emmet wants to get away from Route 6 as soon as possible, so I’m looking at bringing them to her house since it’s quieter here. Skyla doesn’t know this yet, though.”

She curled her hand into her hair and inhaled shakily. “But tonight is the only time in the next while that I’d have to help them. I’m meeting up with Clay tomorrow morning to finish my proposal to the board, and I still need to finalize my trainers so we’re ready to go for the summer rush, and school is out next week.”

“Hey, just give yourself a sec to breathe.” Burgh urged. “I can come over tomorrow and help out where you need it. My gym’s ready to go, so I’m set there. When does Skyla’s flight land?”

She checked the time. “In about… ten hours.”

“Okay, that’s not great, but it’s not all terrible, either.” Burgh gave her a meaningful look. “Elesa, I sure hope you know that she likes you a lot, and that she’d be willing to help with what you think is best.”

“I know. I just—” She sighed tiredly. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

“None of us were. Not even them, I bet.” Burgh said. “Where are they, now?”

“They went to their camp after I had a battle with Ingo, so they could get ready to go. Emmet gave me some sort of flute to call them with when I got back.” She angled her Xtrans to show him the white instrument on the table. “He said they’d be able to hear it if I use it from the outlook.”

“Is that made of bone?”

She gave it a cursory turn before she quickly pulled her hand away. “Yes. Yes it is.”

“Dragons, Lenora would have a field day if she saw that. Hell, I want to take a closer look. I love old art.”

“I know someone else that would lose their mind, too.” She muttered. She paused and frowned in thought. “Is it old if it’s time traveled?”

Burgh shrugged. “Depends on who you ask, but let’s not get distracted.”

Elesa workshopped a plan with Burgh and compiled a new shopping list. By the time she wrote down everything she thought she’d need, she felt a lot better. She was going to have to leave the twins for the night, but Burgh was going to come over in the morning to see if they needed help with anything.

They were grown men, but their last memories (Emmet’s last memories?) of Unova were from when they were ten. She was not going to trust someone like that with a gas stove, and have her girlfriend’s house potentially burned down because of it.

Zekrom above, she hoped that this would turn out okay. Again, she wished that Skyla was here, instead of thousands of miles away.

Burgh finished writing down some notes and looked back at the camera. “How’d the battle with Ingo go, by the way?”

Elesa managed not to laugh as she thought about the image of Ingo’s giant fucking dragon bursting out of her pokeball, but she still grinned. “It was great! I lost. You should go up against either of them, sometime. I think you’d enjoy it.”

Burgh paused as he waited for her to elaborate, then sighed. “You’re not going to tell me anything about their other pokemon, are you?”

“Nope.” She chuckled and tucked the flute into her bag. “Spoilers.”

———

Enough time had passed past the hour and a half he’d set with Elesa, that Emmet was just starting to regret lending her his celestica flute. Fortunately, the small amount of trust he’d handed to her was proven right when they eventually heard its shrill and squeaky call from their camp.

In hindsight, he should have taught her how to use it before parting ways.

The sun was nearly set as Emmet gave the camp one more look, and Alakazam took Ingo first. They were leaving a lot of things behind, but they already had what they needed on their persons. Everything he’d been collecting over the past month he could find again. His brother and their pokemon were another matter entirely.

He was verrry glad to look away for the last time when Alakazam Teleported back for his turn. Her took her arm and felt the world blip away for the briefest second before sound and sensation returned.

Elesa was smiling in amusement in Chandelure’s light as she looked between them. “You shaved already?” She said.

“I am Emmet. We couldn’t wait.” He stated. “Besides, Ingo doesn’t look like a grumpy ursaluna now!”

“And the burmy hanging from Emmet’s chin has been dealt with.” Ingo quipped back, adjusting his grip on the bag Elesa had given them earlier. “Decisive measures had to be taken, but it was for the best.”

Emmet smirked and smacked Ingo on the arm. Ingo grinned.

“You look ten years younger.” Elesa laughed.

“Yup.” Emmet smirked at her. “How far away is Skyla’s home?”

Elesa thought on it for a moment. “It’s not far. About a fifteen minute flight, ---- -- ----.”

Ingo looked to Emmet with a worried frown. Emmet sighed deeply and flexed his hands at his sides.

“It’s either this, or walking, and I don’t want to walk all the way to the town.” He decided. He looked to Elesa and motioned for her to step back. “Behind the yellow line, please. Garchomp is not great with meeting new people.”

Ingo pulled Garchomp’s ball from his belt and released her once Elesa had taken several steps back. As predicted, Garchomp growled when she saw Elesa, bringing her head low to eye her warily.

“Easy.” Ingo patted her neck and kept a hand around one of her horns. “She’s a friend.”

“She’s verrry nice.” Emmet added. “A good trainer.”

Chandelure and Eelektross threw in their two cents as Elesa kept still. Garchomp narrowed her eyes and slowly started to bare her teeth at her, unconvinced.

“We’ll put you in timeout if you choose to be bad.” Emmet reminded her as Ingo pulled her head away from Elesa. “That means no treats.”

The growl rumbling in Garchomp’s chest stopped at the last threat, and she looked at Emmet pitifully. Emmet smirked and gave her a pet. “Better.”

Elesa relaxed a little from where she stood, and fortunately she seemed to know better than to get close. “Are pokemon just ----- --------- in Hisui or something?” She asked, her voice somewhat strained.

Emmet shrugged. “She is the only alpha on our team, and for good reason. She eats a lot.”

“But she is the only flier who can comfortably carry both of us.” Ingo added.

“Oh, is this why she wears that -------? For flying?”

“Yes. We decided that safety precautions had to be made to ensure passenger safety.” Ingo explained, moving his hand to the harness strapped around their pokemon’s chest. “She can be quite fast, and neither of us are fond of falling from any height.”

“She likes wearing it.” Emmet continued. “She loves it when we use her to fly, over taking Lord Braviary.”

Garchomp rumbled in agreement and nudged her huge head against Emmet’s side. Years of practice was the only thing keeping him from getting knocked over, by this point.

“Yes, yes. We love you much more than him.” He assured, pushing her away. “You want a treat for being good? Ask Ingo. And lay down so we can conduct safety checks.”

Garchomp turned to his brother, who began to rub her snout as she sprawled onto the ground, casting up a cloud of dirt. Emmet stepped up her haunch to her back and looked over the state of the harness, giving a few spots some experimental tugs.

“Who’s a dear? You are.” Ingo praised, feeding her some sitrus before joining Emmet in inspections. He checked the area over her shoulders and secured the knots he had any doubts about, then had her sit up so he could look at her chest. Emmet held onto her dorsal fin with practiced ease as he continued with his half.

“Safety checks complete.”

“Here, too.” Emmet kept his hold as she laid back down again. She looked between the two of them expectantly, the end of her tail wiggling despite her attempts to keep still. They hadn’t flown at all since arriving in Unova, so it made sense that she was excited.

“You guys have that down -- - ------.” Elesa commented, impressed.

“We are not insane, like Gaeric is.” Emmet smirked. He faltered slightly as secured himself to the harness.

Dammit. He did it again.

“Who’s Gaeric?” Elesa asked.

“A fellow Pearl warden, and a good friend of ours. Though, out of everyone we know, I think he has the most grievous disregard for his own self-preservation.” Ingo said, putting a hand to his chin. He paused and his gaze clouded in thought. “Wait, when did we last…?”

Elesa seemed to tell that something was amiss, be it through Ingo’s confusion or Emmet going stock still on top of Garchomp. Emmet met her eyes briefly, and with a nod she turned and stepped over to the other side of the clearing to release Braviary. Emmet swallowed and signed to his brother.

He’s not here in Unova, Ingo.

Ingo blinked in surprise. He glanced around them, his gaze lingering on Elesa before he gave himself a small shake. He quickly climbed up Garchomp’s left side.

“Ready to depart.” He said, sighing shakily.

As usual, Emmet hated the flight, but Garchomp had gotten good at making it nicer than it would have been with Lord Braviary. For some reason, she’d decided to have a rivalry with the ride noble, of all pokemon, to the point that she was banned from being out of her pokeball whenever he was around. Sabi found it funny, at the very least.

Fuck. He was doing it again.

Landing was a little difficult in the city, but Elesa managed to direct them into Skyla’s backyard with only minimal damage to ground. Garchomp still dwarfed the small space, though, and quickly returned to her ball once they’d gotten off of her. That was one bonus to living outside of civilization with an alpha: she always had plenty of room to roam around.

Elesa led them in through the backdoor and turned on the lights. Emmet’s steps stuttered as he started to take in everything. Dragons, it was so surreal. There was a lot of things he recognized, but a lot more that seemed new from the last couple decades, or were probably just effects that were unique to Skyla.

“This is… quite different.” Ingo said next to him.

“Mmhm.” Emmet pulled off his boots and left them next to the door. Ingo followed suit and stopped when his feet hit the carpet. He looked down for a moment, before he shuffled along a few inches.

“Good texture?” Emmet chuckled.

The corners of Ingo’s mouth turned upwards, even as he absently rubbed the side of his head. “Good texture.” He confirmed.

Elesa was saying something—probably giving them a rundown of the house—but Emmet was too overwhelmed to take anything in. So, instead, he watched Ingo.

“Hurting again?” He asked.

Ingo shrugged, still looking around in fascination, though it was muted. “Nothing bad, just annoying.”

“Mmhm,” Emmet was not convinced. He looked to Elesa. “Sorry, where can we sleep?”

“Oh, the guest room’s --------. Let me show you.” Elesa gestured to the staircase with her thumb. “Can I get you something for your headache, Ingo?”

“Just need to rest.” Ingo said, following behind Elesa up the stairs. “I’m fine.”

Emmet stopped as he realized what she had asked. “You have medicine for headaches.” He said.

Elesa opened a door in the hall and turned on the light inside. She flipped the switch off again when she noticed Ingo wince. “We do! I can check Skyla’s -------. She might have something ---- ----- ----.”

“Ingo and I are resistant to pain relievers, because of Lady Sneasler and her kits.” Emmet explained. He added in Galarian, “Poison, Fighting type.”

“Poison ----------?” Elesa watched as Ingo climbed onto the bed without so much as pulling back the sheets, and curled around Chandelure as she settled onto his lap. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting her flame brush up against his head.

Elesa looked like she wanted to say something, probably about all the dirt they’d already tracked into the house, or maybe about using ghostfire to cool his head. But Ingo wasn’t feeling good, and Emmet cared little about what other people thought when he got like this. He waited, ready to argue with her about it.

“…There might be something that can work.” She finally said, waving a hand for him to follow. “Let’s check.”

Oh. Well, then.

“Be right back, Ingo.”

Elesa led him through a bigger bedroom before entering a bathroom. There was a lot more in this space that he recognized. There were sinks, a bathtub, a toilet, and a big mirror that perfectly showed him just how disheveled he looked.

He stood out here, terribly.

Elesa opened up a cabinet with a mirror for a door and started sifting through the bottles inside. She looked at him through their reflection in the mirror. “Is he okay?” She asked. “This is the second time ---- --- --------.”

Emmet shrugged and turned away from the mirror, looking instead at the strangest little rug he’d ever seen, set next to the tub. He bent down to touch it, then pulled his hand back.

Nope, bad texture. What even was that made out of?

“Niisan gets bad headaches sometimes, but they’ve been happening a lot more since we got here. They can last a while, too.” He sighed, sitting on the floor. “Probably because everything’s been stressful lately. Verrry annoying.”

He heard the bottles being lifted as Elesa inspected them. “------- headaches aren’t good, you know.” She said.

“Oh, I know.” His smile twitched. “But Calaba’s remedies gradually stopped having any effects once we started training as wardens, and anything Pesselle gave him wore off too quickly to be worth the trouble of going to Jubilife all the time. Chandelure helps, though.”

Elesa set something on the counter. “What about you? You want something for pain?”

Emmet paused, then raised a brow at her. “What do you mean?”

Oh Sinnoh, she had that look on her face. The one people wore whenever he said something that made people pity him and his brother. He hated it. “Well, I just ------- that you—”

“I am Emmet. I am fine.” He pulled himself to his feet again and came over to look at what she brought out. “You found something that can work?”

Elesa took a moment to recover before she gestured to the bottle. “Yeah, I think so, but it’ll make him ------.”

“Drowsy?” Emmet repeated the last word.

“Sleepy.” Elesa tried.

“Ah, well, he is already a verrry drowsy brother, sometimes. He’s going to sleep, anyway.” He squinted as he picked up the bottle, turning it in his hands. He knew he wouldn’t be able to read the label very well, but was there even Galarian printed on it? What were these words?

“I can’t read this.”

“That’s okay. I can.” Elesa took the bottle from him. He snuck a peek at the translation showing on her Xtrans to make sure he understood her. “He should probably eat something before he takes it, so it doesn’t upset his stomach.”

“We have berries. Would that work?”

Elesa nodded, already stepping out of the room. “I’ll get some water ---- ----------. You make him eat.”

Emmet headed back down the hall and joined his brother on the bed. The mattress was extremely soft. Too soft. Too different from the ones in their bunks.

Ingo’s eyes were squeezed shut as he breathed evenly against Chandelure’s glass. True to Emmet’s suspicions, it looked like it was turning out to be another migraine. This would be the third one in the span of a week.

He really hoped that this would help, even a little bit.

He put his hand on Ingo’s shoulder and gently nudged him. “Elesa has some medicine for you to take.”

Ingo’s face immediately screwed up in revulsion. “No.” He mumbled, holding Chandelure a little closer to his chest.

“Yes.” Emmet chuckled as Chandelure trilled low. “I think you should try it, but you need to eat something first.”

Ingo sat up again with a grumble and pulled out a pouch of dried pechas. Chandelure kept close, at the ready.

Elesa came back in the room, cup in hand, in time to watch Ingo hand berries to his partner. Chandelure lifted the berries into the air with Psychic, and held them over her chimney as she flared her flames.

“-------- food in ghostfire, really?” Elesa said, a little incredulous.

“Tastes good.” Emmet vouched. Ingo hummed in agreement as he accepted the snack from Chandelure and started to eat. Emmet grabbed one before Ingo could move his hand away.

Elesa stared at them both in amusement. “Yeah, you guys are not beating the cryptid -----------.”

“Bug called us fucking mountain cryptids.” Emmet corrected, grinning.

Ingo made a disgruntled noise at the swear, giving Emmet a nudge with his foot.

“Ah, my mistake.” Elesa snickered.

She handed Emmet the water and a small capsule, with instructions on how to take it, and left the room again to let them handle the rest. Ingo swallowed the medicine and laid back on the bed, staring up at Chandelure’s flames as Emmet tucked the new blanket over him. Ingo found his hand and gave it a small squeeze, before his eyes slid close and his breathing slowed with sleep. Emmet held onto his hand and watched him for a little longer before he carefully rose from the bed.

Now, to wait and see if it did anything.

Emmet left the room to find Elesa in the kitchen. Again, he was overwhelmed by how both familiar and unfamiliar everything felt. It had been a long time since he’d come to terms with never returning to Unova, so now being here was… hard.

Elesa waited patiently, leaning against the counter as she watched him with the obvious invitation to explore around. Emmet fidgeted in place before he sat on a stool instead. She asked asked him something, but he didn’t catch it. He shrugged and laced his hands in front of him on the counter.

“Whether or not the medicine works, he should be fine after a couple days, at most.” He said, in lieu of whatever answer she was looking for.

Elesa read the translation and nodded. “If it doesn’t work, we could look at something stronger. He should probably go see a ------, at some -----.” She narrowed his eyes at him. “Both of you ------.”

Wow, he thought only Calaba could stare him down like that. And Ishimi.

Emmet huffed and rolled his eyes, ignoring the sharp stab of grief to his heart. “I am Emmet. You are being bossy. I can tell. I’ve decided that I’m done with trying to understand Galarian today.”

“How can you stop understanding Galarian?”

Emmet chuckled. “Easy. I stop listening. I’ve been doing it a lot, already!”

Elesa drummed her fingers on the countertop before she laughed under her breath. “Bidoofus.”

He didn’t understand the word, but he could understand teasing, fluently. He stared at her before he stuck his tongue out and hid his face behind his arms. After a minute, he stiffened, then raised his head again.

“Don’t tell Dad. About us.” He said slowly in Galarian. “Not ready. Okay?”

Elesa looked uncomfortable about the request, but she nodded. “Okay.”

She looked like she wanted to say something else, but he was finding that he was quickly tapping out for the night. Soft mattress or not, he wanted to be sleeping next to his brother soon, even if it meant forgoing soap for another day. He pushed back the stool to stand.

“Okay. Now done with Galarian. No more words, please. Good night.”

“Nope.” Elesa shook her head as she shouldered her bag and leaned forward. “There’s still ---- ------ you need to know about before I ---- --- --- --- -----.”

Emmet groaned, sitting back down again and forcing himself to hang on for just a little longer.

Chapter Text

Ingo winced as Calaba put a damp cloth to the side of his head to clean the dried poultice out of his hair. He could tell another jar of the stuff was sitting nearby, going off of the smell. Though he didn’t know how many times they’ve done this, the earthy scent was burned into his mind by this point. He kept as still as he could, staring down at Litwick’s flame as she sat in his hands.

Emmet was laying on the floor nearby, watching Tynamo swim through shapes he was making with his fingers. Calaba’s bidoof was lying right up next to him, acting as a buffer for the cold air that still snuck in through the seam of the tent door.

Calaba was wetting the cloth again for another go when the door opened, and an ambipom came inside, followed closely by a woman. She closed the door behind them and Emmet pushed himself up to sit.

It looked like he knew who she was.

“Good morning, Calaba!” The woman greeted, setting down the basket she’d been carrying on her shoulders. She looked to Ingo and chuckled faintly, then looked to his brother. “Good morning, Ingo, Emmet.”

“Good morning.” Emmet mumbled.

Her shoulder length hair was dark brown, almost black, and her sharp, steely gaze gave Ingo the feeling that she wasn’t really the soft and gentle type. She seemed amused about something as she looked back at him.

“Warden Ishimi, ████ ███ you █████ ████ ████ ███ ████████ ██ ████?” Calaba was asking something, not even looking away from Ingo as she finished cleaning his hair. He grimaced as she began to fan the side of his head to help it dry, and he blew his bangs away from his face.

Ishimi grinned and bent down near the bed, resting her arms on her knees as she watched. She said something about a “Lord Sneasler” to Calaba, though he didn’t know who or what that was. At some point during their exchange, she made a motion to him as she spoke, and Ingo looked away from her, his face heating up in embarrassment.

He didn’t know what they were saying, but he hadn’t forgotten yet that she had laughed at him as she came in, just now.

He watched as Ambipom reached into Ishimi’s basket to pull out a couple of leather pouches. The pokemon padded over to Emmet and handed him one, much to his brother’s surprise. Ambipom chittered cheerfully and then came to Ingo’s side, setting the second pouch on his lap next to Litwick.

Ishimi put her chin on her arms as he picked it up and untied it. Some sort of dried berries were inside, but it was the smell of them that tipped him off about what kind they were.

They were his favorite.

He pulled a piece out and looked to Ishimi in question. She grinned.

“Momon.” She said.

Momon. Pecha.

He gave it a lick before he stuck the whole piece in his mouth. The sweet fruit tasted good after smelling poultice for the last while. “Momon.” He repeated.

“Good.” Ishimi nodded her head towards the fruit in Emmet’s hand. “Kurabo.”

Emmet held a berry up so Ingo could see it.

Kurabo. Cheri.

Emmet’s favorite.

Ingo wrinkled his nose as Calaba removed the lid of the jar, and he blew his bangs away from his eyes again. Ishimi chuckled at the healer and motioned to him, as if reaching for his hair, but not touching it.

Calaba spoke bluntly as she gestured to the side of his head that was shaved back, and smeared poultice on her fingers. Ishimi’s tone didn’t lose it’s amused lilt as she argued a point to Calaba, and then grinned as Calaba huffed and dropped her hand.

It seemed like Ishimi had won the debate. Calaba picked up the poultice jar and wrappings and muttered something under her breath as she got out of the way, and Ishimi carefully moved closer.

“Kiru?” She made a motion with her fingers that was akin to the sign for “cut,” then lifted a lock of her own hair. “Kami wo kiru?”

Hair… cut?

Ingo exchanged a glance with Emmet before he nodded slowly.

“██ ███████ ████ you don’t ███ ████████.” Calaba said from the opposite side of the ten, frowning over at Ishimi.

Ishimi just chuckled in response and grabbed a spare blanket from the second bed, throwing it around Ingo’s shoulders. She produced a comb and a pair of scissors from her belt.

“You ███?” She asked Emmet, making the same sign. Emmet nodded, hobbling over to the bed so he could sit closer.

Ishimi started to comb through his hair. Ingo couldn’t quite hold back a whimper as she tugged a little too hard on a knot, and she immediately pulled back.

“Sorry.” She said, starting again.

She was a little more gentle as she continued on his rattata’s nest of hair, snipping away the more difficult knots instead of trying to work them out with the comb. Ingo nibbled on more of his snack as she worked, trying to ignore growing pain in his head. Finally, she got to his bangs and trimmed them back, smiling at him as the falling curtain of hair revealed her face.

“Good morning, Ingo.” She said again.

Ingo stared back at her as Calaba came over to resume her work, his hand curling around the leather pouch.

“Good morning, Ishimi.” He said quietly.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Ingo woke up to a familiar fuzz in his brain that told him he had come out of the worst of a migraine. Chandelure was swaying slowly from above, and Emmet was sitting on the edge of the bed he was laying in, with his back to him.

Everything was quiet, peaceful even. Everything seemed okay.

Emmet must have noticed that he’d woken up, because he turned around to smile at him. “Good morning, Niisan.” He said softly.

Ingo nodded, his gaze turning to the space around them. This didn’t seem like a room from Galaxy hall. The walls were painted a pale blue, and the ceiling was a lot lower, almost claustrophobic in comparison. Morning light was filtering in through thin curtains, and there was no sound of the Construction Corps working outside. Eelektross was flopped on the floor over his brother’s feet, and Yanmega was perched on a corner of the bed frame. Probopass was sitting in front of the door on the opposite side of the room.

“G’morning.” He sat up and rubbed his face with a hand, only pausing slightly as he felt smooth skin against his fingers. Did he finally shave? Sinnoh, it was about time.

“Elesa said that Burgh was going to come over this morning while she’s out.” Emmet started. “He arrived just over twenty minutes ago. Said he’d wait downstairs until we were ready.” He paused and tilted his head. “How are you feeling?”

“M’fine. Still a little fuzzy.” Ingo yawned and pulled out his notebook for a review. “What is the plan for today?”

Emmet’s expression told Ingo that he was relieved about something, but then his smile fell to a wry smirk at the question. “No idea.” He sighed.

Ingo hummed softly as he read. He was going to need a new book soon. He only had a few pages left, and he could only write so small.

He paused as he got to yesterday, his vision blurring.

Oh…

“Are we going to find Dad?” He asked, brushing at the corners of his eyes.

“I don’t know.” Emmet shrugged, turning away to answer to Yanmega's buzzing plea for attention. “Don’t think I’m ready for that, just yet.”

Ingo cleared his throat and stowed his notebook away. He’d probably already cried enough over it. What mattered now was to move forward. Pulling aside the blanket, he scooted across the squishy mattress to sit next to his brother. “That’s all right. There’s probably enough to do in the meantime. You said Elesa’s not here?”

“Yup. She said she had some things to do today. Gym leader stuff, I think.” Emmet put his head on Ingo’s shoulder, and Ingo gently rubbed circles against his back. “Skyla isn’t here either, but this is her house.”

“We used to live in a house, right?” He asked.

“It was a lot bigger than this.” Emmet nodded. “I wonder if Dad still lives there.”

Something stirred in Ingo’s chest at the phrasing of the comment. It wasn’t in past tense. Not anymore.

“We may be able to find that out soon.” He said.

“Yup.” Emmet sighed shakily and stood from the bed. “Anyways, the sooner we talk to Burgh, the sooner we can figure out what to do. Ready?”

Ingo nodded and stood up after him, taking his hat and putting it on his head as Probopass returned to their ball to unblock the door. “Time to depart.”

———

“Miss Elesa! A minute of your time, please!”

Elesa managed to avoid the reporter’s eye contact as she strode onwards. “Sorry, I’m in a hurry this morning! Can’t afford to be slaking around!”

She heard the cameraman groan softly behind her as a guard let her past the security gate. The reporter was undeterred as she shouted after her.

“People are wondering about you and gym leader Skyla! Are the rumors that the two of you are now a couple true?”

Elesa kept walking away as the security guard held his ground and took a sip of her coffee. She and Skyla should probably start talking about going public at some point, just to get it over with. It might have been done sooner, if she hadn’t been so preoccupied with other things.

She walked through the back area of the PWT arena towards what she hoped was Clay’s office. It had been a while since she was last here, so seeing it completely finished was wild. All that was left were some finishing touches, inside and out, but Clay was still on track to open in a month’s time.

She couldn’t wait. All of Unova’s gym leaders were in on the opening exhibition, along with several other leaders from other regions, and some slots were open to skilled trainers who’d compete for a chance to battle against the best. It was all to be done in the spirit of bragging rights, and for charity.

Her Xtrans buzzed as she walked, and Elesa lifted her wrist to see a notification from Skyla, to say she had just finished her flight. She swallowed as she watched the three dots at the bottom appear, showing that Skyla was typing again.

In case she hadn’t been available for a call, Elesa had decided to leave a text to Skyla, giving her a rundown on the events that led up to Ingo and Emmet now taking up her guest bedroom.

Skyla was still typing when she arrived at Clay’s office door. A quick knock told her that he wasn’t in yet, so she leaned up against the wall to watch her screen, and wait. Zeb came up closer to her, resting his head against her side to comfort her.

A minute passed, then two. Finally, a surprisingly (and worryingly) short text popped up.

Skyla: Can you call?

Elesa’s stomach dropped, even more so when she heard Clay running down the hall towards her.

“Sorry ‘bout the delay!” Clay apologized. “Runnin’ a lil’ late this mornin’.”

“Don’t even be sorry.” Elesa started to type up a response. “You’re only a few minutes late. Hang on a sec.”

Elesa: Meeting with Clay rn. 20 mins?

“Mrrrmph, not as bad as I thought, then. Sometimes I’ve been worse.” Clay held a keycard up against the reader on the wall and opened the door. “Come on in.”

Elesa stepped inside the plain office as Skyla sent her a thumbs up emoji. The room still smelled a little of fresh paint, and the desk and chair looked brand new. The wall of windows on the opposite side of the room offered a beautiful view of the harbor. A framed promotional poster for the opening exhibition was only one thing that hung on the wall.

“So, how’s everythin’ been for you?” Clay started, setting his hat on a hook next to the door. Excadrill moved past him and disappeared under a covered part of the desk. She could see the corner of a pokebed just behind the small curtain.

“Busy, in more ways than one.” She admitted, pulling out her computer and setting her papers next to it. She tried to ignore the dread and panic in her gut. “Haven’t had a chance to decorate, yet?”

“I don’t know how fancy I’ll get with this place, since the main office is at the gym.” Clay admitted. “This one is more for formalities, and convenience.”

She sat in a chair and pushed the papers towards his side of the desktop. “Thank you again for your help with this.”

He sat back in his own chair and pulled the papers closer. “We’ll get you all set up before you leave the room. In a hurry?”

“Yeah, just-” She sighed shakily. “Need to talk to Skyla about something right after this.”

Clay gave her a concerned look. “Everythin’ okay?”

Elesa’s smile felt strained. No, everything was not okay, in fact. She was currently harboring Drayden’s long lost sons in her girlfriend’s house, without her permission, and per Emmet’s request, she wasn’t supposed to say anything to Drayden yet. In her mind, Clay counted as an extension of that. There was no way the man would keep this particular situation a secret from his friend.

“Just… had a run-in with a reporter as I was coming in.” She said. “About me and her. We need to talk about it.”

“Are you okay?” Clay leaned forward. “Did they do anythin’ to you?”

“No! No, I’m fine.” She waved him off, though the concern was sweet. “You know me. I can handle it. She can handle it, too! This is just… new, for both of us.”

Clay nodded slowly. She could see the gears in his mind turning. “Well, no media will hear ‘bout anythin’ from me. You have my word.”

“I appreciate it.” She tapped her fingers on the desk and woke her computer up again. “I told her I’d call in twenty minutes. Would that be enough time?”

He blinked and straightened, taking a look at the papers she’d brought. “Well, so long as you brought everythin’, we should be set.” He huffed. “Let’s get started.”

As was customary for Clay, they went over by about ten minutes, but hopefully Skyla would understand, given the context. Elesa tried not to look too eager to leave the office, but she did thank her long legs the ability to cross distances at a faster pace, even when speed walking.

She pulled up her Xtrans once she found a quiet corner and called Skyla’s number. It rang a few times before her photo turned up on the screen.

“No video?” Elesa chuckled weakly, her heart sinking.

“Sorry.” Skyla’s voice was staticky, but she didn’t sound angry, so far. “Reception is really bad here, for some reason, and I wanted to make sure the call didn’t drop.”

Elesa frowned as she turned off her own video. “Okay.”

“Are you okay?” Skyla said. “I saw your worried face before you switched it off.”

Elesa took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, Sky. About this whole thing.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Elesa.”

“I’m…” She swallowed. “Worried, that you’re mad. Are you mad?”

“No, I’m not- hang on.” Elesa heard some shuffling. “Someone vacated a comfy seat in the corner and now it’s mine.”

Elesa waited as Skyla sighed slowly, probably easing back into the comfortable seat.

“I’m not mad. I’m… slightly worried, given the situation. This is an electrode set to Explode at any moment, if we’re not careful.”

“Oh, I know.” Elesa felt herself relax slightly. “So, you’re okay with them staying at your place?”

“As long as someone’s there keeping an eye on them, I’m okay with it.” Skyla said.

“Burgh’s there right now. I’ll trade off with him later today.”

“Okay, good. Once I’m back in town I’ll be able to help, too, since I’m not leaving the region again for a while.” She took a breath. “Hopefully by the time the summer rush starts next week, I can trust them enough to be alone in my house.”

“Hopefully.” Elesa paused. “You’re really not mad.”

Skyla made an affirmative note. “I’m not mad. I’m glad that you understand why I could be, but I feel bad that this was never an option we had considered when we were planning out everything.”

“I’ll be sure to check with you in the future.”

“I know you will.” She laughed softly. “Hopefully something like this doesn’t happen a second time, though. Geez, this is crazy stuff you only really hear about in Sinnoh.”

“Well, they are technically from Sinnoh,” Elesa smirked, “kind of.”

The rest of her anxiety melted away when Skyla laughed again. “Yeah, technically.”

Elesa leaned up against the wall, petting Zeb’s staticky mane with a sigh.

“Anyways, you submitted the request?” Skyla changed the subject, her tone rising in excitement. “Congrats!”

“Yeah,” The flood of excitement that had been stopped by her panic finally welled over, and she brushed at her eyes with a shaky laugh. “Yeah, I did it. Cross your fingers that it goes through.”

“I don’t need to, since I know that you’ll get it.” Elesa could hear the grin in her voice. “It’s a great idea, and very you.”

“Thanks. Now to work on the rest of my plan, around gym hours, and… this.” She gestured vaguely with her hand. “The twin thing.”

“Says the person who was working on her bachelor’s while she opened her gym at the same time.”

“That was nearly ten years ago, now.” Elesa laughed. “I was able to be in denial about my own exhaustion more easily.”

“I think my point still stands.” Skyla said. “I believe in you.”

Elesa smiled warmly. “Thanks… You probably need to get some sleep before your next flight, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do.” Skyla sighed. “Flying to Paldea from here won’t be as bad, but it’s the flight back home that will be longer.”

“It means I’ll get to see you again, though.”

“Yessss, I can’t wait. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.” Elesa blew a kiss to her Xtrans. “I’ll see you again before you know it.”

She felt a lot better now than she had been since last night. 

———

“So, you’re ██████ wardens.” Burgh started.

“██████…?” Emmet thought on the word for a moment. “Yuumei?”

“We’re famous?” Ingo raised his brows, surprised. It looked like Emmet was, too.

“Yeah, ████ of.” Burgh shrugged. He didn’t elaborate as he continued, “And you’re the sons of a gym leader.”

Ingo decided not to get too hung up on the famous comment, and instead pursued the other track. “Do you know him? Since you’re also a gym leader?”

“I don’t know him well. I know his d-” his voice caught in his teeth, “-his dear friend Clay, a lot better.”

He huffed softly and looked between the two of them. “Clay was also a gym leader, back then. Maybe you ████████ him? He and your dad have been friends for a long time.”

“I am Emmet. We were ten when we derailed.” Emmet said shortly, shoving his spoon back into the pot to stir the porridge around. “I did not care about Dad’s friends at that age. So, no, we do not remember.”

Ingo glanced at his brother’s back with a frown. Chandelure whistled softly, also catching onto his attitude.

Burgh tried not to wince at how Emmet was treating the cookware, but remained at his spot a few feet away as he supervised the use of the stove. “He’s nice. Kind of █████ ██████ all the time, what with all his ███████, but he’s a good guy. You might like him.”

“I’d be interested to meet him at some point.” Ingo hummed.

Emmet turned to Ingo, pot in hand, and set it on the counter. “Where are the bowls?” He asked.

Burgh lurched forward and slid a fabric square closer to his brother. “███████! That needs a ███ ███ under it, so it doesn’t ████ the ███████!”

Instead of using words, Emmet hissed at Burgh, making him jump back several feet.

“Emmet.” Ingo raised his voice, frowning at him. “He’s just trying to help.”

Emmet rolled his eyes as he set the pot on the square and scooped the porridge into bowls that Burgh produced from the cabinets. Ingo pulled one of them close as he watched the man reach over to flip a dial on the stove, turning the flame off.

“Apologies, Burgh.” Ingo said. “We usually start our day off with an idea of what we’re going to do, so we were already off to a bad start.”

Emmet grumbled under his breath as he dropped into the seat next to him.

Burgh, understandably, was still wary. “It’s… okay, I guess? Just █████████ me.”

“As wardens to Lady Sneasler, we’ve assisted with watching dozens of sneasel litters over the years.” Ingo explained. “Along with poison resistance, there were… other traits that were picked up on.”

Emmet narrowed his eyes and made a face at him around a mouthful of porridge. He signed at him sharply. Like you haven’t done it, either.

The corners of Ingo’s mouth twitched into the smallest smile.

“Poison type sneasels?” Burgh asked. “Never heard of that before.”

They are a different typing here. Emmet signed. Ice, and Dark.

“Oh, really?” Ingo put a hand to his chin. “That sounds familiar.”

Akari showed us one she caught in a distortion a while back. He tapped his spoon against Ingo’s bowl impatiently. Don’t get distracted. Eat, before it gets cold.

Ingo stared down at his breakfast and pulled out a pouch of berries from his belt. Setting it between them, he started in on his porridge.

It wasn’t great. Burgh had offered to make them something, but Emmet dug in his heels about cooking, and this was the best he could scrounge up. Being fresh off a migraine, however, Ingo was currently hungry enough that he could eat anything put in front of him. He still finished quickly so he didn’t have to think too much about the taste, chasing it down with a handful of oran berries. Emmet was done just as fast, rising from his seat as he stacked their bowls.

“Need to bathe.” He said tersely. “Can’t stand it anymore. Want soap.”

“Yes, I’m in agreement.” Ingo looked to Burgh, who was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. “Is there somewhere we can go to clean up?”

Burgh raised his arm to read the translation, then jerked his thumb towards the stairs. “There’s a ████████ you can use. Want me to show you how to use the ██████?”

Ingo looked to his brother, who after a pause, nodded.

Emmet brought a bag with him into the bathroom as Burgh showed them how to use the “shower.” Ingo watched in fascination as he pulled back a glass door and fiddled with the knobs on the wall. A steady stream of water erupted from the spout near the ceiling, falling like rain to the tile below.

“███ water, ████ water.” Burgh explained, pointing to each knob.

Emmet nodded to show he understood, reaching into the bag. He pulled out a bar of soap, some fuzzy lengths of cloth, a comb, and a pair of scissors.

“Each bathroom has its own ██████, so you’ll have to ████ with it to get the ███████████ you want.” Burgh continued, closing the glass door and letting the water run. “I’ll wait downstairs. Just ████ if you need me.”

“Thank you.” Ingo nodded.

Burgh paused on his way out of the room. “Oh, you’re… showering ████████?” He asked.

“Yes.” Emmet answered curtly.

Burgh glanced to the side and pulled the one window in the bathroom open. “…I guess that was ██████, back then?”

Emmet just stared at him as he pulled off his socks and tossed them into a corner. Burgh backed the rest of the way out of the room, his nose wrinkling.

Ingo hated how they currently smelled, too.

“I guess we should see about ███████ the two of you some ██████ ███████.” Burgh mumbled, reaching for the doorknob. “Let me know if you need any ████.”

Burgh closed the door and Emmet huffed, taking off his belt and hanging it on a hook on the wall.

He is not sharing everything with us. He signed angrily, once he heard the man’s steps fade down the stairs. Did you notice how he had changed tracks mid-sentence?

“I did.” Ingo glanced out the window to find what looked to be claw marks from Garchomp marring the ground below. “Perhaps he is trying to pace the amount of information we receive, to make it easier on us.”

We are not children. Emmet huffed again. We can handle it.

Ingo turned to face him fully, frowning. “Can you, right now?”

He raised his hand to Emmet’s shoulder, placing it near the base of his neck and pressing his pointer and middle fingers down on tight muscle. As expected, Emmet flinched before he forced himself to relax under Ingo’s grip, breathing in sharply through his nose.

“You are carrying too much.” Ingo said. “I feel like you’ve been carrying too much for too long. Let go, even just a little bit.”

Emmet continued to breathe shallowly as he leveled a glare at him. Ingo stared back, unimpressed by the challenge. He waited as several beats passed before Emmet relented, sighing as his gaze fell to the floor.

Fine.

Ingo moved the stool to the middle of the room. “Sit.”

Emmet dressed down to his undershirt and pants as Ingo reached for the comb and scissors. He took one of the large cloths and draped it over his brother’s shoulders, then brushed his hair out.

It had been a while since their hair had been trimmed, going off the length. Ishimi was usually the one to do it, as an excuse to see her at the Pearl settlement. For whatever reason, they hadn’t been able to visit, recently.

At least, it felt like it’d been a long time. He could never be too sure.

Chandelure trilled from a corner of the room, a gentle reminder to not get distracted by the stray track of thought. He took a deep breath and started to cut, honing his sights on the brother in front of him.

Trim first, then to try out the shower.

Sounds echoed strangely in the small space as he worked, but at least they were familiar, comforting sounds. The sounds of scissors on hair, the gentle flicker of Chandelure’s flames, bird pokemon chittering outside.

There was also some sort of distant hum, or rumble, that would sound for a while, before fading away again. Ingo frowned slightly. “I keep hearing that sound. What is it?”

Emmet listened for a moment before he lifted his hands. I think I know what they are, but I can’t remember the sign for them. He said. They are flying things. Machines. They can carry a lot of people at a time.

Ingo moved to Emmet’s sideburns and trimmed up the edges. “Interesting.”

They switched places once Ingo was finished, then left their clothes in a shameful heap in the corner as Emmet checked the shower. Ingo already felt a lot better with his hair back to being short, but he knew he would be even better after some soap.

“We have been bathing, right?” Ingo had to ask, looking down at himself.

Emmet was offended as he looked at him and flicked some water into his face. Yes. In the river, but I could never find soap.

“How could you not find any?”

I forgot that soap can be in bottles, like these. Emmet lifted one such bottle from an indent in the wall.

Ingo stared at it, curious. “Do you want to try it?”

Emmet smirked at him as he grabbed a couple of small cloths from the items he’d pulled from the bag. Sure.

Ingo took the stool and set it in the tiled area the shower was running in. The water was warm, and steam was rising into the air like the hot springs in the icelands. “Would Skyla be mad?”

She has her own bathroom with her own things. I saw it last night. Emmet motioned for him to sit on the stool. You first.

“Why would she need two bathrooms?” Ingo muttered, sitting down.

Emmet made an “I don’t know” sound from behind his back, and took the bottle from the wall. Ingo tentatively leaned forward to stick his head into the stream of water to wet his hair. He stayed like that for more than a few moments, closing his eyes.

“Feels good?”

Ingo hummed, leaning back again. “Very good.”

Emmet chuckled and placed his hands in his hair. The new soap was slimy on his scalp as his brother worked it in, but the unpleasant feeling was short-lived as his eyes drifted close again.

“I think I used too much. It’s verrry… bubbly.” Emmet paused and set one of the cloths on his shoulder. “Here.”

Ingo took the cloth and blindly used it to clean the rest of himself off. Emmet had him put his head back under the stream of water to rinse out his hair.

Sinnoh, he could fall asleep like this. It felt nice.

They switched again for Emmet’s turn. Ingo also ended up using too much of the slimy soap, but it was fun to see his brother’s hair get all foamy. He let Emmet rinse it out as he moved to work on the knots in his shoulders.

Emmet’s breath hitched, as it had earlier, but the steam and hot water had helped to loosen some of the tension in his frame. Ingo hoped letting the water run wasn’t too much of a trouble.

“Our team still needs to eat.” He said.

Emmet tensed up again. “Mistralton is not the kind of place that they can forage and hunt in.” He said. “Have to take them back to Route 6 to do it.”

Ingo pressed his thumbs into Emmet’s back, forcing him to relax. “I will do it, and you can stay here and rest.”

Emmet shook his head. “No, I can come with.”

Ingo frowned, not quite certain where Emmet's anxiety was coming from. He tried to recall what he could about what he had read earlier that morning.

“…Route 6 is where we fell from, isn’t it?” He realized softly.

Emmet didn’t answer, but his body language told Ingo everything he needed to know. He absently rubbed his leg, staring at the tile as water dripped down from his hair.

“Let’s take advantage of the fact that I do not have any emotional ties to the place.” Ingo said. “I will go with whoever needs to go. You really need to rest your engine.”

Emmet shook his head again. “Don’t want you to get into trouble.” He said softly.

“If I was to get into trouble around here, I feel that the mountains would be the last place for it to happen.” Ingo chuckled. “I am a warden of the cliffs. I will be fine, and I won’t be alone.”

He let silence linger for another while as he let Emmet think it over. Eventually, he prompted again, “Can you trust me, and our team?”

Emmet sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging. “I can do that.” He glanced back at him meaningfully from over his shoulder. “I trust you, Niisan.”

Ingo smiled back and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” He glanced to the pile in the corner and sighed sadly. “Now, back into our filthy clothes.”

Emmet groaned, standing to twist the knobs in the wall so the stream of water shut off. “Burgh mentioned something about that. We’ll see if anyone can get us something different to wear, so we can wash them.”

“I’d like that.”

—

Emmet looked between their watches until he was satisfied that both were working properly. “Three hours, maximum.” He said.

Ingo snapped the lid of his shut and tucked it away. “Of course.”

Emmet showed Alakazam his watch face. “Got the time down?”

Alakazam hummed in acknowledgement before she moved to Ingo’s side.

“You have everyone on your end?” Ingo checked.

“I have Magnezone, Probopass, Tangrowth is over there,” he pointed to where their pokemon was soaking in the morning sun in a corner of the yard, “and Dinner Plate, and Eelektross.”

“I’ll make sure we catch enough extra basculin for Eelektross.” Ingo added the note to his itinerary.

“I’d appreciate that.”

With seven pokemon on his person, Ingo stored Chandelure’s pokeball in one of the pouches on his belt. Emmet pulled him into a hug when he was set, and Ingo held him back just as tightly.

“Be safe.”

“I will.” Ingo assured. “Make sure you lay down, at the very least.”

Emmet chuckled into his shoulder. “I think I’ll lay down with Tangrowth. She looks like she’s comfortable right now.”

“You do that.” Ingo squinted a smile. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Emmet gave Ingo one more squeeze before he pulled away, still holding onto his shoulders. Ingo could tell that this was no small thing for Emmet, letting him go this far. He wasn’t sure of the distance between here and Route 6, but he knew it was the longest distance they’d been apart since their arrival in this space.

Emmet patted his shoulders and stepped back, taking a deep breath. Ingo nodded, then turned to bow to Burgh, who was standing near the backdoor.

“Thank you for your assistance, Burgh.” He said. “I will return shortly.”

Burgh gave him a thumbs up. “Skyla just ██████ to say she’s ██████ home in a ██████ days, but we’ll see about getting you two some ███████.”

Emmet nodded.

“Very good. I will be back.” Taking Alakazam’s arm, Ingo watched as the world around him changed between blinks.

He stumbled slightly, taking in the view of a somewhat-familiar valley. Looking down at the itinerary still in his hand, he reviewed his schedule.

“…Right. Three hours.” He checked his watch one more time as Chandelure released herself, along with the rest of their team. “Ready?”

Chandelure spun in place with a chime while the rest of their pokemon growled and buzzed and warbled. Ingo closed his eyes to the breeze that came up through the outlook and smiled serenely, before turning towards the trees.

Chapter Text

As Emmet and Ingo recovered and they slowly picked up on the language spoken in Hisui, Emmet was finding that he preferred spending time with the kids their age, over most of the adults in the settlement. Ironically enough, the only adults he did care about were either the clan leader, Mito, who was busy all the time, or the wardens who didn’t stay in the icelands.

Even more ironic was that the kids they liked the best just so happened to be the ones training as wardens, themselves.

(Not even a few months later, Emmet wouldn’t be too surprised when Ishimi approached them about being her apprentices)

Gaeric, Lord Avalugg’s next warden, was several years older than they were, and basically an adult, according to clan standards. However, he was passionate and outspoken about a lot of things in a way that reminded Emmet of how Ingo was, which was what probably got Emmet’s attention in the first place.

Unfortunately, getting Gaeric’s attention had its downsides.

“Look at this!” Gaeric grinned, standing up from the rock that he had been waiting for them at. “I think this is fastest you’ve made it up, yet!”

Emmet stepped ahead of Ingo for the last stretch and faceplanted at Gaeric’s feet, groaning into the snow. Tynamo trilled in concern, and he could feel his partner nudging his knit hat.

“M’fine.” He mumbled, pushing himself up onto his hands. He was going to hurt again in the morning, even more than usual. Why did they keep getting themselves roped into Gaeric’s crazy workouts? They were even worse than the weird exercise tapes Dad had.

“We…” Ingo wheezed from behind, speaking up for the first time in a while. “We… made it? Where are…?”

Emmet looked over his shoulder to see his brother’s steps stop as he took in their surroundings, as if for the first time. Litwick chirped at him from her spot inside his hood and nudged her waxy nubs against his neck.

Oh no.

“Eyes on me, Ingo.” Gaeric waved a hand for his attention, stepping forward before Emmet had a chance to get to his feet. His snorunt waddled after him. “I’m going to get into your space for a moment. Is that all right?”

Ingo swallowed and took a step back from him before he noticed Emmet just behind. He met his eyes before his gaze turned back to Gaeric, still uncertain. “…Okay.”

Emmet came over as Gaeric turned Ingo around to see the view, keeping a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get an idea of where we are. Do you see the Pearl Clan settlement down there?” He asked.

Ingo squinted in the sunlight and looked down at the valley below. “The pink tents?”

“Yup.” Gaeric held his other arm out and pointed as he spoke. “There’s the hot spring, Lake Acuity is just over the ridge there, and there’s Avalugg’s Legacy. Just past that is Icepeak Arena, where Lord Avalugg lives.”

“Whoa.” Ingo paused, his eyes lighting up in realization. “Wait, we climbed all the way up here from the settlement?”

“Yeah, and you two made it up pretty fast!” Gaeric grinned, letting him go. “You’re getting stronger.”

Ingo continued to look around, sinking down to the snow. “It’s quiet.” He said.

Emmet hummed in agreement, going to sit down next to him.

Gaeric grabbed both twins by the back of their tunics and hauled them to their feet. “Don’t get too comfortable. We still have to get back, and we can’t have either of you cooling off before then. Come on!”

He motioned for them to follow, and Emmet held back another groan as he forced himself to move. Gaeric had been right about one thing: the short break was enough for him to feel all his aches again.

“Doing all right, Emmet?” Gaeric called back to him after a while.

Emmet just nodded, lifting his feet to follow in the tracks of packed snow to make the descent a little easier. He pulled his hood more over his hat to try and shade his eyes from the sun. He been taking up the back of the group for nearly the whole hike, and could tell that Ingo was keeping close, just ahead of him.

Probably more for Emmet’s sake, than his own.

He kept trudging forward with his head down until he accidentally bumped into someone. He stumbled back, nearly falling onto his butt if it weren’t for Gaeric grabbing his arm.

“Sorry.” He panted, getting his feet under him again.

“You’re all right.” Gaeric assured, letting him go. “You want me to carry you back?”

Emmet shook his head as he brushed snow off his pants. “I can do it.”

“I know you can, but would you like some help?”

Emmet paused and glanced up at him. “I’d be in your space.” He said.

Gaeric chuckled. “Well, we’re friends, aren’t we? Haven’t you noticed that we’ve been sharing it a lot, already?”

“I… guess.” Emmet said slowly. Ingo looked to Gaeric as well.

Gaeric smirked at them both. “If I was bothered by it, I would have said something. But I’ve come to like you two since you arrived here, so here we are.” He turned around and bent his knees for Emmet to climb up. “Come on, let’s get going.”

Emmet hesitated before he climbed onto Gaeric’s back. “All aboard.” He muttered under his breath in Galarian.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Emmet mumbled, hiding a little behind Gaeric’s hood as they started off again.“Sorry, about this.”

“What you’re doing is giving me a better workout. Don’t worry about it.” Gaeric laughed and adjusted his grip on his legs, hefting him a little higher up his back.

“GAERIC!”

Gaeric hopped at the outburst and looked to Ingo. “What?”

Ingo looked pleased with himself as he walked alongside them. “That’s your name, right?”

“You’re getting better at remembering it.” He grinned. He puffed up his chest and looked out to the icelands proudly.

“That’s right! My name is Gaeric of the Pearl Clan, the future warden of Lord Avalugg! I’m going to become the strongest person in Hisui, and nothing is going to stop me!”

