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It didn’t take long for Emmet to sort things out in Nimbasa, something Ingo was extremely grateful for. He was enjoying getting to see the city he had lived in before his derailment to Hisui, don’t get him wrong, but it was just so much all at once.
It wasn’t much of a shock, especially considering his breakdown at the station when he first arrived, but it was still a relief when they finally left. Ingo would have to get used to it again, and he did want to, but that could wait for now.
Besides, there was something more important Ingo needed to do. That being, meeting his parents again.
Ingo was a little nervous. Despite what Emmet had said about them being okay with his amnesia, there was a small part of him that was worried what their parents would think of him now.
What if he wasn’t enough? What if they didn’t recognize him? What if he didn’t recognize them? What if he was just a sad and empty man now?
But as he and Emmet made their way to their parents’ house, it started to fade away.
The train ride was wonderful. It was like a years long itch had finally been scratched. Everything from it screeching to a halt in the station, to how it moved on the tracks, to the scenery flashing by outside slotted comfortably back into place like it had never left. Emmet answering all Ingo’s questions certainly helped as well.
The subsequent walk was nice too. Emmet had started complaining about it, but even that was nice. The noise of the forest was familiar in a way Ingo knew in his bones. It was no doubt what the noise of the Highlands reminded him of.
Then one sound cut above the rest.
“BOYS!”
“MOM!”
He did recognize her. She recognized him.
Ingo was shaking in his mom’s hold as she rambled on like she hadn’t seen him in a few weeks as opposed to a few years. She said something about a Scolipede and something about Dad’s fishing buddy.
Emmet pulled out of the hug when Ingo couldn’t hold back the tears any more. Ingo held on tighter. He felt Mom start to tremble too.
He had a Mom.
He had a Dad.
By Palkia or the Dragons or whatever was watching them, he had parents.
It was one thing to hear about them from Emmet, but it was entirely different actually hugging his mom. He had something physical in front of him, in his arms. He was wrapped up in a place he had been countless times before.
Oh, he loved his mom. He missed her so much.
It took a while for Ingo to finally pull himself away from Mom. He wiped his face, no doubt still looking like a mess afterwards. Mom didn’t look much better as she wiped her own eyes.
“Well,” she said with a wet laugh and wiping Ingo's face a little, “it’s good to see you again.”
“Yeah,” Ingo chuckled as he leaned into the touch, voice still wobbly. “It- It is good to see you too.”
Mom opened her arms again. Ingo accepted the hug, this one calmer than the last.
“I love you, little man,” Mom said softly. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Ma.” Ingo couldn’t help his gasp of a laugh. “And I’m taller than you.”
Still hugging him, Mom gave him a shake. “Oh, that doesn’t mean anything! You’ve both been taller than your Dad since you were fourteen.”
“That is true!” Emmet chimed in over Ingo’s laugh. “Isn’t that right, Scolipede? But I think you’re longer than all of us in Dad’s defence.”
Mom gave him one more shake before Ingo managed to get free and look over at Emmet. There was a large purple bug standing next to him, leaning into the scratches she was getting from his brother and churring .
“When did you get here, girl?” Mom laughed, giving her a pat too. “Were we taking too long for your liking?”
Scolipede shook free and walked over to Ingo with a chitter. There was a lump in his throat as her antennae waved in the air.
“Hey there, Scolipede,” Ingo said, crouching down to her. He held a hand out to her. She tapped it. “I’m sorry I do not remember you much, but I am happy to see you again.”
She tapped him a couple more times before bending down and nuzzling her face into his neck. Ingo hugged her back gently. She was an old bug after all.
It’s late, but it’s bright. Colourful lights shine across the baseball diamond. Emmet and Mom are dancing together along to the music.
The music that’s blaring and making it hard to think!
Everything’s too loud! The music and the people. The lights and the ground. His shoes and his shirt and his teeth and and and-
Scolipede lightly tapping his face.
He opens his eyes. She blinks slowly at him, concerned. He keeps his hands over his ears, afraid he might die if he moves them.
Scolipede nudges him. He looks up at Ma.
“Find Dad,” she signs. He takes a shaky breath and nods.
Scolipede leads the way through the loud crowd. She could lead him anywhere. Ingo just needs to stick with her and everything would be okay.
Ingo’s breath hitched as he hugged Scolipede a little tighter. She chittered warmly at him.
“Bug mom,” he choked out with a wet laugh. “You’re our bug mom, right? I love you.”
After another minute, Ingo let go. He gave her another scratch and stood back up.
“Better?” Mom asked, wrapping an arm around him and rubbing his arm.
Ingo scrubbed his face. “Yeah. I am better.”
“Then let’s go!” Emmet grabbed Ingo’s hand, pulling him down the trail. “I want to get home and sit down.”
Ingo let himself be dragged off, their Mom’s laugh behind them.
