Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sometimes, changing clothes is a simple and quick matter. Something that one doesn't even give a second thought to. Other times, well, it can be quite heavy . As if an oppressive and unseeable force were pushing down on the one receiving the clothing, attempting to make them crumble under its pressure.

Take changing into a hospital gown for instance, how it is such a thin and light garment, yet it feels like lead in one's hands as they discover to put it on. It isn't necessarily the fabric itself, it is the meaning behind it. 

That is what Dawn found herself faced with when she was handed the standard Rocket uniform. Staring down at the large red R made her feel queasy, the weight of such an outfit already hitting her in the gut like a Machamp. 

Of course, she had already agreed to join, she had to, so that meant she would have to put her money where her mouth was. There was just no way around it. Or, at least that is what she thought at first. 

Giovanni, the calculating man that he was, noticed her hesitancy right off the bat, instantly losing her points in his mind as he doubted her loyalty even further. But oh well, until he had a way to control Arceus directly without the need of an intermediary, he would have to play nice. So he simply smiled at her and walked over to grab the dress from Ariana's hands.

"Bah, this uniform is unnecessary. Do away with it."

"B-But boss! How will people know she is one of us if she isn't wearing our uniform!?"

Giovanni shrugged, stepping around to glance at the standard issue gloves and boots with mild interest.

"Ariana, I have allowed you to be in charge of the uniforms because I told you already that I do not care for such silly things. This girl will be instrumental in our conquest. While I do agree that it would do well for us to stake our claim on her so other organizations do not try anything, I do not believe it has to be through these particular means. This dress is entirely too short and tight, it would only restrict her movement in the field. You, child, do you have anything black to wear?"

The teen nodded, fishing through her bag to grab an outfit that she only used occasionally in Hisui when she felt stealth was her best bet. She showed it off to the man, then showed him the toed purple boots that she often wore with it. After glancing it up and down for a moment, the man nodded.

"That should do just fine. Instead of emblazoning you with our insignia, we will just give you an escort instead. 2 Rocket Grunts will be accompanying you at all times. That way anyone who runs into you will know who you belong to."

I don't belong to anyone. She thought, but considering her situation, she wisely chose to bite back the remark and keep her thoughts to herself. But judging by the smirk on the man's face as he watched her, she assumed that he could tell what she had been thinking anyway. Perhaps he had phrased it that way on purpose to test her.

This man truly was dangerous, no wonder he ran such a large crime syndicate with such loyal members who didn't lose confidence even after being defeated by a child.

"Can I also wear this mask with it? It would help to hide my identity, that way nobody would know it was me and I'd be less likely to be attacked by other ga- uh, organizations. "

The girl then pulled out a mask resembling a Pokémon of some kind. It looked a bit like an albino Zoroark. Perhaps a shiny one? Bah, who cares, Giovanni had more important things to worry about than shiny forms of Pokémon from other regions and masks made to resemble them.

It didn't escape him that if she wore a mask, it would also help to hide her identity from her friends as well. As if she didn't want any of her precious acquaintances to know of her affiliation, or perhaps she wished to hide her identity so that if the police ever got involved, she could remain safe from detection. 

A part of the man considered saying no to the mask simply to see her suffer, to watch her squirm in discomfort as she was faced with her beloved friends looks of disbelief and disgust upon seeing her alignment. But he had to admit, a mask was a good idea if she was meant to pull off stealth missions or, as she herself said, hide her from opposing groups. 

It may even give the girl some confidence to truly focus and pull off her jobs if she didn't have to worry about outsiders recognizing her for her actions. So, he relented, allowing the teenager to don the article and gave her some space to get changed into her work clothes. All the while he watched Ariana's disapproval from the corner of his eye.

Once the teen emerged, he gave her a once over, circling around her as he inspected every angle. She had long black hair, that would not be conducive to her work, she would have to cut it or put it up. Remarking on this to her, he stepped back and told her that other than that small infraction, he deemed her fit to begin her training.

She was quick to tell him that she didn't need any physical training, as she was fit enough after the experiences she had been through. So he waved it off, telling her that if she could pass a test on their obstacle course in record time, then he would allow her to skip the long months of training, but the orientation was non-negotiable. Flicking his wrist, Giovanni signaled for Ariana to escort the girl.

So the girl was immediately guided by the irritated red head to a large open room where many people were gathered to listen to some guy give a whole spiel about their behavior, loyalties and blah blah blah. When it was done and she had been assigned a group leader to evaluate their baselines, she told the man that she had already been cleared to skip training if she could best the current track record.

Surprisingly, the man smiled and cheerfully said that he hoped she could beat it then, as they hadn't had any new records set in a long time and it was always good to see promising recruits. She couldn't help but feel a pang of unease as she gave him a look of reproach. He seemed like a nice guy, so why was he here? Joined up with a criminal organization full of jerks? Was he forced into this too? 

No, if he had been, he wouldn't seem so happy right now. Shaking it off, Dawn crouched at the starting line and glanced ahead studying the course as she waited for the man to tell her she could start and what the time to beat was. Beside her, several other new recruits clustered, all taking their positions as well, some nervous, some confident as they awaited the signal.

Once the man gave his shout to start, the newbies took off running. The girl was pleasantly surprised by just how far a lead she managed to put between herself and the competition. It seemed, at least in a test of pure sprinting, she could blow away the competition. Now, she could only hope all that time spent traversing the Coronet Highlands would give her a leg up in climbing and doing the actual obstacle portions as well. 

As she worked her way through the course, her mind couldn't help but wander, body working on autopilot as she thought of her father and how he would have smoked all these people at climbing. Sure, he was no Sneasler, but living in those mountains had made the man pretty well adept at free climbing. 

Come to think of it, she had yet to ask Arceus where it was that he had sent her family and friends. At the time, she had been preoccupied with her own impending fate and had simply been relieved to see that Arceus had gotten them out of the situation safely. She was content with knowing that nobody but Arceus itself knew where they were, making them that much safer if nobody could find them. 

She still felt that she didn't need to know right now, that her job was to focus on figuring out what she needed to do to fix things, that knowing where they were may distract her from her goal and be dangerous for everyone involved. However, she couldn't deny that she was curious. Still though, she had bigger things to worry about, like figuring out how to climb a rope. 

Wherever they were for now, they were safe and that was all that she cared about. Arceus had heard her pleas to send them far away, somewhere safe and had delivered…Right?

-__-_-_-__-

Wrong.

Sure, Hisui wasn't that dangerous to Ingo, as he had more time here than even Dawn herself had. But Ingo wasn't the only person that had been sent back this time. No, Emmet, May, Johanna, Zoey and Ash. All of them had been whisked away. And none of the others knew anything about where they were or how to survive in the place. 

Thank the Almighty Sinnoh that they had not been separated upon arrival or during transportation. Otherwise, Ingo very well might have been the only person to live through the experience. Luck seemed to be on their side for more than just the journey however, as they had been spat out very close to where Ingo had resided during his stint in Hisui before. Not only that, but Irida had been there to greet them. 

Of course, she was happy to see Ingo again, but also very confused and worried. She couldn't help but ask if the sky was going to start tearing itself apart again, a question which nobody could possibly answer. She was not the only one to welcome the man however, as he was quickly swept up by Sneasler herself, who batted his hat off with her claws in order to give him a few quick licks on the head.

"My Lady, please! It is a joy to see you again as well, and I appreciate that you are simply being affectionate, but my hair has only just grown back! If you keep this up like you did before, I will go bald again." He protested, hands reaching up to attempt to block her scratchy tongue. 

The Pokémon only raised the arm she wasn't using to hold him up to cover her mouth as she let out a snooty laugh. It was then that she glanced over to the other humans, smile dropping as she secured the man more tightly against her chest, said man heaving a resigned sigh as he realized she was not planning on letting him down anytime soon.

"Lady Sneasler, please halt for a moment. I believe introductions are in order so that we may all arrive at the proper station without jumping the rails and causing unnecessary conflict. These are friends and family. The man in white who smells and looks like me, that is my twin, Emmet. He is very precious to me, so please treat my younger brother as you would treat me. The woman is named Johanna, she no doubt looks familiar as well, and she should. She is the mother of Hisui's savior after all, nearly the spitting image of her too."

"No way! This is Akari's mother?? Ingo, are you serious? What is she doing here?! What are you doing here!? Oh Sinnoh, wait a moment, if you are with her mother, then where is she? Why isn't she with you as well? Did something happen to Akari???"

The man sighed again, patting Sneasler on the shoulder who gave a shrewd glance at the other humans before placing the man down between her and Irida. Clearly still unsure of the new humans despite Ingo vouching for them.

"I'm afraid we are here because my daughter felt it prudent to whisk us away to deal with her trouble herself."

"Huh? Your daughter? What are you talking about Warden?"

The man only clutched the brim of his hat and glanced down sadly, shaking his head for a moment as he recalled the last glimpse he saw of her before being torn from her side.

Clearing her throat, Johanna stepped up and did her best to speak to the young stranger in her own stilted way. Sure, the language was the same as what they spoke in Sinnoh, but the girl was speaking oddly, using old words that had long since been phased out of the language that not even the most elderly people used anymore.

"Dawn. He means Dawn."

Irida gave the woman a raised brow, repeating the name questioningly.

" Akari ." Muttered the black clad man, his free hand reaching up to clutch at his chest almost painfully as he crouched to the ground, dropping to his knees as he wallowed in his pain and sorrow.

Emmet came rushing over to crouch beside his brother, patting him on the back consolingly for a moment before glancing up at the girl in pink. 

"Excuse me, but who are you exactly? Ingo has spoken of an Irida briefly before. But are you the one he called his boss during his derailment in Hisui?"

May glanced at him, mumbling the word Hisui in a contemplative tone. Meanwhile, Johanna spun around in shock, looking to the man with wide eyes.

"Did you say Hisui ?!"

Emmet nodded.

"Yes. Dawn told you all about it. I am Emmet, I was there when she told you. Did you forget she and Ingo were sent here?"

"No! No, nothing like that, I just didn't– I mean, how could I, why would I have assumed that was where we are?! Oh Arceus, Dawny."

Suddenly, Ash raced up to the cat like Pokémon, seemingly indifferent to the conversation going on around him as his eyes sparkled while staring at the unknown Pokémon.

"WOAH! What a big Sneasle! I've never SEEN one like you before! Are you a regional variant?! Wow! Can I catch you!? Or is this girl your trainer?! Man! This is SO cool!"

Groaning in exasperation, May ran over to grab Ash and yank him back before Sneasler could do anything to him for touching her all over without permission.

"Ash! Would you cool it for a second!? Try to read the room! Jeez, I swear, you never change do you? We have no idea where we are, we have no idea what that Sneasle is and it's not smart to go touching things that we don't know about, especially without asking!"

Irida glanced at May in interest, stepping forward as she looked her up and down. 

"Oh, we look quite similar, don't we? How startling. It has dawned on me that I have yet to properly introduce myself. Greetings, I am the Pearl Clan Leader Irida. We value Space more than anything in the Pearl Clan, so if you could please keep your friend from invading Lady Sneasler's space again, that would be much appreciated."

It was then that Zoey stepped forward, eyes narrowed as she looked between everyone in the group. 

"So is anyone going to clarify where this Hisui is? Because as far as I know, there is no place called Hisui. At least, not anymore. And the way this girl is speaking, it's old. Really old. It's almost like she came straight out of the past, or like she's an actor in some kind of production set in the old days."

Ingo ran the back of his hand over his eyes and allowed Emmet to help him stand. 

"You are correct. Hisui does not exist in the modern Era, or more accurately it does but under a different name, Sinnoh."

Zoey closed her eyes as she heaved a heavy sigh, arms crossing as she leaned against the rocky wall beside her.

"I see. So Dawn sent us back into the past, huh? Gee, she really didn't want our help. I know she's strong and wants to stand on her own now and all, but this is just too much. What was she thinking ? Does that girl have any clue how dangerous this is? What if we do something that changes the course of History?"

Irida lifted a hand to her chest, looking unsure as she watched the red head growl and kick a rock off the cliff.

"Um, Warden Ingo, ah, apologies, just Ingo , I am afraid I am still lost. I believe I interrupted your introduction earlier in my panic. And I still do not know why you are here. Would you and your friends like to join me in the Warden's barracks for some tea to discuss all of this? It seems like a lot has happened since you left and it will be quite a long tale."

Ingo nodded, pacing over toward the young woman, his brother immediately following 2 steps behind despite not knowing what is going on.

"Yes, that sounds like as good a plan as any right now. Thank you for your hospitality Lady Irida. We will try not to take up the new Warden's space for too long."

As Irida turned to lead the group, she waved his words off with a smile.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I still haven't filled your position yet. Lady Sneasler is quite picky. Everytime I try to introduce her to someone in hopes of taking up your mantle, she scares them off immediately. I guess she had a feeling you would be back, she was always looking up at the sky and wouldn't let me remove any of the things you left behind, though I'm sure you are not here to stay. From the sounds of it, you all came here in the middle of something important and you need to get back as soon as possible to fix it."

Sneasler chirped, rushing over to scoop Ingo up, ignoring Emmet as he squared at her to put his brother down and instead electing to heft him up in her other arm as well, sniffing him and inspecting him as she carried the man. Johanna and Zoey followed a safe distance behind the tall Pokémon, while May kept a firm hold on Ash's bag and dragged him along as well.

As the group all settled down around the small table to have tea and discuss the happenings that brought them to where they currently found themselves, a very different meeting was also taking place in a very different time. The head of said meeting being Giovanni himself.

_-_-_-_-_

Giovanni was a lot of things, calculating, evil, manipulative, powerful, but one thing he wasn't was understanding. So when he was told that his team had not only failed to return with the red chain, but also failed to figure out where said chain was, well, let's just say they were not treated kindly .

Legend stated that the red chain was broken up into 3 pieces and that it was guarded by the 3 Lake Spirits, Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit. Yet his team said that when they went and captured the Pokémon, there were no such pieces with them. Without that chain, controlling Arceus would become vastly more improbable of a goal. 

So needless to say, Giovanni was definitely not happy about this setback and a new plan of attack had to be drafted immediately to cover up this little blemish in his masterplan.

That was why he had called in all of his admins to sit around the war room table to brief them of the mishap and put together a new scheme.

"Well, if it is true that someone put it back together and used it in the past, then it must still exist, right? So why can't we just shake down those stupid Pokémon and make them tell us who has it now?" Said the woman.

Giovanni sat with his elbows resting on the polished wood surface, clasped his hands in front of his mouth, staring down at her from the head of the table as she spoke.

"We did. They said it was used, destroyed and reformed a long time ago. They know not who has it now, where it is, or what form it even remains in. Which means we have 2 options, go ahead with trying to track down some artifact from the past that may or may not even exist, or push forward with investigating other possibilities for controlling Arceus. Both have low odds and are a gamble either way, but it might be best to pour all resources into one option to speed the process along, rather than divide them and hope one works out. As my admins, you have been called here to give your vote on the matter."

The moody woman was quick to vote that they locate the red chain, insisting that they didn't have the technology to control Arceus any other way. She went on to state that Arceus would have to be contained or willingly submit to experiments to test the effectiveness of anything they could make to try and control it if they went with focusing all their efforts on developing tech for it from the ground up. 