———

~~~~~~~

———

Emmet wasn’t expecting anything to go smoothly, but as the next week and a half passed, nothing too out of the ordinary occurred as he and Ingo stayed at Skyla’s home in Mistralton. Skyla returned from overseas, and she and the other two gym leaders helped him and Ingo figure out how to use the various devices around her house.

They learned that on top of being gym leaders, the three of them had other professions. Burgh was an artist, Elesa was a clothing model, and Skyla was a pilot for airplanes. Skyla in particular had inherited both her gym and her love for flying from her grandfather, Miles. Again, it was another name that Emmet did not remember, though Miles was apparently someone that their dad knew, back then.

Elesa was the one who showed them a group photo of the gym leaders from the nineties.

For the first time in nineteen years, Emmet saw their dad’s face.

She was showing it to them to see if he recognized anyone else, but he only had eyes for the white-haired man with facial hair that covered his mouth, his arms crossed over his chest. Even after all this time, Emmet could still tell that he was scowling at the camera underneath his beard, probably because he didn’t want to be there.

Ingo, for some reason, seemed to recognize something in the photo. “Is that Lian?” He asked.

“What?” Emmet brushed his eyes and glanced at the person Ingo was pointing to. Sure enough, the stout man with curly sideburns sitting next to their dad looked uncannily like their warden friend, just older. Even his hat was similar.

Emmet stared at the face. “Who is that?”

“Oh, that’s Clay.” Elesa explained, looking up something on her Xtrans. “He’s the Driftveil gym leader. He and your dad are pretty good friends.”

“I know that.” Emmet snapped. “Burgh already mentioned it.”

Ingo gave him a sharp nudge for his tone. Emmet felt an apology shrivel and die in his throat as he clamped his mouth shut in defiance.

“Okay, then.” Elesa sighed, frowning. “Do you want to see a current picture? I have something from --- ---- ------- -----.”

Ingo nodded. Emmet shrugged.

She took off her Xtrans to show them a photo on the screen. It was their dad, and Clay again, at some sort of party.

“He’s old.” Emmet heard himself say.

Ingo took the device for a closer look. “Do you know why Clay looks like Lian?” He asked.

Emmet felt sick as he repeated the same words, yet again. “I don’t know.”

He was finding that there was a lot he didn’t know, or didn’t remember correctly. He’d gone from being the Unova expert between the two of them, to someone who only knew marginally more than Ingo. Still, Ingo let him take the lead in a lot of things, ever certain that his brother already had the answers on hand.

He didn’t. He wished he did. He wanted the ideal that he knew what he was doing, instead of just pretending. Instead, he was walking forward blindly, trying his damnedest not to look back. It led to him getting irritable, the more time wore on. He’d never liked not having a plan, and they were now flying by the seat of their pants, constantly.

He knew Elesa and the others were just trying to help. Emmet was trying his best to keep his poor attitude in check. Fortunately, Ingo was keeping an eye on him, too.

Elesa and Skyla were the ones to help them get new clothes. Emmet and Ingo shed their Pearl tunics for soft sweaters, and pants that were pretty comfortable, and socks and shoes that actually fit their feet right. Emmet hadn’t even realized that he had ever missed sneakers until he was wearing them again. They still wore their hats and haori (after a good wash) over everything, unable to part with the items. Stowing the tunics away had been hard enough, but they decided it was for the best that they didn’t stand out too much.

Though Emmet had been hesitant at first, Ingo’s daily commute to Route 6 ended up becoming a Dragonsend. He could tell Ingo was getting confused in Mistralton as his mind struggled to put Unova and Hisui in the same space. He and Chandelure did their best to keep Ingo in the present, but it was the three hours of time out in the mountains that seemed to help clear his head the best.

It made sense. Ingo loved warden work and being in the mountains, because it was something he could do undeniably well. He didn’t need to think about it too much.

But his confusion was the biggest, newest problem, and Emmet didn’t know what to do about it. It was never an issue in Hisui, because Ingo couldn’t remember anything prior to their arrival. The worst that would happen was whenever he would mix up Irida for her mother, Mito, or when he would ask Palina about the old Lord Arcanine. It didn’t happen often, because Ingo was usually really good at reading a situation for context.

A lot of people in Hisui knew that Ingo had trouble recalling things, but he had been loved by the Pearl Clan, in spite of it.

Emmet wasn’t sure if Unova would love his brother.

Emmet wasn’t sure if their dad would.

He wasn’t sure if Dad would love him if he knew what he’d done.

Sinnoh and Dragons above, why were they here?

It was part of the reason why they never broached the subject of seeing their dad. Emmet was set on avoiding meeting him again until he felt ready, but he was also avoiding feeling ready, too.

Ingo wasn’t amused by it. He was keen to meet the parent that he could only ever remember hearing about. Sinnoh, he befriended Garchomp as a gabite because he wanted to do something that would make their dad proud, years before Jubilife arrived with the pokeball recipe.

Emmet wanted to give Ingo the chance to meet him, but he just. wasn’t. ready.

He wasn’t sure what ready felt like, at this point.

Fortunately for Emmet, school was apparently now out for the summer, and with it came young trainers coming out of the woodwork to challenge the gyms for their badges. This meant that the gym leaders were busy, including their dad, so it was an excuse to avoid the matter for a little longer.

There was a wistful pang in his heart as he watched kids line up outside of Skyla’s gym. He remembered being so excited for their journey. Dad let them catch their starters at ten, but it would have been another few years before he’d let them go roam the region. Ingo and Emmet had been upset about it back then, even though Unovans tended to journey a little later, but Emmet could understand now why Dad hadn’t let them go so young. Ten year olds could be rather dumb when the mood struck them.

“Wait, so, you never got any badges?” Burgh had been nearly distraught on their behalf when he found out.

“Nope!” Emmet answered. “We became wardens at thirteen, instead of going on a pokemon journey.”

It was one of the better days for Emmet, mood-wise. Burgh was hanging out with them in the backyard while they performed maintenance on some of their team. Garchomp was curled up around Tangrowth on one side of the yard, the two of them basking in the sun. Yanmega buzzed in place overhead, chatting with Burgh’s leavanny.

As the youngest on their team by a large margin, Samurott was currently demanding all of Emmet’s attention, while Eelektross sulked nearby.

“Your own dad never even gave you his?” Burgh asked.

“Nope.” Emmet smirked at him as he rubbed his hands along both sides of Samurott’s head. “Eelektross and Chandelure were only Tynamo and Litwick, back then. There was no way we would have won against him.”

“Well, team levels are -------- --------- to how many badges a challenger has, so it wouldn’t have been as unfair as you think.” Burgh paused. “Though, Drayden is pretty damn strong, ----------.”

Ingo raised his head from polishing Magnezone. “He is a dragon type specialist, correct?”

“Yeah.” Burgh nodded.

“Gym leaders tend to specialize in types, don’t they?”

Emmet hands stilled as he eyed Burgh warily. This was not the first time Ingo had asked him something like this.

Sinnoh, if Burgh was going to make him guess, Emmet was going to punch him.

“We do!” He answered. “My specialty is bug types.”

Ingo’s gaze moved to Leavanny, his brows furrowing. “Wait,” His expression cleared in realization. “You are a bug specialist, and an artist.”

“That’s right.” Burgh glanced at Emmet with a cautious smile.

Emmet, meanwhile, felt himself relax again. Samurott rumbled happily when he resumed scratching him down his neck. Eelektross narrowed his eyes at them both.

“Would either of you go on a journey, if you had the chance?” Burgh asked.

Emmet and Ingo glanced at each other. “Is that something we could do, at our age?” Ingo asked.

“The only age ----- in Unova is that the trainer has to be at least ten years old.” Burgh explained. “There’s no -------. Most of the trainers you see just happen to be kids, especially during this time of year.”

Emmet hesitated. Would he go on a journey, if given the opportunity? He hadn’t put much thought into the future, past eventually seeing their dad again.

“I think it would be fun.” Ingo answered. “We could see more of Unova.”

“We could.” Emmet said, shrugging. He gave Samurott a pat and pushed him away. “Okay, you big baby, get off. Need to stand.”

Samurott whined dramatically and rolled off his lap like a spheal. Burgh chuckled as Emmet brushed blue fur off his jeans. “What is that pokemon’s typing, anyway? I’ve never seen a samurott look like that.”

“Water, dark.” Emmet said, stretching out his legs. “A researcher brought him as an oshawott from Unova, to see how he’d adapt in Hisui. Some pokemon evolve differently in a different environment.”

“Like your starters?”

Emmet paused and looked to Eelektross. “Yes, but he is still just an electric type.”

“And Chandelure is still ghost and fire.” Ingo added.

“I thought he was a shiny -------, at first.”

“Nope! Just has a lot more spots. Probably a little lighter in color.” Emmet put his hands on his hips and carefully leaned back. “Professor Laventon believed it was so he could camouflage better in the highlands.”

“Professor Laventon?” Burgh froze as he read the translation.

Ingo flipped through his notebook for something. “Chandelure looks sort of like the lanterns in Hisui, though she still resembles glass and metal. I believe the professor said others tend to look more like the ornamental light fixtures found in Galar.”

Chandelure flared her flames in a huff.

“Yes, dear.” The corners of Ingo’s mouth turned in a fond smile as he put his hand against her side. “You the most beautiful thing here, regardless of what anyone else says.”

Burgh still looked to be registering something. “Holy shit, you two knew the -------- of the pokeball. The father of the modern pokedex.” He gestured to the pokeballs on Emmet’s belt. “That’s his ------?!”

“Language.” Ingo said automatically, still reviewing his notes.

Emmet smirked at Burgh, taking Samurott’s empty pokeball and tossing it to him. Burgh fumbled with it a little before he started looking it over in avid interest.

“We did not know him well, but we had some friends that worked with him.” Emmet said.

“He is… an interesting person.” Ingo said, stowing his notebook away and picking up his rag to resume polishing Magnezone.

Emmet glanced to Burgh again, but he seemed too preoccupied with the pokeball to notice Ingo’s tense usage.

“You two are absolute -------.” He said, playing with the latch on the front. “Next you’re going to tell me that you’ve saved the world, -- ---------.”

Emmet snorted, sitting back down again as Eelektross curled around him possessively and glared over at Samurott. “No, that wasn’t us.”

———

“Wait, we’re in Unova.” Ingo realized.

Skyla gave Ingo a nod as she handed him a dish to dry. “Yeah! You’re in Mistralton City.”

He looked to where his brother was sitting at the counter. “Trains are here, right?”

Emmet blinked, then slowly began to grin. “Yup, they should be.” He paused and turned to Skyla in concern. “They are still here, right?”

“What, trains? Don’t worry, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” Skyla looked between them. “You two like them?”

“Ingo and I both do, but they were not in Hisui.”

“I should have guessed you liked them, going off of the Galarian you two █████ into your Kanjoh.”

“There were some words that we could never figure out the Kanjoh meaning for. Train words.” Emmet explained. “We wanted to keep them, even if people thought it was strange.”

Ingo nodded, rubbing his cloth on the plate until it was dry. He set it aside. “I would like to see one, someday.”

“Well, they can be hard to miss if you █████ around long enough.” Skyla laughed. “I’m surprised you haven’t seen any yet.”

Emmet shrugged, staring down at the counter.

Skyla handed Ingo another rinsed dish and hummed in thought. “Would you like to see one tonight?” She asked.

Both Ingo and Emmet looked to her so urgently that she burst into laughter when she realized it. “There’s a station in town that the blue line runs through.” She said, checking the time. “We might have to wait a few minutes once we get there, but you’ll be able to see one pass through.”

They didn’t need to be asked twice.

Ingo didn’t know what to do with himself as they stood at the platform and waited for the train to arrive. He kept looking around the quiet station, his gaze flitting from the tracks, to the signs with words of light dancing through them, to the ticket kiosk off to the side. Emmet actually looked excited about something, for once, as he explained what he could remember to him and Skyla. Ingo felt it had been a long time since he’d last seen a genuine smile on his brother’s face. He loved seeing it again.

“I’m ████████ you haven’t heard about the Battle Subway, have you?” Skyla asked.

“We haven’t.” Emmet confirmed. He and Ingo both looked over at her. “What is it?”

Skyla was thoroughly amusement by their interest. “It’s Unova’s battle ████████, built into the subway. It opened up about… ten years ago, I think?” She grinned at them. “You battle on the trains.”

Emmet blinked. “What.”

“How do you get there?” Ingo asked.

Skyla snickered. “You’d have to go to ████ Station in Nimbasa to do that. That’s where Elesa’s gym is, too.”

“Nimbasa is verrry big. And noisy.” Emmet noted.

Ingo frowned in spite of it. “But Emmet, the Battle Subway.”

Emmet sighed sadly. “I know.”

Skyla laughed as something came around the bend on the tracks. Ingo stepped forward for a closer look until Chandelure took hold of one of his arms, and Emmet grabbed his collar.

“Yellow line.” Emmet reminded him.

Ingo looked down at the painted platform and blinked. So that’s what that meant!

He stepped back again next to his brother. Emmet was watching down the tracks as well, shaking out one of his hands as he beamed.

It had all the noise and ferocity of an alpha steelix, and came barreling in like one. Ingo jumped back as the thing screamed, coming to a stop at the platform with perfect precision. Emmet startled as well, but he seemed to expect it better than he had.

Several doors on the side slid open and a few passengers came out, with more going in to replace them. Ingo could see hard chairs inside, along with metal poles and straps hanging from them that people would take a hold of.

He hardly had time to take in the pictures on the interior walls before the doors slid close again and it started to move forward. He watched as it picked up speed at an incredible rate, and continued to watch until it disappeared around another corner.

It was loud, and noisy, and screechy.

But that was a train. A real train.

Ingo couldn’t keep his excitement in any longer.

“BRAVO! SUPER BRAVO!” He shouted.

Chandelure screeched along with him, the pair of them turning several heads and making Skyla put her hands over her ears. She grinned and motioned for them to leave, and Ingo had to drag Emmet off the platform as he felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

“When is the next one?” His brother asked, still craning his neck to look. “Can we wait to see it?”

“This late? No. It’ll be almost an hour before the next one.” Skyla said.

“Apologies for my outburst.” Ingo said.

“No, it’s okay! You were ███████!” She smiled at him. “I didn’t ███████ how loud you could get.”

“Oh, that’s not even the loudest he can be.” Emmet grinned proudly. “Ingo can be verrry loud when he wants to.”

Ingo pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes. “It is inadvisable to make a lot of noise in the highlands, but I feel that my volume has helped in certain situations.”

“It has.” Emmet nodded. “I love my loud brother.”

“Mm,” Ingo hummed, then looked to Skyla. “Thank you for taking us to see the train.”

“Yeah!” Skyla said. “They’re real █████ ████████ to get around the region with, but I ██████████ think that planes are better.”

“No, trains are better.” Emmet insisted.

“Agreed.” Ingo nodded, a smile growing on his face again.

Skyla laughed softly. “Whatever you say, dudes.”

———

Emmet hid his eyes under the brim of his hat from the florescent lights as they entered the store. “I am Emmet. Why am I here again?” He grumbled.

“Because we’re getting tired of you not liking the groceries we bring.” Elesa gave him a look from over her shoulder. “I get that you’re nervous about eating here, but Dragons, you two need to get some more food in you.”

Emmet’s thin smile twitched. “You are being bossy again.”

“And I will continue to be bossy, dammit.” She gave him a light shove. “You still haven’t said anything about us taking you two to a doctor, either.”

Emmet flinched at the physical contact and rubbed his arm.

“Shit, sorry about that.” Elesa winced at herself. She’d forgotten about the Pearl space thing.

“It’s… okay.” Emmet thought on it for a moment, then said quietly. “You are a friend.”

The twins had explained to the three of them a little about the culture they’d grown up in. The Pearl Clan was all about space. Appreciating it, valuing it, respecting your own, and other’s personal space. The act of bringing them into Skyla’s home to stay was a bigger deal to the twins than any of them had realized. The act of touching them at all, outside of necessity, was another big deal.

As wardens in the Hisuian mountains, they had to be able to sacrifice their own personal space for the sake of helping travelers, so it explained why Ingo wasn’t hesitant about helping Elesa that night. Any casual contact, however, was a sure way to make them uncomfortable. Touch was considered intimate, and a sign of trust, saved for those considered close to them.

The fact that Emmet called her a friend in this context was no small thing.

Elesa was pulled from her thoughts when Skyla poked her side to get her attention. “Quick trip, remember? Come on.”

Skyla grabbed a basket and hurriedly handed one to Emmet before taking one, herself. Emmet looked lost as he followed behind them through the isles, much closer than he was probably comfortable with. Elesa felt bad about dragging him along, but Skyla had mentioned how both of them weren’t really eating. Ingo would return from his foraging on Route 6 with berries and a couple of freshly-caught basculin, and it would be the biggest (and sometimes only) meal they’d have for the day. What was stocked in the kitchen for them was left mostly untouched.

They didn’t seem to be getting a lot of rest, either, even after they switched to sleeping on the floor. She learned from Ingo that Chandelure or Alakazam would help get them to sleep in a timely manner, but she doubted that their rest was truly restful.

They were stressed out, and to top it all off, Emmet refused to talk about Drayden, and was getting crankier about it. Which meant that Ingo didn’t talk about him. Which meant that everything had been at a standstill for almost two weeks. They still hadn’t even figured out how to tell them about Iris.

She didn’t know how long they could sustain this, at this rate, as much as she could understand the hesitation. It was stressing her, Skyla, and Burgh out, too. Between this, their gyms, and the rising reports of pokemon thefts, they all had a lot on their plates.

Something had to give, eventually.

Which led them here, to their last-minute decision to bring Emmet along to the store, while Ingo was sleeping off yet another migraine.

Skyla led them to the produce section and gestured to the displays, trying not to show how exasperated she was feeling. “Okay, so, what looks good here for you guys?”

Emmet’s eyes widened at the overflowing piles of fruits and vegetables. “…I don’t know.” He said, his knuckles going white around his basket handle.

Elesa carefully took him by the elbow and turned him to face the greens. He didn’t even flinch, this time. “Smaller chunks, got it.” Skyla said. “What did you guys like to make in Hisui? Let’s start there.”

“I…” Emmet tried to take in a breath as he looked at the lettuce varieties in dismay. “I don’t know. I don’t—”

His tone was even more flat than normal, and his face was paling.

Elesa and Skyla exchanged an urgent glance behind his back.

“Okay,” Elesa reached over and had to pry the basket handle out of his fist. The man was a lot stronger than his skinny frame led her to believe. “Let’s get you out of here. Come on.”

She handed Skyla the basket and led Emmet out of the store with her hand on his back. Eelektross’s pokeball shook on his belt as she guided them off to the side of the building, and he released himself to hug his partner tightly.

Emmet sunk to the ground with a shaky breath. Elesa sunk down with him.

“Hey, just breathe.” She said. “Deep breaths.”

Emmet nodded, inhaling and exhaling as he hugged Eelektross back.

Elesa released Zebstrika and rubbed his snout with her free hand. “Keep watch for us, buddy.”

Zeb snorted softly and moved to watch the crowd pass by the front of the store.

Several minutes passed in relative quiet as she listened for Emmet’s breathing to even out again. She kept her hand on his shoulder, slowly moving her thumb back and forth. He didn’t try to pull away when he finally raised his head.

“I’m so sorry.” She said softly. “We shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”

Emmet dragged a hand down his face, sighing. “I thought I could do it.” He said. “It was… a lot, in there.”

He pointed to the Xtrans on her wrist, and she pulled up the translation app as he continued in Kanjoh. “Everything is a lot, right now. I am sorry, that this is difficult for you.” He looked down at the ground in front of him. “I know it is me that is being difficult.”

“I won’t lie, you have been a bit of an ass.” Elesa smirked.

Emmet chuckled weakly and put a hand over his eyes, taking in another shaky breath. He let his hand drop and leaned against the brick wall, tilting his head back.

“…Elesa, I am so scared.” He admitted quietly. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Skyla ducked her head around the corner, and Elesa made a motion to give them some privacy. She nodded, giving Zeb a pet before she disappeared to the front of the store. Emmet watched her as she went.

“Well, two things stick out to me, to start with.” Elesa started, pulling her hand away. “Will you hear me out?”

Emmet huffed softly, before he gave her the smallest nod.

“One, both of you need to see a doctor.”

He grimaced at the idea. “I am fine.”

“I think you’ve been telling yourself that, for a long time.” She said sadly. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you tend to favor your leg, sometimes.”

He slowly moved his hands along Eelektross’s side. “I’ve learned to manage.” He said. “It’s nothing.”

Elesa frowned, but didn’t argue with him about it. Honestly—and unfortunately—it would make sense for Emmet to push aside his own pain to help with Ingo. A limp probably seemed minuscule to him in the face of what his brother dealt with, especially in a place like Hisui.

“Two, I think it’s time we reach out to your dad.” She said, then continued before he could say anything. “If anyone would have the best resources to help you, it would be him.”

Emmet was tensed up again, and Eelektross curled around him more securely in response. Elesa waited for him to say something, watching the war on his face as his expression changed from irritation, to defiance, to fear. Eventually, he reached for the brim of his hat and bowed his head, his eyes watering.

“Emmet,” Elesa couldn’t sit to the side and watch any longer. She held out her hand to him. “Can I hug you? Do you want a hug?”

He stared at her hand for a moment before he took it. She lifted them both to their feet and pulled him into her arms as Eelektross moved out of the way. She didn’t hold him so tightly that he couldn’t escape from it.

“You and Ingo are not alone here.” She said softly. “We want to help you. I know there are others who would help, too, if they knew.”

Emmet was hesitant in the embrace, his hands hovering over her before he gently placed them against her back.

“You can’t know that.” He said.

“Well, I do.” She gave him a small squeeze. “Trust me, okay?”

Emmet fidgeted and pulled out of the hug, swiping at his eyes. “I can try.” He sighed. He raised his head and gave her a shaky smile. “Thank you.”

Elesa smiled back and gave him a small pat on the shoulder. “Of course. I’ve come to like you, you bidoofus. You can’t get rid of me that easily, now.”

Emmet mouthed “bidoofus” before his eyes widened in realization. “Oh, right, bippa is- Oh. No.” He groaned and put his head in his hands. “Dragons, I understand what it is you are saying, now. No, terrible. Terrible Elesa.”

Elesa laughed. “What? Not a fan?”

Emmet shook his head sharply. “It’s awful.”

“Well, you better get used to it, because there’s a lot more where that came from.” She grinned, stepping towards the front of the store. “Come on.”

Emmet dried his face as he followed, Eelektross keeping close to him as they returned to the store front. Now that she was paying attention to anything outside of the alley, it seemed like there was some sort of commotion happening.

Skyla was there, grocery bags in hand and talking with an officer. Swanna was out of her pokeball, her feathers puffed out in agitation.

“What happened?” Elesa glanced behind to check that Emmet was still with her. “What’s going on?”

Skyla looked to Elesa worriedly. “Someone reported Plasma grunts on the outskirts of town. A couple of trainers had their pokemon stolen.”

“Plasma?” Emmet repeated under his breath.

“Gym leader Elesa,” The officer greeted, her gaze flicking to Emmet in silent question. She continued, “I was just asking gym leader Skyla here if any of you have seen anything today, leading up to the events.”

“No, I haven’t seen anything. Neither of us had.” Elesa said as Emmet shook his head. “Are the trainers okay? Their pokemon?”

The officer nodded. “Fortunately, someone arrived on the scene in time to apprehend the culprits and retrieve the stolen pokemon. We have the grunts in custody.”

“Oh, thank the Dragons.” Elesa breathed a sigh of relief. “Who was it that found them?”

The officer gave a small chuckle. “Would you believe me if I said it was the Champion, herself? She happened to be passing through, for some reason.”

Elesa and Skyla’s eyes widened, and Elesa felt her stomach drop to her feet.

“The Champion?” Emmet repeated, his expression lighting up in interest. “The Unova Champion?”

Elesa looked down the street towards where the other officers were congregating. Sure enough, she could see black pigtails bouncing up from behind taller people. Even at sixteen, she was still fairly short.

“Is that her?” Emmet asked, noticing the direction she and Skyla were looking at.

“Eeyup.” Skyla said, popping the P at the end.

The officers parted to let Iris through. She was dressed down today, in a loose shirt and jeans instead of the flouncy outfit she wore at the League challenge. Elesa swallowed and willed that they wouldn’t be spotted.

Unfortunately, Zekrom had other plans.

“Skyla! Elesa! Hi!” Iris waved and jogged over, grinning at the pair of them. Elesa stepped a little in front of Emmet to block her view, but she could see the girl’s gaze flick to him as he peeked over her shoulder. “Long time, no see!”

“Iris, hi!” Elesa greeted, trying her best to sound normal. “What the heck brings you all the way out here?”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t a party, per say, but it was an excuse for the gym leaders to let loose a bit. Unfortunately, Skyla was on a flight to Johto and couldn’t make it, which left Elesa feeling slightly awkward as she stepped through the door of the Striaton Restaurant, alone.

The gathering was Clay and Lenora’s idea, and the triplets quickly offered to host, reserving the restaurant for the night. Elesa knew they still felt guilty about not being able to join them on the Plasma castle raid, and so they were doing what they could to be a support in the aftermath.

It was strange to have nearly all the gym leaders together like this. The twelve of them all had at least one significant connection to another gym leader, be it as family or friends, but there hadn’t been a real union between all of them before. It was probably the one good thing that Plasma had done. They all realized how much had slipped through their fingers because of a lack of communication with each other, and were trying to remedy that for the future.

Elesa was quickly pulled into a conversation with Lenora, her husband Hawes, and Burgh. Small talk quickly cascaded into a discussion about Galarian art periods and how clothing was affected by it. She was surprised at how naturally the conversation flowed, especially with Burgh. She’d known him for years now, but never really had a conversation with him that wasn’t centered around work.

Maybe Clay and Lenora were onto something.

The night wore on, and Elesa could feel herself relaxing outside of her home for the first time in weeks as she chatted with Brycen about his plans to get back into filming, with Clay about an idea he’d just come up with to help the battling scene recover in the region, and with the triplets about their new training strategy. Drayden was the only one she didn’t talk to, as the man kept himself to a corner of the restaraunt, nursing a drink while he exuded all the approachability of a pincurchin.

Clay and Lenora were the only ones who got close, Elesa noticed. She had a feeling that one or both of them were the only reason he was even here.

She eventually made it to Iris, who after a while ended up sulking at the bar with some fries a cream soda. Elesa sat at a stool next to her and smiled.

“You doing all right?”

Iris gave her a glance and shrugged. “About as all right as anyone else here, I guess. Except I’m not old enough to drink.”

“Not everyone here is drinking.” Elesa smirked. “And it’s not as fun as you think.”

Iris put all of the attitude of a fourteen-year-old into her sigh and rolled her eyes.“That’s what everybody says.”

Elesa paused and looked at Iris’ drink for a moment before she nodded to the gym leader behind the counter. “Hey Cress, can I have a cream soda, too? Cheri, please.”

Cress smiled and reached for a glass. Elesa snuck a couple of Iris’s fries while she waited, and Iris finally turned a little in her direction and snickered, putting the basket between them.

“There you go!”

Elesa accepted the soda and took a small sip. “Thanks.”

Cress nodded and moved to the kitchen to check on something. Elesa looked to Iris again.

“Seriously, though, how is everything on your end?”

Iris chewed on her straw thoughtfully. “I’m… okay. Dad’s not doing good, since we raided Plasma’s castle. I think it was the twins that did it.” She sifted through the fries until she found a larger piece. “Some ass- jerk reporter brought up my brothers while interviewing him, trying to get him to say if there were similar feelings between them, and Hilda and Hilbert, during the whole fiasco.”

Elesa looked at Iris, incredulous. “What the heck? Really?”

She shrugged. “Clay got all up in their business about it. I don’t think that clip will make it into the news at all.”

“Dragons, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s-” Iris grimaced. “Well, it’s not fine. It is what it is, I guess.”

Elesa drummed her fingers on the counter. “How are you feeling, about all of this?”

“I dunno.” Iris said around a fry. “Haven’t really thought about it.”

Elesa took a sip of her soda. It was way sweeter than what she liked, but she didn’t want Iris to feel left out with all the older gym leaders. Nothing more was said for a bit as they worked on the fries. Cress came back eventually with a fresh basket.

Iris spoke up after he left again. “I think I need to get out of Opelucid.” She said softly.

Elesa looked to her. “Yeah?”

“You know, I’ve never actually been on a journey yet?” Iris said. “Dad’s been teaching me ever since I was adopted, but all I have is his badge, and Clay’s.”

“Your dad’s badge alone is nothing to sneeze at.”

“Yeah, but,” Iris groaned softly, “I wanna do what other kids are doing. What Hilda and Hilbert were doing. Collecting all the badges and challenging the Elite Four. Maybe even beat the Champion.”

Elesa leaned her elbows on the counter. “What’s stopping you?”

Iris glanced in Drayden’s direction. “I’m afraid to leave Dad alone, especially after all of this.”

Elesa sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Your dad is old enough to take care of himself, you know. Plenty old enough.”

Iris nodded sullenly and took a long sip of her drink, finishing it off.

“I think he’d be pretty proud of you if you decided to go on a journey.” Elesa continued. “Have you ever asked him before?”

“No.” Iris shook her head.

“Why not?”

Iris fidgeted a little in her seat, looking down at her hands. “I’m worried that he’d be too afraid to let me go.”

Oh dragons, Elesa had a feeling that this was a whole can of orthworms that she was not emotionally prepared to open tonight. Fortunately, Iris didn’t seem keen to get into it, either.

“You think I could do it?” She asked her.

“What, ask him?”

Iris nodded.

Elesa gave her a small pat on the back. “Of corsola I think you can do that, and more. Hell—I mean, heck—you could probably blow Alder’s hair off with how strong you are.”

Iris laughed softly, and Elesa grinned at her, pulling her into a side hug.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you challenge my gym, Iris.” She said. “I won’t hold back.”

Iris leaned her head onto her shoulder, smiling. “Thanks, for talking with me about this. I won’t hold back, either.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

“What the heck brings you all the way out here?”

Iris came to a bouncing stop in front of the gym leaders, her hands behind her back. “Aw, not much. Took a page from Alder and thought I’d get out of the League for a bit. Check out the Plasma rumors. Do some exploring.”

Elesa looked to Skyla. She didn’t like this. Iris was talking in the way people did when they knew something, and were trying to drop hints.

“Congrats on the public relationship announcement, by the way!” Iris continued, beaming a little too broadly. “Been seeing pictures of you two looking all cute together, all over the internet.”

“Uh, thanks.” Skyla said.

Her gaze flitted past Elesa’s shoulder to Emmet again. “Been also seeing this guy in some of the pictures, too. Who’s this?”

Shit.

“He’s a friend.” Elesa said. “From Sinnoh.”

Emmet nodded, stepping out from behind Elesa to give Iris a small bow. “I am Emmet.”

Elesa held back a wince. Of course, his odd habit of declaring his name came up at the worst possible time.

“Emmet, huh?” Something strange crossed Iris’s expression as she looked between him and his partner. “That’s a cool looking eelektross.”

“Thank you.” He put a hand on Eelektross and smiled tiredly at Iris. “You are the Unova Champion?”

Iris beamed proudly and put a hand to her chest. “That’s me! Iris Gray, Champion of Unova, at your service!”

Both Elesa and Skyla didn’t breathe as Emmet froze.

“Gray.” He said flatly. “Your last name is Gray.”

He looked to Elesa, his expression a mix between confusion and hurt. Elesa’s mouth felt dry as she spoke.

“Iris is… Drayden’s daughter.” She said.

“Adopted.” Iris added with a shrug. Elesa could swear that she could hear the slightest challenge in the girl’s voice as she continued. “But he’s still my dad.”

Emmet did nothing to hide the shock in his expression as he looked over Iris in a whole new light. Elesa could see his hands clench at his sides again as Iris tilted her head expectantly.

“…Ah.”

He paused, then turned on his heel to stiffly walk away.

Iris started after him. “H-hey, wait!”

“Iris,” Elesa followed, Skyla just behind her.

“Behhhind the yellow line.” Emmet’s voice was trembling as he walked faster.

“Emmet, hang on a sec.” Iris jogged to catch up to him. “I just want to talk-”

“Iris, wait-”

“DON’T TOUCH ME!”

Eelektross hissed and put himself between Emmet and Iris, his spots flashing in warning. Iris stepped back with her hands up, and Emmet bolted down the street. Elesa came up and put a hand on Iris’s shoulder as Eelektross swam after him.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Skyla set the grocery bags on the ground and hopped onto Swanna, taking off and leaving the two behind.

Iris roughly pushed Elesa’s hand away and held her own arms, staring at Emmet’s retreating form until he rounded a corner.

She turned on Elesa, her expression stormy. “What’s going on?”

Elesa opened her mouth a few times before she spoke. “Can you tell me why you’re here, first?”

Iris glanced back in the direction Emmet had run off to. “People have been seeing a couple of guys, twins, hanging out with you two around town.” She explained. “Burgh’s been spending a lot of time here in Mistralton, too, for some reason?”

She fixed Elesa with a look. “Twins, with a chandelure and an eelektross, and now I find that one of them goes by Emmet. And then Emmet freaks out when he hears my last name. You and Skyla are freaking out, too!”

Elesa picked up the grocery bags and nudged Iris to move as she noticed people in the street staring. She tried not to walk too fast. “Who are these ‘people’ you’re referring to?”

“Who do you think?” Iris scoffed, taking two steps for every one Elesa took. “It gets boring, sitting and waiting for challengers strong enough to arrive at the Champion seat. Leads to a lot of time on social media.” She shrugged. “Sue me, I like reading up on celebrity gossip.”

Elesa felt the blood drain from her face. “The media is talking about them?”

“Not a lot, but enough to get my attention, especially when certain similarities are there. I thought I’d check it out for myself.”

They stopped at the corner of a crosswalk, and Elesa stared at the red light, her hands tightening around the bags.

“His brother’s name is Ingo.” She said quietly.

The light turned green to cross, but Iris didn’t move. Elesa turned to see her carefully guarded expression.

“Does Drayden know?” She asked.

“No, because Dad is old and barely knows how to use a phone.” Iris laughed bitterly. “He’s always avoided gossip like the plague.” She rubbed her face against her sleeve. “Elesa, what the heck is going on?”

“We don’t really know.” Elesa said weakly. She took a shallow breath. “Apparently they just appeared here one day. W-we found them, on Route 6.”

“Oh, my gods.” Iris held the sides of her head before she hurriedly reached for her Xtrans. “I’m calling Dad.”

“No.” Elesa said, stepping towards her. “It’s not a good time right now.”

“YES! I’m calling him!” Iris backed away before Elesa could make any move to grab her. “You can’t stop me! You can’t hide them from us!”

Elesa hurriedly glanced around them in worry. “Keep your voice down.”

Iris gave Elesa a withering glare as she released her salamence and climbed on top. “I’ll be back later.”

It sounded like a threat.

Elesa’s heart was racing as she watched Iris fly off. She glanced around again before she got onto Zebstrika’s back. A few people had their phones and Xtranses out, and more were watching.

“Let’s get back to Skyla’s quickly.” She muttered in Zeb’s ear. “This electrode is Exploding.”

———

Someone’s voice echoed up from somewhere, deep and assertive.

Ingo’s eyes flew open and he sat up, holding his head as it throbbed. He took in a steadying breath and looked around the space. Chandelure swung in front of him anxiously, looking at him in worry.

“Wha’s’happening?” He mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

A hitching breath got his attention, and the world spun as he quickly turned to look. Emmet was there with his back to the wall and his hands pressed over his ears. Eelektross curled around him, his fins twitching.

Ingo scooted over and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Emmet’s gaze focused on him and his eyes welled up with tears. Ingo wordlessly pulled him into an embrace, putting a hand on his head.

Emmet’s shoulders shook with quiet sobs, each little movement radiating through Ingo’s skull. Still he held on tightly, not wanting to let Emmet go. He could tell that his brother’s nerves had well reached past the end of the line, and Ingo felt responsible for it. Something had happened that made him unable to help in his usual capacity, unable to help keep their two-car train running. He just didn’t know what, yet.

The migraine was a pretty big clue, though.

“Emmet.” Ingo pulled out of the hug, putting his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “What’s happening?”

Tears fell down Emmet’s face as he tried to focus through his panic. He swallowed before he raised his hands to sign shakily.

Want Ishimi, but she is not here.

Ingo stared at Emmet’s hands, not quite comprehending. Why would she not be here? She’d always been here.

His head pounded as his heart started to race in his chest. When was the last time they’d seen her?

What happened that she wasn’t here, anymore?

Muffled voices coming from outside the room. Emmet cringed at the deep-sounding one that sounded above the others. Ingo looked at the door from over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes. Bracing a hand on his knee, he stood.

Chandelure was there to keep him from falling over. He held onto her arm as the room swayed, and he took in a deep breath.

“Stay behind me.” He said, brushing a hand along the pokeballs on his belt. Every word felt like a spike into his brain, but they needed to be said.

Probopass returned to their pokeball. Ingo opened the door.

———

Iris texted Elesa to say that they were coming over.

Elesa, Skyla, and eventually Burgh waited in the Skyla’s living room for the eventual fallout that was coming to their doorstep, barely saying a word to each other. The blinds and curtains were drawn close after Burgh spotted someone lurking across the street on his way in. A couple of their pokemon were keeping watch in the backyard, making sure no one snuck in.

Elesa thanked the Dragons that all Emmet did was run back to Skyla’s house and shut himself in their room. She had tried to talk to him, but he was refusing to answer, and something was blocking the door from opening, probably their probopass. Ingo was still sleeping, for all she knew. Even with the medication, it still took some time for him to recover from a migraine. She didn’t think he’d be up anytime soon.

Burgh kept switching between sitting on the floor, to pacing between the living room and the kitchen. Skyla was nervously running her hands through her team’s feathers, preening them as a distraction. Elesa sat next to her, moving her hand across her back as she stared at nothing in particular. Gus and Perla were curled up in her lap for comfort.

Dragons, they had no idea how Drayden was going to react. At least she knew now that she wasn’t the only gym leader who was terrified of him.

Just under an hour passed, and then there was a knock on the door. The three of them jumped to their feet, Elesa’s emolgas scurrying away as she followed behind Skyla to answer.

The twins had gotten their dad’s height, but not his bulk. Drayden nearly took up the entire doorway. Elesa could barely see Iris peeking at them from behind.

“Hi Drayden.” Skyla said quietly.

Drayden grunted, his eyes moving between her, Elesa, and Burgh, who was lingering nearby. “Can we come in?”

Though it was a question, it sure as hell didn’t sound like one.

“Come in.” Skyla got out of the way to let them through.

Burgh stood near the staircase as they entered. Neither Drayden or Iris made a move for the stairs, though Elesa could see Drayden glance to them.

“Where are they?” Drayden asked. “Where are Ingo and Emmet?”

“They’re upstairs.” Skyla said as she motioned to the living room. “Can we all sit down, please?”

“It will be twenty years, next month, Miss Skyla.” Drayden’s voice rose in the small foyer. “Please do not make me wait.”

“You are in my house, Drayden.” Skyla’s own voice rose in challenge. “I can make you wait as long as I want to, and so can they.”

Drayden looked to her sternly for a moment before he nodded his head. “My apologies.”

They went to living room to sit. Drayden took up the couch, his arms crossed over his chest. Iris was perched on the edge of a chair next to it, staring down at her feet.

“Are they okay?” She asked.

Elesa remained standing with Burgh, staying close to staircase so she could see either of them coming. “They’ve been staying in the guest room. I think Ingo’s sleeping, but Emmet shut himself in there when he got back and hasn’t come out yet.” She explained.

“Is it really them?” Drayden asked, his hands curling into his biceps.

“We’re pretty sure.” Elesa answered, looking anywhere but at him. “The um, the news story matched up, and they asked about you. Then there’s their starters. Did… Did Iris show you any of the paparazzi pictures?”

“She did.” Drayden’s tone was hard to read. “When did you find them?”

Burgh spoke up this time. “We brought them to Skyla’s about two weeks ago.”

“They’ve been here. For two weeks.” Now there was a quiet anger in his voice. “And you didn’t say anything.”

“Now look, we-”

The sound of a door opening upstairs made everyone stop and look over. Elesa could see the light of Chandelure’s flames in the hall.

To her surprise, it was Ingo who came down. He held onto one of Chandelure’s arms, and kept his head low to shade his face under the brim of his hat, even though the curtains were drawn in the house. It looked like his migraine wasn’t completely gone, yet.

Drayden went incredibly still from where he sat on the couch. Iris straightened in her seat, her hands braced on her knees. Ingo didn’t move either, once he was at the bottom of the stairs, but he did look poised to run at a moment’s notice, his eyes darting to the front and back doors.

Oh Dragons, Elesa didn’t think he knew where he was.

“Ingo?” She spoke. Ingo stiffened and looked to her with all the suspicion of a stranger. Chandelure trilled low and he swallowed, adjusting his grip on her arm and looking around at the rest of the room with the same unfamiliarity.

Elesa glanced around the corner to further up the stairs. Emmet was there, sitting at the top of the steps, watching his brother. His eyes flicked to her briefly, but Elesa was getting the feeling that he wasn’t really seeing her.

“Drayden, this really isn’t a good time.” She said, turning to him.

“When will it be?” Drayden argued, then turned to Ingo. “Ingo. Do you know who I am?”

Ingo just stared at him dully, his mouth taught with pain. He swayed dangerously to the side, and Elesa reached out to catch him. “Careful-”

“Hanashite!” Ingo snapped at her, stepping back onto his feet and pulling away from her reach. Chandelure curled an arm under his shoulder to keep him steady, and he breathed heavily.

Emmet’s own breathing could be heard from the top of the stairs. Elesa took a glance and could see him curled onto himself, shaking. Ingo looked to his brother in worry, thinking on something.

“Foodin,” Ingo said. Alakazam appeared at his side and he nodded up the stairs in Emmet’s direction. “Ie ni kaerinasai.”

A panicked breath could be heard from the top of the stairs as Alakazam disappeared, and Emmet’s voice cut off mid-name. “Ing-!”

“Ingo.” Drayden rose from his seat and stepped forward urgently. “What are you doing?”

Ingo glared at Drayden and stepped back, holding onto Chandelure for extra support. Elesa moved to block the path between him and Drayden, and she felt Burgh’s shoulder bump up against hers.

“Drayden, just wait!” Skyla shouted from the living room.

“Dad!”

Ingo’s own breath was picking up, now, and Elesa glanced behind her to see him back into a wall and startle.

“CH-CHANDELURE!” He shouted, cringing at the sound of his own booming voice. “HYAKKI YAKŌ, HAYAWAZA!”

Chandelure shrieked as part of the room suddenly erupted into ghostfire, causing everyone to scatter. Ingo darted forward with his partner in hand, weaving through the chaos with scary efficiency before slamming the backdoor open and stumbling outside. Alakazam reappeared at the stairs before a sharp, piercing note of a flute sounded from the backyard, and she Teleported away again.

“INGO!” Drayden went to rush after him, but stopped, his hand on the doorframe. Elesa caught the sight of glowing silver before Ingo vanished from the yard.

Ingo’s shoes were still at the backdoor, along with Emmet’s.

Iris was helping Elesa, Skyla, and Burgh throw blankets on the ghostfire to put it out. Gus and Perla landed on Elesa’s shoulders, chittering anxiously before they returned to their pokeballs. Drayden remained at the door, staring out at the yard.

Fortunately, the fire wasn’t big, and most of the violet flames vanished without catching onto anything. Skyla ran a hand over a burn mark left on the couch, frowning. “I’m pretty sure that wasn’t a Will-O-Wisp.”

Burgh hummed in agreement, staring at the fabric. “No, it wasn’t.”

“I will pay for any and all damages, Skyla.” Drayden said quietly, straightening and letting go of the doorframe.

“Where did they go?” Iris asked, looking out the backdoor. Her eyes started to water as she sat on the couch. “I-I didn’t mean to make Emmet freak out earlier, I just-”

“Iris, it’s not your fault.” Elesa sat next to her. “Emmet was already at the end of his rope before you found us. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ingo took them somewhere he thought would be safe.”

Iris looked down at her hands miserably. Drayden took a seat next on her other side and gently pulled her in by the shoulders.

“Where do you think they went?” He asked.

“Ingo’s been going to Route 6 every day for their pokemon to forage and hunt. We don’t know where their camp is, though.” Skyla spoke up. “Drayden, I really think it would be better if we waited for them to come back, instead of going out to find them.”

Drayden’s throat bobbed as he looked at her. “How can you be so sure they’ll come back?” He asked.

Elesa felt a lump in her own throat form at how vulnerable the question sounded, coming from him.

Skyla wrung her hands as she answered. “Because Emmet doesn’t like being out there, and I don’t think they’ve been to any other places that their alakazam would know to Teleport to.”

“Their shoes are still here, too.” Elesa added. “And their old clothes, I think.”

Burgh sat in an empty chair and laced his hands together. Elesa continued, “We know we’ve been keeping them secret from you two, but we’ve been spending a lot of time with Ingo and Emmet these past couple of weeks. Can you believe us when we say that we’re sure they’ll be back?”

Drayden took a slow, careful breath, closing his eyes for a moment. “I would like for that ideal to be true.” He muttered.

Iris nodded silently against his side.

Drayden opened his eyes again, looking once more to the backdoor.

“…Tell us everything you know.” He said in a tone that made Elesa sit a little straighter in her seat. “How the hell did you find my sons?”

———

“Alakazam, go home.”

Even at his limit, Emmet managed to strangle out his brother’s name as his mind spiraled with the implications of the order. For some reason, Alakazam didn’t even hesitate as she reached for him and took him away.

Cool, mountain air replaced the stuffy and oppressive atmosphere of Skyla’s house. Emmet blinked in the sudden sunlight and hid his face under the brim of his hat, sucking in a breath of fresh air as if through a straw.

Eelektross burst out of his pokeball again and looked to Emmet before his attention was turned elsewhere. He hissed and pressed against his partner defensively.

“Easy…”

Emmet lifted his head again to find someone new in the space. He only had time to take in green hair before he noticed where it was Alakazam had taken him.

They were at their camp.

On Route 6.

Their camp was being used by this new someone, apparently.

A new someone who had a giant-ass dragon lying next to him.

The dragon companion growled low in answer to Eelektross, and Emmet felt his hair rise with the familiar feeling of static as the faint smell of ozone filled the air.

The pressure the dragon emitted was familiar. Not like how Pressure was, but something akin to a proper noble.

Or a god.

Oh, this day just kept getting better and fucking better.

Alakazam hummed calmly to Eelektross to get him to back off. His partner slowly relaxed again, eyeing the stranger warily as he stayed in front of Emmet.

The young man let out a sigh of relief when Eelektross settled, then looked to Emmet. “Oh, you’re back, already?” He asked.

Emmet was well out of his words by now. He panted and scooted back until he hit something. He looked up.

It was Tangrowth. He hadn’t even heard her come out of her pokeball.

Tangrowth started pulling him into her vines as Alakazam Teleported away again to get Ingo. Emmet put his head into his hands and let it happen, hoping that the quiet and dark would help take the edge off of everything.

“Sorry, it looks like you’re not doing very well right now.” The stranger said, his voice getting muffled. “I’ll leave you alone.”

Emmet couldn’t quite hold back a sob as he felt Eelektross lay across his feet, and everything went quiet, but it still wasn’t enough to quell the thoughts raging in his mind.

He faintly heard Chandelure’s screech, and he forced in another breath. With shaking hands, he pulled back the vines to see his brother collapse bonelessly into his partner’s waiting arms. Alakazam noticed Emmet watching and brushed a wave of reassurance against his thoughts.

Ingo was okay. Would be okay, after some rest.

Emmet could trust that their team would take care of Ingo. His own cab certainly wasn’t in any condition to do it, right now. But at least he knew he was here. He pulled back his hands and let himself be swallowed by the dark.

“Sssssleep P-P-Pow-” He forced out painfully.

Tangrowth exhaled the sweet aroma through her vines and Emmet inhaled it, closing his eyes. Slowly, he slumped, his body relaxing and his senses fading to blessed static.

It wasn’t his favorite way to force unconsciousness, but finally, finally, he could breathe again.

Chapter Text

“Warden training?” Ingo tilted his head as he pet Sneasel around her ears. “You want to train us?”

Emmet raised his brows at Ishimi and bit into a pecha berry. The warden was holding his arm as she covered his new scratches in a healing paste.

“Lord Sneasel and his heir like you more than anyone else here.” Ishimi explained, tying off the dressing and letting him go. Emmet scooted back into his brother’s space and snuck his fingers under the little Lady’s chin. “It would be stupid of me not to take you on as apprentices.”

“But a noble only has one warden, right?” Ingo checked, a familiar worry creeping into his expression.

Ishimi noticed his concern and nodded her head. “You’re remembering correctly. There’s only ever been one warden to a noble in Hisui’s history.”

“Then… why take both of us?” Emmet asked.

Ishimi gave them both a look like they’d missed a verrry obvious point. “What Pearl in their right mind would try to separate the two of you, least of all me?” She said bluntly. “And Lady Sneasel likes you both. She’ll happily accept you once her father steps down.”

Sneasel yowled in agreement. Lord Sneasler rumbled from his corner of the tent, opening an eye at her.

“There are some people who won’t like it, will they?” Ingo guessed.

“The fuck what they think! I think this is a great idea.” Ishimi huffed. “The Lord and future Lady have already spoken, anyway. No one else matters.”

“Language.” Ingo muttered under his breath, though Emmet could see the tension releasing from his shoulders in a quiet relief.

Emmet stared at the pattern of the rug they were sitting on. “We don’t have a choice, do we?”

“Once I let Mito know, it won’t be a choice.” Ishimi said. “But I wanted to let you know first, because I want you to understand what it is you’d be getting into.”

“What does a highlands warden do?” Ingo asked.

“Compared to Lord Electrode’s warden? It’s different. Sneaslers by nature are fairly solitary, so I’m usually left making sure paths are maintained, and helping travelers through the area if the Lord is busy.”

Emmet felt his stomach drop. “We’d have to learn how to climb the mountain.” He said.

“I’d teach you how to climb safely.” She clarified seriously, meeting his eyes. “Ropes, knots, how to read the terrain and pokemon tracks, all of it. We’d follow all the safety checks, as you like to say.”

It didn’t do much to ease his worry, but Emmet nodded anyway. Sneasel moved back into his lap and sniffed at the bandage on his arm, mewing softly in apology. He buried his hands into her fur.

“I really think you boys would like being in the mountains.” She continued, smiling. “There’s a nice rhythm to it. I’ve got my own way of doing things, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own.”

“We are only eleven.” Emmet pointed out.

“So?” She countered with a smirk. “I have many years ahead of me, hopefully. You two will have plenty of time to grow up before you have to take up my mantle.”

Ingo looked worried again. “Can I even become a good warden, though? I keep forgetting everything.”

Ishimi leaned forward and met his brother’s eyes with a determination that Emmet was gradually growing familiar with. He’d learned long ago that no one messed with her when she got like this.

“We will figure out what works best for you, Ingo.” She said. “You’re going to be as amazing of a warden as your brother is going to be. I promise you that.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

Emmet woke up feeling stiff, achy, and with the sickly sweet aftertaste of Sleep Powder stuck in the back of his throat. He grimaced, shifting slightly. It was enough to disturb Eelektross, as he could feel his weight come off of his legs. Tangrowth rumbled sleepily around him, and he pulled out her pokeball to call her back.

He understood now why she had fallen asleep. It was dark out, with no sun in sight. The only sources of light coming from the camp were Chandelure’s low flames at the lean-to, and the campfire in the center.

The stranger from earlier was still there, leaning up against his giant, black dragon as he stared blankly into the fire, half dozing. Emmet had to guess he was more likely a young adult than a teenager.

He didn’t like the idea of sharing space with someone new, but it seemed he’d met Ingo before, and the pokemon who went out with Ingo to Route 6 recognized him. It would have to be enough, for now.

The young man’s gaze moved to him when he noticed Tangrowth disappear, and he smiled faintly. “Emmet, right? Are you feeling better?”

No, Emmet did not really feel better, and he still didn’t feel like talking yet. With a groan, he waved for Eelektross to help him up to his feet. It was then he realized he was only in his socks. His shoes were back at Skyla’s.

He dusted pollen off his clothes and stretched himself out before going to check on his brother. Ingo was curled around Chandelure, his face slack and his mouth half open, his slow breaths fogging up his partner’s glass. Checking his forehead told Emmet that the worst of his migraine had passed, so he was truly resting, now. Gliscor was covering him up as much as he could, his chin resting on Ingo’s shoulder as he kept watch.

Emmet smiled faintly and reached to rub the top of Gliscor’s head. They considered their twelve pokemon as one shared team between them, but there were some that were more Emmet’s and more Ingo’s. Eelektross was Emmet’s, as were Samurott and Yanmega. Chandelure was unequivocally Ingo’s, though she was verrry familiar with Emmet’s soul after all this time of being together. Gliscor was another pokemon that was his.

He could remember that Ishimi had been so cranky when Ingo showed up with the egg that would eventually become Gliscor.

~~

“Ingo, what in Sinnoh’s name are you doing with that?”

Emmet turned to look as Ingo stopped at the edge of camp and looked down at the egg in his arms, thinking hard.

“Um… I don’t know.” He admitted. “I think we found it somewhere.”

“We?” Ishimi looked first to Lampent, who whistled warily from behind Ingo’s shoulder, then to Lady Sneasel, who came marching up to the fire and sat next to Emmet, looking mighty pleased with herself.

“You’re a terrible influence, you know that, right?” Ishimi deadpanned to her. “I’m not afraid to say it.”

Sneasel squeaked as Lord Sneasler came lumbering forward and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. She went limp between his teeth, but a growl of defiance still rumbled in her chest. Emmet heard the sound fade into the trees as the pair returned to their nest for the night.

Ingo came over to Ishimi so she could take a closer look at the egg. She ran a hand over its side and groaned when she noticed something. “We can’t even eat this.”

“Why not?” Ingo asked.

“This thing is going to hatch at some point.” She sighed and went back to stirring the stew. Emmet slid in chopped pieces of sootfoot when she nodded. “I just don’t know when.”

“It’s going to hatch?” Ingo and Emmet both asked hopefully.

Ishimi did a double take at the synchronized question, looking between the both of them. Ambipom snickered at her.

“You two are not getting attached to this egg.” She said stubbornly. “We have no idea what it is or what it will need to eat, or if it will even hatch at all.”

“We could figure it out! We’d take good care of it!” Ingo said.

“But you already have your partners.” Ishimi argued, frowning. “Is this a normal thing, where you two came from?”

Emmet nodded enthusiastically as Ingo sat next to him, cross legged. He put the egg in his lap, and Emmet reached over and put a hand on it.

“It’s kinda cold.” He said.

Ingo nodded and carefully put his ear against the side to listen.

Ishimi was quiet for a while before she gave them a quick glance from over the fire.

“…You need to keep an egg warm so it stays healthy.” She mumbled under her breath.

Emmet and Ingo’s heads both raised to her, then they looked at each other excitedly. “I’ll go get blankets!” Emmet offered, already getting to his feet.

“No, don’t bring the blankets out! Sinnoh, fucking -” Ishimi let out a loud groan as Ambipom laughed. “ Fine ! Put it in the tent!”

“Language!” Ingo shouted in Galarian as Emmet helped him stand with the egg. Tynamo followed after them, with Lampent leading the way.

“You’re language!” Ishimi shot back, huffing. “Don’t make a mess! And if you don’t come back out when I tell you to then you’re going to bed without any dinner!”

~~

Emmet brushed tears from his face and gave Gliscor another pat. He took a seat next to Ingo and rested his elbows on his knees, thinking over the events that led them here.

He heard their dad’s voice for the first time in years. He had sounded so damn tired.

They had a sister. A real, genuine sister. As people adopted into the Pearl Clan, themselves, she was as good as any blood relative, in his opinion.

Sinnoh, he felt so bad about yelling at her.

He laced his hands together and hid his face behind them as more tears fell down his cheeks. He was not going to hold anything against Iris. She seemed too young to have even been alive when they disappeared, and she certainly didn’t deserve that sort of anger, anyway.

She was the Unova Champion, and she was their little sister. He already felt so proud.

Ingo was going to be so excited when he found out.

The stranger rose from his seat and came over. Emmet eyed him as he approached, too tired to make a move. He had already spotted several of their team guarding the fringes of their camp, and Eelektross was right up against his side. If he was a danger to him or Ingo, he would have been removed from the camp a long time ago.

“I got you some water, while you were out.” He said, holding out a water bottle to him at arm’s length. “I figured you might need it.”

Emmet slowly accepted the bottle and raised a brow at it.

“It’s clean water. Don’t worry.” He assured.

He untwisted the cap and took a long drink. The cool water tasted good on his lips and throat, and best of all it washed away the taste of the Sleep Powder. The bottle was half-drained by the time he had his fill, and he dried his mouth on his sleeve as he handed it back to the stranger with a nod of thanks.

The young man smiled as he took back the bottle. “Eelektross told me that you probably weren’t going to be talkative when you woke up, so don’t worry about saying anything.”

Emmet’s brows raised in surprise. He glanced down to his partner, who gurgled in confirmation. He turned back to the stranger, mouthing “how?” silently.

“I, um, I can understand what pokemon are saying.” He answered simply.

Emmet was doubtful about that. He narrowed his eyes at the man until he shifted in place.

“You probably need -----.” He said. He glanced to Eelektross, who thought for a moment before rumbling at him softly.

“He says that you… you got your brother his watch first by ------- in all the stardust you had, and then you sold wood carvings until you could ------ another for yourself.”

Emmet cleared his throat and glanced at Ingo, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment while his partner gurgled a laugh. Okay, fine, so he could talk to pokemon. He looked to Eelektross again, and hesitantly signed a question to him. Eelektross relayed it to the young man, and he nodded.

“My name? You can call me N.”

An odd name, but he was an Unovan from the present who had grown up in the distant past in Hisui, so, who was he to talk?

N got to his feet and went back to the campfire, and his dragon. Emmet watched them both for a minute before he decided to lay down next to his brother.

“‘mmet?” Ingo asked, half-asleep, as Gliscor moved to make room. His brother turned to face him and tiredly pulled him in close, cradling his head against his shoulder. Emmet relaxed against him, breathing in the familiar scent of ghostfire and forest that always permeated Ingo’s clothes.

He could swear that he could still smell sneasel fur in his haori, too, and a familiar tea blend.

Emmet was too exhausted to even cry as he wrapped his own arms around his brother. Gliscor climbed over them both as an improvised blanket while Eelektross lodged himself against Emmet’s back. Chandelure hung above them, keeping her flames low as Emmet slipped into proper sleep for the rest of the night.

———

Drayden and Iris stared at the black and white photo of Ingo and Emmet while Burgh helped Skyla with fixing up some dinner for everyone. Elesa sat across the pair at the dining table, having volunteered to be the one to lead the conversation. Drayden wordlessly pulled the printed article closer to him to read again.

“The only pair of wardens to one noble in Hisui’s history, helped to pioneer what would eventually become the modern battling standard in Sinnoh, and had a hand in resolving the red sky crisis,” he paused, putting a hand over his beard, “whatever that was.”

“So… what we’re saying is that my brothers are badasses.” Iris surmised.

“Language.” Drayden muttered under his breath.

Iris rolled her eyes. “Dad, I’m sixteen, and the Champion. I could be saying a lot worse.”

Drayden grunted, his eyes scanning over the article once more as if trying to glean every last drop of information from it. The way he was hunched over, to the way his eyes narrowed in concentration as he read… Elesa was now realizing how much of Drayden was in Ingo, in particular.

“Is there anything else that mentions them, after their disappearance?” He asked, coming to the end of the article again. “…Did they ever go back, or, will they go back?”

Elesa shook her head. “Not as far as we’ve found, but we’d have to ask someone who understands time stuff better to make sure.” She tapped a finger against her glass of water. “We’ve thought about reaching out to our friend Cynthia, but she can be a bit too much when she gets invested in something. We figured the twins wouldn’t be interested in dealing with that right now.”

Drayden nodded in agreement, his eyes on the photo. “Is this all there is?” He asked.

“There’s a group photo that they’re in, of all the Pearl wardens. Hang on, I think it’s still on the desk.” Elesa rose from her seat to get it. “They didn’t have access to photography until the Jubilife settlers moved in, so I think these were the only photos of them.”

Skyla stopped her on the way to the desk crammed in the corner of the kitchen to pull her into a quick, tight hug.

“Thanks.” Elesa said softly, hugging her back before grabbing the picture.

“Do they not understand Galarian?” Drayden asked as she came back over. “Ingo was only speaking Kanjoh.”

“Emmet said some Galarian when I saw him.” Iris said. “He had an accent.”

“They never completely lost the ability to understand and speak it, and they’ve been picking it back up faster since they came to Mistralton.” Elesa explained. “I don’t think they were able to use it at all in Hisui, so they just… forgot a lot of it.”

Drayden took a deep breath as he accepted the group photo from Elesa and looked it over. Emmet hadn’t liked looking at it when she first tried to share it with him, and showing it to Ingo led him to asking his brother about where the people in the photo were.

She’d noticed that Emmet tended to avoid talking about specifics when it came to Hisui. He’d talk about Unova and what he remembered of it as a kid in the nineties, but anything deeper than what their warden duties were and what Hisui was like led him to ignoring the question entirely, or changing the subject.

He’d clam up even more if Ingo was around.

“Clay’s mentioned having Pearl Clan ancestors. Why didn’t he…?” Drayden’s voiced trailed off, his gaze no doubt falling onto the young boy in a hat. Lian was his name, if Elesa was remembering what Ingo had said.

“Yeah… we kind of figured that might be the case. They were weirded out when I showed them some pictures of Clay.” She paused. “On that note, I think maybe holding off having the twins meet him might be something to keep in mind.”

Drayden lowered the picture and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

Skyla and Burgh stopped what they were doing. Elesa glanced to them nervously before she continued.

“W-we never asked about the specifics. I think it’s better that they explain it, anyway.” She said softly. “Just— Drayden, please be patient. Adjusting to Unova has been really hard on them.”

Skyla came over with a stack of empty plates and started to arrange them on the table. “And that’s all we’ll say on that matter. The three of us can answer other questions about them, like what they have on their combined team.”

“They have a dragon.” Burgh spoke up from his spot next to the stove. Elesa could smell the pasta sauce he was heating up from where she was sitting. “She’s a really, really big garchomp.”

“Wait, really?” Iris turned in her chair to look at him. “How big?”

“Huge.” Burgh emphasized. “Over nine and a half feet long. We got out a measuring tape one time to check.”

Iris only looked encouraged by this information. “I wanna meet her.”

“She’s the reason why my yard is destroyed.” Skyla sighed.

Drayden hummed, his gaze falling to the photos again. Elesa didn’t have guess that a lot was weighing on him. “Like I said, I’ll pay for any damages. It’s the least I can do.”

———

“You really don’t remember meeting me yesterday?” N asked Ingo the next morning.

Ingo shook his head between bites of his breakfast. Emmet could tell that he was doing everything in his power to keep from shoveling it down in front of their guest. “Apologies, I do not. I have a poor memory. However, Chandelure remembers you, so I will believe you.”

Chandelure chimed cheerfully and spun in place above his head. Something in N’s expression softened as he looked between her and Ingo. “You know that pokemon cannot lie.” He realized. “Truly, you two share an ideal bond.”

“I trust my partner to guide my tracks, even if I cannot see them.” Ingo said in agreement. He looked to Emmet and gave him a small smile. “I trust my brother, too.”

Emmet smiled back at him.

N nodded thoughtfully, running a hand down Zekrom’s side. “Of course, human bonds are just as important.” He said, as if reminding himself of that. “It’s good that you have each other.”

“It is.” Emmet said softly, looking down at his own food. He didn’t know where he’d be without his brother, especially now. He depended on Ingo as much as Ingo depended on him.

Zekrom huffed at Emmet again, casting up a small cloud of dust his side. He gave the dragon a smirk and carefully put a hand on its snout to rub it. “Do you think I am ignoring you?” He asked.

It just stared at him. Emmet found he couldn’t meet the pokemon’s eyes without feeling like he was being analyzed, sort of like how Chandelure would check on his soul, but not as comforting. It was like it was looking for something in him. He was doing everything he could to avoid direct eye contact.

It had taken him a minute, but Emmet finally remembered that the dragon was Zekrom, Unova’s god of ideals. How anyone would be traveling with such a pokemon was beyond him. He remembered Dad talking a lot about it and its counterpart, Reshiram, the god of truth. He’d forgotten a lot of the details about them after years of living with the Pearl Clan, and their belief in Sinnoh, but he still held onto what he could.

Maybe he could ask Dad about it, when they went back.

Maybe.

Chandelure gave Zekrom a warning chime and the dragon growled quietly in response. With a deep breath, Emmet fished a berry from his bowl of food to distract it.

“Here. Do not tell Garchomp.” He said, holding the oran in front of its nose.

The distraction worked. Emmet felt its tongue swipe across his palm as it snapped up the berry, and it hummed for another.

“Greedy.” Emmet chuckled, picking out another.

Zekrom quickly moved on to Ingo for more berries when Emmet put his foot down about finishing his own food. Ingo pulled out a pouch from his snack reserves and handed it pieces of dried lum as he finished off his bowl.

“You are spoiling a god.” Emmet had to laugh.

“Even gods get hungry, I guess.” Ingo smirked.

N finished eating and announced that he and Zekrom would be heading out for Chargestone Cave, nearby. Emmet figured it would probably be the last time they’d see each other. He pulled the young man aside for a moment before he could leave.

“Is this about Zekrom --------- you?” N asked.

“Oh. What? No.” Emmet hesitated slightly. “It’s not that.”

N glanced to his companion for a moment. “It wants to show you something.” He said.

Emmet sighed, his shoulders sagging tiredly. “I do not think I am ready for it.” He admitted. “Please, do not tell me.”

N nodded, a little disappointed. Emmet couldn’t find it in himself to care, right now. “What is it that you wanted to talk about?”

He straightened again and continued. “I am not a ranger, but it was… is, me and my brother’s duty to keep travelers safe.” He said. “Is everything okay? I do not see any pokeballs on you, not even for Zekrom.”

“Your brother asked me something similar, yesterday.” N smiled faintly at him. “Zekrom keeps me safe, I promise. We’ve been traveling together for a while, now.”

Emmet was not entirely convinced. “What is your destination, after Chargestone Cave?”

N looked to Zekrom again before he answered. “There is someone we are trying to find. Its sibling.”

“Its sibling?” Emmet paused. “Reshiram?”

“No, its other sibling. The third dragon.”

He grimaced slightly. “I do not remember a third dragon.”

“Its name is Kyurem.” N explained. “I’m afraid that something new is being planned by Team Plasma that -------- it.”

“Plasma.” Emmet’s brows furrowed in thought. “I’ve heard that name before.”

N stopped and looked at him for a moment. “You don’t know about anything that happened here a couple years ago, do you?”

Emmet shrugged. “We have only been in Unova for about a month, now.”

“Well,” N adjusted the strap of the bag across his shoulder. He looked like he wanted to explain more, but they were running short on time before the sun came up. “Just be careful, okay?”

Emmet smirked at him. That should be his line.

Still, this wasn’t the first time he’d heard about this Team Plasma. The name always seemed to come up at some point around Mistralton, whenever he left Skyla’s house. He’d have to ask Elesa and the others about it.

N went over to Ingo and held out his hand to him. “I know you don’t remember it, but thank you for allowing me to stay here.” He said.

Ingo smiled and gave him a bow of his head. “You are very welcome. Feel free to use this space again as many times as you need.”

N hesitated before pulling his hand away with a small laugh, and bowed back. “I’ll probably take you up on that offer.”

Emmet stepped next to his brother as N climbed onto Zekrom’s back. “If you see us again, and you need help, please let us know.” He said.

“Thank you.” N smiled. “If it’s meant to happen, we’ll see each other again.”

Emmet raised a hand to shield his eyes as the dragon rose into the air and flew away, low against the treetops. He released a sigh as the last of the pressure faded from the space. He stared up at the sky for a few minutes, watching it lighten as the sun started to rise.

Ingo was writing in his notebook when Emmet turned to him. He waited until he was done before he spoke up. “Niisan, we need to talk.”

“Yes, we do.” Ingo closed the book and tucked it away. “Come on. We are going for a climb first, after we get our shoes back from Skyla’s.”

Emmet frowned slightly. “That might worry everyone if we take them.”

“I’ve already considered that track.” Ingo shrugged off his haori and carefully folded it into a small square before he handed it to Alakazam.

Emmet blinked in realization and started to take his own off. “Wait. Me, too.”

Alakazam disappeared with their precious articles, before reappearing a few moments later with their sneakers.

“Are they somewhere they can be seen?” Ingo checked.

She nodded.

“Thank you, my dear.”

Emmet peeled off his socks and hit them against Ingo’s pants as he passed him (Ingo was not amused) to get the dirt off before putting them back on, then his shoes. Ingo was already pulling rope from his belt and looking it over when Emmet got back to his feet.

“Check safety,” He started, looping his arm through the rope to hold it over his shoulder.

“Everything’s ready,” Emmet continued, holding his arms over his head for a quick stretch.

Ingo nodded, smiling at him. “Let us depart.”

———

Elesa came downstairs the next morning to find Drayden sitting on the edge of the pullout in the living room, staring out the back door with his chin resting on his hands. She had to wonder if he’d been like that all night, waiting.

She took in a breath and lightly knocked on the wall for his attention. “Do you want some coffee, Drayden?” She asked. “I can see about getting a pot started.”

He nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed ahead. Elesa turned to join Skyla and Iris in the kitchen before she heard Drayden’s voice reach her.

“Their alakazam came back.”

Elesa poked her head into the living room. “She did?”

Drayden nodded again, glancing down to folded pieces of clothing in his lap. “She took their shoes, and left these behind.”

Elesa came over for a closer look. Even though Drayden seemed to be protecting them behind his arms, she could recognize Ingo’s and Emmet’s haori by color and texture alone, by this point.

“I know that those are very important to them.” She smiled at Drayden reassuringly. “This is them saying they’ll definitely be back.”

Drayden took in a deep, shuddering breath, putting a hand over his eyes as he nodded.

———

“Now that it’s just us again, can you tell me what more about what happened yesterday that brought us here? I feel like it was more than just a panic attack.”

Emmet sighed and leaned against Ingo’s side, looking out at the sunrise. It was no top of Mount Coronet, but he had to admit that the view was still beautiful. Looking out at the forest valley far below, tracing the path of the river weaving through it with his eyes, he could almost forget they were near the place where it all started.

“Dad came over, for the first time.” He said softly. “I freaked out. I was already panicking, about a lot of things. A lot has been piling up recently, overworking my engine.”

Ingo frowned and idly played with a snag on his sleeve, staring out at the trees. “I’m so sorry. I should have been there for you.”

“None of it is your fault.” Emmet tightly hugged Ingo with one arm. “You haven’t been doing well, either. A lot of verrry bad headaches. A lot of memories getting mixed up lately.”

He sighed shakily and kissed the top of his brother’s head. “And you were there, when I needed you most. Thank you, for getting us out here. I needed this, a lot more than I realized.”

Ingo nodded silently and leaned into the hug. Emmet could tell that he was still upset. He rubbed a hand against his back, watching a few tranquill emerge from the trees for their breakfast.

“Found out something new, though. Want to hear it?”

He felt his smile grow as Ingo glanced over, curious.

“We have a little sister. Her name is Iris.”

Ingo blinked and pulled out of the hug to properly look at him. “Wait, really?”

Emmet nodded. “She's adopted, like us. That’s not even the best part.”

“How is learning about a new sibling not the best part?” Ingo half laughed in disbelief.

Emmet beamed broadly. “She is the current Unova Champion.”

Ingo looked to Emmet in question even as his eyes lit up with excitement. “The Champion is important, right?”

“Yup!” Emmet answered. “It means they are the strongest trainer in the region.”

“Oh, Bravo!” A smile finally broke through Ingo’s worry as he shouted. He got to his feet and paced the small ledge they were perched on, unable to contain himself. “Bravo, bravo! Emmet! We have a little sister and she is amazing!”

“I know!” Emmet laughed genuinely for the first time in ages. It felt good, reverberating in his chest.

Ingo sat down next to him and eagerly pulled out his notebook to write the information down. “I need to battle her.” He said.

Emmet laughed again, brushing at the corners of his eyes. “Me, too.”

He gave the notebook a glance as Ingo tucked his pencil between the last two pages. “You’re going to need a new one verrry soon.” He noted.

Ingo was still smiling as he ran his thumb along the side of the book. “Yes, I do. We should write it down for our next supply run in Jubilife.”

Emmet took a deep breath and pulled Ingo in for another hug. “Maybe we can ask Dad if he can get you one.” He said.

“Oh, of course.” Ingo’s brows furrowed slightly. “Of course.”

Emmet pressed another kiss to Ingo’s hair and rested his head against his. “I love you. So much.”

Ingo returned the hug this time, the wrinkle between his brows easing as he sighed. “And I love you. It’s one of the few things I will always know, without a doubt.”

Emmet held his brother for a little longer in the quiet of the morning before he forced himself to his feet. “I think I’m ready now, to see Dad, and Iris.”

Ingo nodded and followed him up. “Are you sure?”

“No.” Emmet chuckled nervously. “But if we don’t go now, I don’t think I’ll ever leave this mountain again.”

Ingo patted his shoulder encouragingly. Emmet looked over at him. “Are you ready?”

Ingo gave the question some thought. “I don’t know.” He answered. “But I still want to see them.”

“That is okay.” Emmet nodded, taking a deep breath. “Check safety. Everything’s ready.”

Ingo nodded, taking a deep breath of his own as he took his brother’s hand and held it tight. “All aboard.”

———

Everyone was in the living room when Drayden rose slowly from his chair, his gazed still trained on the backyard. Elesa turned to look and saw Emmet standing there, waiting until Ingo appeared with Alakazam. As usual, Chandelure released herself as soon as she was able, chiming softly.

The twins were watching Drayden as he went to the sliding glass door and opened it, and didn’t move as he approached. Elesa could tell that the man was doing everything in his power not to reach out and hold his sons tightly, but he held back, giving them ample space as he stopped several feet away.

Emmet swallowed hard, tears brimming in his eyes. “Hi, Dad. We are back.”

“Hello.” Ingo nodded, his own expression unreadable as he took in their dad’s features carefully.

Drayden cleared his throat, taking a deep, steadying breath.

“Welcome back.” He said.

Chapter Text

Ishimi set a kettle of water over the fire to boil as Ingo took a seat. “Right. Time to practice.” She said. “Ready?”

Ingo frowned and looked down at the length of rope in his hands. Emmet sat cross-legged in front of him with his own rope.

“I don’t know about this.” Ingo said. “I don’t remember any of the lessons.”

“You won’t know unless you try.” Ishimi tsked, pulling out three cups. “Show me the knot to secure the rope to an anchor.”

Ingo watched as Emmet made his rope into a U shape before holding it out for him to see before moving to the next step. Ingo copied him, scraping his mind for any hint of recollection as he tested twisting the rope one way or another. Eventually, Ingo had a mirror of Emmet’s knot in his hands.

Nothing about this was familiar, though. He felt his eyes burn in humiliation and he lowered the finished knot to his lap.

“I don’t remember this.” He said, his voice thick.

Ishimi hummed and looked the knot over before nodding in approval. “You did it, though. That’s the knot you use to secure your rope to an anchor. Do it again.”

Ingo untied the knot and followed his brother’s lead again. Ishimi nodded.

“That’s the knot to secure your rope to an anchor.” She reiterated. “Do it again. Emmet, only do the first part and let Ingo try the rest.”

Emmet’s mouth was a flat line as he glanced up at Ishimi, but he did as he was told, showing Ingo his half-tied rope. Ingo hesitated a little before he continued, tying off the knot and showing it to Ishimi.

She nodded in approval, and Emmet smiled faintly. “That’s the knot to secure your rope to an anchor.” She repeated. “Again.”

He continued to tie and untie the same knot, over and over as Ishimi waited for the water to heat up. Every time he finished tying, she’d tell him what the knot was again, and then tell him to restart.

Ingo couldn’t help but get frustrated.

“I’m just gonna forget this.” He tried to keep the whine out of his voice, clutching the rope until his hands hurt. “What’s the point?”

“What’s the point, you say?” Ishimi took the pot from the fire and poured water into the cups. “You are going to tie these knots over and over and over, until it all becomes second nature, and you don’t even have to think about it anymore.”

She met his eyes briefly as she pulled out a small box of tea. “You can do this, Ingo.”

“Do you really believe that this will work?” Ingo frowned at her.

Ishimi met his eyes again, her smile curling in amusement. “No. I know it.”

She had them take a break. Ingo sulked as he drank his tea, staring down at the rope at his feet. Eventually, Gligar crawled into his lap and chirped up at him, nuzzling into his stomach. Ingo sighed and rubbed his pokemon’s face with one hand, allowing the smallest of smiles to turn the corners of his mouth.

Ishimi looked like she was up to something as she set their empty cups aside. Then again, that was how she usually looked.

“Now, let’s review.” She said, sitting a little closer to them both. She took both lengths of rope and handed them to Emmet. “Emmet, show me how to tie these together for a climb. Ingo, turn around so you can’t see.”

Ingo sighed again and turned around, staring at Lampent as she whistled and swung in place. After a few moments, Ishimi told Emmet he did it right, then had Ingo turn back around so he could give it a try.

Ingo stared at the two pieces of rope in his hands. He furrowed his brows in thought.

“Don’t think too hard on it.” She prompted. “Tie them together.”

He swallowed and started tying, trying his best not to put much thought to it.

“Not bad.” She nodded as she looked over the finished product. “We’ll have to practice this one a little more. Okay, next one.”

Ingo blinked as something clicked into place.

This felt familiar.

Ishimi listed a few more knots for him to tie, and Ingo realized with each one it became easier to just let his hands move on their own. Lampent whistled happily from her spot behind him, and he felt a smile grow on his face. Emmet was beaming proudly as Ingo presented his rope one more time.

“Good job.” She smiled, resting her chin on her hands. “I think they’ll sink in a lot better once you’re using them out on climbs, but you’re getting it, which is the most important thing.”

Ingo nodded and rubbed his face into his sleeve. “How’d you figure it out?” He asked, sniffling.

Ishimi tilted her head to him. “I’ve been watching you, of course. I’ve been paying attention. What sort of asshole warden would I be if I wasn’t trying to help my apprentices succeed?”

Ingo laughed a little as Emmet sat next to him and pulled him into a hug.

“I know you’re a smart kid, Ingo.” Ishimi continued. “You both are, but we’re talking about you right now. You can remember things. It just takes some time. Emmet’s definitely picked up on that, even if he’s never consciously realized it.”

It’s true. Emmet signed, nodding readily.

“You’ve said this all before.” Ingo realized.

“And I’ll say it again, as many times as you need to hear it!” Ishimi huffed, getting to her feet. “Come on, time for one last patrol for the day before the little Lady inevitably comes to bother you two.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

Ingo wasn’t sure how he’d feel when they finally met their dad.

Anxious, perhaps. He had no memory of him. Everything he knew was secondhand information from Emmet. If he thought about it for long enough, old emotions would unbury themselves, and he’d shed tears for the faces he could no longer remember. The musings in his notes hoped that he’d be able to finally associate those emotions to an actual person, and not the reflection of a memory.

However, when Drayden approached them, his hands trembling at his sides as he kept what probably for him was a painful distance, Ingo didn’t feel anything. This man was a complete and total stranger.

Emmet was crying, though, which meant something. He could take heart in that.

“Are you doing better today?” He asked them.

Ingo nodded and Emmet sniffled, rubbing his face into his sleeve. “Yes, we are doing better.” He answered.

Ingo put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and looked past Drayden to the inside of the house. He could see people in the living room. Elesa, Skyla, and Burgh, and one other that he did not recognize.

Was that Iris?

Drayden said something and held out their haori to them. Ingo took them without touching his hand and passed Emmet’s to him before pulling his on own. He could breathe a little easier now, now that he had it back.

“Do you want to come inside?”

Emmet glanced to Ingo to check with him. Ingo nodded, pulling the brim of his hat over his eyes. He found Emmet’s hand and held onto it tightly as they followed Drayden into the house.

The couch looked to be the spot they’d be sitting at, since no one else was near it. He sat down, Emmet cramming up right against his side. He wasn’t sure if the notion was more for Emmet’s comfort, or his own.

Their gym leader friends were all standing as if to leave. Elesa was talking to Drayden and Iris(?), gesturing at the Xtrans on her wrist as she spoke. She looked concerned about something. Skyla looked in his direction and sat in the chair next to the couch to lean in.

“Would you two be okay if we left for a few minutes?” She asked softly. “We’re just going to other rooms in the house to make some calls.”

“What’s happening?” Ingo asked.

Skyla met his gaze, and he could see the moment that a lie was being considered as the thought flickered across her face. He frowned deeper and waited.

“Some news is spreading about our gyms being closed at the same time.” She finally said, and it felt like the truth. “People are worried, so we’re going to try and fix it.”

Right, because news traveled faster in Unova, for some reason. His gaze flicked to the big screen mounted on the opposite wall. He had a feeling that the device was significant to getting information, somehow.

Sinnoh, it was all so complicated here. He just wanted to go climbing again, to check on Lady Sneasler and see how her next clutch of eggs were doing. That’s why they hadn’t seen her in so long, wasn’t it?

Wasn’t it?

Wait, no, it was summer. That didn’t make sense—

“Go and fix it.” Emmet said. “We will be all right.”

Chandelure trilled softly from behind Ingo as he took in the scene again. Burgh had already left the living room and Skyla was leaving, too, with Elesa. Elesa gave them both an encouraging smile before she turned away.

He took in a deep, steadying breath as he looked to the last two people in the room. Drayden, and the young girl, probably in her mid-teens. She was scooting her chair closer to Drayden so he could see the screen of her Xtrans.

“You are Iris?” He checked.

She nodded, smiling warily. “That’s me.”

“My name is Ingo.” He said, then added after a pause, “I am your older brother.”

“I am Emmet.” Emmet said.

“I know.” She squirmed in her seat and held her arms between her knees. “It’s nice to finally meet you guys.”

She looked like she didn’t know what to do with herself. Ingo felt bad about keeping his distance, but he wasn’t sure if he could handle any more than this, right now. She was family, but she was new. He wasn’t ready to invite her into his space, yet.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” He said, smiling gently.

Drayden took in a shaky breath at he watched him. “You still have that funny smile.” He spoke softly in disbelief.

Ingo ducked his head behind his hat. He wasn’t sure if anyone new had clocked his expression as a smile so quickly before. Then again, he wasn’t really new, per say. “Ah, y-yes. I’ve always smiled like this?”

“Yup!” He felt Emmet nod. “Always.”

“Oh.”

He stared down at his lap, uncharacteristically unsure of what else to say. He gaze moved to the couch they were sitting on as Emmet pulled him in closer by the shoulders. It looked like something had burned it, at some point. It smelled fairly recent, and he was pretty certain he had a hunch as to the cause. His brows furrowed a little as he tried to recall if it had been like that the last time they were here.

“I probably don’t have to say it, but I’m so, so very happy that you two are here.” Drayden said, breaking the awkward silence. He was trying to keep the emotion out of his voice as much as possible. “I didn’t believe it at first, when Iris told me. But then I saw the pictures… You look so much like your mother.”

Ingo nodded. That sounded familiar. Emmet must have told him that before.

“You probably have some questions.” Emmet said. “It has been a verrry long time.”

Drayden swallowed. “After you two left yesterday, Elesa told us about where you were. You were in the past. In Hisui?”

“Yup.” Emmet nodded. “We were wardens to Lady Sneasler, for most of our lives.”

“What was that like?”

Ingo moved his thumb along his warden band, tracing along the carved lines, worn down smooth over their years and years of service.

“I like it a lot.” He said. “I like the mountains, and Lady Sneasler.”

“We’d assist passengers through the highlands, when Sneasler wasn’t available.” Emmet continued, brushing his thumb along Ingo’s shoulder. “Made sure paths were safe, and that aggressive pokemon stayed in their territories.”

Ingo’s frown deepened as Emmet continued to explain their duties. Yes, it had been some time since they’ve been able to properly perform them, he felt, but he wasn’t sure why his brother was referring to everything in the past tense.

Did something happen?

“Ingo, is everything okay?”

Ingo raised his head to look at Drayden before he shifted his gaze to a burn mark on the opposite wall. He was watching him much too carefully for his liking. It felt like being sought out by a wild alpha.

What was he looking for?

He fidgeted nervously. “What do you mean?”

Drayden was quiet for a few moments. Ingo stole another glance at him to confirm he was still being stared at. Emmet shifted in his seat to block Drayden’s view of him.

“Please do not make Ingo guess.” He warned.

That only seemed to worry Drayden more. “Elesa mentioned that there was something you two probably needed to explain. Something they would not talk about with us.”

Ingo blinked.

Oh.

Oh, he wasn’t sure if he ever considered this before. Actually telling his dad about himself. He took a deep breath and touched his fingers to the brim of his hat, hesitating, before he let his hand drop back to his lap. Emmet took it and gave it a squeeze.

“I, ah… I cracked my head open when we fell, and I have had memory problems ever since.” He said softly.

Drayden stared at him again, several emotions crossing his face. Shock, despair, pity (oh, he did not like pity), panic, disbelief, despair again.

Finally, he was able to form one question, his voice trembling. “What do you mean, you two fell?”

Ingo glanced to Emmet, a silent cue for him to continue.

“Space-time distortion.” Emmet explained. “It’s a phenomena where things and pokemon are pulled together from all points of space and time into a pocket that manifests in Hisui. Rarely, people are pulled in.”

“And you two were pulled into one.”

“And Tynamo, and Litwick, though it was probably because they were in their pokeballs on our belts when it happened.” Emmet’s own voice grew shaky as he continued. “I th-think we appeared in one at the edge of a cliff and hadn’t realized it, or we came into it falling. I don’t remember it clearly.”

“Were you hurt?” The question was aimed at Emmet.

“Yes.” Emmet answered simply. “It was a long time ago, though. It doesn’t matter.”

Ingo squeezed Emmet’s hand back tightly. He never liked it when Emmet said that. It did matter to him, so much.

He chanced another glance to Drayden. The man looked like he wanted to cry. “And you don’t remember it?” He asked Ingo.

“No, I don’t.” Ingo said. “I don’t remember anything about the accident, or anything before it. I tend to forget a lot of things, too.”

“You don’t remember me at all?”

Ingo shrugged. “I know you are my dad, because Emmet tells me. I know you are a dragon type specialist, and a gym leader.”

Him listing off facts didn’t seem to help with Drayden’s increasing worry. “Do you remember having Chandelure burn the living room yesterday?” He asked.

Ah, so it was an Infernal Parade that did it. He thought he recognized the marks. He looked at the burns again, then to his partner. Chandelure trilled to him in confirmation.

“No, I don’t.” He answered.

“Well, you were panicking, and Dad was being a bit scary.” Iris pointed out. “I think you did it as a distraction to get away.”

“I feel like that would be the best reason for it.” He said. “I am sorry, for the outburst.”

Drayden got to his feet, his hands shaking. Both Ingo and Emmet shrank in their seats as he hesitated, before he marched out of the room. A door shut firmly somewhere else down the hall.

“I’m sorry.” Ingo repeated, more quietly. Emmet held him close to his side again.

“You are fine.” Emmet assured, his voice thick. “You are perfectly fine. Not your fault. Everything is just stressful, right now.”

Ingo nodded. He’d have to apologize to Skyla for ruining her house, but he felt so numb right now.

Emmet rubbed Ingo’s back for a while before he turned to Iris, who had pulled her legs up to her chest to be smaller in her seat. “You mentioned that you are the Champion?” He asked, sighing shakily.

Ingo peeked around Emmet to look at her.

“Um, yeah.” Iris said from behind her knees. “I took the title from the last Champion, last year.”

“You enjoy battling?” Ingo asked.

“No,” she laughed softly. “I love it.”

He felt himself smile again. “As you should.”

Iris looked between the two of them. “You guys love battling too, don’t you?”

“Yup!” Emmet beamed at her, maybe a little too forcefully, to counteract the mood. “We started to help to train people at the training grounds in Jubilife about a year ago. Well, Ingo helped more with training.”

Ingo rolled his eyes. “Emmet’s version of training is to throw everything he has at his opponent, regardless of experience.”

“If a battle isn’t serious, it isn’t fun!” Emmet argued cheerfully. “And it’s not like you ever go easy on anyone, either!”

Ingo felt his face warm in embarrassment. “I do admit that I tend to get carried away when I get excited.”

Iris was gradually unfolding herself in her seat, smiling at the pair of them. “I’d love to go against you guys, sometime.”

“Oh, yes please.” Ingo said, sitting up a little straighter. “I feel like it’s been much too long since I’ve had a proper battle.”

“It’s been too long.” Emmet bemoaned. “Weeks, even.”

Ingo paused as Iris snickered, his brows furrowing. Why had it been a while, anyway? Usually he and Emmet would fit a battle or two into their schedule, even if they couldn’t make it to Jubilife for one reason or another. Was Zisu aware that they couldn’t make it over to help?

How far was Jubilife from Mistralton?

“Niisan?”

Ingo blinked and took in his surroundings again. Chandelure was curling an arm around his shoulder.

“Apologies. I got lost in thought.” He said.

Emmet gave him a small nod and rubbed his back again. Ingo raised a hand to his partner’s side and stroked her glass. He could feel her checking on his soul, her touch gentle as she coaxed him back to the present.

It felt like she’d been doing that a lot, lately. Emmet, too.

“Thank you, my dear.” He said quietly. He looked to Iris again and took a deep breath. “So, what exactly does a Champion do?”

———

Elesa cursed under her breath as she left the living room to look at her Xtrans. She had put the thing on silent earlier that morning and hadn’t thought to check it. There were several notifications about missed calls and texts from her gym trainers, as well as a couple from Skyla’s.

Texting was going to take too long, so she decided to call one of her trainers. The call rang only a couple of times before the profile picture of a Lady gave way to the video of a young woman who looked like she had answered as quickly as she could.

“Colette? Hi, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking at my Xtrans.”

“Miss Elesa, thank the Dragons.” Colette sighed in relief on the screen, putting a hand to her chest. “I know we were closing the gym today, but then we found out about the other closures and were getting worried.”

“Oh, with Skyla, and Burgh, and… Drayden’s gyms?” Elesa voice slowed with each name, her eyes widening in realization. That was half of Unova’s gyms, suddenly closed at the same time, during one of the busiest times of the year.

“Everything is fine, though.” She assured.

“Are you sure about that?” Colette frowned worriedly. “Where are you?”

“I’m still in Mistralton, at Skyla’s. Something’s come up.”

“Are you safe? They reported the announcement about the closures on the news this morning and people are starting to think it has something to do with Plasma.”

“What? No, Plasma has nothing to do with this.” Elesa shook her head. “This is, um, a personal matter.”

Colette nodded slowly, tucking her flaaffy under her chin. “Well, that’s… good, I suppose. Good, that it isn’t their doing. Miss Elesa, I’m still worried that this situation is going to spiral out of control if one or more of you don’t speak up soon.”

“Believe me, we’re aware.” Elesa sighed. “Skyla and Burgh are working on their own damage control.”

“What about Drayden? Is he there, as well?”

“Let us worry about Drayden, Colette.” She smiled at the camera tiredly. “I need your help with Nimbasa, okay?”

“All right.” Colette’s expression steeled as she looked directly at the camera. “Just say what you need me and the other trainers to do.”

Elesa smiled more genuinely, taking a deep breath. “I love you guys, so much.”

Skyla came back downstairs a few minutes after Elesa finished her call with Colette. She made straight for the closed blinds and urgently jerked her head to them for Elesa to look.

“There’s a couple of cameras waiting outside.” Skyla said softly. “I saw them from upstairs.”

“What the hell?” Elesa whispered back, peeking between the blinds and peering out. “Fucking mandibuzzes.”

Burgh joined them in the kitchen and he took his own peek through the window. “How are they here already?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it has to do with the four gym leaders and the Champion all crammed into my house since yesterday, instead of at their places during the summer rush. This whole thing didn’t exactly go down subtly.” Skyla shot back. Elesa could tell she was getting stressed, and not just for her own sake.

Fortunately, Burgh wasn’t taking the attitude personally. “Have either of you checked the gym leader group text?” He asked.

“I haven’t.” Elesa admitted.

“The newbies are getting worried on there, but I don’t think Clay has looked at it yet. He’s probably busy.”

“I’ll put in a message.” Skyla offered. “I’ll leave it to Drayden to say anything about the twins.”

Elesa scoffed softly at that. “Drayden never says anything on there, though.”

“Yeah, well, at least Clay does. He’ll get Drayden to do something.”

As if on cue, a door slammed somewhere in the house, making the three of them jump.

“What was that?” Elesa whispered.

Burgh leaned over to peek into the living room. “Drayden’s not in there.”

Elesa peeked around him. Ingo was trying to make himself as small as possible while Emmet was comforting him, muttering reassurances under his breath. Iris looked uncomfortable as she balled up in her chair.

She looked away to give them privacy. “What happened?” She asked quietly, to no one in particular.

Skyla was listening down the hall from the other kitchen entrance, before she quickly moved back over to them.

“I think Drayden’s crying.” She whispered.

“Okay, then.” Burgh took a deep breath. Leavanny chittered anxiously next to him. “This is fine. Totally fine. Not really, but— Should have probably expected this.”

The three of them sat at the dining table, staring at the photos and the article that were still spread out on the surface.

“Guys, there’s no way Ingo and Emmet are not going to be on the news once they step out that front door.” Burgh said. He pulled the article closer and tapped on the page. “And how much do you want to bet some internet sleuths are going to figure out this link, sooner rather than later?”

“I don’t want to put bets on something like that, not even metaphorical ones.” Skyla said.

Elesa nodded in agreement. She could hear talking coming from the living room again, slow and awkward at first, but it seemed to be getting easier. The twins were talking mostly in Kanjoh, but she could tell from Iris’s side of the conversation that they had started discussing battling, and about her experience as a Champion.

That should make them feel a little better.

Elesa startled again when Drayden quietly entered the kitchen and sat down next to Burgh at the table. His eyes were rimmed with red and he looked exhausted, but none of them said anything as he leaned his arms on the table.

“We need to get them to Opelucid.” He said, his voice rough.

“I think that would be our best option.” Skyla nodded. “My house isn’t built to deter attention like this. They can’t even have their whole team out at one time because I don’t have enough room for everyone.”

“Regardless, thank you, for having them here, Skyla.” He said. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for that generosity.”

Skyla smiled at him. “They needed help. I was happy to give it. We all were.”

The sound of something vibrating caught their attention. Drayden pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the screen.

“Looks like Clay’s read the group text.” Burgh noted.

Drayden cleared his throat and answered his phone. Even though it wasn’t on speaker, Elesa could still hear Clay’s voice coming through clearly.

“Drayden, you mind tellin’ me what the ever-lovin’ hell is happenin’ with the gyms? I’m hearin’ talk of Plasma and I’m not likin’ it!”

“Plasma has nothing to do with this.” Drayden sighed. “Everything is fine, in that regard.”

“Well, what is happenin’ then, so we can start workin’ on gettin’ a handle on this story?”

Drayden rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at the photos on the table. “…Ingo and Emmet have been found and are here with us at Skyla’s.” He answered quietly. “We need to get them to Opelucid, preferably without drawing too much attention.”

Clay’s stunned silence spoke volumes. He tried to start several sentences before he could finally get some words out.

“How’re you doin’, ‘bout all this?” He asked softly.

Drayden shrugged, exactly in the way Emmet did. “I am… managing.”

“So, not good at all.”

He didn’t answer. Clay sighed from the other side of the line. “I’ll get you a car for them.” He said. “You just hang tight, all right?”

“I can do it.”

“No. Drayden, I’m goin’ to help.” Clay’s tone was determined, with no room for argument. “There’s probably some other things that only you are able to take care of, ain’t there, Mr. Mayor? Gym Leader? You take care of that, and I’ll take care of this.”

Drayden took a careful breath and nodded. “There is something you and I will need to discuss, at some point.” He said.

“It will have to wait.” Clay huffed loudly. “Let’s get your boys home, first.”

Drayden covered his face again. His shoulders trembled for a few moments before he pulled himself together.

“Of course. Thank you.”

———

Ingo peeked through the blinds to see the black car that had parked in front of Skyla’s house. A few people were mingling nearby, waiting, aiming devices between the car and the house. Elesa said they were called cameras.

He didn’t think he’d been in a car before. At least, not since they arrived in Unova. Maybe he’d been in one before their fall.

“We can’t take a train?” He asked.

“You two still like trains?”

Ingo didn’t realize that Drayden was the only one in the kitchen at the moment to answer, and he jumped a little when he heard his voice.

He continued when Ingo didn’t answer. “There weren’t any in Hisui, were there?”

“No.” Ingo didn’t meet his eyes, or even look at him. “I think we’ve seen some since we got here, though.”

Drayden was quiet for a moment. “We won’t be going by train this time. To get to Opelucid, we’d have to go all the way to Gear Station and then switch to another line. A car will be more direct, and more private.”

“Oh.” Ingo looked through the window again, thinking. “There is something special at Gear Station, isn’t there?”

Drayden seemed confused by the question, going off of his tone. “What?”

Ingo let the blinds close and walked out of the kitchen to the living room. “Never mind.” He said.

He sat in a corner of the couch and pulled out his notebook to review. That’s right, Gear Station had the Battle Subway, where challengers could battle on the trains. Skyla had mentioned it to them. Elesa had shown them some recordings of the battles that happen in there and he and Emmet had gotten very excited. The problem was that Gear Station was a busy place, much busier than Jubilife ever got. The trains were pretty noisy, too. He wasn’t sure about how he’d do on them, currently.

He scanned over his latest notes about his earlier conversation with Drayden and Iris before putting his notebook away and closing his eyes. Sighing, he set his hat in his lap and rubbed the side of his head, tracing along the long scar that started near his temple and disappeared into his hair.

“You doing all right?”

The voice was Elesa’s. He felt the couch shift as she sat on the opposite end.

“I’m not sure.” He admitted. “Where is Emmet?”

“He’s talking with your dad about the plan to get to Opelucid.” She explained. “Your dad’s going to fly ahead to take care of his gym. Iris will meet us at the house.”

“Us?”

“Your brother asked me if I could come with you two in the car.” He felt her lean forward in her seat. “I’m going to be getting into your space during the drive over. Is that okay with you?”

Ingo opened his eyes to look over at her. Sinnoh, she looked as exhausted as he felt. The fact that he could recognize her and recall her name so quickly was a testament to him of how often she’d been around, helping them. She and the others led busy lives, as far as he could recall.

“Yes, I am fine with that.” He said, giving her a small nod. “Thank you, for everything.”

“Oh, don’t thank me yet.” She smirked faintly. “Let’s get you out of here first.”

He nodded again, staring down at his hat. Sure enough, he could hear his brother’s voice coming from the kitchen as he spoke with Drayden. He took a deep breath and ran a hand down his face.

“Ingo?”

He looked to Elesa again, and saw she had an arm up in invitation to him. Ingo paused only for a moment before he scooted over to her side of the couch. She pulled him into a gentle hug.

“You smell like a campfire.” She chuckled. “And pine trees.”

“Well, I do like camping.” He hummed back, lightly leaning against her.

She held him at his shoulder, thinking on something. “We should look at getting you guys some Xtranses, or phones, so you can reach out to any of us whenever you want.” She said.

Ingo hummed again and relaxed a little. It felt nice, being this close to someone again, and not just Emmet. “That would be good.” He said. “Is Opelucid far away?”

Elesa shook her head. “It’s not too far, but it would be nice to be able to talk to each other, regardless of distance.”

“It would.” He agreed. “I would like that.”

She let him be to tune out again, and he relaxed against the couch, staring at the fabric of his hat for a while before he closed his eyes. For once his thoughts didn’t wander into any aimless direction, his mind blessedly blank as he picked out his brother’s voice in the house, and just listened to the hum of his even tone.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed until he heard Drayden again, nearby.

“Time to go.”

Ingo quickly stood up from his seat and took a step away from the voice before he had a chance to register it. He noticed Drayden watching him from where he stood at the backdoor, his expression hard to read. Ingo shifted his gaze to Iris, who looked nervous as she stood next to their dad.

“I’ll see you guys there?” She checked, smiling a little at him.

“Yup.” Emmet said, coming up right next to Ingo and bumping against him. He had their Pearl Clan tunics under one arm, and a bag over his shoulder. “We will be departing soon.”

Drayden nodded, heading out to the yard without another word and releasing a green, winged pokemon. Ingo had to assume that it was a dragon, even if it looked a little bug-like.

He found he could breathe easier when Drayden took off with his pokemon. Iris followed him into the sky with a dragon of her own, blue, with red wings. Emmet ran a hand across his back as the house fell silent.

Ingo could hear the people outside, indistinct voices getting excited as their family flew away. Burgh sighed as he peeked through the blinds again.

“Are we ready?” He asked.

Emmet nodded, handing Ingo his tunic. Ingo held the clothing in his hands, staring down at their clan’s crest for a moment. He raised the tunic to his chest, holding the emblem against his heart.

“Why are there people waiting, anyway?” He asked.

Elesa looked to Ingo and spoke with all the weight of an apology. “Because some people love a story.” She sighed, as if that explained everything.

She nodded to the door. “Keep your heads down and follow my lead. Don’t look at anybody. Don’t say anything.” She paused and looked to Chandelure. “Can she go into her ball for a minute? Just long enough for us to get into the car.”

Chandelure let out a discordant chime at the idea, tucking herself under Ingo’s chin. He ran his hand along her side.

“It’s just for a moment, dear.” He assured. “You can come right out once we’re settled.”

She whined softly, peeking up at him before she returned to her pokeball.

“Thank you.”

Ingo felt a disconnect as the door was opened and Elesa led the way outside, Emmet pressed up behind him. Voices rose, light flashed, he heard questions but couldn't make out words. He kept his eyes down at his feet as he clutched his tunic.

Elesa opened the back door of the car and motioned for him to go in first. Emmet followed him inside and nudged him over to the far seat. Elesa came in last, closing the door behind her. The sounds from outside immediately muffled, and the windows were dark, giving the space a bit of the feeling of a small cave, if the walls were lined with fabric and had plush seats.

The car started to move and Emmet took Ingo’s hand and held it tight. Skyla’s house slid out of view, as did the rest of the street. It was the strangest feeling, seeing everything pass by, but not feeling any air move. It was a little nauseating, really.

Elesa reached over to his side of the car before he could say anything (or maybe Emmet had said something, and he just wasn’t paying attention), and she adjusted a vent on the wall, tilting it in his direction. Ingo flinched when cold wind hit his face, and he ducked his head so it hit his hat instead.

“Sorry. How’s that?” She asked.

Ingo thought on it for a moment before he nodded. It still wasn’t great, but it was better. It felt a bit more like they were actually moving. He could endure the car for a while like this.

Chandelure released herself with a trill and came to rest on his lap, on top of his tunic. He leaned forward, wrapping his free arm around her frame. He fell into his thoughts again as the car picked up speed and the world blurred by.

They were going to Opelucid, to their old house. It had been a long time since they had been there, because they had been in Hisui.

What had changed that they could now visit, though? They still needed to get back to the highlands to perform their duties—

He felt a pull from Chandelure, nudging him away from the track. He thought about something else.

Drayden hadn’t wanted to hear about his accident. Maybe he was mad, or disappointed, or even devastated by the news. Ingo felt tears well up in his eyes. There was nothing he could do about it. He could only be himself, and he was proud of that fact, but if his own father didn’t—

Another pull. He thought about something else.

Where was Ishimi? She had to be so worried that they hadn’t been to the settlement, even if she probably wouldn’t show it. Were she and Lady Sneasler looking for them? Their clan? Maybe Rei and Akari were looking, too.

Chandelure’s arms curled securely around his as he bowed his head. Her chime gently reverberated with his soul, smoothing down its fraying edges.

He felt the impression of a memory surface with the resonance, warm and faded.

~~

Callused hands handing him a small book.

A dyed leather cover, all tied together on one side with string.

He felt that she had been smiling at him.

… Where did she go?

~~

Hot tears fell onto Chandelure’s glass, and his shoulders began to shake with deep, quiet sobs as his heart ached with sorrows he couldn’t name.

Chapter Text

“Dad wrestled dragons?”

“Yup!” Emmet smiled. “He was a dragon type gym leader. That means he was a verrry strong trainer.”

Ingo had the feeling that he’d been told this before, but Emmet never seemed to be bothered by the repeat questions. Ingo loved him for it. “What sort of team did he have?”

Emmet found a long stick and started to draw shapes into the dirt. “He had two haxorus, Nana and Russ.” He paused and tilted his head in thought. “Or maybe we just called Nana that. She always helped to keep an eye on us when Dad was busy. Russ was Dad’s ace, so he was usually with him.”

He finished drawing a rudimentary haxorus with large, axe-like tusks and started on a more jagged shape. “He also had Druddigon, and Vibrava, which would evolve into a flygon later. There were others, but that was his main team.”

Ingo squinted at the drawings, trying to imagine the pokemon in reality. “Was Nana nice?”

“Yeah, she was nice. We loved her a lot.” Emmet’s smile faltered for a moment. “She didn’t come with us when we ended up here, because we thought we would be fine with our starters. She stayed at camp with Dad.”

Emmet finished and sat next to Ingo on the rock, stick still in hand. Ingo stared at the drawings and idly traced the carved lines of his new warden band with his thumb, while his brother continued to doodle.

“Dad would have given us an axew egg, at some point.” Emmet spoke up. “It’s the little version of a haxorus.”

“You think he would have?” Ingo asked.

“I know so. He said he would. It was tradition, or something.“

Ingo leaned against his brother, thinking. “Should we get a dragon for our team, for Dad?” He suggested.

Emmet paused and looked at him. “Do you want to?”

He shrugged back. “Yeah, kinda.”

“We don’t have any empty pokeballs. They don’t exist here.”

“So?” Ingo said. “We got our other pokemon without them.”

The twins looked out at their team. Gligar was prodding Abra with a claw so she’d rotate in place in the air, much to her delight. Machop was showing Yanma and Eelektrik the shell they’d found during their latest trip to the Coastlands. Lampent, as she usually did, hung near Ingo’s shoulder.

“They stayed because we asked nicely, and they wanted to stay with us.”

“We can still do that with a dragon.” Ingo pointed out.

“I dunno…” Emmet looked out at the highlands warily. “Wild dragons are kinda scary around here.”

Now that the thought was in his head, Ingo wasn’t about to let it go. He pulled out his notebook and started to write down ideas. “We just gotta find the foods they like,” he said, “and make sure our team is trained enough to keep us safe. We’ll follow all the safety checks.”

Emmet took a deep breath and seemed to shake something off of him. “No, you’re right! We should get a dragon on our team.” He said, determined.

Ingo grinned and got to his feet, helping Emmet up after him. “Do you have a pokemon in mind already?” Emmet asked.

“Not really.” Ingo shrugged. He could never really remember everything that lived around the highlands, not at least until he saw their tracks or heard them.

Emmet nodded. “Well, I think there’s only two kinds of dragons in Hisui. Goodras, which are steel and dragon, and garchomps, which are ground and dragon.”

“Which one do you like better?”

Emmet’s smile squirmed at a thought. “Goodras are verrry slimy. I don’t like the idea of slimy.”

Ingo added the note to his book. “No goodras, then.”

Emmet tossed his drawing stick to the side and blew a note in his celestica flute for their team. Everyone came to attention, and started following after the twins as they continued their patrol.

“Let’s take our time finding one.” Emmet said, rubbing Eelektrik’s head as he came swimming up next to him. “Get everybody trained up in the meantime.”

Ingo nodded in agreement, stumbling a little as Gligar swooped over and landed on his back. “Maybe we can find a razor fang for you before then.” He said to him, reaching up to scratch his head.

Gligar chittered excitedly at the idea, tapping his feet against Ingo’s back.

They continued their route around the highlands, making notes about any issues on the established trails and what would need maintenance when they came back around later. Ingo didn’t want to let go of the thought about a garchomp for their team, so he kept referring to his notes to keep it in mind as they went about their day. It made him excited! There were battling possibilities with the addition, and there was a part of him that felt like they would be making their dad proud.

They were making their way through Clamberclaw Cliffs when he heard the cries of gible and gabite echoing over to them. It turned Ingo’s head as he prepped their rope for climbing. That’s right, those were the smaller evolutions of garchomp. He frowned in thought as he and Emmet scaled up the cliffs with their team, glancing in the direction he felt a dragon nest could be.

They’d be back, eventually. They just needed time to prepare.

Because for the parent he couldn’t remember, he wanted to get the very best.

———