The path soon connected with a gravel road with a few houses scattered down it. They were all similar in form, square and brick and a couple stories, but only one drew Ingo in. It was near the end of the road with a short fence wrapping around the yard.
Ingo paused in front of it, Emmet coming to a stop next to him as Mom paused in front of the door.
“We grew up here?” Ingo asked quietly.
Emmet nodded. “Yup! We learned how to bike on this road and drew with chalk on the steps.”
Nothing new really came to mind. It was still just an old house with a fence that needed a little bit of work done on it. Maybe he could help with that while they were here.
“I like it,” he hummed, something warm settling in his chest. “It’s nice.”
They decided Ingo and Emmet would stay in the backyard for a little bit. Ingo was a little worried about getting a headache from too much about his past too fast and wanted to ease into everything. Emmet agreed, mentioning that it would also be easier to re-meet their parents’ Pokemon outside.
Emmet went inside with Mom to drop their bags off. Ingo took the moment to look around the yard with Scolipede.
They were on the edge of a forest. Much like the walk here, Ingo could hear the sounds of Pokemon from the trees. A few branches hung over the fence. It probably made the yard full of leaves come fall. That would be fun for a kid.
That must of been fun for him.
There was a lot of space in the yard. Ingo could almost imagine it full of scattered toys. He found a few stones planted firmly in the ground. Walking between them made it clear they formed a makeshift battlefield. That wasn’t much of a surprise really.
There was a few holes in the very back of the yard. Ingo stuck his hand into one, revealing it to be the entrance of a tunnel. He stepped away from them. They were likely well built, but he didn’t want to risk accidentally collapsing them. Both for his ankle’s sake and to not ruin the Pokemon’s work.
Emmet came back outside holding a rock. He placed it by deck stairs before coming to stand with Ingo.
“Mom’s getting Scrafty,” he said, giving Scolipede a pat. “Dad’s looking for Orthworm. He could be anywhere. But I brought Wugtrio out! They’re still sleeping though. Not surprising.”
Before Ingo could ask what any of those Pokemon were and if the rock was Wugtrio, the screen door slammed open. A long Pokemon came rushing out with a shout coming from inside.
“Orth-” Emmet was cut off as Ingo tackled him to the side, out of the Pokemon’s path.
Ingo got back on his feet, he blocked Emmet once the Pokemon rushed by. His heart was in his throat. They were home! It was supposed to be safe!
What about their parents?
The Pokemon came to a stop on the other side of the yard, looking around, then spun to face. Ingo’s hand paused on Machamp’s ball when the Pokemon tilted its head and whined in confusion.
Something poked in the back of his mind.
“Hello! I am Emmet and we are here!”
Dad calls back from inside, “Emme- Orthworm, wait!”
Ingo barely sees Orthworm as he comes rushing through the open doorway. As usual he fails at catching him, getting knocked to the ground in the process. Orthworm wiggles around on his chest, avoiding any attempts Ingo makes at grabbing him.
Ingo blinked. “This isn’t how the game goes.”
Orthworm rumbled, wiggling excitedly in place. Ingo opened his arms for the Pokemon rushing towards him.
Ingo caught him easily this time, happily letting himself be knocked down.
“Hello!” he got out between laughs. “Hi! I love you! You surprised me at first, but I remember our game now! Yes! Yes, I do!”
“I see you remember that,” another voice said above them with a laugh. “You’re a bad influence on him.”
There were tears in Ingo’s eyes immediately.
“Dad! Dad, I-” he tried to free himself to no avail. “Orthworm, let me go. I love you, but I want to hug Dad.”
Orthworm wiggled off him, letting Ingo nearly tackle his Dad in a hug.
“Hey, I got you,” he said, voice soft and calming as Ingo shook, crying again. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Much like with Mom, it took Ingo a few minutes to calm down enough to loosen his hug with his dad. He didn’t let go though, not yet.
“Oh, Dragons,” Dad whispered, voiced choked as he hugged him tighter. “You’re home. You’re really home.”
“I am. I am home,” Ingo said, just as choked up. “I love you, Dad.”
Dad pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I love you too, bud.”
With another squeeze, they managed to separate. Ingo finally noticed something.
“Wow, you’re short.”
“Hey!” Dad scolded with a laugh and a joking hit to Ingo’s arm. “You finally come home after four years and the first thing you do is call me short?”
“I didn’t think you’d be this short,” Ingo laughed.
“Rude!”
“But it’s true!” Emmet chimed in. He had moved to the deck and was sitting next to the rock that was possibly a Pokemon. “You have someone else to say hello to, Ingo.”
“The rock?” Ingo asked. It was, admittedly, a very familiar rock.
“They are inside.” Emmet scooped up the rock and walked over. He set it down at Ingo’s feet. Orthworm started nosing at it as Emmet gave it a knock. “Wakey-wakey, Wugtrio! Ingo’s home!”
