#dad!ingo

“Hmmm…” Rei sat with his sister in Laventon’s office as he hummed to himself. They had told him about Kleavor, and he had been deep in thought ever since. They had taken out their pokedexes to work on them, Rei drawing in the margins of his dex and Akari filling out the words of hers, as she insisted that he was the better artist of the two. He was currently doodling the little Budew that sat on the table in front of him, drawing a diagram of how its top buds opened and closed on command. The lone Rowlet also observed them closely, occasionally turning its small head one way or another as they sat in silence. It had even begun to drift off, a small bubble forming in its nostril as it breathed, its wings tucked into itself. 

“EUREKA!” Rei and Akari jumped in their chairs so hard, they smacked their knees together painfully. Budew screamed, letting off a Razor Leaf on accident, giving Rei some painful cuts. Rowlet let out terrified “HOO?” as it fell backwards on the branch and flailed, its feet snagged on the wood but unable to right itself. Akari hopped up and grabbed the poor thing, helping it down and placing it back into the tree. Its feathers were a bit unruly now as it blinked and glanced around wildly.

“We’ll simply have to throw the food!” Laventon shouted. Rowlet shot him a dirty glance at the ludicrousy of that statement. Rei rubbed his arm where small bubbles of blood were welling up from the sharp leaves. Budew sat down, tears in its eyes, as it looked at him apologetically. He rubbed its little buds. It was an accident. “You’ve quite the arm for throwing things, haven’t you both? Might I suggest taking Kleavor’s favorite foods and throwing them at him?”

“How would that help?” Akari asked from her spot by Rowlet. In an attempt to placate the upset bird, she had snagged a couple berries from its food dish and offered one to it. It had accepted the bribe. For now.

“By taking the foods Kleavor loves and wrapping them up into little balls, we can achieve the same calming affect - but from afar! A genius idea, if I do say so myself. We could call them Teatime Balls!”

“Why not Laventon Balls? You came up with the idea.” Rowlet had settled on Akari’s arm now and she brought it over to the table. It continued to munch on a Persim as she stroked its feathers. 

“I worry that’d make it sound like I was the projectile being thrown…” Laventon trailed off. “In any case, we can trust that the Pearl Clan will gather the necessary foodstuffs, yes?” The twins both nodded. “Then you should head back to the Grandtree Arena to let them know our plan! It would be best to set off from the Heights Camp- oh, Rei, my dear boy, wherever did those scratches come from?” 

—

The twins crested the ridge that separated the Heights Camp from the rest of the Fieldlands. Rei was surprised to find some people waiting there for them. 

“Wyeeeer!” 

“Rei! Akari!” Adaman smirked at them from his position beside the Noble. Mai stood just a couple paces away from him. The twins scampered over to see what he needed. “I’ve been telling Wyrdeer all about what you two have been doing for Kleavor, like how you’ve been traveling all across the fieldlands to help him. All for someone not even from the Pearl Clan or our clan.” He grinned at the majestic white deer pokemon. “And you can see how he responded!”

“I trust you appreciate it,” Mai added. 

“He’s found you worthy, you see. You’ll need a flute like we have. Mai, mind demonstrating?” 

Mai nodded. She brought a silver instrument to her lips and played a series of seven notes. The musical tones reverberated around the clearing, loud and crisp. Wyrdeer huffed loudly in response to the notes she played, tossing his massive head.

“That’s a Celestica Flute,” Adaman explained, “an instrument that can be used to call upon pokemon like the mighty Wyrdeer. It is said that the flutes are gifts from almighty Sinnoh itself… and now, we’d like you both to have these. Do not lose them,” he added with a sly grin. At their bewildered looks, he shrugged. “It’s not that grand a gesture, really. I can’t play the flute for the life of me.Try to replicate that melody.” 

Akari met eyes with Rei. He played the tune first, the lilting timbre of the flute eerie and somehow, it seemed that the notes could be heard all around Hisui. Akari played them next, each sounding exactly the same as the one Mai played. Wyrdeer huffed and strode forward. They both lowered their flutes in confusion as he bowed his head and shook his horns, allowing something to fall from his mighty beard. A small brick-like object fell directly into Rei’s hand. It was a deep fuschia. He had no idea what it was. 

“I- uh… Thank you, Lord Wyrdeer.” It was probably best to be polite. 

“Use that flute wisely and gallop across the land with the great Wyrdeer!” Adaman announced proudly. Wyrdeer tossed his head and huffed again. 

“We can ride him?” Akari asked incredulously. 

“He deemed you worthy of it,” Mai clarified. “He will allow you to ride his back.” 

Akari grinned at her brother. “I call the front.” 

—----

Wyrdeer thundered down the path, its hooves tossing aside leaves and smashing through twigs and tearing up clumps of mud and grass as it wove its way up the hillside to the arena. It was all poor Rei could do to hold on and try his absolute best not to be thrown off the back of the massive beast. He bounced up and down uselessly, holding on to the saddle for dear life. The trees passed by in a blur, along with smaller pokemon on the ground. The Lord was careful never to run any of them over, resorting to leaping over any pokemon in his path. 

Just as suddenly as they started, Wyrdeer skidded to a halt. Rei had to wait for the world to stop spinning before sliding off the pokemon’s back, his legs wobbling. He waddled his way over to Lian as Wyrdeer’s footsteps pounded away behind them. “...throwing them at him,” Akari was saying. 

“You want us to ball up his favorite foods so we can THROW them at him? That’s quite an unorthodox approach…” Lian scratched his chin. “Though I must admit, you Galaxy folk are quite inventive. Let us not waste any time! Let us begin!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Lian! We still need to prepare!” Irida came up the path to join them all at the offering table. “I have his favorite Plump Beans, but I still worry about having someone outside the clan do this. They do not follow our customs and values…” She knitted her brows, taking on a fighting stance. “I must ensure you are worthy of the Lord. Battle me! One of you! Battle me and let me test your worthiness! You may order about the pokemon in those silly balls, but I have with me a pokemon as close as a sister!” At her shout, a Glaceon tumbled down the path where she had been and let out a battle cry. 

Rei could feel his blood beginning to stir. Honestly, the more Irida complained about pokeballs and assumed that the relationship with his pokemon was strictly a boss-and-slave type of work, he grew more and more frustrated with her. He stepped forward. He tossed a ball in the air. If he had to show her that pokeballs weren’t shackles for his beloved partners, then he would show her the old-fashioned way. 

“Campfire.” His voice was calm. Too calm. “Quick Attack, Agile Style. Then Ember.” The little Cyndaquil hadn’t even hit the ground before it shot off like a rocket, careening into the side of the icy opponent. Glaceon tried to fire off a Swift, the stars readying themselves by its side, but they never even had the chance to be released. Campfire spit out a red-hot coal that buried itself into the ice-type’s fur, hitting it so hard, it careened into a bush and quivered as it fainted. A critical hit. Campfire huffed as it turned back to Rei. 

Rei blinked. He needed to calm himself. It really wasn’t that serious. He took a breath and knelt down to pet the excited little pokemon. “Good job, buddy! You did so well-” He stopped as a glow enveloped the tiny blue ‘mon. He gasped, backing up to allow it space. An ethereal, primal power emanated from Campfire’s body, swirling in a blinding flurry of activity until it just as suddenly exploded out, rushing past all the humans. And there stood Campfire, a freshly-made Quilava. “C-Campfire! You evolved!” Campfire took inventory of itself, looking at its much more elongated body. Its eyes were much wider than they had been prior to evolution, the irises a vibrant red. Fire now came from a mohawk on its head, as well as in a ring around its behind. It blinked a few times. 

“Qui…?” 

“Campfire evolved?!” Akari rushed forward, standing with her hands on her knees as she watched the fire starter. It ran towards its trainer as Rei squealed and hugged it close. “Now you and Riptide match! Look at you both!” Akari released her own starter, the blue fur of the water pokemon almost matching the fire-type. They investigated each other. Quilava sniffed at Dewott. Dewott showed it its two shells on its hips. Quilava burst into flame and tried to stand on its hind legs. 

Rei patted his starter’s head again as he stood, recalling the pokemon. They would have a proper celebration later. Akari recalled hers as well, clipping the ball safely to her belt. 

“I see now…” Irida murmured. “The balls are simply tools of choice, not products of disregard for your pokemon…” She looked up at the two. “You still treat the pokemon you catch as partners. I feel better putting some trust in you now. Allow me to heal our pokemon’s wounds. As I do, tell me the Galaxy Team’s plan.” 

