This was completely incomprehensible to Ingo. He'd just wanted to see how the Gear Station blog was doing on his own time. Emmet had left his own computer unattended, so Ingo plopped into his seat and opened the site. He wasn't even remotely surprised that Emmet had been meming again. That wasn't new. What the heck was a Live Sliggoo Reaction? Plinko? Blorbo? Scrunkly? Wait, no, he knew that last one. Emmet kept calling him that one. Oh well. He'd catch up eventually.
He then remembered he'd started planning an actual personal blog for Emmet to use instead. To Ingo's surprise, it'd been fleshed out and cross-posted. Emmet had gone through and manually dated every imageset- That had either taken one highly motivated hour or three unmotivated days. Off-track. The blog hadn't even been made public yet. Why?
As he was skimming over the blog code (like he had any idea what he was doing), a white spot appeared to the right. A reflection of the silent brother that was attempting to sneak up on him.
"I can see you, Emmet," Ingo stated, and Emmet stopped in place. And he just stood there. Menacingly. Ingo opted to ignore him, until Emmet moved closer and just kept standing there.
"What do you want?" Ingo asked, finally turning to look at him. Emmet's response was to T-pose for a solid ten seconds before leaving without a word. What? What?? Then he spotted Banette holding Emmet's phone in the doorway. She was on Durant's back, looking equally as confused as her trainer. Ah. So that's how it was going to be today. He already had a retaliation in mind.
----
Emmet posted the video without much thought. He loved teasing Ingo with utter nonsense. It drove Ingo wild trying to figure out what Emmet was trying to communicate. And the numbers were already coming in! A reblog and a reply! He nearly scrolled away when he very suddenly realized that was HIS personal blog responding!
"Ingo...." he muttered, then checked the reply. Ingo's response was holding Baby Worthy like a shotgun, captioned "Emmet, I am going to kill you with the power of friendship and this gun I found."
Then another post popped up from the personal. Ingo, still holding Baby Worthy, using her to hide his face. Caption, "When you get eeby deeby'd & all you remember is the wikipedia article on trains. Check out this funny looking thing, I'm abandoning my brother for Baby Worthy. She's here for me. [Joking]"
"What the fuck, you egg?!" Emmet yelled across the house, and was met with his brother's loud laughter. So that's how it was? Huh? That's how it was today?? Oh, he'd show Ingo.
----
Ingo eventually went back to his own room, watching all the new memes pour in. That picture of him with Baby Worthy had certainly been worth-y it. Lord Arceus. That pun was awful. That pun was something Elesa would say. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't hear Emmet approaching, only realizing he was being stared at... At the last second.
BONK!
He'd been hit with an old wrapping paper tube. Old, because it was already dented in some places. It'd been around longer than Banette had. Off-track.
Ingo did the only thing he could think of- He fell off his chair and faceplanted onto the floor. Ouch. He regretted that decision immediately, but it made Emmet laugh. Patience, patience...
"You can get up, Ingo! It was a good clip!"
No response. Oh. Oh no. Had he hit too hard? Emmet bent down to inspect. He didn't think Ingo would fake that.
He was wrong.
Ingo lunged, wrapping his arms around Emmet and dragging him down to the floor. He'd gotten stronger in Hisui, and he was about to prove his dominance. Emmet squirmed helplessly, realizing he really was outmatched. As a final show of dominance...
"Say mercy, Emmet. I'm not letting go."
No! No!! Emmet would never!
----
Emmet called mercy a minute later. He'd started to cramp, and Ingo was feeling merciful at the moment. Emmet bonked him with a tissue box. Emmet proceeded to be chased outside by his brother, laughing the entire way out. Once outside, Emmet nursed his cramped arm. Ouch, ouch. Ingo considered taking a potshot at Emmet from a window, but decided against it when he realized Emmet was hurting.
"Truce?" Ingo called down, and Emmet nodded. "Truce!"
Emmet spent a few more minutes outside enjoying the breeze before heading back in. Ingo had picked up his controller and died to a boss as Emmet plopped down next to him.
"Darn," was all Ingo said regarding this. Chandelure settled down next to Emmet- He's here to help.
Emmet's phone beeped and both of them jumped. Ingo's character died again. Elesa had been complaining about Emmet not using it, so she stuck to only sending messages it to it and not his Xtrans. He opened it while Ingo peered over his shoulder.
Elesa was presumably standing on something, because otherwise she'd have no way to dwarf Skyla. She was holding Skyla under the armpits like a long Meowth. Written on it in Impact font was "I'll kill you with my heels and this gun I found."
Emmet burst out laughing so hard he fell off the sofa. Ingo just shook his head and went back to his game. Chandelure found under Emmet, dead and killed. Help him.
Ingo had been hired. Emmet had not. They had both followed the rules and showed exemplary knowledge of the subject. They'd both stated several times to their would-be boss that they wanted to work together. Their would-be peers were impressed with both of them.
So why? Why had Ingo been hired, and why had Emmet been left on the side of the tracks?
It felt awful. They'd both been so excited when their uncle the Depot Agent arrived at their home and delivered the green uniform. Just the one uniform, to both of their confusion. Had someone made a mistake? They both eyed the uniform, and then stared at their uncle for an explanation.
Neither of them liked the answer they got. Ingo, while glad he got the job, didn't like having to leave Emmet behind. Emmet just felt terrible, like someone had reached into his chest and crushed his heart. He didn't show it though.
"Great work, Ingo!" he'd said, clapping his elder brother on the back, "You did it! Verrrrry bravo! I'll prrrrobably join you soon!"
Spoilers: He didn't. Emmet had no idea why, and it left him questioning. Had he been too erratic during the interview? Too scary? Was he not good enough?? Was this his fault???
----
Of course Emmet went when Ingo boarded the train to his new job the first time. It'd be downright wrong not to, and he was delighted to see his brother so happy.
The terrible feelings returned as soon as the train was but a speck in the distance, jealousy chief among them. Why? Why?? He was so jealous it made him feel ill. He didn't know how to process this! He'd never needed to before! They'd always been equals, and now... ......
----
... Why was he on the bathroom floor again? This had to stop. Every time Ingo left for work, Emmet would feel sick. This wasn't normal jealousy- This was ADVANCED jealousy! At least, that's how he'd described it to his parents. It was the best he could come up with at the time, and he was glad they'd understood him. He wasn't glad now, of course, even with Galvantula and Eelektrik cuddled up next to him. Awful. Downright terrible. He wanted to go too...!