Ingo crouched down and Dad got Orthworm to move. Slowly, the head of a red eel poked out of one of the holes. It was followed by two more. They all wiggled at him.
He’s sitting on the shore, waves hitting his bare feet as they wash in. Emmet’s in the water, playing with Eelektrik while Lampent spins above them.
Wugtrio sits next to him. They wiggle every time the water comes up and splashes on their rock.
Ingo offers them one of the berries he’s snacking on. The other two heads demand their own bites.
“Here!” he laughs, getting out a couple more berries. “For a Pokemon with three heads, you’d think you would know how to share.”
“Hello there,” Ingo said, petting one of the heads. The other two pushed their way under his hand for their own pets. “Yes, yes. There’s enough pets for all of you.”
Wugtrio wiggled again, gurgling at him and pressing their faces towards Ingo’s.
“I missed you too!” he laughed, failing at getting them away. “I love you too!”
Seemingly wanting pets of his own, Orthworm broke free of Dad’s hold. Emmet backing up was Ingo’s only warning before Orthworm ran into him and knocked him back down. Ingo wrapped his arms around Orthworm, his own little arms thumping on his chest.
“Jealous are you?” Ingo teased. He felt Scolipede sit down next to them. “You still want to play, huh?”
Ingo shook Orthworm back and forth. Orthworm rumbled happily with a wiggle.
He heard the backdoor open and close as he continued wrestling with Orthworm. He didn’t have much of a choice considering he was pinned by Pokemon. He didn’t mind though.
There were a few words exchanged between Emmet and their parents before Ingo heard someone come over. A low growl brought his attention to them.
“It’s alright, Scrafty,” Mom said, a laugh in her voice. “It’s Ingo! He’s back!”
Orthworm slithered off Ingo and he finally managed to sit back up, Pokemon all around him. There was an orange Pokemon with a yellow head, Scrafty no doubt, standing behind Mom like a nervous kid. He glared at Ingo.
“Hello, Scrafty,” he said. He held a hand out to him. “I am afraid I don’t quite remember you yet. I must I look different than how you remember me, but I promise I am Ingo.”
Scrafty crept closer, mean glare turning into more of a curious squint as he sniffed Ingo’s hand. His eyes went wide as he looked up at Ingo.
Scraggy pulls away from Mom a little, then slowly inches closer, eyeing the treat. He looks up at Ingo.
“Go on,” he says gently. “It’s for you.”
Scraggy slowly reaches out a hand.
Ingo was sent back to the ground as Scrafty tackled him, rubbing his head into his chest and blubbering.
“It’s okay,” Ingo laughed, scratching under his chin. The yellow skin was much looser than expected. “Oh, does this come off? Do you mind?”
Ingo moved the yellow bit of skin, only to be met with a face full of red. He spat out fur.
“Goodness, you have a lot of fur,” he laughed. “How does it all fit under there?”
Scrafty continued whining and nuzzling his face into Ingo’s chest.
“Yes, I missed you too.” Ingo’s eyes started to prickle. “I love you too. I love you all so much.”
The tears were back. He wasn’t surprised.
He felt a pressure to his side as Wugtrio tucked themself against him. There was another weight on his legs as Scolipede rested her head on top of them. Orthworm wrapped himself around Ingo’s head and other side, blocking the sun just enough for Ingo’s face.
It took a couple minutes to calm back down. When he finally did, he gave a wet laugh. “How am I supposed to get up now?”
“I think you’re stuck,” Emmet said above him.
Ingo got his face free and looked up at Emmet. He had what could only be described as a shit-eating grin.
“Hey, Orthworm,” Ingo said. Orthworm rumbled. “Get Emmet.”
“Hey! Wai-”
Emmet hit the ground with a thump. Orthworm wiggled on top of him, rumbling happily.
“Now who’s stuck?” Ingo teased.
“Still you.” Emmet sighed, “But also me.”
Ingo laughed softly. He turned and buried his face into Scrafty’s fur with a small groan.
“Are you okay?” Emmet asked quietly.
“Bit of a headache,” Ingo hummed. “I’ll be fine.”
“Do you want some medicine?” Emmet asked, failing to get Orthworm off himself. “Or you can sleep it off on the couch. I am sure Scrafty wouldn’t mind sharing his spot with you.”
Scrafty chirped in agreement.
“But it’s nice out,” Ingo mumbled, eyes closing.
The sun was warm, the noise was nice, and his family was close. Ingo just wanted to stay like this for a little longer.
“Alright, fine,” Emmet huffed, smile present in his voice. Orthworm slithered off him and back to his spot around Ingo’s head to block the sun. “I will let Mom and Dad know you’re napping out here. They went inside to start lunch.”
“I am not napping,” Ingo protested despite how little he wanted to open his eyes.
“You will be,” Emmet laughed.
He would be.
But honestly, who could really blame him?