Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

   Thunderfangs sits in the dark hallway outside Emmet's bedroom door, the ends of a fuzzy purple blanket from the couch clutched in her pedipalps while the rest is draped across the hard wood floor. Her heart is pounding, tremors wracking her body as she sits frozen in her spot. She can hear her trainer's muffled sobbing in the silence — loud and wet and awful. Thunderfangs hates hearing Emmet cry… she fidgets with the fabric of the blanket, bunching it up and stretching it out in an effort to calm her nerves. All she can do is stare at the door, too afraid to go into the room. Emmet is alone in there. He needs company and support or something to at least distract him from his sadness! His door is still cracked open and ready for her to enter.

   But Thunderfangs can't move.

   It's been ages since she last saw Emmet like this. Years, even. Seeing him in such a sorry state now has bad memories taking hold of her, locking her in place. She can barely breathe.

   What happened to cause Emmet to spiral like this? He was fine this morning! He was smiling while he was pouring their Pokéfood into their bowls and cheerfully talking to her and her siblings. She remembers sitting in the kitchen with him and him patting her head, promising they would have a movie night tonight as he left for work. He was happy enough! And when he came home… Emmet was different.

   He didn't do any of the steps of his evening routine at all when he walked in the door. Didn't kick his shoes off by the mat like he always does or stop to greet her. He'd just come storming into the apartment like a monsoon, tossed his coat at the coat rack, and headed straight for his bedroom without a word. She had been in the living room at the time, tending to her mischievous Joltik who were trying to eat the batteries in the tv remote again. Thunderfangs had been happy to see him… then she got a glimpse of his face as he walked past — red and eyes wide with wild panic. He looked dead. Unsteady on his feet and stumbling like he'd been hit with a Confusion attack. Then he disappeared down the hall and the moment he was out of sight, she felt dread hit her like a speeding train.

   She was quick to send her Joltik to the playroom after that. Then she'd grabbed the first blanket she saw on the couch and went down the hallway too. She's been sitting outside his door since then. The sight of him alone has shaken her to her very core, leaving her stuck in this awful sinking feeling. She doesn't know what to do to help him.

   Thunderfangs could peek into his room and see him if she dared to move, but she remains frozen in her spot. The last thing she wants to do is accidentally make it worse! She'd seen firsthand how bad Emmet can get if he's pushed too far into a downward spiral — days spent staring listlessly at the ceiling or curled up in his bed wailing like a small child. Thunderfangs doesn't want to see him get as bad as he was when his brother first disappeared ever again… she was worried she was going to lose him too. So worried… but then Emmet started getting better and Aunty Elesa helped him and he hasn't broken down in ages!

   It's been almost two years since his last major breakdown, in fact. Two years where he got out of bed and ate and went to work and smiled — albeit small, but still there — almost every day. There were some days where he'd been quieter than usual or skipped some meals, but that was fine too. Emmet was still getting better overall. She thought her trainer was going to be okay. She thought he was doing good. But it seems she was wrong. Clearly, Emmet still isn't okay. And she can hardly blame him for that, can she? He never truly did recover from Ingo leaving even if he's stopped rotting in bed. None of them did… it's been five years since Ingo disappeared. And not a single one of those years has been easy, but their family has adapted. Or so she thought. If Thunderfangs had truly adapted, she wouldn't just be staring at Emmet's door! She'd be going inside and helping him! Yet here she stands, still not sure what to do. She feels helpless…

   Usually, she isn't the one who comforts Emmet. As much as she loves him, Thunderfangs does not think she is very good at comforting. Instead she resorts to being background support. She takes care of all the little things. Of bringing Emmet more blankets or helping her siblings move things around for him or just sitting in the same space as him to give him some company. That is how she helps best… but Thunderfangs can't fall into the background right now. She is the only one awake enough to comfort her trainer. Lavender is still sleeping in Ingo's bed — she'd checked on her a little while ago. Whistle and Darling are in the playroom with her Joltik and Mudball is sleeping in the laundry room. And she has no doubt that her siblings that went with Emmet on the subway today are exhausted in their Pokéballs. She truly is on her own.

   So what does she do? How is she supposed to help him? Thunderfangs doesn't want him to be sad anymore! But she feels useless! Thunderfangs clenches the blanket tighter in her pedipalps. If only she was brave like Papa was… if only he was here to comfort his brother! Then nobody would be sad and Thunderfangs wouldn't have to be worried about everything! But he's not here. And she's on her own to figure out how to help Emmet all over again! Thunderfangs brings the blanket up to hide her face.

   She doesn't want to do this again…

   "Thunderfangs? What's going on?" Comes the soft chime of Lavender's voice somewhere above her. She jumps, head snapping up towards the floating ghost. Lavender is hovering to her right, arms hanging low and flames dim. She looks… well, better than she has for a while and at least she's up and moving. Thunderfangs is happy to see her.

   "Lavender! I thought you were sleeping!" Though maybe it was silly of her to assume that now that she thinks about it. Lavender doesn't often sleep for very long and the last time she checked on her was over an hour ago, so it's not totally shocking that Lavender is awake now.

   The ghost's eyes squint a little more in what she recognizes as a small smile. "I was, but then I heard crying. Is he okay?" Lavender looks towards Emmet's door, her flames flickering a little brighter. "What happened?"

   Right! She should answer her question. She's getting distracted with her own thoughts and that's not going to help Emmet right now. Thunderfangs follows Lavender's gaze, shaking her head. "I don't know. I was in the living room when Daddy came home and he didn't say anything at all! He just went straight to his room and he's been crying since. I don't know what to do…"

   Lavender sighs. "I see. Does he have Captain in there?"

   She shakes her head. "No. He didn't let anyone out of their Pokéballs when he came home. He just left his coat by the door and went to his room. Daddy tried to throw it on the coat rack, but it landed on the floor. I heard a thunk when it did, so I think his Pokéballs are in the pockets."

   "Alright." Lavender motions down the hall. "Why don't you go fetch Captain and Archie's Pokéballs? I will go in and see how he's doing while you do that."

   Thunderfangs is all too happy to do that! She can be helpful and let Lavender comfort Emmet for now. Lavender is much better at that anyway. So, she nods, lifting up the blanket in her pedipalps. "Okay! You take this to Daddy, then. I'll go get them."

   Lavender's eyes light up and the blanket is lifted out of her hold. She watches the ghost bundle it up in the air before floating it closer to the door. "Very well. Hurry, please." With that, Lavender uses her Psychic to swing the door open. Then she disappears inside the dark room. Thunderfangs doesn't let herself peek inside, instead turning and heading down the hallway without so much as a glance. She doesn't want to face Emmet while he's in that state… because she has a mission to complete anyway and she can't be distracted and not because she's afraid.

   Thunderfangs isn't scared.

   Especially not of the sight of Emmet sobbing. Or of the memories of watching him waste away in his bed for days on end and wondering if he would survive the heartache… it's silly to be scared of something like that, isn't it? But… well. Thunderfangs will never forget the hours she spent sitting on top of him to try to get him to do something other than lie in bed. She'll never forget what it felt like to beg her siblings to eat their food and to not give up their hope. It took her hours or even days to reason with them about stuff like that and it was the most stressed she has ever been in her entire life. Thunderfangs tried her best to keep her family together during those first months and it took everything in her to do it. But she did it. And eventually her family started getting better. They were supposed to be better.

   So why is her daddy crying again? Why is this happening all over again? Why isn't he better? She knows he will never fully recover without Ingo — none of them ever will — but she thought she was done being afraid of Emmet's sorrow. She thought everything would be fine! But it's not… and now she's realizing it was silly of her to think that way in the first place. Maybe that's why she couldn't bring herself to enter Emmet's room. Thunderfangs didn't want to face the reality of that… and now she's running away again.

   She's a coward. A bad Pokémon. What kind of Pokémon leaves their trainer to suffer alone because they're too scared? No good Pokémon for sure…

   She wishes she could be brave.

   It doesn't take her long to reach the end of the hallway. When she does, she turns right towards the kitchen. All the lights are off in here too, but Thunderfangs isn't worried. There's nothing she could possibly step on or trip over and she made sure of that! She'd spent most of the day today picking up all the stuff that was on the floor — mostly Pokétoys or Emmet's discarded clothes or sometimes even trash. It had taken her a long time to go through all the rooms and do that, but she had finally finished cleaning a couple hours before Emmet came home. Thunderfangs is pretty proud of how clean the apartment is now.

   She walks around the small kitchen table, darting past a chair as she heads for the door. As she gets closer, she can see Emmet's white coat draped across the floor. It's probably going to get dirty if she leaves it there, so maybe she should clean it up too! She'll have to do that after she gets Captain and Archie to Emmet though. Her mission comes first… hopefully they can be braver than she is and help Emmet. She races over to the coat, hooking her tarsals on the collar and dragging it closer to herself.

   Thunderfangs sticks her pedipalps into his left pocket, rummaging around for the right Pokéballs. Emmet has engravings on all of his to tell them apart, which is helpful for her now! She feels the tops of all of them until she finds the one with a thunderbolt and the one with the feather on it. Once she does, she rolls both of them out of the pocket. Captain's falls out first, tumbling across the ground before bumping against her right leg and coming to a stop. She pays it no mind for now, rolling Archie's ball out next. It doesn't go as far, only rolling once before coming to a stop in front of her.

   She steps away from Captain's ball, then taps the button with her leg. As the bright flash starts to form, she turns to Archie's ball and does the same. Then she steps back from both of the Pokéballs and waits for her brothers to appear.

   Surprisingly, Archie appears first — maybe he has more energy right now than Captain does. He lands on the floor with a soft thud, shaking out his wings and fluffing his feathers up. Then Captain appears right after, wiggling in the air for a moment before blinking sleep out of his eyes. Oops… looks like he was resting. She feels bad for having to interrupt, but she knows this is important. So she buzzes at them and both of their heads snap towards her. "Sorry to wake you, but Lavender told me to come get you. Daddy is having another episode, I think."

   Captain whines, his crest fin flattening against his head. "Really? But it's been so long…" He murmurs, shaking his head.

   Archie butts in. "Where is he?"

   She turns and motions back towards the hallway. "He's in his room with Lavender." Both Captain and Archie follow her gaze towards the hallway. Then Captain floats forward a little bit.

   "Okay. Thunderfangs, can you get him one of the water bottles out of the fridge? Archie and I will go help Lavender." He doesn't look back at her, instead floating towards the hallway. Archie starts to follow him, tapping his wing against Thunderfangs' head as he passes. Then he takes off running when Captain disappears down the hallway. She watches her siblings with a sigh. Once they're gone, Thunderfangs glances towards the kitchen to her left.

   Water would probably help.

   Thunderfangs can at least grab one of the bottles for her trainer and bring it to him. Then she doesn't have to stay for long. Just drop the water and run… she feels awful about not wanting to sit with Emmet. She's terrible.

   She turns towards the kitchen, then goes to take a step.

   "Psst."

   Thunderfangs freezes in her tracks. That's not a voice she recognizes…

   Is there an intruder in the apartment?!

   She whips around, searching the space for any signs of someone in her home. Thunderfangs is tempted to call for her siblings or to open another one of Emmet's Pokéballs, but decides against it. She doesn't want to cause a scene. And if she can handle this on her own, she doesn't need to worry anyone else! So, Thunderfangs will see what she can do by herself first.

   Her gaze scans the living room. It's dark and empty, no signs of break in or of another Pokémon's presence. Thunderfangs doesn't let her guard down though, charging up her electricity. It buzzes across her body as she slowly walks towards the living room. She'll defend her family with her life if she has to! "Who's there?! Show yourself! This is my home and you're not welcome here!"

   There's a soft chuckle that has Thunderfangs freezing again, all of the electricity she'd built up fizzling out. Then the voice is speaking once more. "Thou art most ferocious! I doth quiver in mine hall O' Great Electric One. Ah, but I assure thee I mean thy home and thy family no harm. I hath a request for thee. Well, rather, I wish to return what was lost to thee and require thine assistance." The stranger's voice echoes oddly, the sound seeming to bounce around the walls of the apartment. It has a shiver rolling over her. Thunderfangs has no idea where it's coming from and she really doesn't like that! She looks around again, still finding nothing.

   "Where are you? And who are you? Why should I trust you?" She glares at the empty space in the living room, hoping to intimidate whoever is speaking to her.

   "Ah, forgive mine lack of greeting. Twas most rude of me. A moment, if thou wilt allow 't." Before Thunderfangs can say anything, she sees something flash in the window right next to the balcony door. Her eyes snap towards the flash, finding something hovering outside in front of the window. It's hard for her to see exactly what it is from where she's standing, but she thinks it looks like some sort of oddly shaped golden ring. Thunderfangs can't pull her eyes away from it. "There! Now thou can see mine token. Ahem, allow me to properly introduce mineself. I am that which humans call Arceus. I doth come to thee for thine assistance, Electric One. See, there hath been… an accident. A human from this time and space wast cast into a land in the distant past by mine inverse. Twas a mistake that could not be fixed while that time wast fragile, but now 't is stable and he may be’st returned. He hath begged I return him to his 'proper station' as he called 't. So I did… and I fear I hath misplaced him and his young again. If I try to move them once more, their bodies wouldst not be’st able to handle 't and I shall do damage to this space and time. Mine sincerest apologies for this inconvenience, but I must request that thou go retrieve him if thou wouldst be’st so kind."

   Thunderfangs blinks. Once. Twice. She is having trouble understanding what this being, Arceus, is saying to her. The way it speaks is confusing… still, she thinks she understands the gist for what it is asking her to do. "You want me to go find a stranger? I can't! My daddy is upset right now and I need to help him!" Maybe it's not a great idea to tell Arceus that Emmet is in a more or less helpless state, but that's all she could think of to say! She can't afford to be dragged away to help someone she doesn't know and she'll use any excuse she can! "And why are you asking me anyway? Couldn't you ask another Pokémon?"

   "Oh! Mine apologies again. I wast under the impression that this is that human's home. The human here shares a similar soul pattern to that of Ingo's… hmm. Perhaps I wast mistaken. Very well. Then I shalt find another. Good day, Electric One."

   Wait a minute. Did it say Ingo?! Thunderfangs scampers over to the window as the ring starts to disappear. "WAIT! Wait, wait!" Her shouting does the trick and the ring stops dissolving. Arceus hums in question as she reaches the window. She presses her tarsals against the glass as she stares up at the ring. "Did you say Ingo? That's my papa's name! Why didn't you say that before?"

   It's quiet for a moment, then Arceus laughs. "Ah, mine mistake once more. Thou art correct, perhaps I should have led with that. Yes, little one. Thy 'Papa' hath been returned to thy time. I hath misplaced him in the… oh, what do humans call 't? The… the small forest in the middle of the towers of glass and metal. Ingo is there with his young. I told the humans to wait for thy guide, which I hath hoped would be’st thee."

   She still can't fully understand what Arceus is saying, but what she does puzzle out certainly changes Thunderfangs' mind! It's saying that Ingo is in what she thinks must be the park with… his young? Does that mean Ingo has babies of his own!? Oh, Thunderfangs wants to meet them so bad! And if she can bring Ingo back to Emmet, then he'll be happy again! That's much better than bringing him a bottle of water! She can't wait to actually make her daddy happy! Thunderfangs has to hold her electricity back so she doesn't release a Discharge in the living room. "I can bring Papa back! But I have a question first." It's a question she's sure Emmet will be asking too once Ingo is back home and one she wants to be able to answer herself when her siblings ask.

   "Yes, I thought thou might. Ask away, mine child."

   Thunderfangs looks away from the glowing ring for a moment, glancing back towards the hallway. "You said he was taken away by accident and you brought him back home… how did you get him back?"