Proton was quick to agree, saying that would probably take even longer and far too much money and even then they had no way of knowing if they would be able to convince Arceus to submit itself for testing, even if the girl asked it too and they definitely couldn't forcefully contain something that powerful.

Archer however disagreed, stating that technology is more sure fire than something that may not even exist anymore and that it shouldn't be dismissed so quickly. The man slammed a hand on the table to accentuate his point, insisting that even if the red chain existed, if it failed they would have to resort to technology anyway, and if it proved possible to control Arceus with the red chain, they would likely enhance its capabilities with technology anyway.

That left Petrel, who so far seemed unconvinced to join either side. That, or perhaps he simply didn't care one way or the other.

"Well? We are waiting on you, Petrel."

"Yes, she is right. Don't you have anything to say?"

The man shrugged at both Ariana and Archer, leaning back in his swivel chair with his arms behind his head.

"I don't care either way. If we go with the technology side, it doesn't involve me at all. If we go with tracking down the red chain, my espionage abilities may come in handy for talking to prominent figures to get them to trust me and give me Intel. I'll do my job if that's the one we go with, if we go with the other one, it doesn't have anything to do with me so why should I have any say in it? I'll just go with whatever the boss decides."

Ariana and Archer both growled, the man slamming his fist once more as he yelled at the other male, the woman rising up from her chair to plant her hands on the table so she could lean down across it to look him in the eye. It was at this moment that Matori came in carrying a cup of coffee that she promptly deposited in front of the boss.

Giovanni thanked her as he lifted the cup and took a sip, watching her bow and come to stand behind him like his own personal shadow.

"What do you think, Matori? If Petrel has no vote one way or the other, perhaps you could fill in for him."

The stoic female reached up to push her glasses closer to her eyes as she spoke.

"Well sir, if you want my honest opinion, you cannot trust myths and Legends anymore than you can trust the people telling them to you. The only thing that you can count on is the facts, science, technology that is tried and true."

Archer smirked, sitting back and crossing his arms as if he had won, only for the woman to lift her head and glare at him.

" However , there are an astonishing amount of artifacts uncovered from the past that do hold such mystical properties as described by the fables. Artifacts that have played a key role with many mythical Pokémon before. Such as how Team Aqua was able to use the Blue Orb for its capabilities in reverting Kyogre back into its primal form. If this red chain truly exists and is said to be capable of controlling a Pokémon, which it very well may be, then I believe it is our best bet and we should allocate the proper resources to finding and obtaining it for ourselves."

Giovanni smirked, bowing his head with a laugh as he turned to face his administrative team. 

"There you have it, I believe that this a landslide in favor of locating the red chain then, yes? Petrel, I would like you to get on it right away. Grab as many of your best spies as possible and get to Sinnoh right away. Ask around, talk to anyone who may know anything about it, disguise yourself as someone important and press Cynthia herself if you must. I want that chain found and I want it done quickly. Matori, I believe the child has passed her test, hasn't she? That means it's time we send her on a mission of her own, give her 5 grunts to start off with, and send them off for some border patrol. That should wet her feet and get her ready to swim."

"Yes sir, I will get right on it!" Exclaimed Petrel, saluting the man as he rushed out of the room in a flurry.

Matori on the other hand only bowed, telling him to consider it done as she calmly left to do his bidding.

"Ariana, Proton, I want you both on standby. I may have need of you soon, but until then you will continue your regular duties around here. Do not stray far. Archer, I would like you to oversee the investigation into other regions groups. If we are truly planning to take over, then we must crush any and all opposition. That includes other syndicates that are vying for the same position we are. I want to know what their numbers are, what they are currently doing, the location of their bases, everything. Once you have a report for me, give it to Matori. Now, if everyone understands their positions, then get to work."

Each operative gave their acknowledgement, Archer bowing, Proton saluting and Ariana simply nodding as she played with her earrings and inclined her head to the man. Leaving Giovanni alone with his thoughts to plan his organization's next move in peace.

_______

Back in Hisui, Ingo had just about finished explaining everything, no thanks to Sneasler who simply sat with him in her lap, cleaning him all over as if he were one of her young. His coat discarded, shirt sleeves rolled up so that she could reach his scent points on his wrists and neck more easily.

The group all seemed to be focusing on different things, Ash was eyeing Sneasler with a great intensity as he watched her work, Emmet seemed to be pouting at how this Pokémon he barely knew was all over his brother, forcing him further away from his only safety crutch that he could cling to in this panicked time. Johanna and Zoey at least seemed to be trying to listen and follow along. 

"I see. So you officially adopted Akari, did you? I am very happy for you both. The two of you got along so well, just as I had hoped when I first introduced you, but I never imagined that you would get that close. But that begs the question, why did she toss you all aside like this if you were truly so important to each other?"

"I believe it was in a desperate bid to keep us safe. You know Akari, she likes to try to handle everything herself. Just like she did here, at this rate, I fear I may receive more than a scar for trying to force my way into aiding her through her troubles this time."

Irida hummed, swirling the tea in her cup as she stared down at her reflection in it.

"That does sound like something Akari would do. Even when Kamado mistreated her, she still worried for him when he attempted to act in her stead. She wanted to go it alone up there, but Adaman and I were insistent on accompanying her. Thank goodness we did too, otherwise Adaman never would have heard the voice of the Almighty Dialga who warned us about the Almighty Palkia and how to handle it. Our lord never would have been quelled if that hadn't happened. Ingo, I would like to offer my aid in any way that I can. I cannot house everyone, but I should be able to at least take you back in along with two others. While you are here, for as long as it lasts, I would like to offer you your old position back. I'm sure Lady Sneasler agrees, so what do you say, Warden?"

Ingo bowed his head, thanking the young woman profusely for her hospitality and offer, only to receive a polite chuckle and be waved off with a smile.

"Oh not at all, I owe you and Akari a lot for what you have both done for all of us. The Pearly Clan will always be your clan Ingo, whether you wear our mark or not. Adaman also owes a great debt to Akari, so I am certain he will be open to housing the rest of your group. In fact, I'm sure he will say that any friend of Akari's is a friend of his."

Despite the situation, it truly was nice to see Irida again and know she was doing so well, even though he was very stressed and incredibly worried about his daughter, Ingo's lips couldn't help but quirk up a tad at his young leader.

"It sounds as if you and Adaman have gotten quite close, did you two finally bury the bad blood between your people for good?"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes as she took a sip from her tea.

"I wouldn't say we are close by any means. That fool simply acts too predictably, that's all. He is friendly and accepting to everyone, and he always spouts such clichéd gibberish like that, that's all. But yes, we have, and it is all because of Akari that we have this peace now. So if you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask me for my help. I will do anything in my power to get you back to her side, so make sure that when you do return to her, you protect her Warden. Whether she likes it or not. Just, make sure you remember to take care of yourself as well, alright?"

This time he actually managed to smile, tipping his hat to the young lady as he thanked her, giving his word that he would do his best to follow her words and received a nod in return from the young woman. It was then that she finished her tea and stood to stretch.

"Now then, I suppose we should sort out which among you will be lodging with Adaman and his clan. I would suggest those of you with a low tolerance to the cold go with him, but perhaps more importantly, it should be those of you that are not particularly skilled at living around dangerous Pokémon like Zoroark."

With those words spoken, Johanna immediately offered to go with the Diamond clan, May following swiftly after her as she was not properly dressed for such a cold climate. Zoey then said that she would like to go with the Pearl, since she was born and raised in the snow and could easily handle frigid temperatures.

That left Emmet and Ash to decide amongst themselves who would go where. Meaning Ingo had to fill in his clearly lost brother on what was happening. It really sucked being the only person who didn't speak even a bit of the language that everyone else was using…

"Emmet, where would you like to reside during our temporary stop at this station?"

"Hm? Wherever you are of course."

"I assumed as much, but I do not believe I am allowed to keep those not recognized by the clan with me in the Warden's abode. This hut is made to house the Warden to Lady Sneasler in it. She would have to give her permission to you in order for you to occupy it with me."

Emmet only tilted his head, smile widening dangerously.

"Ingo, all due respect, fuck that."

Ingo gasped in horror, hissing his brother's name in disbelief.

"I am Emmet, I am your twin. I have lived without you once. Not fun. Will not do it again. This big Purloin will not derail me from you. If she has a problem with me being here, I will put her in a ball. There is not much she can do to stop me from inside there."

"Emmet! You cannot put the Lady in a ball . She is a sacred Pokémon! Chosen and blessed by Arceus itself!"

Emmet snorted, looking to the side at the confused faces around them.

"Yes, and Arceus has never proven to display poor judgement before ."

" Emmet !"

It was at this point that Ingo tapped on his Lady twice quickly, and she released him, allowing him to stand to drag his brother over to the door where his hands began to fly in a flurry of motion. Emmet's eyes widened for a moment before he too began to swiftly make odd gestures with his hands.

"Um, what are they doing? I apologize, but I cannot understand the white one. Did he say something to upset the Warden?"

Zoey snorted, a smirk taking over her face.

"Oh yeah, I'll say he did. I mean, I don't know sign, but from the looks of it, I'd say those two are having a pretty heated argument."

Iridia then raised a brow.

"I'm sorry, sign? What is sign? Do you mean to tell me they are having an entire disagreement with nothing but their bodies? How? How can one do that without any words? They are not punching each other like I have seen some men do when they have disputes either."

May sighed, watching the two carefully as they fought.

"Sign is short for sign language. It means they are able to use their hands to form letters or words or use gestures to convey a message without having to speak or write it down. People use it to communicate with those who cannot hear or speak verbally where we come from. Or in situations when they need to be quiet, like right now I guess."

Irida hummed in interest, watching Emmet and Ingo sign vigorously to each other. That seemed like a handy thing to know, she would have to ask her Warden to teach it to her later, or at least leave her some instructions before she left. It would prove invaluable when dealing with the elders in her clan that had trouble hearing.

"Oh, that reminds me. Ms. Johanna? You said her name is Dawn, didn't you? I'm sure Akari had her reasons for using an alias… and everyone here knows her as Akari, so while you are all here, would you mind terribly just referring to her by that name instead?"

The group all nodded their consent, seeming to take the request easily, Johanna even going on to say how similar Akari is to Hikari, so she should have no trouble adjusting to it. Irida thanked them with a smile a second before they heard a huff of frustration come from Ingo.

"Fine Emmet, fine! You win! But you will not  disrespect my Lady in any way. Do you understand me?"

Emmet only smiled and nodded, before signing something else that made Ingo sputter.

"Emmet! Language! I cannot believe you would call your older brother that."

Smiling wider, Emmet signed it again, over and over and over. Causing Ingo to blush heavily and pull on his cap. Nobody paid any attention to Irida as she mimicked the movement curiously.

With a sigh, Ingo pulled Emmet's hands down and dragged him back over by one of them.

"Lady Irida, Emmet has requested that you allow him to stay here with me, in the Warden's abode. I will clear it with Lady Sneasler as well, but I would like your blessings first."

"Hm? Oh! Yes, of course! You and your brother seem quite close, I wouldn't think of splitting you up unless you both wanted it."

"Thank you very much, Lady Irida, we are truly grateful. She says it is fine Emmet, but I still must ask Lady Sneasler first."

"I told you she would not mind."

"No, you said you didn't care if she minded or not. That is very different."

As the men moved on to ask the Pokémon for her approval, Irida stretched once more and headed over to the door to slip her shoes back on, motioning for the others to follow. All but the twins and Sneasler joined her at the door to put their own shoes back on. As she led them outside, she gave a sigh.

"I am going to have to report to the commander about this. He has no bearing on who I allow into my clan, but he is going to want to know that Ingo is back and has brought friends, and I do not want it to seem like I am hiding anything from him and risk our peace treaty going up in smoke. So I will have to make a trip to Jubilife, but after that I can take those of you who have chosen the Pearl Settlement back with me. So if you wouldn't mind accompanying me for my trip, that would definitely make things easier for me. This would also be a good chance to stock up on supplies. I was planning to do a little shopping anyway."

Johanna spoke up then, agreeing for the group as she didn't want anyone to get separated in what was essentially a foreign land, even if Ash looked like he wanted nothing more than to be turned free to explore it. 

She called out to Ingo and Emmet who soon dressed and joined them outside, Sneasler standing there cleaning Emmet this time as they awaited word of what was happening. Irida quickly filled them in, watching with sympathetic eyes as Ingo cringed at the title of Commander .

Irida gave him a sympathetic look, to which the black conductor nodded at, hand gesturing for her to continue. So she did, asking once again who would be staying with which clan and finally sorting out that Ash, Johanna and May would go with the Diamond, while Zoey and Emmet joined Ibgo with the Pearl. 

Irida only nodded at this information, focusing instead of how she was going to tell Kamado the news. So lost in her own thoughts, Irida didn't even notice when Ingo passed her and took over leading the group down the mountain and all the way back to Jubilife village. Nor did she realize how long they had been walking. 

Buy once they arrived at the Village gates, her Warden gently shook her shoulder and announced their arrival, causing her to glance up at the sky to see the position of the sun had changed quite a bit, easily showing that quite a few hours had passed. 

"Oh, I hadn't noticed we were here already. Thank you Warden Ingo, would you be so kind as to join me in briefing the Commander? I know how you feel about him, but I need someone to relay the situation on the other side and I do not know how clearly I can speak of things I've never experienced."

Ingo's grim face made her think he was going to decline at first, but she should have known he would never do that. The man never turned down a request after all, he was always looking to help others and make sure they were as comfortable, happy and safe as possible. If he could make things easier for them, he would, even if it meant doing something he didn't like. 

"Of course Lady Irida, we should depart for that particular station as soon as possible, lest someone else notice our presence and tell him before we do."

"Yes, you're right, the shopping will have to wait until afterwards I suppose. The rest of you may do as you please, but be aware that the people in this village are not very welcoming of strangers. Akari had quite the time getting them to trust her. You may browse the shopkeepers' wares or battle at the training grounds, but please do not leave the walls of Jubilife."

With that, she spun on her heel, heading straight into the largest building in the village, mouth and brows set in a serious expression of her conviction. 

Ingo quickly followed his leader after explaining the situation to his brother who instantly decided he was going to accompany them. Because wherever Ingo went, Emmet went, end of story. Meanwhile, Ash immediately made his way to the battlefield and got himself a challenge from the red haired woman overseeing the area. 

While Zoey, May and Johanna decided to browse the clothing shop. The woman couldn't help but remark on how odd a feeling it was to see Jubilife City as such an old and underdeveloped village. Zoey readily agreed, it was uncomfortable yet fascinating at the same time, but it also gave the strongest sense of 'you don't belong here' that the teen had ever felt. 

Johanna could not help but wonder if that was how her daughter felt when she arrived in the village…

______

Ingo did not have the energy for this. He knew he had to meet with the Commander, and while he wasn't exactly fine with that, he would do it because it needed to be done. He knew how stubborn and rash the other man was, but he had fervently hoped that changed at least a smidge since he had been proven wrong by Akar- er, Dawn . 

But alas, it had apparently not. A perfect stranger, he could understand. But to have such caution and distrust toward Ingo and his brother ? It was simply ridiculous. Kamado knew him, he had never done anything wrong to the man or his team before. So why would he assume foul play now ? Why would he think that Ingo would only return and bring his brother with him if he wanted to do something malicious to him?