~~~~~~~

———

As he gained his confidence as a warden, Ingo started taking charge more often. It was something that Emmet was so damn proud of acquiescing to. He loved to see the Ingo that he remembered before the accident, striding ahead and talking passionately and loudly about anything that came to his mind. It meant the world to him that these were parts of his brother that had refused to die, even in the wake of their fall. It just took time, patience, and the right conditions to coax them out of him again.

So seeing Ingo shrink further into himself when their dad suddenly left the room made Emmet so, so angry. He was trying to see it from Dad’s point of view, even just a little bit. It was understandable that it wasn’t good news to hear about a life-altering accident, but that was news nearly two decades old by this point. He and Ingo had moved past it, learned to adapt and live with it.

Between that, and hearing his brother cry in a way he hadn’t heard since they were newly minted wardens—

Between that, and realizing that Ingo kept losing focus during their conversation with Dad and Iris, probably more times than he had noticed—

Emmet’s stomach twisted into knots. Dragons, and he had been avoiding talking about Hisui while around Ingo. Kept changing the subject. Which no doubt did nothing to help the situation.

He was angry, but more than that, he was terrified.

“Hey, just breathe.”

Elesa put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Emmet took a shaky breath and roughly rubbed his face into his sleeve with his free hand. Ingo was still holding onto his other one.

Ingo had gone silent again after a while. Emmet checked him to find he was staring at the floor of the car blankly, a little green in the face.

“You okay?” He asked.

Ingo’s gaze refocused onto him, and he gave a small shake of his head. “Nauseous.” He answered, holding Chandelure closer.

Emmet rubbed his brother’s back and sighed quietly. “Me too.”

“Do we want to crack the windows open a bit?” Elesa asked. “Get some fresh air?”

Ingo nodded, closing his eyes. The sudden noise of wind blowing past the car startled both him and Emmet at first, but having more circulation than what the air vents were offering did seem to help.

Emmet looked out the window and watched Icirrus City pass by, then Tubeline Bridge. It wasn’t until they entered Opelucid proper that the uncanniness of it all started to sink in. He knew this place, an old, outdated version of it, but he still recognized bits and pieces of their hometown. He saw the park they used to go to all the time, and the ice cream place they’d frequent was still there. There were even office buildings he recognized, because whenever they passed by them he used to try and count as many windows as he could before the buildings were out of sight.

More people with cameras were waiting outside of a gated property, lined with tall hedges, and Emmet was surprised to find that they were pulling into it. It wasn’t until they went through the gate that he realized the mansion they had once called home was inside.

“When was the gate built?” He asked Elesa.

“I don’t know.” She admitted. “I’ve never been here before.”

Ingo raised his head again once the car came to a stop. Emmet could see that Iris was waiting for them on the steps leading up to the front door, along with a couple of haxorus. She made a move as if to stand, but then stopped, and remained sitting as she waited. Elesa showed Ingo the handle to get the door open, and his brother stumbled from the car, eager to get out.

“Better?” Emmet asked.

Ingo nodded and took a deep breath, segueing into stretching his arms over his head. Emmet followed his lead, looking around at the grounds.

“Verrry strange to be back here.” He muttered, eyeing the front door.

“This is our house, right?” Ingo asked. “Has it changed at all?”

Emmet glanced around a little more before he shook his head. “Not much. Not really. Aside from the wall of bushes surrounding the place.”

Iris stood and came down the steps to join them, the pair of haxorus following behind her until the older one walked ahead to get closer.

“Oh,” Emmet felt a lump growing in his throat again when he recognized her. “Hi, Nana. Do you remember us?”

The haxorus came up to him first and he let her inspect him. She knocked his hat askew as she lightly nibbled at his hair and sniffed until a whine suddenly built up in her chest. She pressed her head against his shoulder with a warbling cry, her whole body starting to shake with unmitigated joy.

“Good girl. Verrry good girl.” He scratched her up and down her neck, sniffling softly. “I missed you, too.”

Ingo stepped away a little when she eagerly approached him next, putting a hand on the base of her tusk to firmly hold her back.

“Hello.” He said, scratching her under her chin with his free hand. “I think Emmet has told me about you.”

Nana whined about being held in place, giving Ingo the most pitiful look.

“Nana is a good girl. She should know to be careful with her tusks.” Emmet explained, drying his eyes.

Ingo slowly removed his hand and let her come closer. She raised her head and nudged his hat aside to preen at his hair like she did with Emmet. Ingo took in a sharp breath and winced.

“Oh, Nana dear, please do not do that.” He pushed her head away and put his hat back on. “I am sorry, but that does not feel good.”

She crooned softly, nudging his cheek in apology.

“You are all right. You didn’t know.” He ran his hand along the top of her head, smiling faintly. “It’s nice to meet you again.”

She let out another cry, nuzzling against him more carefully.

“Wow, she really likes you guys.” Iris said, putting her hands in her pockets. “I thought she only did that with me.”

“You, too?” Emmet smiled at the comment. “Good to know that she still likes to treat her favorites like her little axews.”

“This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been treated like a pokemon’s babies.” Ingo said, rubbing the side of his head.

“What do you mean?”

Both Emmet and Ingo’s faces heated up, and Emmet clamped his mouth shut to keep from changing the subject. Ingo continued, embarrassed. “Once Lady Sneasler evolved and took over ride noble responsibilities, she… well, she can get rather rather pushy when she doesn’t have kits to watch over.”

“Oh my gods, did she groom your hair, like a baby sneasel?” Elesa asked, a hint of delight in her tone. Iris looked just as amused. Emmet was pretty sure his face was as red as Ingo’s, right now.

“Even though we are her wardens, I think she sees us more as her kits, sometimes.” His brother continued, pulling the brim of his hat over his eyes.

“Emmet did not let me in on that little detail. No wonder you two have a poison resistance.” Elesa laughed. “That’s adorable.”

Ingo hummed, looking down at Nana and rubbing at his head again as Iris made a comment to Elesa. Emmet tuned them out as he watched his brother grow still, his expression blanking out for a few moments before Chandelure chimed, startling him back into motion. Ingo glanced around, finding Emmet first before he looked to the other people and pokemon around them.

Emmet’s stomach twisted again. “Ingo, do you need to lay down?” He asked. “We can go inside and pick a room.”

Ingo considered the door for a moment, a little nervous. “No. I want to stay out here for a while, if that’s all right. It’s nice out here.”

Even if he did want to enjoy the grounds and avoid going inside, Emmet knew what was going to happen. “You are going to fall asleep somewhere as soon as you get comfortable.” He said.

“No, I won’t.”

“Yes, you will.” Emmet smirked faintly, glancing to Nana and pulling a pokeball from his belt. He had a feeling with how she was hovering close that she was going to follow him around. “Trade me Garchomp before you go.”

Ingo reached behind him for Garchomp’s pokeball and handed it over. Emmet gave him Probopass in exchange. Sure enough, Nana followed by Ingo’s side as he walked off. She nudged his arm until he started petting her again, her tail swishing happily behind her.

Emmet couldn’t help but feel nervous about letting him go, even if he was with pokemon he trusted.

Elesa came close and put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you want me to keep an eye on him? Or Iris?” She asked.

Emmet swallowed hard, still staring at where his brother had disappeared around the corner of the house. “I do not want to treat him like a child, but I am worried, about something.” He said quietly.

“Do you need to talk about it?”

He gave a quick glance to Iris. “I do, but I also need to get a room set up for us for when Ingo falls asleep. Because he will.”

“I can show you a room and then find Ingo while you guys talk.” Iris offered, going up a couple of the front steps. “…Do I even need to show you around?”

Emmet took a deep breath and smiled at her shakily. “You can show me. Things have probably been moved since we’ve been gone.”

“Not really? Dad doesn’t change stuff around here much.” She paused, her brows furrowing in thought. “All your stuff is still stored in your old room in boxes. Wanna see it?”

“Absolutely not.” Emmet shook his head quickly, feeling his stomach lurch like it had in the car. “Nope.”

“All righty, noted.” She led the rest of the way to the front door. “Maybe you two taking a guest room on the first floor might be the best idea, then.”

The first thing that hit Emmet upon going inside was the smell. His steps stuttered at the flood of impressions and emotions that rose in him at the familiar scent of polished wood and dust. Taking a deep breath, he stepped further inside, the sound of their shoes echoing off the tile in such a way that he never realized could be nostalgic.

The foyer still opened up to the main part of the house, the ceiling two stories away from where he stood. A large, wooden staircase led the way up to the second floor, and Emmet could immediately tell that the balusters had been replaced at some point. They used to be wood, but now they were iron.

Everything was smaller than he remembered it, and at the same time so much bigger. It felt strange to be here like this. Like an old glove that didn’t quite fit right.

Iris’s haxorus followed behind her as they passed by the staircase to head down a hallway, with Emmet and Elesa taking up the back. There were family photos on the walls, old and new. He paused when he saw a nice one of Iris and Dad at some sort of event, and he smiled faintly at it.

It looked like he cared about her a lot. Good.

“You told the League you’re here, right?” Elesa asked, walking over to the door Iris had opened, further down the hall.

“I already let the Elite Four know about the situation.” Iris answered from inside the room. “If I need to, I can call Alder to cover for me.”

Emmet came in last and looked around the guest room as he set down his things. A large bed took up most of the space on one side, while a wooden desk was set against one of the two windows in the room. He was pretty sure it was still the same furniture he remembered from back then.

He went to open up the windows to let in fresh air. The wooden and glass frames shuddered from disuse as he pushed them open. He had a feeling Iris chose this room on purpose, as it presented a gorgeous view of the grounds. He looked out, trying to remember where the magikarp pond had been. Was it still there?

“This will work.” He said, turning and smiling at her. “Thank you.”

“Does it still look the same from what you remember?” Iris asked, keeping to the opposite side of the room.

He shrugged. “In some ways. It all smells the same.”

“Like old house?” She smirked a little.

“Like old house.” Emmet agreed, smirking back.

Elesa sat on the edge of the bed while Iris hesitated. She looked down at her hands for a moment. “Before I go… Can I ask you something, even if it sounds kinda rude?” She finally said, tilting her head to the door.

He nodded, following her out back to the foyer. “I will not get mad. Ask.”

She was quiet for a while longer, waiting until they were outside on the front steps before she spoke. “How do I talk to Ingo, if he keeps forgetting stuff?”

Emmet sighed slowly, giving her a tired smile. “Translation app? I do not want to explain in Galarian.”

He waited for her to pull it up on her Xtrans, then continued in Kanjoh.

“Talk to him like you talk to me, or anyone else.” He explained. “Do not get frustrated if he ends up asking the same questions again and again. Do not make him guess for an answer you think he should already know. Most of all, do not lie to him. He doesn’t like that.”

He let the usual pause pass as she read over the translation. “Lies probably confuse him, don’t they?” She guessed.

“They do, verrry much.” He said. “Repetition helps him remember easier. You throw a lie in there, it makes it harder.”

“Has anyone lied to him before, in Hisui?”

“A lot of people, unfortunately.” He sighed. “Some even within our own clan. Ingo probably never realized it, but he made a point to avoid the people that had made him uncomfortable.”

“Like he was doing with Dad?”

Emmet gave a small nod, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yes. Just like that.”

Iris ran a hand down her haxorus’s neck as she thought it all over. “I’ll go find him. I’ll text Elesa to let you know if he’s asleep.”

“Thank you.” Emmet smiled at her. “Do not be afraid to talk to him, all right? He was verrry excited to hear about you being our little sister when I told him this morning. He definitely wants to get to know you.”

“Good thing I’m not really nervous about talking to people, in general.” Iris laughed. She smiled back at him, rubbing her arm. “Thanks, for talking about it.”

“Yup! Do not be afraid to ask more questions!” Emmet said. “We will not be offended. The important thing is to make sure you understand. Oh, also.” He reached into his belt and pulled out a plastic bag of medication. “Have him take one of these. For his headache.”

Iris accepted the bag and nodded. “I’ll go grab a water bottle.”

“Oh, yes, that might be good. Thank you.”

Emmet made his way back to the guest bedroom as Iris ran off. Elesa was still there on the bed, checking her Xtrans. She glanced up at him when she noticed him enter.

“Set up the room first, then talk?” She suggested.

Emmet nodded silently.

Machamp helped to push the heavy bed into a corner to make more room on the rug, and Elesa removed the comforter to shake it out while Emmet left again to grab more blankets. Eelektross kept close to his side as he walked down the hall.

He had to take another moment when he opened the closet door he remembered blankets being in, and found his memory to be correct. So much of the house he’d seen already was a damn time capsule, and something about that made him so nervous. Maybe it was because it made him feel like he and Ingo were the only ones that had changed, after all this time.

Sinnoh and Dragons, he did not want to go upstairs, to where their old room was.

Eelektross gurgled as Emmet tucked a couple blankets under his arm and headed back to the guest room. Elesa had already spread out the first comforter on the floor, futon style, and was moving the bag he’d set down onto the desk chair. His Pearl tunic was on the desk. Ingo still had his on him.

They finished setting up in silence, adding one more layer of comforter before setting some pillows on top. Emmet sat on the bed next to Elesa and looked out to the grounds again, at the tall hedge wall in the distance. He knew that just past it was the river, down the hill from the mansion. He and Ingo had gone there a lot to find interesting rocks and other treasures. It was sad for him to see that the way to it wasn’t accessible anymore.

“You ready to tell me what’s got you worried?”

He slowly looked back to Elesa, a lump in his throat forming before he could even start. He brushed at the corners of his eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Ingo is smart.” He said. “He works so hard. Harder than anyone. He takes notes on everything to help him remember things, and he is observant. He is a great warden, a strong battler, and the best brother.” His voice shook as his voice grew thick. “Most of all, he is not broken. He’s not broken.”

Elesa raised her arm in a silent offer for a hug. He fidgeted and shook his head. He needed to finish what he needed to say before he starting crying, again. “B-but he is not doing well, and I know he’s been getting worse. Elesa, I can tell that Chandelure keeps fussing over him. I am worried that something might be wrong with his soul, on top of everything else.”

“There weren’t any problems before?” Elesa asked.

“Not like this, because not a lot really changed in Hisui. We had a structure, and schedules. Patterns. He was fine, there.” An anger suddenly rose up in him as he spat out his last words. “We had a whole life that we were derailed from by coming here.”

Elesa swallowed and nodded. Emmet felt the anger fizzle out as quickly as it came, and he put a hand over his eyes as he held back a sob.

“Emmet, come here.” Elesa offered her arm again, and he moved over this time to be pulled into a hug. He carefully rested his head on her shoulder, his tears soaking into her shirt.

“You’re right. Ingo is not broken.” She said. “He is an absolute pleasure to be around, and anyone worth their salt can tell that all he wants is to be treated like everyone else.”

Emmet nodded miserably. Elesa held him a little closer.

“But he is struggling. He needs help, more than what you, or Chandelure, can give him.” She pulled back and smiled sadly at him. “I can’t imagine that a couple of stranded kids in Hisui could have turned out this well on their own. Am I wrong?”

Emmet shook his head, his vision blurry with tears. “We were not alone. We were never alone. We had our clan. W-we hhhad Ish—” He cut himself off, unable to completely suppress the sob that bubbled up his throat. He put his head back on her shoulder, trembling.

“And you are still not alone, here.” Elesa said, holding a hand to his back. “Yes, you two were alone in the mountains for a month, but that’s not the case anymore. Remember what I told you yesterday? We all want to see both of you feeling better.”

He nodded again, fighting back his tears until he could find his voice again. Elesa continued to hold him as he cried, rubbing small circles against his back.

“What if Unova isn’t the space for us?” He asked thickly. “What if we don’t belong here?”

Elesa was quiet for a while before she answered. “You have to give it a chance before making that decision.” She said. “Can you do that?”

Emmet bit back another sob, but he nodded one more time.

“I can try.”

———

Nana had insisted on following Ingo around, fussing over him as he tried to lean up against a tree next to a small pond full of magikarp, but he ended up getting stuck in the shade as she curled around him, much like how Garchomp or Eelektross liked to do.

Oh, he wasn’t sure how Garchomp was going to feel about this. It was a good thing that Emmet had her, currently. Maybe this was the reason why he switched her out before they parted ways.

She put her head on his lap and huffed, careful not to press her tusk against his stomach. He started to pet her slowly, tracing along the scratches on her plating.

“You can tell something is wrong, can’t you?” He muttered softly to her. “I can tell, too. My notes are more disjointed, and out of order, because Emmet catches me up on things I wasn’t able to write down in time.”

Chandelure chimed and floated front of him, nuzzling against his chest. Ingo rested his head against her. “I’m so sorry for making you worry.” He sighed shakily. “I am trying to stay on the tracks, my dear. I am trying.”

He felt too tired to cry. Maybe he’d already cried earlier, at some point. Either way, his head was hurting again, and a part of him felt frustrated by it. That was another thing that was happening a lot, he felt. Too much. How could he be there for Emmet if his own cab was constantly out of commission?

How could he do anything, for that matter? He needed to be able to assist passengers, to make sure Jubilife didn’t overstep their authority in the highlands, and to make sure that the luxray didn’t try to encroach on Moonview Arena. Sinnoh, he was hardly in the right mood to listen to Melli gripe at them again—

He felt Chandelure pull at him with a soft chime, bringing him back. He raised a hand to his head, frowning at the ground before he lifted his gaze. His heart rate picked up as he realized he couldn’t see his brother around, but his partner readily curled her arms around him.

“Is Emmet close?” Ingo asked her softly.

She chimed in a way he knew meant that all was well. He released the breath he had been holding in, wilting a little against the dragon that was curled up around him.

Chandelure wasn’t bothered by her, so she was fine.

The dragon whined at him worriedly and he started to pet her, rubbing around the base of her tusks, sort of how like Garchomp liked with her horns. It seemed to do the trick, as he felt her relax around him, and she rumbled a soft sigh.

Oh, he wasn’t sure how Garchomp was going to feel about this.

He was good and stuck because of the dragon, so he laid back and put his hat over his head to further shade his eyes. His head was hurting, again. Annoying.

At least it was nice where he was. This was Opelucid… right?

He decided not to worry about it.

He dozed for a while until he could hear footsteps approaching. Not Emmet’s. He lifted his hat and looked over to find a young girl, about Akari’s age. She smiled at him when she noticed him watching.

“Hi, Ingo.”

Chandelure wasn’t alarmed, and neither was the dragon. She was fine.

And familiar. Something about her made him happy.

“Hello.”

She gave him an amused smile as she crouched down several feet away and put her chin on her knees. “Emmet was right. You’re really gonna just fall asleep outside, aren’t you?”

The impression of Rei and Akari looking down at him incredulously crossed his mind for a moment. He huffed softly.

“Why do I keep getting asked that?” He closed his eyes again. “It’s nice out.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong, there.” He heard the rustling of a plastic bag. “Here. Emmet gave me some medicine for you to take, for your headache.”

Ingo grimaced instinctively, but looked over to see what she was holding out to him. He sat up and accepted the pill, swallowing it down with the water she handed over.

“Thank you.” He pulled out his notes to review who this person was as he fixed his hat on his head. He paused when he came upon what he felt was the right name.

“Oh. Iris.” A warm smile easily came to his lips as he looked to her again. “Hello!”

“Hi.” Iris smiled back at him, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. “You remember me now?”

“I think I do.” He said. “You are my little sister, and the Unova Champion.”

“That’s me.” She confirmed, scooting closer. She sat fully on the ground and crossed her legs, her pokemon laying down next to her. He was the same kind as the one currently curled around Ingo, though much younger.

“Apologies about my earlier behavior. As happy as I am to see you now, I will most likely forget again.” He said. “Please do not hesitate to remind me of your name in the future.”

“You weren’t even being rude, but I’ll make sure to remind you.” She nodded. She glanced at the dragon around him and laughed a little. “Dragons, Nana really missed you.”

“It certainly seems that way.” Ingo agreed, looking down at Nana as she rumbled softly in agreement. “She is very nice, and won’t let me get up.”

Nana huffed and nipped at his sleeve playfully. He chuckled and sat back to get comfortable again.

“Yeah, she does that to me to when I’m not feeling good.” Iris explained. “It’s her way of getting you to slow down.”

A short, wry laugh burst past his lips, and he winced as he put a hand to his head. “That sounds about right.” He sighed. “I have not been able to operate at my usual capacity, I feel.”

“Sorry about that.” She stared at the ground and moved dirt around with her heel. “You’re probably not up for a battle then, are you?”

Ingo’s eyes widened and he looked at her, feeling extremely torn. He wanted to battle, so badly, but he also felt like his headache was only going to get worse if he tried to ignore it.

Chandelure could keep him from falling over, though…

“Wait, you’re seriously considering it?” Iris asked.

“I am weighing my options.”

He glanced to his partner, who flared her flames at him in a huff. With a woeful sigh, he put a hand against his head.

“Another time.” He decided. “But please remind me when I am feeling better.”

Iris just laughed, grinning at him. “Okay. You weren’t kidding when you said you loved to battle earlier.”

“It is one of the things I confidently know how to do.” Ingo smiled at her. “And it’s fun.”

“It is!” She scooted closer, leaning in. “You and Emmet share a team, right? What do you guys have?”

“Chandelure, and Eelektross.” He gestured to his partner above him. Chandelure chimed at Iris happily. “Then we also have Gliscor, Yanmega, Alakazam, Machamp, Dinner Plate, Tangrowth, Probopass, Garchomp, Magnezone, and Samurott.”

“Wait, what? Dinner Plate?” Iris snorted as she read the translation on her Xtrans.

Ingo checked the front of his notes for a moment and squinted at them. “Bastiodon is what he is called, officially. Emmet didn’t know what he was when he found him as a shieldon, nor did anyone else, so he named him Dinner Plate.” He explained.

“Just. Flat out Dinner Plate. In Galarian. Not even in Kanjoh.”

“Not even in Kanjoh.” Ingo shook his head, then regretted the movement. Iris was still snickering as he leaned back against Nana again and stared up at the tree they were under.

“Headache getting worse?” Iris asked.

Ingo hummed softly, closing his eyes. “Apologies. I know I am not a lot of fun to be around, right now. I’ll be sure to do my best to be in better shape for a battle in the near future.”

He heard her scoot a little closer. “I’m looking forward to it.” She said softly. “Want me to wait until you’re asleep before I tell Emmet to bring you inside?”

“I would appreciate it. Thank you, Iris.”

He felt her carefully lean up against Nana’s other side, and he smiled fondly to himself as he started to doze off. He wasn’t ready to have her too much in his space, or even have her touch him, but she was family. It was obvious she wanted to be close.

He could give her this much.

———

Elesa looked between Emmet and Drayden, and mentally reviewed the events that led up to this moment. It wasn’t even that long ago that the thought of reaching out to Drayden for anything hadn’t ever crossed her mind, and now here she was, in her fellow gym leader’s office, helping explain the situation about Ingo to him so Emmet wasn’t left alone to do it.

Drayden took a deep, careful breath after they finished telling him everything Emmet had said to her earlier that day. Elesa couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He looked so utterly exhausted, but there was also a determined steel in his eyes that appeared as soon as Emmet admitted to needing his help.

“If you want, we can see about getting an appointment as soon as we can.” He said. “I can arrange something at a smaller clinic, so it’s just the two of you being seen.”

Emmet was stunned at how readily his dad was willing to get the ball rolling. He opened his mouth a couple times before he grabbed another tissue from the desk and blew his nose.

“I want to make sure Ingo is okay with it, first.” He said thickly. “Then we can get an appointment.”

Drayden hesitated before he asked, “He’s going to forget it all, won’t he?”

“That is not the point.” Emmet shook his head. “His opinion matters. It always matters. I will not lie to him, or pretend that it was a decision he made.”

“I understand.” Drayden nodded. He looked down thoughtfully for a moment. “Thank you, Emmet, for telling me this. I promise that I’ll help in any way I can.”

Emmet sniffled, holding his knees as he looked down at the rug beneath his feet. “Thank you.”

Drayden sighed and looked to Elesa. “I should probably tell you both this. I talked with Clay again to discuss how to handle this situation. He has a PR team ready and working to get ahead of any rumors.”

“Are they going to bring up Hisui at all?” Elesa asked. Emmet looked to Drayden warily.

“‘The Gray family will not be taking questions, and ask for privacy during this time.’” Drayden answered in an official tone, and she could swear she could see a humorless smirk under his beard as he glanced at Emmet. “We don’t even know if anything about Hisui, or yours and Ingo’s history as wardens, will surface at all.”

“Yeah… I really think you should prepare for people figuring that out.” Elesa grimaced. “It was not hard for the likes of us to find them on the internet, once we had their names.”

Drayden nodded in understanding. “I have to trust that the possibility is already being discussed. I take it you’ll be fine with your end?”

Elesa gave him her own wry smirk. “Absol-utely. This won’t be my first tangela with the media. I’ll be okay.”

Emmet paused and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her puns. She grinned back at him and he put his head in his hands with a soft groan.

Skyla had lent Braviary to her again before she had left in the car, so Elesa was able to fly back to Nimbasa without having to deal with anyone. Braviary landed on the balcony of her apartment and she knocked on the glass door before sliding it open.

She smiled at Skyla when she motioned for her to come join her on the couch. She released her team before she came over and flopped onto her back, shimmying over until her head was on Skyla’s lap.

“Hi.” She smiled tiredly up at her. “How’s it going?”

“Oh, you know.” Skyla shrugged and started to comb her fingers through Elesa’s windblown hair. “I get to spend a few nights with the best person in the world while I wait for the media to stop hovering around my house. How are you doing?”

Elesa closed her eyes and soaked in the attention for a moment. “I spent the last hour before leaving Opelucid helping with a very private conversation, because Emmet asked if I could.”

“Oh, Dragons. How’d that go?”

“I think it went well, all things considered. Plans are being made. Things are in motion. I can tell that everyone is struggling, though.”

Skyla nodded. “That whole family needs a vacation, once this all blows over.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Elesa sighed slowly, letting herself relax into the couch. Skyla continued to brush her hair, content to just enjoy the silence. After the last couple of days—the last couple of weeks—Elesa felt they’d earned it.

“…I’m sorry about how all this turned out.” Elesa spoke up softly after a while. “I could have gone about it better.”

Skyla gave Elesa a poke to the forehead. “Hey, none of that. We could have all gone about this better, even without Iris and Drayden crashing it so suddenly.” She said. “What matters now is to keep going.”

Elesa nodded, rubbing her forehead with a small smile. She thought on something for a minute.

“I don’t think I can go over to that house again tomorrow.” She admitted. “I need a break.”

Skyla nodded. “Then take a break. It’s not just the three of us anymore. Clay knows now, and I think Burgh let Lenora know, too. Do you want to take the day off and do something relaxing tomorrow?”

Elesa shook her head. “I think what I need is a normal day. Or as normal as I can get, at least. I want to battle. Hand out some gym badges to challengers. Make some kids’ days.”

“You and me, both.” Skyla smiled. “How about this? We go to work, then we order a nice pizza or something for after, and enjoy a stupid movie that has zero stakes while we eat.”

“Genius. I love it.” Elesa pulled herself up onto her elbows for a kiss, before moving to turn on some soft music to temper the silence that was now grating on her. She’d spent the whole day not listening to anything, and she really needed to hear something with a beat before going to bed.

“I got my second wind. Now it’s my turn to pamper you.” She came back to the couch and nudged Skyla down to her lap. She smiled as she gently pulled out her hair tie. “I won’t even try to make a pun. Honest to Reshiram.”

The last of the worried lines on Skyla’s face disappeared as she snorted a laugh. She stuck her tongue out before she smiled fondly back at her.

“Why, thank you. I feel so honored.”

Chapter Text

Emmet and Ingo were trying something new after learning that Lampent could not only locate Ingo because of her connection to his soul, but she could also easily locate Emmet. It made sense when they thought on it. Emmet’s night vision was nearly as good as his brother’s, after years of being close to his partner, and most ghosts didn’t even try to bother him. On the flip side, it also explained how Ingo was resistant to getting shocked by electric types, due to spending as much time with Emmet’s partner.

So, they started to split their morning patrols to cover more ground and see if they liked it. They quickly learned that Ingo needed an itinerary written down to stay on track, but for the most part it was working out so far. Ingo would take Lampent and Gliscor with him, while Emmet took Eelektrik and Yanmega. Machop or Abra would be their thirds, the two of them switching between the twins depending on the need that day.

Today, Emmet had Abra as his third. He could feel her happy emotions brushing against his mind, making him grin as they made their way down the path towards Wayward Cave. He hadn’t been interested in having an abra on the team before, since they were incredibly skittish and he wasn’t sure what to do with a psychic type, but something about this one had caught his interest when he first encountered her.

Well, more like he had caught her interest. She had started to follow him around as soon as he offered her a bean cake, and that was that. Ingo found it extremely amusing whenever Emmet told him.

Emmet stopped and looked out at the view just short of entering the ancient quarry, taking in a deep breath of air. Morning fog still hung over the ground where the sun hadn’t reached yet, this far down the mountain. It was fun to watch the highlands wake up as he did his patrol.

Best of all, this track didn’t involve potentially running into Melli, which was always a bonus.

The four of them crept through the quarry and came out the other side with no trouble, but Emmet could feel the hair on the back of his neck prickling as the air around him started to feel charged. Not an electric type sort of charged, but something much, much worse.

A space-time distortion was forming nearby.

He put his fingers together and whistled a shaky note, calling his team close as he ran. Distortions weren’t hard to find—they never were—but he liked to make sure he kept a healthy distance away as he observed them.

Ishimi had told them that distortions were a new thing as of her generation of warden work. A crack above the top of Mount Coronet had appeared one day, and with it came the phenomena of distortions. The wardens of the time quickly agreed that it was important to keep track of them, so as to make sure that anything that potentially came out of them wouldn’t do anything to disrupt the environment. This became more of a priority when some gingko guild members decided to start risking their lives to explore them.