----
Emmet got his wish the following week, and not in the way he'd hoped. Apparently, the subway boss had made Ingo go out and see why the train had made an emergency stop, despite this clearly being the bosses job. Ingo hadn't been dressed warmly, and Lampent had been busy elsewhere on the train. In the end, it meant Ingo had fallen ill, and the boss still expected him to come in.
"Is this how you felt when I was gone? I'm sorry," Ingo had apologized, repressing a sneeze. And he was still expected to show up?! It made Emmet's blood boil again. And then he had an idea.
----
"ALL ABOOOOARRRD!"
Emmet, wearing a mask and Ingo's uniform, gleefully pointed to the train sign. He was echoed by the conductor, who leaned out the window and made the same gesture. Lined up perfectly, as they should be! No one suspected a thing. He brought Lampent and Excadrill along to Ingo's job, just in case anything happened- And neither of them complained. They seemed to understand the situation, and gladly did their part to make the swap seamless. Of course, Emmet could never quite reach Ingo's tone or volume, but that was okay- He only had to claim that he had a sore throat and that he hadn't been given time to recover. Quickly he'd said this, but not as bluntly as he'd have liked to. He had to use more words. He was Ingo for today.
Despite this, he couldn't help but give the subway boss the most venomous glare he could muster every time they turned their back. This boss had made Ingo suffer, and also Emmet! Terrrrrible, no good! Emmet wanted nothing more than to downright pummel him in a Pokemon battle. He was very good at those! Maybe even the best!
He realized a bit too late how excitedly he'd begun stimming, rapidly pumping his fists at the idea of battling. Had anyone seen it? That was very un-Ingo of him! Shit! No one saw that, right? Rrrrright?
"So it's you, Emmet."
Emmet jumped, his left hand flying to Galvantula's pokeball. Who?! Who?!
"Did I startle you? I'm sorry. I should've known better."
"Uncle Cameron!" Emmet cheerfully shouted, turning to hug his uncle, "So sorrrrr-y! You frightened me!"
He wasn't needed right now, so this was okay. He had a couple of minutes before the train was ready to move, so he didn't need to board yet. He could talk to his uncle, the coolest Depot Agent ever. He had to be cool! He recognized Emmet even with his face covered! That made him, like, suuuuper cool! Super bravo cool!
"Sorry, Emmet. I only came over from my track to warn you." Well, that was concerning. "The boss changed schedule and is coming to this train today instead of tomorrow. I swear, he has no regards for our schedules."
Emmet stared in horror. He had to ride the train with that guy?! No way, no! He wanted to quit on the spot! He loudly cursed, but luckily his exclamation was covered by the nearby garage band starting to blare out music. Wait. This gave him an idea.
"Good luck with that, Emmet. I mean, Ingo," Cameron winked, patting Emmet's head. "You can't battle him. I've already tried. I got my pay docked for suggesting it." With that, Cameron left Emmet alone again on the platform.
The man wouldn't even battle?! Oh, that was definitely the last straw. The last spoon. The last speck of patience Emmet had with this man. The man Emmet saw approaching, and who stopped in front of him.
"Get inside already, whelp. You don't need to do any of that pointing, we're going."
Emmet's blood evaporated into an angry mist so thick it threatened to suffocate passerby. No. No! By all safety rules, that was not what you do!!!
Emmet nodded to the boss, but did not move. His idea. Wait. He had a plan and he could...!
"I do not intend to follow the schedule, sir, just like you," Emmet began, trying his hardest to restrain any possible malice from his voice. "There is a public nuisance that needs to be shut down, effective immediately." A curt nod, a slight bow. "I will shut down this unnecessary arrangement. Please enjoy your trip, sir."
To Emmet's surprise, there was no response at all. It seemed the man approved, and boarded without another word. Not even a thank you! Emmet would remember that! Emmet would now act against your wishes! Emmet would now do all the required pointing and calling, specifically to spite you!
And then he waited. He waited for the train to vanish from view, while the garage band warily watched him. They'd heard him, after all. He hadn't realized that, so he was confused when he looked and was met with worry.
"What? It is okay. Continue playing! It is not a safety violation!"
To hammer in how honest he was, he pulled his mask off to reveal his large grin. He loved garage bands! So much!
"And I love your music, please go on!!"
----
Lunch break. Uncle Cameron had gone on ahead and told his fellow workers that Emmet was substituting in for Ingo, and not a single one complained. They understood how Emmet felt, and good, because he was upset!
"The boss says no safety rules?? Jail! Jail for boss for one-thousand years! Illegal and verrrrrrry unsafe!! I think he should---!"
Emmet was cut off by all the Depot Agents scrambling to get something behind him, and he looked around in alarm. What?! What was it?? He only saw a Joltik, which he immediately plucked off the wall.
"Do you see what's wrong, little girl?" Emmet asked it, holding it up to his face on his open palms. The Joltik stared. The Depot Agents stared. Galvantula released herself from her ball and stared.
Emmet plopped the Joltik onto Galvantula's back.
"Baby delivery for you!"
Galvantula trilled happily, as did the Joltik. Several more Joltiks came out from who-knows-where to join their brethren. Emmet considering throwing them at the bad Subway Boss briefly. That gave him another idea, a... More disruptive idea. But not now. Not today. He'd need Ingo for this one.
----
Ingo came back into work the following Monday. He made sure to still wear a mask, just in case he could get others sick. That, and Emmet had insisted on it. They were both wearing one, as well as both wearing a uniform. The point was not to confuse any passengers, though- It was still very clear they were different people. Ingo had on a very-oversized uniform jacket, while Emmet had the one that fit properly. Ingo was borrowing it from Uncle Cameron, and he opted to wear it because Emmet refused to. "What if I get stuck in a doorway?!" Emmet had argued, and Ingo didn't fight with him past that. He didn't have the time for this anyway. He had to be at his station soon, and he couldn't be a minute late. He just hoped Emmet would get to his own spot in time....
----
"Good morning, sir," Emmet loudly stated, neatly saluting, "The train is running perfectly on time."
Seeing the boss stand over the yellow line made Emmet want to drag him back to safety, but he'd already agreed that he wouldn't. How had this man even gotten this position with such a disregard for the rules? Relatives? Money? Both?? Terrible.