Kamado had practically insisted that Emmet wait outside, that Ingo force his brother to leave so that they could talk in private as Kamdao did not want to risk any information being leaked by someone not yet sworn into the alliance. But the older twin refused.

He neither had the patience nor the desire to remove his brother from the room once the meeting was underway, he saw no reason to, Emmet could not understand any of their words anyway. So Kamado had no reason to worry, and having his brother by his side reminded him that this was real, that he had not simply dreamed up returning home and reuniting with his twin.

Eventually the man huffed and complained but did settle down, albeit, only after Captain Cyllene came in to join them. Perhaps he felt that if push came to shove, Irida would be forced to remain impartial and he and Cyllene could take on he and Emmet together. Whatever his reason may be, Ingo was just glad to have the theatrics out of the way so that they could get to the meat of things.

As Irida explained her understanding of the situation, he and Emmet stood silently, side by side behind the young woman, one staring down at the man in the chair, the other staring blankly ahead. It wasn't until she turned things over to Ingo that the peace of sorts was broken. 

He had successfully relayed his side of things to the man, and had even gotten Cyllene to smooth things over for the most part with the Commander about how much they owed Akari and that the least they could do was trust that she would not endanger them, that if she had sent her family to them that it was not done to hurt the people of Jubilife, but to protect her loved ones and that she had clearly trusted them to do that for her.

Kamado begrudgingly agreed. Saying that they did indeed owe her a great debt and that the least they could do was look after these wayward travelers until they were able to return themselves home. Which led to the discussion of housing. Irida taking Ingo back on as a Warden was easily approved, but the matter of bringing others with him was not. 

"I cannot agree with that request, Clan Leader Irida. It is simply illogical to allow you to bring in people that we know are not here to stay. Even if they are friends of someone we know we can trust, that does not inherently mean that we can trust them . We will look after them, protect them from the dangers of the wilds, but we cannot allow them to join a clan. If, in the event that they did something wrong, they were part of a clan, we of the Galaxy Team would not be able to do anything about it due to our peace treaty with you clan folk. I believe it would be better to keep them here, in our village, so that we may better keep an eye on them, both for their safety and ours."

Irida slammed her hands on the wooden desk between the two and shook her head.

"Commander! You can't be serious! You expect me to believe that it would be safer for all involved to allow you to recruit them instead of Adaman and I? Why? How could that possibly be safer? What work could you have that is so important that you need the extra hands for? Akari already fully completed an entire catalog of all the Pokémon in our entire region! There is not a single corner of this land left unexplored or unmarked by her!"

Kamado didn't even blink, resting his chin on his clasped hands.

"They would not necessarily be admitted to the Survey Corps. They could join the construction unit, or the security detail, or even work for the trade faction or Gingko Guild. There is plenty of work to be done around the village. The fact that half of them are children is irrelevant. If Akari was capable of all that was thrown at her, then these children can certainly wield a hammer or carry some wares."

Irida gave a pout, going silent as she attempted to think up a reason to refute the man, only for Ingo to clear his throat and step forward.

"Pardon me Commander , but what does this mean for Emmet? Am I to assume that you would insist on keeping him here as well?"

Kamado leveled him with a raised brow and a flat tone.

"He is of those who we know not enough of yet, so yes."

"Even though he is my twin and I can vouch for him more than any other in the world?"

"Do you have a problem, Warden ?"

Ingo nodded, arms linked behind his back as he stood straight like a rod.

"I do indeed sir, you see, Emmet and I are a unit. We form a two car train and do not unlink for more than a few hours a day. But if I were to return to the Highlands, and he were to stay here, we would certainly be separated for far longer than that. Thus, I am afraid this proposed schedule is unacceptable."

"You are two grown men, you do not need to coddle each other and cling to one another for safety. I know you are a strong and capable trainer Warden, I am sure your brother is not helpless either. Those who cannot adapt, do not survive. You will both find a way through it."

He was right of course, but even still, Ingo was not going to let him have his way with this one. Not after hearing how he had villainized Akari and treated her so unfairly for nothing.

" Kamado. You are being ridiculous."

"That is Commander Kamado to you, Warden! Or simply Commander. But you are not in a place to address me by name alone."

"I apologize, Kamado . But I only address those with respect who deserve it. And right now, you have done nothing deserving of it, Kamado ."

The kimono clad man slammed a fist on his own desk, loud enough to cause Irida to flinch back, and Cyllene to attempt to admonish him. But she was drowned out by the man leaning across his desk just slightly to glare at Ingo, who, to his credit, didn't so much as blink, only continuing to hold his position and stare at the man with unimpressed eyes.

"You dare walk into my office and disrespect me ?"

"I do. I am sure you remember quite well what atrocities you enacted in the past toward Akari due to your lack of trust. I am simply attempting to prevent you from following those same tracks again."

Lifting a finger to point at the man in question, Ingo continued.

"You, Kamado, are a paranoid fool. None of those who have found themselves derailed with me, are going to cause you or anyone in the village any harm. Especially not my brother, provided you do not give him a reason to."

It was then that Emmet jolted to attention, a spark in his eyes, lifting a finger of his own to point at the man and looking to his brother with a tilted head.

"Kamado?"

Ingo raised a brow, responding hesitantly.

"Yes, this is Kamado, the Commander of the Galaxy Team. Why do you as-EMMET!"

Before anyone could stop him, Emmet had tossed out his ace, Eelektross and had thrown himself on top of the man's desk, one hand lifted to his hat to fix it in place, while the other was used to point at the man.

"I am Emmet, I am a Subway Boss, and I hereby challenge you to a battle!"

"EMMET! Get down from there this instant! You are not helping my case! How am I going to convince him that you are trustworthy enough to let us stay together if you act like this ??!"

Emmet only tilted his head to look down at his brother who was now attempting to pull him down by his coattails.

"This man means to separate us?"

"YES! And he will if you continue to give him a reason to doubt you!"

"Well that will not do."

Turning back around to face the outraged man who was sputtering and squaking something at him just like his Archeops, Emmet grinned wider. He leaned fown, grabbed the man by the front of his stupid dress and yanked him up face to face with himself. 

"I know that you cannot understand me, anymore than I could understand you. But I am sure you can understand this."

Pointing to his brother, then to himself, Emmet spoke.

"Ingo is my twin. My family . Family is meant to be together. You will not derail us."

"WARDEN INGO! PLEASE, DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIM!"

"I am trying Lady Irida! EMMET! DISEMBARK THIS ROUTE AT ONCE! PLEASE! YOU ARE OBSTRUCTING US FROM OUR DESIRED DESTINATION!"

Kamado glared at the man, directly in the eye. The two seeming to have a silent conversation between them.

"If you do attempt to do so, you will be met with more than a Pokémon Battle to obstruct your path." 

Kamado stared long and hard at the man for a moment, before sighing and reaching a hand up to brush Emmet's hold off of him. Eyes sliding closed at his feet hit the floor and he began to straighten out his outfit.

"Warden Ingo, please remove your brother from my desk before I deem it fit to do so myself by tossing him across the room."

Tossing out his Chandelure, Ingo instructed her to use Psychic to bring his brother down to him, who he immediately admonished and gripped onto the back of the collar tightly.

"Ahem, now then, I gather he was upset at the idea of splitting you up, yes? The rest of his words I'm afraid we're lost to me. Perhaps you would like to translate for us?"

Ingo took a deep breath, glaring down at his smiling brother who looked all too proud with himself. 

"He issued you a challenge to a Pokémon Battle. He is aware of how you treated his Niece Akari, and he is quite cross with you for it. I am honestly surprised he did not strike you."

"Well, perhaps he has more brains than I thought, had he raised hands against me, he would have been flattened in an instant. That man is nothing but a twig. I am impressed he could even lift me as high as he did with such little muscle."

"Adrenaline is a devilishly powerful hormone."

"Adrenaline?"

"The rush you get when preparing for battle that strengthens you."

"Ah, yes. That is true. Well then, how about this, if your brother bests me in battle, I will agree to rethink your situation, however should I win, then nobody can argue with my word any further. Do we have ourselves a gentleman's agreement?"

Ingo stood silent for a moment, considering his offer before reaching out a hand to shake on it.

"Yes, I believe that would be fine. However, I would like to add something to that."

"Oh?"

"I believe Akari is in far deeper waters than she can tread alone, she is going to need help. The man she is dealing with is far more capable and cunning than I am led to believe she is aware of. That man is a danger to the entire world. And I do not think I can stand by and do nothing to aid her. So, I would like to add that you all listen to me and aid me in aiding her."

The opposing man raised a brow, but shook on it all the same.

"I hold no ill will towards that child. She has more than proven herself an ally. If she is in danger, then she will have the full backing of the Galaxy Team to support her, provided that it is something we can help with. I know not how we would be able to do anything here that would help her now in your world, but if it is possible, we will provide her our support. You need not forge a deal or win a contest for that."

"Excellent, then I see no reason to further delay any of these proceedings with chitchat. Emmet, it looks like you will get your battle after all, Kamado has agreed to it and is even willing to gamble our living arrangements on your victory or defeat."

"I am Emmet! That is wonderful news! I will not lose! He will be met with the full force of my engines! No holding back!"

Ingo nodded, responding with an "Indeed." As he conducted the group to the training grounds to find Zisu looking terribly lost and upset, while Ash seemed to be quite pumped up. Ingo needed only to raise a brow before the woman came running up to him, demanding answers on why all the children from his world were so strong.

He lifted his hands placatingly and took a step back from the large woman, doing his best to explain that most people began journeying and training Pokémon at the age of 10, and that Ash was able to get much experience under his belt in the nearly 7 years he had been at it. Ash chimed in as well, explaining that he was a 2 time Champion, which held little to no meaning to the woman.

All the same, Ingo requested they clear the tracks in the interest of safety so that Kamado and Emmet could have their own battle, which the two agreed to. Zisu moved to supervise the battle on her field from a safe distance, while Ash eagerly sat back on the raised wooden platform behind Emmet to watch up close.

Before anyone could say anything, Emmet tossed out his Klinklang and Durant together, assuming his challenge stance as he awaited Kamado to do the same, only to see the man giving him a perplexed look on the opposite side of the field.

"Warden, what is he doing? Why has he tossed out 2 Pokémon at once?"

Ingo sighed, something he felt he had been doing a lot lately, and clutched the brim of his hat.

"He is attempting to battle you via doubles. Emmet here specializes in fighting with 2 Pokémon out together at a time as a team. Working their moves around each other to support and cover one another. He usually fields any challenges that take this particular skill set, while I handle any single battles."

Emmet only smiled blindly, as he had no idea what the delay was, nor what his brother was saying to this man.

"Ingo? I am Emmet and I am ready. Why is he not?"

"Emmet, I am afraid there is an obstruction on the tracks. Kamado, no, the people of Hisui as a whole, they are not familiar with the concept of Double Battles."

"Huh? Not familiar with it? That is silly. You sound silly Ingo. How could they not be familiar with it?"

"I mean, it has not yet been invented. The most I have seen is someone sending out 3 Pokémon to fight someone else who is only sending out 1 Pokémon, believing that numbers alone would secure their victory, even if they were not capable of managing 3 at a time."

Emmet was left sputtering, his brain grinding like a gear turning in a machine, only this gear was rusted and made a horrid screeching sound in his head as it turned.

"I…I do not understand. That is ridiculous. How??? Why?? Does…Does this mean we will have to do it as a singles battle?"

"Yes Emmet, I'm afraid so, that is if you care at all about making this a fair fight."

Emmet's smile twitched as he glanced at his waiting Pokémon.

"Not a fair fight. He is unfamiliar with Doubles. But I do not normally dabble in Singles either. No matter what, one of us is at a disadvantage… And I am inclined to deny it to him, he is a mean man."

With another sigh, Ingo raised a hand in the air, drawing everyone's attention to himself. 

"I would like to propose a change of Conductors! With the current schedule set, it should not matter if it is Emmet or I driving this engine down the tracks, the only thing that matters is the destination and that everyone has a serious, safe and fair battle! As you are unfamiliar with Doubles, it would be unfair to force you to battle in such a way, thus, Singles it is. As I have already explained, Emmet does not field Singles, I do . Therefore, we will be shifting tracks! Kamado, prepare for a battle against me !"

As he spoke, his arms shifted to assume their pointing position, Emmet's eyes widening followed by a large grin and him clapping enthusiastically upon seeing it, instantly telling him that even if his brother could not understand his words, he still understood his gestures just fine.

While Emmet quickly recalled his Pokémon and left the field to give Ingo room, Kamado on the other hand remained silent, perhaps unsure of this change as he felt Ingo was a far stronger opponent and his odds of winning against him were far less. He would be right if that were what he was thinking, heck Ingo half expected the man to refute this change and insist he battle against Emmet in Singles. 

But surprisingly Kamado threw out his Snorlax and crossed his arms.

"Fine, a battle with the Warden it is then. Hurry up and send out your Pokémon, Warden. I have much work to return to."

Before returning from Hisui, Ingo would have defaulted to choosing his Machamp. But now, having the help of all his friends from Unova as well at his fingertips, Ingo's choice was sure to surprise the man, perhaps even startle him. If Kamado had been a more agreeable man, Ingo may have felt sorry for him.

"Emmet, might I bother you for Gurdurr's Pokèball please?"

"Oh! You intend to borrow Gurdurr instead of using Machamp. Of course. He has not seen much battle lately, he could use the exercise."

As Emmet fished the ball out of one of his coat pockets and stepped forward to slide it into his brother's hand, Ingo spoke up again.

"Thank you. You know, we really ought to go ahead and make the trade already. I believe both Boldore and Gurdurr are more than ready to take their final forms."

Emmet only smiled wider at the comment. 

"Oh yes, they are verrry much ready to evolve. I will be sure to take good care of Gigalith when that happens, just as I do with Escavalier."

"Of course, and I will be sure to take extra care with Conkeldurr, just as I do with Accelgor."

After the exchange, the man in the darker coat spun around and tossed the Pokémon out into the field, finger pointing forward as he instructed it.

"All aboard Gurdurr! We are leaving this station and aiming for victory with all that we have! There will be no stops in between! So take care to perform all relevant checks now! Are you sufficiently prepared? Very good! Then the Station Master Kamado may have the first move."

With that confident declaration, Ingo watched calmly as Kamado glared at him and called loudly to his partner to use Zen Headbutt, simultaneously the Subway Master himself instructed his ally to dodge and use Low Kick, which Kamado also screamed at his Pokémon to dodge.

Hm, it seemed he hadn't given Kamado enough credit. The man may be a fool when it came to people, but at least he appeared to know his way around a Pokémon battle. This may end up taking longer than he or Emmet had been able to anticipate. Which normally would be quite the treat, but right now, they did not have the luxury of such a leisurely battle.

He and his team would have to kick things up a notch or two it seemed.

Taking a deep breath, Ingo whistled, drawing the eyes of his ally to himself. With a single nod given, he received one in turn and watched as Gurdurr swung his beam right into the Snorlax's side, surprising both the opposing Pokémon and its trainer. 