Akari explained what Laventon had devised as Irida healed up Rei’s pokemon with poultices and berry mashes. She nodded along to the explanation. “So you have developed balms to throw at Kleavor to calm him, I see…” She stood up after everyone was revived, including her Glaceon, which now was curiously sniffing at Campfire. Her eyes were lit with a rejuvenated fire. “Very well. If it is to help Kleavor, we will make these balms with our very hearts and souls!” 

—------------

Emmet put away the last of the groceries and sighed to himself. He grabbed all the cloth bags used for grocery runs and placed them on their hook by the door so as not to be forgotten. Ever since he'd come home, he'd heard not a peep from his brother. He was half-convinced Ingo wasn't even aware he'd come home. 

To say he was worried was an understatement. 

Emmet peeked into the bedroom. There sat Ingo, books piled up around him as he combed them meticulously. A page flipped.  Ingo’s thinning hairline seemed to be thinning faster than Emmet's in the last month from the amount of times Ingo ran his hand through his hair, as though the goal was to rip it right off. Emmet could hear a foot tapping away. 

He hesitated before leaving. He should pull Ingo away from his studies, but to be honest… He wanted a minute to himself. Granted, he got many of those lately, but just a minute he needed to not argue with the brick wall that was sitting in his desk. 

He flopped onto the couch with a deep sigh. His arms rested at his sides as be stared at the ceiling. His mind could not seem to slow down. More often than not, he was throwing out food as of late, because he could not eat the food for two he bought. Someone needed to be working to pay their bills and quite honestly, it was exhausting for him to bring Ingo to work because he practically had to babysit him. Ingo would space out on the tracks and was not able to battle properly. 

Emmet ran a hand over his face. He knew, he knew, it was not fair for him to be so harsh on his brother. He'd been in that place before. Even thinking about it sent a wave of guilt over him, for the millionth time. But it was so damn exhausting. Having to be the sane one was usually not his forte. 

“Drill?” Emmet peeked through his fingers. Ingo's Excadrill stood in the doorway. It's drill hands were threaded into each other as it glanced up at him awkwardly. 

“I'm alright, Excadrill.” Emmet sat up straighter. “What do you need?” The pokemon gestured to him and pointed down the hall. Emmet stood and followed the ground pokemon as it led him away from the couch. 

He was dimly surprised to come to a stop in front of the spare bedroom. “In here?” 

“Excaaaa.” The mole nodded at him and stood back to let him into the room. What could be in here? Ingo was in the room back where they had come. Emmet opened the door and flicked on the light. 

On the bed, in a makeshift nest of blankets, laid his beloved Butternut. All her legs were curled underneath her, her pedipalps tucked against her chin as she investigated the scene before her. Emmet smelled a thick scent of wet electricity. He sprinted to the bed, skidding down on his knees. His eyes were wide with excitement as he took in the objects of interest. 

Thirteen yellow orbs with blue speckling sat in a blanket. If one looked hard, some of them were beginning to shake imperceptibly. Emmet listened hard for the tell-tale scritch scritch scritch from the inside of the shell. Yes! They were there! 

The pair waited alone with bated breath, watching the eggs like Staraptor. One of them began wiggling more than the others, knocking aside other eggs as it rolled out of the blanket. It nearly fell to the floor, making Galvantula give a strained “VAN-”, but Emmet caught it with ease. 

He went to place it back as the shell cracked in his hand. A small blue foot stuck out of the shell. More scratching emerged from the egg as the occupant struggled around inside. Another leg erupted from a different spot. 

Finally, the legs retracted and a small head burst from the shell, shattering it to pieces. A soggy little spider was left in his palm, wobbling as it took in its surroundings. Galvantula clicked her mandibles, prompting Emmet to move the infant closer to her. She rubbed over it with her pedipalps, working on drying off the little creature. Emmet plucked a towel from the floor and rubbed it off the rest of the way, making its fur downy soft. Then he placed the baby onto its mother's back, where it burrowed its way down and settled in, blinking around with large blue eyes. 

They continued on with eleven other eggs. One would begin to hatch, it would fully emerge, Galvantula and/or Emmet would dry it off, and the little Joltik would be brought to sit upon her abdomen. 

Finally they were left with one egg left. Scratching noises were still coming from it, though Emmet had noted them growing weaker and weaker over time. He worried for the Joltik within. They waited for the last egg to hatch for several minutes. Emmet bit his lip. 

The scratching stopped. 

Emmet plucked the egg out immediately, standing and rubbing his socks against the carpet. Galvantula squealed in surprise and concern at him. He worked up some static for a moment and then laid the egg directly against the carpet, eliciting a loud shock. And then they waited again. 

A crack appeared in the shell. Emmet scurried back to the bed and propped up the egg again, murmuring, “Come on, little one. You can do it.” A little leg appeared, quickly followed by a second, a third, a fourth. They flailed around wildly, trying to get some purchase on something. Emmet set the egg down as the baby scuttled blindly into his chest, the shell shattering as it splatted to the blanket. It blinked up at him. He gasped. 

Its eyes were a bright purple instead of blue. Its fur, upon closer inspection, was a greener shade of yellow than the others. Emmet grinned and shouted in excitement, scooping the baby into his hands. A shiny! He'd never actually seen one before! 

Galvantula waved her frontmost limbs at him. He wiped the baby dry and went to set it on her back with its siblings as the door creaked open. 

“Emmet? What was that?” Ingo was peeking into the room, trying to find the source of the shout. 

Emmet gently took the baby, getting permission from Galvantula. He strode to his brother, the newly hatched infant in his palms. “After almost two full decades of breeding Joltik, we have had a truly special one hatch. Behold, a shiny!” He held the little one up to his brother’s face for him to see. The small spider could still hardly stand, it was so fresh. It blinked up at Ingo with large eyes. 

Ingo cocked his head as he examined it. “Ah! That is rather exciting.” Emmet could swear that a ghost of a smile danced on Ingo's features. 

“Indeed!” Emmet quickly returned the infant to its mother before shooing his brother and his lamp from the room - Chandelure had come in to see what was going on. She bobbed at Galvantula from a distance, likely offering congrats, but left quickly. Emmet shut off the light as he left her with her newest brood. Every pokemon in the house knew that a new clutch meant that Butternut would prefer to be alone for at least a week or so to bond with the babies and keep them safe. Only Emmet was allowed into the room to care for her and the babies. 

“I did not know that she had laid eggs,” Ingo confessed. His voice cracked from disuse. Emmet did not mention it. 

“She laid nearly six weeks ago. They were due to hatch any day now,” Emmet grinned. “I was beginning to get worried they might not come. Usually they hatch closer to five weeks.” 

Ingo hummed, but said nothing else. He followed Emmet around the house for a bit, deciding to dwell in the kitchen and grab a snack. “I didn’t see the food…”

“I just got home from the store an hour ago. I do not believe I forgot anything.” Emmet noticed Ingo staring longer than usual into the fridge. “Is something missing?” 

“What?” Ingo blinked and shook himself out of whatever he was thinking about. “Oh no, nothing like that. I… how long have I been in there?” 

“At seven hours, give or take,” Emmet admitted. “I tried to bring you out for a break, but I do not think you heard me.” 

Ingo said nothing as he closed the fridge. He instead watched what Emmet was doing - putting away dishes from his solitary breakfast that morning. He busied himself with wiping down counters and the stove, starting the dishwasher, tidying the silverware drawer… but Ingo was still staring. “What’s wrong?” Emmet asked finally. 

“Do you need help?” Ingo returned after a minute. 

“If you want to.” Emmet shrugged. “You could help in the living room. We haven’t dusted in ages.” 

Ingo nodded and grabbed the cleaning spray and a rag from under the sink and shuffled into the living room. Emmet had no idea what he was on about but if he was offering, Emmet would by no means turn him down. 

Emmet began the laundry, swept the kitchen, and even pulled out the vacuum before checking on his twin. The entire room was spotless, top to almost-bottom, as Ingo was finishing up the last shelf. His brother wordlessly grabbed the vacuum from Emmet and began to run it under the couch. Emmet stood and openly stared at Ingo as he did so, gears slowly turning in his head, but approaching no conclusion. 

After gallivanting around the Fieldlands for another week, earning two more stars in the Survey Corps ranks, and Akari finally being released from bedrest after a week and a half, there were over sixty pokemon in their pokedex. That wasn't half-bad! There were a lot more pages to fill, but at least they had a good start! 