If it wasn’t for that single decision, Emmet wasn’t sure if Ishimi and Lord Sneasler would have found him and Ingo in time.

Emmet found the distortion forming in the valley below, and he began tying a rope to an anchor in case he needed to get down quickly. He held the rope in his lap as he swung his feet over the edge of the cliff. His team watched his back, keeping an eye out for any wild pokemon while he watched below.

Distortions looked ugly to him, an oily bubble that marred the scenery around it. He knew from personal experience that it was nothing but chaos inside, with fighting pokemon and foreign items and winds that buffeted from all sides. It had been a long time since he’d tried to enter one, nor was he interested in starting again.

Lightning flashed within the bubble as the distortion fully formed. Fortunately, no humans were appearing. He’d yet to experience any, and he’d be perfectly fine if that never changed. Emmet took in a deep breath and put his hands over his ears as the warped, muffled cries of terrified pokemon echoed up to him. He felt Eelektrik drape himself across his shoulders and spark soothingly to help keep him calm.

The distortion was starting to clear when he noticed a small shape was approaching the border. Emmet took his rope and started to descend.

“Yanmega, Abra, try and get them to stay inside!” He called.

Abra Teleported a few times down the cliffside while Yanmega flew straight for the distortion. Eelektrik stayed close to Emmet as he rappelled down the cliff.

Yanmega flitted in and out of the distortion around the pokemon, buzzing at him to stop. Abra hummed and popped in close to push him back, but the pokemon wasn’t having it, or was either too panicked to listen. With a cry, he lowered his head to ram against the barrier in a desperate grab to get away from the chaos. Emmet dropped the last few feet to the ground and stumbled. Eelektrik kept him from falling over as he turned to run.

“No! Don’t!”

The pokemon burst free of the distortion before Emmet could do anything else. Emmet dropped to the pokemon’s side as he collapsed and curled in on himself. He was trembling, and hurt, and scared.

Worst of all, he was here for good.

The highlands went eerily silent for a while after the distortion faded, but gradually the sounds of wild pokemon filled the space again, as if nothing had happened.

“I’ve got you.” Emmet soothed, pulling out a potion as he held a berry in front of his shield of a face. Eelektrik and the others spoke to him to calm him further.

“Don’t worry.” Emmet felt a lump in his throat grow as the pokemon started to cautiously nibble on the berry. He began to apply the potion to his side, his vision blurring. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

A man came into the dining room and stared at Ingo and Emmet, then to the leather pouch sitting between them at the table.

“Good morning, Dad.” Emmet said, cluing Ingo in. Ingo did a double take at the man, then glanced down at his open notes.

That’s right. Drayden was their dad.

Something crossed Drayden’s face when he noticed Ingo’s reaction, before he looked to the pouch again. “You two are having breakfast, and it will be more than just berries.” He said, moving into the kitchen.

Emmet narrowed his eyes at him. “Skyla told on us?”

“What Skyla told me was about your dismal eating habits.” Drayden corrected from behind the counter. “That is changing today. What are some things you had a lot of in Hisui?”

Emmet looked like he wanted to argue, but he thought against it and sighed heavily. He glanced to Ingo for him to say something. Ingo straightened a little in his chair.

“Rice?” He answered. “I like an egg over rice.”

Drayden nodded and left his spot to grab something from a small storage room in the corner of the kitchen. He brought back a bag with rice in it and set it on the counter. “What have you two been eating since you got here?” He asked.

“Berries, mostly, and fish.” Emmet answered. “There aren’t as many foraging options around there, like there was in the highlands.”

“I thought they said you had been stealing from campers.”

Ingo paused, glancing to his brother. “We stole?”

Emmet huffed and smiled stubbornly at both him and Drayden. “I am Emmet. I stole. Just me, and I stole gear. I stopped trying to get food from campers after what I found made us sick.”

Drayden looked at him worriedly. “Is this why you’re nervous about the food here? Did you tell Skyla this?”

Emmet looked away from him. “No, I didn’t.”

Ingo glanced to Drayden with a small frown to see how he’d react. Drayden only sighed, and bracing himself against the counter for a while before he spoke softly. “It’s all right. We’ll figure this out.”

Emmet nodded. Ingo put a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“We’ll add it to the list of things to check with the doctors about.” Drayden said, more to himself than either of them. He opened the bag of rice and started to measure it as Emmet stood up in a huff and limped over.

“Emmet, sit down.” Ingo went to reach for him until his brother batted his hand away.

“Dad is not going to wash the rice. I just know it!”

“Wash the rice?” Drayden looked to Emmet, his brows furrowing. He stepped back to give Emmet space as he took over, moving the pot of rice to the sink.

“Sinnoh and Dragons, the others didn’t know this either.” Emmet muttered under his breath. “Fucking uncivilized.”

“Language.” Ingo said, then jumped when he realized Drayden said the same thing at the same time. Drayden glanced at him in equal surprise. Ingo quickly looked away again.

Drayden let Emmet wash and prep the rice before he insisted that he sit down again. His brother settled back into his chair, his expression tight. Ingo frowned at him, giving Drayden a glance before speaking in Kanjoh.

“You really should go back to bed after this.”

“I don’t think I could rest, even if I wanted to.” Emmet sighed and rubbed his leg. “Speaking of, Dad has offered to help us set an appointment with a doctor. Or, doctors.”

“Peselle?” Ingo asked.

“No, hopefully someone who can help us better.”

“Us.” Ingo had to take a moment to process that. “Not just me.”

Emmet gave him a small, tired smile. “Yes, both of us. I am admitting it, finally. Would you be okay with going?”

Ingo almost nodded, before he hesitated. “So long as you come with me.” He said.

Emmet gave his hand a squeeze from under the table. “I promise. I will not let you go uncoupled.”

Ingo felt some of the tension in his shoulders ease as he heard footsteps running down the staircase and coming towards them from the hall. He looked to the kitchen entrance to find a familiar teenaged girl beaming directly at him as she made a combeeline for the table, and sat on the opposite side.

She felt important.

“Ingo! Good morning! It’s Iris!”

“I-Iris, good morning.” Ingo blinked at her enthusiastic energy. He was still waking up, himself, and was fairly certain he’d never been a morning person before this.

“Hi Emmet!” She added, looking to his brother.

Emmet beamed back at her. “Hello, Imōto! Good morning.”

Ingo gasped softly. Little sister? Oh, that’s right…

A warm feeling grew in Ingo’s chest as he watched Iris lean forward and fold her arms on the table, putting her chin on them. “Are you feeling better today?” She asked him.

“I’m feeling all right.” He smiled at her. “How are you?”

“I’m good.” She patted her hands on the table like a drum, then continued, “Are you good enough for a battle this morning?”

Ingo perked at the question and took a quick glance at his notes. Emmet chuckled under his breath.

“I would be interested. I feel like it’s been too long.” He said, his volume rising a little in his anticipation.

Iris’s grin grew wider. “Yesssss. I can’t wait.”

“Breakfast first.” Drayden spoke up. “Iris, would you like to try what the boys are having?”

“I think I’m just gonna toast some waffles, if that’s okay.” Iris pushed back her chair and joined their dad in the kitchen. “Do you guys want some?”

Emmet’s expression was pained in a way that made Ingo think it wasn’t about his leg. “I haven’t had waffles in a long time.” He sighed wistfully. “Or pancakes.”

Ingo looked at the gridded, frozen thing Iris held up for him to see. “Is it good?” He asked.

“Verrry good. You loved them when we were younger. You put syrup over it.” Emmet said. “Sort of like the dango you like.”

Ingo watched Iris put two of the frozen waffles into a machine and push down on a lever to slide them inside. “I like sweet things.” He said.

“Let’s not tempt fate.” Drayden said. “You two probably can’t handle processed food like you used to, which was why you got sick. I’d rather it didn’t happen again.”

Emmet sighed and leaned back in his chair, massaging his leg again. Ingo picked up his pencil and wrote down a note to himself to make sure he tried waffles in the future, and pancakes. They sounded delicious.

———

Emmet protested as a haxorus curled around him with a huff. Chandelure chimed as Ingo decided to let it happen.

“I am Emmet! I do not need to rest!” He grouched.

“Nana seems to disagree.” Iris grinned.

Eelektross came swimming over and laid on top of Emmet, curling around Nana’s head. He gurgled at his partner, unimpressed.

“Terrible. Terrible noodle. Teaming up on me.” Emmet chided, dropping his head back. He spoke a little louder as he continued. “Terrible brother and sister, leaving me to my fate.”

Iris just laughed. Ingo grinned from where he sat. “It’s for your own good, Emmet.” He called over. “Do you need some more help than that to rest?”

Chandelure chimed ominously from behind him.

“Absolutely not!” Emmet shouted, plopping his hat over his face. “Don’t you dare!”

Ingo chuckled and took a look at his surroundings. He was sitting on the steps leading up to a big house, and Drayden was standing near the door, his arms crossed over his chest. A battlefield was in front of him, the lines marked like the one at the training grounds in Jubilife. Going off of the mess, he could tell that a battle had just happened.

He glanced down at his lap. His notebook was open to the last page, confirming his suspicion that it had been him battling, against Iris. His heart rate was elevated, and he felt winded, like he’d just experienced a good adrenaline rush.

He lost, apparently. He still felt happy.

Chandelure trilled to get his attention as Drayden came down the steps to sit nearby, but not too close. Ingo eyed him carefully, ready to move, but not moving yet.

Drayden sighed quietly, his eyes sad as he noted Ingo’s demeanor. He looked out to the opposite side of the field, where Iris was chatting with Emmet from his pokemon pile.

“I suppose it’s reassuring to know that he never stopped being stubborn.” He commented.

Ingo couldn’t help but smirk. “Very little will change his mind once he’s made a decision.” He said, then shrank a little when he realized his slip.

Drayden gave him a thoughtful look before he turned towards him. He laced his hands together, uncertain. Ingo stared down at his warden band, his shadow flickering in Chandelure’s flames, anywhere but at him.

Drayden sighed again as he reached into his pocket. “Ingo, I want to apologize about my behavior to you over the last couple of days. I’m sorry that our reunion had an awful start.” He set something on the steps and slid it towards him. “This is for you.”

Ingo glanced over. It was black notebook, similar in size to the one currently in his lap. He carefully took it and ran his thumb along a corner, weighing it in his hands.

Drayden rubbed the back of his neck as Ingo looked it over. “I have several more of them in a drawer, just collecting dust, so if you don’t like that one, just let me know.” He explained, lacing his hands together again.

Ingo stared at the book for a little longer before he nodded. “This should work perfectly.” He said. “Thank you.”

Drayden took in a deep breath and leaned forward a little. “I am very happy that you are home, Ingo. Please, don’t be afraid to ask me for any help. All right?”

Ingo nodded again, giving him a brief glance. Drayden looked as nervous as he felt.

“All right.” He said, softer this time.

Drayden waited for a moment before he sighed and stood, going back up the steps. Ingo heard the door gently shut behind him. He opened the book and flipped through the pages, before taking his pencil and writing a note to himself on the inside cover.

———

Emmet heard Ingo’s footsteps approach the pokemon pile. He opened an eye to watch as his brother sat on the ground next to him, and leaned up against Nana’s side.

“Are you even resting?” Ingo asked.

Emmet snorted. “No. Not really.”

Nana rumbled at him. He gave her a small scratch. “Not your fault, Nana. Just have a lot on my mind.”

“Anything I can help with?” Ingo asked.

Emmet glanced over at him, then smiled softly. “Come over here. We can make room.”

Eelektross pushed himself into the air as Nana uncurled enough for Ingo to squish up next to Emmet. She rested her head again on Emmet’s lap, while Eelektross draped himself over them both.

“Ah,” Ingo blinked mildly at his predicament. “Now I’m stuck, too.”

“Got you.” Emmet smirked, putting his head on Ingo’s shoulder.

Ingo chuckled, resting his head on top. “I suppose you do.”

With Ingo now next to him, Emmet felt like he could relax a little. He let out a slow sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, before he looked at what his brother was doing.

There was a new book in his hands. He was moving some of his notes from the old book to the new one.

“Where did that come from?” He asked.

Ingo had to clear his throat to talk. He brushed his thumb along the corner, frowning. “Dad gave it to me. Did you tell him I needed a new one?”

Emmet shook his head a little. “I did not. He must have noticed.”

Ingo’s eyes watered, and he quickly pocketed both books so as to not ruin the pages. “I see.”

He leaned more against Emmet after drying his face. Emmet found his hand and held it loosely, tracing his thumb over the back of it.

“Ingo?”

“Hm?”

“I am sorry that I’ve been avoiding talking about Hisui.”

Ingo paused for a moment as he thought on the statement. “Why have you been doing that?”

His tone was so patient, unfairly so. Emmet felt like crying, again. “Because we are in Unova now. It’s verrry far away from Hisui. So far away, that we can’t ever have both.” He tried to swallow down the lump in his throat, then decided to continue through sign. Ingo shifted a little to give Emmet more room as he raised his hands.

But you’ve been getting confused, getting derailed, as you’re probably trying to put both spaces together. I didn’t really notice it when we were living on Route 6, but when we got to Skyla’s house in Mistralton—

Ingo didn’t say anything as Emmet’s hands stopped and his lip wobbled. He didn’t want to continue. Didn’t want to think about how scared he was.

“…Would talking about Hisui have derailed me faster?” Ingo asked.

The question hit Emmet hard. He hadn’t even considered that possibility. I don’t know. He admitted. I have been changing the subject more for my benefit, so I don’t have to think about how far away home is, now.

Ingo’s brows started to furrow in thought before Chandelure chimed from above in warning. His gaze refocused on Emmet before his expression could go completely blank. He took a deep breath and reached forward, brushing away the tears that Emmet hadn’t even realized were falling. Ingo gently held his face in his hands, and Emmet leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, soaking in the comfort and his support his brother was giving him and letting it buoy him up again.

He opened his eyes and stared right at Ingo. We will get you feeling better. I promise. He signed, determined.

Ingo nodded back, his small smile sincere. “I trust you.”

The pokemon around them shifted as he pulled Emmet into his arms. Again, Emmet marveled at how lucky he was to have his brother. How lucky he was to be loved so unconditionally by someone so precious to him. He only hoped that he sufficiently embodied the trust his brother gave him every day.

“It’s going to be okay.” Ingo whispered.

Dragons, Emmet hoped it would be, someday. He wanted to believe in that ideal as much as Ingo did, with all his heart.

———

Elesa, surprisingly, managed to get somewhat of a normal day at her gym. Not a lot of media came around to bother her and her challengers, but Nimbasa residents had always been pretty good about leaving people alone. She only hoped that it was the same for Drayden and his family, in Opelucid.

Skyla asked Elesa if she’d seen the news at all that day when she came over after work. Apparently, Drayden’s sons reappearing wasn’t the only story that broke that morning. Skyla showed her a segment from the National Gymquirer on her Xtrans.

“In other exciting news, the official list of participants for the upcoming PWT opening exhibition have started to trickle in! Former Unova gym leader and current movie star Brycen has announced his appearance, along with other former leaders Lenora, and the triplets from Striaton!”

“On top of the rumored international guests? Are you kidding?!”

“Nope! We’ll be finding out about more as the week goes on, so stay tuned!”

Elesa looked at Skyla in shock as she closed her Xtrans. “Did Clay actually do it? Did he actually manage to get a portion of the media off of their back?”

“Seems like it.” Skyla said. “Thank the Dragons there was a distraction on hand to use.”

Elesa covered half her plate in salad before adding a slice of pizza to the other side. She didn’t even think Brycen had any interest in participating, since he was so busy with filming. The timing of this was too perfect to not think that he was doing this for Drayden. It was nice to know that he could still be counted on when the chips were down.

“Looks like Iris is still participating, but Drayden’s not on the list Clay sent to the gym leaders this morning.” Skyla said, checking the roster on her Xtrans as they ate. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s too nervous about letting Ingo and Emmet out of his sight for a while.”

“I don’t blame him, one bit.” Elesa sighed. “Any other changes?”

Skyla scrolled through the list and laughed. “Looks like a gym leader from Kalos finally agreed to come as soon as the announcement about Brycen dropped.”

Elesa quirked a small smile at that, sticking her fork into her salad. “Sounds like someone’s a fan.”

———

Chandelure pulled Ingo back with a trill, and he found that Emmet was holding his hand tightly. He squeezed back a little, and he could feel his brother relaxing against him.

“Back on track?” Emmet asked softly.

Ingo hummed and looked around, his brows furrowing. They were in a small room, with a bed set into one corner and colorful posters hanging on the walls. A familiar, bearded man sat on the opposite side of the room, next to the only door, watching them carefully.

Ingo looked away from the man to Emmet. “Where are we?”

“We are in a medical center in Lacunosa Town. It is east of Opelucid, in Unova.” Emmet explained. “We have an appointment with some doctors.”

He sighed and put his head against Emmet’s shoulder. He was appreciative of Emmet telling him about the space they were in, but he still had no idea where they were.

“I think I need a map.”

“That is a good idea.” Emmet briefly put his head against his. “We’ll see about getting you one.”

The man stood to poke his head out the door as Ingo pulled out two notebooks from his belt. He looked between both in surprise, then took a peek into the newer one. Sure enough, it was his handwriting. It looked like Dad had gotten him a new book yesterday, since he’d finished with the old one.

Dad? Ingo blinked and glanced up at the man at the door. He was talking quietly to someone outside, before he closed the door and sat back down again.

“Are you all right?” Dad asked him when he noticed him watching.

Ingo nodded slowly as the door opened, and a woman in a lab coat entered. She smiled at them all and took a seat at the desk, focusing her attention on Ingo.

“Good morning. My name is Doctor Shery, and I’ll be your neurologist today.” She gave him a small nod. “How are you feeling?”

“I…” Ingo hesitated, glancing nervously to his brother. He had no idea what a neurologist was. Emmet gave him an encouraging nod.

“She is a doctor that helps with brain and memory stuff.” He explained. “You do not have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Oh. Um, I’m okay.” He answered. “Tired.”

She nodded and flipped through a packet on her clipboard. “I read that you’ve been feeling a lot of fatigue lately, and have been getting a lot of debilitating migraines. I’m sorry to hear about that. Do you mind telling me what you remember about earlier this morning?”

Ingo stared at his lap, thinking for a moment. “Sorry, I don’t really remember anything about earlier. I don’t even remember coming in here.”

Doctor Shery nodded. Dad took in a deep breath and pulled a box of tissues to his side.

“No need to apologize. Is there anything you do remember?” She asked.

Ingo shrugged slightly. “I remember Emmet, and Chandelure. I build off of that, and my notes.”

She hummed, writing something down on her clipboard. “I saw that about the notebook you use to keep track of things in. That’s a very good practice for people with your condition.”

Ingo raised his head to her. “There are other people like me?”

“Yes, lots.” She smiled kindly at him. “The circumstances aren’t quite the same as yours, but there are millions of people who deal with one or more kinds of memory loss, and have learned to thrive in spite of it.”

He felt strangely emotional about this information. “I don’t think I knew that.” He said quietly.

Emmet squeezed his hand again.

Doctor Shery gave him a moment before she continued. “Ingo, I’m sorry that we don’t have a cure for you, but we do have ways to make your daily life easier. We’ll see what we can do about your migraines so you don’t have to miss so much anymore, and can start feeling better again. How does that sound?”

Ingo nodded, feeling a weight he hadn’t even registered easing from his shoulders as his eyes watered.

“That sounds good.” He sniffed, taking the tissue that Dad held out for him. “I’d like that very much.”

———

Emmet wasn’t too sure about what to expect when coming into the medical center, but he wasn’t expecting efficiency quite at this level. Ingo went in for a few different scans as soon as a couple of specialists finished speaking with them. Emmet did them all too, both as support for Ingo, and for their dad’s peace of mind.

Honestly, Emmet was curious to see the results, himself.

Even with the explanation of each procedure, Emmet could tell that Ingo was getting more and more stressed as time went on. He was worried that his brother might have blanked out again at some point and Emmet hadn’t noticed. By the time the last scan had finished and they had their blood drawn for other tests, Dad suggested that they end the appointment early and come back another time for a follow up. Ingo readily agreed.

Fortunately, when they came out of the center to get into the car, no annoying people were waiting for them to try and ask questions, just as it had been when they went in earlier. Emmet paused and did a proper look around. It was quiet here, and orderly.

“I don’t think I remember Lacunosa.” He admitted.

“It would make sense if you don’t. There’s not a lot for kids to do around here. You two always found it boring.” Dad huffed softly. “It’s an old-fashioned place. I figured it would be the best town for you two to be seen in without being bothered. That, and I think Clay’s distraction is working enough in our favor for no one to try and spy on us out here.”

He opened the front passenger door and nodded to both of them. “Do either of you want to give the front seat a try? You might not get as carsick as in the back.”

Emmet nudged Ingo forward before Ingo could do it to him. “Dad’s just taking us back to the house, in Opelucid.” He said, smiling at his brother. “It’s not a long drive.”

Ingo gave Emmet a glance before he went into the front seat, Chandelure settling in his lap. Emmet took up the back with Eelektross. He watched his brother lean up against the side, resting his cheek against the window as Dad turned the car on and pulled away from the medical center.

Ingo was still nervous about him, but Emmet could tell that he was trying to give him a chance, even if he probably couldn’t remember why.

Emmet glanced at Dad through the rearview mirror. “Thank you, for all your help.” He said softly.

Dad looked back at him through their reflection, then over at Ingo. “You two are my boys, and I missed you both. I’d do anything for you.”

Emmet nodded, looking down at the floor thoughtfully as they drove away.

———

Emmet stared at his and Ingo’s scan results again while Dad stared at the rug on the floor of his office, a tissue in hand. He was glad they were able to take a copy of their records back to the house instead of spending more time at the center.

After hearing all the explanations about all the different scan results, it was seeing the X-rays that had been the straw that broke the numel’s back for Dad. Emmet felt strangely detached while he had gone to cry in another room, leaving him and Ingo to look over the images of numerous healed fractures between them both before they returned to Opelucid.

Ingo’s head was the most glaring injury, but Emmet hadn’t realized how badly off he himself was. It was no wonder that he dealt with constant pain, especially on the bad days. The fall had done a number on him, as well. The doctors had mentioned more tests and scans they wanted to do on both of them, but for now they’d been sent home with treatment paperwork and prescriptions, giving time for everyone to digest the information.

Dad needed the time, mostly. Most of this wasn’t news to Emmet, or even to Ingo. However, there was something vindicating about it all being acknowledged like this, with plans already set to help diagnose and treat. He and Ingo were hardly medical mysteries in this day and age. Emmet was kicking himself for not acting on Elesa’s prodding sooner.

“I’m so sorry.” Dad croaked. They were the first words he’d spoken since Emmet came to join him in the office.

“Sorry for what?” Emmet looked to him, sighing. “Elesa read us the article about our disappearance. You did everything you could to find us.”

“I should have done more.”

He tsked, setting the papers aside on the desk. “Don’t say that. You were hurting. You were grieving. Between Mom, and then us, I-” He took in a shaky breath. “I don’t know how you did it. I don’t know how you kept going.”

He stood up and moved to sit in the chair next to his dad. Dad hesitated, clasping his hands together so as to not reach for him.

“I am not mad at you, for not finding us. I already told you that we were taken in by the Pearl Clan. We were not left alone to figure everything out. We had a good life there. Not easy, but… it was good.”

Dad blew his nose into his tissue, and took another one by the box that sat next to him. Emmet’s own vision blurred as he looked out the window.

“I tried to get us back, for a while.” He admitted softly.

He could see Dad look at him out of the corner of his eye. “How?”

“The only way I knew how: through other distortions.” Emmet smirked, but there was no humor in it. “They are verrry dangerous, though. Most pokemon that appear in them are panicked from their derailment. They attack anything that moves.”

He sighed slowly, leaning back in his seat. “The problem is, the only way to return through a distortion is not to leave it in the first place.”

The room was quiet for a moment before Dad spoke. “You two left the one you appeared in.”

Emmet nodded. “Ingo wasn’t moving. Pokemon were fighting each other. Tynamo and Litwick had fainted too quickly to protect us. I didn’t know what else to do but try and get us away. The next thing I remember was waking up in the healers tent… W-we were told later that I had dragged us out of the distortion before it had disappeared, which was why we could never come back.”

He took a shaking breath and finally looked at Dad, trying to frown stubbornly. His heart hammered in his chest, but he had to say it. He had to be honest, or it was going to continue to eat at him.

“Ingo was dying. I do not regret my actions, but it’s my fault we ended up in Hisui. The only thing I am sorry about is that we couldn’t come h-hhhome to you.”

His mouth trembled as he tried to meet his dad’s eyes, and he looked away in shame. Dad hesitantly put his hand over Emmet’s shoulder, and he nodded. He felt his shoulder get held tightly, earnestly.

“What you did was save your brother. How could I ever fault you for that?” Dad’s own voice shook. “Emmet, you did well. Remarkably well.”

Emmet nodded miserably, sniffling. He gave Dad another glance before he carefully leaned against his side. There was less hesitation on Dad’s part as he turned Emmet’s chair to better hold him.

Elesa’s hugs were nice and warm after so long of not being touched by anyone, but Dad’s were strong, secure, achingly familiar. He quickly pressed his face against Dad’s shoulder and raised his hands to clutch at his shirt, and he felt the hug tighten around him in response.

It was too much, but at the same time, it wasn’t nearly enough. Not after all this time. He didn’t want to let go.

“Emmet, I’m proud of you.” He felt tears fall onto his hair. He could feel his own soaking into Dad’s shirt. “Dragons, I hope you know that.”

Emmet’s shoulders shook as he tried to hold back his sobs, relief kicking at the proverbial dam in an effort to tear it down. “I am ssssso tired of crying all the time.” He complained, his words starting to catch in his throat.

“I know.” Dad sighed shakily. “Me too. But it is going to get better.”

Emmet nodded against him, trying to keep from shaking, but Dad only held him closer.

“Emmet, it’s okay to let go. I can tell you’re running on nothing but fumes, and I don’t like thinking about how long you’ve been doing that. Give yourself some time to recover. I’ll be here to keep an eye on both of you.”

Out of instinct, Emmet wanted to fight back. To resist the offer for help, but he thought about Elesa, and Skyla and Burgh, and everything they did for him and Ingo. He thought about Ishimi, and how she’d probably get after him for being so damn stubborn.

He was so tired. He’d been carrying so much for nearly a month and a half, trying to keep it all from breaking apart completely. Trying to tell himself that he was fine, enough to keep going.

He couldn’t carry it anymore.

He didn’t have to, not alone.

“Promise?” He said quietly, managing to get the word out.

Dad ran a steady hand up and down his back, with no sign of letting him go. “I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

Emmet hesitated, teetering on the edge for another moment longer before he finally let himself fall apart in his dad’s arms.

Chapter Text

Not a lot changed, and Emmet was fine with that. He had accepted their fate in Hisui a long, long time ago. Nearly fifteen years, by this point. He and Ingo had been wardens longer than they had dreamed of being pokemon trainers, and he and his brother were Pearl Clan before they stopped to think of themselves as Unovan. Hisui was home.

Emmet had deduced a few things over the years. One was that wherever they had ended up (probably old Sinnoh, or somewhere close to it), they were in a space that had to have been long before their original time. He could never figure out exactly how long ago it was, since the clans used a different method of marking the passage of time than what he had been used to. It was far enough in the past that pokeballs were definitely not a thing that existed yet, and he had been too young back then to care about exactly when they had been invented.

It was fine. Not knowing didn’t bother him as much, these days. He had to learn to accept that he’d never get answers to some things. Not much was ever going to change about that, and that was okay.

Then the apprentice to Lord Braviary’s warden, Sabi, decided to be creepy and predicted new ships coming to Hisui’s shores, and suddenly a lot started changing. Ingo and Emmet weren’t there to see the settlement rise up in the western fieldlands, but they got to experience the ripple effects from their post in the highlands.

The Gingko Guild, which before only carried trades between clans and unusable oddities from distortions, now carried other things from the village. Familiar things.

Stoves. Watches. Pokeballs.

An actual fucking calendar date, with a year and everything. Emmet finally figured out when it was they were. It was 1867, in late March. The news came as a double-edged sword, of course, but the part of Emmet that had blackmailed Melli into teaching him how to tell time had finally settled, content with this new knowledge.

In 126 years, he and Ingo would fall.

Apparently pokeballs were a new invention in this time. They were rough in make compared to the slicker design of Chandelure and Eelektross’s balls, but Emmet was beyond thrilled to have anything that was more than the nothing they had before. Their combined team had been steadily growing in number as the years had passed, with their gabite recently evolving into a garchomp, bringing them up to ten pokemon total.

It was far more pokemon than any sane person in Hisui would care to have, but it was something that he and Ingo agreed felt right to them.

Emmet got his hands on the recipe for pokeballs as soon as he could. Their pokemon assured them that the new accommodations were comfortable. Both Emmet and Ingo were happy to have a safe space for their team, and could finally bring everyone along at all times. It also helped with the impression they left on their passengers and visitors by not having so many pokemon around them at one time.

That factor mattered much more to Ingo, of course.

Irida noticed the pokeballs on their belts the next time they came to the icelands. She was wary about the items, and pulled them aside to discuss it with them before they could do anything else in the settlement.

“You do understand that they are a disgrace to the respect of one’s space?” She said, frowning at them.

Emmet raised a brow at her. “These are not the first pokeballs we’ve had on us.” He pointed out. Sure, she’d never really brought it up before, but why was she doing so now, of all times?

Ingo nodded. “Lady Irida, we understand your concern, but rest assured we have talked with our team at length about their comfort. We have full confidence that we are not overstepping anyone’s boundaries, and they are free to depart from their seats at any time. If we may disagree with your reasoning, we would say that they are hardly a disgrace, but rather a sign of trust between both of us, and our team.”

Chandelure chimed in agreement, twirling in place.

Irida looked down at the floor and sighed quietly. Her glaceon nudged her head against her side, and Irida ran a hand down her back. “My apologies, wardens. I should have known that you had given it serious thought.”

Emmet exchanged a glance with his brother, and Ingo continued. “Our intent is not to push our ideals onto you, or anyone else. This is simply a decision we’ve made for ourselves and our needs.”

“I understand. Thank you for discussing it with me.” She smiled tiredly at them and straightened again. Emmet realized then that she looked a lot more stressed than usual, probably because of the new arrivals to Hisui.

“While I have you, I’d like to let you know about the circumstances with Jubilife, and what that may mean for you two in the highlands.”

Jubilife? Emmet blinked. That sounded vaguely familiar.

“Is that the name of the new settlement?” Ingo asked.

“It is.” She confirmed. “I won’t keep you for long. Are you in a hurry to see Ishimi?”

“She will understand the delay.” Emmet said. “Warden business is important.”

Ingo nodded as he took out his notebook to start taking notes.

Irida only kept them for a little more than ten minutes. The three of them were back outside of the tent, with their clan leader heading off in another direction to take care of other matters. Ingo stuck his hands under his armpits as they made their way to Ishimi’s tent.

“I cannot understand how she can keep her space so cold.” He shivered.

“Gaeric trained her.” Emmet explained.

Ingo paused and furrowed his brows. “He trained us, too, didn’t he?”

“He helped us build up our strength, but we ended up apprenticing with Ishimi before he could teach us anything else.” Emmet paused. “That, and I told him he was crazy when he tried to start us on cold training.”

“Emmet.” Ingo sighed.

“What? I’m right!” Emmet argued. “Further proven when he decided to shave his chest hair into that… thing.”

Both of them shuddered simultaneously.

“It is an abomination.” Ingo agreed.

“Think about it.” Emmet smirked. “We could have turned out like that if we stayed here.”

Ingo’s face screwed up in displeasure as he raised a hand to knock on Ishimi’s door. “I refuse to believe in that possibility.”

They let themselves inside the warm tent that always smelled of tea and dried plants. Ishimi already had a pot of water heating up over the hearth, probably because she had heard Ingo in the settlement earlier. Chandelure chimed her greetings before she drifted up to her usual spot and swung slowly, content to watch from above. Ambipom was laying next to the hearth, dozing with his back to them as he curled around Budew to keep him warm.

“We are back.” Ingo greeted, smiling.

Ishimi gave them both an amused smirk. “Oh, finally had a chance to visit?”

“I am Emmet. Spring is basically here.” Emmet answered, smirking back at her.

Ingo nodded and continued. “You know we take extra care to follow safety checks this time of year, given the start of the snowmelt.”

“And the Gingko Guild has been making more shipments.” Emmet added. “Verrry important to make sure they pass through safely. You are welcome for that.”

Ishimi chuckled and pulled herself up to stand. “You know I’m just teasing. Come here.”

Ingo came over for hugs with Emmet following, each of them holding her tight to make up for their month-long absence. It didn’t take long for Ishimi to notice what was new about them.

“What are those?” She asked, pointing to Ingo’s belt.

“Oh!” Ingo glanced down at himself as Emmet pulled out of the hug. “These are more pokeballs! I believe Emmet acquired the recipe for them from the new settlement.”

Emmet nodded in confirmation. Where Irida had regarded the pokeballs with wariness and suspicion, Ishimi just started laughing, as if she had been justified about something.

“So you two were from the future!” She said, smirking. “I knew it.”

Emmet gave Ingo a nod when he looked to him in surprise. Ishimi didn’t usually talk about where they came from, in all the years they’d known her. Emmet had never stopped to think that she might have held any hunches about their origin.

“Does that bother you?” Ingo asked.

“Of course not! You are my boys, regardless of anything.” Ishimi sat back down, and Emmet crossed the tent to grab their cups for tea. “Does it bother either of you?”

Emmet shook his head. Ingo put a hand to his chin in thought.

“I suppose it hardly matters what space we came from by this point.“ He paused, and then added, “However, I think it would be best that this fact isn’t passed along.”

“Oh, of course.” Ishimi scoffed, pouring some tea for the three of them. “Diamond would go crazy if they heard about it. Now, tell me what else you’ve been up to since I last saw you.”

Emmet ducked his head in thanks as he took his cup. Ingo started to go into detail about what had been happening recently, looking between his notes and to Emmet for the occasional confirmation. The rift over Mount Coronet was still there, luxray still tried to encroach outside of their territory, burrowing onix and steelix were still causing minor landslides with the spring snowmelt weakening the earth.

For all the changes Jubilife brought about, it was still business as usual in the highlands, and Emmet was fine with that.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Ingo found himself waking up to a rare sight: Emmet was still in bed. He was right up against him, his cheek resting on his shoulder and his breaths slow with sleep.

Ingo watched his brother in silence for a while, not wanting to disturb him in the slightest. He could see the bags under his eyes from pure exhaustion, and he felt that seeing him sleeping in was something he’d been wanting for some time.

It was quiet in the room. Bird pokemon sung from outside, and cool morning air was coming in through the windows that were cracked open, though it was comfortable and warm in bed.

He finally raised a hand to carefully feel Emmet’s face. Fortunately, there wasn’t a fever, but the touch was enough for his brother to stir. Ingo smiled gently at him when their eyes met.

“Good morning.” He said. “Everything all right?”

Emmet stared at him for a moment before his tired smile wobbled. He moved closer as Ingo pulled him in, rubbing circles against his back.

“Go back to sleep. I can tell you need it.”

Emmet hummed a near-silent note in answer before he pushed himself up to sit with his hands. His eyes still squinted with sleep, he untied his belt from his waist and set it aside. Ingo looked over at it for a moment before he followed suit and handed his own to Emmet.

His body already felt grateful as he laid back down. Sinnoh, he could lay flat on his back again. They didn’t always used to sleep with all their gear and pokeballs on, as far as he could recall.

Ingo grunted as Emmet nearly flopped back onto him. He pulled his brother’s head under his chin, holding him securely and adjusting the blanket over them both. Chandelure trilled softly, lowering her flames as she returned to dozing. Ingo rubbed slow circles against Emmet’s back, content to just hold him in the quiet.

Emmet tapped on his shoulder, and he hummed back to let him know he had his attention. Ingo could feel him writing something against his arm with a finger.

Love you.

Ingo gave him a squeeze as he unsuccessfully held back a yawn. “And I love you. More than anything. Get some rest.”

Emmet nodded against his chest, sighing. Ingo felt him get heavier as he relaxed, his breaths slowing again.

There was a quiet finality to it all. A change that felt so important. Ingo continued to rub circles against Emmet’s back until sleep pulled at him as well. He would figure out what had changed, eventually.

For now, it was time for both of them to sleep in.

———

“Emmet, you remember everyone, right?”

“Yup!” Emmet smiled as very enthusiastic horde of dragons started to swarm him and Ingo. Nana growled at them from the side in warning before anyone could get too rowdy for attention.

“Behind the yellow line. We only have two hands each.” Emmet said.

Ingo’s mouth turned at the corners as he ran his hands down Flygon’s neck. She churred happily and nuzzled his cheek. “Hello.” He greeted. “It’s nice to meet you again.”

“Just be careful with Druddigon.” Dad warned. “He has Rough Skin.”

Emmet scratched Russ around his tusks for a while before he moved onto the next pokemon. He could see Garchomp’s pokeball rattling on Ingo’s belt as they continued their reunion, even as his brother put a hand over it to keep her from releasing herself too early.

“She’s losing patience.” Ingo sighed. “I think we should do it now.”

Dad nodded and whistled for his team to line up behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. Ingo took the pokeball in his hand and looked to Emmet.

“Ready?”

Emmet nodded. “All aboard.”

Garchomp nearly burst from her pokeball as soon as Ingo lifted the latch. With practiced synchronization, he and Emmet grabbed her by the horns and held her head low to the ground before she could try anything.

“Dad, everyone, meet Garchomp.” Ingo said. “Garchomp, meet our family.”

Garchomp growled at said family. Dad’s team eyed her warily.

“She has never been good about meeting new people, outside of a battle.” Emmet explained. “This is usually how she greets everyone until she decides she likes you.”

Dad nodded in understanding, watching her with undisguised interest. “It makes sense. You are her horde, so she’s protective of you. You mentioned she’s called an alpha?”

“Yup! Alphas somehow get a lot bigger than usual. They usually end up protecting other, smaller pokemon.”

“And how did you find her?”

Emmet looked to Ingo, who blinked back at him. “Ingo found her as a gabite and kept feeding her mushroom cakes until she followed him home one day.” Emmet explained.

“Oh, yes. That sounds familiar.” Ingo nodded. “She is very food motivated.”

Dad raised a brow at that. “That’s all you did?”

“As far as we know.” Emmet shrugged.

“I won’t ever tell.” Ingo deadpanned.

Dad did a double take at the joke before he cleared his throat and looked to Garchomp again. She narrowed her eyes at him and bared her teeth. Russ growled back at her, nearly stepping in front of his partner before Dad stopped him.

“None of that.” Ingo tugged her back, Emmet following his lead. “Be nice.”

Dad hummed thoughtfully and stroked his beard for a moment. “Boys, why don’t you let her go?”

“I would advise against it.” Ingo said quickly.

“Dad knows how to wrestle dragons.” Emmet explained to him, though his grip on Garchomp did not lessen in the slightest. He could see his brother’s eyes light up at the familiar fact; it was something he’d told him many times over the years. “Are you even still spry enough to wrestle?” Emmet asked to Dad, smirking.

He scoffed at the question, offended. “Why don’t you let me show you?”

Ingo frowned. He looked to Emmet for his opinion. Emmet stared at Dad, narrowing his eyes before he shrugged at his brother.

“Your choice, Ingo. She listens to you better than she does to me.”

“…I get to call her back at any time.” Ingo finally said. “Is that all right?”

Dad nodded. “Fair enough.”

Emmet knew Ingo would have put a hand to his chin in thought if both his hands weren’t already busy with Garchomp. He seemed to have reached a decision, and pulled Garchomp’s head in his direction.

“Behave.” He told her. “They aren’t going to hurt us.”

Garchomp huffed and looked to Dad, narrowing her eyes.

“Ready?” Ingo asked.

Dad nodded, his team backing up as he widened his stance in challenge. Garchomp crouched lower in response.

“Check safety.” Emmet said.

“This is hardly safe.” Ingo muttered. “All aboard.”

Ingo counted them down before they released their hold on their pokemon and he took her pokeball in hand. Garchomp stomped the earth and charged forward. Emmet had the briefest flash of regret before their dad started move.

Like his other childhood memories, Emmet’s recollection of Dad wrestling was faded, but he was happy to see that he had not been exaggerating when he had told Ingo of Dad’s skill. Even with the size difference, and even after two decades of time, he still moved expertly around Garchomp and had her head pinned to the ground within a minute. Garchomp’s growls went quiet, and she went prone on the ground as she stared at Dad.

Ingo’s mouth was open in shock as he stared at the scene in front of them. “What in Sinnoh’s name?” He stammered for a moment. “How did you do that?”

“Lots of practice.” Dad released his hold on Garchomp, and she went back to Ingo and Emmet’s side of the field and whined pitifully. Emmet held back the urge to laugh as he ran a hand down her side.

“Oh, you’re all right, dear.” Ingo soothed, rubbing her snout and around her horns. “Now you know that he is plenty capable of protecting us, just as you do. Right?”

Garchomp grumbled before looking over at Dad and walking back over. Dad’s team was stepping closer to her, now that her earlier aggression was no longer present.

“Take it slow, everyone. Let’s not overwhelm her.” He said to them, reaching out to rub Garchomp’s head in the same way he saw Ingo doing. Garchomp slowly relaxed, staring at him all the while.

“You like that? Good girl.” He said softly. “Good job taking care of our boys over the years. That means a lot to me, and I can tell you do it so well.”

Garchomp growled in a pleased way, closing her eyes and resting her head on the ground. Ingo finally relaxed, putting her pokeball back on his belt.

“She likes you, now.” Emmet grinned.

———

Just over a week had passed since the twins had gone to Opelucid. Elesa hadn’t heard a word from Ingo or Emmet, though Iris let her know that both of them were getting some much-needed rest. She didn’t know all the details, but she knew at least that Emmet was finally allowing himself to let others take over to help, and Ingo was given a prescription to help with his migraines.

Drayden’s gym was reopened under a temporary gym leader while he spent time with his family. Iris returned to her Champion seat, but took a couple extra days off so she could be home in Opelucid.

Iris texted Elesa one morning to let her know to expect a call from an unknown number. She already had an idea who she might expect on the other line. She answered the call when it showed up on her screen, and she smiled at the two, nearly-identical faces not quite staring at the camera. From the angle she was seeing, she had to guess that it was Ingo wearing the Xtrans, since Emmet was looking from over his brother’s shoulder.

“And there she is!” Iris’s voice could be heard from offscreen. “Easy, right?”

“Sure. Easy.” Emmet said, smiling nervously.

“Elesa!” Ingo squinted a purrloin smile at her. “Hello!”

“Hi!” Elesa beamed back. “How are you guys doing?”

Emmet nodded against Ingo’s shoulder, shaking the camera a little. “Verrry good. We got our Xtranses today.”

“Ingo, don’t hold yourself so stiff. It’s not gonna break.” Iris said.

“I am doing my best to act natural. This does not feel natural.”

The camera shook again as Iris’s face came into frame, upside down. “Elesa, these two are even older men than our old man. At least Dad is okay with touching a phone!”

“Iris is doing her best to teach us how to use these to call and text.” Ingo explained. “I have taken notes, but I am uncertain about how well it will stick.”

“I’m sure you’ll get it eventually.” Elesa assured. “What color did you get? Black?”

“I suppose it would make sense if I did, but no.” Ingo said. “Mine is purple.”

“He almost picked black, until he saw there was a purple one.” Emmet said. He lifted his wrist to show his own device. “Mine is yellow.”

“Yellow is the best color.” Elesa agreed sagely.

“I will agree to disagree.” Ingo huffed, then turned his head off to the side. “Iris! What is your favorite color?”

“I love pink!”

“Oh.” Some of the wind came out of Ingo’s sails. He put his hand to his chin in thought and stared at something, probably Iris. “I suppose that makes sense. Pink is also acceptable.”

Elesa was surprised to already see such a change in Ingo’s demeanor. He seemed to be doing a lot better, but he was not good about keeping the camera steady enough for her to see him properly.

“Ingo, you’re moving the camera around too much. It’s making me a little nauseous.” She said.

Her screen became a blurry mess as Ingo moved even more. “Apologies! We are trying to find the best station to sit and talk. One moment, please.”

“Sit against the side of bed. Then she can see all three of us.” Iris suggested.

Elesa waited until Ingo settled again. Emmet, and even Iris, pressed up on either side of him. Now that she could see properly, she could see that both Ingo and Emmet had more color to their faces, and it was obvious that they had been getting better rest.

“Emmet said you are in Nimbasa, currently? South of Opelucid?” Ingo asked.

“That’s right.” Elesa smiled. “Nimbasa’s my home base.”

“It’s so strange to be talking to you like this, knowing you are in a space far from here.” He said. “How does it work?”

“To be honest, I couldn’t tell you. I just know that it does work, and that’s what matters.” She shrugged. “You two look like you’re doing good. Is everything going all right?”

Emmet nodded again. “It is much better. We have been seeing some doctors, and Dad and Iris have been helping.”

A growl could be heard from somewhere nearby.

“And Nana, of course.” Emmet added.

Ingo was doing his best to pull his notebook from his belt with one hand while keeping his arm still, and finally managed to get it open. “I haven’t been taken out of commission due to a headache in four days now,” he announced, “and we have been put on a strict diet to help ease us into being able to eat more of the food here in Unova. Iris has told us about pizza, and I’m intrigued.”

“You’re gonna love it. Promise.”

The corners of Ingo’s mouth turned as he took his pencil in hand. “She has promised it will be good.” He emphasized as he wrote. “I will hold her to that.”

Iris elbowed his side, and his grin grew on his face.

“I’m happy to see you’re doing better, Ingo.” Elesa smiled. “I don’t think I’ve heard you being this chatty since me and the others first talked to you.”

“It does feel like I’ve been in a heavy fog until recently.” Ingo said. “Everyone has been helping.”

“Verrry much.” Emmet said quietly, putting his head on his brother’s shoulder.

“We started doing daily itineraries like they did in Hisui.” Iris said. “I didn’t realize how much they both love schedules.”

Both twins huffed indignantly at that.

“Of course we do. They are important.” Emmet said.

Ingo’s natural frown deepened. “How else am I going to know without a doubt that we are going to be able to battle you this afternoon?”

Iris gave him an incredulous look. “You could just ask.”

“That is still not a guarantee. You could say no.”

“Why would I say no?”

“An excellent question.”

“Have you battled her already?” Elesa asked.

“I believe I have!” Ingo nearly shouted, flipping through a couple pages. Emmet didn’t even flinch at the sudden rise in his volume, while Iris hopped a little in place. “Yes, we have had a few up to this point. She is quite skilled, being the Champion.”

“Ingo’s no joke, either, and Emmet’s really strong, too.” Iris added. “Dad’s promised to be our fourth in a multi soon, once he’s taken care of some things.”

“And I’m looking forward to it.”

Elesa grinned. “I’d love to challenge you guys in a multi, too. Feel free to call me over sometime.”

Ingo nodded, writing it down. “We will be sure to reach out.”

“So, Elesa, are you ready for the exhibition next week?” Iris asked her.

Elesa grinned as both Ingo and Emmet perked at the question. “Just about!” She winked. “I’ve got a surprise planned for it.”

“This is at the Pokemon World Tournament?” Emmet asked.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Oh! We are considering seeing it for ourselves!” Ingo said.

“Really?” Elesa’s brows raised in surprise. “It’s going to be pretty busy, and loud.”

“Yup.” Emmet nodded. “Clay told Dad that there are private rooms we can watch from, so we won’t be bothered by anyone, and it won’t be as noisy.”

“We want to give it a try.” Ingo continued. “There are lots of spaces in Unova that are loud and busy, and we want to prepare for them.”

“Like the Battle Subway?” Elesa guessed.

Both of their faces turned red, and they simultaneously pulled the brims of their hats over their eyes, much to her and Iris’s amusement. Elesa couldn’t help it, she laughed.

“Yes, like the Battle Subway.” Ingo muttered.

Elesa was still grinning as her laughs died down enough to talk again. “That would be so fun if you two could see it, though! I think you would love to watch the matches.”

“It would be exciting. People in Unova enjoy battling so much more than those in Hisui.” Ingo said, his face still flushed. “Aside from Zisu, Akari and Rei are the exceptions.”

“It is verrry different from what we are used to.” Emmet nodded, putting his head on Ingo’s shoulder again.

Elesa noticed that Ingo had paused and was frowning a little more in thought. He suddenly blinked and refocused his sights on the camera. Or, somewhere close to it. It didn’t seem like either of them knew where to look for a video call, and were just watching her face on the screen.

“A very good different, though.” He confirmed, glancing down at his notes. His earlier enthusiasm had dimmed. “We are also discussing collecting gym badges at some point.”

Emmet glanced at his brother and pulled him in a little closer to him. Iris put her head against his shoulder.

“That would be great practice for getting used to everything in Unova.” Elesa smiled gently.

Ingo nodded, taking a deep breath as he continued. “Yes, it would be! It would be fun to travel and see more of the region.”

Iris smiled up at him. “And once you get all the gym badges, you could come and challenge me!”

Ingo blinked again and looked down at her. “If we’ve already beaten you here, doesn’t that make us the Champions?”

She stuck out her tongue at him, and he started to smile again.

———

Elesa saw another new number appear on her Xtrans later that day, down to the very minute she had said she’d be ready. Right on time. She sat down in her dressing room/office and answered the call.

Only one face smiled back at her.

“Just you, this time?” She teased.

Emmet smirked at her from her screen. “I am Emmet. I told you that I like to listen to Ingo talk, but I still wanted to talk with you.”

“How are you doing?”

“I am okay.” He shrugged. “The tournament news has gotten most of the annoying people away from us, but Dad and Iris are still getting calls from reporters asking for interviews and information.”

Elesa gave him a sympathetic look. “I saw your Hisui pictures surfaced recently.”

“Yup.” Emmet sighed. “Lenora and Hawes warned us that we might be getting some letters from historians, or something, if anyone is willing to believe that it is us in them.”

“Sorry you have to deal with all of that.”

“It is fine. Will be fine, eventually.” Emmet said. “Ingo and I talked about it with Dad, and we decided it would be best to not make up a story, once we decide to say something.”

“You’re really just going to be honest about everything?” Elesa asked.

“It is for Ingo’s sake. Most details will not be shared, but what we will choose to say will be the truth.” He huffed. “Just because me and my brother are in history books does not mean that everything about us will be public knowledge.”

“Fair enough.” She said. “How does it feel to know you two are in history books?”

Emmet’s face twisted in discomfort. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Okay.” She nodded and changed the subject. “Have either of you met Clay yet? Since he’s been helping your dad and with the PR stuff?”

He gave her a small, grateful smile before he answered. “No, we haven’t. I think Clay is avoiding us because he feels guilty, or maybe he thinks we are mad at him.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Not to me and Ingo, at least. Ingo is still getting Hisui and Unova confused a lot, so it’s probably for the best that we don’t see him, for now.”

“He seemed pretty focused during our earlier conversation, for the most part.”

Emmet nodded. “He was. I was happy to see it. Apparently it is still too early to tell if his current treatments are going to work in the long run, but I have already noticed less derailments.”

Elesa nodded and put her chin on her desk. “Let’s hope on the ideal that it will keep getting better.”

Emmet brushed away the tears that had suddenly sprung to his eyes and chuckled, as if he found something ironic about the expression. “Yes, it would be ideal.”

She gave him a moment to recompose himself before she continued. “Seriously though, how are you doing?”

“I am okay, really.” Emmet smiled at her. “I got some medicine to help with pain. They also gave me a cane to use for the bad days, but I have not had to touch it yet.”

“And how’s that all working out for you?”

More tears welled up in his eyes as his smile wobbled. “I never realized how much I was hurting. Elesa, I was able to get myself up from the ground this morning without having to grab onto something, or someone. Probably shouldn’t do it, but I can’t remember the last time I was able to do that without struggling.”

Elesa smiled at him warmly. “I’m so happy to hear it. I’m really glad both of you are getting better.”

Emmet huffed and gave her a tired smirk. “No ‘I told you so?’”

“No, you bidoofus.” Elesa rolled her eyes. “I’m just happy you did it at all, instead of ignoring it. I know it wasn’t easy.”

His smile quirked at the pun, but he nodded slowly. “Thank you, for your help. You have been a good friend. All of you have been.”

Elesa really wished she was there in person to hug them both. “You two have my number now, so make sure you use it, okay? I’ll send you Skyla and Burgh’s as well.”

“Okay.”

“And I’ll see about coming over after my photoshoot the day after tomorrow. How does that sound?”

Emmet smiled at her. It was a warm, genuine one that actually reached his eyes. She’d never seen it from him before.

“I would like that, verrry much. I know Ingo would, too.”

———

It was a nice day outside. The two of them were leaning against Garchomp, with Emmet working on a whittling project. Ingo had just hit a comfortable lull in their conversation and was now watching his brother work. Most of their team was dozing around them in the afternoon sun with some of their family’s pokemon, full and content from their latest excursion to Route 6. For once, Ingo wasn’t feeling tired enough to join them yet. That was a good thing, he felt.

Garchomp’s lazy growl rumbled against Ingo’s back as someone approached. He looked over to see Dad coming from the house. Ingo noticed him sighing in relief when he spotted him.

“Back already?” Dad said in greeting, his voice carefully even. “That wasn’t three hours.”

Ingo shrugged a little. “No problems were encountered, and everyone is fed. I thought I’d make my return early to let everyone rest.”

“He has it down to a system by this point. Verrry efficient.” Emmet said, flicking a piece of wood up so it bounced off of Eelektross’s head. Eelektross grumbled sleepily, barely stirring.

Dad looked over the lounging horde of pokemon. “You’re really okay out there on your own?” He asked.

Emmet paused and glanced over at him.

“Rest assured, I know what I’m doing out there much better than I know what to do here.” Ingo said. “I would not make an effective warden otherwise.”

Dad nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, his expression thoughtful. “Maybe one of these days I could join you. See you in your element.”

“Really?” Ingo blinked at him. “When?”

“Not for a while.” Dad answered. “Like Emmet, I have my reasons for not going to Route 6.”

“Well, we can just find somewhere else to go.” Ingo quickly pulled out the map of Unova from his belt and unfolded it. “Route 6 is easier for me, because Alakazam knows where to Teleport to.”

Emmet smiled a little and went back to his carving as Dad crouched in front of Ingo to look at the map.

“You really want me to come with you?” He asked.

Ingo nodded as he looked over the western part of the region. “I assure you, I pride myself on passenger safety, and our team is trained on assisting in that endeavor.”

“But you want me to come.”

Ingo glanced at him briefly before he nodded again. “I do.” He said softly.

He almost missed the corners of Dad’s eyes wrinkling into the smallest smile. “I’ll be sure to make some time to step away, then.” He said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve dealt with anything related to camping or hiking. You’ll have to be patient with me.”

“Of course.” Ingo said. “I can do that.”

Dad hummed before rising to his feet again. “Do either of you mind if I stay out here for a while?”

“Go right ahead. I am fine with sharing space.” Ingo said while Emmet nodded, watching as Dad sat and leaned against a nearby tree. Russ readily picked himself up and rested his head over Dad’s lap, sighing and dozing off again.

“Now you have no choice.” Emmet grinned.

“Seems like it.” Dad sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the tree as he ran a hand down his partner’s neck. “That is fine.”

Ingo leaned against Garchomp again and looked over the map in his hands. While it was useful for him to know about the names of cities and routes, it was lacking information about the spaces beyond that. He wasn’t entirely sure how to read this sort of map, either, so maybe he was just missing something.

He would have to ask Iris, or Elesa or someone else, to help him. He wanted to make sure Dad had a good experience, wherever they ended up going.

———

Elesa dragged herself out of bed and headed to the kitchen to feed her and Skyla’s teams, so Skyla could sleep in a little longer. She didn’t have to be up as early as Elesa did that morning, and this gave Elesa a bit more time to wake up before she had to head out the door. Once she finished and everyone was eating, she came back to her bedroom to finish getting ready.

Her Xtrans was one of the last things to be put on, and she sat on the edge of the bed to check the notifications that came up since she had gone to bed the night before. None of it seemed out of the ordinary, at first. There were some texts from her gym trainers, a notice from Clay about the schedule for the exhibition, and a confirmation from the salon about her upcoming hair appointment…

And, a voicemail from Cynthia.

Elesa stared at the notification, then hit play on the recording.

“Hello Elesa. I know I’ve called while you were probably asleep, but I only had so much time to reach out. I was notified about the news about Drayden’s sons.”

Skyla suddenly sat up and looked to Elesa in sleepy confusion, then to her Xtrans. Elesa put her finger to her lips as the message continued.

“I know this seems like it’s coming out of the blue, but I wanted to ask if I could share your number with Champion Dawn. I have it on good authority that she and her brother know Ingo and Emmet, and are looking to reach out to them. The twins would know them better as Akari and Rei. Just let me know. I’m looking forward to seeing you next week.”

The recording ended. Skyla rubbed her face and groaned as she leaned against Elesa’s back. “How in the Dragons’ name do a couple of kids all the way from Sinnoh know Ingo and Emmet?” She mumbled.

Elesa frowned as she checked her texts again. Cynthia had sent her a picture that was timestamped just after the voicemail. It was a black and white photo of two kids, in a very familiar studio.

“Can you pull up the warden picture of the twins?” Elesa asked. Skyla yawned as she reached for her own Xtrans, and pulled up the photo.

Sure enough, the studio was the same. Elesa also recognized the girl in the photo.

Skyla recognized her, too. “Let me rephrase. How the hell does the Sinnoh Champion know them?”

Elesa frowned as she stared between the two pictures. If it was anyone other than Cynthia, she would have thought it was some stupid prank. When it came to stuff like this, however, she trusted that Cynthia would have done her research beforehand, and that she knew what she was talking about.

“I can think of two words, courtesy of Burgh.” Elesa sighed, closing her Xtrans and standing. “Legendary fuckery.”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t uncommon for Irida to come up the mountain to visit, but it had been a while since she last did. Emmet knew that she was busy with the situation with frenzied nobles. Some months ago, the rift above Mount Coronet had suddenly grown in size, and with it came more common distortions, and an increase in aggressive wild pokemon.

It made things more dangerous in the highlands, even more now that Lord Electrode was frenzied. He and Ingo found it a lot harder to step away and visit the Pearl settlement with the threat of explosions and landslides making crossing through dangerous for those who weren’t familiar with the area. It had even been some time since the two of them had talked with Melli, which was both strange, and a bit worrying, if Emmet had to admit it. The one time Ingo had managed to see him during a morning patrol had ended with Melli yelling at him. At least, Emmet was pretty sure that was what happened. Ingo purposely did not disclose all the details to him.

Irida was the one to let them know that three frenzies had already been quelled by people who’d fallen from the rift. Siblings. They were working with the survey team in Jubilife, and were now tasked with helping with Lord Electrode’s frenzy. They just needed an escort up to Moonview Arena, and Lady Sneasler’s blessing to assist them in the future.

Their leader sat across them from at their empty fire pit, petting one of her eevees in her lap as she continued. “If you don’t mind it, wardens, I’d like to tell them that you were also displaced.”

Ingo and Emmet glanced at each other in surprise. “Why?” They asked in tandem.

She gave them a small smile. “Well, I think it would help them warm up to you, knowing that you two are in a similar situation.”

Emmet stiffened while Ingo’s eyes widened. “Situation?” Emmet said incredulously, his voice raising.

Irida’s face paled in horror as she realized what she was implying. “Oh great Sinnoh, I didn’t mean it like that!” She panicked as she backtracked. “I just- I’ve seen how Kamado treats the two of them. I thought having something they could… relate with would-”

She pressed her lips together tightly and frowned. “This isn’t coming out right. I am so, so sorry, wardens.”

Emmet was silent as she bowed to them in earnest. Regardless of the apology, he was still fuming, and he couldn’t sit still any longer. Thankfully, his brother didn’t stop him as he rose to his feet to do something to occupy his hands with. Ingo remained sitting, thinking.

“…I believe I understand what you are trying to say.” Ingo spoke, looking Irida’s way again. “You want to tell them about how we arrived in Hisui because you think it will help them feel more comfortable with us.”

Irida nodded, holding her hands at her chest. “Again, I am so sorry at my wording.”

Ingo glanced at Emmet, who shook his head as he released Machamp to help move some logs to be cut into firewood. Ingo continued. “We appreciate you thinking of them. Truly, it seems like they have been through much. However, it would come as a great comfort to us if we do not advertise this part of our history.”

“We are Pearl Clan.” Emmet said, taking the axe set near their yurt. Machamp balanced a log on a nearby stump and Emmet swung the axe down onto it to split it into two pieces. “We have been Pearl Clan, for most of our lives, by a large margin.”

“If we want to tell them of our origins at some point, we will be the ones to tell them.” Ingo finished.

“I understand. Thank you for hearing me out.”

Ingo nodded and pulled out his notebook. “Now, who are they, exactly?”

Irida took a small breath. “Their names are Rei and Akari. They’re siblings. Rei is older, by a couple years, I believe.”

Ingo jotted down the names down. “When do you want us in Jubilife to meet them?”

“Preferably tomorrow morning, first thing. Would that be doable?”

“We can be there.” Emmet nodded before swinging the axe down again. Dinner Plate pushed the scattered pieces closer together as Machamp collected them into their arms. “The sooner they can take care of Lord Electrode’s frenzy, the sooner Melli can go back to being his normal amount of bitchy.”

Ingo sighed tiredly and closed his notebook, while Irida watched him from over her shoulder. Emmet refused to acknowledge either of them, not wanting dredge up more of the mess of emotions he was feeling.

Irida was staying nearby for the night since she also had to be at Jubilife in the morning. She avoided their tent for dinner, even though Emmet had cooled off long before that. He felt bad about it, a little bit.

She came back around eventually while he was out alone. He’d taken a scrap of wood and was carving it into something as the sun set on the mountain. Ingo was already in their tent, probably reading.

Irida sat down across from him and watched in silence for some time before she spoke. “I’m sorry.”

Emmet paused for a moment and sighed. “It is fine. You were thinking of the skyfallers. I can’t fault you for that.”

“It’s not fine, though.” She frowned at him. “I did it at the cost of my own wardens’ comfort.”

He shrugged. “You asked us first, though. You didn’t just assume before acting.”

“It shouldn’t have even been a question at all. I know how both of you get when you’re treated differently.”

Emmet smirked humorlessly at her. “Still better than being called a zoroark.”

He focused his sights on his project and refused to look her way again. He knew she was watching him, reading his body language.

“Warden Emmet, can you tell me what’s wrong?”

Damn it all, she was younger than they were. How did she sound so much more grown up than he currently felt? She was not like her mother, but there was no doubt in his mind that the young woman sitting next to him was his clan leader, and that her concern was sincere.