As the subway train entered sight, several Joltik launched themselves off of it. Most of them landed just outside the yellow line, knowing their place. They, too, were passengers, but knew not to bother human passengers behind the lines.
But SOMEONE wasn't behind the lines, so several Joltik ended up bashing directly into the subway boss. He angrily swatted them away while Emmet silently laughed. The Joltiks were, of course, completely in on what was happening, and opted to stay on the scene.
Emmet glanced to the side. Uncle Cameron had abandoned his usual post in favor of recording all of this on an oldish looking camcorder. Digital, of course, but a bit bulky. He had a fantastic angle, and he gave Emmet a thumbs up.
When Emmet looked back, the subway boss had several very clear splotches of yellow on his nice, clean suit. Again Emmet had to hold back laughter- He'd only suggested dunking spiders in spraypaint as a JOKE. The visual proof that it'd happened was nice, yeah, but he didn't think the Depot Agents would actually do much of what some idiot kid had suggested.
Right. His job.
As soon as the train was fully stopped, Emmet made sure he was lined up with the conductor before pointing up to the signs. The boss hated this and ignored him, meaning he missed critical information-- The digital scrollbar had changed it's usual message. Beyond the time of departure, route and current time it had more ominous text warning of something vague. Emmet smiled under his mask, glad Ingo had made it to his station in time.
The scrollbar was usually completely automated, so Ingo had to manually enter this in- And that took far longer than he'd anticipated. Ingo considered asking for someone to be hired to handle this backend tech in case something went wrong, but realized he was thinking WAY too far ahead. One thing at a time. Stop at every station before completing the trip. He had a call to make as soon as the train had departed.
Emmet boarded the subway train as soon as he could. He wanted to make sure passengers knew something was up so they wouldn't be worried. The boss had also pushed his way in, but he was standing by the doors and trying to rub the paint off his suit.
Bingo.
A single Joltik waited nearby, keeping its eyes on the doors. She had a very simple job- Jump on the man's tie, and leave the train. If all went well, that stupid tie would get stuck in the doors. Emmet had not been a fan of this idea, saying it was a genuine danger, and he was still correct. However, the boss was also disregarding how close he was to the doors and what was around him. Again, Emmet wondered how this man had kept this position if he was this dense.
This part of the plan did not work, thankfully. Joltik had been spotted far too early on, and had been removed with an excessive amount of throwing force.
"Sir, I should not have to ask you to stand away from the doors," Emmet stated, finally giving up on staying quiet. As he was given a very annoyed look, he added "If that Joltik had gotten your tie, that would have been verrry dangerous."
A few moments of tense silence passed, during which the train whistle blew. Looooong, looooong, short.
"You're not the boy I hired," the subway boss observed flatly, to which Emmet nodded.
"Correct. I am Emmet. Ingo is sick."
There was no reply to this. Emmet had at least expected SOME kind of reaction, and was left confused. Let's try again.
"Why only Ingo?
"Can't afford two new hires."
Oh. Oh, it was. It was that simple? It hadn't been anything personal?? It wasn't some kind of--
The subway train made a noise it most certainly was not supposed to make, and Emmet jumped, resulting in three Joltik being thrown and one Emmet falling onto the floor. The boss was quick to radio the conductor, brow furrowing as he demanded to know what the hell that was. Emmet didn't understand the reply- The radio quality was absolute trash- but he did see the boss' face change. What kind of expression was this? Emmet prided himself on his ability to read faces, but this had him at a loss. Worry? Fear? No... Maybe??
The expression was gone moments later, with the boss having noticed that Emmet was staring.
"Stay here," he firmly instructed, standing up. "I don't want children getting involved in this."
As he walked out, Emmet was able to hear him muttering "How did they find me this time?"
----
Emmet waited ten minutes before his patience ran out. He didn't have Ingo's radio, so he couldn't ask what was going on. He had a vague idea, though- This was never about shunning safety protocols! The subway boss was trying to avoid someone, and it was probably verrrrrrry important! He made a mental note to ask the Depot Agents about this after- He doubted they had any idea.
Okay, that was another five minutes, and his patience was DEFINITELY out now. He didn't want to wait the full hour before the train returned to Gear Station! What if it was bad? Nope, he wasn't gonna sit there anymore! Time to go!
Emmet was able to hear a Pokemon battle as soon as he left the train car, and he got excited. Battle! Battle!!! Battle!!!! Where? Where??? Next car?? Pokemon battle!
He got his pants leg stuck in a cab door, and he stopped to offendedly stare at the closed door. That's no good! Emmet made a mental note to either get boots to tuck his pants into, or get skinnier pants. Maybe both. Both is always good.
Right! Pokemon battle! Where was it??
Only a few train cars down, it turned out.
"Nidoking, Earthquake!"
"Ice Shard!"
Emmet vibrated excitedly watching the battle play out. He hadn't seen these Pokemon before! What region were they from? He'd have to ask later!
Unfortunately, it didn't last much longer. Nidoking had been the boss' last Pokemon, and his opponent was quick to gloat.
"See how much stronger we've gotten in your absence, Leader? Your own Admin beat you! Now you HAVE to come back with me!"
Emmet couldn't see the boss' face, but he could see Nidoking's- And Nidoking was clearly displeased by all this. That was all Emmet needed to step in.
"Pardon me! As this train is still in motion, I have to ask all passengers to remain onboard for their own safety!"
He knew that this man didn't mean leaving right this moment. He didn't care, either. Watching the gloating man's face shift from being smug to confusion to irritation was enough for him at the moment. Wait. No it wasn't. Emmet still wanted to battle. He always did. The other man must have noticed Emmet fidgeting with Galvantula's pokeball, because he was quick to pull out his own ball.
"Maybe I want to leave! What's a kid like you going to do, stop me? You're not doing some sort of gym challenge, so I got no reason to be scared of you!"
What a mistake this man was making. It was one of Emmet's points of pride owning three gym badges, after all. Maybe he really should start wearing them more often. Oh well. Irrelevant. He was being challenged to a battle! Pokemon battle, Pokemon battle, Pokemon battle!