Rei tramped up the stairs with his sister to their next assignment. They'd met a new Diamond Clan Warden just a few minutes before, and she seemed in a hurry. Of course, Rei expected they'd go clean up whatever mess she was experiencing. 

They came to Kamado’s office and stood at attention. Arezu was talking to Kamado. 

“Hmm… So it seems pokemon that aren't nobles can be frenzied,” Kamado muttered, stroking his mustache. “Thank you for coming forward with this, Warden. If it has truly come for Ursaluna, this has certain implications for how to proceed.”

Arezu twirled her hair in her hand. “Adaman has his hands full running the Clan and Ursaluna's Warden wouldn't even give me the time of day, so this is the only place I could go.” 

“Warden Calaba,” Kamado confirmed, “the most narrow-minded - ahem! - ‘bound by tradition,” he quickly amended. Rei met eyes with Akari. They distantly remembered the old woman. She’d been the one to force them to take their medicines and would make stern comments to their father. Rei had always gotten the feeling that she didn't like the other Warden. 

Kamado noticed them standing in the doorway. “Ah! Rei and Akari, I have a new mission for you.” He turned to face them, raising his voice slightly. “I order you to study Ursaluna in the Crimson Mirelands! I permit you to show your strength if necessary!” Both twins nodded as Kamado curtly jerked his chin at them in dismissal. 

As they made their way down the second flight of stairs, Akari whispered to Rei in Unovan, “That had to be the shortest meeting we've ever had with Kamado.” Rei snorted. 

They crossed into Cyllene's office. She glanced up at them as they entered. “The next area you will be sent to survey is the Crimson Mirelands,” she said curtly. “The pokemon will be more fearsome and the landscape itself will be less welcoming. At your current rank, you should be able to handle it by yourselves.” She shuffled some papers on her desk. “The destination is a spot called the Solaceon Ruins. This is where you will find Ursaluna's Warden. Find her and convince her to allow you to help, by whatever means necessary.” 

The twins nodded politely at her as she ordered an escort for them. Laventon caught up with them as they left the building, smiling jovially at them. “It's hard to believe you both have scarcely been here two weeks and you're already allowed into the Mirelands by yourselves! Lovely job, lads!” 

“Thanks, Professor,” Akari grinned. 

“Have you both been hearing about the strange new phenomenon happening around Hisui? The space-time distortions that have been popping up?” 

“Huh?” Rei knit his brow as they walked out of camp. “Like the one over Mount Coronet?” 

“Similar for sure,” Laventon said, glancing up at the rift. “However, these are smaller and temporary. The longest they've been recorded is half an hour. They're more contained and will pop up randomly around the region. And the pokemon inside! Things we've never seen before!” Laventon shook his head. “Quite frightening. But nothing you both can't handle I'm sure!” he added as he walked a pace ahead of them, leaving the two to look at each other in worry. 

Finally, the landscape turned a monotonous brownish gray. Mud coated the land as far as the eye could see. A large mountainous protrusion erupted from the land on the other side of a stream. The air was humid here, and rather warm. It was almost sticky just standing here on dry ground. Rei had a feeling he was going to miss showers even more than he already did. 

“Welcome to the Mirelands!” Laventon announced as they came up on the camp. “Here are lots of poison-types in abundance, and plenty of others! I do believe I heard the Solaceon Ruins are not far from here.” He looked toward the mountain nearby. “We'll keep an eye out for those space-time distortions as you survey the area. Best of luck to you both!” he called behind them as they scampered off. 

Rei had been hard at work training up his team. Now most of his team members fare well around most of the Fieldlands. He was worried about those poison types that Laventon had mentioned; Blitz had evolved into a Sylveon just the other day before his eyes. Rei would need to be careful what he sent him out against. 

The twins crossed over the bridge towards the mountainside that Laventon had pointed out. Along the way, Akari snagged a particularly nasty Carnivine. For some reason, it seemed insanely angry at nothing, like the Paras. Was it just a grass-type thing? It couldn't be, the Budew he'd seen at the Golden Lowlands were so docile and cute. 

A tunnel was carved into the mountainside, a semi-ornate doorway made of stone leading deep inside the landscape. A Guard member from Jubilife nodded at them as they entered. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light as they moved deeper and deeper inside the tunnel. 

Finally, the tunnel widened into a large room with torches in sconces along the walls. Their footsteps echoed against the cold stone walls. In the middle of the room stood two short figures, a human and a pokemon. They both turned to the twins at the sight of them. The human - an elderly woman - was very short, with a Sootfoot root over her head as a makeshift umbrella. Her pack sat heavy on her shoulders, seemingly pulling her down. Her back was slightly hunched. Her eyes were sunken, long wrinkles along her face. Her hair was gray and thin. Her Bibarel stood by her side, as he always had, seemingly before time began. Tiny Rei had imagined Arceus creating the world, and the first beings upon it were Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Calaba and this particular Bibarel.

Rei remembered once asking Calaba how old she was when he was little. She'd just frowned at him and reminded him that not every question is a good one to ask. 

“I'm Calaba of the Pearl Clan. Warden Calaba to you.” Her voice was exactly as Rei remembered. Raspy, stern, aged. But now, she did not have that glimmer of warmth he remembered, but instead, it was rather cold. Of course, there was no reason for her to be kind towards him, but it still stung for a woman he had considered a grandmother to be so icy towards him. He remembered her giving him a bandage on his scraped knee after falling from a tree once, and now they were complete strangers to her.

She blinked at them slowly. “Hm. You seem to have Celestica Flutes. You must be the ones who fell from the space-time rift.” Akari nodded beside him. Rei quickly nodded as well. Calaba rubbed her chin. “I see.” She looked back up at them, her hands dangling by her sides. “I've heard about you. You quelled Kleavor in his frenzy.” Akari again nodded, prompting Rei to follow, mumbling, “Yes, ma’am.”

Calaba glowered. “I'm sure people were saved by your actions, but I wonder if there wasn't a better way to handle the situation.” Her lips tightened into a frown. “What you did was hardly different than bullying a pokemon into submission. And then you run about catching them in those balls you carry…” Rei could tangibly feel her aloofness. “I don't need help from your sort. Or the Diamond Clan, either. That Arezu offered to help, but associating with the Diamond Clan… it just won't do.” She crossed her arms. “Be on your way. I must not be distracted anymore.” And with that, she turned away to study something on the wall. 

Rei looked at his sister and saw the hint of melancholy he felt reflected in her eyes. The urge to say something, anything, bubbled up in him, to try to remind this woman of the two toddlers she'd watched grow… but it was fruitless. Even more, it was foolish. She’d probably just tell them they were crazy or dislike them even more for ‘lying’ to her. Especially considering that he also dimly remembered her funeral. How his father had mourned the woman in death.

“Hello, you two! Mind showing me the strength that quelled the frenzied lord?” The twins looked up to see the Ginkgo Guild member from before. Volo. 

“Sure.” Akari responded flatly, pulling out a ball as she prepared. Rei could tell exactly what she was doing. Avoiding the feelings at all costs. 

Volo grinned as he readied himself on the other side of the room. Rei couldn't find himself invested in the battle. His mind kept wandering back to his earliest memories of himself with his father and sister and the Pearl Clan. Who else would act so cold towards him? How much would he have to pretend? He hadn't expected that it would affect him so much that people didn't recognize him. Or that he, in his mind, was in the room with a ghost. Zisu was one thing because he didn't have a relationship with her at all but Irida? Calaba, who he remembered being dead? Dad? Oh Arceus, what would happen when they eventually met Dad here? Or Sneasler? 

A tap on his shoulder made him jump. “Rei, come on. We have a side quest.” 

“What?” Rei stood up and brushed off his pants as he followed his sister and Volo. 

“Volo said that there's a piece of a wall engraving missing and that it could make Miss Calaba listen to us,” Akari told him in Unovan, not even trying to hide it from Volo.

Rei followed them as they crossed the bridge again. “I don't see why not-” 

A massive boom reverberated across the land, like an earthquake. It nearly knocked Rei off his feet as he slammed his hands over his ears, searching wildly for the source of the noise. Akari and Volo were doing much of the same. 

On the other side of the Lowlands, Rei noticed a bubble of iridescence blotting out the sun, lightning crackling inside the bubble. Rei looked to his sister. Her eyes were bright and wide, watching the bubble in pure excitement. 