He brushed the shavings off his lap before he looked over at her tiredly. “What happened, Irida? Something has changed between you and us in the last few years. I do not understand what it is.”

She looked genuinely surprised. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve questioned us a little more than usual. Visited us a little less.” He said. “It feels like you have been avoiding me and Ingo, even before the rift grew.”

Irida was quiet for a while as she thought on it. “I suppose I have been distancing myself. I… I never realized it.”

“What is the reason for it?” Emmet turned back to his carving. “Is it Jubilife?”

Irida took another moment to think before she spoke again. “…There was a lot about it that you never questioned. You already knew about many of the things they brought with them from across the sea. You knew about pokeballs, yet they called them a new invention, never seen in the world before.”

Emmet huffed. “It should not be a surprise to you that we came from the future, as well as a different space. They are called space-time distortions for a reason.”

“I knew that, but I think I never really put much thought into it until I started dealing with them at their settlement.” She laced and unlaced her hands together. “It became a lot more obvious then that you were from somewhere else.”

Emmet stilled and curled his hand around the half-carved figure. “And so you talked to us less. Avoided our space.”

That was the part that hurt the most about all of this, especially coming from her. Sure, he and Ingo had their differences compared to other people of Hisui. Most wardens had their quirks, which was a large part of why they got along a lot better with the wardens than with the rest of the clan. However, being more or less different from other Pearl Clan members never meant he and Ingo didn’t want to be a part of something.

Irida pet her glaceon as she climbed onto her lap. “I don’t have any excuses for my behavior. I’m so sorry.”

“I am Emmet. I should have brought it up sooner.” He sighed. “I just— never quite realized that it had been bothering me until today.”

“Well… I’m glad you told me.”

He hummed softly, prying away a piece of wood from his project and smoothing down the sides.

“I am sorry, too. I have probably not helped the situation, either.” He realized quietly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve considered myself from the future, but I think Jubilife coming here woke up that part of me in the past few years. The settlement is nothing like where we came from, but it’s the closest I’ve felt to it. Made me realized that I still miss our old home… That I’ll always miss it, to an extent.”

“It was a precious space to you.” He could see her smiling sadly out of the corner of his eye. “There is no shame or wrong in missing it.”

Emmet carefully shaped the axe-like tusks on either side of the figure’s head. He smirked wryly. “Ingo is more of this time than I am, since he doesn’t remember anything about our old home. He is more Pearl Clan than I can ever be.”

It was meant to be a lighthearted joke at his own expense, but the words tasted sour, and oh-so heavy on his tongue as he said them. He glanced at Irida when she didn’t respond immediately. She looked horrified, as if she’d just realized something. He quickly looked away again, heat rising to his face in embarrassment.

“Emmet… do you think you don’t belong here?” She asked quietly.

Something about the question made his eyes water and his throat burn. He set aside the figure before he could accidentally break it, and ran his hands down his face.

“I want to believe in that ideal that I do.” He sighed. “I am at home here in the highlands, in Ishimi’s tent, with other Pearl wardens, and with my brother, most of all. But, sometimes…”

Irida got to her feet and went to stand in front of him. Emmet kept his head down, staring at the ground.

“Warden Emmet, you are Pearl Clan, as much as your fellow wardens are. You are a part of Pearl Clan as much as your brother is.” She said. “Forgive me for my recent mistakes, for saying something that so unintentionally perpetuated your fear. You belong here, in Hisui, and I am honored to have shared space with you through all these years. I couldn’t ask for better wardens.”

He took a deep breath and looked up at her. She stared right at him, her eyes resolute, as if the action alone could convince him of the words she spoke. To her, they were truths, and he wanted to believe in them. He smiled wearily.

“I am Emmet. You have gotten good at the leader thing. Verrry good.” He bowed his head deeply to her. “I am honored to have shared space with you, too. Thank you for listening to me.”

“I am your clan leader. You are one of Hisui’s esteemed wardens. I want us to be able to talk to each other.” She smiled at him when he raised his head again. “Please, do not hesitate to reach out in the future.”

“I will be sure to remember it.”

Irida left him with a bow and he stayed outside for a little longer, working on his carving. Past the tusks, however, he wasn’t sure how to continue. Everything else about the figure was just a vague shape.

He wasn’t even sure if it looked right.

With a sigh, he went inside to get ready for bed. Ingo was already dressed down for the night, sitting in his bunk and reading through one of the few books they owned. Gliscor was draped over his legs like a blanket with his face pressed against Ingo’s stomach, the book balanced on top of his head.

“Everything all right?” Ingo asked.

Emmet shrugged as he chucked the figure into the stove to use as fuel for later. “Tired. Going to bed early.”

Ingo glanced over as Emmet closed the stove door, frowning. “I should probably retire, myself. We have a busy day tomorrow, after all.”

Emmet hummed in agreement and climbed into his bed. Eelektross draped himself around him as he usually did, giving him something to lean against as he dozed off into sleep.

Except sleep wasn’t fast in coming. Emmet’s thoughts were enough to keep him awake. He stared up at the bunk above him, tracing shapes in the wood grain with his eyes over and over.

How could he feel so homesick, at home, and yet so separate from it, all at the same time?

“…I’m so glad you’re here.” He whispered quietly to the top bunk.

The bed shifted, and Emmet cringed as Ingo climbed down to the floor. He thought he’d be nearly asleep by now. Eelektross moved out of the way as he squished up next to Emmet.

“Sorry.” Emmet said.

“Don’t be sorry.” Ingo soothed, readily pulling him in. “I’m glad you’re here with me, too.”

Emmet sunk into the embrace, closing his eyes as he felt his hair being brushed back.

“I love you.” He mumbled.

Ingo’s soft hum reverberated in his chest and against Emmet’s ear. “And I love you. More than anything.”

His thoughts finally quieted. No matter where he did or didn’t belong, so long as Ingo was there, it was enough. He could live with anything.

Sleep came to him easier after that, safe in his brother’s space.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Emmet managed to get up the stairs with only the slightest squeaking. Years ago, he would have known exactly where to step without making a sound. Since then, more important details had overwritten the memory. Dad was probably busy in his office doing some paperwork before he started on breakfast, and Iris was at the League until tomorrow, so there wasn’t a need to be stealthy. It was just him being nervous about finally coming up to the second floor.

Dad’s bedroom was still to the left, with the other bedroom doors to the right. It was easy to tell which door was Iris’s, given that a sparkly sign with her name was taped to it. Emmet tried the door to the right of it, and found that it was still a storage room.

It had been his room, a verrry long time ago. He and Ingo had their own rooms until Mom passed away, then they switched to sharing after the two of them were unable to fall asleep without being in the same room. It was only meant to be a temporary fix, but he and Ingo found that they preferred it, and Dad decided to let it be for the time being. It might have eventually become his room again, if they hadn’t fallen into Hisui.

Eelektross gurgled at his side as Emmet looked around the space. There was still a wallpaper strip of trains that bordered the ceiling, faded and yellowed through years of sunlight exposure. The curtains were faded, too. It didn’t look like much had been touched in a long time.

He left the room and shut the door as Chandelure came phasing through the floor with a chime. He smirked at her gently; her being here meant that Ingo was finally awake, and searching for him.

“You can bring him here.” He said. “I am just looking around.”

Chandelure bumped her globe against his hand and went through the floor again. Emmet leaned over the railing to see his brother’s mess of bedhead appear from the foyer below. Ingo looked around sleepily before Chandelure prompted him to look up.

“Good morning.” He yawned.

“Morning.” Emmet smiled back.

Ingo joined him on the second floor and leaned against the railing as he rubbed his face. “I thought for a moment that you went ahead on your morning patrol.” He mumbled. “Then I realized where we were.”

“You know where we are?” Emmet asked.

“This is Dad’s house, right?” Ingo guessed. “In Opelucid, Unova?”

Emmet nodded, smiling. “Yup. You got it.”

Ingo eyes squinted in a small smile of his own before his frown deepened uncertainly. “Do you know if…?” His voice trailed off, his brows furrowing.

Emmet gave him another moment before he spoke. “Do I know, what?”

Ingo shook his head, as if casting the thought aside. “What are you doing?” He asked.

Oh, Emmet did not like that. Ingo not finishing a question was not a good thing, in his book. He’d been seeing a change in his brother since he started on his medication. The headaches seemed to be taken care of, giving Ingo more time to ponder on things without the fear of having to rest for the remainder of the day. What’s more, Chandelure wasn’t hovering quite as much as before.

All in all, it was a good change, but at the same time it meant that Ingo was probably starting to internalize what being in Unova meant for them. Emmet wasn’t going to pry yet, especially not first thing in the morning, but he was going to keep a careful eye on his brother.

Regardless, they were going to have to talk soon.

“I am exploring. Want to join me?”

“Sure.” Ingo’s gaze went to Iris’s sign, before it traveled to the door Emmet was standing in front of. “What room is this?”

Emmet took a deep breath before turning the handle. “Ours.”

Ingo looked over Emmet’s shoulder as he opened the door. He followed behind as Emmet led the way in.

The room smelled dusty, even more so than the storage room. Emmet moved to get the window open before doing anything else. Pushing back the curtains only made it worse though, making him, Ingo, and Eelektross cough and sneeze in his effort to get some fresh air into the room.

“When was the last time anyone was in here?” Ingo asked, putting a hand to his mouth.

“Probably about as long as we have been gone.” Emmet’s nose still tickled as he went back to the door. “I am Emmet. I am going to get some cloths. You can take a look around.”

Eelektross sneezed several times in a row as he followed Emmet out. He gave his partner a sympathetic smile and went into the nearest bathroom.

“Come here, buddy.” He pulled some washcloths from the closet and wet them in the sink before using one of them to wipe Eelektross’s face clean of dust. Eelektross gurgled his thanks as Emmet wrung out the rest of the cloths and went back into their old room. Ingo had his shirt pulled up over his nose as he leaned over a cardboard box to read the top. Emmet tossed him a damp cloth when he noticed him, and he cleaned up the dust off the boxes.

Emmet looked around the room and sighed quietly. Their things had been packed away, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Dad never got rid of any of it. Their old beds were still on either side of the room, with only the mattresses on them, and their desks set in between. There were empty bookshelves on either side of the room. More of the train wallpaper from the other room was pasted up by the ceiling, along with old glow in the dark stars near the closet.

Emmet started on wiping off both desks and moved to the chairs as Ingo worked on the bookshelves. Neither of them were willing to open any boxes yet, one of the many things they had learned from the Pearl Clan. A clean space was important before doing anything else in it.

“Want to guess which side was yours?” Emmet asked. There wasn’t too much decor out to make it immediately obvious, since the furniture was unpainted wood.

Ingo hummed and glanced around before sidestepping a few inches. “This side? It’s a bit darker here.”

“Yup.” Emmet smiled at him. “I took the side that the sun hits in the morning, because you’ve always liked sleeping in.”

His brother glanced around his side of the room, then went to the old desk and sat down in the chair.

“…It’s so small.” He noted, looking down at the desktop. He huffed softly when he noticed something on Emmet’s old desk. He reached over and traced over some carved shapes in the wood.

“I don’t think you told me your craftsmanship started before Hisui.” He said.

Emmet came over and sat in the chair next to him to see for himself. “I am Emmet. I didn’t even realize it, myself. Huh.”

His gaze moved to the view out the window. From the second floor they could see a lot more of the grounds at once, and even some of the forest past the hedge and gate that now bordered the property. Maybe they could go to the river sometime, like they used to.

Emmet’s smile twitched.

Dragons, they were in their old room, in their old desks.

The last time they were here, they were ten years old.

The same feeling he felt when he first entered the house was back, an uncomfortable sense of not quite fitting right. He found Ingo’s hand and held it tightly, taking a deep breath.

Ingo seemed to be having a similar experience. He was staring out the window, his brows furrowed in thought, before he suddenly started blinking quickly.

“I don’t remember any of this.” He said, trying to keep his voice even.

Emmet gave his hand a squeeze as a lump grew in his own throat. “That is okay.”

Ingo swallowed hard and rose from the chair, bringing Emmet with him. “And I don’t want to open any boxes right now.”

“Me neither.” Emmet followed his lead out of the room after closing the window again. He shut the door behind them, holding the dirty cloths in his other hand to throw in the laundry room.

Dad noticed that something was wrong the moment they came into the kitchen for breakfast. “Do we need to let Elesa and Skyla know that today isn’t a good day?” He asked.

Emmet glanced at Ingo to check with him. “We still want them to come over.” Emmet assured, taking his usual seat at the table. “We will be fine, just… went into our old room. Got overwhelmed.”

Dad stilled and looked over at them. “Are you all right?”

Emmet gave a small shake of his head. “I thought I was ready.” He said quietly.

“I wanted to see it.” Ingo said. “Nothing about it was familiar.”

Dad came over with a couple of mugs and sat on Emmet’s other side. “There’s no need to push yourselves. As someone who hasn’t done much to that room in twenty years, I will not think any less of either of you for taking your time.”

Emmet stared down at the tea set in front of them. It wasn’t the right blend, but maybe that was a good thing. He was dealing with enough right now to not want Hisui thrown into the mix this morning.

One thing at a time.

“Okay.” Emmet managed to say.

“We dusted it a little, though.” Ingo said, rubbing his nose.

“Oh, dear.” Dad said. “I should really get a cleaning service here one of these days, shouldn’t I?”

Eelektross sneezed one more time from Emmet’s lap. Dad chuckled softly, while Emmet and Ingo smiled a little.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Dad said, rising from his chair to went to check the food on the stove. “If you two like where you’re currently staying, we can start converting it into your room, instead of a just guest room.”

“I think that might be best.” Ingo said, glancing to Emmet, who nodded in agreement.

“We’ll find a mattress you two like so you’re not on the floor anymore.” Dad said, probably more to himself. He looked over at them and continued, “Do either of you want to start making the schedule for the day?”

Ingo pulled over a piece of paper from the small stack that Dad had left on the table and brought out his notebook to start writing things down. Emmet took a sip of his tea and stared at the steam curling up from it until his vision blurred.

He felt Ingo’s hand on his shoulder and he sniffled, taking a shaky breath. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Ingo reached over to grab a nearby tissue box and set it next to Emmet’s mug.

Emmet blew his nose into a tissue and balled it up, glancing over at his brother. Ingo’s own eyes were watery, but no tears fell as he switched out the book in his hand.

He had taken out his old notebook by mistake.

Ingo’s gaze flicked to him before he quickly looked away again, clearing his throat and reviewing his notes. “What time were they planning on arriving?” He asked.

Emmet reached out to put a hand on Ingo’s shoulder, but he leaned away, shaking his head. Emmet let his hand drop and narrowed his eyes at his brother.

Damn it all, he knew exactly what Ingo was doing.

They really needed to talk soon.

———

Elesa was staring at her Xtrans, reviewing her texts as the train came into Opelucid. She looked over the picture Cynthia sent her again, frowning. Both Ingo and Emmet had mentioned Akari and Rei several times before, but it didn’t seem like they knew that they were time travelers, themselves. Not that they talked about Hisui a lot during their stay in Mistralton.

A cursory glance into the siblings provided her and Skyla with some facts, but they were curious about running it all by the twins to see what they thought about it.

“Oh, there they are!” Skyla whispered in surprise. Elesa lifted her head to look out the window. Ingo and Emmet were waiting on the platform for them, looking over the train with avid interest. Drayden was hovering nearby, his arms folded across his chest as he kept an eye out.

They didn’t initially see Elesa and Skyla come out of the train, but Ingo eventually noticed them coming over and nudged his brother for his attention. Emmet beamed when he saw them.

“How was it?” He asked, as if they had just come back from a luxury cruise or something.

“Um, same as it always is.” Elesa laughed.

Both of their heads suddenly turned to watch the train speed off the platform.

“Soon.” Ingo said under his breath, which for him wasn’t very quiet, and maybe a little ominous to the uninitiated. Skyla snorted softly.

“Let’s head back.” Drayden waved for them to leave. The five of them left the station and walked in the direction of his home, with Skyla having to take twice as many steps as everyone else.

“Dragons, why do you all have to be so damn tall?” She muttered.

Elesa laughed and took her girlfriend’s hand, slowing down a bit. “You guys haven’t called or texted either of us—or Burgh—since we last talked.” She said to the twins.

Ingo also slowed his pace when he noticed Skyla struggling, which prompted everyone else to slow down. “Called…? Oh.” He glanced down at the Xtrans on his wrist. “Apologies, I keep forgetting that I have this.”

Emmet tapped on the screen of his own device and grimaced at it. “I am Emmet. There are too many buttons.”

Elesa smirked at Emmet’s griping. “Do you want a review on how to use them?”

Both of them looked at each other before they nodded. “Yes, please.” Ingo said.

It wasn’t until they were safely behind the gate of the mansion that Elesa and Skyla decided to bring up the voicemail.

“Hey, so, I got a call from our friend Cynthia last night-” Elesa started.

Emmet’s smile wavered as he held up a hand to stop her. “She is your historian friend, correct? From Sinnoh?”

She and Skyla nodded.

Both Ingo and Drayden stopped on the front steps as Emmet took a breath. “Is this going to be good news, or bad news?” He asked.

Elesa and Skyla looked at each other for a moment. “Hopefully it’s good news?” Elesa guessed.

Ingo’s frown deepened uncertainly. Emmet’s own smile was thin as he thought it over.

“Can we have a battle first, then we talk?” He said. “It’s been a hard morning.”

Elesa watched as Ingo came back down the steps to join his brother. There was a weariness in their faces that she hadn’t noticed earlier; it did look like both of them needed a good distraction.

“Fair enough.” She smiled at them. “Let’s do it.”

———

Emmet and Ingo blinked at Elesa’s Xtrans in disbelief after the recording finished. Emmet slumped back in his chair, his mind spinning. “How…?”

Ingo leaned forward on the table. “And Cynthia left you this message last night?” He checked.

“Yeah, she called while we were asleep.” Elesa said. “Da- Akari is coming with her to the exhibition next week. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rei is coming along with, now that they know you’re here.”

“They’re coming here. To Unova.” Ingo said. He sounded excited.

Skyla glanced between them. “Were they your friends?”

Emmet nodded, smiling. “They were. Are, I guess. They visited us a lot in the highlands, and were the ones to convince us to come to Jubilife and help teach about battling. We knew they were from the future, but I never imagined that they were from this day and age.”

“Why didn’t they say anything?” Skyla asked.

“They arrived in Hisui with very little memory of where they came from.” Ingo explained, flipping through his old notebook. “They knew they were siblings to each other, and they knew they were from another time, but I am uncertain if they knew anything else about their own history.”

Elesa hesitated before she raised her hand to the side of her head, gesturing to it in a mirror of Ingo’s scar. “Did they…?”

Ingo smirked faintly at her. “No. As far as we know, they did not sustain any injuries in their fall. We think their amnesia might have been due to their arrival through the rift.”

“The what?”

“Not important.” Emmet drummed his fingers on the table. “So, they’ve come back home and want to get in touch. Did you give Cynthia an answer?”

Both Skyla and Elesa were still gaping at Emmet brushing aside the subject, but Elesa recovered first. “…We wanted to check with you two before we said anything, and there’s something else you should know, first.”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“They didn’t just return home recently.” She said. “They came back a couple years ago.”

“That… doesn’t make sense.” Emmet paused. “We saw them, literally a day or so before our own displacement.”

“They’d been missing from Sinnoh for about two years before they came back.” Skyla said, frowning. “How long were they in Hisui?”

“If they left at the same time we did… it would have been just under two years.” Emmet’s brain was hurting, his heartbeat rising.

It was the same amount of time, like their own displacement, wasn’t it?

He quickly stood up from the table to pace, almost knocking over everyone’s cups. “They have to know something.” He said. “They quelled our nobles’ frenzies, caught Palkia and Dialga during the red sky event. They mentioned a mission, to seek out all pokemon. To finish Laventon’s pokedex.”

“They did all of that that?” Skyla asked. “What is it with kids and handling big-ass responsibilities?”

Ingo shrugged, watching Emmet pace before turning back to his notes.

Elesa looked at them with a small frown. “You guys became wardens at a young age, right?”

“Yes. We were thirteen.” Ingo confirmed, still reading.

“And you watched over an entire portion of the region, as well as a special pokemon? Why did you become wardens so young?”

Ingo stilled in the corner of Emmet’s vision as he stopped pacing. They looked at each other for a moment.

“We don’t want to talk about it.” Ingo said.

Elesa and Skyla exchanged their own look before Elesa continued. “Anyways, I can be the one in touch with them if you want. We don’t have to give them your numbers just yet.”

Emmet glanced at Ingo again before speaking. “If you could, please. I think we will wait until they are here in Unova to speak with them.”

Ingo nodded, a small smile growing on the corners of his mouth. “It will be so nice to see them again, though! I feel like it’s been a long time since we’ve seen anyone f-from-”

His words came to a stuttering stop and his eyes widened in fear. Chandelure chimed in concern as he suddenly rose from his chair.

“Ingo?” Emmet came over to his side, but he pulled away from him again.

“I’m fine.” Ingo waved him off, not looking at anyone as he left the room. “Apologies, I just— Excuse me.”

He was gone before anyone could say anything else, with Chandelure following behind him. Elesa and Skyla were quiet for a moment.

“It’s probably time for us to go, isn’t it?” Skyla asked.

Emmet sighed when he heard the front door open and close. “Sorry for having you come out all this way for a short visit.”

“Hey, it’s fine.” Elesa smiled at him reassuringly. “We’ll probably see you at the exhibition, and definitely more times after that. You just take care of yourselves, all right?”

Emmet smiled at her faintly. “We are working on it.”

Elesa pulled him in for a quick hug, and after a moment Emmet accepted one from Skyla. Given everything she’d done for them and put up with, she more than deserved it.

“I never got to thank you for your help.” He said. “And I know Ingo feels sorry about burning your house.”

“He did me a favor, honestly. Your dad got me a nice couch to replace the old one.” Skyla laughed. “If you two ever need a place to crash in the future, my place is always open to you, okay?”

Emmet nodded, giving her another hug. “I will be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you.”

———

Elesa got a flurry of texts in Kanjoh from an international number not long after she gave Cynthia the go-ahead. It made her laugh. It was either incredibly early or late in Sinnoh, which probably meant that Dawn had been waiting to jump on the opportunity once she had it. Elesa added Dawn to her contact list and read over the texts through her translator with Skyla.

Dawn: You know Ingo and Emmet???

Dawn: Please tell me this is the right person

Dawn: This is Elesa, right?

Elesa: That’s me! You’re Dawn, right? Or Akari

Dawn: Yes, haha

Elesa: It’s nice to finally talk to you. Cynthia has only had good things to say

Dawn: Haha yeah she’s pretty great

Dawn: But enough about me

Dawn: Can me and my brother talk to the wardens? Soon? It’s important

Elesa noticed Skyla frowning from around her shoulder as she typed out a response.

Elesa: They’re going to be in Driftveil for the exhibition. They said they’d be willing to talk in person

Dawn: Okay

Dawn: How are they doing?

Elesa: They’re doing okay. They’re with their family. I think I’ll let you ask them that question when you get here

Dawn: Okay

Elesa waited a minute for another text to come through, then let her arm drop to her lap when her Xtrans was silent. She rested her head against Skyla’s and let out a long sigh.

“…She knows something. I’m not reading too much into it, right?”

Skyla wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned more against her. “No, you’re not. She definitely knows something.”

———

Ingo watched Elesa and Skyla walk away from his hiding spot on the roof until he couldn’t see them anymore. He felt bad about leaving so quickly and abruptly, but he didn’t want to be around anyone right now. He looked back to his old notes, his eyes lingering on each name as he found them on the pages.

Irida. Gaeric. Palina. Calaba. Lian. Zisu. Lady Sneasler—

Chandelure chimed and nudged his cheek, pulling him back. He quickly dried his face, then jolted when he remembered he was on the roof of the house. Sinnoh, why did he come up here to hide, of all spaces?

He pressed his last tie to home to his heart as he carefully made his way back to the ground and went inside. He made it all the way into their room before Emmet’s voice reached him from down the hall.

“Ingo?”

Ingo took a shuddering breath and pocketed his book away. “I’m here.” He called back, once his voice was even.

Emmet came inside and closed the door before sitting next to Ingo by the side of the bed. He leaned against him lightly, a silent invitation for Ingo to lean back, but he didn’t move.

“…Ingo. Please, talk to me. I know you are hurting.”

Ingo kept his face angled away so Emmet couldn’t see. “I am fine.”

Emmet sighed quietly. Ingo knew he didn’t buy it, not one bit. Emmet could always tell when he was lying, no matter how hard he tried.

Even so, Ingo worked on keeping his breathing steady, trying to keep up the facade. He tried to swallow around the lump in his throat, the silence growing louder and louder in his ears until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“W-we never even got to say goodbye to anyone, did we?” He finally asked.

Emmet went still, watching him carefully. “No, we didn’t.”

“They’re probably looking for us, then.” He said, but the tense rang false in his ears. His heart pounded in his chest. It was getting harder to drag in air, his vision blurring with tears. “Th-they… had to have looked for us. We were good wardens, weren’t we? D-do we know, if anyone searched—?”

Chandelure chimed as Emmet put his hands on either side of his face. “Niisan, look at me. Breathe. Just breathe with me.”

Ingo squeezed his eyes shut, the tears falling down his cheeks. Too many words came surging to his tongue, cutting off his voice as he tried to breathe with his brother.

“It can’t all be gone, just like that.” He choked out, his voice strangled. “She can’t-”

Emmet’s mouth trembled and he quickly pulled Ingo into a rib-crushing hug. Ingo stiffened, the action confirming the fear he was so desperately trying to deny.

It felt like his heart was being clawed from his chest, hollowing him out.

Did he already know this?

He didn’t want to know this.

He had to have already known.

He just wanted to forget. He didn’t want to accept it.

He didn’t need to cry over something already mourned.

Then why did it hurt so much?

Why? Why why why why—

“I know it’s not fair.” Emmet’s trembling voice pulled him out of his spiral. He started to rock them both. “Ingo, I know we were good wardens. I know we mattered… W-we mattered, so much.”

A sob finally broke through Ingo’s defenses, muffled against Emmet’s shoulder. He held onto his brother just as tightly as he was holding him, hanging on so he didn’t drown in the flood that came raging through.

———

Emmet clicked a pen he found in the kitchen junk drawer as Iris hunched over her computer the next day. Both of them were taking up opposite ends of the couch, with Emmet only stretching out halfway to give Iris some space while she worked. Going off of the frown on her face, her search wasn’t going well.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Emmet. I can’t find anything about you guys aside from what you did during the frenzies and red sky stuff, and then when you disappeared from Hisui.” She looked over at him in apology.

Emmet grimaced. Sure, he expected those couple of years to be the best recorded period, given how much Galaxy Team loved to write down stuff, but it left a strange pit in his stomach. It felt like that small sliver of their lives in Hisui was the only thing that mattered to people, these days.

“…Is there anything about Ishimi?” He asked.

Iris typed in another search and spent a few more minutes looking. Emmet switched from fiddling with the pen to petting Eelektross so the clicking didn’t get on Iris’s nerves.

“I’m not finding much.” She said. “Just that she was Sneasler’s warden before you.”

“N-no death date?”

Iris gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry, I can’t find anything. There might be more stuff in Kanjoh, but I don’t know how to search for those.”

Emmet sighed and raked a hand through his hair, trying not to show how upset he felt. A few tears still fell, regardless. “Thank you for trying.”

Iris closed the laptop and set it on the end table. “Maybe you guys should talk to Cynthia when she gets here. She knows her stuff as a Sinnoh historian.”

He nodded silently. For the sake of some closure, it might be their best option. He would have to talk to Ingo to see how he felt about it.

Iris turned so she was facing him, stretching her legs out fully. She still had a couple more inches of space on her half of the couch. “She was important to you guys, wasn’t she? Both of you get kinda weird whenever you mention her.”

“She was.” Emmet said quietly. “She will always be important.”

“…Could you tell me about her?”

He lifted his gaze to her and gave a sad smile. “Not without Ingo, and I don’t think he’s ready.”

Iris nodded slowly, reaching for the tv remote. “Do you wanna watch a movie while we wait for him to come back? We can find a train documentary.”

“Sure.”

Iris picked something that Emmet had already seen and kept the movie on a low volume. It was more just to pass the time than for actual watching.

Eventually, Ingo returned from his time out getting the team fed, following Chandelure’s lead into the living room. Emmet and Iris made room for him in the middle of the couch, and Emmet held up an arm in invitation. This time, Ingo didn’t refuse, and leaned against him until he was curled up against his side. Emmet pulled the blanket hanging over the back of the couch and draped it around them both.

Iris came over and squished herself against Ingo’s other side once he was settled. Ingo relaxed further at the added pressure, staring at the television until his eyes drifted close while Emmet ran his fingers through his hair.

He gently dried the tears from his brother’s face once he was asleep.

Chapter Text

Ingo stoked the fire and added another log as he heard someone approaching, and felt a familiar presence come up from behind and pull him close. Chandelure laughed from above as his hat was knocked unceremoniously to the ground.

“Hello, my Lady.” Ingo greeted. “Is Emmet too busy for your attention?”

Lady Sneasler grumbled before she started to groom his hair. He furrowed his brows for a moment and ran a hand along the side of his head. His hair was a lot shorter than he remembered it being. Ishimi must have cut it recently. Probably today, since he was still in the Pearl Clan settlement.

Lian smiled faintly, reaching for the fallen hat and handing it back to Ingo. “Is that normal?”

“It is.” Ingo sighed. “I feel that trying to dissuade her at this point is a lost cause.”

A purr started to build in Lady Sneasler’s chest in answer. Ingo leaned back against her.

Lian watched for a moment before his frown deepened. “Lord Kleavor doesn’t do anything like this.”

“I would hope not.” Ingo let out a surprised chuckle. “That would probably go against safety checks.”

Lian hummed, looking away and towards the fire. The only sound between them was Sneasler’s purring, and beyond that he could hear Gaeric talking above the noise of the clan gathering. It sounded like Emmet was with him.

“…Ingo?”

He turned his attention back to Lian, who had found a stick and was drawing into the dirt near his feet.

“What if I’m not good enough?” He asked quietly. “What if I’m not the right choice as a warden?”

“You were chosen by Lord Kleavor to inherit the title, correct?” He checked. “Surely, that’s enough proof that you are fit for the job.”

Lian nodded. There was a strange finality to the motion. Ingo watched him for a while before he realized that this wasn’t just Lian being nervous about something that was going to happen. It was something happening right now.

There was a warden band around Lian’s wrist that he couldn’t remember being there before.

Lady Sneasler mrrped at him as he tilted his head down to check his notes. His heart ached as he recalled the events of the day, a fresh wave of grief washing over him. Lian had been initiated into his new post, because the last warden, Ulli—

Oh Sinnoh, that wasn’t fair. Lian was younger than they had been.

He pocketed his book and looked over at the clansfolk gathered closer to the bonfire, then held out his hand to Lian. “Come here.”

Lian was about to move before he straightened, shaking his head in a professional manner. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“Lian, I’ve known you your entire life. I think we are well past formalities of any kind.” He squinted a smile at him. “Respecting space is important, but so is sharing it.”

Lian quickly dried his face before dropping his stick into the fire and coming over. Ingo silently prompted him closer by putting an arm around him, and Lian wasted no time taking off his hat to lean up against his side.

If he started crying again, Ingo didn’t say anything, just held him close and rubbed his back like he did with his brother. He and Emmet had the fortune of not having lost their mentor in her own accident. He couldn’t imagine what Lian was feeling.

Ulli would be missed, dearly.

“…I feel like I had my reservations about my own appointment. I had to work hard to get where I am today.” Ingo said. “I know you are a hard worker, too. I believe that you will achieve the ideal you strive for.”

Lian inhaled shakily, raising his hands to his face. “B-but I’m going to be alone at Grandtree.”

“You will not be left alone.” Ingo gently corrected, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to him. “You have your other wardens, and we will help you along these tracks. Even your counterpart in the fieldlands should be amicable towards you.”

“But Mai’s a Diamond.” Lian frowned.

“Yes?” Ingo raised a brow at him. “That does not change the fact that she is a warden, and our duty to our nobles ranks higher than our clan. We look out for each other.”

“What about Melli?” Lian said. “I hear you and Emmet complain about him a lot.”

Ingo grimaced. Sinnoh, he should probably be better about that. “Melli is difficult, yes, but his loyalty to Lord Electrode is second to none. I know he’d prioritize his lord if something were to happen.”

Lian looked down at the handkerchief in his hand for a moment. “Mai is pretty nice.” He said quietly.

“She is.”

“And Goomy likes Munchlax.”

“I do believe in the merit of trusting a pokemon’s judgement.” Ingo nodded. Chandelure chimed sweetly in agreement.

A small smile flitted across Lian’s face before it was gone again. He curled his hand around the handkerchief until it shook, tears welling up in his eyes.

Lady Sneasler let them be as Ingo pulled Lian close again so he could cry into his tunic. This far away from the rest of the clan, he was sure Lian’s muffled sobs wouldn’t reach them. Chandelure kept the fire going while he held the young warden for a while, letting him cry himself to sleep against him.

Lian didn’t fully relax until Emmet came over at some point and sat on his other side, firmly sandwiching him between them. Gaeric and Palina came over a few minutes later, with Calaba following at a slower pace.

“How’s he doing?” Palina asked softly.

Ingo looked down at Lian’s tear-streaked face as Emmet carefully dried it.

“Today was a lot for him.” Ingo said.

“Succession of these kinds are never easy.” Calaba said as she took a seat. “Were it that it could happen under better circumstances. Were it that all wardens could pass on their titles due to old age.”

“You’re one to talk, grandma.” Gaeric joked tiredly as he uncorked a gourd filled with sake while Palina set five small cups down. “When are you retiring?”

Calaba took a seat at the fire and huffed at him. “My age has done nothing to slow my abilities down. If you ever hear me saying something about retiring, you will know with a surety that it’s a zoroark talking.”

The four of them laughed under their breath as Gaeric filled up the cups and Palina passed them around. Ingo looked around at Pearl’s wardens as he took a cup for himself, a warm feeling growing in his chest in spite of the chill and heartbreak.

He would do everything he could to make sure Lian felt as welcome as he did.

“To Warden Ulli.” Calaba sighed, holding her drink out in front of her. “May he find rest in the expanse of Sinnoh’s great Space.”

The rest of them raised their cups and murmured their own respects. Ingo downed his own drink in one go and hissed as it burned down his throat.

“And may I not have to see myself live longer than any more of you.” Calaba looked to each of them sternly. “You hear me, wardens?”

Palina nodded as she took cups back for a refill for whoever wanted them. “We hear you, Calaba.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

Elesa grinned at the camera as she set the sketch down. “So… what do you think?”

Ingo looked back at her from her Xtrans screen, his camera bobbing as he nodded in approval. “I think it’s a great idea. I’m looking forward to seeing it in person, though I am unsure as to why you are showing me.”

“I just want to make sure that you’re okay with it.”

Ingo’s frown relaxed in a way she was pretty sure meant he was smiling. “I appreciate the thought and letting me know ahead of time. It will probably confuse me for a while, but if it makes you happy, please do not stop on my account.”

“If you say so.” She huffed softly. “Are you excited to watch the exhibition?”

“I am.” Ingo glanced down at his notes. “We will be heading to Driftveil City to stay at a hotel for a few days. It’s like an inn, but much bigger.”

“Wow, you managed to get a room in Driftveil? That’s pretty nice. Most people are going to be in Nimbasa since there more places to stay at here.”

“It’s going to be busy, isn’t it?”

“It will be.” She smiled at him encouragingly. “But I know you’ll have people looking out for you and your brother, making sure you have a good time.”

Ingo nodded, his gaze still directed downwards as he continued to read. “We’ve been told to be wary of a group called Team Plasma. Will they be a problem?”

“They shouldn’t be, if Clay has anything to say about it.” Elesa huffed. “I know he’s done his best to make sure everyone is safe at the event.”

He hummed, continuing to scan over his notes. Elesa watched his frown deepen before she spoke again. “Are you doing okay? You seem quiet.”

Ingo gave the question some thought before he answered. “I feel that I am homesick.” He reached for something out of view and had a tissue in his hand when he pulled it back. “Home is out of reach, and I am missing the ones we left behind.”

She frowned sadly as he dried his face. “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

Ingo shrugged. “I’m counting on the exhibition being a good distraction. I think Emmet is, too.”

“I’ll be sure to give you some good battles to watch, then.” She said. “We all will.”

His frown softened again. “I’m looking forward to seeing them.”

———

Ingo jumped when the elevator opened, and pressed more against the wall as people left the small box. Other people were still inside with them. Emmet held his hand.

“Almost there. We have a couple more stops to go.” He said under his breath in Kanjoh.

Ingo nodded and held onto Emmet’s hand tightly. The people who remained in the elevator were glancing at them out of the corners of their eyes with thinly disguised interest. Dad had mentioned people were probably going to stare at them while they were in Driftveil. He already didn’t like it.

“This is us.” Dad said after the doors opened a few more times. He put himself between them and the other hotel guests as they made their way out of the elevator.

Ingo took a deep breath as he followed Dad down the hall, holding Chandelure’s pokeball in his hand. They stopped in front of one of the many doors that all looked exactly the same, and Dad swiped some sort of card to unlock it.

He held it open for Ingo and Emmet to go in first. “All right. Home base for the next few days.”

Chandelure released herself as Ingo set his bag down on a nearby dresser. The small entryway led into to a room with two beds, and a television set on the opposite wall. There was a sliding glass door that led out to a tiny balcony beyond that.

“We are not so far away from Opelucid to make the journey here and back.” Emmet said, setting down his own bag. Eelektross released himself and swam over to inspect one of the beds.

“Traffic is only going to get worse from here once the event officially starts.” Dad explained. “It will be easier for us to have a place to escape to that’s closer to the arena.”

“Ah, makes sense.”

Ingo looked around while Chandelure kept close. Their hotel room was much smaller than Dad’s house, but still bigger than their yurt in the highlands, with enough floor space for a few pokemon to sprawl across. He pushed open the door to take a look at the view.

“Oh.”

He’d forgotten that Driftveil was built along the shore, cornered against the ocean on one side, and a tributary on the other. Ingo gazed out at the water, entranced by the enormous steel bridge in the distance slowly lowering its halves down.

Dad leaned his head out the door to see what he was looking at. “That’s Driftveil Drawbridge.” He explained. “Nimbasa City is beyond that. You might be able to see the lights from here once it gets dark.”

Nimbasa City. That’s where Elesa lived. Where Gear Station was. Ingo’s brows furrowed as he continued to watch. The halves of the bridge now made one whole, allowing cars and people to cross over it. “Why does it do that?” He asked.

“Some of the cargo ships that come through here are too big to fit underneath. It was designed so they could raise it up to allow ships to pass.”

“Verrry impressive.” Emmet said, peeking out to have a look for himself.

Between the bridge and the ships, there was a lot for them to see from their high vantage point. Ingo could probably watch it all for a long time if given the chance, but Dad called them back inside after only a few minutes.

“There’s a dinner tonight for the Unova League if you are still interested in giving that a try.” He said, unpacking his suitcase to take stock of what he brought. “If not, we can have food brought up to the room.”

Ingo glanced at today’s itinerary. Sure enough, it was already written at the bottom of his schedule as the last item of business for the day.

“Are you going to go, regardless of our decision?” Emmet asked.

Dad looked uncertain as he spoke. “I might go for a little bit. There are some people that I’m interested in seeing and catching up with.”

“Elesa and the others will be there?” Ingo checked.

“Yup! And Iris.” Emmet smiled. “Dad said some old gym leaders were invited, too, like Lenora. We met her last week.”

Ingo glanced over at Dad, who was hanging up some clothes in the small closet by the room door. “I’d like to go.” He decided.

Dad nodded, smiling a little at them. “The dinner is here at the hotel, so getting away will be easy. Don’t feel pressured to stay any longer than you’re comfortable with.”

Ingo took a deep breath and nodded back at him. “Understood.”

“We still have a few more hours if you want to take it easy until then. This will probably be our calmest night for the next while, so just keep that in mind.”

There wasn’t much to do in the hotel room, and the noise of the television grated on Emmet’s nerves too much to have on at the moment. Ingo dozed on the floor with Nana while Emmet sat next to him, flipping through a book Iris got for them in Kanjoh until Dad said it was time to get ready.

He had them change into something a little nicer than jeans and hoodies for the occasion. Ingo and Emmet put on matching white dress shirts and gray slacks, with black shoes. Ingo had a feeling of deja vu as he looked at themselves in the mirror.

“We look like Dad in these clothes.” He said in Kanjoh, watching the man in question get ready in the reflection.

“We do, don’t we?” Emmet snorted and gestured to his face, responding in kind. “All we need is more facial hair, then no one would tell the difference.”

Dad turned his head and narrowed his eyes at both of them. “Why am I getting the feeling that you two are talking about me?” He said.

Both of them snickered as Ingo looked in the mirror again. He thought they looked nice. There was a professionalism to it that he rather liked, even if the shoes weren’t as comfortable as sneakers. Still, he hesitated before heading out the door, taking his hat and haori and slipping them on before joining their dad in the hall. Emmet was quick to follow his lead.

Elesa and Skyla were waiting for them at the elevator. They were dressed nicely as well, with Elesa mainly dressed in yellows and blacks, and Skyla wearing blues.

“Wow. You two look spiffy.” Elesa grinned when she saw them.

“Spiffy?” Ingo asked.

“Fancy. You like it?”

“Ah.” He looked down at himself. “I do, I think.”

“It’s verrry nice.” Emmet agreed.

“You know, we should take you two clothes shopping sometime.” Elesa said. “Let you guys pick out stuff you actually like.”

Skyla leaned in closer and nodded in enthusiastic agreement. “Yessss. Shopping trip!”

Ingo frowned slightly. “I don’t mind what I already have.”

Elesa was a little exasperated as she looked to him. “Ingo, we got you several things to wear, and I’ve only ever seen you in a few of them. Mostly it’s the hoodie, and it’s summer.”

Emmet looked as surprised as Ingo felt; he probably hadn’t noticed it either. Ingo felt his face warm in embarrassment. “Apologies.”

“It’s fine! We just need to figure out your preferences so you have more choices.”

Dad looked thoughtful as he pushed a button by the elevator door. “You always did like wearing softer textures.” He said. “And heavier fabrics. It seems that never changed.”

“You’ve never been able to wear our Pearl tunics without an undershirt.” Emmet noted.

“Stantler fur gets itchy. I don’t like how it feels.” Ingo said with a frown as the elevator dinged. He was pretty certain his face was red now from all the attention. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Hey, it’s a good starting point.” Elesa assured, leading the way into the small box as the doors opened. Chandelure returned to her pokeball again to not crowd the space as much.

Dad hit another button to go down, and Ingo pressed himself against the wall. He was realizing that not only were there a lot of busier spaces in Unova, but it also meant there was less room, in general. People were crammed into cars and trains and moving boxes, with little regard for others’ space. It was normal for them though, and not a sign of disrespect. He and Emmet would just have to get used to it.

Then why did it feel like giving up a part of himself?

Speaking of Emmet, Ingo looked over his shoulder to see that he was narrowing his eyes at Elesa. “Your hair looks strange.” He said, suspicious.

Elesa didn’t even look Emmet’s way. “Eeyup. Don’t touch it.”

Emmet continued to stare at her. “It’s fake.” He realized.

“It’s a wig, Emmet. It’s not my real hair.”

Ingo looked to her. “Is everything all right?”

“Did you shave you head?” Emmet teased, grinning.

“Dragons, no!” Elesa laughed. “I’ve got a surprise for the event that I’m hiding.”

“What kind of surprise?” Ingo asked.

Elesa winked at him. “I already told you about it. Just don’t let Emmet know.”

Ingo reached into his pocket to review his notes. He evaded Emmet’s attempts to read over his shoulder, hiding behind Elesa and Skyla as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

“…Oh!” A grin turned the corners of his mouth as he looked to her again. “I remember, now.”

Emmet groaned from over Skyla’s head. “What is it?”

“I can’t say.”

Dad patted Emmet on the shoulder and nodded his head towards the doors. Emmet huffed and followed his lead. Ingo was the last one out before he picked up his pace to be next to his brother again.

“Traitor.” Emmet muttered in Kanjoh, smirking at him.

Ingo chuckled under his breath.

They were led into a big room full of round tables. A lot of people were already inside, talking and laughing. Some of them turned their heads towards them when they entered, but both Ingo found the attention a little easier to handle when Iris came running over.

“You came!” She beamed and took each of their hands and started to drag them away. “Come on. I saved us a table in the corner, by one of the doors.”

She took a seat on the opposite side of Ingo while Elesa and Skyla sat on Emmet’s other side. Dad had been stopped by a man in a mask before he could join and was talking to him. Ingo looked around at the other guests.

Colorful was the first word that came to his mind. A lot of people were dressed in a way he felt he hadn’t seen out in public before. He spotted Burgh in a bright button up shirt with an equally colorful scarf, and Iris herself was wearing a pink dress made with a floaty kind of fabric. The man in the mask was dressed in a familiar sort of kimono, dyed in bright, powdery blues.

“These are all League members?” He heard Emmet ask. He turned his head back to their table.

“Yup, gym leaders new and old, the elite four, and their guests.” Elesa explained.

Ingo froze when he noticed a large hat, and watched as a familiar-looking man guffawed at something another guest was saying. His mannerisms were different, but Ingo couldn’t look away as he watched him. Eventually, the man’s gaze turned to the rest of the room as if to find someone else to talk to. He suddenly looked like a cornered pokemon when he noticed Ingo. He leaned over to the woman standing next to him, probably his wife, and the pair moved to the opposite side of the room to sit.

Ingo looked away just as quickly. Emmet took his hand from under the table and held it tight.

“He looks like Lian.” Ingo said.

Emmet nodded. “That’s Clay. Lian is his ancestor.”

The name was familiar. “We talked about this before.”

“We did, and Dad let us know he was going to be here tonight.” Emmet said, then added more quietly. “Are you going to okay?”

Ingo glanced over at Clay and thought on it for a moment. “I think I will be all right.” He answered. So long as he didn’t have to talk to him tonight, he’d be fine. From the looks of it, Clay seemed nervous about talking to them, himself. Odd.

Emmet gave him another nod and let go of his hand to stand up. Ingo turned to find Burgh coming over, and joined his brother to greet him.

“It’s been a while!” Burgh smiled. “You two look a lot better than the last time I saw you.”

“We have been getting better.” Emmet said. Ingo nodded.

“I’m actually surprised that you decided to come out here. I thought you would be holing up for a while longer before making any public appearances.” Burgh gave them a small smirk. “What changed?”

Ingo felt his face heating up again. It looked like Emmet was feeling the same.

“We wanted to see some battles.” Emmet admitted in a mumble.

“I knew it.” Burgh chuckled. “That reminds me though! I still haven’t had a chance to battle either of you. I’d like to change that.”

Ingo saw Elesa going still in the corner of his eye. “We haven’t battled yet?” He asked.

“No, we haven’t.” Burgh sighed heavily. “If you two are interested and you have a good time this weekend, I’d be willing to let you have a go at my gym after hours. Castelia traffic is a bit easier to handle at night. Less people out and about.”

“You are talking about a gym battle.” Emmet stated.

“Well, yes. We talked about the fact that you don’t have a gym badge to speak of between the two of you, and I’d love to change that.”

Emmet glanced to Ingo. “What do you think?” He asked.

He could tell that his brother was cautiously excited. Ingo was, too. He started to nod before he frowned in concern. “Are you sure you’d be okay with it?”

“Dragons, of course I would be!” Burgh beamed, then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. “This is also a shameless grab at getting you two to come to my gym first. Get your inspiration ignited to continue on your gym challenges and all that.”

“Hey. We can hear you.” Skyla remarked from the table.

Ingo put a hand to his chin and hummed in thought. “I don’t see any reason not to give it a try…”

“Great! Want to come over sometime in the next couple weeks?”

Ingo looked to his brother, who answered for both of them. “It still depends on how this weekend goes, but we will consider it.”

Elesa stood up from her seat with a gasp. “Burgh! I can’t believe you!”

Burgh grinned over at her and Skyla. “What? I thought there’d be no harm in asking.”

Ingo quickly sat back down.

“What’s wrong?” Emmet asked Elesa.

“Nothing, it’s just-” Elesa huffed. “Dragons, I know this might be embarrassing, but— the other gym leaders have been pretty interested in battling against you two since we told them.”

Emmet blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah. I thought it would be best to give you guys some more time before any of us decided to bother you about coming over.” She narrowed her eyes at Burgh as he came to sit on Skyla’s other side. “But somebody decided to jumpluff the gun.”

Burgh clutched at his chest with a dramatic wince. “Ow, please don’t. Not tonight. I only said I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“No, I’m going to do this to you, every chansey I get.” Elesa smirked.

Everyone at the table winced except for Iris, who grinned, and Ingo, who blinked in mild confusion.

“Chansey?” He asked. “What does the pokemon have to do with… oh.” He chuckled under his breath. “That’s funny.”

“Oh, my gods.” Elesa’s face lit up in absolute delight.

“Oh, my gods.” Skyla and Burgh groaned. Emmet sighed in disappointment.

“What?” Ingo frowned at everyone around the table. “It was clever.”

“Don’t listen to them, Ingo. You have a great taste in humor.” Elesa assured.

“Be cringe. Be free.” Iris added in a not-quite whisper.

He gave Iris a perturbed look; he wasn’t sure what to say to that. Fortunately, his confused silence alone seemed to do the trick, because she laughed.

“…Is it really okay if we go to Burgh’s gym first?” He checked.

“It’s fine! You do you.” Elesa smiled, standing up. “I’ll just be giving Burgh shit about it all weekend.”

“Dragons, Elesa, they didn’t even give me an absolute yes!”

Elesa pushed her own chair against the table, leaving behind her purse. “I’m going to socialize for a bit. Skyla?”

Skyla nodded and followed her leader, giving the twins a wave. “We’ll be back later.”

Emmet watched them go before turning to Burgh. “We don’t have to socialize, do we?” He asked.

“I don’t think anyone here is expecting you to, though I know a lot of them would love to meet you.” Burgh answered. He glanced to the last three empty seats at the table. “Would you mind if Lenora and Hawes came and sat with us?”

Emmet raised a brow at him. “Why?”

“They’re good friends of mine, and of your dad’s.”

The names were familiar, at least. “Have we already met them?” Ingo asked.

“Yup. They visited the house once to say hello. They run a museum in the southeast part of the region.” Emmet nodded towards a couple. “That’s them, there.”

Ingo looked over and watched the pair for a moment. “…I wouldn’t mind it.” He decided.

Emmet nodded. “I am Emmet. I do not mind, either.”

Burgh smiled and hopped up out of his chair to head over. “I’ll go get them before they sit somewhere else.”

Dad took the last seat as everyone eventually returned to the table to eat. Ingo couldn’t remember meeting Lenora and her husband aside from what he’d written down about their brief visit, but they were pleasant to talk to. They didn’t ask any questions about Hisui, and kept the conversation strictly about their team, which was nice.

Once they found out that Emmet had a bastiodon that he found without having to revive via a fossil (whatever that meant), they got very excited.

It took Dad intervening to give them enough of a break to finish off their plates. Ingo and Emmet had a different dinner from what everyone else was having, something that fit in the parameters of their diet. It was… fine. Ingo felt that they had better meals at Dad’s house.

He leaned back in his chair and looked around again once he finished. He had been nervous about coming to the dinner, but he was finding that he was enjoying it a lot, so far. It wasn’t much louder than a clan gathering, and people were respecting their space, even if he’d learned they were interested in talking to them. He was noticing a comfortable camaraderie among the members of the League as they talked and interacted with each other. It reminded him a lot of their own bonds with their fellow wardens.

…How long had it been now since they’d last seen them?

Sudden grief welled up in his heart, and he looked down to hide his face behind the brim of his hat. He took the cloth napkin that had been provided and pressed it against his eyes, sighing shakily.

Emmet’s hand was on his back before he pulled it away to sign.

Do we need to depart?

Ingo shook his head. I want to stay for a while longer. His hands trembled as he tried to think of how to best explain himself. This is nice. Feels a little like home.

Emmet frowned slightly and looked around like Ingo had been doing just before. His expression softened as he came to the same realization.

I understand. His signs were not as urgent, but no less to the point. Please let me know when you want to leave. Do not push yourself. This is only the first night.

Ingo nodded, reaching for his water and finishing off the glass. He noticed Dad watching him out of the corner of his eye for a moment longer before he turned his attention back to Lenora. It took a minute, but the mood of the table eventually went back to normal, and Ingo had moved past being on the verge of tears for the time being.

Dessert was brought out, with small bowls of “fresh” berries for him and Emmet. Ingo grimaced at the sight of the sad-looking, very-much-not-fresh berries in front of them, but fortunately they had some ghostfire at their disposal.

Burgh squinted across at them as they rolled the berries into Chandelure’s chimney. “What are you doing?” He whispered.

“Fixing our depressing dessert.” Emmet whispered back. Ingo heard Dad sighing as Iris laughed under her breath.

“You haven’t seen them do this before?” Skyla asked.

“No!” Burgh whisper-yelled.

Ingo handed Emmet his bowl back and set his own on the table. Still not great, but it was better. He gave his partner a pat before she floated back up above him.

Skyla was still grinning at Burgh’s concern when she noticed something away from their table. She poked Elesa’s arm urgently to get her attention, and Ingo turned to see what she was looking at.

“Oh, wow. I didn’t think they’d show.” Elesa whispered.

Clay had risen from his seat to greet the two people who’d just arrived. They looked to be a little older than Iris, with matching brown hair and eyes.

“Who are they?” He asked.

“That’s Hilda and Hilbert.” Skyla answered. “They’re not League members, but I’m not surprised that Clay invited them tonight. They’re the ones who took down Team Plasma the first time they came around to make trouble.”

“They’re twins, too.” Iris added.

Emmet raised a brow. “I am Emmet. Dad told us about what Plasma did two years ago. I haven’t seen any of their grunts around, though. Only heard about them.”

“They showed up again to go on a pokemon stealing spree, but they’ve been getting sneakier about it in the last few weeks.” Skyla frowned. “I think they realized they can’t get away with it as blatantly this time around.”

Emmet nodded in the direction of the twins. “Have they been doing anything about it?”

“I’m not sure. Last I heard they were keeping to themselves since everything went down, traveling around. It’s surprising that they’re here. Clay had them down as a huge ‘maybe.’”

“Are they in the exhibition?” Emmet asked.

Burgh shook his head. “Not at this point. It’s too late to add them in, now.”

Ingo watched them out of the corner of his eye, frowning. Something about the two of them reminded him of Rei and Akari. They had an air about them, as if they had seen too much, and had to grow up too quickly.

He knew that feeling well, to an extent.

The two of them were smiling as they chatted with the people who came up to them, but there was a restlessness in their frames, similar to a wild pokemon caught in a clearing, far from any cover. They didn’t even stop to look at the empty seats to sit in, which led Ingo to believe that they weren’t planning on staying for too long.

His brows furrowed as he continued to watch. There was something strange about them… An odd pressure…

He froze when they glanced in the direction of their table, gripping his knees as he tore his gaze away. It was suddenly too warm in the room. Emmet had his hand on his shoulder in moments.

“Breathe.” He instructed.

Ingo inhaled. Exhaled. Tried to inhale again. Chandelure chimed softly in alarm as he heard chairs being pushed back.

“Come on.” He flinched when he heard Dad’s voice closer than he expected to hear it, but it was Emmet’s hand on his back that led him to his feet.

He felt that they had left the room more than he actually saw it. Immediately, the air was cooler, and the pressure in his ears was gone. He leaned against his brother as they waited for the elevator, staring down at the tile under their feet as his breathing evened out.

Emmet kept an arm around his shoulders as they went into the elevator. Dad waited at the opposite corner by the console.

It was then that Ingo realized they were fine, like nothing had happened.

Ingo took a steady breath before he looked to Emmet. “Was there something odd about them? The twins?”

Emmet furrowed his brows and thought about it. They made it all the way to their floor and to the door before he answered uncertainly.

“…I am sorry. I did not notice anything.” He looked at Ingo in worry. “What happened?”

Ingo hesitated as they sat the floor against the bed. He pulled Chandelure into his lap and pet her slowly as she curled her arms around his.

“I’m not sure.” He admitted.

Chapter Text

Jubilife grew quickly once the clans gave the refugees their blessing to stay in Hisui. Emmet was noticing that even more new houses had been put up since the last time they visited.

Ingo was fascinated as he looked around. This was only their third time to the settlement, and enough of it had changed that his brother probably wouldn’t realize he had been here before if Emmet didn’t tell him. The large building was less of a skeleton and more of an actual building, built into a style that rang painfully familiar in Emmet’s heart. Over the years he never really stopped to think that anything resembling their old home could be a ship away, but the thought of leaving Hisui behind by this point was unthinkable in his mind.

It didn’t stop him from being curious.

Their first visit to Jubilife was cut short over a dispute about having Chandelure out while inside the settlement walls. The second time had gone more smoothly, with Ingo’s partner remaining in her pokeball while they explored the shops. Irida had gotten worried when she found out they had visited and insisted on bringing them this time around to have themselves introduced to the commander in charge. It would make subsequent visits easier, so they agreed to go.

They’d only ever seen Kamado once from a distance, and everything else they’d gleaned about him was from hearsay. Emmet’s biggest takeaway from what he’d heard about the man was that he was paranoid as all hell. It made some sense, given the situation that forced them from their original homes. Still annoying to deal with, though.

Kamado studied them intensely during the brief introductions, his gaze pausing over the clothes they had procured from Anthe’s shop the last time they visited, before stopping at their belts.

“You are Pearl Clan, and yet you use pokeballs.” He noted.

Emmet kept up his fake, business smile while Ingo answered for the both of them. “We have an extensive party of pokemon between us, and we thought it would be best to keep them close in case of emergency.”

Irida decided to cut in. “Their pokemon are fine with it. To them, it is not a breach of space.”

“Yet you do not agree.”

“I trust my wardens to make sound decisions.”

Kamado frowned at her in doubt. Emmet noticed his brother bristle out of the corner of his eye at the disrespect. It wasn’t anger, but something close to it.

“I feel that we have discussed our reasoning at length with Lady Irida, and it is a matter that has long been decided and settled.” Ingo said assertively, his frown deepening.

Kamado blinked, then gave his head a small shake before giving the three of them a bow. “My deepest apologies Lady Irida. Wardens. I overstepped.”

Irida nodded her head back, holding herself a little straighter. “What happens with our wardens is strictly clan business, and I would like to keep it that way.” She said. “If you have any concerns about their abilities and decisions, please discuss them with me or Adaman first.”

“Of course.”

Emmet took that as a cue that they were done talking. They were done, in his opinion. “If Ingo and me are finished here, we will wait in the settlement until our clan leader is ready to leave.” He said.

Irida gave them the nod to go ahead. “I’ll let you know if you are needed back here.”

“Understood.” Ingo bowed to both Irida and Kamado. Emmet gave a small bow of his own and turned to leave. He didn’t even need to drag Ingo after him. His brother was hot on his heels to leave the half-constructed hall.

Both of them let out a long breath once they were back outside.

“Sinnoh, that was stressful.” Ingo said, pulling the brim of his hat more over his eyes. “I don’t know how Lady Irida does it.”

“I am not jealous of her.” Emmet sighed. He had some more choice words to say, but he decided not to say them here. Not with people no doubt listening.

They found a tree to wait under. Emmet was working on whittling some beads for the clan children for the next time they visited the icelands while Ingo rolled Chandelure’s pokeball in his hand. Emmet could tell he was nervous about not having his partner out for so long. Chandelure wasn’t happy either, given that her pokeball would shake intermittently against his fingers.

“Not yet, dear.” Ingo assured under his breath. “I’ll let you know when it’s all right to come out.”

Emmet handed Ingo some finished, yet undecorated beads. “Help me with these.”

Ingo readily accepted the distraction, taking out his own knife to carve designs into the small gifts. He only got a couple done before he turned his attention away again, looking around the settlement in growing concern.

“Why are there no pokemon here?” Ingo asked.

“There are some, but they are all in pokeballs.” Emmet explained softly. “The people here are afraid of them.”

Ingo’s frown deepened. “I understand the need for caution, but this is a little extreme.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Emmet smirked wryly. “At least the clans keep pokemon for practical use and protection.”

Ingo thought on something before he checked his notes. He glanced at Emmet with a small smirk. “And what was so practical about gifting Ishimi a budew?”

Emmet snorted. “She can dry the fallen roselia petals once he evolves. Helps to supply her tea addiction.”

“Ah, of course.” Ingo snickered. “Perfectly practical.”

Emmet smiled down at his work while Ingo went back to watching. He turned his head in the direction of some sort of crashing sound that had started down the road, and it continued on for several minutes.

“That doesn’t sound like construction.” He said.

Emmet paused to listen. “No, it doesn’t.”

They waited for another rumble to reach their ears before they looked at each other.

“Is it a battle?” Ingo asked.

A battle? How? Nobody liked battling around here, least of all in this settlement. “Want to see?” Emmet asked him.

Ingo nodded and got to his feet first. Emmet scooped the beads into his belt and grabbed his brother’s hand to be hauled up.

The sounds were coming from a more recently constructed area, one that hadn’t been there on their last visit. A wooden fence obstructed most of the view until they got up the small incline, but it wasn’t until they peered around the fence that they got their confirmation.

It was less of a battle, and more of a one-sided ass kicking. Emmet and Ingo both stopped in their tracks to watch a very tall woman decisively taking down a guard’s pokemon with her luxio, but it was the ground below them that caught Emmet’s attention.

They were doling it out on an actual, Dragonsdamned battlefield. Dad had one drawn out on the grounds just like it, and also in his gym. This wasn’t some casual fight, like the ones they managed to wrangle other wardens into occasionally. This was a real battle, like the ones back in Unova.

Emmet was hit with a wave of nostalgia and excitement so strong that he had to shake his hands out from the force of it. He could tell Ingo was also excited, his eyes taking in every move with a clarity he only really had when battling, or climbing.

The guard’s bidoof fainted and Ingo couldn’t hold himself back. His shout boomed across the field, making everyone in the vicinity jump. “Bravo!”

The woman returned her pokemon to its pokeball and grinned over at them. “You liked that?”

“Yes! It was impressive!” Ingo put a hand to his chin and stared at the field in thought. “An electric-normal matchup can be a fairly even battle, but I was surprised that your luxio knew Rock Smash. At least, that was what I thought I was seeing. I feel like I haven’t seen one in the wild using that move.”

“You saw correctly.” Her smile somehow got even wider as she came over to them. She noted the symbol on their tunics and gave them a small bow in greeting. “Pearl Clan?”

Both of them nodded, then Ingo spoke. “I am the warden Ingo, alongside my brother.”

“I am Emmet.”