Ingo whistled again, twice, two shot bursts of disruptive sound, motioning with his finger up then to the right. His brother's well trained ally watching from the corner of his eye for instructions as the red girder scraped along the dirt and under his opponents feet before swinging upward, causing the enemy to stumble back, while Gurdurr followed up with another strong swipe from the side.

Kamado growled loudly, muttering something about cheap cheating tactics as he roared for Snorlax to try another Zen Headbutt, which was promptly dodged by Gurdurr after one sharp whistle from the conductor. 

As they continued to run circles around the kimono-wearing man and his slothful beast, said man only lost more and more of his patience, until things came to a head when they managed to knock out his Pokémon altogether. This brought forth a guttural scream from him, glaring full force at the creature casually spinning its girder as well as the pointing trainer behind it.

He detested how calm and in control Ingo seemed, it was as if the man was mocking him, saying with his body what he wouldn't dare to say with his mouth. 

Kamado, in his blind fury, tossed out his Braviary, loudly instructing it to use Esper Wing. Ingo could only sigh and shake his head, whistling for Gurdurr to dodge, then swirled his wrist around, finger making a circling motion before settling in a point. 

Emmet couldn't help but grin wider as he watched his brother's strategies unfold before him. It was almost like he was a verrryy different kind of conductor. Watching him point and gesture with his hands, urging Gurdurr on, telling him to fall back, or even instructing him to skirt around to strike from behind. 

Even attacks were understood between them with nothing more than looks and nods or shakes of the head. Despite Gurdurr being his Pokémon and not Ingo's, he seemed to be just as in sync with him as he would be with Emmet himself, perhaps even more so. It reminded him all over again how impressive his older brother really was and why he respected him so much. 

The way Ingo could just understand and work with just about anyone on anything, be it people or Pokémon, the way people so readily relied on him and trusted him once they got past his gruff expressions, and the way his brother was able to complete any task to perfection without so much as a hair out of place or a single bead of sweat on his brow. 

Ingo always seemed so perfect at everything except smiling. But even that had become something he seemed to excel at more and more since returning to his side after his little layover in Hisui. Yes, if they had still been children, Emmet would have been insanely jealous. But as adults, all he could do was admire him and hope to someday be just as amazing as him.

By the time Emmet snapped out of his admiring haze, he was greeted by a loud screech of pain and saw the opposing Braviary collapse in a heap in the dirt. He saw Ingo giving Gurdurr a thumbs up before returning to a neutral pose of pointing ahead with one hand and down with the other, eyes locked on Kamado as he awaited his next opponent.

Once the man screamed again, tossing his next Pokéball with far more power than necessary, not even announcing his choice, only barking out a rough order of what move to use. Emmet could only click his tongue at the disgraceful move before hearing his brother speak again to thank Gurdurr for his service before calling him back into his ball.

"Emmet."

"Hm?"

Out of nowhere, the ball was tossed lightly back to Emmet,  the man's hands cupping together to catch it out of instinct more than presence of mind. 

"Thank you for allowing Gurdurr to link up with me, but I am afraid he will not be capable of taking down this next opponent. He seemed to be running out of steam as well, please perform any possible maintenance at this juncture. I do not believe I will be needing him to return to the field for the remainder of this battle."

Emmet saluted his brother, nodding to his words and beginning to rifle through his pockets for any items to treat his Pokémon with. 

As he did so, he continued to watch in awe and fascination as Ingo summoned his next Pokémon to his side, Chandelure. Gray eyes shifted over to the other side of the field in an attempt to see what Pokémon she would be fighting against, locking them onto a large blue beetle.

Ah, so it was Chandelure vs a Heracross then, was it? That was good, not only was she his brother's ace, but she also had a clear type advantage on her side. It seemed Ingo was intent on plowing through this battle as swiftly as possible. 

Perhaps he was even angrier with this man than let on, since he didn't seem to be too keen on giving him much of a chance past ensuring that it was a battle format the opposing trainer was familiar with. It would make sense for Ingo to be furious with someone and still try to keep that professional air about him so as to not lash out at the target of his ire.

Even Emmet himself had never seen Ingo truly lose it. As frustrated as Ingo had gotten at him earlier over the whole Sneasler debacle, he had only signed vigorously. Ingo never had screaming matches with Emmet, Ingo never swore at Emmet, Ingo never said anything mean or hurtful to Emmet. And if he didn't even feel comfortable with arguing with family in such a way, then he surely would never do so with a higher up.

Of course, Chandelure was good to go, sturdy and trustworthy like the rails of any good subway, easily wiping the floor with the blue beetle. As soon as the next Pokémon was thrown out, a Clefable, Emmet thought Ingo would switch Chandelure out for sure for Garboader. But just when it seemed like he was considering it, Chandelure turned fully around to stare him down. 

A moment passed where the two simply looked at each other, before Ingo chuckled and pulled the brim of his hat down to cover his eyes.

"I see, very well then Chandelure, I shall not make any track changes here. Give it your best out there."

As she clicked and squealed in joy, Kamado declared his first attack, apparently not even having enough honor to wait until his opponents were done with their discussion and celebration before attacking. But it did him little good, as Ingo and Chandelure both reflexively responded by dodging and catching hold of the pink creature with Psychic. 

Apparently that was not the best move however, as Kamado seemed to have finally started thinking for this battle instead of just blowing his top and acting on anger. Emmet could only assume this man was typically all brawn and no brains, so if he didn't hate him so much, he would clap for him for such a breakthrough. 

But no, Emmet didn't plan on clapping for anyone other than his brother after this fight was over, this was still the same bastard who mistreated his Niece and attempted to split he and Ingo up. This man would be lucky if he only received a smile after the dust cleared and not a slug across the jaw.

Casting his eyes toward his brother, he could see his usual frown was just a tad larger. Meaning Ingo was displeased that a plan had not worked out. Emmet was willing to bet that Ingo had meant to restrain the fairy with Psychic and follow up with a brutal barrage of attacks to knock it out before it could recover. But it seemed a stalemate was the best he could do right now, since Chandelure was also being restrained by Psychic right now. 

Hm, a tricky situation. What would Ingo do here? Well, if he had to guess, he would assume Ingo would call Chandelure back and toss in a different Pokémon, but Chandelure had already voiced her displeasure at that idea, so Ingo didn't have that option right now. Meaning the only thing he could do was either wait this out and hope Kamado tired of such a waste of time, or tell Chandelure to toss the pink beast aside and hope it broke her concentration enough to free herself.

And while Ingo was normally patient and calculating enough for the first option, Emmet knew right now was not the time to be wasting daylight on such a tactic. Soooo, option 2b it was. Watching Chandelure screech as she threw the Pokémon with all her might certainly did get a few "Ohhs!!" of awe from the peanut gallery, which Emmet could tell got both he and Ingo standing just a bit taller out of sheer pride.

It was the kind of pride that applied to multiple things at once. Emmet was not just proud of himself for looking after and continuing Chandelure's training in his brother's stead during his derailment in Hisui. Nor was he proud of just himself and Chandelure. Or even just him, Chandelure and Ingo. No, he was proud of all them and the one place they all got this strong for. Their precious Subway.

It was only thanks to the many talented trainers who frequented the battle lines that they were able to get where they are today, and they might never have faced those trainers if not for their positions at Gear Station and the Battle lines they created. Truly, they were doing God's work. Or, at least that was what Emmet had always thought, until he learned what a price Arceus was.

More on that later , but for now, he wanted to try to stay alert. Ingo should be wrapping up this battle soon, and the second he did, oh boy .

The dulled sound of a fist meeting an open hand was easily covered up by the shouts of Kamado and the Battle between his and Ingo's Pokémon as Chandelure began mopping the floor with the fairy. Since he was not able to battle the man, and Ingo had to take his place, Emmet felt he had no other choice but to default to other methods of stress relief and vengeance. 

More personally violent ways. And nobody would derail him from these tracks, not even Ingo. He had a lot to get back at this mustachioed menace for after all.

For Ingo, for Dawn, for himself. 

Oh yes, this man was going to lose sorely to Ingo, then he was going to get a beating from Emmet. That would teach the man not to mess with Emmet's family.

Not too long after, Ingo and Chandelure reached the destination called victory, and were faced with Kamado's final Pokémon, Golem, and she was definitely not something that Chandelure was equipped to handle. Meaning, Ingo should really switch her out for someone with a strategic advantage. And hopefully, after fighting and taking down 2 whole opponents herself , she would let him.

"Chandelure. May I? Please? You have done well, very well. You need not push yourself any further."

The chandelier spun around staring deep into her trainer's eyes, for a moment the rest of the world seemed to stand still. But she broke that all encompassing stare with a shake of her form left and right.

" Chandelure . Come now. What has gotten into you? You have already bested two of his team, it is more than acceptable to allow someone else to take over. Tangrowth would be the optimal choice here."

Once again, she sputtered and shook about, jingling frantically and denying the substitution. Ingo sighed, this time not giving in, his eyes hardened as he tried again to convince her.

"Chandelure. This is not a good type match up, and you are already tired from the previous two fights. If you keep going, you will likely faint and I will have to switch you out anyway. There is no point in continuing when you do not have to. If you faint in battle, there is no Pokémon Center here to revive you. Please , allow me to shift gears and substitute Tangrowth for you."

She began to protest again, before Ingo took a deep breath and barked out at her.

" Chandelure! I understand you are only trying to show your devotion for me, that you simply wish to display what your engines are capable of. You are my ace, you always will be. You are not in danger of losing my favor. But you are in danger of derailing our entire group and it's schedule. Please, consider leaning on the rest of the team. You can lead without having to take on everything for yourself."

This time, she hissed. Blank eyes narrowing angrily as she chirped in a rage at the man. This got Ingo to raise a metaphorical brow. 

"Is this about Gliscor? Yes, he was my anchor for my team here in Hisui, but he is still younger than you, still lower leveled compared to you. You have much more experience in regulated battles. Gliscor is more used to survival and wild fights. He has much to learn still and looks to you for that. Do not feel as though you have anything to prove, my dear. Everyone looks to you for guidance, you are the engine that powers this entire train."

Chandelure went quiet then, either her trainer's words or tone of sincerity seeming to strike home for her.

"WARDEN! WHAT IS THE HOLD UP!? ARE YOU SWITCHING IT OUT OR NOT? HURRY IT UP!"

At this, Chandelure swiveled, eyes glowing as she attempted to catch the man with her Psychic powers to toss him to the ground, only for Ingo to give a sharp whistle that left her eyes fading back to their empty white baseline.

"Apologies, yes, I am switching tracks. Chandelure and I were simply discussing strategy. She , not it, is a much valued part of this train. So I take her opinion in high regards."

"You would ask the Pokémon for advice on battle strategies? It is a Pokémon Warden, not a human. You are the owner, it is up to you to come up with the strategies. You give the orders and they listen. That is how this works. If yours isn't obeying you, perhaps you haven't taught it well enough."

Ingo couldn't help but growl under his breath at that comment, hand reaching up to clutch the brim of his hat so tightly, that his hands would be white whether he had his gloves on or not.

"The fact that you view things that way is proof of why you will lose this battle. Chandelure, return . Tangrowth, ALL ABOARD!"

Emmet couldn't understand what they were saying, but he could see Ingo shaking, he could hear the tone in his voice, of barely concealed fury and pain. He could hear Chandelure hissing at the man before she returned to her ball as well. So he knew that whatever the man said, it couldn't have been anything good.

He didn't want to interrupt, but he also didn't want Ingo battling in that state. So he strode over to his brother's side and grasped his free hand, tapping out little messages in Morse.

Things like, It's okay. And Calm down. And I am Emmet, and I am here, brother.

By the time Ingo gave a shuddering sigh and tapped back his thanks. Emmet shouted out for Tangrowth to dodge the incoming attack of Golem. 

"What is wrong Ingo? What did that bad man say?"

"Apologies Emmet, I am fine now. Thank you for grounding me though."

Emmet's smile only tightened, head tilted as he pushed on.

"Of course! Two car train! What did he say to upset you so much? You looked like you wanted to sock him."

With a sigh, Ingo let go of his hat and whistled, spinning his hand before jabbing it forward as he called out in Unovan the word sleep . The twins watched as a Strong Sleep Powder was cast on the rock turtle.

"He said that I should not consult with my Pokémon before making any plans. That I had not trained Chandelure well enough if she did not blindly follow my orders without voicing her opinions. He called me her owner , not her trainer ."

Emmet sucked in a sharp breath. His hand squeezing his brother's tightly before letting go all together. 

"I am Emmet, and I am furious. I am sorry Ingo, that is a terrible, untrue thing to say. We do not own anyone. We are all a team, we are a two car train, but when our Pokémon link up with us, we become a full blown passenger train. You will win and you will show him the error of his ways. We are Subway Bosses! We do not lose to bad trainers."

"Yes, you are correct Emmet. Tangrowth! Energy Ball if you please! We Subway Bosses pride ourselves in winning battles even under the most unique rule sets. A battle like this is barely even training."

Emmet nodded, moving off to the side to stand close to the middle of the field's dividing border. He wanted more than anything to charge at Kamdo and attack him right then and there. How dare he speak of Chandelure that way? Even worse, the man had said that Ingo hadn't trained her well enough. He was not only insulting Chandelure, but calling Ingo a bad trainer as well as Emmet himself indirectly. 

"MOVE GOLEM! I DON'T CARE HOW SLEEPY YOU ARE! STOP SITTING THERE AND LETTING YOURSELF GET HIT!"

Even without understanding the man's words, he could see he was not speaking very kindly to his own partner. If it weren't for the fact that it would reflect poorly on the Subway if he attacked the man, Emmet would be rushing over to knock him to the ground.

Wait. But then again, their Subway didn't exist yet. They were in the past, it was verrry likely that no Subways existed yet. Which meant there was nothing he was representing that he had to maintain peace for. 

"What is wrong Kamado? Is your partner not listening to you well enough? Perhaps if you consulted him instead of simply making blind calls and commanding absolute obedience, he would fight harder for you. Trust is an important component in any relationship, especially battles."

"SHUT UP WARDEN! I WILL NOT HAVE A STUPID FOREIGNER TELL ME HOW TO TRAIN MY POKÉMON! YOU ARE AN OUTSIDER! DON'T FORGET YOUR PLACE! ALIEN!!"

A horrified gasp left both Irida and Zisu at that outburst, both of the women allowing their hands to fly up to cover their mouths in shock. Ash let out a small "woah." that sounded more like it was made out of surprise and lack of knowing what to say rather than any excitement. Ingo only frowned harder, hand reaching up to pull his hat down to cover his eyes.

"Huh? What? What did he say? Ingo? Ingo, what did he say?"

"I see." Said the black conductor, ignoring his brother's question in favor of launching one of his own. "And why, pray tell,l am I a foreigner? I will not argue that I am somewhat of an outsider, seeing as my residence was always isolated on top of a mountain, but I lived here for years before returning to my home. Why do you still consider me a foreigner?"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT ONE OF US! "

" How so?"

"MUST I SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU?! YOU ARE A BRANCH OFF FROM GALAR! A DIRTY, RUDE, UNOVAN! THE CHILD MAY BE FROM SOMEPLACE UNKNOWN, BUT SHE IS CLEARLY NATIVE TO THESE LANDS! YOU ARE NOT ! YOU ARE FOREIGN IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD! YOU CANNOT BE TRUSTED ! YOU. DO. NOT. BELONG . HERE."