   Arceus is quiet for a moment. Then it sighs. "Well…"

   Two hours earlier…

   The dark river churns and bubbles at his feet, splashing against his shins as he walks barefoot across the rocks. Every step he takes through the ice cold water burns more than the last and despite not being able to see very well, he can tell his skin is turning red. With the frigid air around him and the water he's wading through working together, Ingo has no doubt about that. He's only wearing his Pearl tunic and his pants are rolled all the way up to his thighs in an effort to keep himself as dry as possible— plenty of skin exposed to the air. And he's been out in the river for a little while now too. Enough time has passed that his muscles are tense, goosebumps are spreading across every inch of his body and his teeth are chattering. All of these conditions are warning signs for developing hypothermia. Ingo is certain he shouldn't stay out in the cold for much longer if he doesn't want to get sick… but that doesn't stop him. He just continues to carve his way through the middle of the river with the worn, wooden handle of a spear clutched tight in his hands.

   Hisui's cold doesn't bother him anymore. Or, at least, it doesn't bother Ingo as much as it did when he first awoke in Hisui. The first couple seasons he spent living in the Icelands with his clan had been nothing short of torture while his body was adapting to the cold. He was sick for almost a whole year. But over time he grew used to it. He weathered the ice and snow and the frigid nature of the region for three years before he left the Icelands. And as a result, Ingo easily took to the less cold weather of the Highlands when he became a warden. Having to live in the harsh conditions of this world has taught him how to adapt to survive. And survive he has. The river water is nothing compared to all of that. Though survival is not what has him awake in the middle of the night, splashing around in the river.

   Ingo needed a way out of his head.

   His day had been… rough, to say the least. It was a day full of endless tasks to complete and what felt like hundreds of people requesting his assistance. As a result, he hadn't had a moment of rest since he got up in the morning to tend to Lady Sneasler. Instead, Ingo was running around with his children — helping Rei complete more of his research tasks for the Galaxy Team or teaching Akari how to handle her Pikachu. Then he was helping Warden Melli wrangle some of his rogue Voltorb, which resulted in Ingo retaining an injury on his right forearm from an explosion. Then he was called back to Jubilife to teach more Security Corps trainees proper battling practices. Then finally he had to run all the way back to his hut in the Lonely Springs to cook dinner for his family.

   He had so many tasks to complete all while battling the fuzziness in his head and the beginnings of a nasty migraine that will probably set in sooner or later. And even after all of that, after his children were put to bed and his Pokémon were returned to their balls, Ingo could not rest. He tried — valiantly so — but every attempt he made to calm his restless mind was met with failure. Ingo tossed and turned for hours, haunted by those same foggy images of a figure in white and a smiling face that have been tormenting him for years. Another night of waking up from bouts of light sleep with tears in his eyes and a longing in his heart… it's been that way every night all week. Always the same nightmare about that man in white. Which does strike Ingo as odd, actually. Those night terrors usually only happen every once in a while, but recently that hasn't been the case. He'd spent almost an hour staring at the ceiling of his hut and wondering if he should be worried about the fact he's losing so much sleep or not.

   In the end, he stopped trying to decide — it was making the dull ache in his head worse. And soon after that, he grew tired of tossing and turning in his futon. So he got up and checked on his children, then he left and grabbed the fishing spear that was sitting up against the side of the hut.

   Ingo wanted time to himself, but he didn't want to stray too far from his family in case he was needed. So, he's found himself fishing in the river right outside the hut again. In the cold and wet, trying to force himself not to think about everything that's bothering him. Somehow, he always ends up in the water. Whether he is fishing or jumping across the rocks or just standing alone in the rushing current, he's drawn to the river like a magnet. Ingo isn't sure why he does it. Why he feels the need to be in the cold water when he's in a poor state of mind. Perhaps the cold is distracting enough to turn his attention away from his thoughts and maybe the act of fishing is one he can just easily fall into to forget the world around him… or maybe it has more to do with his rippling reflection. That distorted image of someone who shares his face...

   Sometimes he talks to it. Tells it all the little details about his life that nobody else wants to listen to. It feels nice to be able to get all his worries off his chest, even if he knows his method is… strange. He pretends that it talks back too, whispering reassurances and praise for how he's managed to keep himself from falling apart completely. It sounds different than his own voice in his head — something more monotone, yet still holds so much expression beneath its bluntness. Something only he can fully understand. It helps some days to pretend, tricking his brain into believing he's doing alright. Others it only makes the never-ending ache worse and then not even the cold can save him from his mind.

   Tonight he just feels hollow. He can't see his reflection in the pitch black water and the voice in his head isn't present.

   Ingo is alone.

   He's not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Maybe it's a little bit of both. Either way, it doesn't change anything so it isn't really worth his time to keep wondering about that. Ingo had learned the hard way that getting lost in his head is always a bad thing. He might as well just focus on the world around him instead.

   A heavy sigh escapes him as he pauses in his tracks. He's standing on a large rock a little closer to the riverbank now, right where the shallow rapids feed into the larger pool towards the end of the river. The pool is where most of the fish Pokémon in the area live. He's seen several different species swimming around together or fighting over territory — usually it's quite an active space for wild Pokémon. But tonight the river is quiet. As it always is once the sun sets. By now it's late enough that even nocturnal Pokémon that live in the area have started retreating to their dens or burrows. So, Ingo doubts he's going to be able to find anything to fish. If he does, that would be nothing sort of a miracle! Though Ingo has very little faith that will be happening… fishing was only a distraction anyway.

   Something rustles on the riverbank.

   Ingo's heart leaps into his throat, body tensing. He points the spear in the direction of the sound as he whips towards it, bracing himself for a fight in case it's a wild Pokémon. What his gaze lands on is, in fact, a Pokémon, but not a wild one. A familiar figure with sandy brown fur and a light pink glow around her body is hovering near the water. His Alakazam has her spoons clutched tight in her hands, worry clear in her expression as she coos at him. Ingo lowers his spear, taking a step towards her. "Azalea, is something the matter?" She coos at him again, then floats to the side to point at something. Or, rather, someone.

   When Azalea moves, she reveals his daughter. Akari is standing there barefoot in the dirt, her purple nightgown — which Ingo had spent days hand sewing for her — fluttering in the breeze. She brings one of her hands up to rub at her eyes, then to push a piece of her messy bangs out of her face. The other arm is wrapped tightly around her clearly half asleep Pikachu, who appears… scared? His eyes are blown wide and his ears are pressed flat against the top of his head; clear signs of distress. "Daddy? Can I talk to you?" Akari says after a moment, letting her hand fall away from her face to wrap around Fuzzy again. Her voice grabs his attention immediately — thick and wavering as if she'd been crying.

   Ingo nods without a second thought, already starting to make his way across the rocks as his heart sinks to his feet. "Always, Sweetheart. Give me a moment, I'll come to you." Akari sniffles as she nods, taking a step back from the water to wait for him. He tries to keep his gaze focused on the rocks, taking care to not fall in his haste to get back to the riverbank, though he can't stop himself from stealing glances up at his daughter. Akari doesn't move from her spot, but she does bury her face into Fuzzy's back while she's waiting. He's very concerned about the tears in her eyes and the sniffling. She's obviously crying about something, but also seems way too calm if she really is upset about something. It's… eerie in a way. Ingo doesn't know what to make of that, but he supposes he'll find out what the problem is soon enough.

   It takes him a few moments, but eventually he's stepping out of the water and onto the dirt. He tosses his spear onto the ground as he tries to shake off some of the water running down his legs. Ingo isn't very successful at removing the water, but he doesn't want to waste time. So, he ignores the mud forming beneath his feet as he walks the rest of the way to his daughter. In an effort to try to cheer her up, Ingo tries to joke with her as he comes to a stop in front of her. "Pulling into the Akari Station now. Choo, choo!" She looks up at him, the tears glistening in her eyes much clearer now that he's closer. Ingo can feel his frown pulling deeper. "Now tell me what's wrong, my little conductor. Did something happen while I was away?"

   As if his words were some kind of trigger, Akari bursts into sobs. He flinches as he watches Akari lean down to put Fuzzy on the ground before throwing herself at Ingo. He grunts as her full weight is flung at him, hands shooting down to catch her. She wraps her arms around his torso and buries her face into his stomach with a loud wail. "I was so worried! You weren't in bed and Rei keeps saying you left! And… and why did you leave, daddy?! Why!?" Her words are muffled in the fabric of his tunic, but Ingo can still hear the panic and stress in her tone as clear as day.

   She sounds terrified… Ingo glances over at Azalea, looking for some kind of answer. She just whines and lowers her head.

   Something is wrong.

   Ingo looks back down at his daughter, running his hand over her hair in an effort to comfort her at least a little bit. "Shh, shh… I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to scare either of you! I assure you I meant only to step out for a moment." Ingo pauses to push Akari back a little so he can crouch down in front of her. She sniffles, rubbing at her face again as she meets his eyes. Ingo clicks his tongue, hands coming up to cup her cheeks and wipe away the tears sliding down them. "Hey… it's alright, Akari. I just needed a moment to myself is all. I was having trouble sleeping. I promise I was going to come back!"

   Her expression falls into a pout, bottom lip quivering. "You promise? You promise you didn't try to leave us? Because Rei said you were gone!" The tears in her eyes start forming faster and the fear in her voice grows clearer. Ingo's eyebrows furrow.

   "Try to leave you? Gone!? What on earth are you talking about, Akari?" She looks away from him, glancing over to Azalea. Azalea whines back, looking over to the hut in the distance… Ingo follow both of their gazes. Is something wrong with Rei? Ingo pats Akari's shoulder to get her attention again. "Akari? Sweetheart, tell me what's wrong." He looks back to her, trying to figure out anything he can through her body language. Ingo isn't very successful…

   Akari sniffs as her eyes meet his again. "Rei was saying weird things! He woke up crying and then I woke up and I don't know what's wrong! He won't talk to me! He just keeps staring at the corner and screaming at something to bring you back! I'm scared, daddy…" her words taper off into a whine, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Please come back! I don't know what to do!"

   Panic shoots through his system like a Bullet Punch. Ingo wastes no time in scooping Akari into his arms and starting off towards the hut. He can hear Fuzzy and Azalea trailing behind him as he all but sprints across the area, but he pays them no mind for now. Ingo's only focus is getting to his son. And thankfully, it doesn't take all that long to reach the hut — by Palkia is he glad he decided not to go too far away to clear his head…

   Ingo throws the door open, charging into the dark room and setting Akari down on the floor. Almost as soon as he's in the door, Ingo spots the problem. His son is curled up on his futon, blankets engulfing his trembling form. The only part of Rei that Ingo can see is his face poking out of the blankets and more specifically, his eyes. Rei's eyes are locked on the furthest corner of the room, glassy and wide and unblinking. Ingo isn't sure he's ever seen Rei look quite as terrified as he does right now, even when he was facing down legendary Pokémon for crying out loud! Ingo glances at his daughter, who is now cowering by the door with Azalea behind her and Fuzzy curled around her legs, before taking a tentative step closer. "Rei? Rei, what's going on?" Ingo's voice is shaking more than he would like it to, but he manages to force his words out.

   Rei doesn't respond. Doesn't even blink. He's practically catatonic! Ingo can feel his hands start to shake.

   He takes another few steps closer, but stops again. Ingo is afraid that he'll just scare Rei more if he gets too close. He'll just have to try to get his son's attention from a distance. Ingo clears his throat, steeling his nerves. "Rei! Rei, answer me! Rei! Can you hear me?!" He says, voice louder than it had been moments ago. And by the grace of whatever god is watching over them, it works. Rei flinches, head snapping towards Ingo. He stares. Blinks. Then he throws his blankets off.

   "Dad?!" Rei shrieks as he practically leaps out of his futon. He bolts across the hut, slamming into Ingo's stomach just like Akari did by the river. Rei doesn't bury himself in Ingo's tunic though. Instead, he whips around to wildly point to the corner he'd been staring at. "It's back! Dad -back! I- I thought… thought it took you! It said it was taking you!" Rei's words come out jumbled and almost delirious — Ingo can't make sense of anything he's saying.

   Ingo puts his hands on Rei's shoulders, trying to turn his son to face him. "Rei, please! I need you to calm down! I can't understand what you're saying. Please, pull the breaks! I'm right here and everything is okay. Alright?" Rei whips back towards him, eyebrows furrowing and mouth flapping for a moment. He shakes his head, but doesn't say anything. Ingo sinks into a crouch, tightening his hold on Rei's shoulders when he tries to turn back to the corner again. "Rei. Rei, look at me." It takes a bit of coaxing, but eventually his son makes eye contact with him. Ingo tries to smile at him, though he doubts he's very successful. "What's wrong? Who are you talking about?"

   Rei looks down at the floor, hand coming up and wildly motioning at nothing. He can't seem to figure out what to say. So, he motions to the corner and shouts. "Arceus!"

   Ingo doesn't even get a moment to question that before the whole room lights up. Rei flinches with a yelp, throwing himself at Ingo again and clinging to his side. His hands clench tightly into his tunic, as if he's afraid to let go. A moment later, he hears footsteps race across the floor and then his daughter pressing is herself against his other side and hiding her face. Ingo hooks an arm around both of them, eyes focused on the slowly materializing figure in the corner of the room.

   It starts as a simple blob of glowing white. Then it starts to twist and contort, the shape moving like sludge. Ingo can only watch in horrified fascination as the blob stretches into a four-legged creature with a golden ring wrapped around its body and a long neck. Its neck raises after a moment, head turning towards Ingo before its glowing red and green eyes slide open. The figure blinks a couple times before its gaze flicks towards Ingo. He's frozen in place, arms around his children and heart pounding in his chest.

   Arceus…

   Ingo knows that name somehow. And the being that stands before him now seems somewhat familiar too. He gets the feeling that this creature is banned from something, but he no longer recalls what… not that is truly matters as the strange creature finishes forming. Whatever that something is clearly isn't his hut and this thing is his problem now.

   What does it even want anyway?

   A voice laughs, the sound bright and cheerful despite the situation. "Oh by the great stars! Thou art most protective of thy young, Ingo! How charming." The creature in the corner tilts its head a bit as Ingo's heart nearly stops. Did it just refer to him by name?! "Art thou upset? I sense thou art frightened… be not afraid. I hath come to help thee, not to harm thee. Oh, and thy little ones too of course."

   Ingo simply can't process anything it just said, staring blankly at the figure for who knows how long before Rei slowly lifts his head. His son glances up at him before turning to glare at Arceus. "You want to… help?" Rei pauses, moving to sit up a little more. "If you just wanted to help, then why did you scare me like that!? You could have just said that instead of coming into my head to tell me you're taking my dad!"

   Arceus perks up, then lowers its head. It appears… bashful? "Ah, mine champion! Forgive mine mistake… I wast simply excited to see thee… perhaps I wast too eager… I beg thy forgiveness for frighting thee and thy family. Twas not mine intention… I simply thought it easiest to speak to thee through thy dreams." It bows its head a little more. "Doth thou not remember thine wish, Rei? Twas made when thou bested me in battle on the mount. Thou wished to return with thy father to his proper home. Yes? I told thee then that thou must wait for time and space to settle and now ‘t is time. I thought thou wouldst like to know as soon as possible, so I made haste to thee. Or hath I made a mistake?"

   Ingo is beyond lost. He glances between Rei and Arceus, who apparently know each other… well, Ingo isn't too surprised about that actually. Rei has gotten into his fair share of strange situations. At this point, Ingo should hardly bat an eye! Still, this is shocking. He isn't sure what to make of this. Though it sounds like they're talking about him, so perhaps he should say something? Ingo clears his throat and the eyes of the being immediately flick towards him. He fights the urge to shrink back. "Uh… sorry. Can we pull the brakes for a moment? I am afraid I am lost. What are you talking about?"

   The figure lets out a huffing sound that Ingo could almost interpret as being one of amusement. "I should explain." It lifts its head back up, standing proud once more. "I am the being whom sent Rei to this land. Mine task is what led to him quelling thy nobles and saving this time and space. Ah, but that is not important now. Rei won the battle and thus I owe back a gift. Thy son wishes for thee to go home, so I shall send thee home."