----
Emmet lost, but that didn't stop him from personally trouncing his opponent after they announced that they were going to leave right that minute. No, absolutely not, that was completely against the rules! You are getting seatbelted whether you like it or not! "Seatbelt" in this case was not only literal, but also had assistance from Galvantula. Verrrrrrrrry literal.
In the background, the boss slipped on a leftover patch of ice from the previous battle. Nidoking snorted.
--------
--------
"Hey, Ingo, do you remember the old boss?"
"I try not to," Ingo responded, glancing up from today's paperwork. The display screen next to the Multi-line was no longer functioning, so they needed to order a new one- And like hell Emmet was going to do it. "That just makes me worried about the idea of stalkers. Why?"
Emmet shrugged, leaning back on his office chair.
"I 'unno, I was just thinking about him! That's not weird, rrrrrrright?"
"Emmet, you know he was a wanted criminal, right?"
"WHAT."
[At this point I ran out of steam and ideas. That was SUPPOSED to be Giovanni playing another round of AVOIDING MY TEAM UNTIL I GET WHERE I WANT TO BE but get fucked up old man.]
It was a damp, rainy morning, and Emmet was comfortable where he was. Bed soft and warm, outside cold and wet. He knew he had to get up, but he didn't want to. Even if he tried to get up, someone was holding him. He wasn't sure which Pokemon had managed to get into the room, but he couldn't complain about it. A bit longer couldn't hurt...
He wasn't sure how long he'd managed to doze off for, but he didn't appreciate the Xtrans ringing from the nightstand. Drowsily reaching over his pillow(?), Emmet blindly grabbed it. He had intended to answer it- truly, Emmet Promise!- when his companion's hand grabbed his own and pushed it down.
"Ten more minutes..." they murmured, pulling Emmet in a little bit closer. Emmet merely blinked in disbelief. Was this real? Or was this one of those weird semi-lucid dreams? Emmet wasn't sure, but he decided he didn't care. Whether this was real or not, he decided to enjoy it and cuddle up to his brethren. Surely it wasn't real...
----
He was still there when Emmet woke next, completely wrapped around Emmet. Well, now Emmet had two situations- He had to confirm this was real, and he had to move. He looked around for some kind of explanation, and skipped right over Ingo's coat several times before realizing it was there. It looked... Well, it looked like shit. He reached out to touch the very edge of the coat's fabric, and yuuuuup! It was definitely real and Ingo's coat!
Emmet pulled the pillow(?) he was holding closer to himself and squealed into it in excitement. Ingo was here! Ingo was herrrrrre! The pillow(?) squealed in return, and Emmet finally realized he wasn't holding a pillow at all- It was far too squishy!
"Sorry, Nil..! Ingo's here, but I'm trapped!" Emmet explained to her, and she hummed before wriggling out of his grip. The jellyfish-like Pokemon hummed again and floated out, with no intentions of helping.
"Thanks, Nihilego," Emmet grumbled, rolling his eyes. He reached out to grab his Xtrans from the nightstand when it started ringing, and he sighed. He only wanted to check the time, not talk to somebody!!
He answered it anyway with a "I am Emmet! Hello!"
"I see Ingo made it back safely," came Cameron's voice in return, his image coming up moments later, "We tried to call you yesterday, but you left your Xtrans home."
For a moment, Emmet looked utterly destroyed. He could have found out before now?!
"We all stayed at the Gear Station with him, but your brother decided to sneak out to see you. You should thank him."
"You had a sleepover at the station?! Without me?!" Emmet shouted, sitting up and completely displacing his brother, "Can we do it again?! I want to go!!"
While Cameron laughed and looked elsewhere to discuss this with the other unseen Depot Agents, Ingo peered at Emmet. He was certainly in high spirits. This did not evade Emmet's notice, even when he shut his eyes again. Emmet, deciding he wasn't falling for that today, immediately started jostling Ingo.
"Ingo, wake up! You fucked up big time!"
"Emmet," came the simple response.
A pause, and then the twins broke into uncontrollable laughter. It hadn't even been that funny, but neither of them could stop howling in complete hysterics for several minutes. By the time they were able to catch their breath, Cameron had already hung up on Emmet and Banette had completely bailed.
"I almost thought I lost you...!" Emmet whined, putting both his hands on Ingo's shoulders, "Don't ever do that again..!" Ingo returned the gesture, nodding.
"If I knew what I did to begin with, I would certainly avoid it again. I do not wish for a repeat."
Another pause, and they just stared at each other. Ingo was quick to notice that Emmet's eyes had started to water, and oh no, now he was starting to feel the same way...! Now HIS chest was feeling tight..!
Emmet noticed Ingo's eyes starting to tear up, and he did what any good little brother would do-- Give him the biggest, tightest hug he could manage!! He was momentarily surprised by how Tightly Ingo hugged him back, but he decided he liked this! It felt Good!
----
"Ne-ne?" came from the doorway, and the twins both looked to see Baby Worthy standing there, a plastic bag hanging out of her mouth.
"No, no! Don't eat that, Baby!" Ingo yelled in panic, abandoning Emmet to take the bag away from the Sneasel. Emmet only watched in utter bemusement as Ingo continued with "You don't eat plastic. Only Garbodor eats plastic, okay?"
"Snea!"
Ingo now had to explain why he had a Sneasel named Baby Worthy to his brother.
"This Sneasel was given to me by her mother as an egg. She is quite literally a baby. Please be nice to Baby Worthy, she is a poison type. I named her after the Killingsworth."
Emmet's eyes glittered as he reached out to hold Baby Worthy, and he almost cried again from how cute she was. She stared at him in clear confusion, only looking away to look at Ingo. Two? Two papas? Two ne-nes? Well, that was just fine with her! To show how okay with this she was, she started chewing on Emmet's wrist. He didn't even budge.
"I gotta show you my new Pokemon too! I got two new ones also!" Emmet announced, and then whistled.
Every Pokemon in the house proceeded to storm the bedroom, and the twins. There was no survivors except for everybody that lived, which was everyone. The casualties are skyrocketing.
"This is Chaport the Charjabug!" Emmet said from under Eelektross, lifting Charjabug up to where Ingo could see her, "Elise traded her to me! She beeps like a bus!" Confirming this, Chaport stood up on her back corners and beeped. "And Nihilego is around here somewhere! She's verrrrrrrrrrry squishy and snowy! I found her while looking for you!"