“I think that's a space-time distortion,” Rei said quickly in Unovan. 

Akari nodded. She turned to Volo, “We'll be back in an hour. We need to check what this is about.” Before he could even respond, the twins had already called for Wyrdeer and took off running. 

—-----------

“Ready to head back, brother?” Emmet tapped on Ingo's desk with a gloved hand. “It is now 7:28.” 

“Ah! Yes, allow me to gather my things.” Ingo stood, grabbing his laptop, keys, water bottle, and lunch box and shoving them into his day bag. Emmet stood by the door, his matching bag over his shoulder, hand on the doorknob as he watched Ingo. His twin followed him soon after as he opened the door and stepped out into the main platform. They nodded to one of the night shift agents as they boarded a pedestrian line set for Anville Town. 

Emmet was quiet for awhile as they rode their train to their stop. Not many people were aboard, just a handful of passengers that also seemed to be on their way home from work. An older woman sat at a chair with a book in hand. A man stood with his phone out and a bookbag on his shoulder. Two teen girls, likely on their pokemon journey, giggled as they watched something on a Xtrans. 

It wasn't long before the train slid to a stop and announced their exit. The twins left the train and stepped onto the platform. They climbed the short set of stairs and exited out of the station into the evening air. Fall was approaching rapidly, as seen by the Deerling down and Sawsbuck antlers that dotted the forests nearby. A chill was in the air. Emmet and Ingo walked in-step as they made their way out of the town and towards the outskirts. Towards home. 

“Oh, yes, Emmet, there was something you told me about earlier? That Drayden told you?” Ingo's voice broke the blanket of silence over them, breaking Emmet from his thoughts. 

“Ah, yes. He said there was someone who wanted to speak with us.” 

“I thought you mentioned a Trainer?” Ingo swung his head over to look at him with a raised brow. 

“That was, in fact, something else he mentioned earlier, but there was also someone who wanted to contact us. I told him we could around eight o'clock.” 

“Who is it?” Ingo turned to watch the path again. Their street was coming up. 

“I'm not entirely sure,” Emmet admitted. “Just that she is from Sinnoh and is quite keen on speaking to us as soon as possible.” 

“Sinnoh?” Ingo's frown deepened. “Is it about the children?” 

“I believe it may be.” Their house was not far off now. 

“I do hope it isn't to talk about the heroes again,” Ingo sighed. “I don't know how many more times I can explain that it's not them.” 

“Only one way to find out.” Emmet threw the key into the lock and turned, walking into the home first. “I will talk with Uncle. Grab your laptop.”

The twins wound their way through the Heartwood to hopefully find this Warden that they'd been told about. Their teams were trained up decently and they were having a grand time trying to write about Buneary. 

“Lookit her!” Akari squealed. “She's so cute!” She ruffled the soft down of the little rabbit she'd caught. It flicked its ear at her in annoyance. Rei did have to admit it was adorable, even if it had a horrible attitude. 

“I got that Silcoon we saw. I'd say let's see what this Warden wants and how to study Kleavor.” Rei tossed a ball in the air and caught it idly as his sister caught up to him on the dirt path, shaking the water from her shoes. She'd fallen in the stream trying to scramble back from a suddenly-livid Psyduck. 

“Fine.” 

Rei rounded the corner, seeing some man-made structures come up in his field of vision. A gateway appeared down the path, with some stone bowls carved from a large boulder in the middle of the arch. And in front of this stood a boy wearing soft pink and a hat that Rei could only describe as a cowboy hat. He was maybe ten with red curly hair and a stern expression on his young face, still trimmed with baby fat. 

Rei stared at the hat. He'd seen it before-

“That's Clay's hat,” Akari whispered to him in Unovan. “Remember fighting his Excadrill? That's totally it. Look at the gem.” She was right. The same green jewel set in the hat, square and sparkling, surrounded by gold trim on white leather. 

“Didn't… didn't Clay say his family was from another region? That they immigrated to Unova?” Rei murmured back. 

Akari simply nodded. 

This was getting weird. First their mother, now Clay's… grandfather? Great-grandfather? More generations? And he was younger than them! 

“I'm Lian, Warden of the Lord of the Woods, Kleavor. You're here to see the mighty Kleavor, ain't ya?” the boy called to them in greeting. Even his voice sounded like a younger version of Clay's! The boy crossed his arms, a smug look on his face. “I can see it on ya. You heard about his awesome power and now he's only become even more powerfully awesome.” He smirked into the crook of his elbow as the twins stepped up to him, finally. “That bolt of lightning charged him… maybe it was almighty Sinnoh's doing? Either way, as much as it pains me, I must turn you away.” 

“But we need to!” Akari blurted out. Lian's eyes flicked to her. He grinned slyly. 

“I must commend your passion, but unfortunately it is not safe. I have been given order by Irida to not let anyone see him right now. So back out now, lest you face the wrath of my Goomy.” 

“I accept,” Akari said before Rei could even think. 

“Akari-” 

“Back up.” She shoved him back and cleared a small space for a battle. Lian sighed and whistled. A small pokemon appeared from behind the stone bowls, a purple blob of a creature. Rei hadn't actually seen a Goomy before but he decided he needed to find one because this thing was perfect. A dopey smile graced what could be called its ‘face’  it had two small eyes and a big grin and it slowly trailed along and Rei needed to get a Goomy right now. 

“Goomy, let's try to ooze some sense into these interlopers!” Goomy gave a cry of challenge and oozed its way to the battlefield. 

Akari picked a ball carefully and tossed it out. Riptide, newly evolved, gave a small cry of its own. It stanced itself up, preparing for a long battle… 

That did not last long. 

Riptide did not take very long to tear through the small Goomy. It was clear that although the boy cared deeply for his partner, it was not very well-trained. He sagged a bit as he conceded defeat. “I still can’t let you through,” he sighed. “It is too dangerous. No one can get through to my Lord- Irida?” 

The twins turned to see the girl behind them, watching with wide, sad blue eyes. “Lord Kleavor is descended from a pokemon blessed by almighty Sinnoh itself. I did not want to have to throw up our hands and ask for help from an outsider but… every moment that he remains like this, the danger grows. If he hurts more people and pokemon, it may cause problems with the Diamond Clan and the Galaxy Team.” She paused, knitting her brows. “I hear that it was that bolt of strange lightning that changed him. Perhaps it was sent by that faulty god the Diamond Clan worships…?” Rei had to restrain himself from pointing out how stupid that sounded. “Regardless, do you both have any ideas how to help him? We care greatly for Kleavor; he means a great deal to our Clan. We do not want him to be hurt.” 

Rei glanced at his sister, who shrugged. It was obvious that they may be on their own with this one. It was hard to say what was wrong with him what they hadn’t even seen him yet. “We’ll figure something out,” was all Rei said. 

“Excellent!” Irida cut between the two and approached Lian, who still stood proud, even if Rei could now see the cracks in his small facade. He was just a boy with a big job he couldn’t handle by himself - and it tore him up on the inside. Rei could see how his eyes darted around, how they desperately scanned Irida’s face for some semblance of good news. How his small hands shook. “Lian and I will gather some of Kleavor’s favorite foods in an attempt to get close enough to make a proper offering. As for you, try to find a way to quell his frenzy, even if you must traverse every corner of Hisui!” 

The twins took that as a dismissal and nodded, turning and striding away. Once out of earshot, Rei asked Akari in Unovan, “What are we even supposed to do? I still don’t know what all this is about.” 

Akari debated as they snuck around the alpha Bibarel, staying quiet until they had passed by safely and were heading up Deertrack Heights. “Let’s ask Laventon. He’s a scientist, right? Maybe he’d have a clue.” 

—----------------------

Emmet shivered as he pulled his coat a little tighter around him. Why was the office so cold? He glanced up over the pile of paperwork he had in front of him, checking the face of the clock on the wall. The little train-shaped hand had a smokestack that pointed to the number five. It was already almost 6:30? Emmet leaned back in his chair, sighing to himself as his back popped. How long had it been since he’d moved? Four hours? His gaze traveled the room as he sat motionless in the cold. 

The walls had several framed photos and posters. The posters were mainly older Gear Station signs and advertisements for past events they had done, like a battle bracket one year for challengers or a holiday or New Year’s event. Emmet’s favorite was the spooky one, personally. Ingo always liked the spring decorations, the small flowers and the pastel colors. The twins had been split on the battle bracket and, for Rei, the scavenger hunt to collect every sticker hidden away on the platforms. The prize for finding them all was an authentic conductor’s hat, though he’d never cared for that. He had plenty. 