   All the air in his lungs seems to rush out in a single breath. It's going to send him home? Back to the world he came from? With his kids too? This… this feels too good to be true. This can't be true! "I-… home?"

   Arceus nods. "Indeed. Thy displacement in Hisui wast… an unfortunate consequence of mine inverse's treacherous behavior. I offer mine sincerest apologies for thine experience. Truly… I hath also spoken to mine inverse about thy memories. Giratina stated thy memories would come back to thee in due time. Thou needst only patience and thy family." It steps closer, though not by much. "Now I fear I doth not have time to explain more. If thou wishes to go home on this night, thou must leave soon. No time for delay or thee shalt miss thine opening."

   Akari speaks up now, head lifting away from Ingo. "Wait! What about…" she pauses to glance up at Ingo, her expression falling as she presses herself tighter against his side. "What about our friends? Won't they miss us? And… and what about me? I don't want my daddy and Rei to leave me forever!"

   Ingo hadn't even considered the possibility that he would be ripped away from Akari… but now that she brings it up, the potential reality of that has fear taking hold of him too. He's only known Akari for a few short years, but in the time they've had Ingo has grown to love her dearly. They met at the training grounds back when Ingo had first accepted his position there. She was a bright eyed young lady who sought help in bonding with her Pikachu — practically attached to his hip ever since the day they met. Ingo would never forgive himself if he allowed her to be left behind. He squeezes her a little tighter, looking back to Arceus with a desperation in his eyes.

   To his surprise, something softens in Arceus' expression. "Fear not, little one. Twas mine intention to send thee off with thy family already. I hath made special arrangements for thee… as for thy friends, I shall send a message to the leaders of the clans to inform them of what became of thee. They shalt know thou art well, but I fear I can do more than that. Mine sincerest apologies."

   Akari tears up, looking towards Ingo and then at Rei. She looks conflicted for a moment. Only a moment. Akari takes a deep breath and blinks away her tears, then her expression shifts to one of determination. There's a fire blazing in her eyes as she looks back to Arceus. "Fine. As long as I get to go with my brother and my dad, I don't care what happens!"

   "Thou art most brave, child. I commend thee." With that, Arceus takes a couple more steps forward. They stop in the middle of the room, casting a glance around the space. Its eyes meet Ingo's again. "I shalt give thee a moment to gather thy belongings. Then thou must depart."

   That's all the push Ingo needs before he's helping his kids to their feet and getting ready to pack up their stuff.

   "- and so that is what happened. After Ingo and his young gathered their belongings, I sent them back to this time and space… ah, but I fear I hath missed mine mark. I intended to toss them back to this residence… but I overshot 't and they art misplaced once more. Thus, I require that thee go find them… please." Arceus says, guilt clear in its tone.

   Thunderfangs finds herself sitting in shock now that the story is finished, still staring up at the golden ring. Honestly, she is having trouble figuring out what to say now. She'd realized she was talking to the creator of the universe sometime in the middle of the story and has been sitting in that shock since! Oh and on top of the shock, she's also surprised that Arceus seems to feel guilty about what happened! She thought for sure that it would be a more stoic figure or act somewhat detached, but clearly she was wrong. It sounds like it cares a lot more than she expected. Thunderfangs doesn't know what to make of that information… "Electric One? Thou art quiet now. Art thou giving me the- oh I hath forgotten the term… what wast 't again? Ah! Yes, I recall now. Art thou giving me the 'silent treatment'? Hath I not answered thy question or doth thou require more information? Hath I upset thee?"

   Arceus' words pull Thunderfangs out of her thoughts. She shakes her head to clear her mind a little more, refocusing on the conversation she's supposed to be having. "Sorry! I was just thinking. I'm listening now!"

   The glow around the ring gets brighter and she swears she can feel a wave of warmth wash over her. "Ah, I see! Most splendid. Now that thou art listening, wilt thou answer mine call?" Arceus' ring floats closer to the window, tapping against the glass. "I beg thee! If mine champion doth not get home posthaste, then Rei shalt not like me anymore. I wouldst be most sad if mine champion hated me."

   Thunderfangs just keeps hearing more shocking things with every passing moment! If she didn't know any better, she would think that Arceus is desperate for this 'Rei' person's approval! It's almost funny to see Arceus get so worked up over potentially disappointing Rei, but she won't laugh at Arceus' plight. Thunderfangs knows what it's like to be afraid of disappointing someone she cares about, which is why she has to trust Arceus and go find Ingo. As soon as Ingo is home, everything will be alright again.

   She can be brave just this once. For her daddy.

   "I'll do it! I want to go save Papa and bring him home." She casts a glance towards the still dark hallway. By now her siblings have probably calmed Emmet down at least a little bit… they don't need her help. Thunderfangs is certain they'll be able to handle their trainer while she's gone, so she'll throw all of her focus into bringing her other one home. Full steam ahead! Thunderfangs turns back to the window with determination burning in her heart. "I'm ready! But I need help opening the window so I can get outside." She waves her pedipalps around. "These don't work so good for opening heavy things."

   A loud bout of giddy laughter rings out through the silence. "Oh wondrous! Thou art a kind soul, O' Mighty Electric One! I am in debt to thee!" Thunderfangs finds herself laughing along with Arceus, happy that she could bring The Creator some amount of joy. They laugh together for another moment before Thunderfangs taps the window with her tarsal. Arceus' laughter immediately dies and it clears its throat. "Oh! Yes, right. Window. The window. I hath got 't. A moment, please." With that, the ring gets so bright Thunderfangs has to turn away. She stares at the floor as she hears the hushed slide of the window being raised, waiting for the click of the pane reaching its limit. Thankfully she doesn't have to wait long and as soon as the window is open, the light dies down.

   Thunderfangs turns to Arceus as a gust of chilled wind rushes into the apartment, excited static racing across her body. She wastes no time in scampering forward, tarsals hooking on the windowsill as she drags herself off the floor. It takes some maneuvering, but eventually she manages to get up and over the sill. Then she drops down onto the metal balcony with a thump, legs giving out under her. "Oof!"

   Arceus' ring swoops down so close that all her eyes have to cross in order to see it. "Art thou well? Twas quite a tumble! I wish not to see thee injure thyself!"

   She just shakes herself as she rises back up on her legs. "I'm fine! Ready to depart for the Papa station! Full steam ahead! Woo, woooo!"

   "I… doth not understand what thou hast proclaimed, but I agree regardless!"

   Thunderfangs giggles to herself at Arceus' response, one of her pedipalps rising to bat the ring away. The metal is warm against her tarsal and touching it sends a wave of static rushing over her limb. Its electricity is slightly sparkier than her own, which makes her laugh a little harder as she pokes at it. It tickles! She hears Arceus make a huffing noise before the ring lifts up into the air over her head and out of her reach. Thunderfangs clicks her mandibles as her giggles die down. "You're verry funny, you know? I like you! Even if you're an intruder."

   "I am humorous? But I hath told no jokes! And I am no 'intruder'. I didst not enter thy home!"

   She lifts her pedipalps in that 'shrugging' motion she sees Emmet do a lot. "Intruders can be waiting right outside too! That's what Daddy always says when he tells us not to answer the door to stranger-dangers! And I don't think you always have to tell jokes to be funny." Thunderfangs isn't certain of that necessarily, but she still has a feeling it must be true. She'd seen it happen more times than she can count, after all! Emmet, Ingo, and Aunty Elesa were always laughing together all the time before Ingo disappeared, even when none of them had really told a joke… her Daddy was especially funny before he became sad.

   Thunderfangs could never fully understand what exactly they were saying to each other — cons of not being able to use human words — but she could always hear their delight when Emmet was messing around. He made both of them laugh the most… but now the apartment is always really quiet whenever Aunty Elesa visits. No more loud laughter or silly games or telling light hearted jokes. Everything is hollow. They still make jokes, she knows, but their laughter doesn't feel as funny anymore. It's just a little too dull. And always far too quiet.

   Any happiness she'd been feeling melts away back into that tight feeling in her heart — the one that has been hurting her all day. She blinks away the odd stinging in her eyes.

   There's a golden glow flickering on her right in her peripheral vision. Thunderfangs raises her head — she didn't even notice she'd looked down — to face Arceus' ring. For a moment, the world is still. She can hear the howling of the wind as it carves its way around the building and the muffled talking of humans on the street below her, but everything else is too quiet. Too empty. Thunderfangs stares at the ring until the light makes her eyes hurt, then she turns her gaze away to stare down at the bustling streets. Only then does Arceus speak up again. "Art thou… okay? I sense thou art upset and thou art quiet now. What ails thee, Electric One?"

   She doesn't say a word.

   In all honesty, Thunderfangs is trying to figure that question out for herself too. All day today she's been feeling strange — like she was fighting against the roaring current of a whirlpool attack. That's why she went through the trouble of cleaning the apartment and making sure her siblings and her babies were all okay throughout the day… she wanted to keep herself from sinking. And oh was it easy for her to lose herself in that same old routine she'd followed for years…

   Because she had to do it.

   Thunderfangs had to make sure nothing was out of place, even though her siblings are doing fine now and could have helped her. Thunderfangs didn't ask. Couldn't ask. She was on her own, but she wasn't really and… and it's been years since Thunderfangs had to keep her home together like that. Yet she found herself running through those awful motions all over again with ease, trying to hide from her memories of all the sad and scary things that happened since her Papa went missing and the stress of being all alone while trying to keep her family from sinking too low. It was terrible to be stuck in that life or death mindset again. But by some sort of divine cruelty, it was better too. Better to focus on the feeling of being the only thing standing between her loved ones and total ruin than… Ingo.

   And isn't that the root of all of it? If she didn't keep herself busy, she knew she'd start thinking about Ingo again and Thunderfangs didn't want to hurt like she always does when she remembers Papa. So she lost herself in that same old routine of not thinking at all.

   That's what is bothering her. That's what has been bothering her since that fateful night five years ago. Thunderfangs refused to let herself grieve her papa like everyone else did because if she let herself sink, then nobody would have survived the storm surge. Instead, she spent her time building shelters and dragging everyone else out of the water. And maybe that's why she's such a coward. She didn't weather the flood like everyone else. Didn't skip meals for days or waste away in her sorrow like everyone else. She's been sitting safely on dry land this whole time, refusing to let herself be brave enough to feel anything! It's not fair to anyone that she has barely even cried since Ingo went away… barely even cared. She'd gotten into a lot of arguments with her siblings those first years because of that; how 'heartless' she was. And Thunderfangs doesn't blame them at all. She was heartless. She didn't miss Papa! She…

   No. That's a lie.

   Everything she has done since Ingo left was because she missed him. Because she loved him and her family enough to put them first. And that is exactly what Ingo would have done had he been in her position. He was always the safe space, always the glue holding everyone together even in the darkest moments. So with him gone, someone had to keep his place warm for him. Thunderfangs took it upon herself to do just that when nobody else could. Which meant she couldn't miss her Papa. Couldn't cry or hide away for days or lose herself in her grief. Her family needed her. And so, Thunderfangs didn't mourn.

   Oh, but when nobody was watching… she did. Does. Every single day.

   She misses Papa so much. Just like they all do.

   Thunderfangs blinks away the tears forming in her eyes as she watches colorful cars race by on the street. She tries to force herself to focus on Arceus and its question, shoving all of those nasty emotions back down. Thunderfangs doesn't want Arceus to worry. It doesn't need to know about her struggles, being a divine entity with better things to do and all. So she tries to search her brain for any sort of dismissal or distraction… there are so many things she wants to say to reassure it… but the thought of saying any one of them makes something within her roll. They're all lies. Daddy always says lying is bad and Thunderfangs is tired of hiding how she really feels.

   Maybe it's time she lets herself get a little wet.

   She looks back up at the ring, sniffles, and lets the truth come out at long last."I miss Papa!" She sobs, hiding her face in her pedipalps. "I want my papa!"

   There's a brief moment of pause before another wave of warmth rushes over Thunderfangs. Arceus makes a shushing sound as the ring dips down, then something wispy and vaguely hoof shaped pets her head. "Shhh… dry thine eyes, mine child. Now is not the time for sorrow. Thou wilt find thy Papa, I swear 't on mine very name. Thy suffering is over… go, O' Electric One and let thy family be'st whole once more. I shalt guide thy path and none shalt block 't."

   She sniffles for another moment longer before nodding. "You're right." Thunderfangs lifts her head, dropping her pedipalps and facing the drop down from the balcony. "Papa is close now. I have to bring him home! Then everyone can be happy again and I won't be a bad Pokémon anymore!" Pulling away from Arceus, she walks over to the other side of the balcony and glances at the wall. She should be able to get to the ground by climbing down the wall. "Full steam ahead!"

   Arceus chuckles. "A most brave guide thou art… to thy Papa!"

   Despite herself, Thunderfangs laughs too at Arceus' cheer as she starts climbing up the railing.

   Wind whistles through the trees, knocking a couple rusty orange leaves from their branches. He watches them spiral through the dark night towards the ground, likely going to add to the piles of leaves already crunching under his feet. Ingo looks down at the path he's walking on — even, man-made stone carved out in simple walkways across the area. There are a couple leaves scattered about the path, but most have been pushed off into the yellowing grass to make the space seem cleaner for human use…

   Back in Hisui, this would be a strange sight. A patch of land not overrun with wild growth, but one made easily accessible for humans and seemingly lacking a large population of Pokémon. That fact alone would have been cause for intense debate among the clans, who believed the land should belong to the Pokémon and humans should not interfere. He's certain that his fellow wardens would have lost their minds about the clear industrialization and settlement of this space! Ingo can almost hear Warden Melli's voice in particular now. That grating whine in his ear talking about how 'appalling' it is to see this happen to a 'Pokémon's rightful habitat'… as much as it pains him to admit, Ingo finds a part of himself agrees. And the other… well, the other is certain this is more right than Hisui ever was.

   Both parts of himself are at war with each other now and he can't decide which he agrees with more. Hisui or here?

   Where he is now is his home… or rather, it's the place Arceus had told him was his home. And unfortunately, with his memories still lacking, that is only information he has to work with. The divine being didn't actually explain much else to him after he finished packing up all of his and his kid's things. It only said that it was taking him back to 'whence thou departed from' and opened a rift in the middle of the hut. Then he was sent through it with Rei and Akari in tow. Ingo has no memory of what happened in the rift, but he didn't feel like he was in there for long before he opened his eyes to this strange space — a small patch of forest in the middle of a world of towering buildings he was sure he recognized, but could not put a name to. Ingo almost burst into tears when he first saw it, overwhelmed with the recognition he felt for this new world and his joy in being back where he belongs. It had taken him a good couple minutes to pull himself together enough to process what was happening and by then, he didn't have time to think about anything but their next steps — they couldn't just stand around forever.

   He decided eventually that the buildings beyond the trees was not somewhere he wanted to be just yet and after the initial relief of being 'home' wore off, Ingo was starting to feel less sure of himself. This world is still foreign to Ingo despite the undercurrent of recognition he feels and the memories that Arceus had said would return have yet to pull into the station. Which means that being out in it would've just stressed his kids and himself out, so Ingo made the executive choice to walk around the forest part to get a feel for the land… which of course, has led to Ingo getting lost in his thoughts. And to his dismay, his train of thought quickly made a turn for the darker and more negative route. Now Ingo is wallowing in his doubt.

   He knows that this world is where he is supposed to belong, but Ingo still can't fully remember anything about it! It's been almost an hour since Ingo woke up here and he has yet to regain anything of substance. Every step he takes is laced with dizzying deja vu. These trees and walkways and the small seating structures along the path are all things he used to know well, but that information doesn't lead him anywhere. None of it sparks any memories, only vague familiarity that he can't do anything with and only makes him feel out of place. Just like how he did when he arrived in Hisui. And well, that is exactly the problem he's been internally debating.

   Did he really make the right choice in leaving Hisui? Or was Hisui better than wherever he's ended up?