Irida hissed the man's name in frustration, clearly appalled at his words and seeking to reprimand him, only to be cut off by Ingo holding out an arm to silence her. He didn't want to risk the entire clan's safety from their treaty over himself after all.

"I see…So that is why you are being harder on Emmet and I. I understand now. There truly is no way to reason with you. My only hope of keeping my brother by my side is to best you in battle and hope you are not a sore loser."

Meanwhile, Ash hopped off the wooden platform and made his way to the obviously lost and tense Emmet's side.

"Um, so he basically just called your brother a term used for foreigners that can sometimes be an insult? Depending on the situation, it could mean just foreigner, but it could also mean, alien, or outsider . He also called him stupid and said that because you guys are from Unova, you don't belong here and you can't be trusted."

"Oh. I am Emmet, and I see now. He is racist . That explains a lot."

"Well, it doesn't necessarily mean he is racist, he could just be afraid of things he doesn't know. But yeah, it sure sounds like it."

The boy only crossed his arms, glaring at the man as his Pikachu growled and sparked in agitation alongside his trainer.

Well then, knowing Ingo, he would tell Emmet to be on his best behavior, to prove the man wrong to show him that Unovans aren't bad people. In hopes that it may warm him up to them. 

But from everything Ingo had told him, the Professor here was from the Galar region, and he didn't seem to be persecuted this way. So perhaps it was less about their heritage, and more that he just didn't like Ingo specifically for some reason. Maybe he was simply afraid of Ingo usurping him? Taking his spot because he is a superior man and trainer?

Either way, Emmet didn't care. He didn't have to listen to something Ingo hadn't yet said to him. Ingo would surely be upset with him, but it didn't matter. This man seemed like the type who only responded to power, to being beaten into submission, so Emmet didn't mind playing his game. 

Shrugging off his coat and removing his hat, he handed them to the boy beside him, asking him to watch those for him and receiving a confused "Sure." in response as he watched Emmet roll up his sleeves. 

Before anyone could stop him, Emmet raced forward and jumped at the unsuspecting man, knocking him to the ground in a tussle of limbs and angry confusion. The second the two made eye contact, Emmet struck, fist meeting cheek.

A horrified shriek of his name could be heard from the distance, Ingo's voice plainly projecting horror and worry. But he ignored it. It wasn't Ingo telling him to stop yet, so he figured he could get a few more good hits in before he was inevitably hauled off the man. So he swung again, mentally thanking his gloves for offering some protection from his actions as he punched the man, fist after fist swinging down to meet skin.

"So it is like that is it. Very well, I ACCEPT!"

He didn't see the punch to his own cheek coming until it was too late, his head jerking to the side from the force of the blow as the fist made contact. That did not deter him however, as Emmet only turned back to face him, his grin growing to show teeth as he punched the man in the nose.

"ARRG! CURSE YOU!"

Kamado roared as he attempted to flip their positions, using his hips to try to buck the other man off of him so he could get the upper hand. But Emmet only squeezed his thighs into the man's sides, holding on as he punched the man again.

It was then that Ingo and the large woman with the fiery hair began trying to break them up. Ingo reached down to pull Emmet back only to get slugged in his brother's place by Kamado, forcing him to rear back and clutch his nose. That tore a growl from Emmet as he fought harder to remain in his spot, he vaguely considered biting the man, but thought better of it. Who knows how dirty this man from the past was.

It wasn't until the man's Pokémon snapped out of its sleep-filled daze and began thundering towards them that the fight was broken up. Clawed hands reaching between them and throwing Emmet to the ground. As Kamado climbed to his feet and attempted to surge forward to chase Emmet, Tangrowth stepped in, using vines to pull the man back until Zisu could get her arms around him. 

Emmet growled again, sitting up and ready to launch himself again, until Ingo threw himself at his brother's back and wound his arms around him in a tight hug.

"Emmet, ENOUGH! PLEASE! "

"Sir! Come on! Break it up! It's my job as head of security to stop any and all fights, even ones involving you . If you don't stop now, I will be forced to intervene in more ways than just holding you back!"

Kamado only growled, tapping the woman in a sign to let go before smoothing out his Kimono. Of course, the one time he didn't don his battle armor, he got personally attacked. 

"WARDEN! YOU WILL CONTROL YOUR DEVIL OF A BROTHER THIS INSTANT OR I WILL ORDER HIS EXECUTION."

"You will do no such thing, even if I should fail to wrangle Emmet. If you even tried you would have more to answer to than a Pokémon Battle with me. Emmet, my dear baby brother, please calm down. Why on Earth did you do that? Please, help me understand."

Not taking his eyes off his enemy, Emmet reached up and clung to Ingo's arm with one hand. He could hear the pleading tone Ingo was using, it was the same one he always used when he was upset with Emmet, but trying his best not to show it because he wanted to try to understand his little brother's perspective to better understand his reasons for causing a situation.

Ingo was always so adult like that, so compassionate and understanding. It never failed to take the edge off of Emmet's more robotically driven outbursts.

"Adh told me what he said. He insulted you. Called you an alien and an outsider despite your time here and all you did for these people. He hates you Ingo. He spoke like a racist but he clearly holds ill thoughts and feelings toward you personally. He is abusing his power against us, so I was attempting to prove who was truly stronger to force him into submission. It seems to be all he understands and respects."

After a tense moment of silence, Ingo sagged against him, burying his face in Emmet's short hair.

"I see, you were upset that he insulted me and you were acting to protect me. Thank you Emmet, it is very kind of you to worry for me and wish to protect me like that."

"Of course Ingo, the two of us are a two car train. We take care of each other."

" However, I was doing fine handling it on my own. He had one Pokémon left for me to defeat, you did not need to take matters into your own hands. It may have just ruined everything, he could throw you in prison for this."

Emmet leaned his head back, forcing Ingo to remove his face from his hair, making eye contact with a light grin Emmet cut him off.

"You wouldn't let him."

"Yes, you are right, I would sooner run away with you than let him take you from me. But that is not the point Emmet. No matter how much words hurt us, we are not to strike back with our fists. I have told you this before. It is best to prove them wrong, to rise above it all and not lash out in hurt or anger."

"Yes, I am Emmet, I know. But I figured I could get a couple good shots in for you before you said not to, since you would never do it for yourself."

Ingo sighed heavily, sinking into his brother's back some more as Emmet reached up to knock the cap from his head and run his fingers through his older brother's hair.

"Aheam, Warden Ingo, are you and the Commander planning to finish your battle? I have to do some maintenance on the field as soon as you two are done, so if you're not gonna finish, then I'd like to get to it sooner rather than later, ya know?"

Snapping his head up to make eye contact with the woman, Ingo cleared his throat.

"Ah, yes, apologies Zisu. I am still quite fine with finishing our match if Kamado is. I will even allow him to heal his Golem to make up for the interference if he would like to do so."

The Commander glared at the men on the ground, locked around each other as they were, before huffing out a gruff "Very well." in response as he moved to apply some potions to his Golem.

"Emmet, I truly do appreciate you trying to look out for me in your own way, but please do not punch or leap at him again. The sentiment alone is enough to soothe any aches his words may cause, I do not want you getting hurt on my behalf, ever. Nor do I want you hurting others on my behalf. Okay?"

Emmet sighed, signaling to Ingo that he had his agreement, or as close to it as he would get anyway. As the two pulled each other up to their feet and turned to face each other, Emmet noticed the faint line of blood trailing out of his nose.

"Ingo. You are bleeding." 

Reaching a hand up to cup his older brother's cheek to keep him from moving, his other hand rose to prod at the injured nose.

"Yes, Kamado may be a weak man in many ways, but he certainly isn't weak in that area, nor does he pull his punches it seems. Fear not, I do not believe it is broken, it probably looks worse than it feels."

"You should still get it looked at brother. You said Dawn broke her arm here and had to see a nurse, Plusle was it?"

"Pesselle."

"Mm. Yes, that."

Ingo chuckled fondly at his brother's blatant lack of care toward anyone other than Ingo himself, reaching up to rub Emmet's head affectionately before stooping down to retrieve his own hat.

"Yes, well, I will do so only after I have secured victory for this match. Until then, it will just have to wait. She will most likely just recommend I ice it anyway."

Emmet hummed, eyes sliding shut as he bounced over to stay one step behind his brother, deftly retrieving his own hat and coat from Ash with a small murmur of "Thanks." as he followed his twin.

"Now then, where were we Kamado?"

As the battle started up again, Emmet remained right by his brother's side, hands clasped behind his back with a content smile. Even the stinging in his cheek that would surely brusie did not detract from the high he was riding.

The second that the battle ended with Golem collapsing and Tangrowth rushing over to wrap Ingo in a big hug, Emmet began clapping and congratulating his brother earnestly. Smiling giddily like a child the whole time, even when Kamado came over and begrudgingly extended a hand to Ingo.

"You won. I am a man of my word. I will honor our agreement. So either keep that feral twin of yours in line, or get him out of my village ."

Ingo thanked the man, agreeing to do his best to reign Emmet in, before relaying the news to said twin. Emmet cheered half heartedly, he didn't really care one way or the other. If Kamado broke his word, then he would answer to Emmet. This man didn't matter, he was long dead in their time. And Emmet didn't care to play nice with a rotten dead man that he didn't like.

He made that point evident with a harsh knee to the other man's gut, causing said man to sputter, clutch his gut and double over, nearly dropping to his knees before he reared back and socked Emmet in the gut, earning a his like a steam train but not forcing him to double over or even cling to himself. Emmet refused to give him the satisfaction. 

This brought savage grin to Kamado's face to match Emmet's own, both men's eyes gleaming devilishly. 

"EMMET! What did we just get through discussing not 10 minutes ago?!"

Spinning around delighted, Emmet held up both hands beside his head, palms open as he grinned at his brother.

"But Ingo. I did not use my hands. I am Emmet, and you only made me promise not to punch or tackle him to the ground again. You said nothing about kicking or using my knees."

Ingo only sighed, fingers rubbing the side of his head as if to stave off a migraine.

" Yes, but I also told you not to attack him for me. I won, and he agreed to uphold the deal, you did not need to strike him."

"Oh yes, I am aware. But that one was for me , not you . As you said, you can take care of yourself, you obviously do not need me to fight your battles for you. However, I do not care much for this man and wanted him to know that. You can tell him I said this and that was the reason for the knee. Or say it was for my beloved Niece. Either way, I believe I deserved one shot for all he put this family through. Honestly, I would not be surprised if Ms. Johanna wanted to take a crack at him herself."

In response to such a large, bright and honest smile Ingo couldn't help but relent, even if the smile was a tad strained. So the man fisted his hand in the white collared coat and pulled him back behind himself and cleared his throat.

"Emmet wishes for me to translate. He says that strike was for what you did to his precious Niece and that you had best prepare yourself for what her mother might do to you in the near future."

Kamado gave a soft and low growl, not dissimilar to a hum of acknowledgement, savage smirk still on his face as he and Emmet continued their glaring contest. Until his eyes blinked and widened in recognition.

"Wait one moment, Warden did you say his Niece?"

"I did."

"I have not met this man's Niece. I was not even aware you had a child. Or do you simply happen to have another sibling somewhere that has children? Regardless, I have not done anything wrong to any children, so I believe he is mistak-"

"Akari. His Niece is Akari."

That gave Kamado pause. Blinking and rubbing his stomach with a hand unconsciously.

"I see. I am surprised to hear this then, Warden. If you truly did claim the girl as your own, then why are you not the one striking me? Are you simply too scared? Or perhaps too weak?"

Ingo sighed, crossing his arms behind his back as he considered the man's words.

"It is not as if the urge to do so has not come to me before. I simply cannot bring myself to do anything that would cause Lady Irida and the rest of the clan any trouble. As I am a Warden of the Pearl Clan, any move I make will reflect on the clan itself. If I should end up attacking you, it will be considered tantamount to the Pearl Clan attacking you, and thus would embroil both the Galaxy folk and Pearl Clan in a war. Lady Irida was kind enough to take me in when I was lost and had nothing, I would never think to do anything that would put her in a difficult position. But aside from that, I am not a particularly violent person either. I believe it best to treat others with kindness, and if I acted out, especially after you already expressed your distaste for my heritage, then it would only worsen your already poor views of my people. I would not wish to prove you right, I would rather you see the error of your ways and give the next lady or fellow of my kind some basic respect and allow them to prove what kind of person they are rather than you judging them off their heritage alone."

Ingo took a moment to let his words sink in, seeing Kamado glare at the ground cough, before continuing.

"But, Emmet holds no such affiliations to the Pearl Clan currently, nor does he have the same ideals as I do. So he believes it is safe for him to act as he pleases without endangering anyone other than himself. Misguided as he may be since we are a two car train and his actions do indeed still affect me ."

The white clad twin seemed to be feeling cheeky, as he had the gall to not only not even feign sheepishness, but outright grinned in an even more chipper fashion when the other two men looked at him.

"Yes, well, I suppose I can at the very least, respect his show of determination and endurance. I may be more of a grappler than a heavy hitter, but I still pack plenty more muscle for hitting someone than your brother does. Yet he didn't even seem to register my jabs, let alone buckle to them. So I shall let him off the hook for his assault on my person and allow you two to leave the village without any imprisonment or penalties."

Ingo instantly perked up at that, his gloom and apprehensions vanishing for the most part and allowing him to stand straighter.

"Thank you Kamado. If it means anything, I suppose I can at least respect that you are a man of your word. I shall relay the information to Emmet, in the meantime, do you think you can send word to Lord Adaman to summon him to the village? I believe it best if all important persons are present for the strategy meeting to follow."

The gruff man nodded stiffly, hand reaching up to stroke the ends of his mustache.

"Ah, yes, of course. I suppose a meeting with the clans is the only natural next course of action. Very well then, I will send a message to the Diamond Clan Settlement immediately and have their leader come here at once. However, I have no idea how long it will take him to get here. Even if I say it is urgent and he summons Warden Mai's Lord for a ride, he still has to come all the way from the Mirelands. We might all be waiting a while."

Ingo nodded, his brain pondering that truth while his hand responded to his thinking reflexively. One arm wrapped behind his back, the other lifted to let a hand rub at a nonexistent goatee, until his brother nudged him and he noticed what he was doing. Clearing his throat in embarrassment, he wrapped both arms tightly behind his back.

"That is true. But if you send Captain Cyllene's Abra with the message, then he can ride back with Abra in no time at all! The Abra line is notoriously good with instantaneous teleportation."

Kamado hummed, turning his back and already beginning to walk away as he called out to respond.

"Suggestion noted, Warden. I will send Cyllene to get you once he is here. Until then, I recommend you round up all of your fellow travelers, I'm sure he will want to meet them all, and I do not much care for the idea of them roaming free in my village unwatched."

"Very well."

With the conversation seemingly over, Irida rushed over to place a hand on Ingo's shoulder and give him a nod of reassurance which he returned with his own sure nod, before she began running after Kamado. 

What that nod was in reassurance of , Ingo had no idea. Perhaps to console him for Kamado's behavior and words, or perhaps to assure him that she would have words with the man or simply watch him and keep him from doing anything too crazy. 