There were several photos dotting the area around the two desks, as well. Photos of himself and his team, Ingo and his teams (from Hisui and Unova, as he hadn’t had the chance to release his Hisui team before returning), the twins as they grew up, both with and without their starters, Elesa with all four of them, even a family reunion photo with Drayden and Iris and their extended family on his side. Emmet’s favorite had to be the one he kept on his desk, from when the twins were younger. Ingo’s kids were maybe eight years old, staring intently into the water under Tubeline Bridge, watching for any sort of movement. That is, until Iris had sent her Lapras into the water to prank them, having it pop its head out and making the two scramble back onto the bank with a strangled yelp, landing in a very undignified way on the muddy land on their bottoms. The photo had been taken just as the twins were yelling, Lapras’s face in a soft smile as it ‘greeted’ them. Iris was already in stitches, doubled over in laughter. Even Drayden had chuckled, his eyes shut in merriment, leaving Emmet to laugh openly. Only Ingo hadn’t truly laughed, though his eyes had twinkled as he held it in and made sure they were alright. Other than some bruised pride, they had been perfectly fine. 

He looked at the goofy photo. Emmet had pulled out his camera as soon as he’d seen Iris sneakily send her pokemon into the water someway upstream. It had been taken just downstream, so he could get everyone’s faces from afar. The kids’ eyes were wide as they leapt back - the photo still had them in mid-air, their arms blurry from reeling backwards. Emmet felt that familiar grin creeping up his face as he studied the photo. It always made him smile. Lapras had offered itself to being petted as an apology afterwards, and had even ferried the kids around on its shell for a bit on the water. 

Emmet sighed. He put the photo back and stood up, stretching. A deep sense of melancholy settled itself into his ribcage, sitting more heavy than a stone. His face drooped. It was much harder to make memories like that when the person - or rather, people, in this case - were missing. 

He checked his phone. A message from Drayden checking in, that he hadn’t heard anything yet about the missing kids, but he’d keep searching, he would always keep searching. Iris hadn’t heard anything, either. 

Keep up your hopes, Emmet. They aren’t gone for good. You told me that the first time we went through this, and I know you know it now.

Emmet typed a response as he grabbed his stuff, his day bag now slung over his shoulder. He made sure to unceremoniously dump a bit of the paperwork on Ingo’s desk and to shove some of the more urgent items into his bag. You are correct. I know that. But I am not the one who needs convincing. 

A moment passed as Emmet grabbed his personal items and opened the door to the office. He shut off the lights as he did, making sure not to waste needless power. He made his way down the hallway, checking again for a message. To his surprise, there was one. Drayden usually did not answer this quickly. I’m sure. Perhaps me and Iris can stop by sometime. Try to break him out of the horrid spell I’m sure he’s still under. It’s been how long now? This was about the time you became despondent. 

He entered the control room. Two or three Agents milled about, checking in on the monitors and speaking in low tones. They looked up as Emmet entered and waved to him. “Everything steady?” Emmet asked them. 

“Sure is, Boss. Just passengers and us left for the night shift. Only engine Orange being ran for the overnight shift. All others are already in the warehouse being assessed and cleaned.” The olive-skinned woman pulled up a camera feed, making it larger on the biggest screen in the center. It showed several large engines being serviced by night crew.

“Perfect.” Emmet put a cup in the coffee maker by the door and pressed what flavor he wanted. Mostly black, just a bit of cream. “Need anything else from me? I know I disappeared today. Lots of paperwork to catch up on.” 

“I don’t think so, Boss.” A pale man with glasses swiveled in his chair to face him. “Have a good night. We’ll see ya back here tomorrow morning. Wish Boss Ingo our best.” The other Depot Agents nodded solemnly. Though it had never been formally announced that the kids were missing, they all certainly knew. It was taboo to talk about it in the station, but the Agents were always sure to leave kind regards and if Ingo didn’t come in for a few days, it was never mentioned. 

“You as well. All aboard,” Emmet responded, more out of habit than anything. He snagged his cup and placed a lid on top as he snuck out of the station. He checked his phone again, typing out a response to his uncle. If you want to see him acting more like a stale piece of bread than a human, consider yourself invited. It’s hard to get him to do anything these days. I’ve been holding down the Station more often than not. Even if he does go in, he just stares at the wall. I’ve never seen him so invested in a book in my entire life than the history books he reads. 

He waved to the Agent by the door as he swung open the glass doors to the station and swept out into the warm night. Emmet sighed in contentment as he clutched his coffee. The sky was that ethereal orange seen across Unova. Light pollution had its large claws sunk deep into the region, and unfortunately, no night was truly the inky black he remembered on his trip to Alola with Ingo all those years ago. Street lights threw that ugly yellow undertone to everything that they always did. Quite a few people were out tonight, though Emmet supposed that was normal for seven at night on a Thursday in the summer. He wondered if there were any events, musical or battle-oriented or otherwise, that were going on soon in Nimbasa. There was almost always something. He passed under the one that flickered as he walked, checking his device yet again. A certain someone else I can think of was much the same. We will come by this weekend. Don’t worry about making the house too clean, we’ve definitely seen worse. Emmet could almost hear his uncle’s soft chuckle that accompanied it. Is there anything we should bring as well? Food, pokemon treats, anything of that sort? 

I don’t think so, Emmet typed, walking under another street light. He could see the bus stop in the distance. A few others were already at the stop, waiting for the next bus to arrive. He stood just outside the covered bench, leaning on a lamp post as he typed. I need to do some grocery shopping soon, so let me know if you want anything specific to snack on. It’s mostly just me doing things in the house these days. The Joltik aren’t as rowdy, either. The next clutch hasn’t hatched just yet and most of last year’s have already relocated to Chargestone and the tunnels.

This will be your eighteenth clutch, correct? 

Emmet glanced up as he thought about when he had first started officially breeding them. It would have been toward the tail end of Ingo’s absence. Elesa had convinced him that he needed some hobby other than going to work all the time, and she had remembered him talking about getting into breeding when he was younger, so she had bought him a book about the basics of pokemon breeding. That must have been during the eighth year of Ingo’s disappearance, and if he’s having one clutch a year and its been about ten years since he reappeared-

“Subway Boss Emmet?” Emmet blinked himself from his thoughts and glanced around. The person who had spoken was an older woman sitting on the bench. No one else around paid them any mind, some with earbuds in, some engrossed in something on their Xtrans. 

“Hm?” Emmet hummed to the woman, alerting her that he’d heard what she’d said. He let his hand with the phone screen fall somewhat, turning his attention to her. 

The woman had very light hair, almost white, long and very wispy, held up in a dark hat. She also had a dark dress. It almost looked like she was dressed for a funeral. She smiled up at him, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening in the glow of the orange street lamp above them. “I heard about what happened recently. Things will become right again for you.” 

He blinked. Honestly, this left him at a loss for words. “I- uh. T-Thank you? Thank you.” He regained his composure. “It will take some time, but I know the tracks will be rideable once more.” 

She chuckled as she looked up. Emmet could see the bus in the distance. “It will indeed. My great-great niece would love you. She is very into history, you see, much like my nephew was… oh, what a strong-willed man, he was. Is! That never left him.” 

As she rambled, Emmet’s mind was reeling. Who was this woman? He didn’t think she’d ever seen him before. The fact that she recognized him by sight alone was nothing odd, he was something of a local celebrity, especially in uniform. He was about to ask what she meant when she glanced around again and shook her head. “It seems my stop is coming. I wish you could meet my lovely niece. She would want to talk to you for days about Hisui and the heroes-” 

“You know about Hisui?” Emmet asked incredulously. He needed to know more. He needed-

“Good luck, Emmet. Keep your brother strong. The children are looking for him.” The bus’s headlights engulfed his vision for a moment, making him blink. As soon as he opened his eyes to ask her what she meant, the bench was empty. Emmet whirled around, looking for the old woman, but she was nowhere to be seen. The door to the bus opened with a mechanical hiss. Other passengers began to climb aboard. Emmet gave one last glance around as he climbed aboard next, shivering under his coat, trying to shake the feeling of being watched. 

Rei ended up being ordered to stay in the village for three days to rest his elbow. The first day he spent just resting in his bed, floating along the line of consciousness. It reminded him of summer vacations when he would be allowed to just sleep when Dad and Uncle Emmet had gone to work and he and Akari were allowed to be watched by Haxorus or Excadrill. 