   As painful as it is to admit, that part of himself that he built for life in Hisui is starting to make him regret the decision he made. He'd been so quick to accept Arceus' offer to return to his home station. So eager to go back to someplace where he might truly belong that he didn't stop to think about what could happen upon his return. Arceus had promised he would remember and that he would go home and that everything would be fine… but now he's lost in the middle of nowhere and doesn't know what to do. Arceus had all but abandoned him when he stepped out of the rift, claiming it was going to find some 'guide' that never came, and he's been left to his own devices all over again!

   This is the worst kind of deja vu.

   Is he going to have to spend another five years learning how to survive again?

   Ingo doesn't want to do this again! He can't. Gods, he spent so long trying to come to terms with never leaving Hisui and never remembering anything in exchange for not having everything he knew uprooted ever again. He never wanted to feel like he was a nameless nomad with no past or memories ever again. But what if his choice leads to just that? What if he's torn the quiet, stable life he was living in the Highlands apart just for something worse? What if he's going to have to struggle all over again here?

   He doesn't have any of the answers for his questions and it's driving him mad.

   Maybe he never should have agreed to let Arceus take him, no matter how badly he burned for what he was missing! Oh but… if he didn't agree… Ingo is sure he would have been lost to the raging wildfire within him. That endless inferno of curiosity surrounding where he'd come from and the painful empty gap in his memory would have consumed him. As good as the life he'd built in Hisui was, he could never be satisfied with it when some dormant piece of himself knew there was something else out there. And every passing day, the blaze in his heart would only grow hotter and hotter until he felt like he was burning from the inside out. Truly, Arceus arrived just in time — doused the deadly flames and offered him a second chance to relearn himself. If he had stayed, he would have been ash sooner or later and he would have never forgiven himself for giving up on that 'what if' of returning home. And isn't it better to at least make an attempt to escape the flames than lie down and allow the heat to destroy him? Isn't it worth it to let go of that stability he had in order to find exactly what he's lost? Or would it have been safer to just remain in Hisui until his time was up?

   Ingo is torn…

   He just doesn't know how to feel — which space he truly belongs in.

   This one is so different from what he'd grown used to. He can tell with only a glance that nothing here is the same as it was in Hisui — Ingo can't use the skills he'd acquired from years of braving the Highlands here. But at the same time, a deeper part of himself knows he doesn't need those skills either. He doesn't need to defend himself against aggressive Pokémon or fight for his keep or live off the land around him. This world is safer than Hisui. And because of that, Ingo has to learn how to handle a gentle life again. He's been left floundering for something to hold on to to keep himself afloat and…

   This isn't fair!

   Ingo is exhausted. He'd hoped for his return to be easier than this, but fate sure has a funny way of tearing him down. And now he's got nothing to work with. He's just been thrown into it! At this point, Ingo is starting to feel annoyed. And not just because of his own internal struggle. No. Ingo is getting annoyed with the world around him too. At how equally familiar and foreign it is to him and how everything around him is so human compared to Hisui and, in particular, he's really upset about the trees!

   The trees… he's actually not sure why he is focusing on the trees specifically, but something about them has an uncomfortable knot of emotions tightening in his chest. Obviously, they are not the same species as the ones found in Hisui. Mount Coronet's shorter trees with vibrant red and yellow leaves have been replaced with trunks that tower over his head and foliage of duller brown and orange. He bets none of them bear fruit in the spring either, at least not like the ones in Hisui did. Oh and perhaps the most strange thing is that these trees are also decorated! Trunks wrapped in strings of golden lights that illuminate his path and shiny red balls hanging from the branches — yet another visible sign of human activity. That is certainly something he'd never see in Hisui!

   But… oh how it sparks this burning familiarity in his heart that he just can't place. And he can't stand it! He can feel himself retracing his steps in his memories, though he can't get anything substantial. Just impressions! Just… the lights…

   A sharp pain shoots through Ingo's temple. He winces as his feet pause in their tracks on the pavement, blinking against the pain. It's no use. Ingo tries looking away from the ground, gaze flicking over to one of the small decorated trees in front of him. He stares at the bright lights, squinting against the pain until it starts to dissipate. Ingo blinks again and his breath catches in his throat.

   He remembers the lights.

   These decorations are special, not strung up all year round. They get put up on the first of December every winter and the balls… no, ornaments get hung on the branches the next day by volunteers and community members. They're for celebrating the holiday season and… Ingo comes to see them every year.

   Another pang smashes into his temple, but he ignores it as his gaze slides over to the grand oak tree sitting in the middle of the grassy area on his left. He eyes the strands of lights on it, tears starting to cloud his vision as a result of the pounding ache in his head. Ingo's gaze follows the way they coil tight around the trunk and then up around some of the thicker branches, light reflected in the ornaments hanging from the smaller offshoots. The oak looks the same as every other tree except for the golden star stuck on the very top. Since this tree is in the middle of the forest — park. In the middle of the park. It gets special treatment for its position; the star. The decorating of this old oak tree marks the start of the season for many. Hundreds of people gather to watch the star be put on top of the tree, even.

   Every year.

   Ingo remembers so many Decembers of wandering around to look at all the lights, braving the icy wind in order to do so. Every year there's a new color and theme that keeps things interesting… he used to love coming out to explore the lit up park. He'd come for many years with just one person's arm looped around his own, bundled up in his warm clothes with a cup of the sweetest drink he can imagine in his hand. Then over the years it became two. One who always had a bright smile and an attitude that never failed to make Ingo roll his eyes. And another with dark hair and some kind of minty, hooked candy always in their hand. He remembers that both would complain about the cold every time they went, but neither ever really protested being dragged to the park to see the lights. They all loved the trees.

   The lights are just as beautiful now as they always have been and the longer he eyes them, the clearer the image of a figure in white standing on his right and a woman in a yellow puffy jacket on his left becomes. His heart aches so badly that Ingo has to look away and keep walking.

   His head is still throbbing as the hallucination dissolves.

   Ingo doesn't think about the fact he just remembered something. Even if that is exactly what he'd been hoping for since he opened his eyes… the pain that just that little bit of memory invoked was too much to bear and suddenly he isn't sure he wants to remember anything at all anymore. Ingo doesn't want to be in pain again. So, he turns his attention to where his children are walking together on the path ahead of him and shakes off the last remnants of whatever he was just trapped in. He wants to think about something else and he should be paying attention to his children anyway.

   They're walking side by side ahead of him. Rei seems more natural in this atmosphere. His bag is slung over one of his shoulders — Akari's has somehow wound up on the other — and his steps are certain, but relaxed. Casual. Like nothing in the world could break his stride. Beside him, Akari is more curled in on herself. Her shoulders are tense and her arms are wrapped like a vice around her chest. Ingo can see her walking close to Rei while her head whips around to check the area for potential threats; ever on edge. Even so, they both look almost normal in the flickering golden light. Like… like they could be wearing their own warm clothes with sweet treats in their hands while he walks with the two figures in his imagination…

   Seeing Rei and Akari walk together like that has something sharp stabbing into his chest, but he doesn't let himself look away from them. He just stares at the pair, vision getting blurrier with every passing moment. They're both oblivious to his gaze, talking idly amongst each other without a care in the world. Ingo can tell that Rei is trying to reassure his sister, the expression on his face tight with concern and yet lighthearted and playful at the same time. He's telling jokes to get her mind off of the fear she's experiencing. Just like any older brother would be doing… just like what Ingo used to do.

   Ingo's feet stop again, heart leaping into his throat as the world around him begins to fade. The image of his children together warps and shifts until it's not Akari and Rei walking there anymore. Instead, it's too young boys holding hands. One is wearing dark blue overalls with a black shirt and the funkiest looking conductor hat Ingo has ever seen. The other's clothes are matching, only in a lighter shade — his overalls are a light wash and his shirt is pristine white. The only thing that isn't matching is the hat; the boy in white doesn't have one. His thick white hair is being ruffled by the cold breeze. He watches the boy in white shiver in response, then the boy in black turns and plucks the hat off of his head without a second thought. It's set carefully down on his brother's head, lovingly placed to protect him from the wind. Then the boy in white cuddles closer to his brother. To… Ingo.

   Ingo has a brother.

   Blinking furiously against the tears building in his eyes, Ingo shakes that memory away. The image of the boys — of himself and his brother — is once again restored to his kids. Even so, what Ingo saw has been burned into his brain. He has a brother. The man in white, the very same ghost that has been haunting him ever since he woke up in the Pearl Settlement, is his brother. Ingo was right! He wasn't just a figment of his broken imagination or some sick personification of his grief! His brother is real and… and probably missing him terribly. Ingo needs to figure out how to get to him! If he could just sit down and plan his route maybe-

   "AAAHH! Daddy help!" Akari's screeching voice echoes around the park. His heart leaps into his throat. Later. He can figure that out later!

   Ingo's head whips up so fast he nearly gives himself whiplash and he bolts forward before he can even take in the sight of what's happening. It doesn't take him long to clear the distance — he'd taken care to not let his kids get too far — and soon Ingo is skidding to a stop where Rei and Akari are backing away from something on the path. His daughter is currently screaming and pressing herself into Rei's side, clearly terrified of the small moving shadow on the ground in front of them. She points frantically at the shadow. "Get it! Daddy, get it!" His daughter wails.

   "Get what!" Ingo shouts back, still frazzled from his trip down memory lane and feeling his kids' panic. His gaze snaps the shadow, which has now paused in its tracks as a result of the commotion, and he steps in front of his children to keep them safe. It's a little hard to see what exactly this shadow is, given it's standing in a dark spot where the lights don't reach, but with some squinting, Ingo can make out the form of a Pokémon. The Pokémon is small and bird-like; clearly harmless. As most Pokémon in this world are, he's just remembered. Ingo lets out a sign, letting his shoulders relax again as he looks back towards his kids. "It's alright, you two." His words prompt Akari to look up from where she'd been hiding her face in her brother's shoulder while Rei just cranes his neck in an attempt to see around Ingo. Ingo steps to the side and motions to the Pokémon. "It won't hurt you, I promise. Pokémon aren't aggressive here."

   A beat. "That's right. I forgot…" Rei murmurs. Then he clears his throat and shakes his head, letting his arms fall away from Akari. She takes the hint and untangles herself from him so he can step away and get a better look at the bird-Pokémon. "What Pokémon is this? I've never seen one before, I don't think." Rei crouches down, holding his hand out towards the critter. "It's cute." Ingo watches his son make kissing noises at the Pokémon, who toddles forward a couple steps and tilts its head at him. As it steps into the light, he can see it far more clearly; a little gray bird with big yellow eyes. That's…

   There's a bubbly voice in his head answering his son's question.

   'It's a Pidove! Super sweet Pokémon, they are. I'm sure you know?' There's a moment of pause and Ingo opens his mouth to comment, only to be cut off again. 'Ope! Wait, wait, wait a minute! Maybe you don't know! I mean how would you when you spend all of your time hiding away in those boooring tunnels of yours? I only assumed because they're so common here in Unova, but you clearly don't get out enough to see Pidove milling about. Ha! You should come fly with me sometime and maybe then you'd learn something that isn't about trains. And you could use some sun in your life for sure, Mister Conductor-man!"

   A hand waves in front of his face and Ingo flinches back. He glances down at the owner of the hand, which turns out to be Akari. She's staring at him with concern practically dripping from her expression as she lets her hand fall. "Are you okay? You zoned out again…"

   Ingo nods. "I'm fine…" There's a moment of pause where both of his children — and the Pidove for some reason — just stare at him. None of them believe him. And honestly, Ingo can't even blame them for that. He's sure he does not look very believable. So, he tries to change the subject to distract them. Ingo points to the Pokémon. "That is a Pidove. They're common in Unova." Akari glares harder at him while Rei casts a glance at the Pidove.

   Rei's eyebrows furrow. "Unova? Is that where we are?"

   He sucks in a breath as if he's been punched in the stomach. Ingo didn't even realize he'd referred to this land the same way that voice in his head just did… and hearing that name come out of Rei's mouth has his head throbbing again, but Ingo ignores the pain in favor of the discovery. That's right… Unova. That is the region they are currently in! Ingo remembers now! He remembers! Unova is his home… and this part of Unova is… it's…

   Nimbasa City.

   "Ahem! Daddy! You're doing it again!" Akari's voice yanks him out of his thoughts. He blinks a couple times, trying to pull his head out of the clouds. Ingo nods.

   "You're right. I apologize… but I'm not sure I can help it." Ingo brings his hand up to rub his temple, trying to dispel the ache there. "I think I'm remembering things." Those words change the atmosphere immediately. Rei perks up and the glare on Akari's face morphs into excited shock. She glances back at Rei, who glances at her, then both of them turn their attention to him. Ingo stares at them, unsure of what they had just silently communicated about.

   For a moment, none of them move. Then his daughter starts to rock on her feet, hands coming up to flap in the air in front of her. She squeals. "Oooh! You're remembering! Yayyy!"

   Rei snorts, shaking his head at his sister's antics before rising from his crouch. He steps past the Pidove, who waddles after him almost as soon as he does, and stops next to Akari. "That's a good thing, isn't it? If you're remembering, then maybe we can figure out where to go next?"

   Right… where to go next. Deciding where they go next should be his main priority now. Wandering around the park and getting lost in his mess of emotions isn't going to do him any good and he's probably wasted far too much time doing that by now. Time he could have been using to do more productive things like getting assistance in finding his way home or figuring out how to contact the brother he's just remembered he has. If he had just been brave enough to face the world around him, perhaps he could have already been home by now. And… no. No more negativity. Now is not the time for him to tear himself down! Ingo doesn't want to waste any more time. He nods to Rei's words. "Right. I should figure out where to go next." Ingo turns back towards the park, gaze sliding over the trees and the rolling hills and the empty walkways. There's a whole… city. Yes, a city! There's a whole city outside of this place. A city that could take him hours to walk through… Ingo doesn't know where he should begin.

   Two pairs of footsteps crunch behind him, then there are little arms wrapped around both of his. Akari leans into his left, yelping a little when the Pidove comes up beside her. Rei leans into his right, resting his head on Ingo's stomach as he looks up at him. "You don't have to do it on your own, Dad. We're here too. I'm sure we can figure it out together, right?"

   Despite himself, Ingo can feel the corners of his mouth quirking up. "I'm sure we can, my brave engineer." His son smiles up at him and for a moment, the image is overlapped with another face. A smiling face that looks just like his own…

   A loud gasp shatters the fragile image, drawing Ingo's attention back down to Akari. She's stock still and staring straight ahead now, eyes wide. "There's another one!" Akari turns and hides her face in his coat with a whine. Ingo can feel his eyebrows furrow as he follows the direction her gaze had been pointed and… she's right. There's another Pokémon coming towards them now. He can see its silhouette moving down the path with such a speed that he's almost afraid it's going to fall! And despite how fast the Pokémon is advancing on them, he doesn't feel the urge to defend his children from it or to run away at all. Because this Pokémon, a large yellow one with six legs and blue eyes and excited static buzzing across her body, is one Ingo instantly recognizes through the brain fog. He knows her… she's a part of his team! She's…

   Ingo pats his children's backs, then untangles himself from them. He takes a step forward, crouching down and opening his arms wide to catch- "Thunderfangs!" She chitters happily as she launches herself up into his arms, her electricity harmlessly running through Ingo's body. Ingo wraps his arms around her as the force of her throwing herself sends him back on his ass, loud laughter bubbling out of him before he can stop it. "Oh, Thunderfangs! My dear friend! It's so good to see you! And to remember you too!" Ingo can hear his voice echoing through the silent park, but he can't be bothered to try to bring his volume down. Not when he's busy sobbing happy tears into Thunderfangs' electric fluff. It's so nice to finally see a familiar face!

   "Wait! You know this Pokémon?" Akari pipes up as she appears in his peripheral vision. She stares down at him for a moment before crouching herself and coming closer, reaching out a hand towards Thunderfangs. Akari doesn't touch her though, likely too scared to do so yet. "How did it find you?"