Whatever it may have meant, Ingo was grateful for it all the same. Now all he had to do was tell Emmet what was going on, and round up the others. Simple as that. The real work would come later when he had to explain everything to everyone all over again, before he could even begin explaining what he thought they needed to do. Sensing the tension in his brother, Emmet spoke up.

"Ingo? Are you still mad about me punching and kicking him? Because he was lucky it was only my fists and knee. What I truly wanted to do was run him down with the train from my Doubles Line."

"Emmet, my dearest younger brother, I know you only refrained from that action because you physically could not partake in it. But please do not attempt to find a substitute for your train to hit him with. He has been kind enough to allow you off Scott free for your previous actions, do not tempt the fates."

"Ah, a shame. I was almost hoping he would raise issue with my actions against him. Then I would have a valid reason for scouring these lands for a substitute for a train to run him down with."

For the hundredth time today, Ingo sighed, face buried in his hands as Emmet chuckled.

"Nevermind that, we do not have time to talk about hypothetical vehicular homicides, Kamdao is bring the Diamond Clan leader here to discuss our situation and form a plan for getting us back home. So it is our job to round up the others and bring them to Kamado's office. Come Ash, Emmet! We must find the others, I will check the fields and Prelude Beach, you two should stick together and search the shopping district. After we have rounded everyone up, our destination is set for the Galaxy Team Leader's office, ALL ABOOOOARD!!!!"

_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Ingo.

Ingo and Dawn. There was just so much of them coating the room that, no matter where she looked, it was impossible to ignore it. Even down to the smallest details, like the loose strands of navy and silver hairs that had yet to be swept out. Or the plain futon side by side with one that had plenty of colors and patterns adorning its comforter topping. 

She already knew it had been her daughter's lodgings when she was outside its walls, before she ever even opened the door, but seeing it just made it even more real . Her daughter, her sweet baby girl had lived here , by herself for a while before finding the man who took her on as his own and took care of her. She had to sleep in a drafty old room on the nothing but a futon on the cold, hardwood flooring. 

She'd had to cook for herself over an open fire instead of having an electric stove or an oven. Heck, her door was nothing more than a flimsy screen, nothing that would withstand a single kick from any person, let alone the Pokémon proof grade doors they had in their time. Her child had been forced to rough it in such subpar conditions and had not only survived, but come out stronger and kinder for it. 

Oh, her poor baby. She had never anticipated something like this happening to her, not even when she sent her out into the world on her own when she was 10 years old. She couldn't help running her hands over the futon that her daughter had used, lifting the thick blanket to search for any remnants of her daughter's typical perfume, only to find nothing as the girl clearly hadn't had access to any sprays here.

Johanna couldn't help but tear up at the lack of the scent she had come to associate with her child, even if it had only been momentary, it would have been a nice comfort. 

So wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the door sliding open.

"Ah, there you are! Pardon the intrusion Ms. Johanna, but we are all being summoned to the Commander's office for a briefing that requires all of us to be present. Lord Adaman and Lady Irida will be joining us there, so it would also be a pertinent opportunity to ask Lord Adaman to shelter- Ms Johanna? Is everything alright?"

As the woman turned to glance at him, the conductor could see tears threatening to throw themselves over the cliff of her eyelids, considering ending their tiny lives in a single splash of a second. The female suddenly shook her head, pulling the comforter closer for a fraction of a minute, then thrusting it out to him in invitation.

An invitation that had Ingo puzzled, but saw him removing his shoes quickly to pad further into the room to join her and accept the offered object. Once in his own hands, his eyes narrowed in a calm fondness.

"Ah, yes, this was Akari's- Dawn's comforter that she used with her futon. I see you have been exploring our, er, her dwellings. I suppose the sorry state of it would be enough to drive any respectable mother to tears."

Suddenly, the woman threw herself to her feet and screamed.

"That's not it! Not all of it, anyway. It's just, oh, despite how terrible this place is, it still looks lived in. Like she could walk through that door any moment safe and sound. If I really try, I can even picture it. But the whole illusion is broken by this one single comforter . It doesn't smell like her, the only scent there is something undesirable, like dust or something. It doesn't hold her scent anymore, it isn't warm, and it puts the nail in the coffin that she hasn't been here for a long time and won't be here again anytime soon. Why? Because we are stuck in the past, while she is years in the future, all alone and being used by some evil man."

As much as Ingo wanted to comfort the woman, he truly wasn't used to physically doing so for anyone other than Emmet, Dawn and rarely Elesa. So, instead he set himself on another track that he hoped would lead to the same destination. He narrowed his eyes, set his frown and lifted the dusty comforter high, shaking out the particles before bringing it to his nose and taking a deep whiff of it.

And suddenly, he was brought back. To a time where things were simpler, to a time where things were not as high stakes and filled with worry over his adopted daughter being so far out of his reach. To a time where instead the two sat side by side for dinner, chatting well into the night, playing games and eventually going to sleep side by side. If there weren't bigger matters at hand, he may have allowed himself to sink further into this reminiscent serenity. He may have even wept himself.

But instead, he gave the woman a serious look and spoke in a carefully controlled tone, doing his best not to be too loud or expressive.

"Ms. Johanna, I am not sure what you are talking about. This comforter does indeed still smell like your daughter. It is faint, but it is there, I'm sure it is only hard for you to see because you are not used to having to look for it, and you do not know where to look. But fret not, because you have not one, but 2 skilled conductors able and willing to guide you down these foreign rails, if you only let us. Just like our hopes that we may return to her and see her safe again soon. It may not seem like an easy train to catch, but I assure you, with hard work, determination and some strategic thinking, we can and will make it back to her side. Dawn is a strong girl. I have no doubts in my mind or heart that she will be able to hold out until we return to her. Have faith, and trust in the girl you raised. She will be okay, we will make sure of it."

Johanna only cried harder at his words, wiping away tears and sniffling as she attempted to find her voice again.

"..How can you be so sure ?"

With a rueful smile, the man responded immediately.

"Because no matter what Arceus throws at her, she always makes it out on top. Even if none of us ever wanted it, she has a pretty impressive track record, more than proving herself on multiple occasions, even when her life is on the line, she presses through like an engine with its brakes severed. As much as I truly do worry for her and wish to coddle and protect her from everything, a part of me must admit that she likely doesn't need it. I don't think anything can stop her, especially when she is acting in the best interests of others."

"Dawny always was the type to speak her mind and stand up for others. She always fights her hardest for the things she believes in and cares about." She said, a pained laugh leaving her as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"Okay, let's go meet up with the others. The sooner we get this meeting over with, the sooner I-, we will be reunited with Dawn, right?"

Ingo carefully laid the comforter back out, smoothing it over before standing and clutching his hat.

"Correct. Emmet and Ash should have already found the others by now, this was not my first stop admittedly. It most likely should have been, but for some reason or another, I thought I might find you at the beach instead. Come, let us move with speed, not haste, to Commander Kamado's office. I'm sure the others are all waiting for us."

"Sure. But just so we're clear, I am planning to have words with this Kamado as soon as our business is through."

Ingo chuckled, leading the way over to the drop off and slipping easily into his shoes before pulling the door open and gesturing for her to go through it first.

"I see. Would it do anything to change your mind if I told you that his acceptance toward all of us is hesitant at best, and Emmet has already put further strains on it by physically tackling the man, punching him repeatedly in the face, and giving him a swift and harsh knee to the gut?"

Johanna only chuckled back, smiling with all the intimidation of a mama Ursaring.

"I would like to say no, but I suppose I can settle for just having plain words with the man if your brother already put him through the wringer. It's good to know she has such a devoted uncle and father looking out for her. Even to the point of beating her mother to the punch, literally!"

"Yes, well, I'm sure the all encompassing fury is even more intense to have actually birthed and raised the girl, then to hear about what happened to her. If you are able to refrain from doing Kamado physical harm, then you are far stronger emotionally than Emmet. If it would cheer you up, you may tell him I said that."

The woman chuckled into a closed hand, following the man into the tallest building in the village.

"Oh, don't say that. You and your brother are just wired a bit different than most. There's nothing wrong with owning your emotions."

"Yes, but when those emotions only cause trouble for others, including you yourself, it would be best to either hold them in or express them in a healthier way. Not act out physically in a fit or rage like a child."

"Oh? That's surprising, I thought you and your brother adored each other. I didn't think I would ever hear one of you say anything illl of the other."

As they began climbing the stairs, Ingo hummed.

"Oh, we do. Certainly, Emmet is the most important thing in my life. I have always put him first, for as long as I can remember. Likewise, Emmet has always done his best for me as well, in his own ways. But that does not mean he never acts like a brat, and that also does not exempt me from calling him out for such behavior. I have mostly just given up on getting upset about such things and instead focus on preventing said actions from being repeated wherever possible."

Johanna burst into full on laughter before Ingo even finished speaking. Despite his lack of expression in his face, his voice was definitely expressive. His tone betraying easily just how tired and irritated he got with his younger twin sometimes while recalling the memories. Yet, beneath it all, there was an underlying and undeniably deep fondness.

"Well, lightning never strikes twice, right? I'm sure even your brother wouldn't risk jeopardizing all of our safety just to get some payback. At least, not again , you two are both smart about your own things and you seem to trust each other a and respect each other a lot. If you told him how dangerous it was to do something, then he would respect your word, wouldn't he?"

Ingo gave a light chuckle, smiling softy as he begans climbing the final set of stairs.

"Truthfully? It depends on if he could find a loophole or not to exploit. But for the most part, yes."

"Then you just need to have faith in your brother, believe in him as he believes in you."

"Yes, you are right. I'm sure Emmet understands the gravity of the predicament we find ourselves in, and he wouldn't do anything that would put me or our passengers in any further danger. He has never taken on any foes that he was not confident he could beat before, so surely Emmet wouldn't do so no-EMMET! WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

The second silver eyes locked on the battered yet smiling face of his twin, Ingo practically flew up the remaining steps. Hands flying to lift his brother's face and tilt his head in different angles to better see the bruises and bloody bits.

"Hello Ingo! Look! Look! Now my coat is just as torn up as yours was when you returned! Now yours has a match again!"

The younger began twirling his coat around, lifting it like a woman would lift hir skirt to perform a curtsy. Only for Ingo to slap his hands down and begin frantically tugging the cost off of him. 

"LOOK AT YOU! YOU ARE COCERED IN BRUISES AND BLOOD! Good lord Emmet, what in the name of Arceus did you do ?! I sent you and Ash to find the young Misses Zoey and May, how could you have possibly sustained this much damage in the short time I was not at your side?! Oh goodness, Ash and the others, are they alright??"

Spinning around, Ingo found Ash raising his hands placatingly, small cuts adorning his fingers and arms, but otherwise unharmed.

"We're, fine. Your brother was the one on the front lines, Pikachu and I only jumped in to help him when things got serious. And May and Zoey only sent their Blaziken and Glameow in to stop us all from fighting."

Ingo nodded twice, far too quickly to have been him simply accepting the passed along knowledge and was more than likely just nodding as a means of burning off energy from his adrenaline spike at seeing his brother so banged up.

"And how did this happen exactly?"

"Oh! Well you see brother! It is a rather funny story actually."

"No, not you. I would like to hear it from Ash. What did Emmet do this time?"

The man in white seemed to deflate a bit, making a tsk sound as his smile tensed. Ash himself seemed a bit uncomfortable as well, glancing between the two men as well as Dawn's mother, hand scratching the back of his head as he finally spoke up.

"Uhh, well, you see, we were looking for May and Zoey like you said and we ended up at this place called the Wallflower or something, and the girls were having a hard time getting the guy there to give them food, and we tried talking to him to get him to give them food, and us too, because Pikachu and I are starving . But the guy said he doesnt serve anyone who doesnt work for the Galaxy Team or something and we tried to get him to ease up on that rule, but he said none of our money was worth anything to him anyway and then he threatened us and told us to leave or else he would get rid of us, and one thing led to another from there. He told us that he was Kamado's right hand and that it was his job to do the dirty work to protect Kamado and the village and he said his name was Beni or something and then your brother looked furious and dove at him and they ended up fighting and Beni had a kinfe or something and I ended up sending Pikachu in to batle his Gallade that he tossed out to attack your brother. I tried to pull them apart but it didnt work. The girls tried to help too, but then your brother threw out an Eelektross and it didnt seem like anything was gonna stop them until one of them dropped, but then this guy in blue showed up and that Beni guy backed down and your brother got the upper hand and the blue guy helped me pull him off of Beni eventually. Then he brought us here."

"The Wallflower?? Beni? No. Emmet. You didn't. You physically attacked Beni as well?! Even after I told you no more punching, or kicking, or kneeing, or tackling?! The man is a ninja Emmet! Akari told us that. And you still decided to throw yourself at him?!"

"He is an old man Ingo. Ninja or not, I felt I could handle him. And look! I did! See? I am still standing, nothing broken and no limbs severed. My cab is in perfect working order, minimal maintenance required. Besides, you said no more doing those things to Kamado . You said nothing of Beni."

Ingo sighed, rubbing his hands down his face for a moment, before thundering down the rails toward his brother, hands landing on his brother's shoulders and squeezing harshly until he saw Emmet wince.

"Ingo? Y-you are squeezing a tad tight there brother, are you alright?"

"Am I alright? Look at you ! Why do you insist on this crusade of vengeance? We have been through this! Your pain is mine, just as much as mine is yours, if not more. I do not like seeing you hurt. But even more than that, I do not like you endangering this entire train and is passengers. Attacking anyone in the village is sure to earn the ire of all others in said village. That puts not only you but everyone else who came here with you , in danger."

"B-brother. Your grip."

Shakily reaching up a hand, Emmet tapped out a message on his brother's knuckles.

You're hurting me. Loosen up.

Immediately, Ingo released him, flinching back as if he'd been burned, only for Emmet to chase him and wrap him in a hug.

"I am Emmet, and I am sorry, I reallllly am. But I keep my word. Kamado and Beni. Those were the men who hurt my niece. And I said if given the chance, I would get justice for her, whether anyone asked me to or not. We protect all passengers who board our vessels. If anything happened here, I would make sure to protect everyone no matter what!"

"Emmet, I appreciate that you are only doing your best to look out for this three car train, and show your dedication to it. But I am afraid your reckless need for payback has put our current passengers in unnecessary additional danger. Such actions are not fit for a conductor. Therefore, I will be taking full and sole charge for the remainder of this journey. You are hereby demoted to motorman. You may drive this train, but only under my instruction and supervision."

" Ingo ."

A sharp nudge got Emmet to release him so he could raise a hand to tell the younger twin to stay silent. The black clad Conductor's other hand reaching up to squeeze the brim of his cap and pull it down to cover his eyes.

"Absolutely not, Emmet. Apologies, but the passengers safety comes first, and you failed to perform all relevant safety checks before disembarking from the station. Hisui is not a forgiving place. Akari and I have both told you this fact many a time. Yet you failed to take it into consideration before acting both with Kamado and now Beni as well. We will talk about this later. For now, Miss Zoey, would you kindly babysit my little brother and take him downstairs to see Nurse Pesselle? I trust you will not give him any leeway or allow him to get into any trouble."