Well. That was a Pokemon name Ingo didn't recognize. Squishy? White? The pillow Emmet had been holding when Ingo had gotten there? Apparently so. Ingo was surprised to see Nihilego lean out from behind Excadrill and shyly wave at him with one of her tendrils. What an odd Pokemon, but very on-brand for Emmet. Emmet loved having Pokemon that were odd, as did Ingo. They agreed on that.
Gliscor now interrupted, wagging his tail and licking Ingo's face, only to be shoved aside by Klinklang. The jealousy was real.
"This is Gliscor, Emmet. I brought him back with me from Hisui. Contrary to popular belief, he is not a poison type like you'd expect."
"He's not?! Is that why I always lose to Gliscors?!" Emmet was stunned. Every day he learned some more. "But I got a poison type finally! It's Nihilego! So there, you don't have all of the poison types anymore!!"
"If you keep collecting electric types, I'm donating you to the power plant as a renewable source of energy," Ingo joked, cracking a smile.
Emmet noticed.
"You smiled?!" he yelled, displacing Eelektross by jumping up, "You did it?!"
Warden Ingo stared at the dusty mirror. He'd only intended to look at himself for a moment, but that didn't end up happening. After a moment of squinting at his own reflection, he tried to give himself a smile... But he couldn't do it. But why? Was something wrong with his face?
He tried again, using his hands to force the expression. It hurt to do- Maybe smiling wasn't something he did often?
Wait, no.
He knew that he'd smile during Pokemon battles. He enjoyed those. He also enjoyed...
... Why was his vision blurring?
... That smile. That damned smile. It was so familiar, even though it hurt. He knew he should recognize it. His heart burned. Even without his memory, he knew he was missing something crucial. And it hurt, so, so badly. He needed to lie down.
Staring at the ceiling, Ingo reached an arm towards it. He never knew why this felt right, but it did. He wondered if his smiling counterpart was doing the same. Tears rolling down his face, he was certain of one thing- Even if he could see the stars, he'd never reach them. At least not alone.
"Noo!" yelled Emmet, clinging to Galvantula, "Ingo, that's so scary! Why is it a ghost? Why is it a ghooost?"
Ingo smiled slightly, leaning back on the bench. Now that the workday was over, Jackie had asked Ingo if he knew any scary stories from Hisui. Ingo had been delighted to deliver.
"Hisuian Zoruas passed away from the bitter cold," Ingo now explained, giving all of the Agents and Emmet a temporary break from the horror tales, "And returned as spirits of malice. I cannot personally confirm this, but that's how the tale went."
"Hisui has quite a few ghost stories," Ramses observed, "Can you tell another?"
Jackie, who was writing these down, agreed frantically. The horror writer and the ghost fanatic wanted more? Ingo would gladly deliver. Asking Chandelure to set mood lighting, he leaned forward and bridged his fingers together. His eyes glowed in the darkness, and his Scraggy-like smile slowly crossed his face.
"All right. Let me finish off with a tale of the rivers, the Basculin that perished within... And why one shouldn't take their own safety for granted."
----
Emmet had to step out for a bit. He never did horror as well as Ingo, and no one commented on him leaving. There was nothing wrong with being scared, even if it was just a story. And that was a-okay! He took the time to bury his face into Galvantula's fluff, and she gently nibbled on his arm. Affection.
What drew him back was a sound he'd never heard before, echoing through the tunnel. Upon his return, he spotted Ingo holding what was maybe? A flute? And softly playing it. How exciting! Ingo had learned an instrument!
What startled everyone present was when the notes were returned perfectly a few moments later. This was no echo, and Ramses immediately grabbed onto Isadore in terror. Furrowing his brow, Ingo played the short tune again, only for it to be returned much quicker this time
"I will investigate! I will be right back!" Emmet announced, turning on his heel. Galvantula, still in his arms, spit some string out onto the floor. If something happened, they could still be tracked down.
"Certainly not! I am coming with you, Emmet!"
Ingo was at his side in a second, Chandelure following. A moment passed. They looked at each other and nodded, before both pointing ahead.
"Ahead!"
Isadore rolled his eyes and went back to scrolling Poketwit. Why were his bosses such dorks?
----
Ingo carefully played a few notes, and waited for the return notes. They'd gotten far closer, as if it was coming from the lobby. Emmet held a hand up in front of Ingo's face, and they both stopped.
"Wait. I think I know who it is!"
Without explaining further, Emmet beelined to what appeared to be several bags of trash on a nearby bench. Ingo started to grab Garbodor's pokeball, but was startled when the pile moved and looked at Emmet, revealing a very human face.
"Oh. Hello, Station Master."
He knew that voice. Ingo knew that voice. He knew it well, and a wave of anger washed over him before he patted it down. No, it couldn't be.
The pile moved again, lit by Chandelure. Ingo could now clearly see it was a man and his large backpack, covered by a coat that was far too large for him. And the blond hair...
"Hi, travel buddy! Did you miss the last train? The Station is closed now!" Emmet was clearly okay with this person, so it couldn't be HIM. That wouldn't make sense anyway. Humans don't live that long, unless...
"That does explain it," came the familiar-voiced reply, "But who's playing the flute? I need to thank them before I forget. I haven't played that song in years. I didn't even remember it at first."
Emmet pointed back to Ingo, grinning.
"That was Ingo! I don't know when he learned that but it's verrry nice!"
"Ingo..." the man trailed off, and Ingo felt a horrid taste in his mouth. No. No. No...
"I know that name," he continued, pulling his hood down to reveal more of that blond hair Ingo didn't want to see, "I definitely recall that name. I bet he's right mad at me."
He was entirely correct. Ingo, in a move of uncontrolled anger, stomped over and grabbed the man by the collar before slamming him against the wall. He ignored Emmet's "Woah, woah, woah, Ingo!" in favor of glaring at the man's face. Volo.
"You..!" Ingo growled, his grip tightening, "You caused us no end of problems..!"
Volo stayed surprisingly calm, and it only made Ingo madder. How dare he be so casual about this! How DARE he be so unbothered! HOW DARE--
"Ingo, please!" Emmet cut in, trying to bring Ingo's arms down, a look of fear on his face. Seeing Emmet, Ingo realized how illogical he was being and slowly put Volo down, but it didn't cool his rage.
"I know what he did already!"
Well, that did the trick nicely. Ingo blinked, and furrowed his brows again. Emmet knew?