“Wardens?” She glanced to the matching bands around their wrists. “You’re those people who take care of special pokemon around here, right?”

“Yes. Lady Sneasler is our ward.” Ingo nodded to the mountain off in the distance. “We are stationed in the Coronet Highlands.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” She smiled again. “My name is Zisu, captain of Galaxy Team’s Security Corps.”

Emmet looked to the field again. Dragons, he wanted nothing more than to pick her brain about it, but he shouldn’t be acting like he knew what this was. She worked for Kamado, and Kamado already seemed to have some suspicions about them. Or maybe that’s just how he was with all clansfolk.

Fortunately, Ingo was excited enough for the both of them.

“What is this place? My brother and I thought that Jubilife didn’t allow pokemon out.”

Zisu huffed at that. “This is the training grounds! A place where people can train their pokemon and battle each other. At least, that’s the eventual goal.” She smiled and gestured for them to follow. “Let me show you around.”

She didn’t need to twist their arms to join her. Both Emmet and Ingo were quick to follow her lead as she showed them her plans for the area. For now it was just a field in a fenced off area, but soon the training grounds would have a dojo to store equipment in for move tutoring.

“Are the grounds open only to those in Jubilife?” Emmet asked.

Zisu smirked wryly at him. “It probably would be if I had more interest, but everyone around here is skittish and unwilling to give pokemon a try, much less battling.”

“We like battling.” Ingo said.

“I was hoping so.” Zisu chuckled. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the pokeballs on your belts.”

Emmet tensed a little. Was this going to be a repeat of their conversation with Kamado? He was getting verrry tired of these new people regarding them with nothing but suspicion.

“What do you say? Want to try your luck against me?”

“Yes!” Ingo nearly shouted. Emmet looked at her in mild surprise. Well, then. He was glad to not be proven right in this instance.

Zisu cracked her knuckles and grinned at them menacingly, an excited glint in her eyes. Emmet had a feeling that they were probably going to like this person.

“So, which one of you wants to go first?”

———

~~~~~~~

———

“HELLO, UNOVA! HOW IS EVERYONE DOING?!”

A woman stepped onto the battlefield, holding a microphone to her mouth. She smiled brilliantly as screams erupted from the stands.

“Welcome to grand opening of the Pokemon World Tournament! Who’s ready for a good time!”

More shouts sounded from the audience, rising in volume and intensity. For some reason unbeknownst to Ingo, it somehow wasn’t enough for the announcer.

“I said, WHO’S READY FOR A GOOD TIME?!”

The roar of the audience like rolling thunder. Fortunately, from behind the glass of the viewing box, most of the noise of the crowd was muffled. It was still a lot, though, coupled with all the flashing lights and screens. With how many people were present in the stadium, however, the noise volume made sense.

Ingo didn’t think he’d ever seen so many people in one space before. He wasn’t even sure if there were this many people in Hisui. He looked down at the stage at the announcer as she continued to shout from the top of her lungs.

“You could probably do that without the microphone.” Emmet joked.

Ingo smirked a little. “Perhaps. I do not understand why she is doing that, though.”

“She’s getting the crowd excited.” Dad explained. “Events like these expect high energy from both the audience and the participants.”

“That sounds exhausting.”

“It can be fun.” He reassured, smiling at him. “There’s a synergy to having everyone just as excited as you are for a battle.”

“Like when people came to watch us battle in the training grounds.” Emmet added.

“Oh… I can see the appeal, then.” Ingo said. “This is a lot of people, though.”

“A lot of people.” Emmet repeated.

“Gym battles aren’t like this, are they?” Ingo asked.

Dad shook his head. “No, not in Unova. There is some showiness of its own, but gym battles tend to be between the challenger and the gym.”

The announcer was still talking, with the giant screen behind her displaying images of Unova’s gym leaders and the elite four. It was definitely showy, and bright. Ingo looked back to Dad as he hummed and ran a hand over his beard.

“I should take you two to see mine. I had it renovated a couple years back, so it’s different from how it was when you were younger.”

“We already told Burgh we’d go to his gym first.” Emmet smirked at him.

Dad huffed softly. “I heard about that. I can wait until then.”

The matches started with a bang, with Skyla matched up against Aspertia’s gym leader, Cheren. Dad helped to explain the moves and pokemon he and Emmet couldn’t identify, providing a more helpful commentary than what the announcer was doing by yelling over the speakers.

“He is quite skilled for being the newest gym leader.” Ingo said, watching as Cheren called for his castform to cover the stage in a torrential rainstorm. Several security pokemon around the stage held up barriers of energy to keep the Rain Dance centralized to the battlefield.

“He came onto the scene a couple years ago when all the Plasma trouble was happening.” Dad explained. “Swept through the gyms just as easily as Hilda and Hilbert did. He’s smart, and extremely talented. He caught Lenora’s eye after everything and only had to apprentice him for a while before he struck out to set up his own gym.”

Skyla had Braviary U-Turn back to his pokeball, just narrowly missing a Thunder as she threw out a jumpluff to replace him. The crowd roared with excitement.

Dad sighed. “A lot of people were surprised by her retirement, but I knew she’d been looking to bow out of the League for a while so she could focus on her museum. Plasma was the push that got her to finally do it.”

Emmet glanced over at him. “A lot of gym leaders retired after Plasma attacked the region, right?”

“Five leaders. Three gyms.” Dad nodded. “They all had their reasons, and it didn’t happen all at once, but it’s the biggest lineup change we’ve had in decades. There were people speculating that I would retire as well, but…”

His voice trailed off as Jumpluff fired off a Bullet Seed, only to get half-frozen from an Ice Beam that hit it straight on.

“…The Gray family has always been surrounded by dragons. It’s hard for me to let go of anything.” His eyes wrinkled in a wry smirk. “No matter what happens.”

Ingo frowned at the battle below. That’s right, there was a whole family heritage that he’d forgotten in the wake of their fall, a whole history he knew nothing of aside from what Emmet would tell him. He would like to know more about it at some point.

Cheren managed to squeak out a win against Skyla as Ingo wrote a note to himself for later. He glanced up to see the two of them shaking hands in the middle of the field. Skyla beamed while Cheren tried and failed to keep a neutral frown, finally smiling at the audience before making his exit from the stage.

Good. He should be excited. He did well.

Elesa’s portrait flashed across the screen as a pokemon crew came to clean up the stage. Emmet grinned and shook out one of his hands as they waited.

“Will you tell me what her surprise is, now?” He asked.

Ingo smirked at him. “Not a chance. I don’t even remember it, anyway.”

He chuckled as Emmet gave him a shove, jostling him in his chair.

The stage went dark to signal the start of the next match. Emmet shook his hands again as a spotlight lit over one end of the stage, revealing their friend. Music with a heavy beat played as she strutted her way up to the battlefield, clutching a yellow jacket close around her.

“That’s a verrry puffy jacket.”

“It looks soft.” Ingo said.

Emmet smirked over at him as Elesa knelt to the floor on her end of the field and closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for a pause in the music playing overhead before throwing off her jacket in one smooth motion. When the jacket was removed, so was a blonde wig, uncovering dark, black hair with artfully styled braids that unfurled past her hips. Her outfit underneath was bright yellow and blue, matching the jacket.

The crowd went wild as she stood and put on a pair of spiked headphones. She waved to everyone with a brilliant smile, and Ingo could swear she paused to intentionally wave towards the private boxes. Maybe he was just getting caught up in the energy of the moment, but it was nice to think.

“So that’s why she was wearing fake hair.” Emmet grinned as the opponent came walking up the other side of the arena. “She looks great!”

“She really does.” Ingo watched her strike another pose and tossed a pokeball into the air, releasing a crackling, yellow spider while her opponent threw out a strange-looking avalugg.

“What typing is that pokemon?” Ingo asked automatically.

“Just ice.” Dad answered. “That’s Wulfric’s speciality as a gym leader.”

He looked to Elesa’s opponent. Wulfric was a large man, with some strangely uncanny features. Something about the way he carried himself… Some of his mannerisms were different, but the way his smile grew as the battle started was so familiar, it hurt.

Ingo froze when Wulfric’s excited laugh reached them through the speakers.

“He laughs just like Gaeric.” Ingo said.

“He does.” Emmet stared at the gym leader for a while, his own eyes wide. “I wonder if they are related.”

“What’s wrong?” Dad asked.

Ingo hadn’t even realized they’d slipped back into Kanjoh at some point. He sighed and sunk into his chair, watching the two duke it out with everything they had. Emmet had to take a moment before he answered.

“Do you know if Wulfric has Pearl Clan ancestors?” He asked in Galarian. “He reminds us of someone we knew.”

“I can have Clay look into it after the event and let you know.” Dad frowned, looking at the gym leader. “Were they a warden?”

“He was.” Emmet said.

Ingo frowned sadly as an old impression surfaced. “The strongest person in Hisui.” He muttered.

He looked to Elesa again before he could get too caught up in grief. She stood tall and proud as she conducted her pokemon through the battle, looking more alive than he could remember ever seeing her. It was in a place like this that she really thrived, on a stage of blinding light.

She had to have worked so hard to get to this point. All of them had.

“She’s amazing.” He said.

Emmet’s smile came back slowly. “She is. It will be verrry fun to battle her again.”

“When is that?” Ingo asked.

“As soon as we want.”

Ingo thought on it as Elesa fainted Wulfric’s last pokemon, scooping up the win. “Let’s make it sooner, rather than later.” He decided.

Emmet smiled a little wider in agreement.

———

Elesa was still shaking as she stepped backstage. She was certain that she didn’t have stage fright of any kind at this point in her career, but she was experiencing the tail end of one hell of an adrenaline rush.

Skyla came running over as soon as she was in the clear and hugged her tight. “You did it!” She shouted. “And you won!!”

“I did!” Elesa grinned. “I think I need to sit down before I fall over!”

“Yeah, let’s not have that.” Skyla put Elesa’s Xtrans into her hand and gave her a kiss. “Come on.”

They weaved around backstage crew to sit down in the contestant waiting room. Screens on the walls displayed a live feed to the stage while the rest of the morning lineup lingered. Elesa grabbed a pinap juice from the snack table before plopping down into a seat. Wulfric entered just after they did and went right back to Brycen to continue their earlier conversation.

“You didn’t tell him a pun up there when you were shaking hands, did you?” Skyla asked.

Elesa gave her a sneaky grin. “And what if I did? Gym Leader Elesa 2.0 is unashamed of cracking a joke.”

Skyla snorted and gave her a poke on the arm before resting against her. “Dragons, I love you.”

Elesa put her head on top of Skyla’s. “Thank you for all your help. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”

“You’re giving me way too much credit.” Skyla shrugged. “I just mostly listened.”

“Exactly.” Elesa smiled gently and took Skyla’s hand to kiss the back of it. She waited until Skyla was done hiding her blushing face against her puffy jacket before Elesa waved for Cheren’s attention.

Cheren came and stood in front of them with a small frown, giving them both a nod. “You did great out there, Elesa. I’m excited to see the new gym when it’s completed.”

“You and me both.” Elesa smirked. “Come on, sit down! You did pretty well, yourself!”

“Dude, a castform was so smart.” Skyla leaned forward as he took the seat across from them. “You had me sweating when I realized what was happening!”

“Some people would argue that it’s cheating to have a pokemon that changes its type when you’re supposed to be a certain type specialist.” Cheren said dryly.

“Well, they don’t know what they’re talking about.” Skyla scoffed. “We’re already using dual-type pokemon. Our teams know more moves than in our specialized type to help cover disadvantages. And the Normal type is extremely flexible! Don’t listen to those morons.”

“I’m not.” Cheren said. “Believe me, that sort of nagging is nothing compared to what I’ve dealt with in the past.”

He glanced over when the door opened and a staff member came in with a cart to restock the snack table. He eyed them suspiciously as they worked.

Elesa knew the unfortunate reason why.

“Hey, we can be assured that Plasma would be stupid to try anything with this many gym leaders and other strong trainers around in once place.” Elesa said, smiling.

“Can we?” Cheren looked back at them and frowned sternly. “Are you really sure about that?”

Elesa’s smile fell. “Sorry, I know this is serious.”

“Dude, Clay ran background checks on everyone and personally attended the interviews. It’s gonna be fine.” Skyla said.

“Sorry that the newbie doesn’t have the same level of trust that the rest of you do.” He huffed. “Why the hell did Clay allow a safehouse to exist in Driftveil, anyway?”

“You’d have to talk to him about it.” Elesa lowered her voice and leaned in closer. “And they’re ex-members. They’re trying to be better.”

“And you two are just okay with it?”

Elesa and Skyla glanced at each other. “We’re still figuring that out.” Skyla said softly. “But Clay wants to believe these people can make good of a second chance, so… we’re trying to let them have that.”

Cheren shook his head, leaning back in his seat. He didn’t walk away yet, so… that was good? It meant he still wanted to talk, at least.

“How are your friends, anyway?” Elesa asked. “We didn’t get a chance to talk with them last night before they suddenly left.”

Cheren sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, still tense in spite of the subject change. “Well-traveled, if nothing else. They were being really tight-lipped about why they showed up. The last time me and Bianca heard from them, they were heading to Johto next.”

“How long are they staying?” Skyla asked.

“I’m not sure.” He frowned. “I know they’re still looking for… him, but for now I think they went back home to see their mom. Honestly, they need the break.”

“They never really stopped to rest after everything, did they?”

“No, they haven’t.” Cheren paused. “It worries me, and Bianca. They come back when Plasma is causing trouble again? I don’t like that coincidence.”

Elesa pressed her lips together. Unspoken was the fact that the twins had one of Unova’s dragons on them. It was definitely not a coincidence to overlook.

Cheren shook his head and sighed again. “I don’t want to be thinking about this right now.” He said. “What was up with your friend last night, if you don’t mind me asking? Is he okay?”

“They’re both still getting used to modern stuff, and crowds. I think he got overwhelmed with everything and had to get away.” She glanced down at her Xtrans. “As far as I know they’re here, watching in one of the private rooms.”

Skyla huffed as she looked at her own device. “Ingo, Emmet, and Drayden are all terrible at texting, so it’s anyone’s guess until one of us gets to see them in person.”

“Thank the Dragons that Iris is on top of it, at least?” Cheren smirked faintly.

“Yeah, thank goodness.” Skyla said. “Still doesn’t help us right now while she’s busy with the event.”

———

There were pokemon battles happening outside of the arena as well as inside. It seemed that the exhibition brought all sorts out of the woodwork, with trainers of all calibers pitting against each other in friendly matches during the break between morning and afternoon portions of the day.

Emmet had never been surrounded by so many like-minded people in his life, even before their fall. It made the crowds a little more bearable to deal with. Ingo was just as excited as he was, walking by and intermittently watching battles where the crowds weren’t so thick. This pattern led them out of the main area where the arena was located, and more into the city proper where it was a little quieter.

“People here really love their pokemon.” Ingo noted.

“They do.” Emmet smiled. “Verrry much.”

Chandelure and Eelektross chimed and warbled in agreement. Ingo put a hand to his chin and watched the young trainers in front of them going against each other, getting lost in thought again. Emmet could tell he’d been thinking on something for a good portion of the day, about since the exhibition started. What it was, he wasn’t sure. He would ask him about it when it felt right.

“I’m assuming we need to have some matches before we go back in?” Emmet smirked.

Ingo hummed happily, his gaze refocusing as he wrote something down. “I certainly wouldn’t mind it…”

“Pardon me. Warden Ingo?”

Ingo blinked and turned at the sound of Kanjoh. Emmet turned as well. They were met with a man in a lab coat and glasses. The attire wasn’t too odd around here, but the familiarity with which he approached was. He smiled at them, but Emmet could tell it was more to be polite and approachable more than it was actually genuine.

Not that it was bad. Emmet did that all the time, himself.

“That is your title, correct?” He continued in Kanjoh. “Forgive me. You never divulged it the last time we spoke, but I saw you and your brother on the news.”

“Ah, y-yes, it is.” Ingo hesitated. He glanced between Emmet and Chandelure, and his partner chimed a confirmation. “Apologies, can you remind me how we know each other?”

Emmet hid a small smirk, relaxing a little once Chandelure confirmed that this wasn’t some random stranger. Ingo meeting people Emmet didn’t know wasn’t anything new, but it was funny how many times it already happened in their brief time in Unova.

“We met on Route 6.” The man answered. “I explained to you about the season research lab?”

“Of course.” Emmet could tell from Ingo’s tone that he still had no idea who he was. However, Emmet did find this familiar from reading over Ingo’s shoulder.

“You had a battle with him. You had steel types.” He said to the man, cluing his brother in. “What is your name?”

“Colress.” He gave a small bow. “I take it that you are Warden Emmet?”

“I am Emmet.” He nodded, them smirked at him. “You gave my brother a verrry short match.”

“Emmet.” Ingo elbowed his side.

Colress laughed airily and pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Yes, I know. I had a feeling that I would be beaten, but I wasn’t expecting such a swift defeat.”

Ingo’s face brightened. “Apologies. I tend to get carried away in a battle.”

“It’s no trouble. As part of my research I want to see trainers at their best, and you did not disappoint.” Colress’s smile grew a little. “I am happy that I was able to find you again, and your brother. I would love to battle you both and ask some questions, if you have the time for it.”

“About what, exactly?” Emmet asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. “What are you researching?”

“About drawing out the strength of pokemon.” Colress tapped something into his strange tablet. “If the rumors are to be believed, you come from another point in history, one that is famous for the development around the bond between humans and pokemon. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on it.”

Emmet had to hand it to him for not beating around the bush, at least. He glanced to his brother to see what he was thinking.

“We will battle you, but that does not mean we will answer questions if we decide not to.” Emmet decided.

“I would greatly appreciate it if you did, but I will take what I can get.” Colress sighed, pocketing his device stepping away to prepare.

There was something so refreshing about being able to speak Kanjoh with someone else again, even if he was a little strange. Galarian was getting progressively easier again since they were constantly using it, but it still required a little more thinking than their other language. Emmet nodded for Ingo to go first and signed to him.

Probably shouldn’t bring out Garchomp. Let’s not make a scene here.

Ingo hummed in acknowledgement and took Machamp’s pokeball in hand. “Whenever you’re ready.” He called over.

Emmet wasn’t sure what to expect, given how quickly Ingo seemed to have defeated Colress the last time they battled, but it was obvious that the scientist had been training. They still fell to Ingo’s team, and then later Emmet’s, but Colress was hardly deterred by the subsequent losses. In fact, he was excited.

“What was that?! Strong style and Agile style?” Colress was quickly typing notes into his tablet. “Tell me, how did you teach your pokemon these?”

Emmet kept his gaze away from the onlookers who had congregated to watch the battles. At the very least, their conversation couldn’t be understood by most, and fortunately there were plenty of other battles happening to drive any lasting attention away.

“They are battling styles understood in Hisui.” Ingo explained. “When a pokemon understands a move well enough, they learn to be flexible with the speed and strength used to perform it. It allows for more control over the flow of a battle.”

“I can see that. Absolutely fascinating…” Colress adjusted his glasses again as he reviewed something. “Were wild pokemon in Hisui able to do this, or was this a result of your bond with your pokemon? Do you think pokeballs had anything to do with it?”

“Ah, I-I am uncertain. I believe it was mostly present in trained pokemon. When pokemon and trainer understand and trust each other, there are possibilities that no wild pokemon can achieve.”

“The best combination.” Emmet added.

“I agree. Trust, exactly! As unquantifiable as it is, all of my research has so far culminated towards the theory that it is only through humans that pokemon can bring out their true, hidden potential.” He clicked his tongue as he continued to type. “And Team Plasma tried to tout the lie that pokemon are stronger without us.”

He finally lifted his head to smile at them both. “Thank you both for your time! I learned much through these battles.”

“Did you have other questions?” Emmet raised a brow.

“I think what I was able to compile was answer enough. Again, thank you.” Colress gave another bow. “Wardens, I do hope we see each other again to further test my theory.”

Ingo nodded his head as he left without another word. They watched him disappear into the crowds with the slightest pep in his step.

“Well, that was weird.” Emmet said.

Ingo hummed to himself. “I can’t deny that his enthusiasm for research is admirable. Truly, he works towards a goal of some sort.”

Emmet glanced at the trainers still lingering nearby, a smile growing on his face. “Want to do some more battles?” He asked.

Ingo looked at him and squinted his eyes. “Sure.”

A few obliterations wins later, they were able to get away from the bulk of the crowd and escaped into some sort of open market north of the stadium. Emmet purchased a small, square basket of pecha berries with only slight difficulty and the two of them snacked on their treat under a tree.

Ingo still seemed to back on his earlier train of thought as he handed berries to Chandelure. Emmet waited for him to glance his way before he decided to pry.

“You’ve had something on your mind. What is it?” He asked.

Ingo’s brows furrowed for a moment longer before he answered. “It’s just… there are so many people here who strive so diligently to become stronger. To reach greater heights as a person, and with their pokemon.”

He stared down at his lap, frowning. “I feel as if I’ve stagnated in that station. I haven’t felt the desire to continue on like that in a very long time. I’ve just been going with the motions. Letting things happen to me instead of making them happen.”

Emmet sighed, his own smile falling a little. He knew the feeling well. He scooted closer to his brother so their shoulders were against each other. “A lot has happened. A lot has changed for us. You weren’t doing well for a while either, so don’t be so hard on yourself, okay? You needed some time for maintenance.”

“We both did.” Ingo said.

Emmet nodded. “Yup. We could do with some more, probably.”

Ingo snorted softly. “Sinnoh, I can’t believe you admitted it.”

“Hey, I’ve been trying to be better.” Emmet smirked back.

The two of them laughed under their breaths, looking out at the crowds passing by. People were starting to disperse back to the arena, but there was still time to get back before the afternoon segment.

“…What happens after this, Emmet?” Ingo asked quietly.

Going off his tone, Emmet knew he wasn’t talking about the rest of the day. He gave a small shrug. “Well, we can collect gym badges. That would give us something to do for a while.”

“For a while.” Ingo repeated. “What else is there to do here?”

“That’s the beauty of it. We can do whatever we want.” Emmet took a deep breath as his stomach twisted in discomfort. “We aren’t bound to a duty here like we were in Hisui. We can be whatever we want to be.”

The words tasted sour on his tongue, and he knew that Ingo could tell that he wasn’t believing in what he was saying, either. Ingo stared out for a moment longer.

“…I want to be a Warden.” He whispered, holding onto the sleeves of his haori. His eyes watered, but no tears fell.

Emmet sighed, feeling his own eyes burn. “I know. I do, too.”

They leaned against each other for a while longer before the alarm on Emmet’s Xtrans went off, startling them both and turning the basket of berries over in their panic. Ingo draped an arm over Chandelure and panted as Emmet figured out how to turn it off again.

“Fucking thing.” He hissed, smacking the device a few times with his palm once it had gone silent.

“I’ll agree with you on this one.” Ingo sighed heavily, bending down to collect the berries. “Is it time to go?”

“Yup. We’ve got twenty minutes before Dad is allowed to worry about us… more than he already has been.”

Ingo glanced at the time on his own watch. “Why didn’t he come with us?”

“Don’t know. Maybe he thought we’d want the space.”

“Hm.”

Ingo nibbled on another pecha as they walked back towards the arena. “…Surely, we can find something.” He said, continuing on from before. “Maybe we could work full time in Jubilife w-with Z-”

He cut himself off with a sharp breath. “No. No, that’s not right…”

Emmet took the basket and held Ingo’s hand. Ingo clung back tightly.

“We will find something to do.” Emmet said. “Something that we can love.”

Ingo nodded, brushing at his eyes and swallowing hard, keeping his face hidden from any onlookers. Emmet gave his hand another squeeze and led the way back to the arena.

They didn’t get very far before more voices stopped them, calling them by name.

“Warden Ingo! Warden Emmet!!”

More Kanjoh. Twice in one day? But Emmet recognized at least one of the two voices. The other was much deeper than he remembered.

“Oh, Sinnoh.” Ingo breathed, his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked over.

Emmet barely had time to note long, black hair before the form barreled into his brother. Ingo easily caught her and hesitated, giving her the smallest of hugs as his brows furrowed.

“Akari?” He asked, confused. “You are taller than the last time we saw you, I think.”

“You think she is taller?” Emmet smirked. “Look at this one.”

Rei—Lucas—came jogging up to them, panting. Even with the growth spurt, he was still several inches shorter than they were.

“We… we heard there was a pair of twins with a weird battling style… and we were trying to find you.” He said, taking a deep breath. “Arceus, it’s really you.”

“I am Emmet. You grew up. Both of you did.”

Akari—or, Dawn—pulled back to stand next to her brother. “Well, it’s been two years.” She said nervously. “H-how long has it been for you, again?”

Ingo looked to Emmet for an answer. “It’s been about two months.” Emmet said softly.

The crowds continued to pass them by as Dawn’s shoulders started to shake. She hid her face behind a hand. “Gods, I’m s-sorry. I’m just— You’re here. You’re really here. Wh-when we found out that you disappeared from Hisui—”

Her words dissolved into sniffles as Emmet reached out to pull her in for a hug, Chandelure taking the basket so both of his hands were free. Emmet glanced at his brother, who was holding Lucas in his own arms.

“We are here.” Ingo assured gently. “It’s all right.”

“Yup.” Emmet gave Dawn a small pat, smiling. “It is verrry good to see you again.”

Chapter Text

Emmet slept soundly that night because of Ingo, but waking up was always a challenge whenever they decided to share the bottom bunk. It was even harder when it was early since he always left first. Ingo had never been a morning person, and part of the reason why he loved splitting their morning patrols was so he didn’t have to wake up when Emmet did.

That was not going to be the case today.

Emmet shook Ingo’s shoulder a couple times until he started to stir. Eventually, glowing silver looked back at him in grumpy confusion.

He put a hand on his brother’s chest before he could make a move to sit up. “Careful. Bottom bunk.”

Ingo blinked at him slowly. “Why’m I awake?” He mumbled.

“We are going to Jubilife. Irida’s request. We have passengers to escort.”

Ingo groaned and slid off the bed and to the floor, taking a blanket with him so it fell over his head. “Sun’s not up yet. Too early.”

“The sun will be up by the time we get to the settlement.” Emmet smirked, walking over him to get to their food stores. “Come on. Get up.”

Chandelure drifted down from the ceiling and hooked the blanket around one of her arms before floating back up again. Ingo hissed low as his cover was taken away.

“Betrayed, by my own partner.” He lamented sleepily. “Forced awake at a Sinnoh-forsaken hour by my own twin. No one loves me.”

Emmet snickered as he threw together a breakfast of berries and jerky into some bowls. Something quick and easy that didn’t require a fire to make. Fortunately, Ingo got over being dramatic and stubborn quickly, and sat up to review his notes before getting ready.

He moved with a little more purpose once he remembered what was happening. Emmet made up a few potions while Ingo folded the blankets on the bed and got dressed and shaved. Ingo yawned as they traded places, Chandelure humming above his head while he packed some food for the journey. He tossed a chesto berry into the air for her, and she caught it in her chimney with a happy trill.

Emmet smiled over at them as he pulled his tunic on. Eelektross was awake now, and he could hear Garchomp starting to shuffle around outside of the yurt, along with the rest of their team. Gliscor stared at them from the top bunk.

“Do we have to arrive with Lady Irida?” Ingo asked.

“She did not say. I would assume we are laying our own tracks to the settlement.” Emmet said.

Ingo yawned again and tied off his belt, patting around his waist to take stock of his pokeballs and gear. He opened the door and stopped when he saw Garchomp.

“Her harness is still not fixed.” He realized.

“Yup. Verrry not safe. We will have to walk down to Jubilife this time.”

Garchomp whined and came over to press her snout against Ingo’s chest, pushing him back a few steps.

“My apologies, dear.” He rubbed her horns. “I’ll make sure we get it repaired as soon as possible. Then we don’t have to be up quite so early in the future.”

Emmet grabbed the rest of his gear and nudged brother and pokemon to the side so he could squeeze through the doorway. “Clear the tracks, Garchomp. It is time to depart.”

Garchomp huffed loudly, blowing back Ingo’s hat before she stepped back. Gliscor clambered ahead until he could take off into the air to hunt along the way, and Eelektross kept close to Emmet’s side.

The rest of their team walked with them as they made the trek down the mountain, disappearing intermittently to forage. Dinner Plate was the only one in his pokeball, since he couldn’t move as quickly as everyone else. One by one the rest of the team joined him on their belts, having gotten their fill and knowing the procedure that came with going to Jubilife.

Ingo ran a hand down his face and yawned one more time before they came in sight of the settlement guards. Emmet chuckled and nudged his brother with an elbow. Ingo merely grunted, pushing him back and straightening his posture as Chandelure was the last to return to her pokeball. Professional Ingo was finally at the station, early morning be damned.

Fortunately, because the frenzy in question was Diamond business, they didn’t have to be present at the meeting in Kamado’s office. Irida would take care of the Pearl side of things. Emmet’s gaze was already traveling towards the training grounds as they were allowed into the settlement.

…Huh. There were more pokemon out since the last time there here.

Ingo gave a light tug on his sleeve to get his attention before pointing to the shops. “I need to restock on pencils first,” he said, checking his notes, “then we can head over to see Zisu.”

Emmet tore his eyes away from the cascoon sitting next to the guard posted in front of Galaxy Hall. “Ah, right.”

They ended up getting a few more things from the small market stalls. Emmet traded stardust and iron pieces for chesto berries and a jar of honey, to replace the one that Gliscor broke. He turned away for one second to get some thread from Anthe to then find his brother with not only his pencils, but also a box of what smelled like mushroom cakes.

“Ingo.”

Ingo stowed the box away and raised a brow at him. “What? Garchomp is a good girl.”

“Ingo, we can make those at home.”

“She eats considerably more than anyone else on our team. This saves us on some supplies.”

“Yes, but-”

A shoji slammed open across the way, turning their heads. Two teenagers came spilling out, tripping on their sandals as they put them on as they ran, heading off down the street. Emmet and Ingo watched them until they disappeared into the hall.

“Do you think that’s them?” Ingo asked.

Emmet shrugged and started towards the training grounds. “Maybe. They did look like siblings. Haven’t seen them before, either.”

“I was expecting them to be older. Adults, even.”

“Me, too.” Emmet sighed.

They were able to ask Zisu for more information. The pair they had seen were indeed Akari and Rei, and they had a talent for training pokemon, like Irida said. What Irida didn’t mention was that the both of them fell into Hisui from the rift with no memory.

Ingo, understandably, was concerned.

“Were they hurt?” He asked.

“They were fine. As far as I know, they ended up at Prelude Beach with not even a scratch.” Zisu gave Ingo a nod. “It doesn’t look like what you have.”

Ingo’s frown grew as he put a hand to the brim of his hat. “Small blessings, I suppose.”

“For all their lost memory, they certainly remember things about pokemon and battling, like you do.” She chuckled.

Ingo huffed softly. “It’s funny how details like that tend to stick in my brain better than others.”

“It means you have good taste.” Zisu grinned.

Ingo squinted a smile back at her. “And you are one of the last people to ever judge me for it.”

Emmet rolled a pokeball in his hand as he paced up and down the battlefield, Eelektross swimming close behind him. He could tell his partner wanted to explore the training grounds and the dojo—something he’d never been able to do before—but Emmet didn’t want to push their luck.

It was verrry strange. This was a recent development in Jubilife. It had been some time since they last visited, but it came as a huge surprise to see a lot more pokemon out of their pokeballs, outside of the training grounds or in Galaxy Hall. There were even pokemon working in the fields with the rest of the Agricultural Corps, and more helping the Construction Corps. Whatever Akari and Rei were doing was in turn making Jubilife flourish in a way Emmet hadn’t seen since the settlement had been built a few years ago.

The place seemed just a bit happier because of it.

A familiar, drawling voice could be heard coming from near Galaxy Hall, and Emmet peeked around the fence to see Melli arguing with his clan leader. Irida sighed as she came walking over.

“I thought I’d find you two here.” She gave a half smile. “Thank you for coming out so early.”

“Of course.” Ingo peered around Emmet’s shoulder to see what he was looking at. The skyfaller siblings had just exited the hall and were speaking with Adaman, before the Diamond Clan leader stepped back a few paces. Emmet blinked as Adaman’s leafeon weaved around around his legs before stepping in front of him. The girl, Akari, grabbed a pokeball from her belt.

“What the hell? Adaman is battling?” Emmet whispered.

“It looks to be that way.” Ingo said.

Emmet watched for a minute before he had to look away. “He is not very good.”

“Emmet.”

“I am Emmet. I’m right and you know it!”

Ingo frowned as he walked away from the entrance to stand by their leader. “Well, you don’t have to say it out loud…”

“Not everyone had someone in their clan to teach them.” Irida laughed.

Emmet smirked and stood next to his brother. Sure, Irida understood the basics of proper battling, because there was no way two ten-year-old transplants from the future, obsessed with pokemon and desperate to make a connection with other kids their age, would not teach her. However, it didn’t mean she took to it.

No one in Pearl took to it like they did, and as Emmet and Ingo’s team grew it became harder to convince anyone to participate in a friendly match. Becoming friends with Zisu was the best thing to happen to them in years. They finally had another person who shared their enthusiasm for battling, to try new combinations to throw their pokemon against.

And now there were the skyfallers.

“Rei, Akari, I’d like to introduce you to Lady Sneasler’s wardens, Ingo and Emmet.” Irida said once the pair had met them in the training grounds.

“It is a pleasure to meet you! I am Warden Ingo.” Ingo tipped his hat with a bow of his head.

Emmet did the same. “I am Emmet.”

“Lady Irida informed us that you needed assistance traversing the Coronet Highlands. We’d be happy to escort you.”

Emmet smiled as he looked at the pair. They had to be in their mid to late teens, with Rei being at least a couple years older than Akari. Rei was looking between him, his brother, and their pokemon, his eyes sharp and observant. What was it that Irida had said? That they were part of the survey team? He seemed like the professor type, more so than his sister did. Fortunately, he looked a lot more capable of hiking than Laventon was.

Akari, meanwhile, stared right back at him when she noticed him looking, maintaining eye contact for a meaningful second before she looked to Irida as she started talking again.

Excitement flooded Emmet when he realized what had just happened. That was a challenge. A real trainer challenge, or something verrry close to it. Dragons, he’d almost forgotten about that part.

Trains of thought slammed into each other as Emmet scrambled to piece together what he’d just learned. It was a trainer challenge, which meant that these two didn’t just fall out of the sky from nowhere with pokemon knowledge at their disposal. They came from somewhere. They came from the future.

Sinnoh, he wanted to battle. Right now.

Shit, people were still talking and he wasn’t paying attention.

Oh well. He already knew the gist of it.

Emmet managed to keep his hands away from his belt long enough to fall into step with his brother when he started speaking, snapping into their point and call pose and shouting as one.

“All aboard!”

It was silly, yes, but having a gimmick was something trainers from the future did, and Dragons above it was something he refused to let go of. He was glad Ingo still felt the same.

Zisu chuckled nearby as she usually did, and Akari and Rei paused with matching puzzled looks. Emmet grinned and marched off with Ingo, leading the way out of Jubilife with their partners close behind.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Emmet led the way back to their room in the arena. He tried to, at least. It was easy to get lost once they were inside the building. Ingo himself couldn’t hope to begin knowing how to navigate the long halls that all looked the same, but at least an employee who helped them into the back area was willing to guide them there.

Akari and Rei came along, much to their delight. Or, Dawn and Lucas were their true names. Sinnoh, he already knew that was going to be difficult for him to remember. He quickly wrote a note for himself before they entered an elevator.

“You are not participating in the exhibition?” Ingo asked Akari. Dawn.

“I’m on tomorrow.” She explained. “We’ve just been lingering around until then, trying to see if we’d run into you.”

Ingo looked to Rei. “And what about you? Are you participating?”

“Oh, you know battling isn’t my thing.”

“Doesn’t mean you aren’t good at it.” Emmet smirked.

“I’m just tagging along to see you guys!” Rei smiled back. “Thinking of maybe meeting a couple of professors once we’re done here before we head back home.”

Emmet squinted at him as he spoke. “Your voice is so different. It’s verrry strange.” He said. They exited the elevator with their guide. “You are a professor now?”

“Just about!” Rei stood a little more proudly. “I was already working towards it before we ended up in Hisui.”

Ingo paused. “You remember your past?”

“Yeah. We go our memories back when we were sent home.” Akari glanced in Ingo’s direction as she said it.

“That’s wonderful to hear!” He smiled at her. “I feel like it was a great struggle for you both to be derailed so severely like that.”

“…Yeah, it was.” Something in Akari’s expression fell the longer she watched him, something he didn’t like. Ingo glanced away to the employee when they stopped in front of a door before heading onwards without them.

Dawn. Lucas and Dawn. Damn it.

“Apologies if I get your names mixed up. I am used to Akari and Rei by this point.”

“Don’t worry about it. Call us whatever is easier for you.” Lucas assured.

Ingo huffed and Emmet stopped just short of opening the door. “I don’t need easy. I would like what is correct.” He said patiently. “How would you prefer to be called?”

The siblings paused before Lucas answered for both of them. “Dawn and Lucas are fine.”

Ingo nodded resolutely. “Very well. Thank you for telling me. I will endeavor to follow these tracks as best I can.”

Emmet opened the door to their room and held it open to let everyone in. Dad was already looking in their direction, having probably heard them talking outside.

“You’re back.” He said, tension releasing in his shoulders. “And with friends?”

“Yup. These are our friends from Hisui! Dawn and Lucas!” Emmet said brightly, switching to Galarian. He paused as he realized something. “Ah. We will have to translate, won’t we?”

“Don’t worry about me. You will probably want some time to catch up.” Dad assured, his eyes crinkling in a smile. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Dawn and Lucas said after Emmet translated.

Ingo jumped when the announcer started shouting from the stage as they rearranged the chairs for the five of them. Emmet chuckled when he noticed a pokeball rattling on Dawn’s belt.

“Is that Heracross?” He asked.

“Yeah, but I told him to be patient.” Dawn took the pokeball into her hand and frowned at it. “He’s really excited to see you.”

Emmet grinned expectantly at her until she smirked and pushed the button. Ingo put a hand on his brother’s back to help brace himself for a dark form to tackle into him.

“Yes! It is verrry good to see you again, too!” Emmet laughed as Ingo steadied him to keep him from falling over. The pokemon in his arms chirped and cried as he nuzzled into Emmet’s chest.

“Oh, it has been much longer for you than it has for me, hasn’t it?” Emmet sat in the closest chair and held Heracross close, running a hand down his back. “It’s okay. It’s okay…”

Ingo sat down next to his brother and glanced out to the battlefield. Burgh was squaring off against a ghost type gym leader with a headband, Morty, who was starting out with a gengar.

“What have you been up to since we last saw each other?” He asked. Emmet put his chin on top of Heracross’s head and looked at the siblings.

Dawn and Lucas looked at each other for a moment. “…We’re better now than when we first got home.” Dawn started. “Saw some therapists, reunited with our old teams.”

“Dawn took back the Champion seat!” Lucas continued. “I went back to school. Saw our family and friends again. Honestly, compared to what we went through in Hisui, it’s been kinda boring.”

“That is not a bad thing. You went through a lot.” Emmet said. “Do you like being the Sinnoh Champion?”

Dawn nodded. “Yeah, I like it! It’s a challenge to hold onto sometimes, but Cynthia’s been a great support.”

“Our sister is the Unova Champion.” Ingo said with a hint of pride in his voice. “Have you met Iris yet?”

“We saw her briefly, backstage.” She smiled. “Cynthia helped to interpret since she knows Galarian.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty awesome!” Lucas added. “You like having your family around again?”

“Ah-” Ingo stuttered at the wording of the question, feeling it rub him the wrong way. “I-I suppose it is nice, to have our dad and sister with us.”

“I am Emmet. Iris wasn’t even alive when we disappeared from Unova.” Emmet said, his hands having gone still against Heracross. Ingo could tell he hadn’t liked the question much, either.

Fortunately, their discomfort didn’t go unnoticed.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like you aren’t missing anyone.” Lucas apologized quietly. He clasped and unclasped his hands together before he spoke again. “…How have you guys been doing?”

“We are all right.” Emmet smiled faintly. “It has been an adjustment, being back after so long, but we are doing our best.”

“Unova is very different from Hisui.” Ingo added, glancing out again. Burgh was down to his last two pokemon while his opponent still had three. “Not all bad. We’ve made some new friends.”

“That’s one of them down there! Burgh.”

Their conversation came to a pause as the four of them watched the rest of the battle. Burgh’s team managed to hold their own until Morty threw out a froslass and finished them off.

“Bug types. That can be rough to specialize in.” Lucas said.

“Hey, it’s the best type!” Emmet said, giving Heracross another pet before he nudged the pokemon off his lap. “Okay, I would like to feel my legs again, sorry. It was verrry good to see you again!”

Heracross churred and nuzzled into Emmet’s hand before he returned himself to his pokeball. Eelektross warbled and greedily wrapped around Emmet as soon as he was gone.

“Don’t worry, buddy. You’re still the best pokemon.” Emmet assured, giving him a pat. He gave Dawn’s belt a glance. “I noticed he is not in his original pokeball.”

“You probably already know the old ones don’t work with healing stations or storage PCs.” She explained. “We ended up switching most of our teams over. Well, the ones who were okay with it, at least.”

“I don’t think we’ve done that.” Ingo said, reaching around his own belt to check. Sure enough, his hand brushed against carved apricorn, save for Chandelure’s scuffed ball.

“No, we haven’t.” Emmet confirmed. “We haven’t run into the need to switch.”

The cleaning crew was done getting the stage prepped, and Dawn stiffened when the names for the next match appeared.

“Oh! It’s Cynthia next.” Emmet smiled, reading off the screen. “Against Caitlin.”

“Um, yeah. There’s another reason why we wanted to find you today.” Dawn said quickly. “There’s something we need to tell you, about Cynthia. She looks like-”

Both Ingo and Emmet froze when a familiar face flashed across the screen. Ingo couldn’t breathe for a moment.

“…She looks like Volo.” Akari finished weakly.

Ingo stood abruptly and stepped away, taking a deep breath through his nose. Dad looked to him in concern, but Ingo shook his head. Emotions and impressions flashed through him. Distrust, suspicion, and an anger so intense as the memory of the man's voice echoed in his mind.

He couldn’t remember where the anger was coming from.

~~

“Why would I say something like that? I think you’re getting your notes mixed up, Warden…”

~~

“Niisan,” Emmet was next to him, taking hold of his hand. Chandelure was on his other side, touching his shoulder.

“…M’fine.” He took another breath and glanced over his shoulder at the screen. He squeezed his shaking hand around Emmet’s. “Just wasn’t expecting it. The resemblance is… certainly uncanny.”

Emmet nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “It really is.”

“She and Dawn have been friends for years,” Rei said, half rising from his chair, “even before we ended up in Hisui. We trust her.”

“Are you sure?” Emmet pressed.

“Yes.” Akari looked meaningfully at each of them. “She can be trusted.”

Emmet took a moment before he dragged a hand down his face and groaned. “It’s going to fucking suck talking to her.”

Ingo nodded, staring blankly down at the floor under his feet. “…We’re going to talk to her?” He asked.

“I’d like to, at some point. She might have some answers for us about home, because she knows about history.”

“Everything all right?” He heard Dad ask.

Ingo raised his head to him as Emmet answered in Galarian. “We will tell you about it later, but everything is fine.”

“It is.” Ingo nodded. He sighed and went back to Akari and Rei, turning his chair away from the stage so he wouldn’t accidentally see it. Emmet followed suit and turned his chair next to his.

…No, they were Dawn and Lucas.

Sinnoh, there was a lot happening all at once.

“I’m so sorry.” Dawn said, wringing her hands. “We should have said something immediately. I just didn’t know how to without killing the mood.”

“Please, do not worry.” Ingo said, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “They are old emotions, and he is long gone, regardless.”

For a few moments the only sounds were the ones from the battle happening on the stage behind them. Sinnoh, he felt awkward for ruining the moment like that. This was supposed to be a happy reunion.

“Why don’t you tell us about yourselves, now that you remember who you are again?” Ingo suggested, smiling a little. “Who exactly are Dawn and Lucas?”

———

Ingo rested against the balcony railing as he watched the halves of Driftveil Drawbridge rise to make way for the shipping boats coming through. It was fascinating to watch, trying to think about how the bridge might work for such a thing to be possible. Maybe he could find a book on it, sometime.

Emmet’s head lolled against his shoulder and his brother snorted awake. He mumbled incoherently and rubbed at his face before he leaned against Ingo again. Ingo didn’t give him the time to settle before he poked his arm.

“You should go to bed.” He said gently. “It’s more comfortable.”

Emmet gave him a sleepy glare as he lifted his head. “What about you?”

“I will go to bed eventually.” Ingo assured.

Emmet stared at him before he raised his gaze to Chandelure. “Make sure he does.” He said, grabbing the railing and pulling himself to his feet.

Chandelure chimed and drifted down to his eye level. Ingo ignored the way her flames started to rhythmically sway and stared right into her golden eyes.

“Not right now, dear. Later, please.” He batted one of her arms, sending her spinning away in a lazy circle as she laughed. “Good night, Emmet.”

“G’night, Ingo.”

He heard the flop of his brother hitting their makeshift bed on floor and looked to see Nana and Eelektross curl up around him. Ingo realized he was going to have to fight for space next to Emmet once he was ready to join him.

As nice as it was to have Emmet properly in bed, it did leave his right side empty. Ingo shivered and rubbed his arm, prompting Gliscor to crawl over and put as much of himself into his lap. He looked up at Ingo, the tip of his tongue sticking out. With a chuckle, Ingo gently rubbed his knuckles against the top of his head.

“Feeling silly?”

Gliscor squeezed his eyes shut and blew a breathy razz berry before snuggling closer. Ingo laughed again and wrapped his arms around his pokemon, looking out at the view once more.

Dad came into the hotel room some time after Emmet was asleep. Ingo watched as he noted him sitting alone on the balcony, then quickly walked past the second bed to see Emmet snoring softly among the pile of pokemon before his shoulders fell in a quiet relief.

He felt like Dad did that a lot.

He came to the balcony and stood on the opposite end of where Ingo was sitting, looking out at the river in silence for a few minutes.

“Not tired yet?” He asked.

Ingo shook his head. “I’m usually the last to bed.”

“I’ve noticed that. You’ve always remained the noctowl, I see.” Dad huffed softly. “It was always easier to get Emmet to sleep at night.”

“He is the morning person I could never be.” Ingo smirked. “Always leaves on his patrol before I even have a chance to wake up. Or… h-he used to.”

He took a deep breath before he could derail entirely. Gliscor clicked in concern and turned to nuzzle against his chest. Dad grunted as he bent down to sit across from him.

“It’s okay to let yourself mourn, Ingo.” He said softly.

Ingo shook his head. “I feel like I’ve done enough of that recently.”

“It’s okay to need time for it. It’s normal, even.”

He smirked wryly over at him. “Can’t it wait until we are back in Opelucid, at least?”

“I suppose I can understand holding off until you’re in a safe place.” Dad sighed, leaning back. “I’ve done it plenty of times. The key to it is letting yourself let go once you’re there, though. Can you allow yourself to do that?”

Ingo hummed absently as he pet Gliscor. “…I don’t know. I don’t always remember that there is something to mourn. Not consciously. I usually find myself stumbling onto the tracks, unprepared for the train that runs along it.”

Ingo looked out at the view again, watching a ship with sails slowly pull away from port. Gliscor adjusted himself in his lap and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“…Does it bother you that I can’t remember you from before?” He asked.

Dad was quiet for a while, but Ingo wasn’t expecting him to answer right away. He idly played with one of Gliscor’s claws as he waited.

“It did break my heart when I first found out.” Dad admitted. “It still does, but I have to remind myself that the loss would still be there, regardless of the situation.”

“Why is that?”

“Twenty years is a very long time. You and your brother are different, no matter what. I am different, too. Even if you did have those memories, you’re all grown up, and I never got to experience that change firsthand. I would be mourning the loss of my ten-year-old sons, regardless.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Ingo nodded slowly, frowning in thought. “Is there anything else about me that is familiar to you, aside from staying up late?”

Dad smiled warmly at him. “I’ve been seeing more of the Ingo I remember with each passing day. I’m happy to see that you are still loud, and I notice you get talkative the more comfortable you are. You are still unabashedly confident in what you know. I’m looking forward to seeing how you are in the mountains.”

“I still need to plan that.” Ingo remembered. He almost made a move for his notebook before he decided he didn’t want to move Gliscor just yet. “Can you remind me when we get back?”

Dad nodded.

“What about Emmet? What about him is the same, and different?”

“He was always stubborn. Always was happy to let you talk. I know he liked hearing you, even then. He was always pulling you into things you were more hesitant about.”

Ingo rested his cheek on top of Gliscor’s head as Dad thought on his words a little.

“He’s more talkative now. He takes charge more readily, but he’s still incredibly observant of you. He steps down the moment you decide to lead. He’s patient. So, so patient. That has to be the biggest change.”

“He wasn’t always patient?”

“No.” Dad smirked faintly. “He got bored and frustrated, very easily. Sitting still didn’t suit him. Then again, he was ten.”

“He’s still like that, honestly.” Ingo said. “But he’s learned to deal with it better.”

“I’ve noticed the carving hobby he usually does to pass time.” Dad nodded slowly. “Gives him something to do to busy his hands.”

He paused for a moment. “There are things about you that are new to me, too. You’re very organized. You’ve always been curious, but you are not afraid to ask questions about what you don’t understand.”

Ingo huffed softly. “Those are things born out of necessity.”

“And is that so bad?” Dad asked. “When you do them, do they help you feel like yourself?”

Ingo’s eyes widened slightly before he gave a small nod. “…They do.”

Dad smiled under his beard. “No matter what’s happened to you and your brother, no matter how much has changed, you’re still my kids. But Dragons, how lucky I feel to know that I can still recognize you both in the little things you do and say.”

He ducked his head and brushed at his eyes, sighing shakily. Ingo swallowed down a lump in his own throat. He stared at the empty space next to his dad before he gently nudged Gliscor away to move over.

There wasn’t a lot of room for both of them on one side of the balcony without Ingo leaning up against him. Dad’s shoulders silently shook as he fought to keep his composure, tears running into his beard before he could catch them. Slowly, he telegraphed putting his arm around Ingo, and Ingo nodded for him to go ahead.

There was an unspoken desperation in the gesture, even with how careful Dad was being. Ingo slowly relaxed and Dad reciprocated by holding him a little closer. It felt warm and secure. Safe. Ingo wasn’t sure where his trepidation of having him too close had come from, but this finally felt right.

“You look out for each other.” Dad croaked, drying his face again with his free hand. “That’s another thing that hasn’t changed.”

Ingo nodded, glancing over at Emmet’s sleeping form. His own eyes watered as he turned his face against Dad’s side.

“I know I missed you.” He said, his voice shaking. “I h-had to have.”

“It’s okay.” Dad assured, slowly running his hand up and down his arm. “It’s okay, Ingo. This is more than enough for me.”

He nodded, tucking himself closer as a cold breeze came in from the river. Silent tears fell onto Dad’s shirt as they stayed like that for some time. He hadn’t even realized he was starting to nod off until an unfamiliar hand in his hair startled him awake. Dad apologized softly and rubbed his back.

“You should probably get to bed.” He said.

Ingo nodded, and was about to get to his feet before he leaned back against him. “Just a little longer.” He mumbled.

Dad’s eyes watered as he pulled him into another secure embrace.

“…Okay. A few more minutes.”

Chapter Text

Emmet was excited about something. Very (verrry) excited. Ingo wasn’t certain what about the skyfallers had caught his brother’s interest, but he was glad to see that Emmet was in better spirits as they led to way towards the Coronet Highlands. He knew he had a rough night.

They left behind Professor Laventon and the Security Corps to make their camp at the bottom of the mountain while the four of them continued onwards. Akari and Rei looked around the area with interest, scrawling down notes on the wildlife around them. When Ingo asked what they were doing, they explained they were compiling something called a pokedex for Professor Laventon.

He did not miss the way Emmet perked up again in interest. Which meant he knew what a pokedex was.

…Were the skyfallers from the future? Was that why Emmet was excited? He would have to ask him once they had a moment alone.

They were stopped at the mouth of Wayward Cave by Melli, who jeered and scoffed at the kids and then tried to challenge them to a battle. Ingo was still simmering at the way their fellow warden seemed to discount his own Lord’s pain, and Emmet looked ready to throttle him as Melli ran off into the cave.

Emmet gave a rude hand gesture in Melli’s direction. Ingo sighed quietly.

“Why is he being like this?” Emmet snapped. “He’s being insufferable, more than he usually is.”

“There has to be a reason.” Ingo put a hand to his chin. “But why would his Lord’s frenzy inspire this much pettiness?”

“Maybe he’s just an asshole?” Rei suggested.

“Language.” Ingo said automatically.

“Yeah, only we get to call him that.”

Rei held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, then…” He stopped and muttered under his breath. “Wait, was that Galarian-?”

“What I mean to say is,” Ingo frowned deeply at his brother before continuing, “he has never been one to act out in this manner, as far as I can recall. It’s strange.”

“And Sinnoh forbid he ever wants to battle, much less suggest it.” Emmet huffed.

“He knows how to?” Akari asked.

Emmet rolled his eyes. “He will say he doesn’t know how and throw all his pokemon against you like everyone else does.”

“He doesn’t usually want to subject Skuntank to a fight, though.” Ingo looked into the cave again. Did it look darker than usual in there? What did Melli do?

“Just a moment, passengers. I’m going to check on something.” He said. “I’ll be back.”

Chandelure flew ahead into the cave with a small trill. Ingo walked a ways in, but not so far that he couldn’t hear what was happening outside.

“Can you tell us where to find a litwick and tynamo of our own?” He heard Rei ask Emmet.

It took Ingo a moment to realize what Rei was referring to. He was fairly certain he’d never heard the Kanjoh names of their partners before, or even knew they existed.

It took Emmet a moment to figure it out, as well. “I am Emmet. You will not find them here.”

“What?”

Ingo came back outside and continued off of his brother. “If you would like to observe our pokemon sometime for your research, you are welcome to it, but as far as we know they are the only of their kind in Hisui.”

“And why is that?” Akari asked.

Ingo paused and looked at her. There was something in her tone, like she had a hunch about something and was trying to puzzle them out.

It felt familiar, and not in a good way.

“…Apologies, but I’d like to stay on the tracks for now.” Ingo said, instead of answering. “I believe Melli has taken the torches with him in his departure.”

Emmet looked like he wanted to scream, but didn’t, for the sake of professionalism.

“Seems kind of a moot point, given that we have Chandelure with us.” Ingo sighed before he continued, “Let us continue onwards. Take care not to uncouple from us, and keep your voices down. Wayward Cave has many branching paths and wild pokemon, but we will lead you through safely.”

Ingo led the way while Emmet took up the rear. Chandelure floated over the skyfallers’ heads, lighting the ground under their feet in soft lavender.

Surprisingly, Emmet was the first one speak up as they walked. “You really don’t remember anything about where you came from?” He asked.

Ingo glanced over his shoulder to see Akari shrug weakly. “We remember bits and pieces, like about pokemon and battling. We know we’re siblings, but we don’t even remember our own names. Akari and Rei were given to us by Captain Cyllene.”

“I am incredibly sorry to hear that.” Ingo said.

“There’s some things about Hisui that are kind of familiar. Faces, mostly.” Rei scratched the side of his head. “Like Kamado, and Cyllene.”

“Volo’s familiar, too.” Akari added.

Ingo quickly looked ahead as Chandelure gave a disgruntled chime. “Interesting.”

“You be careful around him.” Emmet warned. “He is not as nice as he seems.”

“You know him?” Akari asked.

“Unfortunately.”

Ingo had the group remain silent until they passed through the alpha crobat’s territory. They found the discarded torches near the mouth of the cave, and they took a moment to get them put back up again before continuing.

Melli’s behavior was still puzzling, and worrying. The man had always been blunt and borderline rude to them, but he and Emmet had learned over the years that was just how he operated. He hid his real intentions and feelings under a facade of indifference, as if the thought of ever giving a care to him and his brother would be his undoing.

For all his huffing and puffing in front of Wayward Cave, he had ended up stacking the torches nicely. None of them would need repairs later.

Ingo exchanged a glance with his brother before joining the skyfallers outside. Aside from another encounter with Melli, they didn’t run into any more obstructions before coming to a stop at the bottom of Clamberclaw Cliffs.

“We’ve made good progress.” Ingo said, looking to Emmet. “It might be a good idea to stop here for the day and continue on in the morning.”

“What… makes you say that?” Rei panted.

“Just a hunch.” Ingo said. He smiled a little as the siblings plopped next to each other on the nearest boulder. “We are only halfway there, and I doubt that Melli would be pleased about us camping near the arena. Plus, it is obvious you are not yet used to the altitude. It would be safer if we took a break.”

“I guess… that makes sense.” Rei nodded.

Emmet rolled a pokeball in his hand and looked between the skyfallers. Akari straightened in her seat and watched him expectantly. Ingo raised a brow at his brother and waited to see what he would do.

“Before we set up camp, can we have a battle?” Emmet proposed. “You two, against me and Ingo? A real battle, a team battle.”

“A… multi battle?” Akari guessed.

Emmet snapped his fingers and pointed right at her, his expression lighting up in recognition. “Yes! Exactly that! Melli is hardly a challenge for you. We are stronger, and I want to see you at your best.”

Ingo perked up at the mention of a battle. Rei looked interested as well, his brows furrowing in thought. “How do you know what a multi battle is?” He asked.

Emmet marched to the foot of the cliffs and turned his back to them, taking the brim of his hat in hand. “You’ll have to beat us first if you want the answer to that question!”

Ingo decided to play along with the antics, and took his place on his brother’s left side. Akari pulled her own brother to his feet and stood at the opposite end of an invisible field.

“We will match the number of your team, to make it fair.” Ingo said.

“Two each?” Akari suggested, already rearranging the pokeballs on her belt.

Emmet was grinning broadly, shaking out a hand as he took his first pick, Yanmega. Ingo held Machamp’s ball in hand as Eelektross and Chandelure returned to their own seats.

“I want to know what it’s like to challenge real trainers.” Emmet said to them. “Show us what it’s like to go all out! Don’t hold back!”

“Yes, it would be an honor if you could oblige us.” Ingo added. “Zisu has been our only real opponent, aside from each other. It would be interesting for us to see what we and our team could do to improve ourselves.”

Akari held out her first pick and grinned back at them. Rei pulled his own pokeball from his belt and nodded.

“Let’s go!” Akari shouted.

Ingo adjusted the brim of his hat and pointed across the field with Emmet. Something about the way their eyes met his made his heart race with excitement. There was intent in the motion, a desire to connect and grow stronger.

Now he understood why his brother was so excited.

“Machamp, prepare to board!”

———

~~~~~~~

———

The rest of the exhibition passed with no real incident. Emmet could safely say he and Ingo had a great time, though he could tell his brother was getting restless as time wore on. He was getting impatient, himself. Staying stationary with not a lot to do never really worked well for either of them.

They saw Dawn and Lucas one more time before they left with Cynthia to Undella Town for the remainder of their stay in Unova. Emmet had every intention to go and visit, and to talk with Cynthia. Similarities to Volo or not, he needed to know what happened in Hisui after they disappeared. They needed to find out about Ishimi.

Ingo helped Dad with packing the car, talking animatedly about Iris’s match against Dawn as he went. Emmet could see the quiet relief in his dad’s expression as he listened and answered Ingo’s occasional questions. He wasn’t sure what happened to bring about the change, and Ingo wasn’t saying anything about it, but he was happy to see his brother finally being comfortable around their dad.

“Guys, you could have told me how vicious Dawn was!”

Emmet turned to find Iris stomping over to the car with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She was out of her Champion costume and in more comfortable clothing again.

“It’s not like it was a terrible loss.” Ingo said. “You were on your last pokemon! It was close!”

“She wasn’t even using Strong or Agile moves.” She said flatly. “I know she knows about them.”

“Oh, I see.”

“The Sinnoh League is no joke.” Dad said, taking the bag Iris handed him and packing it in the trunk. “It’s possibly the top-rated league in the world, and she’s been Champion for much longer than you. You did very well against her.”

Ingo nodded as Dad stepped away to answer a call on his phone. “She and Rei-”

“Lucas,” Emmet reminded him.

“Lucas, thank you. They surpassed us in skill in battling to the point that we had to train hard to match them, Dawn especially.” Ingo said. “Now we know it’s because they’ve had prior experience.”

“And then Ingo decided to be fucking evil.”

“Language.” Ingo narrowed his eyes at Emmet. “We came up with the Paths of Solitude and Tenacity together, if I am remembering correctly.”

Emmet snickered. “Yup, but I’m talking about the time you decided to wrangle three alphas to surprise Dawn with.”

“Oh. That.” Ingo paused to think on it for a moment before squinting slightly. “That was funny.”

Dad glanced over from his phone call to stare at Ingo. Emmet could swear he could see a hint of a smirk from under his beard.

“Dragons, you’re just as crazy as she is.” Iris looked between them, appalled. “Both of you are.”

Ingo’s smile only grew as he laughed. Emmet put his hands on his hips and grinned, repeating something he heard from Elesa a while back. “I am Emmet. We are built different!”

Iris snorted. “Yeah, you really are.”

“Iris? Boys? Are we okay with holding off on leaving for a little while longer?” Dad chose then to interject, pocketing his phone. “Clay’s asking if we’d be interested in meeting with someone.”

“Who?” The three of them asked in tandem.

“Rood, a former sage of Team Plasma.” Dad answered, frowning. “He’s asked to speak with the gym leaders willing to listen.”

Emmet noticed Iris stiffen. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She asked.

“As much as I dislike it, I also trust Clay’s judgement.” Dad sighed, opening the car door. “I’m not forcing any of you to come inside with me, but I would like to see what he has to say.”

Dad got into the car while Emmet, Ingo, and Iris hesitated. Ingo was the first to move.

“What’s a sage?” He asked, ducking into the front seat. Emmet and Iris looked at each other before getting into the back.

“The sages were the leaders of Team Plasma, two years, and they followed a young man named N.” Dad answered as he turned the engine and pulled out of the hotel parking lot.

Oh, shit.

Emmet managed to keep his cool as he internally berated himself for not saying anything. Had Dad mentioned this before and he hadn’t noticed? He had to have said something. “You said his name is N?”

“Weird name, right?” Iris tried to smile a little. “He ended up with Zekrom while the twins had Reshiram. As far as anyone knows he’s still traveling around the world with the legendary.”

Emmet schooled his expression as much as he could. “Really?”

He noticed Ingo glancing back at him with a frown. Of course he couldn’t get past Ingo, but he wasn’t going to hide this from him. Any of them, for that matter, but not until he knew more.

“I am Emmet. I want to hear him out.” He decided.