The teen flinched, eyes widening in surprise.

"Uh, sure thing."

Ingo only nodded. 

"Great, as soon as he has been cleaned up, please come right back here. We will be in a meeting, so please enter quietly when you return."

" Ingo, surely you don't mean to put a teenager in charge of me. I am Emmet! I am perfectly capable of getting myself downstairs to see the nurse, but I do not need to see a nurse."

"Are you, Emmet? Because I do not feel as sure about that as you seem to be. We are in the past. Any cut, no matter how deep, is easily infected. And yes, I am assigning you a sitter while I am unable to watch you myself, because you have not proven trustworthy of being on your own. How do I know you will not go running back to harass Beni again? Or do something else to recklessly endanger your cab?"

This time, Emmet stomped his foot, not in a pouty child fashion, but more a means of releasing energy in a healthy way without hurting anyone, as well as calling attention to himself. Silver eyes narrowing as his smile slipped into a neutral line. Not quite a frown, but easily a far cry from the grin it usually held itself to. 

"Brother, that is not fair. You are being unfair. I do not like it. Please stop ."

"I do not think I am. Prove to me that you are worthy of entrusting passengers safety to you, and I will reinstate your position. Until then, I have a meeting to attend, so please go to your post, quietly ."

Emmet's face scrunched up, the man huffing and wringing his hands, teeth knashing together as he took in and let out breaths repeatedly.

" Big brother - I am fine . If you think I am bad, you should see what I did to Beni. He was in a far worse state than I am."

"You are NOT helping your case Emmet! Go!"

At the raised tone directed at him, Emmet flinched back, hands flying up momentarily to squeeze his ears as he cowered. Whinging pitifully before standing tall and screaming back as loud as he could, which still paled in comparison to his brother's sharp and clear voice.

"FINE! I am Emmet! I do not need your permission for anything! I can safely conduct myself through these lands! I am sure Akari will appreciate my deeds when I tell her upon returning to our home station. Until then, if you want to be mad at me, then I will be mad at you too! So do not speak to me or touch me or look at me again until I have given you permission!"

Storming off in a huff, Emmet's stomping feet sounded all the way down the stairs, Zoey quickly rushing off after him, Johanna watching in shock and concern the whole time, until things went quiet. Once silence filled the room, she moved over to face Kamado. 

"You are Kamado then? The one in charge here? The one who not only banished my daughter, but sent that Beni man after her life."

Kamado glanced at the woman curiously, an eyebrow raised as if to daring her to try something.

"I am."

"I don't know how you can sleep at night. Knowing what you did, what could have happened not only to my baby girl, but to every single soul in this entire village if your ninja had succeeded in taking her life. Even now, your decisions effect more than just you, the ones you force to carry out your plans, and those your plans are being enacted on. Did you just see what your decision did? It just got your ninja hurt, as well as these two fine young men. I hope this whole thing has taught you to be a more level headed leader, if not for the sake of you and your group, then at least for every man, woman, and child that calls your village home and trusts you to look out for them. I will warn you right here and now, I have not and never will forgive you for what you've done. But I will not slap you or ask any of my Pokémon to attack you while i am here, you can thank Mr. Ingo and his brother for that. I understand you were only doing what you thought was right in the moment, but if you ever do anything to hurt my baby again, no Pokémon that exists now or in the future will be able to stop me from getting to you, nor will they be able to fix what I do to you. I shudder to think what your own mother would think seeing you now and knowing the things you've done."

With that said, she gave him one final glare, before rushing after Zoey to help her with Emmet. If that man was really strong enough to bruise up Kamado like that, then that teen alone wouldn't be able to force him into anything.

Clearing his throat, Kamado addressed the room.

"Well then, with that familial squabble out of the way, shall we start our meeting now?"

May and Ash glanced at each other in concern, obviously unsure if they should begin without the others or not. Irida and Adaman doing the same.

"Yes. Let's. We have much to discuss." Said Ingo. Eyes hard and jaw set as he stared head on at Kamado.

The gruff man nodded in return.

"Very well. Please explain once more, your situation, what led you here and what you believe we need to do to aid you all in your quest to return to your own homes."

So while the elder twin launched into a lengthy discussion with Kamado and the clan leaders, being backed up by May and Ash where they could, Emmet found himself pouting as he sat on a stool letting Pesselle fuss over him. His arms crossed and eyes narrowed in anger. Hissing and growling when the woman stabbed over a particularly tender spot.

"If you're so mad about it, why did you come down here? I doubt we could have made you come here on our own." Said the fiery teen.

"Because Ingo told me to come here. I may be mad at him for being such an ungrateful jerk, but he is still my big brother that I trust and respect with my entire being. So if he tells me to do something, I do it."

Johanna hummed, padding over to rub the man's back in comfort, only for him to flinch away harshly and apologize airily as he did so. 

Ah, right, he and his brother both preferred to only be touched by each other or someone very close to them. Well then,if human touch wouldn't do it, perhaps a Pokémon would.

Fishing out her Glameow's rarely used ball, the woman quietly released the feline and pointed to the man's lap. The cat grinned lazily, giving a soft trill in response, before hopping up onto the man's legs, circling around and laying down to purr itself into a nap.

The brief surprise that flashed momentarily in the empty Grey eyes disappeared almost immediately, as he began to hug and pet the creature absent-mindedly, causing Johanna to smile warmly, she would definitely have to give that lazy little furball of hers some treats when they got home.

"I see, you and your brother really trust each other that much, huh? You must really love one another for that level of trust."

Emmet blinked in shock, as if he could not believe that his love and trust towards his brother were brought into question at all. 

"Of course. I am Emmet, Ingo's younger twin brother. He has looked out for me since I was born! Ingo always does what's best for me, even when another option is available that would be best for himself. We may share the same job and title, but I verrrry much look up to him and respect him. So if he gives an order, I take that order verrry seriously. Even if I am not happy about it."

Johanna hummed, taking note of how sad and tired the man looked. It seemed as if reminding him of his older brother's love and emotion to him had taken most of the anger and adrenaline right out of his sails and left him only feeling sluggish and filled with sorrow.

The mother couldn't help but feel like looking out for this younger man, call it her motherly instincts. So she motioned for Zoey, who had previously been leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, to come over to Emmet's side to speak to him while she met with Pesselle on the side to speak with her.

"How is he, nurse? Does it look like he needs to stay or can he go?"

"There is no need for titles, just Pesselle is fine, thank you. As for the man you brought in. I would say he is fine to leave, I worry for the deeper kunai wounds reopening if he pushes himself too hard though, and he seems to be the kind of person who will refuse to take it easy and will only throw himself back into the thick of things. So if you think you can convince him to lay in one of the empty beds and rest for a bit, then please feel free to try."

Johanna thanked the woman, nodding at her that she would do just that, and headed over to the swaying man. Leaning down to eye level, she spoke gently.

"The kind nurse said she believes it is best that you rest in one of those beds for a spell. Do you think you can make it over to one of them on your own? Or should I help you?"

"No."

"No you don't think you can? Or no you don't want me to help you?"

" No, I will not be resting my cab here. I am Emmet, I am fine . I am only here because Ingo wanted my wounds treated. They have been treated. Our next destination is back to the meeting."

Zoey scoffed, rolling her eyes at the man and drawing his own to hers.

"This is ridiculous. Just get in the bed. I doubt your brother would want you back there if you're better off here. You just got done telling us how much you respect his authority or whatever. Are you really going to make us go get him just so he can tell you to get in the bed himself ?"

Emmet scowled, waving an arm at his side in frustration as he worked out a response.

"I do not want to talk to him right now. We are still mad at each other."

"Yeah, well, I bet he'll be even madder if you don't get in that bed and make me go up there to interrupt his meeting and drag him down here."

Hissing angrily, the man jolted unsteady to his feet, swaying and glaring at a smirking Zoey the whole time.

"Look at that, barely on your feet, and you still deny needing to rest."

"I do not want to sleep in some foreign place. This place is old, and dirty, and unknown to me. I am already making concessions about having to stay here at all, but I will not sleep in an unguarded room surrounded by sick strangers."

"Then I'll stay and guard you. I'm sure once the meeting is over, May or Ash or your brother will come looking for us when they notice we haven't returned. Until then, you can get your body the rest it needs. Ms. Johanna will probably stay too, if you ask her nicely, you grouchy old man."

"I am not old. My hair has always been this color, and no offense, but coordinators aren't the strongest of trainers for guard duty. But even if they were, you have misunderstood my point. This room is big, and open, there are only thin wall dividers between me and everyone else. I am Emmet and I am not fond of the idea of putting myself in a vulnerable state when in a dangerous place surrounded by strangers and germs and diseases."

"Well then, you shouldn't have gotten yourself injured in the first place. Just get in the bed and act your age!"

"No!"

As the teen moved in to crowd him, Emmet swung, not aiming at her, but aiming to keep her at an arm's distance, shakily stepping back in a rush as he panted, eyes wildly panicked as they scanned the room for other threats and finding a shocked nurse and concerned mother.

"Mr. Emmet, please ,  just calm down and take a seat at the very least. If you would like, I'm sure Glameow would be more than happy to keep you company in the bed."

"NO! I will not sleep here ! I will not sleep somewhere foreign and dirty and scary ! Not without-! without…"

The man began heaving, glancing sharply to the side when he heard a clattering noise. His eyes met with a nervous nurse who had just released an intimidating looking Croagunk. Taking a step back, he pushed the two females behind himself. 

Even if he was worried about them grabbing him and forcing him into the bed, he was still in charge of their safety. Just as he began to reach for the nearest Pokéball on his hip, that being Galvantula's, he heard the woman shout something and felt each of his arms being restrained. Betrayed and horrified, he glanced at the two females and asked what they thought they were doing, that now was not the time when there was a threat right in front of them.

It was then he felt a sharp jab in his stomach, the last of his energy being sapped away with the shot, leaving him to collapse his entire weight on the 3 females who crowded and rushed him into a bed. All he could do was whine feebly in protest. 

"No. I don't want this. Stop. Stop it now. Please . I don't want it…*hah hah* I want.."

"To go home? Yeah, we know, we all do. Once you wake up, we're gonna need your help to do just that, so get some sleep so you can heal already."

"Zoey, please. What is it that you want? Glameow?"

Hearing its name, the cat gave a sharp cry and hopped up onto the bed, circling around before curling into the man's side, feeling his racing heart begin to slow as his eyes, filled with tears, began to droop shut. 

"I want…Ingo."

Johanna couldn't help but coo sympathetically at the man, reaching to remove his hat for him and place it on the bedside table. Once she was sure he was asleep, and the nurse ensured her that the Drain Punch hadn't done any additional damage and had only sapped the last of his energy, she instructed Zoey to remain with him while she went to fetch his brother.

By the time she arrived upstairs, she managed to catch the end of Ingo explaining something.

"I believe the man who has her is simply using her to control Arceus until he himself can figure out a way to do that. And the Red Chain that was fashioned into the Origin Ball seems like the key to doing just that, if you ask me. Therefore, I humbly request that I be given possession of the ball for the time being! If I have it, then there is no possibility of him getting it."

Irida tilted her head as she raised a brow at him.

"But, I don't get it Warden, why would you having it be any different than any of us having it."

"I cannot say."

"You mean you don't know? Or it is something… classified ." Asked Adaman.

"The 2nd one sir."

Adaman and Irida glanced at each other seriously before nodding.

"Okay then. Luckily for you, neither of us are using the ball. After Akari handed them off to us, we released them. You know how we feel about Pokéballs in general. But keeping our revered deities trapped in those things is just blasphemous. " Cried Irida, indignation dripping from her body language and verbal one.

Adaman chuckled, hand sliding into his pocket as he smiled widely.

"Yeah, they just aren't our style. We'll then, that's settled, the empty ball is yours Warden! Just don't go using it to try to catch Lord Dialga again." Came the cheery jest from Adaman.

"Or Lord Palkia." Came the serious reply from Irida.

Both were clan leaders, yet they were so different in the way they held themselves and spoke to others. Bowing with a grateful tiny smile, Ingo thanked the two, receiving hums and dismissive waves as if it were nothing.

"The only problem is, I don't have it on me right now. So you're going to have to pick it up when you all drop by to pick up your clan tunics."

"That is fine. I believe that settles that matter. Now we need only concern ourselves with gaining the favor of the gods to get us home."

"Yes." Agreed the pink leader. "That will be the difficult part. I believe they only took so quickly to Akari because she was brought here by Arceus by its own choosing, and she was able to conquer and catch them and quell the frenzies. I do not know if they will even accept to meet with you."

Ingo nodded, arms clasped behind his back as he stood at attention.

"That shouldn't be a problem, Lady Irida. Simply conduct me to them and I will handle the rest!"

"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure of that?" Asked the blue one.

"While I was aiding Akari when she was injured, I had plenty of time to ingratiate myself with all of her Pokémon, as did she with mine. I am sure once they see me, they will agree to at least hear me out. And once that has happened, I am even more sure that I will be able to convince them to give me their aid so that I may return to her side to save her."

The others all hemmed and hummed at his words, before nodding in agreement.

"Very well then Warden, Adaman and I will each take you to the best place to call to our lords and we will do what we can to help you convince them that you are worthy of their blessings."

Kamado agreed, but voiced his concerns all the same. "It sounds like a good plan, yet a long one. You will have to ask Captain Cyllene for the help of her Abra again if we want to get this done as quickly as possible. You expressed that time was of the essence for the girl, did you not?"

Raising his hand, Ingo shook his head. 

"There is no need for that. My Alakazam should be able to do the trick well enough once I teach it Teleport. Emmet and I are always well stocked on all the necessary items. If I do not have what I need, I am sure he does."

The man only nodded back.

"Well then! I guess that means our meeting is done! Let me know when you've done what you need to in order to prepare Warden, after that, I'll hitch a ride with you back to the Diamond settlement to get you guys settled in."

"And after that, the remaining members of your group can come and settle in with us Pearl folk for as long as you all remain here."

Suddenly, May spoke up, with a cough into her fist turning the leaders to her.

"So um, which one of you has the Ball exactly? Da-er, Akari told me that she chose one of you to help her, and ended up using the ball on the other one's legen-uh, Lord ."

"Ahem. Mr. Ingo, if this meeting is over, then may I request your aid in the infirmary? Your brother is quite the handful."

Spinning in surprise, everyone stared openly at the woman, Ingo himself blinking a few times before sighing and fixing his hat as he bowed to the others and rushed to her side.

As they left the group, they could hear Adaman and Irida explaining in further detail to May and Ash what exactly had happened with Akari's journey.

"So what did Emmet do this time? He'd better not have attacked Pesselle. She is a good woman, quite strong emotionally, but not a battler."

"She had to sedate him, he was freaking out and causing a scene. He was in danger of reopening his wounds and he refused to rest in the beds."

"Of course. Emmet hates hospitals. I should have thought that she might wish for him to remain there if he went to her. No wonder he did not want to pay her a visit. Very well, we will simply take Emmet back to my abode in the Highlands and allow him to rest there. Alakazam, if you please."

Tossing out the Pokémon in question, Ingo began fishing through his fanny pack like bags on his belt and found a ™ for Teleport, handing it off to the Psychic creature, Ingo continued on, trusting it to follow once it was done. 