Emmet knew.
"Yes, I do know! He told me on our first trip together! I punched him in the face! I'm not proud of it!" Emmet mimed punching Volo, and Volo didn't even flinch. Emmet had clearly done this numerous times.
"He really did," Volo confirmed, tilting his head slightly, "Your brother hits like a truck. I wouldn't be surprised if you did as well."
Seeing that Ingo was still very confused, Volo continued speaking.
"I don't entirely remember everything that happened, since the Lake Guardians all cursed me. That hasn't stopped me one bit, but I know I was completely out of line. I don't want forgiveness, because I'm not sorry-"
Ingo's fist slammed into Volo's stupid crooked grin before Volo could finish his sentence, sending the blond sprawling onto the floor.
"Hmmm, I'm afraid I don't share your sentiment, Emmet. That felt quite good."
----
"I still refuse to apologize. I can't apologize for something in good faith if I can't recall it clearly," Volo stated, nursing his jaw with an icepack. "And why would I either way? I had fun. Did you not?"
Ingo had to be held back by both Furze and Emmet. No. No, he hadn't. His experience had been 90% traumatic, 5% pain, and only 5% of anything else. He wondered how the hero was doing. Wait. By now, they'd be...
"Mr. Volo, you said you liked legendary Pokemon, right??" piped up Cloud, raising his hand. He didn't even give Volo a chance to reply, as Cloud started Talking and Rambling at maximum speed. Taking advantage of the situation, Emmet and Ingo stepped to the side for an aside.
"I do not want to throw him out, Ingo. He's my friend."
"I do not want him staying here like this, Emmet. It isn't a good lifestyle. At least get him a hotel room."
Emmet did not have a reply to this. It wasn't what he expected Ingo to say at all. Scrambling to think of something, Emmet instead spurted out "I am Emmet! I did not bring money with me!"
"Fuck, man, you sure are Emmet," Isadore sassed from the sidelines, watching the two blond legendary-lovers get more and more animated in their conversation. They were getting too loud for his liking, and it was getting hard to listen in on his twin bosses. Isadore put his headphones on and opted to stop listening entirely. That was enough of that for him.
"We have come to a decision!" Emmet announced, but both Cloud and Volo were speaking right over him. Emmet looked to Ingo, and Ingo cleared his throat.
"We SAID, we have come to a decision!!"
They heard that, definitely. All of the Agents sans Isadore (plus Volo) heard that loud and clear. They all turned to look at Ingo and Emmet. Decision on what?
Emmet extended a hand to Volo, the friendliness radiating off him.
"Why don't you work here? All the travelling you could want! All the battling you could want! All the keeping an eye on you for Ingo!"
Ingo lightly smacked Emmet for including that last part, then extended his own hand, taking over the dialogue.
"You could work with Josh as a starting job. I believe many of the AI trainers use legendaries, and your experience would greatly assist in making them more accurate. We'll have to teach you all the protocols, but I presume you'd pick up on them all quickly. We could also get you a hotel room until you find someplace to live."
Volo's expression was blank. Neither Ingo or Emmet could guess what he was thinking based on his face, so they both patiently waited. Well, Ingo did. Emmet was tapping his foot about five seconds in. Either way, expecting the local autistic train lads to try and read a non-expression and react was an impossible task.
Was he scheming? Could he genuinely not react? Had Mesprit fucked him up that badly?
No.
"What's a hotel?"
----
Volo didn't even know what pizza was. Emmet deemed this the greatest offense he'd ever heard, and immediately started to rip his wallet out of his pocket. Ingo didn't even try to stop him, earning a confused stare from Emmet.
"You're not gonna stop me?"
"No," Ingo responded, casually shaking a hand in the meantime, "Please buy pizza. I haven't had trash food in months. I need to destroy myself. That, and I'm fairly certain you already learned your lesson."
Emmet didn't respond to that. How did Ingo know? How did Ingo know he'd bought pizza for a week straight and then regretted that decision immensely? Was he that easy to predict? Was-
"Furze told me already."
Ah. Well, that saved him an embarrrrrrrrassing conversation...! Then he prrrobably didn't need to tell Ingo about the week where he ate cake for three days straight, or the weekend that he'd entirely forgotten to eat at all, or-
"Are you going to call or not?"
Oops. Emmet had gotten sidetracked. By the time he realized how completely off-track he was, Cameron had already ordered. Well. That was that, then.
----
Eating pizza? Good. Eating pizza with your friends and coworkers? Great. Eating pizza while someone hijacks the projector to play cute Pokemon videos? Excellent. All of this but also witnessing a Meiji era man accept a spicy cheeto without knowing what is about to happen? Bravo.
Ingo wasn't particularly malicious, but he had to admit that he enjoyed the results. For once, he was firmly sided with Isadore on this one. Even so, he was surprised when Volo proceeded to go back in for more. Oh no.
Meanwhile, Hank was absently spinning a half-full water bottle on the table, not participating but enjoying the vibes. He wondered how his husband was doing. As the bottle stopped, Hank went to grab it again when Jackie pounced on it, stopping him.
"Hey, Cameron! The bottle pointed towards you!" Jackie announced, pointing at his elder, "Truth or dare!"
"Dare," Cameron responded, not even slightly fazed.
"Send out Spiritomb! I need a reference for this story!!"
Cameron wasn't surprised. This was normal. Sighing, Cameron pulled out his Spiritomb's keystone from his bag and set it on the floor. Spiritomb was out in seconds, looking around for a way to cause problems on purpose. Ingo had never realized how SMALL Cameron's Spiritomb was before now.
"Is he small?" Cameron asked, and Ingo realized that his mental filter had failed him yet again.
A flash of stars, and Volo had released his own Spiritomb. Volo's Spiritomb was easily a foot taller than Cameron's. Volo's Spiritomb was also clearly far older, with his keystone being cracked and damaged all over.
The two Spiritomb immediately began to investigate each other's keystones, clearly interested. This was quickly ended when they started smashing their keystones together, trying to break them. Both Spiritomb were disappointed. Jackie was not. Jackie got exactly what he'd wanted.
"Oh, Sir! I remembered! I neeeeed to show you something!" Ramses announced, releasing a Pokemon of his own. A Mimikyu. "Look what I got recently! Isn't he the cutest thing??"