The second day he went a little stir-crazy. He left the room to wander the village. Akari had no desire to leave just yet, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he kind of wanted some time by himself. He couldn’t leave the village without an escort and he had no desire to talk to people, so instead, he asked if he could enter the pastures. The woman who ran them raised her eyebrows, but did not ask questions. 

He ended up lying in the grass, his arms stretched out in the sun. Several Bidoof, Buizel, and a couple Shinx lay beside him, all soaking up the sunshine. The alpha Kriketune from that big fight wandered over at one point and took up a position too. Rei sighed in contentment and let out his team to lay with him. While he lay, his mind wandered. 

The sun crept across the cloudless expanse of blue above him. He was warm and cozy as the grass and the small sparks from the Shinx tickled his skin. He sighed. Was Dad okay? He really hoped he hadn’t noticed their absence yet. And Uncle Emmet, too. Rei had heard stories about how bad Uncle Emmet had gotten during Dad’s disappearance, though he supposed he could understand. If Akari had just vanished into thin air, Rei would have lost his mind. But then if Dad had noticed he’d lost not one, but both kids…? Rei had no idea how that would go. 

Then he started thinking about teams. He needed to structure a new team for Hisui, as he only had Topsy Turvy with him now and it didn’t seem that Mandibuzz were native in this region and he didn’t want to reveal her to anyone. Campfire was a must. The Eevee, which he had taken to calling Blitz, was certainly a good idea. So long as he didn’t accidentally show it a Fire Stone, he won’t have an extra fire type. He thought about Lord Wyrdeer. Honestly, he was super cool. A Psychic type would be good too… Rei glanced to his left, at the Stantler that was trotting around the pasture, grazing. He had no idea how it evolved, but it would likely prove to be a strong ally… Spark Plug could help round things out in the meantime and take care of the overabundance of Flying and Water-types he ran into. Those Staravia were menaces. 

Rei sat up and stretched his back. He stood, trying not to disturb any pokemon. He recalled his team and swapped a couple balls with the attendant before leaving. He took a deep breath as he considered the next step. Perhaps it was time to see what moves they could learn… 

He made the trek across camp, running into a person or two that had a request for him. One wanted to use a Geodude as a pickling stone, whatever that was. Another asked him if she could see the completed dex entry for Starly. Finally, he made it to his destination. The gates of the dojo stretched overhead, and inside, he saw who he was looking for. He just had to play it cool. 

“Hi. Uh… Zisu.” Arceus, why did he sound so awkward?

If she noticed, she made no indication. She looked around from what she was doing. It seemed like she had been polishing a pokeball with a cloth. “Hello, there, Faller! What can I help ya with today?” She smiled brightly at him as she stood, brushing off her kimono and crossing her arms. Arceus, he’d forgotten how tall she was. Rei knew he was tall for his age, and she simply towered over him. 

“I wanted to teach my pokemon some new moves,” he squeaked. 

“Of course! Let’s see who ya got.” She paid close attention to each and every pokemon he sent out - even if it was only four. She scratched her chin as she looked at the selection. “I bet I could teach that one Rock Smash. Look at those arms. They may be small, but I bet they pack a punch,” she grinned, pointing at Campfire. “And the Eevee is small. That’s not a bad thing, but it can play to how cute it is. Baby-Doll Eyes can make opponents lower their guard so it can sneak in some extra attacks.” She glazed over Spark Plug and the new Stantler. “Surprisingly, I feel like I can teach you Bulldozer and Swift, among other things. I know Ground moves can be useful out there,” she gestured to Stantler. “And as for you… Look at those teeth! And you are already a master of electricity. Fire Fang and Ice Fang. You’d take to it like a Psyduck to water.” 

A few minutes later, Rei had new moves on his teammates, which made him feel much more relaxed. That scene of his entire team being cut down by Kleavor in seconds had been replaying over and over in his head. He had a Fighting move and a Ground move now, so hopefully Rock-mons wouldn’t be as much of an issue. “Thank you, Zisu. I think this will help a lot.” 

She grinned at him in a way that reminded him of his sister. “Anytime, newbie. Tell me if you need anything else!” 

Rei could feel a soft smirk coming onto his face as he began to walk away. “Say,” he began, turning back to face her, “might you be up to a battle?” 

“A battle?” She rubbed her chin again. “Unfortunately I have an appointment with the Captain in just a few minutes, otherwise I would. Come back anytime and I’ll take you up on that, though! I’ll make sure to go easy on ya. My pokemon are quite strong.” Her easy smile never left her face, even when she flicked her hair out of her face. Rei nodded and left the dojo with his team in his pockets to head back home to his sister. 

The third day he spent drawing. He hadn’t been able to properly draw ever since Unova, he hadn’t had his sketchbook on him when he’d been taken. For every pokemon they had registered, he sat in the pastures, this time with his sister who was now getting sick of being alone in the home, and drew them in as much detail as he could. Even though Laventon took photographs of every single species, Rei found that there was something special about capturing them by hand. 

If only his sister would understand this concept. “I still don’t get why you insist on drawing every single species. There have to be like two-hundred species in this region or something. You’re really gonna draw them all?” She looked up at the sky as she asked him, only glancing down to view his latest drawing at the end of her question. 

“Yeah.” 

“Laventon takes pictures of them, though.” 

“I know.” 

“Then why? It takes forever.” 

“Because I like doing it,” he sighed, shutting the book. He looked apologetically at the Burmy that had attached itself to the branch above him so he could draw it. “Though if you’re gonna throw a fit, I guess I can make more balls.” 

“I’m not throwing a fit. I’m just confused,” she huffed, crossing her arms as well as she could in a pout. The bandages somewhat restricted her movement at the shoulder. “I just don’t get why you do it.”

“Because I want to, Akari. Haven’t you ever heard of doing stuff for fun?” 

“You know it’s just weird for me to think of art as fun,” she retorted. Rei rolled his eyes. It was true that he was the more artistically inclined of the two. “It’s hard and takes a long time.” 

“You don’t have to enjoy it, you know. No one is making you draw them,” he argued as he began to cut away at an apricorn. “All I ask is you don’t get mad at me drawing them.” 

“I’m not mad,” she huffed again. 

“You sound a little mad.”

“I’m going to go mad listening to you all day.” 

“You’re the one who decided to come with me.” 

“Yeah, and I’m starting to regret it.” 

Rei looked up at her. “I’m not keeping you here, you know.” 

She didn’t look at him as she continued. “Yeah, but then I’d be lonely. Your poor baby sister, all alone.” 

“We’re the same exact age,” Rei retorted, his eyeballs rolling so far he thought they might escape his head. 

“I’m older than you by three minutes. Dad said so.” 

“Then how can you be my baby sister?” 

They continued on like this for a while longer, eventually lapsing into silence. Akari settled with petting an Eevee that had curled up in her lap. She watched the sky, watching the clouds roll by as Rei carved more and more balls. By the time he had hit about fifty, he went back to drawing. The Kriketune had joined them and as it was rather aloof, he wanted to take this time to draw it properly. He had most of it sketched and was shading with the piece of charcoal when Akari spoke again. “Do you think… they’re okay? Everyone at home?” 

Rei was silent as he shaded in one of the long arms. “Probably?” 

“What if they did find out we were gone?” Her voice dipped in pitch as she gave in to a half-whisper. “What if we can’t get back a few seconds after we disappeared? And Dad and Uncle Emmet can’t find us? What if to them, we disappeared?” 

Rei didn’t say anything for a minute. He finished the Kriketune and closed the dex. “Well… they won’t be okay. But they’d figure it out. Like Uncle Emmet did.”

“Rei, Dad was gone for ten years. That’s the only option he had.”

“Well, we won’t be gone that long.” Rei set his pokedex to the side and leaned back against the tree. “All we need to do is finish the dex and then Arceus said it would send us home. And that won’t take ten years.” 

“We have no idea how long it’ll take. We don’t know how many pokemon there are,” Akari pointed out. “And what if it doesn’t mean just ancient Sinnoh? What if we get taken to another region after this?” 

“I kinda doubt that,” Rei said.

“But we don’t know.” 

“Then text it.” Rei sat up, pointing to her satchel that had the Arc Phone. “It texted us one time, remember? Doesn’t that suggest that we can text it back?” 