   A pause. He opens his mouth to say something, only for his jaw to click shut a moment later when he can't think of anything. Ingo doesn't know the answer to that question. To his knowledge, they're nowhere near his home, which means Thunderfangs couldn't have just happened upon them. She also appears to be on her own, which is again quite suspicious… what a strange circumstance. "That's a good question, little conductor…" Ingo leans back a bit and wipes the tears out of his eyes, then his hands come up to cup Thunderfangs' face. She clicks her mandibles at him and tilts her head. "How did you find me?" Thunderfangs lifts one of her pedipalps to point at an empty space in the air. Ingo follows her point. Then he looks back towards her. "I don't-"

   "Maybe Arceus sent Thunderfangs?" Rei speaks up. Ingo looks over his shoulder to his son, who is still standing a couple steps away. He glances between Ingo and then to somewhere behind him — probably at Akari. "What? They did say they were going to send a 'guide', didn't they? Maybe Thunderfangs is the guide?"

   Ingo doesn't even get a moment to consider those words before a wave of warmth washes over him.

   "Yes! Thou art correct, mine champion! I hath brought thee a guide, as I promised. Thunderfangs hast come to take thee to Ingo's kin." A flash of gold lights up the area for a second, then Ingo can see a ring hovering in the air where Thunderfangs had pointed. "Now thou shalt be'st on thy way. Off with thee! To Ingo's kin! And make haste, I hear he is unhappy."

   Ingo's heart leaps into his throat. He lets go of Thunderfangs and shoots to his feet, eyes locked on the ring. "You mean my brother? Did something happen?!" Akari slaps a hand over her mouth and he can hear Rei gasp upon hearing the mention of his brother, but Ingo is too focused on Arceus' response to worry over that right now. Arceus hums.

   "He is unharmed. To mine understanding, thy brother is merely missing thee. Which is why thou must make haste! To thy brother!"

   He sighs a breath of relief. Okay. His brother is fine and nothing is wrong and Ingo is finally on the right track again. Full steam ahead! Ingo turns back to his kids, glancing over both of them to make sure they have everything. "Are both of you ready to depart?"

   "You can't just-"

   "We have an uncle?!"

   Rei and Akari shout over each other. Ingo can't stop the smile from spreading across his face as he nods. "Yes, you do! A few of my memories pulled into the station while we were walking and one of those memories happened to be about my brother. I'll tell you both more about it on the way." He looks back down to Thunderfangs, saluting her. "Lead the way, my friend!"

   She clicks her mandibles again, then wastes no time in turning and scampering back down the path.

   All aboard!

   Warmth bleeds into his chest from the heated glass of Lavender's body and the metal of her arms wrapped around him. He can feel her ghostly purple flames harmlessly licking at his chin as she sits tucked under it, nestled close against him. Alongside that, there are also downy feathers draped over his waist and pressed against his back, insulating the warmth the ghost creates. And finally there's a weight on his legs; a slim body coiled loosely around them. All three presences are fighting both the cold in the room — which is only present because he'd stupidly forgotten to turn the heat up this morning — and his desire to sink straight into the mattress and never get up again. Emmet is beyond grateful for them.

   Truly, he has no idea what he would do without them at his side. His team just always seems to know when and how to help him when he falls into these episodes of feeling like the world is against him. And what they've done tonight is no different. They'd found him and helped him through yet another breakdown. Another sobbing session where all he could do was wail his lungs raw from the comfort of his bed while everything bad stayed locked outside… again.

   All over again.

   He's doing this all over again, isn't he? Running through the very same motions he did when it first happened; wasting in bed and crying until he can't feel anything anymore. Emmet thought he'd gotten past that awful hopelessness he'd felt. Was so sure that he wasn't struggling to hold himself together like he was back then… but even now, it seems the smallest things can shatter the peace he built for himself. Even after all the progress he made in getting better and moving on, he's found himself right back at the station he originally departed from… it's a roundabout, really. A vicious cycle he just can't pull away from no matter how hard he tries. Somehow, someway, Emmet always ends up sobbing like a child again. Always.

   But he was doing so good for so long though! Emmet has not cried as hard as he has tonight in a very long time — years, even. Sure sometimes he'll have a quick cry in the bathroom before bed or he'll have a mini mental breakdown in his office at work because something reminded him of In- of him. But none of those tears or feelings hit him as hard as they have today. Not to the point of his head pounding and his sinuses feeling so clogged he's having trouble breathing through his nose. But tonight, Emmet feels as if he's trapped in the evening he left all over again and his head is killing him because of how hard he'd just cried and his heart still aches in his chest — that stabbing, burning pain that makes him feel as if he's been hollowed out and all his insides are on display. Everything still hurts, even after flushing all the tears out of his system. Even after all the years he spent teaching himself how to avoid thinking about him to maintain his own sanity. And worse yet, Emmet knows that isn't going to change any time soon. Especially not after… what happened today.

   He does not even want to think about it. Doesn't want to remember those words he heard. Oh, but they've been burned in his brain since the moment they left that passenger's mouth and Emmet fears he will never forget them.

   "I'm almost glad Ingo is dead! May Arceus rest his soul, but at least the poor thing doesn't have to deal with Emmet anymore. Oh by the dragons I'd have disappeared ages ago if he was my brother!"

   It wasn't even directed at him; whispered between two people on one of the benches while they were waiting for the next commuter subway on the yellow line platform. Even so, Emmet's blood ran cold the second they'd finished their sentence. Because… well, maybe a part of Emmet feared his brother left him because of how awful he was too. Hearing it out loud was just the final nail in the coffin. He couldn't think straight anymore after that. It was like the world around him was melting and meshing into one blur of color and voices and bodies moving around him. It was too much — if he stayed for even a moment longer, he would have had a verrry public panic attack. Which was the last thing he wanted after all the bad press he's already gotten over the years. So, Emmet didn't think twice before sprinting off of the platform and then all the way to the main entrance of the station and then out the door onto the bustling streets. He'd barely gotten a short text message out about leaving before he lost himself in the city.

   At that point he was so out of it that he doesn't even remember how he'd managed to get home. All he can recall is just flashes of different streets around Nimbasa and crowds and bright lights. That could have been dangerous — there are so many things out there in the city that could have easily landed him in the hospital or worse. But, by the grace of whatever god was taking pity on him, Emmet eventually stumbled into his apartment and tossed his coat at the coat rack and then went straight into his room. He intended to just spend the rest of the night crying until he either passed out or physically could not cry anymore, but his Pokémon had found him before either of those things could happen. And they did what they always do, pulling him back up from his sorrow and helping him calm down.

   Now, for the past little while, Emmet has been in and out of minor sniffles. His sobs have slowed and his nerves have more or less settled again, leaving him with the stuffy aftermath of his crying and a dull ache behind his eyes. Lavender's warmth on his chest has worked wonders in keeping him calm while Captain's electricity buzzing through his legs has taken his mind off of his spiraling thoughts, both sensations forcing him to think clearly enough to stop wailing. He feels more or less okay now thanks to them. Or well, okay enough to not start sobbing again. Emmet's still upset, but at least he's functional. At least he can breathe again.

   Aaand if he's functional, that unfortunately means Emmet has stuff to do… he'd put off his whole evening routine when he first came home and likely scared any of the Pokémon that saw him come in that aren't in his room right now — he vaguely recalls seeing Thunderfangs in the living room, so he should go apologize for potentially scaring her soon. Plus, he hasn't fed any of the Pokémon dinner and by now they're definitely hungry. Emmet doesn't have much of an appetite himself, but that doesn't mean he will allow himself to neglect the Pokémon and… he would be upset if he did that anyway. Also, Emmet should probably get up and take some medicine for the headache if he doesn't want to develop a migraine in the morning.

   All in all, he can't just lie in bed anymore — as much as he would love to. Emmet should deal with the rest of the apartment and then he can go to sleep and-

   Wait.

   No he can't.

   He props himself up on his elbow, groaning as the throbbing in his head gets worse, and reaches over to the nightstand to grab his phone. The Pokémon around him all yelp upon being jostled. Archie jolts with a squawk, seemingly waking up from the nap he'd just taken. Lavender coos worriedly at him and Captain lifts his head from where it had been resting on Emmet's knee with a low gurgle. "Everything is fine, passengers. Just checking something," he mutters — his voice sounds utterly wrecked — still focused on his phone. His screen lights up when he hits the power button and Emmet has to squint as it illuminates the space around him. It's like he has a mini sun in his hand! Emmet fights against the pain of staring at the bright screen as he types in his password and then opens his messages app.

   And it's just as he suspected.

   Emmet's shoulders slump. "Fuuuuck!" He had sent a message to Elesa a little while ago, asking her to come over. She'd said she was still at her gym, but she'd be over as soon as she was done. He hadn't given her any other explanation other than he wanted someone else in the apartment, so if he tells her not to come now she's going to be suspicious. Or she's going to assume the worst and rush over anyway. It's already too late for him. She's supposed to have just finished her last gym challenge of the evening maybe ten minutes ago and her gym is rather close, so she's probably on her way now. Emmet groans again, untangling one of his hands from Lavender's arm and smacking it against his face. Of course. Leave it to panicked and weepy Emmet to further ruin his evening!

   Well, okay. Maybe not ruined ruined. His evening was already destroyed earlier and he's sure seeing Elesa might actually help him feel better, but Emmet is just so damn tired now that all the panic is out of his system. He just wants to sleep after he's finished his evening routine! Ah, but maybe Elesa could be convinced to have a sleepover tonight? That way he doesn't have to worry about staying up with her until she leaves. It's the weekend now anyway and neither of them really have anywhere to be in the morning. Plus, Elesa has enough of her clothes in his closet to be able to change comfortably. That could work! He'll suggest the idea when she arrives.

   Emmet shuts his phone off and tosses it back on his nightstand. Schedule set! Now to get some of his routine done before Elesa comes so he can go to bed sooner.

   He looks down at the Pokémon still clinging to him. Lavender has lifted away from his chest a little, arms up and away from his torso — likely to give him more space to move. Archie has completely sat up behind him, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Captain's tail is only coiled around his ankles now, upper body floating a little bit over his lower body. All three of them are staring at him with varying degrees of concern in their eyes.

   So, he offers them his best smile — which is probably more of a grimace. "I am Emmet. I am feeling… okay enough now. I need to feed everyone, yup. And Elesa is coming too. Need to get up." Lavender, Captain, and Archie all share a look, then they start to untangle themselves from him. He pushes himself up more when Lavender floats up into the air and swings his legs over the side of the bed once they're free. Then he rises to his feet, stumbling once as a wave of dizziness rolls over him. Emmet hears Lavender chime at him, a metal arm coming down to hold his shoulder to keep him steady. "I'm fine," he says as he squares his stance. "Thank you." Lavender whistles a short note at him, then lets go of his arm so he can walk by himself. He casts a glance over his shoulder at the Pokémon, watching them go about getting themselves up too before turning and walking towards the door.

   It's still cracked open from when Lavender first came in, so he's able to easily slip out into the dark hallway. Emmet pointedly ignores the door across the hall as he turns to his left to start walking, only to jump when he finds a body already standing there. Emmet's gaze snaps up at Whistle, hand shooting up to grip his chest where his heart races under his palm. "Ah! Whistle!" She flinches, whining as she drops her head and picks at her claws — her guilty look. He blinks. Then the tension within him relaxes and Emmet sighs, smiling a little as a huff of amusement escapes him. Honestly it's kind of funny to see such a big dragon getting all nervous. Emmet walks over to her, patting her arm as he steps past her. "It's okay. No harm done, yup! Come with me, I'm making dinner." Whisper whines again before big, thumping footsteps begin the trail after him.

   With that blockage out of the way, it doesn't take long for Emmet to reach the end of the hallway and step out into the living room… which is just as dark as the hallway was. Did he really not turn any lights on? Emmet steps to his right, turning back towards the hallway. Or, more specifically, the light switch on the wall nearby. He leans over and flicks all three of them on, then the living room, the kitchen, and the entrance are all lit up. That's much better! Emmet turns back around and starts making his way towards the kitchen.

   He eyes the floors as he goes. Somehow, they look cleaner than they did this morning. He doesn't typically pay attention to them, but he can't help but notice how they shine in the overhead lights. Emmet wonders how that happened… hmm. Well, it doesn't really matter right now. He can think about that later. What does matter is dishing up food and feeding his team. Which is exactly what he's going to do now!

   As soon as Emmet steps into the kitchen, he makes a beeline for the furthest cabinet in the room; the one closest to the fridge. He crouches down in front of it, briefly glancing up towards the doorway as Lavender and Whistle appear in it. Emmet shoots them a quick smile before turning his attention back to the cabinet. There's a small silver padlock on the doors because Darling likes to get into the Pokéfood when nobody is watching, so he quickly punches in the code to unlock it. Once it's unlocked, he swings the doors open and pulls the big bag out, plopping it on the floor in front of the cabinet with a thud. Then he leans back in to pull out the massive bowls that they- he uses for feeding. Emmet shakes his head to clear that thought away, starting to unstack the bowls. There are a total of ten. Most of which get shared between the Pokémon in the kitchen. He sets six of them down in a row by the kitchen sink, then sets four to the side.

   Once the bowls are ready, he turns back to the bag and pops it open. By now he can see more bodies appearing in the doorway through his peripheral vision. Emmet doesn't look up at them as he dips his hand in and grabs the scooper. A wave of guilt washes over him as he starts to fill each of the bowls. It's no wonder his team is crowding him now, given they're being fed later than usual. He's sure they're probably hungry and were wondering why they haven't been fed yet. He's been doing so good in trying to keep feeding them on schedule and not forgetting to do it… but it seems his progress has been reset tonight. Some deeper part of himself wants to be angry about that. Wants to curse the world until he feels better about all the mistakes he's made. But the only person he has to blame for this is himself.

   It's all Emmet's fault.

   Just like his brother's disappear-

   No. No, he can't think like that. If he does he's going to cry again and he can't cry again because his Pokémon are depending on him and if he can't be a good trainer then he'll be a failure and… and then he'll have failed his twin too.

   And then that passenger would have been right. His brother did leave because he knew he'd be better off without a failure like Emmet in his life.

   Something cold nudges his hand. Emmet jolts, head snapping down to face his Durant. He blinks. Oh. The other Pokémon must have released the team he brought on the Subway, as he's pretty sure Attitude was still in his ball in the pocket of his coat when Emmet came home. Attitude nudges his hand again, concern evident in his features, and Emmet glances down at the contact. Seems he's stopped pouring on the second to last bowl. He shakes his head. "Sorry. I'm sorry." He turns back to the bag and dumps a couple scoopfuls of Pokéfood into the tenth bowl. "I-… Iii'm bad. I know. I know. I'm sorry." Emmet is rambling, he knows. But he can't stop.

   He tosses the scoop back in the bag, then closes it and stuffs it back into the cabinet. Emmet shuts the door with a loud bang, making his team collectively flinch. He freezes in his tracks, gaze sliding over the worried faces of Captain and Lavender and Darling and Whistle and Attitude and… Emmet sighs. Then he takes a deep breath and holds it, forcing his nerves to settle. It's fine. Emmet doesn't have to panic right now. Everything is fine. He releases the breath in a long exhale. "I am Emmet. I am okay. Thank you, Attitude." Attitude clicks his mandibles at Emmet. He smiles at him, then looks back up to the crowd waiting in the doorway. "You all can eat now."

   With that, Emmet crouches down to pick up the four bowls he set to the side as Pokémon start filing in. He puts three of them on the counter for the flying Pokémon, then takes the final bowl away from the counter. Emmet steps past his team as he makes his way out of the kitchen, ducking under arms and moving gears and tails. As soon as he's out of the kitchen, Emmet starts walking back the way he came. He throws a final glance towards the kitchen before stepping up to the entrance of the still dark hallway. Then he's striding down it towards the playroom. Emmet always takes one bowl to the playroom for both Thunderfangs — who often prefers to eat her meals with her young — and the Joltik. He's found it's just easier for everyone involved that way. Especially since Thunderfangs tends to get stressed about feeding time.