Everyone could see the sparkles in Ingo's eyes as he observed the ghost type. Ingo agreed. Ingo agreed wholeheartedly. Emmet didn't stop him from gushing- He'd done the exact same thing after requesting he touch the fabric. Mimikyu had a certified Good Texture™, he'd decided. The only real difference was that Ingo was far, FAR louder about it.
Emmet decided to cause problems on purpose.
"Ingo! If you like Mimikyu, you should see Hank's babies! Please do not be too loud!"
Ingo's head immediately swivelled to stare at Hank, and Hank jumped slightly. He would never get used to how abruptly his bosses moved sometimes.
"I only brought Zurro with me today. Azuma needed a break," he responded. Azuma, his Azumarill, was laying under the table taking a nap. She deserved the rest. With Ingo watching, Hank pulled a Scraggy out from his overall pocket. Zurro yawned and frowned. Put Him Back. Baby Worthy stared at him from Ingo's coat collar before poking at Ingo's face. Same face, same face. Mimikyu stared. Chandelure sighed. The Spiritombs resumed trying to break each others' rocky prisons.
Josh, from his spot on the floor, raised an oversized-sleeved-hand. "I found something weird in the scrapyard," he stated. He didn't wait for an answer before taking a very tiny Pokemon out of his other sleeve. A little metallic lad. A-
"YOU HAVE A MELTAN AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!" Cloud shouted, knocking over his chair from how fast he stood up, "That's a Mythical! Don't let it on the trains! They eat metal!!"
Emmet and Ingo both repeated that last part with an additional question mark. The tiny thing didn't even have a mouth! But if this was true, it would be a definite safety hazard.
"Meltan is already banned, I'm pretty sure!" Emmet piped up, "As a Mythical, that's an instaban!"
Volo poked Meltan with a key he'd found somewhere. Meltan absorbed it immediately. Oops. Well, that was gone now.
"It eats magic," Emmet commented, and no one responded to this at first. What? What the hell was he talking about? Wait. Wait. Oh. Ingo remembered.
"Just because you struggle with keys and locks doesn't make it magic, Emmet."
"Yes it does! It's magic and you still need to show me!"
Chapter Directory for “Track System -- Multi-Track drifting through time”
This being the most popular thing I’ve ever posted (breaking 100 notes on almost every chapter is a lot!), I figured I’d put all the chapters in one place for easy reading! If anyone has any questions regarding anything in it, feel free to ask on my main (MdPikachu) or on the Ao3 version!
Ao3 Link (Main Story) // Ao3 Link (Bonus Chapters)
"Potato mochi! Again! Bravo, what a treat to have it again!".... Is what he would say if asked, but Warden Ingo had already grown tired of it. There was something else he wanted, but no words came to mind when he tried to describe what he did want. In the end, Ingo simply kept his mouth shut and ate dinner.
Lady Sneasler wasn't here today. Ingo had seen her with the hero and their friend earlier that day, and figured she was very busy. Verrrrry busy, yup. He wasn't lonely though- He'd brought his Gliscor along. Of all the Pokemon Ingo had been raising, only Gliscor really felt like they were HIS- The rest he felt like he was merely borrowing. Why he knew what borrowing Pokemon felt like was wildly beyond him, and he opted not to think too hard about it while he was trying to eat. He didn't feel like fostering a headache tonight, especially when ways to soothe such pain didn't seem to exist.
Gliscor started snipping at his coat, and Ingo sighed before sliding his plate towards Gliscor. He was done anyway.
"Go on ahead."
Given the signal, Gliscor grabbed the plate with both claws and dumped the contents into his mouth. What a little menace he was.
Ingo went back to thinking. Today had been odd, to say the least. He'd had no battles the entire day, and Zisu had insisted he only bring the Pokemon he wanted to keep with him when he went out. It wasn't exactly his business to know why this decision had been made, but he had no platform to debate it, and simply went along with it. The hero had only made a singlular stop by the Training Field, and had been furiously running between people while writing things down. Ingo had been the only one the hero had passed over, and he was never told why. Was this about him? No. That would be absurd. He'd done nothing notable as of late.
Gliscor shared none of his trainer's concerns, licking the plate clean and wondering if he could get away with giving the cook some leaves to pay for more mochi. He liked mochi, and he liked potato. He liked human food. Hmm. Maybe berries would do the trick.
Gliscor also knew exactly what was going on, unlike his trainer. He'd been told by Lady Sneasler (What an honor!) the day before. There was good reason people were avoiding him today- He were leaving today! To where, Gliscor didn't know or care. His trainer had definitely been told at least once-- He just seemed to have forgotten about it. Oh well. It wasn't Gliscor's problem. Most things weren't.
Gliscor spotted Lady Sneasler coming towards them, holding something in her arms. Gliscor excitedly tugged Ingo's sleeve- Look! It's Lady Sneasler, coming to them! What an honor!!
Ingo glanced up, only fully realizing what Lady Sneasler had when she got close. When had she...?
"An egg, Lady Sneasler? Recreational activities are not to be had while on the clock," Ingo commented, before registering what he'd said. Gliscor laughed at him, and Lady Sneasler rolled her eyes. Deciding that wasn't important, she carefully placed her egg on the table and gestured to Ingo.
"I do see it, my Lady."
Lady Sneasler huffed and put her claws on her hips. This human was hopeless. She wasn't sure how to be more blunt about what she wanted... So she went with the blunt method and pushed her egg towards her Warden. This he understood, and his eyebrows shot way up.
"You want me to have this..? Lady Sneasler, it would be an honor, but I don't think I can accept thi-"
Lady Sneasler didn't let him finish, threateningly raising her claws at him.
"You wouldn't," Ingo snapped back, standing up abruptly, "Not when I have a trip to be... Doing..." He trailed off, suddenly remembering that yes, he DID have somewhere to be going! And he'd completely forgotten about it! He should have written it down somewhere..! Now he just felt embarrassed.
"Lady Sneasler, I'm going to be incredibly late to the station..! If I accept this, will you assist me in making it there in time?"
Lady Sneasler nodded, glad that he remembered. Gliscor continued licking the plate. Not his problem.