Akari blinked, seemingly at war with herself. “I can’t tell if you’re a moron or a genius,” she remarked as she pulled out the phone. She tapped on the screen a couple times as Rei leaned in to look. She pulled up the chat. 

Seek out all Pokemon. Under that chat, there was a textbar. And when tapped, it brought up a keyboard with the alphabet on it. The Hisuian alphabet. “Well I’ll be darned…” she muttered as she typed out a message. 

Arceus, right? This is you? We were wondering… after we finish the dex, we get to go home, right? We won’t go anywhere else? 

They waited for a moment. Then, a new text in gold showed up, like the first. 

Seek out all Pokemon. 

She blinked and then typed out a new message. 

Yeah, that’s the plan. Can you tell us how many pokemon there are, at least? 

Another new message popped up after it, saying the same: Seek out all Pokemon. 

“Well that was helpful,” she sighed sarcastically as she put the phone away. Rei shrugged. 

“Was worth a shot.” 

“This didn’t really help me with worrying about Dad, though.” She nervously rubbed the Eevee’s head, between the ears. 

“We can’t really do much about it,” Rei pointed out. “All we can do is what Arceus said. We seek out all pokemon. We go home. If we don’t, we raise a big stink about it. It chose us for a reason, right?”

“I guess…” Akari sighed to herself again. She was clearly not satisfied with the answer, but truthfully, neither was Rei. 

—---------

Two weeks since the first time Ingo had tried going to work by himself, and now he refused to go without Emmet. It seemed Emmet's presence made other passengers back off from his brother. Perhaps it was the sharp gaze he would pierce them with. Maybe it was his looser tongue, or his lack of hesitancy to kick people out for prying. Or perhaps Ingo was just too polite. Whatever it was, focusing on Multi Battles seemed to keep unwarranted questions off. 

Emmet sat in their office, Ingo at his desk beside him. His brother bit into an apple as he read some papers on his desk. Emmet was munching on some chips as he scrolled his phone. Their hats sat on their desks, their short hair allowed to breathe for a bit as they enjoyed their lunches. 

A depot agent entered the room after a quick knock, asking Ingo a question about one of the electrical boxes. 

A notification sounded on Emmet's phone. He tapped the message. It was from his uncle. 

How have you both been? Sorry to disturb you at work.

Emmet glanced between the two people in the room. He was not a part of the conversation, and so began to type. 

You caught me at a good time, its lunch. We're alright. Ingo isnt really normal but he is somewhat enjoying battles. His praise to challengers seems more genuine lately. 

Emmet took another bite of his sandwich as the little bubble popped up as his uncle responded. He must also be on his lunch break. 

That's great! Genuinely. It is good to hear you both are doing well. 

I recently got a message from someone in that large chat Iris made for me. The one I told you both about a couple of weeks ago. She seems quite keen on speaking with you both. 

Emmet knitted his brow slightly, putting down his food and typing with both hands. Is it about the kids?

The reply came quickly. Seems so. She is in Sinnoh, but offered a video call. Is there a good time I can tell her? 

Emmet looked at his brother. He was laughing about something the agent had said, his apple mostly gone. The clock stated they still had five hours left of their shift. 

After work should be good. We get off around 7:30 and can be home by 8. Emmet nonchalantly put down his phone and grabbed his sandwich again, making sure to smooth out his face into his normal smiling expression. He took another bite of sandwich. 

Sounds good. I'm surprised Ingo isn't insisting that you leave this very moment.

Emmet glanced up one more time, typing out one last message as the agent left, then clicking the button on the side of the device and making the screen go black. Don't tell him yet. They aren't going anywhere. 

“Who was that, Emmet? You seemed perplexed.” Ingo took out a packaged cookie and began to unwrap it. 

“Uncle. He was telling me about a trainer he met earlier with a peculiar team.” This was not exactly a lie, as he had also mentioned a trainer with an unusual team earlier that day. 

“Ah, you must tell me about it-” The alarm on Ingo's phone went off. Lunch was over. Ingo sighed as he stood, Emmet doing the same. His back popped audibly as he stretched. Arceus, he was getting old. 

“I will tell you all about it after our shift,” Emmet vowed. He would ensure to tell his brother about the texts… Once he was sure the day was over.

Irida gazed down at the huge basket of balms. The wicker basket nearly rose to Rei’s knees. She sighed, flexing her hands after so much tying. Lian shook his head and looked up at the twins. “I will summon the mighty Kleavor, if you are ready.” The twins locked eyes. They nodded. “Very well. Prepare yourselves.” He motioned for the three others to step back as he approached the pedestal. “O, mighty Kleavor, Lord of the Woods, benevolent lord who works between heaven and earth, we offer our gratitude. Though it may not be time for the ceremony, we have gathered offerings of your favorite things. We beseech you. Reveal yourself to our eyes…” 

Irida whispered to them, “Dodging will be vital. Try to avoid his attacks. I fear he will not hold back.” Blood was beginning to pulse through Rei’s body. Was this going to be hard? How hard? 

“GRAASHAAAAA!” Rei jolted upright as something loud, large, and heavy screeched just up ahead in the arena. Akari took his hand and they walked together into the Arena. A massive tree stood in the middle of it. Other than that, it was just a deep pit of dirt with walls on all sides, forming a perfect circle. The two glanced around, Rei’s heart rate still picking up. 

A flash of gold. Rei whirled around to see what it was. Something streaked past them, circling them as it watched from the edges of the Arena, running so fast it was a blur, the sound of something slicing and then a thud. Rei watched with wide eyes as a huge golden silhouette with glowing white eyes landed on the ground just a few paces in front of them. It was watching them closely. It lifted the huge axes it had for hands high into the air, sending them crashing down into the packed soil so hard, it sent some flying. A tree behind them fell with a loud crash, making Rei jump. Had this thing cut it down? It had been a full grown tree! The creature had very spindly arms and legs, but its main body seemed to be rather insectoid. It roared at them in challenge. Its eyes glinted a bright yellow-

“Rei, duck!” 

No sooner had it roared than a flurry of activity happened all at once. The thing swung at the speed of light. Rei acted on instinct, rolling away and dodging the attack. He could feel the wind from the swing on his cheek. He managed to get to his feet and just started to run. He ran around the Arena, seeing the golden light in his peripheral. Was it following him? He finally managed to get a look. 

It was charging up an attack. It had its axes planted firmly into the dirt, energy building up around it. Its eyes glinted again.

Rei ducked around the tree as it thrust itself forward, using its axes like a catapult. The space he had just inhabited was met by two large swinging axes. Something smacked its back, spattering pink sparks everywhere. The creature’s head swung around to the spot of the disturbance. As it turned, Rei saw the smatterings of some fibrous vegetation burning away on its golden hide and an aromatic smell wafted into his nostrils. He’d completely forgotten about the balms! The thing was now watching his sister closely, preparing another charged assault on her. It swung its axes, slamming them into the ground, then began to build up energy again. Rei snaked a hand into his waist satchel and fished out a few balms and began chucking them at its back. One hit, then another, and another. They weren’t doing anything! As they hit, the divine aura it exuded would immediately begin to dissolve them off itself, turning the offering balms into pinkish sparks that fell to the ground and disappeared, leaving nothing but the strong stench of vegetables. Rei continued to throw the balms in a blind panic as the thing charged his sister. He saw her roll away in the nick of time, a bit of her hair being chopped clean off in the process. 

Kleavor could not stop his dash, however, and collided directly into the big tree in the center of the Arena. Rei seized this opportunity to throw a pokemon out and into the fray. Any way he could avoid dying, the better. To his surprise, this seemed to pull Kleavor’s attention off him or his sister and instead onto Campfire. Rei’s partner cried out in defiance. 

“GRASHAAAAA!” Kleavor immediately shot off a devastating Stealth Rock. Rei’s heart nearly stopped as Campfire fainted instantly. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. He threw in Spark Plug. It managed to shoot off a Thundershock, but that did next to nothing. Kleavor shrugged it right off and cut down the Luxio with an AIr Slash. The last thing Rei had was his little Eevee. 

“Baby-Doll Eyes!” The Eevee hit the move and even managed to take the bone-curdling Stealth Rock that Kleavor hit it with. “Quick Attack!” It was not near enough, Kleavor didn’t even seem winded as he took out the last of Rei’s small team. He could feel the panic rising up in himself as Kleavor raised its axes, mere paces away from Rei. 