———

Elesa had heard about the safehouse when Clay first allowed the group stay there. She wasn’t sure what she expected when she came inside, but the place looked like a pokemon day care center, but not nearly as well-funded. Clay had explained that Rood’s intent as the group that broke away from Plasma was to re-home all the pokemon stolen by them over the years. The process was slow-going. Trust was hard to come by, after everything they’d done to the region, and not every trainer could be found.

She waited near a window with Skyla as more leaders trickled in. She ran her hand along Zeb’s neck and scratching around his ears. There was a tension in the air, both from the gym leaders and the members of the house, and talk was kept to a low whisper. It seemed that both sides weren’t quite sure what to make of the situation; it was the first time that anyone more than Clay was willing to meet.

Elesa was surprised to see Ingo and Emmet following Drayden and Iris into the safehouse, but maybe she should have expected it. The two had held an important position in Hisui, so it would make sense that they’d want to be involved in some way. If nothing else, they were strong trainers in their own right. They deserved to know what was going on.

Ingo did a triple take when he saw her, and she waved back at him. She could see the moment he realized who she was, and came over with Emmet.

“Elesa, hello.” He squinted a little in a small smile. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be here.”

“I want to see what these guys have to say.” Elesa said softly. She smiled back at him. “The hair didn’t throw you off that badly, it looks like.”

“It’s different, but your smile is still the same.” Ingo glanced around the room before he stared at her for a long moment, as if trying to memorize the new hairstyle. He blinked and gave his head a quick shake when he realized what he was doing. “I like it. It suits you.”

“It’s verrry nice.” Emmet added.

Elesa gave them a more genuine smile and gave them both one-armed hugs. “You guys are sweet.” She said as a door opened. “Let’s talk more after this, okay?”

An old man came out of what looked to be an office and stood at the head of the room, two people standing on either side of them. Elesa almost didn’t recognize Rood at all outside of his Plasma uniform. He looked… normal, as did the ex-members who stood on either side of him. A zorua wove itself around the man’s ankles before he bent down to pick it up.

“How long are we planning on this taking?” Drayden asked Clay, folding his arms over his chest.

“Shouldn’t be long.” Clay said, turning to Rood. “This is everyone.”

Everyone, being all the old gym leaders, aside from Brycen, who had to get back to Pokestar Studios as soon as he could. Elesa was a little disappointed in the newbies for not sticking around. Cheren was the only one who got a pass, though. He would have been here, but he had made combeeline for Nuvema Town as soon as he finished his last battle.

Rood nodded as he looked at the people assembled. “Thank you all for coming. I know this isn’t the most comfortable of meetings, but given the recent development I thought it best to open myself up for any questions you might have.”

Ingo glanced around the silent room before he spoke up. “Recent development?” He asked.

“Hilda and Hilbert have returned to the region, and most likely with Reshiram.” Drayden explained. “It’s of Unova’s legendary dragons.”

“And I wouldn’t put it past Plasma being already aware.” Rood said. “No doubt they will try and get their hands on Reshiram if they can find the opportunity and work it into any preexisting plans.”

Ingo’s brows furrowed in concern, while Emmet’s smile twitched. Elesa noticed that he was fidgeting where he stood behind his brother.

“What do you think they could be planning?” Drayden asked. “Any idea at all?”

“I don’t know the method, but I would imagine their goal remains the same, especially if it is Ghetsis still at the helm.” Rood sighed. “Taking over the region under the pretense of liberating pokemon from humans.”

“Liberating?” Ingo asked. “How could anyone believe that?”

Rood looked to Ingo and Emmet for a moment. “…You are Drayden’s sons, yes? The ones recently returned from the distant past?”

Ingo stiffened a little when he noticed everyone’s eyes were on him, but nodded. Emmet put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and spoke up from behind him. “Where we are from, in Hisui, the people there were still learning to develop bonds with their pokemon.”

“I see. So, this is very much a step backward, in your experience.” Rood gave them a small, sad smile. “Ghetsis is very persuasive, as evidenced by my own folly, and many others. I believed in his lies so sincerely that I was willing to do anything to see that dream realized for our Lord N. I would think that most of those under him genuinely believe they are doing the right thing.

“Gym Leader Clay has been gracious enough to allow us a place to conduct our business of atonement.” He continued. “We have been caring for pokemon separated from their trainers, trying to restore them to their original homes. Trying to convince those still with Plasma in the error of their ways.”

Ingo nodded again, looking around the safehouse and all the pokemon in it.

“Where are the twins now?” Drayden asked Clay.

“Cheren’s with ‘em.” Clay said. “They should already be aware of the situation.”

Rood nodded in approval. “Good. I know they are strong trainers. Even so, the timing of it all is worrying. I’m sorry that I can’t give you any of their specific plans, but we want to do our part to help protect Unova.”

Drayden hummed, his brows furrowed as he tapped a finger against his arm. Elesa glanced over when she noticed Emmet signing to Ingo. Ingo gave his brother a confused look before he took out his notes to read something.

What were they doing?

Rood and the other ex-Plasma members answered more questions for the gym leaders, patiently enduring through the grilling they were subjecting them to. Elesa still wasn’t sure what to make of it all. It could just be a ruse, another front to lure them away from the truth, but Dragons, she wanted to believe that this group just wanted to set things right. It would be nice to have some help.

Emmet continued to fidget as the meeting wrapped up. He met Elesa’s gaze as Drayden was leaving and motioned for her to follow as they headed out of the building.

“Dad,” Emmet kept his voice low as he marched ahead to match Drayden’s pace, Ingo following. “There is something you need to know.”

“What is it?”

“We’ve met N, and Zekrom.”

Ingo nodded to confirm. “We did.”

Everyone stopped in their tracks. Drayden froze and looked between the two of them. “When?” He asked.

“It was after you came to Skyla’s house.” Ingo said softly. “I let him use our campsite.”

“He’s there?” Iris breathed. “On Route 6?”

Ingo paused to think on that. “I don’t know. As far as I have written down, I haven’t been back to that space since then, though it’s safe to assume that he could still be in the region.”

Drayden urged everyone to start walking again as Elesa gaped at both of them. She did her best to keep her voice to as close of a whisper as she could. “What the hell, guys? Why didn’t you say anything?!”

———

No, Emmet did not forget to mention N and Zekrom to anyone. He just had bigger basculin to fry in the moment, like being really worried about Ingo, and Dad, and coming out of the tail end of one of the worst panic attacks he’d had in ages.

Okay, so maybe he did forget. A lot had been on his mind lately.

“So, both of Unova’s dragons are back in the region,” Elesa whispered, “and we only know the location of one of them.”

They were back next to the car, which was at the bottom of the hill that the safehouse was situated on. Emmet chewed the inside of his cheek as he looked at the worry on his friend and family. “He mentioned there was a third-”

“Don’t.” Dad cut him off sternly, but there was no anger in his tone. He continued in a softer tone. “Not here. Wait until we’re back home.”

Emmet nodded. “Right.”

Dad pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, thinking on something. “Iris, do you still have Hilda or Hilbert’s contact information?” He asked quietly.

Iris opened up her Xtrans and started tapping on the screen. “I think I do. Want me to get them over to the house?”

“As soon as possible.” He said. “There is something we need to discuss.”

Emmet glanced to his brother as Iris typed out a message on her device. “You want to go in the front again, Ingo?”

Ingo let his hand drop from his chin and looked back at him. “I would like to check out our old campsite.” He said.

“Right now?” Elesa asked.

“I think it would be wise.” Ingo ran a hand along the pokeballs on his belt. “I would like to know for certain that he is safe, or has moved on to another station. Either way, I don’t see a downside in going.”

Dad drummed his fingers on the top of the car before he sighed. “Meet us at home instead of coming back here, all right?”

Emmet stepped closer to his brother. Route 6 or not, he was coming with. Ingo gave him the smallest of smiles and nodded. “Understood.”

“Can I come?”

Both Emmet and Ingo turned to look at Elesa. “You want to?” Emmet asked.

“Well, sure.” Elesa gave a small smile as she crossed her arms. “I want to do my part, too. If he’s still there, maybe knowing he has a gym leader on his side will help.”

Emmet glanced at his brother to check how he felt. He was fine with it, so long as Ingo was.

“…It will take Alakazam a few minutes to familiarize herself with this space so she can come back for other passengers.” Ingo said. “Are you prepared for departure?”

Elesa gestured to the bag tucked under her arm. “All set. Can I leave this with you, Drayden?”

Dad took the bag and added it to the trunk. “How long should I give you before I can start worrying?” He asked.

Ingo thought on it for a moment. “An hour, perhaps?”

“Maybe an hour and a half, just in case.” Emmet added.

“Let us know what you find.” Dad said, then added softly, “Please, be safe.”

Ingo snapped to attention, purpose filling his frame. Emmet beamed and stepped next to him. In spite of the situation, this felt right. Familiar.

Duty called.

“All aboard!”

Chapter Text

Their multi battle against the skyfaller siblings culminated in a loss, but that was besides the point. Akari and Rei didn’t just know battling, they understood it in a way only they and Zisu knew before. Even more so, if their ability to work together was anything to go off of.

Ingo knew he and his brother didn’t get a lot of opportunities to battle together. Sometimes they would team up against Zisu, and other times they would work together to push back aggressive pokemon from an area, but this felt like the first real time he got to experience it in a proper battle format.

Fighting alongside his brother like that, Ingo felt more alive than he had been in some time.

While the skyfallers couldn’t remember where it was they came from, they surmised enough about themselves and their unfamiliarity with the Hisuian environment to figure that they could be from somewhere in the future. It was further cemented when they got a good look at Chandelure and Eelektross’s pokeballs. They knew the make of them, far more than Laventon’s design.

Emmet was beyond elated as the four of them talked into the night. Ingo loved to see it.

Akari and Rei approached Lord Electrode’s frenzy the next day with a sobering resoluteness. Ingo and Emmet ended up standing outside of Moonview Arena, after having promised that they would still be there when Akari and Rei finished their task. They couldn’t do much else, since interfering personally would incite a clan dispute.

Ingo wouldn’t be the one to say it was asinine, but he was thinking it. It was frustrating that certain people were deciding to be picky over politics instead of taking action to help their suffering nobles. They couldn’t even assist with making the balms that would be used on Lord Electrode. Ingo didn’t think Melli would tell on them if they did help, but having Adaman present changed things. They had to remain behind the yellow line on this one.

He watched Melli fret behind his scowl, his eyes trained on the entrance to the arena as the skyfallers did what they could. Emmet paced the clearing until he finally sat down to work on something to busy his hands with. Ingo took a seat in front of him when he was motioned to join him.

Eelektross curled up against Emmet’s leg as he pulled out a new spool of black thread and a needle. Ingo was already lifting his arm before Emmet reached forward to run a hand along the sleeve.

He found a tear in his haori and cut off a length of thread. Ingo took off the garment and handed it to his brother to mend. The task seemed to help, as Emmet stopped bouncing his leg as he carefully sewed the tear close with practiced ease.

“Does Jubilife really expect them to handle every frenzy we are dealing with?” Ingo frowned.

“So long as the clans see us wardens trying to help each other as ‘interference,’ I think so.” Emmet grumbled in frustration. “They’ve already handled three before this one.”

“If it’s clan interference that’s the issue, then why couldn’t they send Zisu?”

“Probably because she is Security Corps. I don’t think that would look good to the clans.”

Ingo kept forgetting that Zisu had another job outside of training. “So it’s either throwing foreign children into danger, or inciting an all-out conflict instead of seeing this as an opportunity to unite and support each other.”

“Yup.”

Ingo scowled and got to his feet, shaking his head. Melli glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before looking back to the arena. Ingo didn’t care if he heard him or not. Emmet tied off the thread and stowed his needle away before Ingo helped him up.

“Good as new.” Emmet sighed, showing Ingo the mending before handing the haori back to him. Ingo thanked him and slid it back on. Both of their clothes were littered with mending stitches from handling sneasel kits over the years. Ingo felt that Ishimi teased them for it.

“Looks like the Galaxy grunts are just about wrapping up disrespecting my Lord.” Melli called over, digging his hands into his own sleeves.

Emmet clenched his jaw as he held back saying anything. Ingo put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. “They will need a space for the night.” He said.

“Do you want to invite them over?” Emmet asked.

“Would you be opposed to that?”

Emmet crossed his arms and thought on it for a moment. “I would be interested to talk with them some more, and they deserve a break to rest their engines.” He glanced over past Ingo. “Melli wouldn’t do the same.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t.” Melli snipped. With a huff, he passed Akari and Rei by without another word to see to Lord Electrode.

Akari and Rei looked exhausted, and Ingo could see signs of paralysis, and explosion and electric burns. He pulled out a pouch of dried cheri and handed it to Emmet before searching for a jar of rawst paste.

He didn’t like this. They were just kids.

Surely, there had to be something they could do to help.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Elesa wasn’t sure what to expect coming along with Ingo and Emmet to the mountain. Her late-night encounter with Ingo when they first met was her only experience with them as wardens, and she knew that their duties were much more than search and rescue.

She swallowed a mouthful of clear, mountain air when the world blipped back into existence. Or did she blip back? Alakazam patiently waited for her to let go of her arm before she disappeared again.

“Mind the yellow line.” Ingo was there, taking her hand and pulling her back a few steps. “Let’s give Emmet some space for his arrival.”

“Dragons,” she finally wheezed out, “that kind of sucked.”

“It is disorienting, yes.” There was a small chuckle in his voice. “But it is convenient.”

“No kidding.” She felt the need to brush herself off before turning to face him, and froze. She could hear Emmet do the same as he arrived.

“Oh, Sinnoh…” He whispered.

It looked like a herd of something had rampaged through the area, destroying as much they could in passing. The ashes of a fire pit were scattered every which way. What had to have been organized lines of bags and containers for storage and water were strewn about, torn and broken to pieces. The stuffing of sleeping bags were mixed in with the ashes and dirt, the bags tossed aside like carcasses. It smelled like something had been burning, at some point.

Ingo carefully began to pick his way through the wreckage, his eyes scanning the ground. Emmet’s mouth was a flat line as he followed.

“Looks like a fight happened.” Elesa said.

“More than that.” Emmet said grimly. Eelektross swam around, turning discarded cookware over with his nose. She thought she recognized Burgh’s pan in the mess, all bent to shit.

“This destruction is too thorough to be just from a fight.” Ingo elaborated, crouching down for a closer look at the torn nylon of a tent. “Blades, either from pokemon or weapons. Someone intentionally wanted to make this place inhabitable.”

“Elesa, do you recognize any of these tracks?” Emmet asked.

She tiptoed her way over and stared at the mess of imprints in the dirt in front of him. “I don’t. Sorry.” She grimaced. “This isn’t my kind of thing.”

“I am Emmet. That is okay.” Emmet pulled out a piece of paper and sketched out the tracks. “They belong to bipedal pokemon, mostly. Possibly a day or two old. I’m counting two, maybe three trainers with them.”

“I believe Zekrom was here.” Ingo called.

She and Emmet came over to the edge of camp to stand next to Ingo. The ground around this area was flattened by enormous, wide tracks, disturbed only by deerling and emolga prints. There were jagged scorch marks on nearby trees, and even she could recognize the signs of an electric-type move.

“I can tell you who those belong to.” Elesa dared to joke.

Emmet huffed out a small laugh. “It got away, it looks like.”

“Most likely with N.” Ingo’s frown deepened. “I didn’t see any sign of a struggle, so that is what I will dare to believe in. Whoever was after them probably destroyed the camp out of frustration after they escaped, or to send a message.”

“Whoever, being Plasma.” Elesa sighed. “Rangers wouldn’t do something like this.”

“Are you certain?”

She nodded. “Positive, though I couldn’t tell you any more than that.”

Ingo jotted down some notes before he hummed in thought. Picking up a few pieces of the torn tent, he released Garchomp at the edge of the camp. The giant dragon eyed Elesa before Ingo got her attention with a whistle.

“Eyes on me, dear. I need you to track how far this scent goes.” He held out the torn fabric to her. She crouched down to sniff at it and her pupils dilated as she tracked the scent around camp before her head swung towards the trees.

Ingo climbed onto her back and kept himself steady by holding onto her dorsal fin. “We will be back shortly.”

“Don’t go too far.” Emmet said.

Ingo squinted and gave another whistle, and Garchomp headed into the forest with Chandelure trailing after them.

Emmet sighed and looked around the campsite. Eelektross came to his side and nudged his head under his hand. He idly scratched his partner’s head, lost in thought.

“It sucks, seeing it ruined like this.” Elesa said.

Her words seemed to pull him out of his trance. He huffed and shook his head. “It was terrible, anyway. Couldn’t figure out how to work everything I stole, and we were cold every night. It is fortunate that the pokemon here aren’t aggressive, because this space was too open to effectively guard.”

“What was your old space like? In Hisui?”

“We lived in a yurt. It was small, but it was warm, and comfortable.” Emmet shrugged, looking away from her. “It was ours. It was home.”

He was doing that thing he did again, when he was trying to play off what he was really feeling. It didn’t take much guesswork for Elesa to know that he was upset, be it because of Pearl tradition or his own personal attachment to the place.

Maybe it was both. He might have disliked it, but for a while, it was theirs. It was their home.

“How about we clean up a bit around here?” Elesa suggested. “We have some time.”

Emmet stared at the camp for another moment before he nodded, releasing Tangrowth and Machamp. “I would like to.” He said softly. “I don’t like the idea of leaving our old space like this.”

The two of them and Emmet’s pokemon picked through what was left of their old supplies before setting as much as they could onto a tarp that managed to escape complete destruction. Elesa was no tracker, but it became more and more obvious to her that N had to have been using the camp regularly. Emmet noted that the food stores had been replenished and nothing in it was rotting, and there were a couple of additions he didn’t recognize, including the very tarp they were using.

“What was N like?” She asked at one point. She balled up one of the sleeping bags as best she could and handed it to Emmet.

“He was… nice, I guess.” Emmet said, taking the sleeping bag and putting it in the pile. “Polite enough. Did you know he can talk with pokemon?”

“I did hear about that.” Elesa smirked faintly.

“We did not have much of a chance to talk with him since we were dealing with the fallout of what happened at Skyla’s house. He had his own itinerary that he was following, too. We shared breakfast together and then went our separate ways.”

“Just crossing paths, then?”

“Exactly.” Emmet paused and shuddered. “Zekrom was kind of weird, though.”

Elesa paused and looked over at him. “Really?”

“It kept staring at me. I didn’t like that.”

She smirked. “Have you ever met a legendary before? They can kind of be like that.”

“We have, actually.” Emmet answered.

“Dialga and Palkia, right, because of the red sky stuff? Any others?”

“Giratina, and Cresselia.” He revealed. “There are a couple more that Dawn and Lucas showed us, but those were the ones we could say we ‘met.’”

“Wow. Sounds like you guys have some stories to share.”

Emmet shrugged, taking the container she handed him and dropping it on the tarp. “Maybe sometime in the future.”

He stared at the pile of broken supplies for a moment.

“…He is good, right? He didn’t seem like a bad person when we talked to him.”

“I think so? The twins vouched for him after everything happened. Hell, they left Unova to search for him.”

“Is that why they’re here? Do they know he came back?”

“You’ll have to ask them when you see them.” Elesa shrugged. “I know as much as you do in that regard.”

Emmet frowned and crouched down with Eelektross’s help to pick something out of the pile. Elesa watched as he opened a bag and pulled out a few small pokemon figurines and toys, including an unsolved Rubik’s cube. He fiddled with it for a bit before stowing it and the bag away with a shaking breath.

“I don’t like this.” He muttered, standing again.

Elesa nodded grimly. “Yeah, I don’t like it either.”

———

Ingo wasn’t sure if he’d ever been excited about tracking before, but there was always a first time for everything. The situation wasn’t exciting, no, but it was something he could do well, perhaps even better than battling.

He pulled back on Garchomp’s harness to signal for her to stop and dropped down to the ground. His pokemon continued to sniff ahead as he observed the space, taking stock of broken branches and disturbed undergrowth before continuing along after her.

He came across the remains of another campsite. It was much smaller than theirs and closer to the road, but it was very obviously meant to be hidden from sight. Ingo frowned as he looked around. There were boot treads in the dirt and flattened ground that suggested a tent had been set up, and for a while, from the looks of it.

If he had to guess, the camp was a base of operations while whoever was staying here was searching the area. He sighed when he came across a black garbage bag, filled with discarded meal trays and other trash. He pulled out a few papers that looked like they could be important and picked up what was still lying around before tying it back up again.

Garchomp returned to him from her tracking not even a few minutes later and whined in apology. Ingo wasn’t too surprised that she couldn’t find anything. The trail was old, by a couple days, at least. Whoever it was at Plasma that was at fault had to be long gone, by now.

“It’s all right. Thank you for checking.” He ran a hand along the side of her face and gave her a pat. “Let’s head back.”

Chandelure led the way, taking a different route than the one they took down the mountain. It seemed like Emmet and Elesa were on the move. He kept himself steady on Garchomp’s back with one hand, holding onto the garbage bag with the other.

Fortunately, it didn’t look like they were moving because they came across some trouble. Machamp was out of their pokeball, carrying a large bundle wrapped in tarp and rope.

“Found anything?” Emmet asked when he dropped to the ground.

“Just this, and some papers.” Ingo raised the bag up a little. “The trail went cold around a campsite, with no sign of anyone. It looks like we missed them by a day or two.”

Elesa swore under her breath as she took the papers he held out to her. “Which meant they probably raided the camp during the exhibition.” She said.

“That might be the case.” Ingo took out his notebook and wrote down his findings. “We’ll tell Dad what we found and see what he has to say. There’s not much else we can do right now without knowing more.”

“Yeah, we’re kind of at a dead end as far as all this goes. We’ll have to look elsewhere.” She looked down at the papers and scanned over them, then froze.

“…Have you read these?”

“No?” Ingo answered, uncertain. “It didn’t look like Galarian.”

“Well, fair enough. This person’s handwriting is shit.” Elesa paused as she read more, the concern on her face growing. “Ingo, someone’s been watching you.”

“What?” Emmet nearly snatched the papers from her hand before he stopped himself.

Elesa leaned back all the same to keep them out of his reach as she read. “It looks they figured out your schedule, when you usually come out here to get your team fed. Most of the team’s listed on here as well.”

Emmet’s face went pale.

Ingo put a hand to his chin in thought, his heartbeat picking up in his ears. “It might have been for the sake of knowing when to raid N’s camp, when I wasn’t in the area.” He guessed.

He looked down at his trembling hands. The back of his neck prickled with the familiar feeling that he couldn’t trust the space around him. Chandelure trilled worriedly and nuzzled against his back, right where it felt as though someone was staring at him from afar, soothing the feeling away.

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding in. Emmet did the same.

Elesa looked between them both in concern. “Everything okay?”

“…I feel like I didn’t even notice anyone watching.” Ingo said. He clenched his hands into fists until they were steady again. “I’ll have to see about finding a new route.”

“Yeah, that might be best.” Elesa handed the papers back to him. “I’m so sorry, Ingo.”

He shook his head as he folded the papers and tucked them away. “It’s not your fault. Thank you letting me know.”

“Let’s get out of here quick. Staying here is giving me the creeps.”

Emmet nodded silently in agreement. They all started walking again towards the direction of the road. Elesa fortunately decided to break the heavy silence that settled over them, turning the subject in a different direction.

“…You know, you guys are pretty good at this.” She said. “The tracking and stuff.”

“We’d make terrible wardens otherwise.” Emmet said.

“Wardens of Nobles have an important duty to their Lord or Lady, but Wardens to Ride Nobles are there to help maintain the safety of the area they oversee.” Ingo added automatically, the familiar words a balm to his unease. “It is… was, an important duty in its own right, even if our Lady was not blessed by Sinnoh in the same way as Lord Electrode.”

“Sounds a bit like ranger work,” she said, “but without the special pokemon.”

“Really?” Ingo brushed a thumb along the corners of his eyes. “I will have to ask you about that in the future.” He glanced at the torn bundle in Machamp’s arms. “What is this, anyway?”

“It’s what is left of the camp.” Elesa explained. “We’re taking it to the season research lab, since they have a dumpster we can throw it in.”

Ingo frowned as he looked to his brother. “But a lot of it can be salvaged, right?”

“I don’t think anyone here would try to use it, aside from us.” Emmet said sadly. “It’s all pretty beat up from Plasma wrecking the space.”

Even so, the remains of their old home being regarded as “garbage” didn’t feel right to Ingo. Elesa noticed his hesitation and slowed to a stop.

“Do you want to take it with us?” She offered.

He looked at her and Emmet for a moment before he shook his head. “It’s alright. We don’t have a use for it anymore, and we are on a schedule.”

“You know, you guys can say that this is bothering you.” Elesa huffed at both of them. “I’m not going to judge you for it. This is a Pearl Clan thing, isn’t it?”

“It is, a bit.” Ingo rubbed his arm and sighed. “Waste is something we try to prevent as a way to respect our space. It doesn’t feel right, throwing all this away like it never meant anything.”

Elesa gave him a small, sympathetic smile. “Do either of you know what happens to trash around here? Emmet, do you remember?”

Emmet paused before he shrugged uncertainly. “Not really?”

“Trubbish and garbador will take care of it. They’re pokemon that eat trash, the stuff people don’t want.” She explained. “They will happily have it as their food. None of it will go to waste. I promise.”

“Really?” Ingo could feel a little better with that outcome, knowing that the remains of their old space wouldn’t be wasting away in some forgotten corner. It would still have a use. It would still mean something to someone. “I don’t think I’ve seen a pokemon like that around here before.”

“They usually live in bigger cities. I’ll be sure to point one out to you whenever you come and visit me in Nimbasa.” She smiled reassuringly at him. “Would that make this a little more okay?”

Ingo exchanged a glance with his brother, and Emmet answered for both of them. “We can be okay with that.”

They arrived at the lab and Elesa got the scientists’ permission to use the dumpster. Machamp set the bundle inside after Ingo threw his own garbage bag away. Emmet reclaimed his rope, letting the tarp unfold and spill all their old things everywhere in the receptacle. Ingo couldn’t remember any of the pieces individually, but the overall feeling of their old camp were still there.

Another home, gone.

Emmet hesitated before he reached in and pulled out a shiny, dented pot. He gave Ingo a shaky smile.

“It’s still good. Just need to hammer it back into shape.” He said, shrugging.

Ingo smiled faintly back at him. He looked at the tent scraps in his hand for a moment before he stowed them back in his pocket and reached out to hug his brother tightly.

———

Dad wasn’t surprised to learn that they didn’t find N, but he was worried about the camp being destroyed, and downright concerned about Plasma tracking Ingo’s movements on Route 6. Iris said that the soonest Hilda and Hilbert could be over would be tomorrow afternoon, which left their family stuck waiting until then.

Ingo didn’t like it. They said their goodbyes to Elesa and he went up to the roof of the house to think. Dad was quietly stressing about something (several somethings, no doubt) but wouldn’t say, and Iris had flown back to the League to meet with the Elite Four about the situation. A storm was brewing, one that Ingo wasn’t sure how to navigate, and probably wouldn’t know until tomorrow, at the earliest.

Elesa offered to take them out in the morning as a distraction to help pass the time, and they accepted the invitation without a second thought. At the very least he would be going on his first train ride, so… that was something to look forward to.

Sinnoh, he hated feeling like this. Unregimented, at the whims of someone else’s schedule, with no predictable patterns to speak of. Maybe it was because he finally got to do some real work that he remembered that he wasn’t happy like this. He could tell he’d enjoyed the exhibition but…

He had no purpose here, in Unova. He was spinning his wheels at this rate. It was maddening.

He sighed and laid back, staring up at the sky. Chandelure settled in the crook of his arm and curled a tendril around his fingers. He let his gaze be drawn to the wisps she cast into the air, his eyes following their lazy path as he aimlessly stroked her side with his other hand.

Someone else eventually came up to the roof and laid down next to him. Ingo looked over as the wisps faded and sighed slowly. Emmet smiled at him and put his head against his shoulder.

“Bored?” He guessed.

Ingo grunted as he took stock of his feelings. “More frustrated than anything else. Worried. Disturbed. Upset.”

“Not a fun mix. It has been quite the day.” Emmet huffed softly. “And now we stuck waiting for Hilda and Hilbert.”

Ingo frowned and stared up again. The blue sky was receding to orange as the sun was setting. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been up on the roof. “Remind me, why are they important?”

“They’re the ones who saved the region the last time Plasma caused trouble. They probably also have Reshiram on them.”

That was another point of frustration, he realized, more so than his own personal plateau.

“…They’re kids, aren’t they?”

He could tell that Emmet already knew where this was going. “They are.”

Ingo untangled his hand from Chandelure and sat up. He took off his hat and raked his hands through his hair, taking a deep breath.

“That’s not fair to them.” He said. “Are people going to expect them to take up that mantle again, just l-like-” His voice stuttered as his brain caught up with his tongue, unable to recall who he was referring to.

“Just like Dawn and Lucas?” Emmet guessed.

Ingo took out his notes and looked them over. It was something they’d discovered about their friends as they explained their remembered past to them. A group called Team Galactic. A man named Cyrus. A previous encounter with Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina.

“Sinnoh above, why?” Ingo breathed out. “It’s not ideal.”

“I know.” Emmet said.

“Lian, Sabi, Irida, us.” Ingo clawed his hand into his shirt, against his chest. “I feel this… ache, when I think about how young we all were, expected to perform in the stead of those much older and more experienced than us. I feel a bitterness that it couldn’t have been handled differently.”

“We were left alone.” Emmet said, that same bitterness leeching into his otherwise flat tone. “Mito was still alive back then, and she did nothing to help us. Just gave us our bands and sent us on our way.”

Ingo felt that there was a bit more nuance to that summation, but he didn’t want to follow down that path right now. “I do not blame Ishimi for it. She would have continued with us in her station if she had the ability to. What happened to her was an accident, but Akari and Rei… We could have done better. We should have.”

“We did what we could.” Emmet said sadly. Ingo could tell this wasn’t the first time they discussed this. “Niisan, we had to follow the rules. There were lines we could not cross for the sake of the clans. Kamado would have taken advantage of our overstepping if we weren’t careful.”

Sinnoh, was this a similar track of thinking they all had, when they and others were made wardens and leaders? That certain rules had to be followed at the expense of the life in question?

Ingo clenched his hands in his lap. “Rules are for safety, but they were hurt because of them. Hurt because of the frenzies. Hurt by the very people who housed them. Volo hurt them.”

“I know.”

Ingo put his head in his hands and sighed heavily. Emmet rubbed circles in his back as he stewed over his thoughts, Chandelure chiming softly from behind them.

“…I can’t do this. I can’t stay idle anymore. I want to move. I want to move past this station I’ve found myself stuck on.” He raised his head and looked to his brother. “Emmet, I want to believe that I can do better than this.”

“I can tell you’re ready to go.” Emmet smiled a little. “I want to do better, too. We don’t have to worry about clan relations here, or Jubilife. We are free to lay the tracks as we want them.”

Ingo nodded. “If this is to be our home from here on out, then I want to make sure I do my part to keep it safe. I cannot bear the thought that more children could get pulled into the thick of things because of inaction. No more.”

Emmet pulled Ingo closer by the shoulders, resting his forehead against his as he took a deep, steadying breath.

“Lead the way, and I’ll follow.” He said softly.

Chapter Text

Ingo tied off the twine and stepped back to admire his work. Lampent whistled her approval and tossed a mote of flame at the torch. The wick erupted into purple before an orange flame overtook it, casting the portion of the cave he stood in into light.

Another one down, many more to go.

Lampent floated closer as he gathered the old, charred pieces into a bag. Nothing would be going to waste here, as what he and Emmet would take would be used at their own hearth until nothing was left.

“What?” Ingo smirked at his partner as she idly twirled around his head.

Lampent trilled, letting her flame sputter pitifully from within her glass frame. He raised a hand to stop her slow spinning and pulled her where he could see her.

“If you need to grab a snack, go ahead. Gliscor will keep watch.”

Lampent squinted her eyes and cheered, gently bumping her shade against his forehead.

“I love you, too.” He gave her a quick kiss before sending her off, and got to his feet. Gliscor clicked at him from where he was hanging from the ceiling, his eyes reflecting the light of the torch.

“Let’s keep going.”

Ingo could hear Gliscor flying above to find a new perch as he started on the next torch. He could see well enough in the dark without Lampent nearby—a perk of their bond—but it was just nicer to have her close. He felt that she very rarely strayed too far from him.

Even a ghost needed to eat, though. He would be fine without her for a little bit.

Footsteps could be heard approaching from further down the tunnels. Ingo paused to listen for a moment before he dug into his bag for a flint and steel to light the torch with.

The sound of a cane was tipping him off as who this might be. Sure enough, Warden Hideki came around the corner and shouted in surprise when he caught sight of him. Ingo jumped as the torch finally caught fire, dropping his tools with a clatter.

“I’m so sorry!” Ingo apologized with a bow, squinting in the bright light as his vision adjusted. “I should have said something!”

Melli frowned at Ingo from over Hideki’s shoulder as the older man took a deep breath. “Almighty Sinnoh, you scared the life out of me! Your eyes-” Hideki put a hand over his heart. “What are you doing down here, Warden?”

“Maintenance.” Ingo answered, picking up the flint and steel and stowing it away. “Emmet is on the other side of the tunnels working on his half.”

“Is that so? Well done, boy.” Hideki nodded in approval. “You and your brother have been doing rather well in Ishimi’s absence. No doubt she’s proud.”

Ingo paused as he got to his feet. That’s right. Ishimi couldn’t be here anymore. She got hurt because of the spring snowmelt causing a landslide.

She almost didn’t make it.

“Why does there have to be torches here?” Melli drawling voice cut through his thoughts. “Wouldn’t the lights bother the pokemon?”

Ingo gave his head a small shake and straightened. “It’s important that passengers know the safest way through.” He said as assertively as he could. The words came to him as easily as reading tracks or tying a rope. “Having people wandering aimlessly through here would be a greater disturbance to the pokemon that call this space home.”

“Really?” Melli asked, dubious.

“Enough, Melli. Allowing safe passage is just as important as our work to our Lord is.” Hideki tsked. “The torches have been here since Ishimi was warden. Let them do their job, and they’ll have no grounds to interfere in yours.”

Melli huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Give Ishimi my regards the next time you see her.” Hideki smiled. “How is she doing?”

“Um, I feel that she is getting better.” Ingo hesitated, reaching for his notebook. “Just a moment.”

Hideki seemed to realize what he was asking and waved it off. “Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll just ask your brother when we reach the other side.”

Melli shot a withering glare at Hideki’s back while Ingo shrank into himself. “Oh, okay.” He said. “…I should get back to work.”

“Come on. We’re wasting time.” Melli said gruffly, pushing his mentor forward. “You yap too much, old man.”

Ingo remained still as their voices faded further down into the tunnels, then pulled out his notebook. It didn’t take him long at all to remember the answer to Hideki’s question.

Ishimi was… okay. Recovered enough that she was getting restless, but still dealing with the loss of her leg, and being stuck in the settlement. It was going to be a huge adjustment for her on her new tracks, but as far as he and Emmet could tell, she was doing her best to adapt so she could join them in the highlands again. She was trying her best.

Most important of all, she was alive.

And they were left alone.

Ingo swallowed the lump in his throat and got back to work, letting the predictable monotony of fixing and replacing torches numb the ache brought about by the encounter. Lampent returned with a worried whistle and a renewed flame, and settled into the hood of his tunic to keep close while Gliscor continued his watch.

Emmet came jogging over just as Ingo was starting to see the light of the tunnel entrance. He looked worried.

“You okay?” He asked. “Melli mentioned you might need some help.”

Well, that didn’t sound like him. “He did?” Ingo asked.

“Well, he was more like,” Emmet’s face screwed up in the way it did whenever he mimicked Melli’s voice, “‘Warden Hideki was distracting your brother and getting him sidetracked,’ or something like that.”

Ingo had almost forgotten the encounter before Emmet reminded him of it. He took a deep breath.

“I’m fine.” He lied, turning back to him. “Just finishing up the last couple ones.”

He knew Emmet didn’t buy it—Emmet could always tell when he was lying—but he didn’t pry as he joined in to help. The torches were fixed quickly, and they were on the last one when a familiar yowl echoed down the mountain.

He felt it had been a while since they’d heard it.

“Hello, Lady.” Ingo greeted. He pulled Emmet to his feet and they set the torch up, Lampent lighting it with a trill.

“Finally got bored of ignoring us?” Emmet smirked. “Where have you been?”

Lady Sneasler set her basket on the ground and chirped to them in greeting. She bent down to sniff Ingo, her whiskers tickling his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to pull back, but he felt her arms come around him and scoop him up.

“Lady Sneasler!”

Her only response was a snicker as she dropped Ingo into her basket. He barely had time to peer over the top before Emmet was grabbed and brought over to join him.

“Careful!” Emmet squawked.

Emmet was dropped a couple inches next to Ingo, but the bottom of the basket was padded and she was already lifting it from the ground. Ingo reached up for the lid after Lampent flew inside.

She was getting better with her harness, he felt. The ride wasn’t as bad as it usually was. It was a lot steadier, much closer to how the old Lord would carry them around.

“Lady Sneasler, where are we going?” Ingo asked.

Lady Sneasler answered with a impassioned yowl as she picked up her pace. She sounded excited about something.

“Guess we’ll find out.” Emmet said, settling in and leaning against Ingo. Eelektrik draped himself over both of their laps and gurgled.

It didn’t take too long to get to their destination. Lady Sneasler set the basket down and helped them out. Ingo blinked in the sunlight and looked around. They looked to be somewhere near Clamberclaw Cliffs, but it was a vantage point he was unfamiliar with. From this high up, he could smell the ocean, brought in by a stray breeze.

“Have we been here before?” Ingo asked. He looked over the edge to see Machop making their way up the cliff, with Abra keeping close.

“Nope.” Emmet answered, standing next to him to take in the view. “It’s nice, though.”

Sneasler yowled again and turned on her heel when she got their attention, disappearing into a cave behind them. Ingo looked at his brother before following, Gliscor and Yanmega swooping in over their heads. It soon became obvious what they’d been brought for, going off the sounds of mewling echoing off the rock walls.

“Babies!” Emmet gasped when he saw the nest. “You’re a mom, now!”

Ingo kept an eye on Lady Sneasler as he went to sit next to the nest. She did nothing that would suggest she didn’t want them close, only purring louder as a couple of kits started wobbling towards him.

“They’re so tiny.” Ingo said, giving each of them a careful pet. “And they seem healthy. Bravo, Lady. Bravo.”

“Was this why we haven’t seen you?” Emmet asked.

Sneasler’s loud purr continued to rumble in the cave. She checked each of her kits before she nuzzled into Emmet, nearly knocking him over. Emmet started pushing her away when she tried to lick the side of his head, getting a mouthful of hat instead.

“No, I am not one of your kits. Look,” He put his hands on either side of their Lady’s face and turned it in the direction of the nest. “Those are your babies.”

“I dunno, Em.” Ingo snickered as Sneasler went right back to fussing over his brother, pulling on the hood of his tunic to bring him closer to the nest as if it was his scruff. “Looks like she feels differently.”

Emmet leaned away as far as he could while he scratched her around the ears to distract her. “Yup, we are verrry proud of you. Thank you for showing us your nest! I know you are excited but you don’t have to worry about us. You’ve got your own family to take care of.”

Ingo’s vision suddenly started to blur as he gently pet a kit that had wandered into his lap. Tears fell onto the little sneasel and it squeaked in protest.

“Sorry.” He said, quickly drying his eyes with his sleeve. “Sorry.”

Emmet finally sat down next to him. “Ingo, what’s wrong?” He asked softly.

He swallowed painfully and rubbed a finger between the kit’s ears. This would be the part where Ishimi would usually say something snarky, or complain about being dragged away from work, but she wasn’t here to do so. The absence of her hurt, especially when Ingo kept forgetting to miss it.

He didn’t want to get used to this.

“I wish Ishimi was here.” He admitted, tears falling down his face.

Emmet’s own eyes started to water. He scooted closer and set the kit back in the nest before he pulled Ingo into a hug. “I miss her, too.”

They held each other for a long moment before Lady Sneasler came over and pushed her large head between them, purring. Ingo dried his face into Sneasler’s fur, giving her a small scratch under her cheek.

“Do we need to go back to the icelands soon?” He asked.

“We are wardens, now. We can decide to go whenever we want.” Emmet smirked wryly, running his hand along their noble’s feather. “There’s still a few paths that need to be marked for the Guild wagons to use. Do you wanna go after we finish them?”

Ingo sniffled and nodded. Lady Sneasler grumbled at being ignored and butted her head into his chest.

“Sorry, Lady.” He said. “Sorry.”

She wasn’t done. She grabbed Ingo by his hood and pulled him into the nest. Emmet quickly reached over to nudge the kits out of the way before he too was being dragged in.

“Sneasler, we are your wardens. You know exactly what that means!” Emmet carefully crawled over after pushing her away. He huffed as he settled with his head on Sneasler’s side. “There. Happy?”

Sneasler laughed and put her chin on Emmet’s chest with a loud purr, and Ingo smiled faintly as he watched his brother’s eyes droop. Both of them began to be swarmed by the kits while their team settled nearby for some rest.

“I am Emmet. We are only doing this once, okay?” He sighed slowly as he relaxed. “This better not become a regular thing.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

Watching Ingo and Emmet look around Gear Station was like watching kids in a candy store. Elesa supposed that it was like that, for them. The morning commute rush was nearly over, which led to a little bit of breathing room as the two of them wandered around the lobby and checked out the different platforms, with Chandelure keeping an eye out above their heads. Burgh ended up meeting them at the station as a last-minute addition, and Skyla had come with her to pick up their friends from Opelucid earlier that morning. Aside from the League dinner, it was the first time the five of them had been together since Ingo and Emmet had stayed at Skyla’s house.

Emmet was trying his best to answer Ingo’s questions, but his knowledge on trains was outdated, and Elesa and the others were no help aside from knowing about schedules and routes. A depot agent noticed their excitement on her way between platforms and helpfully pointed them to some brochures at the information kiosk.

“Ah, I almost forgot about Anville Town!” Emmet showed his brother the map of the brown line before pointing to the line entrance. “It’s where the trains go for rest and repairs.”

Ingo looked at the entrance in interest. “Would we be able to watch the repairs there?”

Emmet looked at his brochure again. “I am Emmet. I am not sure. Here.” He handed it to Ingo to take a look for himself. “We should go sometime, regardless.”

Ingo squinted before a loud buzzing sound suddenly startled him and Emmet. He jumped and shook out his wrist like he’d been burned, scattering their brochures onto the floor.

“O-oh, it’s just… this.” He sighed and poked at his Xtrans.

“It’s Dad, checking in.” Emmet was looking at his own device and slowly typing in a response. “I will let him know we are fine.”

Elesa bent down to help Ingo and Skyla with gathering his papers. “Want me to adjust the settings on them so the vibrate isn’t so loud?” She asked.

Ingo nodded, quickly pulling off his Xtrans and handing it over. “Yes, please.”

“Drayden is nervous about you guys being away from him, isn’t he?” Skyla asked.

“That is taking it lightly.” Emmet huffed. “He has always been like that since we reunited, but it was a lot worse this morning.”

“I mean, it makes sense why he’s worried.” Elesa said softly. She handed Ingo’s Xtrans back, and took Emmet’s to adjust.

Emmet looked around the station warily, tapping a hand against his leg. “It does, unfortunately.”

Ingo slid his Xtrans around his wrist and stared at it with a deep frown. Chandelure floated a little closer and brushed an arm against his cheek.

“I’m worried, too.” He paused, nervous. “Why am I worried, again?”

Burgh glanced to Elesa and Skyla as Emmet took his brother to the side to sit at a bench and talk. Ingo pulled out his notebook and they switched to Kanjoh, an obvious hint that they didn’t want to be understood.

“Someone at Plasma was really tracking Ingo?” Burgh asked Elesa in a whisper. “I kind of hoped you were joking when you texted me.”

Elesa glanced around before she stepped a little closer to him. “Yeah. He found some papers with notes on his usual path, and his team.”

Burgh swore under his breath. “Do we know if they’re still tracking him, or Emmet, even?”

“Dragons, I hope not.” Elesa sighed. “We’re hoping it was because he just happened to be in the area they were searching for N.”

“How paranoid is Drayden right now, on a scale of ten?” Skyla asked.

“Surprisingly, not a ten, as far as I could tell when we were reviewing the plan before I left for the station.” Elesa frowned. “I mean, he has an idea of their team’s level. He knows they can defend themselves.”

“Buuuut…” Burgh let the silence lapse a bit before he continued, “he didn’t want to come along, at all?”

Skyla threw up her hands a little, still keeping her voice down. “Okay! So, it’s not just me that thinks that’s a little weird.”

“No, not just you.” Elesa huffed softly.

“Maybe he’s just trying to treat them like the adults they are?” Burgh speculated.

“I’m not even going to try and guess why.” Elesa rubbed her temples and sighed. She noticed the twins were standing up again to rejoin them. “Hopefully Ingo and Emmet will have some answers to share soon.”

Ingo was more wary as they continued on, probably now that he remembered what had happened yesterday. It was part of the reason why she invited Burgh along, for some extra support. Hopefully, having more familiar faces around would make things easier for the both of them. The odds of anyone doing anything while three gym leaders were in one place was pretty slim.

Their brief peek into the Battle Subway was met with immense disappointment when a depot agent stopped them at the turnstiles.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Elesa, but I can’t let anyone through who doesn’t have their trainer ID on them.” He said, wringing his hands. “It’s protocol.”

“Can’t argue with safety checks.” Emmet said sadly, nodding in understanding.

“How do we get trainer IDs?” Ingo asked, then paused. “What are IDs?”

“It stands for identification. Wait,” Burgh looked between the two of them and lowered his voice. “You don’t have any identification, do you?”

Ingo looked at Burgh blankly while Emmet shrugged. “Maybe Dad is working on it? I know he has been muttering about paperwork he needs to get done.”

“Ugh, that sounds about right.”

“Once you have your IDs, I’d be happy to let you in and try your hand on the lines!” The agent offered. “Just, not until then.”

“Thank you, Agent… Cameron.” Elesa flashed him a winning smile as she read off his badge. “We’ll definitely be back at some point!”

She sighed as they returned to the lobby. “Well, that was a bust. Sorry, guys.”

“That’s all right.” Ingo gave her a small smile. “Our tracks will lead back here eventually.”

“Yup. There’s no way we won’t be back.” Emmet smirked.

Ingo pulled out his schedule to review. “When do we need to return to Opelucid again?”

“We could go right now, if you want, before the lunch rush?” Elesa suggested. “Gives you some time to get home.”

“Could we?”

She couldn’t help but grin at the hopeful look on Ingo’s face. “Wow, eager to leave, much?” She teased.

“N-no! It’s not like that.” Ingo’s face turned a bright red. He reached for the brim of his hat to hide under it while Emmet snickered from behind his back. “It’s just… exciting. That’s all.”

“Verrry exciting.” Emmet agreed, smiling.

“Let’s get you guys back on board, then.” Elesa laughed as she led the way back to the light green line.

———

Emmet chuckled when he looked over to see Ingo leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed. “Are you falling asleep?” He asked in Kanjoh.

“Mm, no.” Ingo hummed. “It just reminds me of Lady Sneasler’s basket, a little bit.”

Emmet closed his own eyes and sat back like his brother for a moment. “…It does feel like it. The swaying.” He said softly. His heart ached with the realization. It was something he hadn’t even thought he would miss, and yet, here he was.

They remained like that for a while until the train stopped at the next station. Both of them cringed at the sound of the brake, Emmet clamping his hands over his ears and clenching his jaw. Ingo spoke when they started moving again. “Aside from that unfortunate noise, I am glad that trains are as good as you told me they were.” He said.

“Well, you loved them before. Why not again?”

Ingo shrugged a little. “Things could change, but I’m okay with this staying the same.”

He stared out the window of the car pensively, watching the brickwork of the tunnels blur by them. Emmet waited patiently for his brother to be ready to say what was on his mind.

“Do you think she would have found a new warden?” Ingo finally asked. “Lady Sneasler?”

Emmet sighed quietly and rested his head against Ingo’s shoulder. “I don’t know. I haven’t found that out yet. I think the only other person she could tolerate would be Ishimi, but I don’t think she would have gone back to the highlands.”

Ishimi had tried so hard to come back, for their sake, but after that unfortunate spring she developed a deep fear of being stuck underground, buried alive. For a highlands warden, it wasn’t feasible. Coupled with a lost limb, she finally acquiesced to the reality that she couldn’t return to wardenship. Lord Sneasler ended up retiring when she did, staying by her side until the ends of his days.

“…Do we know what happened to her?” Ingo asked, his eyes watering.

“No.” Emmet sighed. “But we will find out. I promise.”

Ingo nodded, drying his face. Emmet swallowed a lump in his throat and brushed at the corners of his own eyes.

“Everything okay?” Elesa asked quietly.

“Just missing home.” Ingo answered, switching to Galarian. “Wondering what Ishimi would have thought of trains.”

“Oh, Sinnoh.” That won a short laugh from Emmet. “I think she’d hate them, and not just because the subway is underground.”

“She would hate them, wouldn’t she?” Ingo chuckled a little. “She’d probably still give them a try, though. At least once.”

“Ishimi’s the warden who trained you, right?” Elesa asked.

“More than that.” Ingo smiled sadly. “She raised us.”

Emmet nodded, tracing his thumb over his warden band. “I don’t know where we would be without her.”

———

Dad was the one to meet them at the station when they got off the train. Ingo and Emmet said their goodbyes to Elesa and Skyla before joining their dad on the walk back to the house.

Ingo was still beaming broadly long after they left the station.

“So you liked the trains?” Dad guessed.

Ingo nodded quickly. “It’s very noisy, but other than that it was amazing.”

“It was verrry good.” Emmet agreed.

“You didn’t get nauseous at all?” Dad glanced back at them. “How does that work when you don’t like the car?”

“It feels like you’re actually moving in a train. Cars try to hide it.” Emmet said.

“And we actually want to be in a train.” Ingo added. “It just… it moves so fast and connects so many spaces together. We passed through a sizable portion of the region in no time at all!”

“Kind of like a Ride Noble.” Emmet said.

“Exactly.” Ingo pointed at him excitedly. “Bravo! BRAVO!”

Some bird pokemon were scared out of a nearby tree from his shout, but he was too caught up in Emmet’s comment to notice it. Chandelure chimed and twirled cheerfully above his head as he wrote down a note to himself. He wanted to be able to remember that connection so he could marvel at it again later.

He noticed Dad’s arm coming around, pulling him and Emmet in on either side of him. “I’m glad you had a good time.” He said.

“We couldn’t check out the Battle Subway, though.” Emmet said. “We need trainer IDs to get in.”

“Your old IDs are just a little expired.” Dad huffed softly. “Sorry, we’ll see about getting those renewed soon.”

Apparently, Hilda and Hilbert had arrived at the house a little early, which was why Iris wasn’t with them. She stayed behind to keep them company while the rest of them made their way over. Ingo and Emmet continued to recount their excursion to Dad, nearly up until they made it to the house.

Dad unlocked the front gate and let everyone in before closing it behind them. Ingo turned his head when he heard a laugh come from the grounds.

“Sounds like everyone’s outside.” Dad noted, leading the way over. “Iris?”

“We’re over here!”

The three of them came around the house to find Iris and two other people getting to their feet to meet them. Going off of the similar appearances, Ingo had to guess that this was Hilda and Hilbert.

“Hello, there!” Ingo greeted. He paused when he noticed the large, white pokemon lounging in the dappled shade of the trees. “Well, aren’t you something?”

“I thought we’d find you all inside.” Dad said.

“It really wanted to stretch.” The girl explained, apologetic. “It’s been stuck in its pokeball pretty much since we got back to Unova. We’re hidden enough from sight here, right?”

Dad glanced around the grounds before he nodded. “Boys, let me introduce you to Hilda and Hilbert.” He motioned to the twins, and then to the dragon between them. “And this is Reshiram.”

“Oh, this is-” Ingo looked at the dragon again. “I’ve heard about you recently.”

Reshiram growled low as it bent down to their eye level and crept over. Emmet narrowed his eyes at the pokemon as Ingo reached into his belt to pull out some berries.

“Apologies, my stock is running low.” He said. “I usually have lots of dried fruit on me, but my current circumstances have made it difficult for me to replenish them. I should see about getting that figured out soon.”

He kept still while Reshiram sniffed his hand before nibbling at the berries. Ingo gave it a few moments before he gently pet its head. Its plumage was soft, and warm.

“Wow, it likes you.” Hilbert said, surprised.

“I feel as though I’ve had many experiences where even the most stubborn of pokemon are pleased by the offer of food.” Ingo chuckled.

“I am Emmet. Can confirm that.” Emmet smirked, giving Reshiram a few pets, himself.

“Hilda, Hilbert, these are my sons, Ingo and Emmet.”

“We saw you guys on the news.” Hilda said. “Were you two really stuck in the past?”

The question rubbed Ingo the wrong way, but he knew she didn’t know any better. He tried not to grimace too much at it. “‘Stuck’ wouldn’t be the word I would use,” he said, “but, yes. We grew up in Hisui.”

“Old Sinnoh? I guess the time stuff would make sense, then.” Hilbert said. “We just came from there. It’s a beautiful region.”

“It is.” Emmet agreed softly. “…It is nice to know that it is still beautiful.”

Ingo sighed as he scratched Reshiram under its chin once both his hands were free. It closed its eyes, rumbling happily as it nearly flopped over onto its side. Everyone stepped back to give it space as it started to rub itself against the ground. Ingo chuckled and pulled on the collar of his hoodie, taking a deep breath.

“You okay?” Emmet checked.

“I’m fine.” Ingo assured. “Just a little warm.”

“Have you had any trouble with Plasma since you arrived?” Dad asked the twins.

“We came across a few grunts, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.” Hilda put a hand on her hip. “Why would they be a problem for the two of us, anyway?”

Reshiram sneezed, sending a few embers flying from its mouth.

Ingo’s furrowed his brows as the strangest feeling continued to grow, a heat and pressure building around him as everyone continued to talk. He pushed his sleeves up to his elbows and frowned. Something about it felt familiar, but… no, Emmet looked fine. No one seemed to sense a growing discomfort, aside from his partner, who drifted a little closer to him with a questioning trill.

Reshiram was suddenly on its feet and getting into his space again, surprising him from his train of thought. Chandelure chimed irritably at the pokemon as he stepped back.

“More pets?” He guessed.

The dragon was silent as he ran a hand along its head. It stared at him, bright blue eyes fixed on his. Ingo’s heart started to race in his chest when he found he couldn’t look away, only sinking deeper into something as he felt an unfamiliar presence take hold of him. Chandelure immediately cried out in alarm.

A voice reverberated through his skull, toneless and soft.

Do you yearn for Truth, Warden?

Yes, his heart shouted back. Always.

His hands went numb as he felt himself sway, his vision tunneling. He distantly felt someone taking his arm to steady him.

“Em…?”

“Ingo?” His brother’s voice was raising in urgency, but it sounded so far away. “Ingo!”

He heard Chandelure’s scream fade with the rest of the world as the ground came rushing up to meet him.

Chapter Text

Ingo squeezed out the cloth and folded it before handing it to Irida. She took it with a silent nod and pressed her face against it, sighing.

“You should lay down, even for a few minutes.” He said.

“No—hah—no time for it. There is still much to do. We have to return to the summit as soon as possible, and the clan-”

Even with that, she curled more into herself. Her face was still pale, and he could see a slight tremor in her frame.

Ingo sighed softly. “No one would fault you for taking a moment for yourself.”

She huffed again, giving him a tired look. “You of all people should know that’s a lie.”

“And yet, it’s what I will continue to believe.” He frowned right back at her. “I don’t want to wake up every morning expecting the worst out of the people around me. It’s not ideal.”

“How can you trust others like that?”

“You mistake my patience for trust, Lady Irida.” He said. “Just because I am willing to escort difficult passengers across the highlands does not mean I will allow them into my tent, my space. I have my boundaries, and I am not afraid to let people know of them, but I do believe in giving others the chance to be their best selves.”

Irida nodded before she finally leaned back onto the bed. “Just a moment, then.”

Ingo smiled faintly. “Very well.”

She did not close her eyes, staring up instead at the bottom of the bunk as her pokemon curled up around her, but it was better than nothing. Ingo wrote down a few notes as the wind buffeted their yurt, then checked his watch. With the red sky still overhead, it was incredibly difficult to tell what time of the day it was, and whether it was 4 in the morning, or 4 in the afternoon. He couldn’t even trust his internal clock at the moment, as he wasn’t even sure if he had slept last “night.”

Not having his brother around was throwing him off as well, but it couldn’t be helped. Emmet was keeping watch on the temple with Melli and Adaman, while Ingo was seeing to their clan leader after she’d collapsed following the skyfaller’s fight against Palkia. The plan was to have the two of them back at Moonview Arena before Akari and Rei returned, but he wanted to make sure Irida had some reprieve before they were on the move again.

He wound his watch to keep it ticking for a little longer as he heard Garchomp growl in warning from outside the yurt, chasing a wild pokemon away. Everyone was working overtime to fix this red sky crisis. Once this was all over, he was making so many cakes for their team.

Irida sat up again with a weary sigh after a while, and Ingo smiled at her as he pulled the kettle from the hearth and poured some water for tea.

“A little better?” He asked.

“Just a bit.” She slid off the bed to kneel across the hearth, her glaceon settling in her lap while her espeon and flareon settled on either side. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He smiled at her and handed her a cup. He stared at his own tea for a minute before he spoke again.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Irida let out a small, surprised laugh into her cup. “Ingo, you are the one person who never has to ask me that. What is it?”

Ingo nodded, staring down at the notebook in his lap. “What did it feel like? Palkia?”

He could tell from Irida’s expression that she knew this was what he’d be asking. “…It felt incredibly vast, and yet so impossibly small.” She stared down at her empty hand and studied the space between her fingers. “Everything around me was put into such sharp clarity in those moments. It was almost too much.”

“It sounds terrifying.” He said.

“There was something validating about it, even if the truth itself is different from what we believed. Or rather, it is more than what we had assumed. There being two Sinnohs.” Irida paused and dragged in a shaking breath. “We waged wars over this misconception. Family and friends were killed because of it. How do we just… accept this change and move on?”

Ingo let her have a moment to compose herself before he spoke. “Why not believe that we all just want a kinder, more accepting world?” He asked softly.

“You say it like it’s easy.”

“Because, perhaps it is. I understand it sounds like delusion, but I have gotten this far in life by holding onto that hope.” He said, straightening. “Why can’t it become truth?”

He suddenly remembered who he was talking to—Irida, his clan leader, and not just a childhood friend—and he shrunk a little on himself. “Apologies. I don’t mean to be overbearing. I imagine that it’s probably different from the perspective of a leader.”

“It’s all right. It’s not as different as you might think.” Irida said, smiling faintly. “Thank you for being candid with me.”

Ingo felt his face warm in embarrassment all the same. He finished off his cup and busied himself with another serving of tea. He could feel Irida watching him carefully.

“Even you didn’t seem too surprised about there being two Sinnohs.” She noted.

Ingo shrugged. “It makes sense to Emmet, and conversations with Warden Melli made it feel like we were always speaking of two different beings entirely. Why wouldn’t there be two?”

“Again, you make it sound so simple.” She huffed a small laugh. “Maybe you should have been the clan leader.”

“Don’t even joke about that, my lady.” Ingo sighed tiredly. “I am happy with my station in life, and you are a great leader in your own right. Please do not discount yourself. It’s not your fault that you are saddled with the burdens of those who came before you… I can’t even begin to imagine what that is like.”

She smiled more sincerely and gave him a small nod of her head. “Thank you for your belief in my ability. It means a lot.”

“Of course.” Ingo bowed back more deeply. “I have every confidence that you can be a change in Hisui’s future, as you see fit.”

She pulled out her flute and looked it over thoughtfully. “…I might have some ideas for that, once all this is over.” She said.

“Already? Bravo, my lady.” Ingo smiled as the call of another Celestica Flute—Emmet’s call—echoed down to them. He got to his feet and extended a hand to her. “Now, if you are set to depart, I believe they are nearly ready for us.”

Irida sighed and took his hand. “Adaman’s going to get after me for being late, again.”

“Knowing my brother, we won’t be late.” Ingo assured, giving her hand a squeeze before letting her go. “We will be right on time.”