----
After going around Jubilife Village and saying his good-byes and good wishes, the ex-Warden made the climb to the top of Mt. Coronet with Sneasler. More accurately, Lady Sneasler made the climb, and Ingo sat in the basket with her egg. He wouldn't miss how cramped the basket was, he decided. He then decided to mull over how this had completely shipped his mind. Had he always forgotten appointments like this? (Yes.) He really should have written it down, but that would have been hard. He didn't even know the date. Upon realizing this, he almost panicked. How was he supposed to say where and when he had been when he didn't even know??
The basket was put down, and the lid was opened. Ingo looked up and paused, meeting the eyes of a Pokemon he'd only seen once before. The hero had brought them for a Path of Solitude challenge, and Ingo had no idea what to send out against it. He'd defaulted to borrowing a Typhlosion, Samurott, and Decidueye from Zisu, and he'd felt completely out of place just watching it fight. He felt the same now, frozen in place and genuinely unsure of himself. Was this something he was supposed to be seeing? It felt wrong. The pressure was immense. He wanted to flee, to get away as fast as he could, but he couldn't. He couldn't move a muscle.
His vision was promptly blocked by a familiar pixie popping up. Uxie. Uxie lightly tapped his face, snapping his attention away from the larger legendary.
"Arceus would like to apologize for startling you." said Uxie quietly, and Ingo blinked. They could talk? Before he could ask, Uxie continued to speak into his head.
"I may not be able to restore your memory, but I'm sure it will return to you soon. I know it will. Please keep a tight grasp on that egg."
Ingo tightened his grip on the egg without question. Uxie was the legendary of knowledge, he'd been told, so he trusted what they had to say. Behind Uxie, Ingo could see the two children standing at Arceus' feet. The hero and their friend. There were a few more Pokemon there too, and Ingo recognized them. Darkrai and Cresselia. Azelf and Mesprit. Why were they all here? Darkrai in particular worried him, even if he knew that the poor dark type never intended any harm.
Lady Sneasler was behind the two children, biting her claws nervously. She still didn't trust this funny human on his own, but if Lord Arceus deemed it so, then she had no choice in the matter. At least he'd have her descendant. Her bloodline was guaranteed to continue on into the future, and she was glad for that. It was just... ... She didn't like the plan they had come up with.
To prevent a second repeat of mental distress, the plan was that Lord Darkrai would put the ex-Warden to sleep, and Lady Cresselia would gift him a feather to prevent nightmares. Then Lord Arceus would send her Warden back to whence he came with the three pixies assisting. Still though, she was uncomfortable. What if he forgot her like he forgot himself? No. Unacceptable.
Ingo saw her cut some of her own feather off and nearly shouted in alarm. What was she doing?! What was she thinking?! Lady Sneasler offered the cut feather to Ingo, and he immediately refused it. That wouldn't be right, would it?
Lady Sneasler didn't give him a choice and shoved it into his hands. Ah. That was that, then. He wasn't being given a choice. Ingo shoved it into his pocket, next to his photographs and Gliscor's pokeball. He hoped they'd be safe there. They'd better.
The lid was closed over his head, and Ingo shifted uncomfortably. Yuuuup, he still hated this basket and how cramped it was. Through the hole came another feather, and Ingo gingerly took it. This one was not from Lady Sneasler- Rather, from Cresselia. Ingo wasn't actually sure where on Cresselia it came, though, as she appeared to have very small feathers compared to this large, curved one.
Ingo didn't have time to ponder over this. It was already beginning to get dark outside the basket. Were they going to do it now, or tomorrow morning? He didn't like when plans weren't followed to their destination. He drowsily blinked, and then yelped in panic- He was sinking! Why? How?? He tried to push the lid off in his alarm, but it refused to budge. He tightly wrapped himself around Lady Sneasler's egg and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Dodogyuuun!"
--------
"----Sir?"
Ingo slowly became aware of his surroundings, like he was coming out of a deep sleep. It was much darker than where he'd been previously, and he didn't recognize the feminine voice that was perhaps speaking to him. He felt cold, so cold, even with his coat. Shuddering, he didn't hesitate to try and curl up around the egg. He felt so stiff, but he forced himself to move. So dang cold. He paused in confusion when his knees hit his chest, realizing something important. The egg. Where was it?
"Ne-ne?" came from the inside of his coat. Drowsily Ingo lifted his coat, and a pair of round, innocent eyes met his own. The egg had hatched..!
This all took place over about twenty seconds, even if Ingo felt that it'd easily been several minutes. He still felt totally sluggish, and had already completely forgotten that someone else was there upon seeing the baby Sneasel. His baby. Baby time, baby time, baby time, bab--
"Do you know your name, sir?"
Right. Someone else was there. He started to look up when his neck cramped, and he aborted that operation. He didn't need to see them to answer, even if that was considered rude.
"Yes. My name is Ingo." he responded, maybe a little louder than he intended. He only knew this because baby Sneasel dug in with its claws a little when he spoke up. He lightly patted the baby as an apology, and the baby purred. Oh. Oh no. How dangerous...! He had to keep talking over the purrs, or he'd be exhausted in minutes..!
"I don't know what station I have ended up at, nor do I know the current year," Ingo added, forcing himself to sit up slightly. He ignored the claws this time, focusing on what was necessary to say. "I had departed from a less modern time with the intent of being sent home. My memory is still in pieces from arriving there, so if I had known you prior, then I am sorry."
It was optimal to tell those assisting you what you know of a situation so that it may be cleared up quicker. He wasn't able to identify this woman, so he was sure to mention that. Even if someone is not medical staff, one would definitely want as much information conveyed as possible. He knew this.
When he finally looked at her, she was staring at his tunic with clear fascination and stars in her eyes- Perhaps she recognized it?
"Pearl clan..?" she finally asked, clearly excited. When Ingo nodded, she smiled.
"I'm a historian and lore researcher. Please, anything you can tell me about your time there would be valuable!"
Well, he couldn't say no. He wanted to speak, and she wanted to listen. So he spoke. And he spoke. He spoke for so long that his throat began to get sore. She never stopped him, writing down everything he had to say. He hadn't spoken at such lengths for quite a while, and it felt fantastic to let loose and just Talk.
He didn't notice the Lucario in the entrance of the area, waving to someone outside of the Mystri Stage. Here, here, they seemed to be saying. He didn't notice the Unown that came down from the high walls to investigate him. He barely noticed the woman's Togekiss being sent out to help keep him warm. He just wanted to keep going.