"...He was crying for you, you know."

The man jumped, startling the stern look right off his face.

"...He what?"

"He kept complaining over and over about staying here. He said he was already making compromises, but there was one thing he wouldn't give on, one thing he had to have. And he kept whimpering about wanting something, until finally I got it out of him before he passed out. He said he wanted you ."

The man paused his walking entirely, hands raking down over his face as a shuddering sigh escaped him, guilt and concern dripping off of every syllable. 

"Oh, Emmet. My apologies for asking you and the young Miss Zoey to deal with that in my stead, Ms. Johanna. I suppose I was a touch too harsh with him earlier. But I truly saw no other way to get through to him that he was needlessly endangering everyone. We are both very big on safety, you know, so it was just so entirely shocking to me that he was being so reckless, that it shook me to my very core."

The woman only smiled, patting him on the back and feeling him flinch but not shy away from the touch. 

"It's okay, I don't mind. Both of you have done so much for my family, it's about time I return the favor and do something to help yours. All families fight sometimes, but they work through it. And you know, he wasn't even that upset about it. He seemed angry at first, and I'm sure he will still be a bit hurt and mad and keep up that front for a bit. But more than anything, I think he just felt scared and lonely. He was more sad than anything, I think he just wanted you at his side, but he was afraid you didn't want him at yours. That you didn't trust him anymore to be at your side and help you. Your brother is stronger than he looks. All three of us couldn't wrestle him into submission. It took a Drain Punch from a Croagunk to finally take him down. If he didn't respect you and trust you so much that he followed your orders to come here even if he didn't want to, then we never would have gotten him in that bed. Putting him on probation is fine, but go a little easier on him next time, okay? And make sure he knows how you feel about him when he wakes up."

Ingo nodded, scowl set as he swallowed thickly as he resumed walking but with a much more focused and concerned pace rather than the earlier tired and resigned gait. The man didn't seem to know what to say in response to the woman's words, so the two simply lapsed into a peaceful silence as they slid into the room and made it to the younger man's bedside. 

Ingo nodded at Zoey, murmuring his thanks and relieving the girl from her post, immediately taking up his brother's hand in both of his own as he stared unblinkingly at the man now covered in patches and gauze. Johanna placed a hand on Ingo's shoulder, pointing to the nurse and tilting her head in question before pointing to herself. The man blinked in confusion a few times, before understanding lit them up like a light bulb and he nodded back at her, giving a light bow of appreciation. 

The woman only smiled and gave him 2 quick pats before heading over to explain the situation to the woman. Meanwhile, Zoey glanced between the two curiously. Once Pesselle gave the okay to Johanna, she began collecting Emmet's things for him. His hat, coat and Pokéballs that had all been laid on the table beside him. 

This signaled to Ingo that it was time to go, whistling a quick high pitch to call his Alakazam back to his side, Ingo waiting patiently for the Pokémon to come hovering to his side, only for it to choose to teleport to his side instead. 

"Ah, I see you have gotten the hang of it then. Good, great work Alakazam. Do you think you have enough of a grasp on the controls to conduct this train with a group of passengers aboard it?"

The Pokémon gave an enthusiastic cry, receiving a nod in return.

"Bravo! Then we will go collect the others and set out for our next stop."

Ingo quickly pulled the sheets off of his brother, carefully stooping lower and lifting his younger twin as gingerly as he could against his chest, Emmet's head lolling to hit his brother's shoulder as his limbs dangled limply. Not even a few steps later, when Ingo was busy thanking Pesselle for all she had done for his twin, did Emmet lift an arm to clutch his brother's shirt and cling to him in his sleep, murmuring his brother's name upon hearing his own spoken in Ingo's voice.

Ingo hummed, leaning down to whisper comfortingly to the other man, watching his face to make sure he stayed asleep, before he padded out of the room.

"Ms. Johanna, if you would be so kind as to fetch the others from Kamado's office. I would go myself, but I am encumbered at the moment and do not wish to risk jostling my cargo too much, lest he wake up."

"Of course, Zoey, you stay with them, I'll be right back."

As the woman trudged up the long flight of stairs, the teen simply continued to stare openly at the two men. A question in her eyes just waiting to be prompted so she could release it. So, Ingo acquiesced.

"Yes Ms. Zoey? Is there something you need? You appear as though you would like to say something. If you have a question, just ask it."

"Don't you think it's a little strange how close you two are? I mean, I get it, you're twins. But you guys are pretty old to still be this close, aren't you? Most twins go their separate ways when they become adults and they drift apart. But here you are, holding and coddling your brother like you're still kids and he's having a nightmare. People might get the wrong idea, you know? If you keep whispering in his ear, and holding hands and all that."

Ingo hummed, shifting the man in his arms a bit to get a better hold, thumb reaching up to brush his cheek soothingly when the younger male gave a tiny grunt of protest.

"I have already drifted farther from Emmet than I would ever have cared to for one lifetime. We were separated with no chance of reconnecting for years , Ms. Zoey. Emmet does not fare well with separation for long periods of time. We are separate people, but in many ways two sides of the same coin. We can operate independently, but we both function best as a two car train. We both love raising and battling with Pokémon and strong trainers, as well as our shared love for trains. It only makes sense to us to continue to live together and work together. That way we can always have each other's back and split everything. How the world chooses to judge our relationship based upon all that when viewing us is up to them. But I can assure you, Emmet and I are twins, we love each other dearly, but hold no interest in sex or romance, especially with one another. He is my baby brother. I would never do anything so vile to him. It is my very job as his older brother to look out for him, take care of him, guide him and protect him. I would sooner dispatch myself then allow myself to even think to lay a finger on him in any such depraved ways."

As he spoke, Ingo clutched his twin to his chest just a tad tighter, fingers digging into the man's arms and rousing another groan from him, this time managing to get a bleary glare from the man who immediately upon seeing the face that matched his own, widened his eyes in what looked like joy before they narrowed angrily and the wild thrashing began.

"Ah! Emmet! Please! Still your engines! I do not wish to drop you and see you anymore hurt than you already are!"

"Well it is too late for that! Stupid, mean, clueless, ungrateful older brother! Put me down! I am Emmet, I am an adult and I can take care of myself! I do not need you to carry me."

"Emmet, I understand that you are angry with me, but you are injured . You are supposed to be on bed rest. Thrashing around like this is not conducive to your healing."

"I don't care! I am Emmet and I told you not to touch me until I have given you permission!"

"But you clung to me when you heard my voice when I picked you up. You calmed down instantly when I ran a finger over your cheek."

"Unconsciousness is not consent, brother! Now let me down!"

Sighing, Ingo stooped down to lower Emmet to his feet gently, the second the white shoes clicked against the floor, the man was shakily rushing a few feet away, distancing himself from both humans before him as his eyes shifted distrustful between the two. A large and sinister smile showing off his teeth taking over his facial features, almost like a corned wild Pokémon daring someone to try to approach.

"Uh, hey, sorry we had to knock you out to get you in the bed, but the nurse was really worried about you. She really still wants you to rest for a bit, but good news is she agreed to let you go stay with your brother on Mount Coronet."

"I do not want to stay with my brother. He is mean and thinks I am an incapable child."

Silver eyes shifted an emotionless gaze over to the teen, voice coming out in a deadpan drawl as he responded to her, prompting Ingo to attempt to soothe his twin's ire.

" Emm -"

"No. You distrust me. Our years apart have left you even less likely to rely on me. Before, we functioned as a perfect two car train, working in tandem. You always took on the more dangerous jobs yourself, but you let me help where you felt it was safe. Now, you do even do that. You do not believe I am capable of fulfilling the role of conductor. I will prove you wrong. I will conduct myself and the others safely through these lands and back to their proper stations. Then you will acknowledge that I am not a child, that I am verrry capable of doing my job, and that I am worthy of standing by-...my title."

"Emmet, I am sorry I hurt your feelings, truly, but you were risking the lives of passengers for petty vengeance."

"Not petty, for you and my Niece, and a bit for myself."

"Emmet, I will not go into this with you again. I know you are aware that you were out of line, that is why you accepted the temporary demotion even though you did not like it."

"You are verry wrong about that big brother. I do not think I was in the wrong. An eye for an eye. And I did not accept your order for that reason."

"You did not? Truly? Then why did you accept it?"

"Ah ah ah, we are not getting into it, remember? Now then, what is our current destination set to?"

Ingo only scowled as his brother turned his own words back on him, watching as Zoey stepped forward to tell Emmet what the plan was as she understood it. That they were just waiting for Johanna to return with Ash and May. Emmet nodded, hands flying to his hips as his smile evened out to a more neutral grin.

"I see, then that means we will be leaving soon, so we should probably stock up on supplies before we disembark from the current station."

"Yes, that was the plan. But none of us have any currency from this Era on us. So Lady Irida and Lord Adaman have kindly offered to gift us whatever we may need."

Emmet swiftly spun a glare on his brother that looked seconds away from turning into a hiss if warning.

"Not talking to you. I believe I also told you not to speak to me or look at me without my permission."

Ingo sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head as he attempted to toe the line between appeasing his brother and keeping a tight leash.

"Come now Emmet, you cannot truly mean that. Of course I am going to look at you, it is my job to watch out for you and working with anyone requires communication to work. If I cannot speak to you, then how will I convey any necessary messages to you?"

"I am Emmet, you are Ingo, that is an Ingo problem, not an Emmet one. Therefore, I will say to you what I have heard my dear Niece jokingly say with some of the other teens on our battle lines, ahem. Don't care, didn't ask. Now, stop talking to me."

Spinning around, Emmet stared long and hard at the staircase, listening for the footsteps coming down them.

"Emmet, please stop being so difficult. I am only trying to do my best to ensure everyone safety."

"Ms. Zoey, did you hear anything? Perhaps it was just the wind, but I could have sworn I heard an annoyingly loud sound just now."

"Uhhhh…."

"Well now you are just being exceptionally childish. Do not rope Ms. Zoey into this Emmet."

"Good, then you see the difference now. If this behavior is childish, then my usual behavior is not childish."

"I said exceptionally, Emmet . If you would just talk to me and hear me out, then we could resolve this and go back to working as a two car train again."

"Not a real two car train, you do not treat me as an equal anymore. So I will prove to you that I am."

"Emmet-"

Just then, the group came stomping down the final set of stairs and Ingo forced himself to remember that now was not the time for this discussion. Dawn needed him far more than he and Emmet needed to work things out. They were brothers, twins, their bond was stronger than this. It would not be severed by a single squabble. So Ingo bit his lip, shook his head and placed a hand on Emmet's shoulder in an attempt to tap out a message to him, only for it to promptly get shaken off.

"We will continue this later. Until then, know that I do love you Emmet, more than you could ever know and I always will."

With his piece spoken, Ingo spun around to face the group, conducting them all out the doors of the Galaxy headquarters and moving along on the plan. A shame too, because if he had waited just a second longer, he would have caught Emmet's wide eyes gazing up at him in shock and hope. 

"So you in the Diamond clan worship Dialga then? Interesting. And the Pearl worship Palkia. That makes sense." Said May.

"That's pretty cool! Y'know, I've met both Palkia and Dialga before! I mean, not yet, but in the future I have!"

May turned a furious look to Ash, as if warning him to stop talking while he had the chance. Meanwhile, Adaman only gave an unsure grin, attempting to understand this odd boy.

"Uh, you mean you dream of meeting them and hope to make it come true sometime in the future?" 

"No no, it's not a dream for the future, I really have met them, on more than one occasion even! Just not these versions of them. Or maybe it is the same version of them? Man, this time stuff is confusing ."

"ASH!"

Rushing over to the dark haired teen, May slugged him over the back of the head, earning a whine of "Ow! May! Whadya do that for?" The girl was quick to pull Ash down the last few steps and away from the Clan leaders in order to lecture him in a hushed yet intense tone. Leaving Adaman chuckling and Irida looking concerned.

"Well, my guess is they're related, what do you say Irida?"

"They bicker like a couple, and she keeps him on a tight leash and admonishes him when he steps out of line. If he were not so immature for her, I would assume they were courting each other. But because of his childish nature, I would be forced to side with you for once and say family. More specifically, they act like a mother and son. May seems quite used to dealing with this, I wonder if she has a younger brother back home waiting for her."

Adaman rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms above his head, before crossing them across his chest with a large grin.

"Well, if she does, then we shouldn't keep her away from him any longer than we have to, huh? We're ready when you are Warden Ingo, if you think your Alakazam can take all of us, then let's hop to it, times awasting!"

Clearing his throat, Ingo straightened his cap and took his familiar stance, one hand pointing down while the other pointed forward. 

"Very well, are you all prepared to board this vessel? Do you have all your belongings? Please make sure to stick together in order to assure we do not lose any passengers. If that is all settled…Emmet, do you have anything to add."

The man glanced back at his brother, drawing all eyes from himself to his younger twin, only for Emmet to make a "Hmp!" sound and turn away from him, leaving Ingo to sigh, shaking his head as he took up his brother's lines for him.

"Ahem, everyone, please remember to follow all the rules, we only practice safe driving here, everyone remember to smile! We are following a schedule. Remember to perform your safety checks! Everything appears to be in order. ALL ABOOOOARD! Alakazam, Teleport us all to the Diamond Settlement if you wouldn't mind, please."

The Pokémon gave a cry of agreement, all the humans clustering around so as not to get left behind. Emmet sent a slight glare his brother's way for messing with the delivery of his lines, he even said one out order for crying out loud! You are supposed to announce the following of the schedule before instructing the passengers to smile! Stupid Ingo. He knows that Ingo knows his lines by heart, just as Emmet does with Ingo's. 

Perhaps it was a jab at him for not saying his piece as he should have. But Emmet had been demoted to motorman, so it was technically now Ingo, and only Ingo, who was in charge of such announcements. Serves him right, if he wants to take all the responsibility, then he has to stop looking to Emmet and trying to uselessly rope him back in. Emmet did not need his pity. Just because Ingo felt guilty now, didn't mean he viewed him as an equal. 

Emmet would accept nothing less than a victory born from a serious battle. Once he had thoroughly proved to Ingo just how trustworthy and capable he was, then he would alleviate half the load from his brother's back. Until then, Ingo would just have to deal with the consequences of his decisions. 

As the world blurred around them, Emmet wondered why things had played out the way they did, and if there had been a way to avoid this quarrel entirely, or if it had simply been an unavoidable altercation that was a long time coming. As angry and hurt and petty as he felt, a small part of his heart cried at the way he was treating his big brother. 

Telling him to run to him, apologize for being bratty, tell him he was right, to cling to him and tap out apology after apology and never let him go. They had been separated for years before, and he didn't want it to ever happen again. Heck, he still had yet to allow Ingo to push their beds apart back at their house. All because he was worried that if he were out of arm's reach, he would lose him again, possibly for good. 

The last thing he wanted was for Ingo to be taken from him again and have Ingo's last memory of him be of Emmet being mean to him and calling him names….He hoped that he could prove himself soon, so that Ingo would truly value him and lean on him. He hoped they could make up and form an even stronger bond. 

He hoped that he and Ingo would come out of this stronger than ever, both together and alone, so that they could truly protect Dawn from anything. But more than anything, he hoped Dawn was alright…