———

~~~~~~~

———

“INGO!”

Chandelure’s urgent scream nearly drowned out Emmet’s as he moved to catch his brother before he hit the ground. He sunk to his knees, trying to keep upright while Dad rushed over to help.

“I’ve got him.” He assured, arranging Ingo in his arms while Emmet pressed a hand to his neck. Ingo’s pulse was racing under his fingers, his eyes darting under his eyelids as if he was dreaming.

“H-he’s breathing.” Emmet said, his voice tight.

“Is he okay?” Iris asked. “What happened?!”

“Reshiram, down!”

Emmet looked over to see Chandelure screaming at Reshiram, who was angrily hissing back back at her, its feathers puffed and its teeth bared. Hilbert was doing his best to push the dragon back while Hilda grabbed its pokeball from her belt.

“It won’t go back in.” She said, trying the button a few times. “It’s being an asshole!”

Chandelure slapped Reshiram on the side of its face and flew back to Ingo’s side. She cradled his face between her arms, chiming for him again and again.

“What are you showing him?” Emmet said to Reshiram, his voice raising. “What have you done?!”

There was a flash of light and Garchomp appeared from Ingo’s belt, teeth bared and snarling at Reshiram as she crouched protectively over their family. Emmet stumbled to his feet, grabbing her pokeball.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck-

“Holy shit-!” Hilbert jumped and pushed both him and his sister back, tucking Hilda behind him before she had a chance to do the same. A pale-armored samurott and a vaguely familiar fire type launched out of their own pokeballs, and stood between their trainers and Garchomp.

“Garchomp, NO!” Emmet snapped at his pokemon. “Get back!”

He whistled sharply and pointed to the space next to him when she didn’t respond immediately. Out of everyone on their team, Garchomp had to be the most difficult to deal with, but thank Sinnoh she still listened to them.

Reshiram growled at Garchomp as she slowly backed up next to Emmet. He put a hand on her side before taking hold of her harness.

“Good girl. Stay, or you’re going back to your seat. Understood?”

Dad’s gaze searched the area around them suspiciously as he kept Ingo close. “You two, get Reshiram in its pokeball. Now.” He said tersely to the twins. “Let’s get inside.”

———

Everything was white.

Ingo squinted and pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes, but it did nothing to help. The void seemed to have no light source. He frowned and dropped his hand, looking around for any change in the expanse.

He was alone, and he couldn’t remember how he got here.

“Hello?” He tried. “Emmet?”

His voice didn’t echo in the space. It felt like it barely projected at all, the sound stopping just past his mouth.

“Chandelure?”

Again, there was no answer. He reached for the belt on his waist and found it wasn’t there. No pokeballs, no notebook, nothing. His hands trembled as he stared down at himself, frozen, at a loss of what to do.

“Someone,” he whispered, unable to keep the fear from entering his voice. “Please.”

It took him a few moments to find the courage to move again. He took a deep breath and looked around before eventually spotting something new in the distance. A slight change in the void, a dot of color in an otherwise sea of white.

At a loss for anything else to do, he hurried towards it.

———

The pokeball stopped shaking in Hilda’s hand, but Ingo still wasn’t waking up, no matter how hard Chandelure tried. Emmet had a feeling that they had no choice but to wait it out.

Dad got to his feet with Ingo in his arms, his head resting in the crook of his neck. Chandelure was against Ingo’s chest, her arms wrapped protectively around his shoulders.

“Russ, Nana, stay here and keep an eye out.” Dad said to his haxoruses before looking to everyone else. “Come on.”

“Garchomp, sssstay out with them.” Emmet swallowed, grimacing.

“We didn’t know this would happen.” Hilda said quickly, her face pale. “I’m so sorry. Mayor Gray, we had no idea that it would do something like this.”

“It’s all right. Just- calm down. This isn’t your fault.” Dad’s tone thawed as his volume lowered. “None of knew this would happen.”

Iris led the way, nearly throwing open the front door long before the rest of them could reach it. Hilda matched Dad’s pace and set Reshiram’s pokeball in the pocket of Ingo’s hoodie.

“I don’t know if keeping them together or apart changes anything.” She said. “I don’t want to test it.”

“Might be for the best.” Dad nodded, heading towards the hall to their room. “Iris, take them to the kitchen.”

Emmet stayed at the door and released Alakazam, along with Probopass and Magnezone. He pet Alakazam’s snout and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to control the shaking in his hands.

Keep watch.

Alakazam nodded at the silent command and nuzzled into his palm before floating off. Emmet closed the front door and locked it.

———

As Ingo walked, the void started to change. Featureless white gradually gave way powdery snow, cold and soaking into his shoes. Much like how his own memories came into focus after waking up, his surroundings sharpened and clarified. He soon recognized the space as the Alabaster Icelands, in Hisui. It was the path they took from the highlands.

His steps gained more purpose as he headed in the direction of the settlement, until he was running at a full sprint. He passed by pink tent-like shapes—fuzzy and out of focus, their details smudged like water on paper—until he came upon the only yurt that ever mattered there.

The wooden chimes he and Emmet made forever ago were still hanging at the entrance, the door was still littered with sneasel and sneasler scratches. He could already smell roselia petals and other dried things wafting from inside as he reached out and traced a hand along the wood grain.

Their home away from home. It was like they’d never left.

Was this a dream?

He opened the door and stepped inside.

———

Emmet pushed the bedroom door open and got out of the way while Dad set Ingo on the bed still shoved into the corner of the room. Gliscor came out of his pokeball to perch on the bedframe and keep watch.

“He’s burning up.” Dad said, taking off Ingo’s hat and feeling his face and neck. Sweat was beading on his brother’s forehead, his breaths coming in too fast and shallow for sleep.

Emmet motioned for Chandelure to move aside. He set Reshiram’s pokeball on the desk and Dad helped him with pulling off Ingo’s hoodie. Chandelure drifted close again once he was laid down and settled against his side to let her cool flames brush against his face and chest. Ingo’s fingers barely twitched as Emmet placed his arm around her.

Garchomp peered in through the open window and whined, her breath ruffling Ingo’s hair. Emmet reached over and patted her snout.

“Hhhhe’ll be okkkay.” He forced out. He swallowed as Dad put a hand on his shoulder.

“Keep watch with the others.” Dad told her. Emmet nodded silently in agreement. Garchomp huffed and gave the pokeball on the desk a withering glare before she pulled her head out of the window.

Emmet could hear the twins talking to Iris from the kitchen, but he couldn’t make out any words. Sighing, he took one of Ingo’s hands between his and rested his forehead against it. Dad carefully sat on the edge of the bed and brushed back Ingo’s bangs, cupping the side of his face.

“Has this happened before?” He asked.

Emmet glanced around before he reached for a paper on the desk, and a pencil. His knew his spelling was awful, and his shaking hands weren’t doing him any favors, but he hoped that Dad could read it, at least.

Something similar. With our clan leader, and Palkia.

Dad read over the answer before looking at him. Emmet could tell he had more questions, but he didn’t have the words to explain, at the moment. “There isn’t much else to do but wait, I’m guessing.” He said.

Emmet nodded, taking his brother’s hand again. Dad brushed away the tears gathering in Ingo’s eyes with a thumb.

“Do you want me to stay, or would you like to be alone?” He asked.

Emmet grimaced and hid under the brim of his hat, sighing shakily. Everything had happened so quickly, and so suddenly. His mind was still racing from it. He didn’t know what he wanted, aside from wanting to know what the hell was happening.

“…I’ll stay, for a little bit.” Dad decided, pulling Emmet close. Emmet hadn’t even realized that he had pulled a chair over next to him. “Then I’ll check on Iris and the other make sure they're all right.”

He nodded, his shoulders trembling as Dad quietly soothed him.

———

“Ingo!” Emmet beamed at him as the door closed behind him. “You found some carrots!”

“I… what?” Ingo looked down at himself and jolted when he saw a basket in his hands, filled to the brim with carrots, sootfoot root, and various berries and green things. He couldn’t remember how it got there.

How did he get here?

Where was here?

Why was this so familiar?

Everything was wrong, wrong, wrong wrong wrong-

“Niisan,” Emmet was getting to his feet when he noticed Ingo’s rising panic, but someone was faster, taking the basket from his hands and setting it aside. Lampent whistled in worry.

Ingo couldn’t breathe as the person tried to kneel down as best she could on one leg. Emmet was quick to grab her stool and bring it over for her to sit on instead. He couldn’t understand why she was bending down to better meet his eyes, couldn’t understand why he felt so small and why the warden band around his wrist felt new and recently carved.

He couldn’t understand why seeing her made him want to cry his eyes out.

When was the last time he’d seen her?

How long had it been, now?

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” Ishimi’s hands carefully cupped his face, her callused palms rubbing against his cheeks. “You’re in the Pearl Clan settlement, in my home. You just came back from an errand I told you to run.”

Ingo nodded, leaning into her touch as tears fell around her fingers. He hiccuped and suddenly rushed at her, burying his face into her neck and grabbing onto as much of her as he could.

“Oh- Oh, Sinnoh.” Ishimi stiffened for only a moment before she melted around him and held him back just as tightly. “It’s okay, Ingo. You’re safe. I’m here. Everyone is here.”

“I miss you.” He sobbed. “I m-miss you.”

A knowing hum reverberated in her chest, against his ear. He felt her hand in his hair, the other holding him close. “I know you do. I miss you both every damn day.” He felt an arm move away before Emmet was pulled into the embrace, and she gave them both a bone-crushing squeeze. “But Calaba would kill me if she caught wind of me trying to get up the mountain while I’m still recovering, and she would do so without remorse. None of us want that.”

Ingo laughed weakly into her shoulder, relaxing some of his desperate hold on her. He was unwilling to let go entirely, as if the very action would cast her away from his sight.

She was still here.

She was gone, lost to a space and time beyond his reach.

She was still here.

Why did he have to leave?

He never got to say goodbye.

Ishimi, fortunately, picked up on his clinginess. She gently nudged him to her side as she got back to standing. She used Ingo as a support as they made their way to the hearth, where Emmet started cutting meat for the dinner being prepared tonight.

“You got a good haul here, it looks like.” Ishimi smacked Ampibom’s tails away and pulled the basket closer to her. Even then, she kept Ingo flush against her side. “Good job on the trading, kiddo.”

Ingo rubbed his face into his sleeve and smiled shakily at her. “Thanks.”

She smiled back and handed him the bunch of carrots from the top of the pile. “What do you think about steaming these? I’m going to make sure you two have more than your fill tonight. I don’t believe you for a second when you say you’re eating enough. You’re skinny as hell.”

“We are eating, though.” Emmet protested.

“Gliscor and Lampent help with hunting, Eelektrik with fishing.” Ingo said roughly, still trying to keep his eyes dry. “And everyone helps with foraging.”

“It just all goes into climbing!” Emmet finished. “And growing!”

“Which means you need to eat more, and you’ve probably also been dealing with growing pains.” Ishimi fished out some medicinal leeks and started slicing them before throwing them into a pan. Emmet pushed them around with a spoon for a few minutes before dropping the meat in after with a satisfying sizzle.

“I should see if Gaeric still has some of his old clothes, so we can refit them before you head back.” She muttered under her breath. “I swear, you two are getting taller as I’m looking at you.”

Ambipom handed Ingo the steamer basket and he set the carrots inside, putting the whole thing over the rice that was cooking. He settled against Ishimi’s side again and she put her arm around him, kissing the top of his head.

“Feeling better?” She asked.

Ingo nodded, his eyelids slowly drooping as the warmth of the hearth and company settled in, chasing away the cold. He listened to the hum of Ishimi’s voice as she talked about the latest news in the settlement, and checked with them about what was happening in the highlands. She eventually patted his cheek for his attention.

“Don’t fall asleep yet. Wait until after dinner.”

“M’not.” He mumbled, rubbing his face into her tunic. She smelled of herbs and other dried plants, just like she always did. “I’m just comfortable.”

“You keep telling yourself that.” She smirked, setting a bowl in his hands.

A gentle and bittersweet warmth bloomed in Ingo’s heart as he let the memory play out. Because that’s what this was, wasn’t it? He didn’t dare divert from the script he subconsciously knew existed, afraid that one wrong move would shatter the entire scene. He wanted to soak in as much of this as possible.

It did eventually end, though. As with all his memories, details faded like trying to hold water in his hands. Ingo gave Ishimi’s hand one more squeeze before she faded away between blinks, and all that was left was white and empty space.

Only he and Emmet remained.

Ingo drew in a deep and shaking breath when it was over, tears streaming down his face. He gave up on trying to keep his eyes dry and looked to his brother, who hadn’t moved an inch since the memory faded. He finally looked back at Ingo and got to his feet.

Something was wrong.

“Who are you?” He asked.

The person wearing Emmet’s face bent down and offered a hand as they smiled at him. It didn’t look right. Ingo felt a flash of fear and he slapped the hand away, his heart in his throat.

“Zoroark.”

“No, not a zoroark.” The person calmly said, their eyes becoming a bright blue. “But you are very observant to notice so quickly.”

“I don’t know a lot of things for certain, but I know my brother.” He frowned, scooting back a little. “I don’t appreciate you using his image like this.”

The person put their other hand to their chest. “My aim is not to deceive. To do so would be against my nature. I am representing your version of Truth.”

“Truth?” Ingo repeated.

A memory was pulled up from his mind and surfaced into the void around them, broken and fuzzy, but slowly gained more clarity as Ingo watched. He eventually recognized the grounds, and a great, white dragon staring at him with those same eyes before everything had gone dark.

“You are Reshiram?” Ingo realized. Dad had said it was a legendary, hadn’t he? “A-apologies, I’d forgotten already.”

“That is all right.” Reshiram nodded. “Do you want me change?”

Ingo thought on it for a moment. “No. I.. I think I am okay with this, so long as I can tell the difference.”

“Very well.”

He finally took the hand still being offered and was pulled up to his feet. The space faded back to white, much like the earlier memory.

“You chose children.” Ingo said, watching the image of Hilda and Hilbert disappear.

“I did.” It answered simply.

“Why?”

“They were being targeted. They needed me if they were to keep pursuing their chosen path.” It looked at him directly. “Because, until the very last minute, it could be no one else.”

Ingo frowned back disapprovingly until Reshiram sighed.

“I am not the one to blame for their situation. I only helped them through it at the end. The expectations were placed on them long before they encountered me.” It tilted its head slightly. “Does that sound a little familiar?”

“Unfortunately, it does.” Ingo watched as another memory surfaced and coalesced, with him sitting on one end of a bed in the Pearl Clan medical tent. He watched while Emmet and Ishimi took turns carving what was to become his warden band. Ishimi looked exhausted, her face taut with a pain she refused to acknowledge, only giving the band to Emmet to work on until her hands stopped shaking again. There was determination in her eyes as she stubbornly set out to finish the task before their initiation ceremony.

Ingo took another shaking breath and dried his face again, getting up from the bed and casting the memory away. He absently put a hand over his wrist, feeling the worn band under his fingers. “What is this place?” He asked.

“An intersection, of sorts. More your mind than my domain.” Reshiram stared at the old warden band around its wrist thoughtfully. It was a perfect copy of Ishimi’s band, which was the one Emmet inherited. “I didn’t want to overwhelm or hurt you, so I thought it best for us to meet here.”

“You, wanting to meet me?” Ingo huffed a small laugh at the irony. “Apologies, but I am not the best at holding onto truths.”

“You do have to fight a lot harder than most for absolute assurance.” Reshiram agreed with a nod.

“If you know that, then why are we here?” He asked. “You want me to do something, I’m guessing, but someone like me would be of no use to you.”

“Are you so sure?” It said. “You rely on your Ideals, yet you constantly desire the Truth. How could I ignore such a pursuit?”

“Emmet would be a better choice.” He insisted, gesturing to Reshiram’s form. “How can I accept Truth if everything I know keeps slipping through my fingers? How many times do I have to remember that nearly everyone I love is gone before it finally sticks?”

He curled his fingers into his shirt and focused on keeping his breaths even. “Why would you show me these memories?” He demanded. “Why would you have me remember just how much the absence of her hurts? At least back then she was only a ways away but now-”

They never even got to say goodbye. Why? Why did they have to go?

“Unfortunately, that is not my place to say.” It answered, startling Ingo from his thoughts. “It is not my answer to give.”

He flustered in embarrassment, giving it a small bow. “Apologies, I… I don’t mean to be rude.”

“No, I’d prefer you speak frankly.” Reshiram said. “Your frustrations and fears are hardly unfounded, given your situation. Speak your mind to me, Warden.”

Ingo hesitated, swallowing. He took a seat on the ground and stared at his hands as he pondered. He didn’t know if it was this space, or Reshiram’s presence, but he found it easier to delve into himself to find what it was he wanted say. To articulate what he struggled to voice in full.

“…I fear that the longer I am in Unova, that I will lose Hisui more and more, until there is nothing left but words on a page. Until they are nothing but stories I can only hear from my brother.” He admitted softly. “I can’t- out of everyone we’ve left behind, I can’t lose the memory of her.”

He watched Reshiram step closer and take a seat in front of him. He lifted his head to look at it.  Its eyes were still blue and its gray hair seemed more like feathers—different enough that he trusted he wasn’t being intentionally deceived—but it was still uncanny to have something with his brother’s face.

The smile it wore was different, but it was still a kind one.

“Very few people can perfectly retain their memories, Ingo.” It explained patiently. “A undamaged brain is still fallible. Time takes. It dulls and it decays. One can only retain so much space in their mind before they have to start letting go of some of it.”

“So, even Emmet will forget.” Ingo said quietly.

“He will forget what he doesn’t hold on to, just like everyone does.”

Ingo swallowed a lump in his throat, his eyes welling up again. It took his hand between its own and held it gently.

“The Truth can be difficult and cold. Unyielding and absolute. However, there is also an assurance in it, in knowing exactly who you are, and where you stand.”

“Then why can’t I have that?” He asked, cringing at how whiny it sounded. “That assurance?”

“Who says you don’t already have it?” Reshiram smiled at him. “What are the three things you always Know, without a doubt? One: that you are Ingo. Two: that Chandelure is your partner, and she will not lead you astray. Three: that Emmet is your brother, and you love him, more than anything else.”

Each fact washed over him like a wave, shoring up in his chest and grounding him much in the way it did every time he woke up every morning. He’d forgotten just how important these Truths were to him. How much he depended on them as a foundation to stand on.

He hesitated before he spoke again. “Not that I am ungrateful for these Truths—they mean everything to me—but is it wrong to want more, even just a little bit?”

“It is not wrong to seek past your station.” Reshiram agreed with an amused smile. “How else can you progress?”

“Fair enough.” Ingo huffed softly, staring down at the warm hands holding his. He could feel exhaustion suddenly starting to drag at him, as if he was falling asleep.

“…I’m just going to forget all this, aren’t I?”

“Perhaps,” it answered, “but you are good at trusting your instincts, your feelings, your heart. There is a Truth in that. Hold onto these feelings you’ve felt, if nothing else.”

He nodded wearily, placing his other hand over its. “And what is it that you want? I know you didn’t bring us here to make this all about me.”

Reshiram chuckled, its draconic laugh echoing around him. Ingo’s smirked back at it tiredly.

“Your path and mine will most likely lead to the same destination.” It explained. “I would like to come with you. A Warden, born in our Unova, yet taken in by Palkia as one of its stewards? I want to see what you can do.” There was the briefest of amused smiles on its face before it looked to him in earnest. “Help me save my sibling, Kyurem.”

Ingo nodded as his eyes drooped. “I will do it.”

“Thank you.” Reshiram smiled one more time, pulling Ingo up as another memory formed around them. Somehow, he was able to stand on his feet, even as his eyes slowly closed. He felt a hand cup the side of his head and steady him, its touch gentle.

“In exchange, I will give you another Truth to hold. Carry it well, Warden.”

———

It was peaceful on the trail as they walked, the leaves on the trees turning to vibrant reds and yellows and littering the ground under their feet. Fattened pokemon foraged around the forest floor for food for the winter, and starlys and staravia flew over the trees. Ishimi looked around wistfully, drinking in as many details as she could.

Ingo didn’t know when was the last time she’d been with them like this. It had to have been a few months, at minumum. She was walking along with her crutch, insistent about not being carried the whole way to Jubilife, at least while the path was more even. Lady Sneasler lazily loped behind them, staying close for when Ishimi was ready to get back into the basket.

Ingo was talking her ear off about what he could recall about the settlement, and their new friend Zisu, with Emmet supplying the occasional comment and reminder, and Ishimi asking clarifying questions. When that topic was exhausted, Ingo talked about the latest addition to the team, Magnezone, who was currently flying above their heads with Gliscor, and about the new trail they discovered to allow faster passage over the mountain. When those topics were exhausted, he let a comfortable silence follow so Ishimi could turn her attention to the trail around them. Ingo knew she missed the highlands, especially at this time of year.

It took him a while to realize that Ishimi was instead watching them both with a rare, contemplative look on her face.

“What?” Ingo smiled back at her.

Her usual smirk was back as soon as she noticed him looking. “Just thinking about how far you two have come.” She said “Hardly the rufflets I brought with me to the mountain to train.”

Emmet exchanged an amused glance with Ingo. “It’s been a verrry long time since then.” He said.

“We’ve learned a thing or two.” Ingo chuckled. “Does that make us braviaries, now?”

She snorted softly. “I mean it. I’m glad, that in spite of my mistakes, you two grew into great Wardens.”

“Well, what brought this on?” Emmet teased. “You start getting a few gray hairs and now you’re an elder?”

“Oh, shut up.” She batted his side as he snickered and hopped out of the way. “You leave me in the icelands for long stretches of time and it makes me ruminate like an old lady. I’ve got nothing better to do.”

She slowed her pace and sighed, prompting them both to stop and properly look at her. She fidgeted under the attention before she continued.

“…I’m so, so proud of you both. I hope you know that.”

Ingo exchanged a glance with his brother. Unspoken was the “I love you,” but for her, it was always one and the same.

Emmet nodded, all the teasing gone from his smile. “We know.”

Ingo squinted warmly at her. “We know, Ishimi.”

I Know, his heart echoed, resonated. And I will always Know.

She allowed the smallest of tender smiles to grow before she pulled them into a fierce hug. With a huff, she pulled away again and groaned loudly, stretching her arms over her head while Ambipom kept her and her crutch steady.

“Okay, I’m ready to get back into the damn basket. I’d like to get to Jubilife before the day ends.”

———

The first thing Ingo realized as he came to was how cold he was. He shivered, hiding a little more under the blanket he found himself under. Chandelure trilled in his arms, her flames flaring as he felt her presence encircle his soul and warm up his core.

“Ingo?”

Ingo hummed and opened his eyes to find Emmet looking at him.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay.” Ingo mumbled, petting his partner’s side. “Just tired, ’n cold.”

Chandelure’s flames grew a little warmer as Emmet sighed in weary relief. “What in the Dragons’ name happened?” He asked. "Quite literally."

Ingo pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, trying to recall what he could. Already the details were half-remembered and fading fast, as if it had all been a dream.

“Reshiram, it… it showed me some memories.” He said quietly. “It was like I was living through them again. And it wants… help, with its sibling.”

“Kyurem?” Emmet asked.

Ingo paused and looked over at him. “How did you know that?”

“N told me, a while back. He said that Plasma has plans for it.” Emmet’s small smile faltered in concern. “What memories did it show you? You were crying in your sleep.”

Ingo could tell he had been, going off how clammy his cheeks felt. If he had any tears left, he was fairly certain he'd be crying again. He put a hand over his heart as he thought on the feelings pooled up by the experience. “They were good ones, I know.” He said. “Sad, in the current context, though.”

He wished he could remember them in full. He knew they were warm, and comforting. He knew most of all that he was loved in them, undeniably and irrefutably so.

“…In spite of that, I’m glad that I was able to relive them again.” He decided.

He absently brushed his hand against the blanket and frowned in realization. “Why do I have no shirt on?”

The question startled a laugh out of his brother, which in turn made him chuckle along. Emmet put a hand over his eyes and sighed tiredly, sagging back in his chair. “Ah, sorry about that. I think Reshiram was making you overheat.”

“Is that why am I so cold, now?” He wondered, huddling further under the blanket and holding Chandelure closer. “Also, this bed is too squishy.”

“It is squishy.” Emmet agreed, smirking as he grabbed Ingo’s sweatshirt from over the back of his chair. “Do you want to get up?”

“I think so.” Ingo gently nudged for Chandelure to move before he felt something roll against his stomach. He pushed the blanket away and picked up the object as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“…What is this?”

In his hands was a white orb. Ingo stared at it for a moment, then to Emmet for an answer. Chandelure chimed in confusion. Emmet blinked at it in blantant surprise before he quickly looked over his shoulder.

On the desk behind him were the broken halves of a pokeball.

Emmet laughed nervously as he turned back to look at the orb again. “What the fuck?”

“Language.” Ingo said. He traced a thumb over the clean-cut grooves, his brows furrowed. Though it seemed to be made of stone, it felt warm in his hands, almost like a pokemon egg.

It felt like a promise.

It felt like hope.

Chapter Text

Ingo stopped at the edge of the treeline and looked out at the small valley of flowers. Akari was already exploring around and having her decidueye shake every tree in sight like they owed her money. The sun was still setting for the day, but the high walls of the basin were making the shadows stretch over half of the spring already. It would be dark in this space before the moon would even have a chance to rise.

Ingo set their food down and reviewed his notes while he waited for Akari to return. Now that the red sky business was over and done with, their friends were dead-set on their survey work, trying to locate every pokemon in Hisui. Rei was with Emmet on their own nocturnal errand, and they would be meeting up again at home once they were done here. It was a full moon tonight, which meant that the clefairy would be out to dance here at Fabled Spring. It was a perfect opportunity for the survey corps members to log in some work.

“Oh my gods, FINALLY!”

Akari’s shout rang from across the water. Ingo raised his head to see her running back over to his side. She held up a pokeball in both hands like it was a crown she was about to bestow upon herself. She was breathing heavily, as if she’d climbed Mount Coronet at a sprint.

“Me and my brother have caught literal gods, the beings of Time and Space, and they only pale in comparison to what I’ve finally accomplished!”

She took a deep breath and shook the pokeball in triumph. “Cherubi is mine!”

“Bravo!” Ingo applauded her.

Akari flopped onto her back next to him and exhaled heavily. Decidueye chirped and sat down nearby. “We’ve been looking for this sucker basically since we arrived in Hisui.” She sighed. “I can’t believe the search is finally over.”

“Congratulations.” Ingo smiled and unwrapped the cloth holding their bento full of food. “They are elusive pokemon, for certain.”

They chatted over their meal as late afternoon turned into evening. Akari told Ingo about had been happening in Jubilife recently. Kamado was still in charge, but most of his governing power had been handed over to the corps captains, like Zisu, Cyllene, and Peselle. Decisions had to be discussed with them first before action could be taken. In some regards, it slowed things down, but the intent was to not repeat the mistakes made during the red sky event. It was certainly better than having a ninja advisor secretly keeping tabs on everyone.

Ingo felt like he’d heard all of this already, but it was nice to be told again. Not everyone was patient enough to repeat information to him more than once, and he felt that Akari had been one of those people at some point. He was grateful for the change. He quite liked having her as a friend that he could be more like himself around.

He teased her with some plans he and Emmet were cooking up for the training grounds before Chandelure chimed to let them know it was almost time. He gathered up their things and chuckled when Akari grumbled at him.

“You’re seriously not going to tell me anything?” She groaned.

“The tracks are still being laid out, or rather, Paths.” Ingo said, squinting at her. “You and your brother will know more, sooner than you think. So, keep training in the meantime.”

“Fine…”

The full moon started to rise past the walls of the basin, illuminating the area in a soft glow. Ingo glanced over at his partner—his lovely and unfortunately very noticable partner—and drew her close.

“Can you return to your seat, dear? Just for a little while.”

Chandelure chimed sadly and curled an arm around his wrist. Ingo gave her a kiss on her globe. “I know, but we should let Akari have as few distractions as possible while she does her fieldwork.” He pet her side and placed a chesto berry in her chimney. “I will let you know when it’s okay to come back out again.”

His partner’s flames flared as she devoured the treat. With a final nuzzle into his palm and a sweet trill, she disappeared into her pokeball. The world around them became a little darker without her violet light.

“Chandelure really doesn’t like being in there, does she?” Akari asked quietly.

“She doesn’t dislike it, but she does prefer to remain by my side. I appreciate her constant presence, so it works out for both of us.” Ingo explained, keeping his voice just as low so as to not disturb the spring too much. “I feel like she’s been that way for a very long time.”

They seated themselves among some bushes a ways away and waited as the moon continued to rise. Eventually, round, pink pokemon appeared, cleffa and clefairy alike, jumping and floating slowly back to the field of flowers as if gravity was merely a suggestion. They cooed and called to each other, dancing around in rhythmic circles while an alpha clefable kept watch from the middle of the lake.

Ingo watched silently from their hiding spot, enraptured. He was pretty sure this was something he hadn’t seen before. Fabled Spring was out of the way of the walking paths he and his brother maintained, and it was far later than he usually found himself out and about for anything other than an emergency.

To have lived in Hisui for so long, and he was still discovering something new about his beloved Coronet Highlands? The thought filled him with a joy that turned his frown into a small, soft smile. He wished that Emmet was here to see it, but he also knew his brother probably wouldn’t be able to sit still for too long before getting impatient.

Maybe they could give it a try sometime in the future, though.

He looked away from the display to see what Akari was doing. In the light of the full moon, he could tell that even she was able to see her pokedex well enough to quickly sketch out the pokemon and write down notes as she observed their behavior. He waited for her to finish, his gaze moving from the pokemon to the stars above. It was a clear night, among everything else, the vast expanse of space hanging above them like a starry blanket.

They remained until Akari said she was ready to go. The pair of them snuck away from the spring, careful not to disturb the pokemon as they climbed up the ridge and out of sight. Ingo pulled out his own notebook to write some things down while Akari checked her notes in Chandelure’s light.

“That’s three down, plus a bonus cherubi.” Akari sighed, closing her pokedex. “A whole lot more left to go.”

Ingo smiled as he looked out towards the spring from their vantage point. “That was quite enjoyable.”

“It was pretty cool.” Akari agreed. She stretched her arms over head and yawned widely. “I’m just about ready to pass out now, though.”

Ingo chuckled and squinted slightly at her. “Let’s head back, then.”

Chandelure lit the way under Akari’s feet as they traveled back up the mountain, with Ingo leading the way while Decidueye took up the rear. Gliscor flew above their heads for added protection. Wild pokemon were becoming a little less aggressive with the disappearance of the rift, but it never hurt to remain cautious.

“With this cherubi, I can fill out its page on the pokedex, and also evolve it into cherrim so I can cross Kichi’s request off our list.” Akari said, mostly to herself as they walked. “Me and Rei still need to see Keaka about looking for his Alolan vulpix in the icelands, and Senki stopped us on the way here for some help finding his spheal. That’s not even factoring that we still haven’t found all of Vessa’s wisps for the keystone, and that we’re also gathering plates for, um… someone.”

“Seems that you and your brother are quite busy these days.” Ingo surmised.

“Well, we’re the only ones around here who will do anything about anything.” She bluntly said, with an edge of bitterness in her voice.

He glanced back at her over his shoulder. “Is that what you truly believe?” He asked.

“I…” Akari’s eyes widened as the meaning of her words dawned on her. “I didn’t mean you, or Emmet. Honest.”

“What did you mean, then, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He heard Akari’s steps come to a stop and he turned to face her. She was wringing her hands, looking down at the ground.

“It’s nothing. I’m tired, and I just want to rest.”

“It is fairly late.” He agreed. “You look like you have something to say, though.”

Akari grimaced and looked at the ground. Chandelure joined Decidueye on watch while Ingo stepped closer to Akari.

“…There’s a lot of people who’ve come to count on us, because of everything we did with the frenzies and red sky. I feel like we’re the only ones who can work with both clans without anyone else getting upset about it. I feel like we’re the only ones who can fix everything.”

To say that she and Rei were the only ones who did anything, who could fix everything, was quite extreme. Ingo wasn’t going to chide her about such thoughtles words now, though. She was exhausted, and it was very late. Thoughts tended to not be kind with that combination.

“Why do you want to ‘fix’ everything so badly?” He asked instead. “Akari, I feel like you shoulder so much more weight than you are meant to carry, even more than your brother does.”

“I don’t know.” She hid her face behind her hands. “I feel like there is a reason, but I don’t have the memories to back it up. L-like, if I don’t see to everyone’s needs, and figure out what they want, I’ll have fallen short of what is expected of me.”

“And what is it that’s expected of you?”

“M-me and my big brother, we’re on a mission to ‘seek out all pokemon.’” She revealed. “Professor Laventon needs us to complete his pokedex for his research. As far as we can tell, those things are one and the same.”

“The pokedex?” Ingo paused. “I know that there are a great many pokemon in vast Hisui, far more than any one person probably has ever seen. Why is this a mission that you and your brother have to complete?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head sadly, tears welling in her eyes. “At this point I don’t really care. I just want us to get our memories back. I j-just want to go h-home.”

Akari sniffled, gripping at her arms and trembling as she tried to keep quiet. Ingo had more questions, a desire for more information concerning this strange mission, and why she thought it would reward her and her brother with their memories once it was completed.

But again, it was late. Now wasn’t the time.

“Come here.” He said softly, bending down and pulling her into a gentle embrace.

Akari leaned against him and cried, eventually wrapping her arms around him in return. It was a tired cry, one that spoke to her exhaustion, and one that told him she’d cried too many times about this same thing.

He slowly rubbed her back until he felt her pull away. He sighed when he saw her face, and the bags under her eyes. Turning on the balls of his feet, he offered her his back.

“All aboard?” He suggested.

Akari laughed weakly, but he felt her clamber on and he rose to his feet once she was secure. Ingo continued onwards at a longer stride, adjusting his hold on her while Chandelure switched to leading the way.

“Let’s get back to our brothers, my friend. It’s been a long night.”

He felt Akari nod against him. She sighed wearily and rested her head against the back of his shoulder. Ingo knew he was far from the most comfortable mode of transportation—his Lady would be a much better choice—but he could already feel her relaxing against his back.

If she fell asleep on the way, that was all right. She of all people deserved a break.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Ingo took a long sip of his tea and shivered, prompting Emmet to pull him closer. Iris was on his other side, leaning up against him, and Chandelure nuzzled into his stomach, her arms wrapped securely around his waist. He could feel her checking him over again, warming up the absence Reshiram had left behind in its wake.

“Is that… safe?” Hilbert asked, watching the way his partner’s ghostly flames were literally flickering through him to warm him up.

Ingo’s only answer to that was an unbothered shrug as he finished off his tea in record time. Emmet traded him his own mug to drink from and set the empty one on the coffee table.

“You should go back to bed.” Dad said worriedly.

Ingo shook his head, pulling the blanket more around his shoulders and putting an arm around Iris. “I already said I wanted to be present. I’m staying.” He insisted. “I will rest after.”

Dad sighed, looking at the six of them gathered in the living room, then to the white orb sitting on the table, nestled in a dish cloth.

It was called the Light Stone, and it was the dormant form of Reshiram. Hilda and Hilbert had recognized it as soon as Ingo brough it into the kitchen. Apparently, until Plasma came around the first time, it had been sitting in Lenora’s museum for years as an unidentified rock.

Ingo stared at it as he worked on his second drink. Setting the mug down, he reached over Chandelure to pull the stone closer to him with his free hand.

“I can’t really catch it like this, can I?” He asked.

Hilda held back a snort and Hilbert gave her a quick smack on the shoulder. Dad shook his head. “To properly catch Reshiram you’d have to take the stone to Dragonspiral Tower to awaken it.” He said. “In this form, it’s basically asleep.”

“It’s cold, too.” Ingo put his hand on the stone and frowned. If he didn’t know any better, he’d just assume it was just an ordinary stone, carved and polished by an artisan. It made a little more sense why no one knew what it was for a long time.

Hilda stared at the broken pokeball on the table again, an unreadable expression on her face. “It’s really gone.” She said.

“Legendaries will stay however long they want.” Emmet explained. “Our friends from Hisui had caught Palkia and Dialga, and other legendaries, but eventually some of them stopped being caught. They left once they had enough at their station.”

“So, you’re saying it wanted to ditch us.” She frowned in thought. “It was freaking out that night in Driftveil, when we stopped by for the dinner and you left suddenly. We ended up leaving after only a few minutes because I was afraid it would try and break out in front of everyone.”

Emmet looked to Ingo in realization. “You had mentioned something was odd about the twins that night. Maybe it was trying to reach you, then.”

Ingo felt his face heat up in embarrassment, and fumbled with empty air as he reached for the hat he wasn’t wearing. “Perhaps? I don’t think I’d say something like that to be rude.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” Emmet assured.

“Why you, though?” Hilda asked. “I don’t mean to sound rude, either, but what can you do that would make Reshiram want to leave us?”

“If anything, it would take the pressure off of you two.” Ingo said, sitting up a little straighter. “This would make you less of a target for Plasma, allowing others to step in and help to shoulder the responsibility.”

Hilda narrowed her eyes at him critically. “We’re not weak.”

“I never said you were.” Ingo patiently corrected. “But greater heights can be achieved when support is given, and burdens are shared, much like you no doubt already do with your brother.”

“We can protect ourselves just fine!”

Dad cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “What we’re trying to say is that all of us, and more, are here to help in a greater capacity than last time.” He sighed and looked to Hilda and Hilbert almost in apology. “We do not want to repeat our past mistakes. Plasma is a priority that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. We can’t leave it to a few to handle again.”

“How strong are you?” Hilbert asked, looking to Ingo.

“I and our team are plenty capable of handling ourselves.” Ingo said. “And I fare even better when I am with Emmet.”

“We are verrry strong.” Emmet said, smirking. “Wherever Ingo goes, I will be going, too.”

“Both of them have beaten me a lot by this point, together and apart.” Iris threw in her two poké. “And they went through a ton of stuff, growing up in Hisui. They’re nothing to sneeze at.”

Hilbert nodded slowly and looked to his sister with a frown. Hilda was still scowling, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. Neither of them looked completely assured, but it seemed to be enough, for now.

“What is it that you wanted to talk with all of us about?” Hilda asked, looking to Dad. “Cheren told us that you all met with Rood?”

Dad nodded as he ran a hand over his beard. “We did. I wanted to make sure that you two were kept in the loop. I haven’t told you all everything about the history of our region’s legendaries, namely, about Kyurem.”

Hilbert smirked faintly. “You still want to tell us, even after this fiasco?”

Dad huffed in mild amusement. “Our family has had a deep history with dragons since that time, when the princes’ ideologies split the original Dragon into Reshiram and Zekrom.” He said. “There was a third dragon born in that split, a husk of what remained of the original Dragon’s body.”

“What does this have to do with your family?”

“There is a treasure our family has passed down for generations, and I am the current keeper of it. I was aware that it may have ties to our region’s dragons, but it wasn’t until Professor Juniper had taken a look that I fully understood its significance.”

“Professor Juniper?” Ingo asked.

“She is a pokemon professor, much like Laventon was.” Dad explained. “Her studies are largely focused on pokemon origins. After what happened with Plasma the first time, she came to me asking some questions to better understand our region’s legendaries. I decided to show her our family’s treasure so she could see what she could make of it.”

He sighed and stared at the stone. “She called them DNA splicers. Juniper's research determined that the materials in the splicers date back to the same era as the materials used in building the Dragonspiral Tower.”

Ingo looked around at the faces gathered. Iris seemed to know what Dad was talking about, more than anyone else present. Hilda and Hilbert less so, but Emmet seemed just as lost as he was.

“DNA… splicers?” He asked slowly. “I don’t understand those words.”

“DNA is genetic material, and splicing means ‘to combine.’ Basically, something like this could be a tool to create something we’ve never seen before, if they still work.” Dad sighed. “It certainly plays into the myth that Kyurem desires nothing more than to be ‘whole’ again.”

“And now Plasma wants to do something with Kyurem.” Iris muttered.

“So, what you’re saying is…” Hilbert’s voice trailed off in thought, “we’ve potentially fucked the region by coming back with Reshiram?”

“I think it’s safer for us all to assume that Plasma will be after anything remotely tied to Unova’s legendaries, be it items, or the dragons themselves.” Dad met everyone’s eyes gravely. “Nothing about the splicers will be discussed with anyone else. Understood?”

He waited until everyone nodded before he sighed. “Thank you.”

“Where are they?” Iris asked.

“They are well hidden, and I will leave it at that.” Dad said. “Let their safety be my concern. There are plenty of others things to worry about right now.”

Hilda grimaced. “Yeah, like a crazy cult with a zombie husk pokemon.”

“I think… it’s more than a husk.” Emmet spoke up, glancing to Ingo. “Ingo said that Reshiram called Kyurem its sibling. That’s what Zekrom called it, as well.”

“How do you know what Zekrom called it?” Dad asked, raising a brow.

Emmet froze when everyone’s eyes fell to him. “…That is what N told me it said, when we saw him.”

Hilda and Hilbert immediately straightened at attention, nearly jumping out of their seats. “Wait, when did you talk to N?” Hilda asked urgently.

“Where?” Hilbert added.

“Ingo and I saw him somewhat recently.” Emmet said. “He was hiding on Route 6, but Plasma found out where he was. We do not know where he is now.”

“Why is he here?” Hilbert asked.

“Because Zekrom wanted to help Kyurem.” Emmet answered. “That is what he told me.”

“We have to find him.” Hilda said urgently. “We can’t let Plasma get a hold of him or Zekrom.”

“Both dragons are back in Unova.” Hilbert muttered. “So, we potentially fucked twice over if we’re not careful.”

“Language.” Dad cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair again. “Now, let’s all just hold on a moment and talk about this before we get ahead of ourselves. We understand the urgency, but we need to be smart about this…”

Ingo frowned in thought as the conversation continued to move forward. The name “N” sounded familiar, and he probably had their encounter written down. Hilda and Hilbert very obviously had some sort of connection to him, but he wasn’t sure if this was something he’d been told before, or if this was new information.

…He should probably take out his notebook so he could be a bit more informed about what everyone was talking about, instead of just going off of impressions and context clues. Finishing off his tea and removing his arm from around his sister, he adjusted Chandelure in his lap and leaned over her to read his notes.

He wrote down as much as he could about what had been discussed before he realized he’d completely lost track of the current line of conversation. The twins were talking about… travel routes, and something called a ferris wheel, but he wasn’t sure why. Maybe they were still talking about N.

Dragons, he was so, so tired.

Ingo sighed and rubbed at the side of his head. He took the stone from the coffee table and tucked it away into one of the pouches on his belt with his notebook. Petting Chandelure’s side, he put his head on Emmet’s shoulder, taking a slow, deep breath. He felt his brother’s hand against his back, and Iris tucked herself a little closer against him.

“We are getting off the tracks.” Emmet said, getting everyone’s attention. “We really need to talk about what has to happen next.”

“Agreed.” Dad nodded, running a hand over his beard again.

The Light Stone needed to be taken away from Opelucid as soon as possible, and Ingo and Emmet readily volunteered to do it. There were still some things that needed to be taken care of first, like paperwork and new IDs, fiddly things that didn’t make sense to him after a lifetime in Hisui. Hilda and Hilbert were going to search for N and no one was going to convince them otherwise, which left Ingo and Emmet to prioritize searching for Kyurem. They were going to loop in the gym leaders so there would be eyes around the region to help provide updates.

Ingo tried to stay awake, really, but everyone’s voices gradually faded into a wordless noise as his exhaustion finally won out. He was comfortably warm now, and it was hard to keep his eyes open. Emmet must have noticed at some point, because he leaned them both against the back of the couch, purposely making it more difficult for him to stay awake. The nerve of his brother.

“Get some rest, Niisan. I will let you know what you missed when you wake up.” Emmet said softly.

Ingo slowly nodded against Emmet’s shoulder, closing his eyes as the hum of his family’s voices lulled him to sleep.

He knew that his brother always kept his promises.

———

Once he was given assurance, Ingo was fast asleep against Emmet’s side within minutes, his arms still loosely wrapped around Chandelure. Emmet felt his hands and face before fixing the blanket around him.

Finally, he wasn’t too hot, or too cold. He was back to normal.

Dad went to make some calls in his office, and Iris eventually left the room with the others to give Ingo some quiet. Emmet stayed with his brother for a while longer before he laid him down on the couch. Ingo mumbled wordlessly as he stirred, and Emmet pulled the blanket over his shoulder.

“I’m just checking on the others.” He said, brushing his bangs away from his face. “Go back to sleep.”

Ingo sighed, relaxing again before he even had a chance to open his eyes. Chandelure settled against Ingo’s chest and stared up at Emmet, curling an arm around his hand.

“Let me know as soon as you sense anything off.” He whispered, petting her side.

Chandelure chimed softly and nuzzled into his palm before letting him go. He gave her a final pat and stood up from the coffee table. “Thank you.”

He stepped over where Nana was curled up and keeping her own watch by the couch and stopped halfway down the hall, sighing slowly.

Their visit to Gear Station just this morning felt verrry far away, now.

What little Ingo was able to tell Emmet about the experience worried him, in more ways than one. Previous enocunters with legendaries had taught him that not all of them were mindful of their power over people. Watching Ingo go from completely fine to unconcious so quickly still left him shaken. He’d seen something similar happen to Irida, and it had scared everyone then, but it was different this time with it being his brother.

Sinnoh, he couldn’t help but think of how Zekrom had been acting at the camp, back then. What N had said to him.

Emmet shook out his hands and continued on towards the kitchen, Eelektross following at his side. To his surprise, Iris was the only one at the table, eating her way through a sleeve of chocolate mint cookies while her haxorus laid next to her chair. Emmet’s mouth suddenly watered as the smell of the cookies hit his nose, bringing with it a wave of nostalgia.

Nope. He couldn’t get sick on top of everything else. Another time, down the line.

“Where are Hilda and Hilbert?” Emmet asked.

Iris gestured vaguely in the direction of the front entrance before leaning over to pet her haxorus. “They headed out. I think they wanted some space to process everything without us around.”

“I am Emmet. I can understand that.” Emmet nodded, taking the seat next to her. “I didn’t notice them leaving.”

“They snuck out quietly, like ninjas.”

“Ninjas are pretty quiet.” He agreed.

Iris pulled herself back up and stared at him for a moment. “I don’t like how you said that, as if it was from a personal experience.”

Emmet just smirked at her. “How are you feeling?”

“Dad already talked with me earlier.” She said, narrowing her eyes at the subject change. “I’m all right.”

Emmet sighed dramatically and scooted his chair right up against hers to pull her closer. “Good thing I can provide brother support, then, since you already got your dad support.”

Iris rolled her eyes, but leaned into him and hugged him.

“I’m so glad he’s okay.” She whispered.

Emmet nodded, taking a deep breath as he put his chin on her head. “I am, too.” He huffed shortly. “I am Emmet. I am going to give Reshiram a lecture on manners if we ever decide to wake it up again.”

Iris’s hold around his waist tightened. “Can me, Chandelure, and Garchomp join you? I think Dad has some things to say, too.”

“We will all give it a piece of our minds.” He gave Iris’s back a pat before gently pulling out of the hug.

“So, you guys are leaving.” She said, reaching for another cookie.

Emmet propped his head in his hand and watched her. She had the tone in her voice that Dawn would get when she had more to say to him. “We are.” He said.

“I’ll be sure to help as much as I can.” She looked over at him. “I have a lot of leverage as Champion. I can get you guys into places most people don’t have access to.”

“That will be verrry useful.” Emmet smiled. “Maybe we can even visit you in the League and have a look around at some point.”

“Well, normally you’d need to finish your gym circuit for that, but I could make a exception for family.” Iris smirked back at him. “Just don’t go challenging anyone while you’re there until you have the badges to back it up.”

He tsked sadly. “Difficult terms. You are asking a lot out of both of us.”

“Hey, do you want to get me into trouble?”

Emmet snickered and leaned back in his chair. “Don’t worry. We will behave.”

Eelektross took advantage of Emmet’s lap being available and rested his head there. Emmet pet along his fin a few times. Iris finished off another cookie and put what was left of the sleeve back in its box.

“…What are you planning to do after all of this blows over?” She asked. “Would you be coming back here?”

“Oh, dragons.” He groaned. “I do not know, and I do not want to think about it right now. There is already enough to worry about at this current station.”

At the very least, having the mission of searching for Kyurem gave them a set path to follow for now. Emmet would worry about the future only after Plasma was done and taken care of, and not a moment sooner.

Ingo would probably have a plan of his own by then. He hoped so.

“…You would tell us, though, right?” Iris asked quietly, slowly. “You’d let me and Dad know if you were staying or going somewhere else?”

Emmet felt a lump suddenly grow in his throat. He huffed and roughly brushed at his eyes. “Of course. It is not our intent to leave and never say anything. You will know what our plan is when we make it.”

Iris nodded, leaning over to hug him again. “Okay… I just wanted to hear you say it.”

“I understand.” He hugged her back tightly, taking a deep breath. “I understand verrry much.”

They stayed like that until Emmet felt Iris pulling away. She sighed loudly through her nose and sat back again. She looked like she was done talking about heavy things. He was too, honestly.

“Now can you tell me if you actually know ninjas or not?”

Emmet just chuckled in answer, smiling wider when Iris grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.

———

Emmet decided to sleep in a little longer after he woke up the next morning to keep an eye on Ingo. Whatever it was that Reshiram did or showed had taken a lot out of his brother. Even after resting after the meeting, he still was able to sleep again after dinner, and soundly through the night. Everything seemed fine, aside from his fatigue. It didn’t seem like his brother was screwed over and taken advantage of for his memory.

But Emmet wanted to make sure.

He stirred awake for the second time that morning to a gentle hand in his hair. He opened his eyes to find Ingo watching him with a soft smile. It was one of the rare ones, that turned more than just the corners of his mouth.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.” Emmet yawned back. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a sliggo.” Ingo sighed. “I want to go on a patrol, a hike, something.”

“We could go to the river, by the house?” Emmet suggested. “We used to go there all the time when we were little. Maybe Iris would want to come?”

Ingo squinted a little more at the idea of bringing their sister along. “That sounds like a good idea.”

He got to his feet and pulled Emmet up after him. Emmet put his hands on Ingo’s shoulders to keep him from walking off. “You’re sure you’re okay?” He asked.

Ingo paused and looked at him, taking in his worried expression and putting a hand over his. “I am okay, Emmet. I promise.” He said softly.

“Okay… Okay.” Emmet pulled Ingo into a hug and held him close. “I just needed to check, after everything that happened yesterday.”

Ingo patted his back for added reassurance. “Something big happened, right?”

Emmet recapped the events with Ingo as they moved about their room. They took their time with getting ready, giving Ingo the opportunity to review his notes and write down anything he missed. Emmet wanted his brother to be able to recall as much as he could.

Eventually, Ingo started to hum to himself as he folded up the blankets that made up their bed on the floor. Emmet smiled as he recognized the pieces of a broken melody. It was one of the songs he managed to keep in his own brain even after years away from Unova, and one that Ingo could recognize quickly.

Probably because the running gag they made for it was funny to him.

Emmet debated on egging his brother on for only a moment before he decided to help with the lyrics.

“If I should stay… I would only be in your way… So I’ll go, but I know… I’ll think of you every step of the way…”

Ingo’s eyes immediately lit up in recognition, a smile turning the corners of his mouth. He joined Emmet in on the singing as Chandelure laughed and began to twirl through the air above them.

“I wish you joy and happiness… But above all this, I wish you love…”

Ingo swung open the door and stretched his arms over his head. Emmet grinned shamelessly as they both took a deep breath, and the morning quiet was shattered.

“AND IIIIIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOUUUUUU!”

Naturally, Ingo’s voice drowned his own out, but that was the point. Several pokemon were startled from outside, and Garchomp lifted her head from where she was sleeping to glare in at them through the window. Chandelure and Eelektross got caught up in the excitement and started to shriek and warble along happily. Other pokemon squawks and growls could be heard inside the house, and a door slammed open upstairs.

“What is going ON?!” Iris’s voice rose to an accusatory shout.

“GOOD MORNING!” Ingo shouted back as they came into the foyer.

“Morning!” Emmet cheerfully added.

Frantic steps scrabbled down the stairs and Ingo caught a colorful mess of feathers before it could bowl him over. Iris’s archeops screamed right in his face, nipping playfully at his sideburns.

“Everything all right in here?” Dad asked, poking his head out from the kitchen.

“Everything’s fine!” Emmet smiled.

Iris leaned over the railing to look down at them. “Look at that! You got him all riled up, first thing in the morning! Do you know how hard it is to get him to calm down?”

“My apologies!” Ingo started to laugh as he wrestled the pokemon into submission. Really laugh. His booming voice rang in the foyer as he pinned Archeop’s wings to his sides and tucked the pokemon under his arm like a large bundle of leeks.

Emmet had to completely stop what he was doing and take it in. He couldn’t remember the last time Ingo laughed like that. He couldn’t remember when he’d last seen Ingo this happy. Not since long before their arrival in Unova, for certain.

Dragons, he missed seeing him like this, so much.

He quickly dried his face before Ingo could see, and beamed as his brother excitedly told Iris of their morning plans in a voice much too wonderfully loud for the indoors. He glanced over at Dad, who was watching with a carefully neutral expression before he realized Emmet was looking his way.

Dad smiled warmly from under his beard, his shoulders falling in a quiet relief. Emmet came over to his side and leaned against him. Ingo and Iris continued to talk from the foot of the stairs and he moved a pacified Archeops onto his lap, running his hands along his feathers as the pokemon churred contentedly.

Everything was okay. Would be okay.

Chapter Text

Ingo chuckled when Ishimi turned him on the spot and set a couple of pouches of dried berries in his hand. He forgot that she always did this.

“I’m fairly certain you already gave us plenty of these.” He smirked faintly. “Save some for yourself.”

“I ended up with too much! I’ll never get through them in time.” She insisted, pushing his hand closer to his chest. “If nothing else you two can share them with your skyfaller friends, or Zisu. Tell her I said hello, by the way.”

“We will do that.” Emmet nodded, smiling.

“When was the last time you were in Jubilife?” Ingo asked. “You should come sometime and say hello to her in person.”

“Maybe I should. I haven’t been since that big the-world-didn’t-end festival. Sinnoh, that was already a year ago, wasn’t it?” She groaned loudly as she adjusted her crutch under her shoulder. “Fuck, time is stupid.”

“Language.”

Ishimi laughed unrepentantly and reached for him, taking off his hat. Ingo was already bowing his head before he could remember what he was doing.

“Be safe.” She muttered into his hair like a prayer, kissing the top of his head.

“I love you.” He whispered back.

She did the same to Emmet before hugging them both and letting them go. Garchomp started to wiggle excitedly from the edge of the settlement when they finally turned to her.

“We’ll see you again soon.” Ingo promised.

“Oh, you better.” She waved them off, already turning back to her yurt. Ambipom and Roselia ran ahead to get the door for her. “Don’t make me have to come up there, myself!”

Emmet chuckled as they went to Garchomp’s side. Ingo fed their pokemon a few aspear for the flight before he climbed aboard with his brother. A few of the clan kids were peering around from around one of the yurts, watching in anticipation.

“Check safety.” Emmet started.

Chandelure trilled before returning to her pokeball. Ingo grabbed the hand strap and gave it a tug. “Everything’s ready.”

“All aboard!” They shouted together.

Emmet whistled and Garchomp roared happily, getting to her feet and running a few paces from the settlement before she launched from the snow. The cheers of kids echoed behind them for only a moment before the sound of the wind rushing by was all Ingo could hear.

———

~~~~~~~

———

Ingo watched as Nana bent down and started to push dirt aside with her nose at the foot of a marked tree, with Iris draped over her back. Emmet leaned over in anticipation.

“This is it, girl?” Emmet asked, taking a sizable stick and helping her with digging.

Nana rumbled in confirmation while Iris nodded. “I haven’t been here in forever.”

“How do you know about this space?” Emmet asked, curious.

Iris smiled sheepishly. “Nana showed me when I wandered over here the first time after getting adopted.”

Ingo knelt and added his hands to the effort of digging for whatever it was Emmet was looking for. Iris peered around Nana’s head for a peek.

Emmet let out an excited cry as his stick connected with something metallic. “It’s still here!”

Ingo pulled out a square something and brushed the dirt off of a dented, metal box. Some sort of cartoon character was on the lid, and it looked like there had been a handle on one side at some point, but it had fallen off at some point.

“It’s our treasure hoard!” Emmet explained before Ingo could ask. He and Iris sat on the ground on either side of Ingo while Nana settled nearby. “We would collect what we found around the river and put it in here for safekeeping.”

Ingo flipped the latch and opened the lid, revealing a collection of oddly-shaped and colorful river stones, and an assortment of other small items. Ingo saw their names written on the inside of the lid in childish writing, faded with time.

“We have something similar at home.” Ingo recalled. “Had.”

Emmet nodded, smiling sadly. “We did. It was a good collection, too.” He paused and pulled out a shiny glass marble, then a glittery, pink, plastic figure. “I do not recognize some of these.”

“Those are mine.” Iris said, raising her hand a little. “I, um… I wanted to contribute to the trove, back then.”

Ingo smiled warmly at her. “They fit right in, it looks like.”

“Yup!” Emmet agreed. “It’s even better with the addition.”

Iris’s smile wobbled and she launched herself at Ingo, reaching out for Emmet to join.

“I’m gonna miss you guys at home.” She said. “I liked having my brothers around.”

That’s right. They were leaving Opelucid, for some reason. Ingo couldn’t remember why off the top of his head. He held her more securely and Emmet responded in kind, enveloping their sister in a sibling sandwich.

“You will still be able to contact us whenever you want.” Emmet smiled.

“And this isn’t forever, right?” Ingo said. “We will be back before you know it.”

Iris nodded, taking in a deep breath. “You better.”

Ingo gently rubbed her back and gave her a small squeeze. “We love you, Iris.”

“Yup. We do. Verrry much.”

Iris laughed softly, rubbing her face against Ingo’s shoulder. There was something in her posture, in the way she looked to be holding back her words that

“I love you, too.”

———

They returned from the river slightly muddier than before. Samurott and Iris’s haxorus got excited about playing in the water, and Iris decided to test Ingo’s reaction skills and launch herself out of a tree for him to catch her. Emmet managed to come away from it all mostly unscathed aside from getting splashed on, but Ingo wasn’t as lucky once Gliscor got involved.

There were people waiting for them at the front steps of the house. Siblings, about Iris’s age, accompanied with an odd samurott, and a fire type he’d never seen before. Something about them was familiar, especially since they looked at him like they knew who he was.

They looked wary, if he had to put a word to their demeanor.

“So, when are you leaving town?” The brother asked as they approached.

“I am Emmet. We are not sure yet.” Emmet answered. “There are supplies that we will need for traveling, among other things. The aim is to depart as soon as possible.”

Ingo frowned a little. Where were they going, exactly? He caught Emmet’s eye and signed the question.

“We will be looking for Kyurem.” Emmet explained softly. “We do not have a set destination yet, only that we need to get away from Opelucid. Hilda and Hilbert here will be looking for N in the meantime.”

Hilda’s eyes narrowed at the explanation as she pet her fiery partner. “…You said yesterday that you were strong.” She said. “I don’t like just going off of your word, though.”

“That’s fair.” Ingo conceded, putting a hand to his chin. “A battle would be the best way to explain our strength to you.”

She stood up from the front steps and met Ingo’s gaze meaningfully. “Show us, then. Show us that you can handle what’s ahead!”

Ingo straightened at the challenge, finally feeling like he could navigate something in this encounter with confidence.

“Very well.” He brushed a hand along his pokeballs as he glanced to his brother. “Shall we?”

“Full teams. No items.” Emmet said, his smile sharpening. “Make sure you take this seriously.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Hilbert agreed, nearly springing to his feet.

“Just make sure you do it on the battlefield.” Iris warned. “Dad wouldn’t be happy if the front of the house got torn up.”

“Speaking from experience?” Emmet teased.

Iris planted her hands on Emmet’s back and pushed him in the direction of the battlefield around the house. “Please don’t make me the most responsible one here. I’m younger than all of you!”

———

“Oh, my gods. You two were adorable.”

Elesa grinned as she looked at the photos on Ingo and Emmet’s old trainer IDs. Two ten year olds stared up at her from the pieces of plastic, with two versions of eager smiles, no doubt excited to finally have starters to call their own.

She laughed at another detail and turned the cards for them to see. “Look at that hair. It’s so fluffy.”

“Ishimi called us rufflets a lot when we were younger.” Emmet smiled.

“Washibon.” Ingo added fondly.

“I can see why she’d say that.” She looked over the new IDs and handed them back with the older ones. “But you guys are all set to go! This is exciting!”

“And just in time, too.” Ingo sighed. “I am ready to depart from this station as soon as possible.”

“Tent is going to be in your bag, Niisan.” Emmet noted to him.

Ingo nodded and bent over his paper again. “Right, thank you.”

Elesa looked around at the gear spread out around them. They were outside, and Emmet was filling their new travel packs while Ingo wrote down their inventory. Sleeping bags, cookware, their tent… a lot of their things were brand new, like the clothing Elesa helped them to get just that morning. She snipped off the tags on shirts, sweaters, and pants, and folded them into two piles for them to take.

“Bagin probably lived happily to the end of his days.” Emmet grumbled bitterly, grabbing a sleeping bag and tucking it away in deceivingly-roomy confines of the small pack.

“Did you guys know the Bagin?” Elesa blinked. It was possible, now that she thought on it. Bagin had ended up in Sinnoh sometime around the 1870s.

“He was a scam artist.” Emmet said, scowling. “He tried to bleed us dry of our savings!”

“I feel like I wasn’t very fond of him, either.” Ingo frowned.

She laughed in amusement at their reactions. “Unfortunately for you two, his name lives on as an established fashion brand. The designs that come from it are pretty high quality.”

“Terrible.” Emmet hissed. “Terrible man.”

“So, you knew the founder of one of the most well-known names in the fashion industry, and you knew the creator of the modern pokeball.” She smirked. “You guys sure get around.”

“I am Emmet. We will give you all the dirt on people’s ancestors.” He huffed softly.

Elesa’s smile faltered a little as she thought about Cynthia. She’d heard from her friend about what had happened at the PWT, and Ingo and Emmet’s reaction to seeing her photo. All Elesa really heard was that Dawn and Lucas had put their trust in a man who looked a lot like Cynthia, even after the twins’ warnings against him. It all culminated into a fight for their lives at the top of Mount Coronet, and an encounter with Giratina.

…Emmet had mentioned they met Giratina before. Had they been there when it happened?

She watched as Emmet stowed over a dozen pokeballs in the same side pocket between their packs. “You’re still keeping your team in their original pokeballs?” She asked.

“We haven’t talked to any of them about it yet.” Emmet said. He glanced to Ingo. “Got it down?”

“Got them.”

“If anything, letting them get healed up at stations and centers could be useful.”

“It would, but we are already used to these tracks.” Emmet frowned slightly. “We’ve all had to adapt in many ways already. If they want to keep something from home, then so be it.”

Ingo nodded in agreement, his own frown growing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was thinking more of the convenience.”

“It’s fine. It is what you are used to.” Emmet finished packing away their new clothes and gave Ingo a moment to finish his list.

Elesa looked between the packs thoughtfully. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “So… which one has…?”

Ingo didn’t know what she was referring to until Emmet signed something to him. “Oh, it’s here.” He patted at the leather pouches around his waist.

She stared at them for a moment. There wasn’t even a telltale lump to hint her at which one held the Light Stone. “How much can those things hold?”

“A lot.” Ingo answered simply.

Something about the delivery of his short answer made her laugh. “Yeah, I guess they do.” She chuckled.

“We added as much space to them as we could before Bagin’s prices got too ridiculous.” Emmet tsked.

“Well, I won’t tell you what the cost of their custom work is now, then.”

She glanced over when she heard a rustle coming from the bushes, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Garchomp crouched not even several feet away, staring at them with her head close to the ground.

“Shit, that scared me.” Elesa wheezed, putting a hand on her chest. Even though her friends finally convinced Garchomp that she was all right, behavior like this still made Elesa a little nervous.

“She can be verrry sneaky when she wants to be.” Emmet narrowed his eyes at their pokemon. “Just because you are staying still doesn’t mean we can’t see you, you know.”

Garchomp’s gaze flicked to Emmet for a moment before her pupils grew wide. With her cover blown, she stepped forward towards Ingo.

“Gaburias, dame! DAME!”

Ingo stumbled away from the two of them as Garchomp tried to grab at his belt with her teeth. The pokemon followed after and Ingo expertly dodged around her, grabbing her by the base of her horn and forcing her head to the ground.

“No!” He scolded in Kanjoh, frowning sternly. “Behave, or you’re getting no more treats! We can’t have another Lord Braviary situation.”

Garchomp huffed and whined loudly up at him, nudging her snout into his stomach. Ingo slowly let her go to pet the side of her head.

“I know you mean well, my dear, but I need you to trust us. We know what we are doing.” He wrapped his arms as best he could around her. “It will be all right. I promise.”

Garchomp stared up at Ingo’s body draped over her for a moment before she slowly stood. To Elesa’s surprise, Ingo didn’t move off of her. His feet left the ground as he wrapped his arms around her horns to secure himself. Elesa did not miss the way Emmet tensed ever so slightly, watching out of the corner of his eye.

“There’s a good girl.” Ingo bumped his forehead against Garchomp’s and gave her a small pat. “I love you very much.”