   Emmet walks all the way down to the end of the hallway, then transfers the bowl to one hand so he can pull the handle and swing the door open. The playroom, like everywhere else in the apartment appears to be, is dark. So he reaches over himself to flick on the switch as he steps inside. It takes a moment for the lights to flicker on, but by the time he reaches the middle of the room, it's lit up and all the colorful perches and Pokémon play structures are visible. Oh and there's a horde of Joltik buzzing and clicking at him on the floor too. Seeing them all clumped together like one big mass of fuzzy yellow never fails to make him smile and he can feel one spreading across his face now as he bends down to put the bowl on the ground. "Dinner has arrived at the station!" And that's all he needs to say before more Joltik start to swarm the bowl. He steps back as he watches them clamber about, mentally running a headcount. 30… 49… 57… 60… 65… aaand, 78! The horde is all accounted for. Well, except Thunderfangs.

   Wait, where is Thunderfangs? Normally she would have been all about the food he'd just put down, but she hasn't come running like she always does.

   That's… odd. Emmet doesn't usually see her eat in the kitchen with the rest of the team, but maybe she needed a break from the horde today and she's in there? Though he's not sure he saw her in the kitchen either… maybe he should go double check. He casts one more glance around the room, making sure she really isn't in here — she's not. All of the play structures are empty now that the Joltik are eating. Emmet sighs as he turns on his heel and walks out of the playroom, making sure to close the door behind himself.

   As soon as he's out, he hurries down the hall, whistling in that high pitched note he'd trained Thunderfangs to respond to when she was just a little Joltik as he passes all the doors. No clicking response. Maybe she's busy eating?

   He tries to ignore his mounting worry as he steps out into the living room, gaze sweeping over the coffee table and the couch. Still not there. Emmet can feel a frown pulling on his lips as he moves towards the kitchen, throwing a glance towards the also empty entrance as he does. When he reaches the doorway, all the food bowls are occupied. He sees Lavender, Captain, both Klinklangs, and Archie up on the counter. Fine okay. His gaze turns to the ones on the floor. Darling, Whistle, Mudball, Attitude, Cavern. No Thunderfangs.

   No Thunderfangs!!

   Where is Thunderfangs?! Usually she is either in the kitchen or with her Joltik during dinner time. She never goes anywhere else because she likes to watch her teammates eat. Emmet doesn't know why, but she does it. She always does it. Thunderfangs wouldn't have fallen asleep or hidden from him, especially not when he's calling for her. So this doesn't make sense. Where is Thunderfangs? Where is Thunderfangs!?

   Emmet whips back around towards the empty apartment. "Thunderfangs?! Thunderfangs where are you?" He hears a couple worried responses from his team behind him, but Emmet pays them no mind. His focus is on finding Thunderfangs. Emmet stalks away from the kitchen, speed picking up as he reaches the hallway until he's practically running. He goes back to his room and throws his door open, even though he knows Thunderfangs isn't in his room. Emmet still glances around anyway. Then he steps out and continues down the hallway.

   He whistles. "Hey! Thunderfangs! Please come out, this isn't funny!" He sprints over to the laundry room — which is really more of a glorified walk-in closet. "Are you in here?" Emmet's eyes flicker around the room. It's dark. There's clothes everywhere. Most of Emmet's have been tossed carelessly into baskets or strewn about the floor. His are still neatly piled in his basket beside the dryer where he left them. Thunderfangs isn't in the room. Emmet slams the door as he steps back. Then he turns and races over to the bathroom door.

   Throwing the door open, he doesn't even bother to shout as he glances around. Sink, shower, toilet, window. Nothing. Not in here either. His heart is racing in his chest, panic shooting through his system. Emmet is starting to feel sweaty. He gasps for breath as he tosses the door back the frame. It doesn't fully close. Emmet doesn't care. He whips around, running back down the hallway.

   Emmet nearly gets to the end before he skids to a stop in front of that dreaded door on his right. He stares at the ground for a moment, debating whether or not he wants to breach the room… it would be better to check every room for Thunderfangs, even if it's this one. He would want Emmet to find Thunderfangs no matter what. So, Emmet sucks in as deep a breath as he can manage and slowly turns towards the door. He feels almost robotic as he grabs the handle and turns it. The door stays cracked for another moment, then Emmet opens it a little more and looks inside. It's dark and messy… his bed is still unmade from the last morning he was here and there are still clothes on the floor Emmet refuses to touch. It's like looking at a snapshot in time. A time before he lost himself completely. Emmet's heart clenches. Empty. No Thunderfangs.

   He slams the door shut.

   Emmet can't find her. Thunderfangs is nowhere to be found! Oh, he can't breathe. Where could she have gone? There's not many places to hide in the apartment and he's already checked them all! Which means Thunderfangs is really good at hiding or something else has happened. Emmet can't breathe.

   Lavender shrieks in the living room.

   He doesn't even think twice before turning and bolting out into the living room. There are several Pokémon in the room when he gets there. Darling and Whistle are standing by the tv with Mudball at their feet. Captain is floating over the couch with Archie perched on the cushions. And Lavender is… hovering in front of the open window.

   Oh.

   Oh by the dragons! Thunderfangs ran away!

   The world around him begins to get blurry as he stares at the open window. There's a breeze drifting in through it, making the apartment feel so much colder than it already is. He can hear the nightlife buzzing right outside — cars honking their horns and chatter on the streets and wind howling in his ears and… Emmet can't feel his body. His legs give out and he collapses onto the floor as he gasps for breath. Thunderfangs left him. She left! Just like Ingo did! She's gone and she's never coming back because Emmet was so stupid and he wasn't paying attention! His body is wracked with a sob as his wraps his arms around himself.

   She's gone!

   Emmet bursts into tears, leaning forward and bracing his hands against the ground in front of him. Every inch of his body is trembling so badly he can barely keep himself up. He's going to be sick or maybe he's going to pass out. Whichever comes first at this point. His body shakes with the force of his wails and his tears splash against the carpet beneath him. But Emmet doesn't care. He can't stop himself from crying.

   Why does he lose everything?

   It's not fair!

   Faintly, Emmet can hear movement around him. Pokémon calls and shuffling footsteps and something hitting something behind him — knocking maybe? Emmet doesn't really know. All of it blends into one noise that he can't decipher or even try to. Emmet just wants to melt into the floor.

   He's not sure how long he's sobbing until he feels someone's hands on his back. They're gentle and smaller than his, so Emmet assumes it must be Elesa. What a sorry state she's found him in. He can feel her tapping his shoulders and trying to shake him, but he doesn't react or move even when she tries to coax him into sitting up. Still, she keeps trying. She shuffles around to crouch in front of him, pushing against his shoulders to get him to sit up. Emmet is too lost to fight her, so he lets her move him until he's got his back pressed against the couch. Now that his head is lifted, he can see the concern and fear in her expression and see her mouth moving to form the words he can barely hear. "-mmy? Wh- t happe- d? Ta- k to me!"

   Emmet stares at her for a moment, trying to figure out how to string words together enough to be coherent. "Ggggone! She- gone! Leeeeft! G- one!" Emmet sobs, words jumbled and messy. Elesa's eyebrows furrow and she shakes her head.

   "W- o? Who - g -ne?" Her hands come up to cup his cheeks and wipe his tears away. Emmet just lets her. It's not like he has the energy to fight anyway.

   It takes him some time to figure out what she said, but eventually he understands. "Thhhunder… Thunderfangs! Gonnnnne. Raaaan!" Emmet motions blindly towards the window.

   Elesa's face falls as she glances over towards it, then she nods sadly. She pulls Emmet forward and wraps her arms around him, holding him gently. He can feel her hand rubbing against his back and hear her whispering things to him as she shushes him. Emmet doesn't catch most of it through the pounding of his pulse in his ears. In fact, there's only one sentence he does catch. "It's go- ng to be ok- y. We'll f- nd her. Okay?"

   "Okay." Is all Emmet can force out before he buries his face into her shoulder to cry harder.

   Sneaking around really isn't his strong suit despite his years of experience in having to tiptoe around wild Pokémon in Hisui. He's learned this the hard way while trying to keep up with Thunderfangs as she leads them through an unnecessarily complex network of alleyways throughout the city. It's just near impossible to match her pace with all the obstacles on the ground and Akari in his arms — she had locked up almost as soon as they left the park, so he's been carrying her for a while now and honestly he's feeling rather tired from that strain. And also the amount of noise his backpack is making is embarrassing. All of these factors are making it difficult to not fall behind, which would only make this trip harder for everyone. Truthfully he feels like he's undergoing some kind of extreme challenge that people watch on tv — which he has just remembered exists! Television! Such a fast form of entertainment with so many options too! Ingo really can't wait to relearn how to use the tv. Ah, but that is an off task thing to think about!

   He's getting too lost in his thoughts when he should be paying attention to where he is going!

   Shaking his head to pull himself out of that train of thought, he refocuses on Thunderfangs. She's still quite a ways ahead of him, skittering past a large garbage can and rounding the corner into the next dark alleyway. Close behind her is Rei and Arceus' token ring thing, which keeps disappearing and reappearing depending on where they are. Ingo found it strange that the ring was doing that and when he asked Arceus for the reason why, Arceus had simply said that it was better for it to remain out of sight. Which was also the same reason it had given for why they have to use the alleys instead of just walking down the street like normal people. Apparently if Ingo is spotted, the 'humans here wilt freak out'. He wasn't sure what to do with that information and he was frankly worried about the reason why people would freak out — is he some kind of criminal fugitive who can't be seen in public? — so he decided to not ask any more questions. He figured the answers would just continue to worry him.

   Thus, Ingo has been quiet throughout most of the trip, silently enduring the seemingly endless twists and turns of the dark alleys around him. Which has been… a decent enough experience, actually. He thought that he was going to be miserable this whole time when Thunderfangs brought them to the entrance of the first alley, but he's been proven wrong! There's a bunch of trash on the ground sure, but there's also no people and it's not as loud as the streets are. And sometimes, since the area is so calm, he'll recover a faint memory or another glimpse of his brother! He really enjoys those… Ingo still can't remember his name, but he's feeling more hopeful the closer they get to wherever he is and he's certain that eventually the name will come back to him. And… yeah, the alleys are great. So great.

   Great…

   His temple throbs and Ingo winces as the ache that has been present in his head since he woke up in the park gets bad again. It had been a more faint thing while he was wandering about in the trees — largely unnoticeable, even — but as more time passes, he feels as if it's only getting more intense. And harder to ignore. The pain radiates from just behind his eyes all the way to the back of his skull, nearly stopping him in his tracks with the force it hits him with. Ingo just squints against it and keeps walking, forcing himself to ignore his urge to stop fighting and just give in to it. He has to focus. He has to keep moving, no matter what. Even though it feels like he's being pulled in multiple directions…

   Ingo doesn't know what's wrong with him, but it's been clear to him for some time now that something definitely is. This pain isn't normal.

   Ever since Arceus showed up in his hut, his head has felt like it's been screwed on wrong. There's a certain light-headedness to it too that makes him feel like his brain is floating in his skull, which doesn't help the random bouts of dizziness that hit him every once in a while and the pain of the headaches. All of it makes it so hard for him to think clearly — his thoughts are running away from him in so many different directions that he simply can't wrangle them all at once. And it's just as impossible for him to pick one at a time to focus on! Well… that's not exactly true. Ingo could focus on the most prominent pain in his head; the pressure that demands his attention above all else. It's louder than any of his other thoughts. So loud he can hardly hear anything over it. But he's been trying to ignore it in favor of following the tracks of minor trains of thought or jumping to random observations instead of letting himself succumb to it. He has a feeling that if he prods at the pressure and the fuzzy images he knows must lie behind it, he won't be strong enough to make it home. So, he has to ignore it.

   He has to make it home. Only then can he allow himself to give in — only when he is certain he will be safe enough to do so. Until then, he must endure and ignore it.

   He has to. So, he will keep thinking about all the random things he can!

   Ingo blinks against the pain as it starts to calm back down again, forcing his eyes up from where they had ended up squinting at the ground. He flinches at what he sees lying ahead of him now. While he was lost in his head, it seems they've reached an alley that leads out into the open; the first in what feels like an eternity. It's fairly long compared to the last one and they're already halfway out of it now, about to step back into the city again. He lets his gaze sweep over what little he can see through the opening as he gets closer. It looks just as empty out there as the alleys did and it's dark too, save for the occasional flash of light from the large metal machines racing down the road nearby. There are also some buildings that reach up into the heavens in the distance with lights in their windows, but they're not close enough to illuminate the area he's in yet. Ingo finds himself staring in wonder at them. At the grand architecture and the glass and metal — all the things he very recently remembered.

   It's… beautiful. That's the only word he can find to describe the majesty of the city around him. Even this small, and arguably less put together, section of Nimbasa City is breathtaking to him.

   Buildings could never be that tall in Hisui. The tallest he'd ever seen there was the Galaxy building and even that looked like a simple house compared to these buildings. And most of the materials used to build Nimbasa were all but unheard of back then too… it's so fascinating to see how the world has changed over the years.

   "-ad? Dad!" His son's voice pulls him out of his head. Ingo blinks, looking away from the buildings and towards where Rei is walking beside Arceus' ring. It's hard to make out his face, but as the five of them leave the alley, he can see Rei faintly lit up by the flickering street light a couple feet away from them. He's looking over his shoulder at Ingo, concern evident in his expression and his eyebrows drawn in a deep crease. Ingo's heart clenches upon seeing that face. It's not one he sees very often — he makes it a point to avoid making his kids upset — oh but when he does, it never fails to make Ingo sad. He hates seeing Rei look so distressed, especially after everything he experienced in Hisui.

   Maybe here, Ingo can give both of his children a better life now. Only Mighty Dialga's time will tell…

   But he shouldn't be focusing on that right now.

   Ingo nods a little bit, clearing his throat and attempting to put his best approximation of a smile on his face. "Yes, my dear engineer? What is it?" He sees Rei's tense shoulders relax a bit upon getting a response. Though not by much. His son still looks anxious, glancing back towards the sidewalk in front of them, then at Arceus, and finally looking back to Ingo once more.

   Rei hesitates for a moment before speaking up. "Arceus says we're getting super close now. Like only a couple minutes away close. Are you doing okay? You seem… out of it."

   His heart leaps into his throat. Close. They're close! Ingo is almost there! He sucks in a deep breath, adjusting his hold on Akari a little. His right arm is starting to hurt — the bandages on his forearm are chafing. Ingo makes a mental note to try to change them when they finally make it to his home station before returning his attention to what Rei said. He'd asked if Ingo was okay… and isn't that the question of the hour? Ingo himself is still unsure of the answer, but he doesn't want to stress Rei out. "I…" though lying to him, even by omission, is wrong. He can almost hear someone's monotone voice in his head chastising him for even thinking about it. Ingo stifles an amused sigh. "I am not sure. My head feels funny. I'm unsure how else to describe the sensation."

   A beat. Rei nods. "Yeah… me too, actually. I feel a bit dizzy." Ingo's eyebrows furrow as he listens to his son and he opens his mouth to suggest maybe taking a break for a moment, but someone else beats him to it.

   "… d'you wanna sit? Might feel better?" Comes Akari's sleepy mumble. Rei's gaze snaps down to where Akari is resting in his arms and Ingo's follows soon after. His daughter's eyes are cracked open now, clearly having just woken up. Geez, Ingo didn't even notice she'd fallen asleep! He can feel his cheeks heat up a little with embarrassment over somehow not realizing as he meets her gaze.

   Ingo smiles at her. "Maybe that's a good idea. It might be worth it to rest our engines for a moment."

   Before any of them can say anything else, Arceus interrupts. "Mine apologies for interrupting thee, but that is not a good idea. Thou art describing symptoms of Giratina's tampering with thy minds. Tis thy memories wanting to break through. If thee and thy children stop now, thou shalt be lost in thy memories and thy journey home wilt be delayed."

   Oh. Well, that certainly explains some things. No wonder he's been having trouble getting himself out of his thoughts! He was convinced for a second that he was just losing it, but he's glad to know there's an actual explanation for what he's experiencing! Though it doesn't really make Ingo feel better knowing the second he stops he's going to crash… he wants to bask in being home with his family for as long as he can, though it seems like he's just going to pass out once his adrenaline wears off! That's rather disappointing, though he won't complain about remembering things. Oh! And despite passing out not being great, maybe that means Ingo can have the most wonderful nap with Em-

   Em.

   Em.

   That's part of his brother's name! Ingo knows that for a fact! He can almost hear his brother's voice in his head repeating the sound, but he can only hear the first part clearly. Em. But what's the rest? What's the rest? He's so close! Ingo can feel it on the tip of his tongue!

   Rei groans, throwing his head back with annoyance. It seems he's also not happy about the idea of passing out once they get home, and Ingo can't blame him. His son starts to complain to Arceus, but Ingo tunes him out. As much as he loves his son, he is too close to figuring out his brother's name to be distracted. There will be no reroutes! He has to figure it out! It's right there! Em. Emm… his brother's name is Em…

   Emm-

   "I am Emmet." A smiling man in white says, tipping his hat to Ingo.

   Emmet! That's it! His brother's name is Emmet! Excitement explodes within him as the name clicks back into place in his head. His brother's name is Emmet. Ingo remembers now! He actually remembers… there's wetness pricking in his eyes that he tries to force back, blinking against the faint sting. Oh when he sees Emmet at long last, he's actually going to be able to say his name! Ingo could almost sob happy tears for that. He remembers what his brother's name is at long last. Finally!

   A small hand reaches up, brushing at the space under his eyes. Ingo jolts, looking down at his daughter. There's a worried pout on her face now. "Daddy? Are you okay? Why are you crying?" Akari moves her hand to swipe away the tears gathering in his other eye and Ingo sniffles.

   He leans down, pressing a series of kisses against her forehead. She doesn't react for a second, then Akari laughs a little and playfully bats at him. Ingo only pulls away once he's landed a couple more, then he straightens up and grins down at her. "I'm wonderful, my little conductor! I've just remembered what your uncle's name is! It's Emmet! My brother's name is Emmet!" Akari gasps, cheering a little. He can also hear Rei clapping and Thunderfangs' happy static buzzing from the path ahead of them. Ingo looks up at them both, the corners of his mouth twitching up so high it almost hurts. He sniffles again, blinking back the tears threatening to spill. Ingo can cry later. When he gets to Emmet.

   And it looks like he won't have to wait too much longer.

   Thunderfangs skitters over to the end of the sidewalk, then turns and looks back at them. She lifts her pedipalp and points to one of the buildings to her left. Ingo follows her point as he comes to a stop in front of her, eyes turning towards the building. It's a tall brick one with rows of windows and balconies that rises so high the top of it is almost in the clouds. Ingo's breath catches in his throat as he stares at it, familiarity flooding through his system. His home is right there. Just beyond a parking lot that doesn't have very many machines- cars. It doesn't have very many cars parked in it. Cars aren't needed in Nimbasa because the Subway is obviously the better method of transportation. Ingo lets out a shuddering breath.

   His home is right in front of him — within his reach after years of only being able to dream of returning to it.

   Something taps his foot. Ingo glances down at Thunderfangs, who is looking up at him with eyes full of love. He smiles as bright as he can possibly manage at her. "Let's go find Emmet, okay?" She clicks her mandibles at him, nuzzles against his shin, then takes off running through the parking lot. He watches her move through the darkness of the area, her yellow body zipping across the pavement like a lightening bolt. Seeing her move makes his heart clench — reminds him of all the times he's seen her in battle with his brother at his side — but he refuses to cry harder. Ingo glances around himself, doing a quick headcount. Rei is on his left, Akari is in his arms, and Arceus is hovering on his right. Everyone is accounted for. There's nothing for him to worry about anymore. So, Ingo turns and takes off running after Thunderfangs without a care in the world. He hears Akari yelp as her arms tighten around his shoulders and then racing footsteps right behind him — Rei didn't even question him before taking off right alongside him.

   Ingo's gaze remains focused on the door of the building as he jumps over empty water bottles and trash strewn about the ground, his stride not breaking for even a second. Not when he's so close to actually returning to where he belongs. All of that worry and stress he'd been feeling in the park before be damned, this world is where he belongs. This world with its modern technology and his kids and his brother and his Pokémon and the friends he knows he has, but can't quite remember just yet. All of them. They are his true home. And he knows the family he built in Hisui would have wanted him to have it, even if he left them without warning. They would understand.

   Ingo left just as abruptly as he arrived. And is there not a more perfect irony to that ending?

   It almost makes him laugh as he darts around a car, the door getting closer and closer. He's sure Lady Irida would have found that funny as well — she always did love stories that ended in such a full circle way. If only he could see her reaction. Alas, he's sure the only information he will be able to find on it, if he chose to look, are the records from the Hisui period. If there are any that have survived to see the future. Perhaps Ingo can look into it with his family once they get settled into living in Unova — He's sure both of his children would like that too.

   Ah, but only time will tell.

   For once, Ingo is excited to see what the future has in store for him.

   He smiles to himself as he finally comes up on the entrance. Thunderfangs is already waiting on the sidewalk for him, impatiently buzzing at him. Ingo sprints the last couple steps before stopping in front of her, Rei right behind him. He chuckles a little at Thunderfangs' impatience, though he must confess he's feeling much the same way. "Alright, alright! I'm going," he teases as he shifts his hold on Akari to grab the handle and swing the door open. Ingo steps back with the door, then props his foot up against it to hold it open. Thunderfangs is the first to enter, scampering inside without a second thought, leaving Ingo and his kids. "I'm going to put you down now, Akari. Okay?" His daughter whines, but nods anyway. Then Ingo bends down and gently sets her down on the ground. She hugs her arms around herself as she moves to stand next to her brother. Ingo motions into the building. "After you!"

   That seems to be all the coaxing they need. Rei gently loops his arm with one of Akari's, then leads her into the bright room beyond the door. Arceus' ring floats into the room after them, then Ingo walks in himself and pulls the door closed. It slides shut with a soft click, but Ingo hardly hears the sound as he takes in the sight of the lobby. It's just a simple room; colorful blue carpet with rainbow dashes covering the floor and an empty front desk near the door and chairs sitting up against the wall and mail boxes on the left side of the room and two elevators in the wall right in front of him. But Ingo still wants to cry as he glances around the area. His head starts throbbing again, but he doesn't allow himself to fall into the memory that wants to break through. Instead, he drags in a deep breath and strides deeper into the room.

   He walks right up to the left elevator, then clicks the up button before he can second guess himself. Ingo turns and motions for Rei and Akari, who are standing in the middle of the room and also taking in the sight, then he whistles sharply for Thunderfangs. She wasn't very far away — standing by the other elevator. And she's quick to come to Ingo's feet upon hearing the whistle. His children are a little slower, but he doesn't mind letting them take his time.

   Akari clings tighter to Rei as they approach the doors. "What is this?" She murmurs, voice tight.

   Ingo smiles at her. "It's an elevator! It will take us up to the higher floors."

   "Like stairs?" Her eyebrows furrow a bit.

   Rei laughs, ruffling her hair with his free hand. She squawks, swatting him away. He just laughs a little harder at her, then he goes about explaining. "It's kinda like stairs, but you don't have to walk up the elevator. It's more like standing in a room that uses levitate to rise. No work from us at all besides pushing buttons." Akari stares blankly at the doors, her expression screwing into one of deeper confusion. Rei just snorts and pulls his arm away from her to wrap it around her shoulder. "You'll learn eventually, Akari! Then the modern world will be your Cloister!"

   Ingo laughs a bit himself at that, drawing their attention to him. He shrugs. "We'll help you along the way, Akari. No need to worry." He's sure they're all going to need support from each other if they hope to function in Unova without losing their minds anyway. It's probably not going to be an easy process. Still, he has hope that the struggle will be worth it in the end.

   "Ahem!" Arceus' ring floats closer, but comes to a stop a fair distance away from them. "Pardon mine interruption, but I must speak to thee."

   Rei looks over his shoulder and smiles a bit. "Go ahead, buddy."

   "Buddy? Oh! Thou hast gifted me with a nicked-name. How kind of thee! Ah- but that is not what I must say to thee… I fear that this shall be'st mine final message to thee." Out of the corner of his eye, Ingo can see Rei deflate a bit , but he doesn't interrupt Arceus. "At last, mine chosen one, Ingo of the land of Tao, and Akari of the land of Creation thou hath reached thy 'final stop' on thy mission. Thou hast returned home. Now thou may rest and never face the hardship I hath put thee through again."

   The ring floats over to Rei, tilting down in an almost bow. "Rei. Hero of Hisui… I thank thee for taking on mine task and saving a land of distant past. Thou were a most worthy champion. I… am proud of thee… and I am also sorry. I offer mine apologies for dragging thee into the mess mine inverse created. Twas a challenge to fix what was broken, I know. And thou art most extraordinary for rising to 't despite not being from that world. I commend thee, Rei and I wish thee the happiness thou deserves with thy family." Rei frowns a little at Arceus' words, but nods anyway. Then he blinks a couple times and looks away with a sniffle. Arceus' ring moves again.

   It shifts a bit to the right of Rei, sinking a little lower to face Akari. She flinches, but doesn't back down as she stares at the ring. "Child of Hisui. Thou hath been brought to a time far beyond thine own. Tis a most special privilege for thee to be'st here, but one I shall grant thee graciously. Thy presence here hath been smoothed out by mine hand. Thou shalt not be'st given trouble from thy human governments for thy presence with thy father. 'T shall be as if thou wast always here. Live thy life well, young one." Akari's expression shifts to a bright smile as she glances between Rei and Ingo. Arceus huffs an amused sound before floating up to Ingo.

   He blinks against the brightness of the ring. "Subway Boss Ingo. I owe thee mine sincerest apologies. Thy presence in Hisui wast… an accident created by mine own negligence. Mine inverse wanted only to lash out at me, but thou got caught in the crossfire. I should have done more to prevent thee from falling, but there is little I can do now to change the past. I may only change thy future. I hath appealed to mine inverse for thy memories to be restored and 't took quite a bit of mine own power too, but 't shall be'st so. 'T may be painful at times, but thy memories shalt be restored in full in due time… that wast the best I could do. I apologize. And I wish thee a swift recovery and full, happy life with thy family. Farewell, Ingo." Ingo… does not like the sound of being in pain, but if that is the price he must pay for his memories, then Ingo will endure it. Somehow, someway, he will.

   Finally, Arceus' ring dips all the way down to where Thunderfangs is sitting by his feet. She chitters at Arceus, pedipalps coming up to bat at the ring. Arceus laughs at her antics, a wave of warmth washing over the room. "O' Great Electric One… though our time together hath been short, I enjoyed every moment. Thou art a special Pokémon indeed. A most dedicated companion to thy Papa and thy Daddy and the bravest guide I hath met. I commend thee for helping correct mine mistake and for bringing thy family back together. Thou art a good Pokémon and were a good friend to me on this night. Our trip through the city wast most enjoyable, indeed! I enjoyed listening to thee explain what those colorful lights on the buildings were and thy lovely singing of 'Let 'T Snow'. Most wonderful! I wish thee and thy family the best… and for thee to remember thou truly art a brave Pokémon." Thunderfangs buzzes at Arceus, then bows her head.

   And with that, Arceus' ring drifts back up over all over their heads and the glow gets brighter. "Those are mine final words to thee. I hope all of thee wilt spend the rest of thy lives in love and harmony. May we never meet again until thy time is truly up. Twas a pleasure to know all of thee. Farewell mine friends!"

   Ingo raises his hand, waving at the ring. He's not sure why he's doing it, as he barely knows Arceus at all, but it feels right to do so. And apparently he's not the only one who feels that way. Soon, his children join him in waving goodbye to Arceus. "Byeee!" Akari says, her hand waving almost frantically in the air. Arceus laughs one more time before the golden ring begins to dissolve. He watches it crumble away until the glow fades and then all he's looking at is empty air.

   Arceus is gone.

   The room is quiet for a moment. Almost solemn. Then the elevator dings behind him and Ingo looks over his shoulder as the doors slide open. He blinks a couple times, processing what just happened. Then he sighs.

   The world must keep turning.

   Ingo looks down at his children and Thunderfangs, who are all looking up at him expectantly now. They're waiting for him to lead them to their next destination, ready to follow him wherever they go… it seems he has regained control of his own route and now he must take on his role of being a guide once more. Ingo straightens his posture and squares his shoulders, the frown on his fall falling back into its most natural curve before he had to train himself to look less imposing in Hisui. Then he raises his hand to tip his hat. "Are you ready to depart, passengers?"

   His son, still a little teary eyed, laughs a bit. Then he nods. "All aboard."

   Akari bounces on her heels, smile growing wider. "Full steam ahead!" Beside her, Thunderfangs cheers too.

   Ingo turns and points into the open elevator. "Then onward we roll!"

   His hands tremble around the mug of peppermint tea Elesa had made for him a little while ago, glass warm against his palms and the steam lazily rising from it heating his face. He's surrounded in warmth, yet he's still shivering. Even with the heat of the tea and the window to his right shut and a heated purple blanket that Elesa had pulled off of the laundry room shelf draped over his shoulders. Emmet is starting to think maybe it has nothing to do with being cold… he brings the mug up and takes a long sip of the minty drink, ignoring the way it burns his tongue ever so slightly. Anything that can distract him from his thoughts is welcome, even if it hurts.

   His hands clench around the mug as he down another mouthful.

   Something bumps into his shoulder, chiming a soft worried note at him. He debates just ignoring it for a moment… he shouldn't. Emmet lowers the cup, loosening his hold as he turns to face the source of the disruption.

   Lavender is hovering beside him now, her violet flames low and her golden eyes squinting at him — her concerned expression. He knows for certain it is… it took him a very long time to learn how to interpret Lavender's expressions. For as long as he's known her, Lavender has always had a translator in the form of his brother. He was able to easily tell the difference in all the little things she would do and figure out exactly what Lavender was trying to convey, even though she doesn't have the features to create real expressions — they were similar in that way. But after it happened, that understanding was gone and Emmet was left on his own to figure out how to communicate with Lavender himself. He's gotten real good at understanding after all these years. Lavender bumps his shoulder again, then her eyes start to glow a light blue and the mug slips from his hands in a glowing blue cloud. Emmet doesn't fight her. He didn't really want to drink the tea anyway. The mug is set down on the coffee table in front of him with a dull thump, the tea inside sloshing around a bit before settling again. Emmet watches it ripple.

   For a long, almost heavy moment, it's quiet. So quiet that his ears are ringing. There's nothing else moving in the apartment. All of the Pokémon besides Lavender have left the living room or have returned to their balls and Elesa went off into the playroom to call their friends and his uncle about Thunderfangs. It's just him and Lavender in the silence. Though his brother's starter doesn't let that last for much longer. Lavender whistles at him as she drifts down into his lap, pushing the blankets aside with her arms and climbing in with him. Emmet moves the blankets around without a second thought to accommodate her as she settles against his chest, her heat trapped under the covers as he closes it around her. Then the silence is replaced with the faint crackling of her fire.

   He wraps his arms around her and drags in a shaky breath as he dips down to place a kiss on her glass face. Lavender coos, one of her arms patting his shoulder in turn. Her flames warm the exposed skin of his neck, chasing away the shivers that had been plaguing him. Like it's the easiest thing in the world… Emmet really wishes he could express his gratitude properly. Truly, he feels nothing but grateful for Lavender's presence in his life and for every instance of her protecting him from himself as she just did. But Emmet doesn't have the words to express that. Not like he did. He's lucky that despite his lack of words, Lavender still understands. After all the years both of them have spent trying to bridge the gap that he left behind, they've finally reached that point. So Emmet's arms around her, accepting her warmth and allowing her to help him is 'thank you' enough for her.

   And so, the two of them sit there in the quiet together. Lavender starts to whistle a tune of a lullaby Emmet can't remember the words to and he settles back against the couch cushions as he stares at the green mug still sitting on the coffee table. It's peaceful. More so than getting lost in his thoughts alone was. Emmet would take that over anything.

   He's not sure how long the two of them are there before he hears a door creak open and click shut somewhere down the hall.

   Dragging his eyes away from the mug, he glances up towards the entrance of the hallway as footsteps start to ring out through the quiet. He figures Elesa must have finished her calls and is coming back to talk to him about it. She did mention that she would do that before she left… he thinks. At the time, Emmet had still been somewhat lost in his thoughts, so he didn't catch all of what she'd said to him. Though his assumption makes the most sense in his mind. He shakes that train of thought away as Elesa walks out of the doorway, putting as much of a smile as he can manage on his face. It must come out less than happy looking, since Elesa winces as she walks over to the living room. Still, she doesn't mention it. She just waves at him as she gets closer with a smile of her own. "Hey," she says as she tosses her phone onto the coffee table with a thunk and plops down on the couch next to him. Elesa glances down at the protrusion in the blanket. "Got Lavs in there?"

   Emmet sits up, pulling the blanket aside a little to show off the ghost before closing it again. "Yup." Elesa hums, nodding a little as she settles back against the couch herself.

   Neither of them say another word for a moment, then Emmet clears his throat.

   "So? How'd it go?" Emmet is honestly anxious about her answer. He's been trying not to think about Thunderfangs too hard, hoping to keep himself from spiraling again. It had taken Elesa a long time to help him calm down from the last spiral and if he hopes to find Thunderfangs, he needs to remain as levelheaded as possible. Still, he wants to know what happened on her calls. Maybe some piece of information she has will help him feel a little better.

   Or maybe that's wishful thinking…

   Elesa sighs, letting her head fall back against the cushions so she can stare at the ceiling. "It was fine. I called Skyla and Burgh and told them what happened. Skyla said she would be landing back in Mistralton from Kalos soon and she'd come help us search as soon as she's back. Burgh said he'd send out a search party for Thunderfangs, which I think he's trying to put together now." She pauses, her head flopping to the side so she can look at him. Elesa offers him a sympathetic smile. "Drayden didn't answer when I called. I tried three times and it kept ringing to voicemail."

   Emmet can feel his smile falling. Wishful thinking. He looks down at the coffee table, jaw clenching. He's not surprised his uncle didn't answer. It's rather late at night and Drayden is either in bed or busy at his gym, which means there's no way they're going to reach him any time soon. Still, it's disheartening that their search party is going to be smaller. That's going to make it so much harder for him to find Thunderfangs in such a big city and it's going to take far more time with less people to cover ground and then she's just going to disappear forever and… no. No, he won't be negative. They still have time. It's only the first day — first couple hours, even. That's plenty of time! And at least Emmet will have some help. Some is better than none at all. He takes a deep breath and nods.

   Lavender whines at him from beneath the blanket, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glances down at her and pets her glass in an attempt to soothe her. "Okay. I am Emmet and that is… okay. He's probably sleeping. I'll call him again in the morning if…" Emmet doesn't want to say the rest of that sentence out loud. Something about putting the idea of not finding Thunderfangs tonight into words feels like jinxing it. He doesn't want to take his chances. "We should go out and start looking." Emmet drops the blanket away from his shoulders.

   Elesa flinches a bit, frown spreading across her face. "Alright. But maybe you should eat something first? You look a little pale, Em…" She reaches out for him, but he just scoops Lavender into his arms and rises from the couch.

   "Nope. I am Emmet. We are already wasting time sitting here." He's learned the hard way that time is crucial when someone goes missing. Emmet refuses to lose another loved one. "Come on! Full steam ahead!" This isn't an argument Emmet wants to have right now. They need to get moving!

   Elesa opens her mouth to argue or maybe to try again to convince him to slow down. He has no idea what she was going to say, as there's a knock on the door that has both of their heads snapping towards it that cuts off whatever it was. Their potential argument fades into the background.

   Emmet stares at the door, eyebrows furrowing. Could that be Skyla? If so, then she must have been flying really fast to get to his apartment so quickly… Emmet glances at Elesa, who meets his eyes with a similar look of confusion on her face. Then she leans over to the coffee table to snatch her phone and check her messages. He watches her scroll around on her screen for a moment before she looks up at him and mouths 'not Skyla. I don't know who that is'. Emmet goes to respond, only for Lavender to jolt and start thrashing in his hold. Emmet jumps, head snapping down to watch her frantically trying to get out of his arms. Then she screeches and Emmet drops her to cover his ears. As soon as she's free, she zips over to entrance, continuing to scream and wail like an anguished spirit at the door.

   What is that about?!

   He rushes after her, still covering his ears in an attempt to block out the awful screaming. Emmet has no idea who is behind his door, but if Lavender is having such a reaction to them, he figures they must be dangerous or something! He has to defend his home and his team even if it's the last thing he does! As he comes up on the door, his tears one of his hands away from his ear to shoot into his pocket where Captain's Pokéball is hidden. Then he brings his other down to grab the handle, poised to battle the second he opens it.

   "Wait!" Elesa shouts from somewhere behind him, but it's already too late. Emmet turns the handle and throws the door open, his glare fixing on the person standing on the other side.

   His heart drops to his feet, body freezing.

   Lavender's screaming stops, replaced with soft chimes and whistles as she stares at the person before him. At… Ingo. The world around Emmet is lost to the ringing in his ears as he zeros in on Ingo. His brother is standing out in the hallway, eyes wide and hands covering his ears and stock still — frozen, just like Emmet is… he can't even process what he's looking at. The sight of his twin, who he never thought he would see again, standing before him after all these years of being missing now sends him into a state of shock. Emmet can't believe this. His twin brother is here! And Ingo looks… worse for wear. He's still got his coat and his hat, both tattered and stained with who knows what, and his white uniform shirt has been replaced with some pink tunic looking thing with a symbol he doesn't recognize on it. It looks old. Ingo looks old. His cheeks are slightly sunken and the dark circles under his eyes are so dark they look almost like bruises and his hair is a mess and there's the stupidest looking beard on his brother's face. But it's Ingo. By the dragons it's Ingo!

   Emmet opens his mouth to say something, anything, but all that comes out is a half-sobbed cry of his twin's name. "Ingo!"

   His voice seems to snap his brother out of his own shocked state. Ingo's hands fall away from his ears and his eyes fill with tears. "Emmet." He lets out a shuddering breath. "Oh Emmet, how I've missed you."

   And that's what finally breaks him. Emmet bursts into tears as he throws himself at his brother, burying his face into the old tattered coat and sobbing all the tears he thought he'd cried the last of into his twin's embrace. Ingo easily catches him, as he always does, hands digging into the fabric of Emmet's shirt. So tight that he fears Ingo may lose circulation in his hands. But Emmet doesn't have the words to tell him that and his twin is just as coherent as he is, mumbling nonsensical words into Emmet's shoulder while his tears soak his shirt. So, he just lets it go. They can deal with the consequences later… later. There's a later again!

   Emmet is over the moon.

   The rest of the world around them moves in a blur. Emmet can feel someone — probably Elesa — pulling him and Ingo into the apartment. Then he can see the door shut out of his peripheral vision and voices talking to his left. Emmet can't make out any of the words being said, but that's not his focus right now. He sniffles against Ingo's shoulder, trying his best to force out the words he needs to say — the question he needs answered. "Wwwhere were you?!"

   His brother huffs, then sighs in that oh so familiar way. The one he does when he's tired. "It's a long story, I'm afraid. I fear I may not be ready to get into that right now, but I promise you I will tell you as soon as possible. I promise," Ingo manages to get out through his own sniffles. Emmet doesn't want to wait, but for the sake of his twin, he will. He's already waited years… what's a little while longer? He nods against his brother. Emmet will be patient.

   Someone laughs beside him. A annoyed, mocking sort of laugh that definitely couldn't have come from Elesa. It sounds too… young. "Oh yeah! It's a crazy story too! And it's all that blonde asshole's fault! Stupid meanie!" What sounds like a little girl's voice huffs. Emmet leans away from his brother as Ingo gasps, loosening his hold on Emmet to turn towards the voice. He follows his brother's gaze to find Elesa crouched next to two children…

   Children.

   Emmet's heart nearly stops.

   Ingo clicks his tongue at the girl. "Akari! We don't call people names and we don't swear either. Please refrain from using such language." The girl — Akari — pouts at Ingo. Then she glances to the boy, who just shrugs. Oh they are absolutely siblings, Emmet can immediately tell. Akari rolls her eyes at her brother before looking back towards Ingo. She crosses her arms.

   "But, Daddy! I'm not wrong! That mean merchant attacked you and Rei and I'll never forgive him. Nuh uh!"

   Daddy?! She- Ingo- oh Emmet is going to have a heart attack. He glances between the two of them as Ingo shakes his head at his daughter. "Still, you should be nice. You'll be just as mean as Volo if you stoop to that level."

   "Yeah, Akari!" The boy speaks up, darting forward to ruffle Akari's hair. "Then we'll have to put you in that silly getup and gel your hair high enough to reach the clouds." Akari groans, swatting at her brother's hand. He just laughs and keeps trying to mess with her.

   Meanwhile, Elesa rises from her crouch and walks over to where he and Ingo are standing. Emmet can't pull his eyes away from the kids. He motions at them. "You… kids?" Emmet blinks a couple times, brain still catching up with this information. His brother laughs at him, which prompts Emmet's head to snap towards him. There's a look of mirth in his twin's eyes that instantly ticks Emmet off. He glares at him while Ingo shrugs.

   "Yes. I adopted them while I was in Hisui — ah, which is where I've been all these years." Ingo points to the boy, "That's Rei." Rei looks up upon hearing his name, finally stepping away from his sister. Then Ingo points to Akari. "And that is Akari. Troublemakers, as I'm sure you've seen." Ingo chuckles, then motions for the kids to come closer. "Why don't you two greet your uncle?"

   Akari perks up. "Okay!" She's quick to rush right over to him before he can even react, throwing her arms around his torso and hugging him with far more strength than a girl her age should possess. Emmet grunts, but hugs her back. "Hi Uncle Emmet! It's nice to meet you!" Her cheerful voice is muffled in his shirt, but the sound still makes Emmet tear up again. He's an uncle. Emmet is an uncle!

   Oh he's the luckiest man in the whole world. And he's going to be the best damn uncle these kids have ever seen!

   Emmet bursts into almost hysterical laughter as he sinks to his knees and scoops Akari into his arms. She yelps, but melts into the hug easily. "I am Emmet! It's so nice to meet you too!" He lifts his head, opening one of his arms for Rei. Rei seems a little more anxious than his sister, but he still walks over to him and sinks to the floor too to accept the hug. Emmet hugs both of them as gently as he can, blinking back the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. "I'm so happy to meet you…" So happy. Rei pats his back white Akari giggles into his shoulder.

   Out of the corner of his eye, Emmet can see Elesa hugging Ingo now. His brother's eyes meet his over her shoulder and he smiles at Emmet. A real, full smile. One he has never before seen on his twin's face. He can't stop the tears from flowing freely now.

   Tonight has been such a rollercoaster of emotions. Emmet will allow himself to cry for as long as he needs to.

   "-how did you even get back here?" Elesa says. He only catches what sounds like somewhere in the middle of their conversation, but the topic catches his attention. Emmet leans away from his niece and nephew, looking over to his twin and Elesa. Ingo opens his mouth to answer, but Akari beats him to it.

   She steps away from Emmet, hands flapping wildly in the air. "Arceus brought us back! And then we were walking in the scary dark places — Daddy was carrying me, so I was fine — and Thunderfangs was leading us! I was scared of her at first, but she's super cute now! It was so much fun!"

   "Thunderfangs?" Is that where she went? She was bringing his brother and his children home? Oh. Oh, Thunderfangs.

   Emmet hears a buzzing of electricity behind him. He looks over his shoulder to find Thunderfangs standing in the living room with Lavender floating beside her.

   He rises to his feet, starting to make his way to her.

   Maybe Thunderfangs should have prepared for the chaos that would erupt as soon as she got home. She had a feeling that Daddy would react strongly to seeing Papa and his young, but she hadn't thought to move out of the way until he threw himself at his brother. But then it was too late! She was caught between Papa and Rei as Auntie Elesa ushered them through the door. Then all of them were being herded in the apartment and there were so many people in the doorway and she just had to get away! So, she managed to slip past Aunty Elesa's legs and run into the living room.

   That's where she's been catching her breath and watching everyone hug. And she's not the only one who escaped to the living room. Lavender had also been floating in the doorway when everyone was pouring into the room, but she decided to move and wait for her turn to greet Pap after a couple moments. Now the two of them have been watching together. It warms her heart to see her family so happy… truly.

   Thunderfangs can't help but feel proud of herself for seeing her mission through. Finally, she's done something brave and helpful for her family. She's not a useless Pokémon anymore and she doesn't have to live with her guilt over not being able to help her daddy anymore… it feels like a huge rock has been lifted from her shoulders.

   "Thunderfangs?" Lavender's soft voice interrupts her thoughts. She jolts, blinking back the stinging in her eyes as she looks up at her sister. Lavender's eyes are squinting at her and her flames are brighter than Thunderfangs has seen them in years. Seeing her like this makes Thunderfangs so very happy.

   "Yeah?" She tilts her head, waiting for whatever it is Lavender has to say.

   Lavender's flames crackle, then a black tear slides down her glass. "Thank you… for bringing Dad home. And for everything… we were harsh on you when he first went missing. But I see why you did what you did now. Without you, all of us would have fallen apart. You held us together. And now you've brought all of us back together." More dark tears spill from her golden eyes. "You're the best sister any of us could have asked for. Thank you, Thunderfangs. Thank you!" Lavender swoops down, wrapping one of her cold metal arms around Thunderfangs.

   Thunderfangs blinks. Once. Twice. Then she starts to laugh. The sound clearly confuses Lavender, who floats back up with a chime of confusion. Thunderfangs reaches up with her pedipalps to swipe the tears falling out of her eyes away. "Sorry, sorry! I'm not laughing at you. I think I'm trying not to cry." Thunderfangs sniffles, wiping more tears away. "And.. I'm just so glad I helped. I was so worried about all of you and Daddy, but somebody had to keep chugging along the tracks! I'm so glad that I did something to help… really, I am."

   Lavender's eyes soften and her flames lower ever so slightly. "Of course you did. You really did!" Her gaze flicks over to the space in front of her and Lavender's eyes narrow in a smile. "And it looks like father has realized that too."

   Huh? Thunderfangs can feel her eyes narrow with confusion as she turns towards what Lavender is referring to. Then her eyes widen as she sees Daddy approaching her. Why is he coming towards her? Doesn't he want to spend more time with his brother? Thunderfangs tilts her head as she takes a couple steps closer to him. Her trainer laughs a bit as he sinks to his knees and opens his arms for her. "Oh, Thunderfangs! I was so worried about you. I am Emmet and I'm so glad you're home… and that you've brought Ingo home too."

   Oh.

   Oh! Thunderfangs is being praised! Excited static races through her body as she scampers over to him, throwing herself into his arms. Her daddy hugs her closer to his chest, sobbing as he buries his face into her fluff. "You're such a good girl. A good Pokémon… thank you, Thunderfangs. Thank you!"

   That's right. Thunderfangs is a good Pokémon now! She's a good girl and she did good! At last, her efforts have paid off and the storm has cleared.

   Here comes the sun.