Sparks flew from its back as Akari hit it over and over again with balms. Her face was scrunched up in concentration, a red line oozing liquid onto her face. Was she hurt?! The Noble turned once again to his sister. He raised his axes again and in a single fluid motion swung out several times, cutting out at anything in its path. She rolled out of the way, smacking into the thick tree in the middle with a dull thud. Rei took this opportunity to throw some balms of his own. Was it just him, or was Kleavor looking more sluggish? He threw with a renewed vigor, hoping beyond hope that he wasn’t seeing things as Kleavor swung its attention back to him. It narrowed its eyes as it readied another attack aimed at him. It dashed forward again and he barely managed to dodge in time. He was also growing tired. How long was this going to last? 

Rei could hear balms hitting above him. He peeled himself off the floor with a grunt to see Kleavor locking onto his sister, still trying to get up. He dashed to the basket by the entrance to the Arena to snag an armful of balms and immediately began throwing more at the enraged pokemon. Kleavor roared in frustration as Akari again rolled away from him. There was a small amount of dark liquid on the ground where she had been just moments ago. Rei began to smack him with more balms. He was definitely growing tired, Rei could tell. “Akari! Battle him!” 

Rei dodged an attack from Kleavor - another dash. This one ended up in Kleavor once again hitting a wall and becoming disoriented. This time, Akari tossed out a pokemon for battle. Rei did not watch the battle, but instead threw balms at Kleavor as much as he possibly could during it, knowing he was temporarily ‘safe’. Balm after balm burst apart on Kleavor and sizzled away into dust and Rei prayed to Arceus that it was actually growing weaker and weaker and weaker…

Rei noticed Bonnie going down. Akari tossed out Riptide. Rei shook his head and kept throwing the balms. He needed to keep throwing balms. His elbow ached, beginning to scream with each throw. He needed to keep throwing balms. Rocks slung from the dirt ripped directly into Riptide, making it scream. He needed to keep throwing balms. Akari cried out an order, holding her shoulder awkwardly. He needed to keep throwing balms. He was running out of balms. He needed to-

A huge Water Pulse hit at the same time as Rei’s last balm. A huge shockwave hit Rei, sending him crashing back into the dirt as pure golden light flooded his eyeballs. He threw up a hand to shield himself as a harsh wind picked up and the gold surged up into the sky. Was it finally over? He couldn’t keep back a slight smile. 

Left before them, wobbling a bit, was a dark brown and black pokemon. Its axes were varying shades of gray. It had thick rocky eyebrows and springy ankles and a segmented body seemingly made of stone. It held itself up on its axes as Rei rounded it, running towards his sister. She stood as Kleavor approached them slowly. Its eyes were a dark chocolatey color now. It smacked the side of the tree with its ax, much more feebly than before, this time causing something to fall from the tree’s high branches. Rei picked it up. It was another colored brick like the one Wyrdeer had given them, this one a light green. 

Kleavor huffed at them one more time - assumingly in thanks - and then ran off as quickly as it had arrived, its ax arms trailing behind it. Rei hadn’t even had the chance to say anything. It fell silent in the Arena. No pokemon chirped or buzzed or barked nearby - seemingly startled away by that battle.

“What just happened?” Lian asked as he ran up to them. “What was that light that erupted from Kleavor’s body? Has his frenzy been truly put at ease now?” 

“Does this confirm that the strange lightning was to blame for Kleavor’s unnatural power?” Irida glanced between the twins. 

Rei shrugged. All these questions were making him overwhelmed as the adrenaline began to wear off. “Maybe. I’m really not sure.” He brushed off his bottom where he had fallen. 

“All we know is that the lightning came from the rift the other night. The bolts must have struck Kleavor and driven him into the frenzy after all.” Irida’s eyebrows drew together in the dying light, making her blue irises stand out even more in concern.

“Wait,” Lian said, “If the lightning came from the space-time rift, and almighty Sinnoh lives there then the strange lightning… was it Sinnoh’s power? Were we even right to interfere?” His voice was raising, sounding angrier and angrier by the second. “I went along with the plan happily like a fool!”

“Calm yourself, Lian,” Irida soothed the boy. Akari was already rubbing at a spot on her arm, Rei noticed. She definitely had a cut on her cheek, which was still bleeding. It was also now coated with a fine layer of dirt and forest rot. He’d need to make sure she saw the med bay when they got back home. “Kleavor has protected our people and the forest for generations. Would our almighty Sinnoh truly send him a power that attacks people and pokemon indiscriminately? I doubt it. What Rei and Akari accomplished just now… it needed to be done.” Lian fell silent and suddenly found his shoes to be quite interesting. “I’m glad this is settled without any further strife. If any other pokemon find themselves in the grip of a frenzy… please help them.” Irida flicked her irises between the twins, assessing them. Her gaze lingered on Akari’s shoulder as she cradled it. 

Daytime was giving way to dusk. The trees around them were filled with a duller golden light than the stuff from Kleavor. Lian grumbled. “Fine. I suppose I must concur. I apologize for being briefly incomposed. I am grateful to you both for helping my Lord.” 

“Allow me to heal your beloved pokemon as thanks.” Irida stepped forward, a relieved smile on her face once again. 

—-----------------------

Emmet rubbed his eyes as he stared at his device, occasionally glancing over at his brother. Ingo was still stone-faced, as ever, staring intently at the worn pages of the thirtieth book of the day sprawled out in front of him. He hoped that their company would just arrive soon. They were supposed to be here-

A loud knock sounded at the door. Ingo did not even flinch or pause in his reading as Emmet swiftly stood to get the door. It was still hot outside, summer in full force, even now that evening was settling in. Drayden stood alone at the door, much to Emmet’s surprise. “Where’s Iris? I thought she was coming too?” 

“She got held up. Another challenger at the League.” Drayden stepped over the threshold and removed his boots at Emmet’s gesture inside, moving his bulky form into the dining room. The large man paused and sighed softly seeing his nephew buried in a pile of old literature. “Ingo?” Emmet noted his brother did not move. No reaction at all came from him. 

“Ingo, hey. We have company.” Nothing, again. Emmet strode over to his brother and tapped his shoulder, making him jump so hard he nearly knocked himself over. 

“Wh-what? What’s happening? Drayden? When did you get here?” His eyes darted around between the two of them, in complete shock at being disturbed. 

Drayden stayed silent for a few moments. “We need to talk, Ingo.” 

“Wh- about what?” Ingo continued to watch with wild eyes as Drayden and Emmet each took a seat on either side of him. 

“You.” Their uncle folded his hands, setting them down on the table. “We need to talk about you.”

“What about me?” Ingo snapped. “I’m just fine. Fine as I can be.” 

“See, that makes me think you are extremely not fine,” Emmet quipped. “You haven’t slept in days. You won’t eat. You also won’t talk anymore at all. It’s like sharing a house with a statue.”

“I’ll be fine, as soon as I bring the kids home.” 

“Ingo,” Drayden spoke loudly, pulling both of their attention to him. “There is no ‘I’. There is no ‘just me’, ‘alone’, or ‘by myself’. There is an ‘us’. You are not the only one in this.” 

“But-”

“You are not alone,” Drayden spoke much more loudly, snapping his yellow eyes directly in Ingo’s direction in a way he hadn’t since they’d misbehaved gravely when they were small. Ingo actually shrunk in his chair under the gaze. “Now, I have some requests. You will take care of yourself, at least somewhat. Eat something, even something small, at least twice or even three times a day. You will shower regularly. You will leave the house sometimes. I’m not asking much, just a few times a week. And you will at least lay down to try to sleep, even if you don’t fully get there. Am I clear?” 

“But I need to find them,” Ingo argued. He had found his voice and he fired back at Drayden. “I need to make sure they’re safe. No one else is even looking for them anymore!” Ingo stood from his chair and pointed a finger at Drayden. “I have not seen anyone else still researching or checking around. So who is this ‘we’?” 

Drayden slowly stood. Emmet’s eyes widened. “Uncle Drayden, he’s not-” Emmet was cut off by a large hand held up in his direction. He pulled out his phone, tapping the screen, and showing it to Ingo. 

“Not looking, huh?” Ingo scanned the screen, his eyes losing their fire. Emmet glanced at the screen. 

A wall of texts in a group chat met his gaze. Drayden scrolled his thumb up slowly, allowing them to read some of the texts. The chat was labeled ‘Elite Members’. At least fifty people had to be included in it for how many different names and numbers and profile pictures Emmet was seeing. At regular intervals, it seemed almost daily, one of the numbers would text Drayden a picture of a child with light hair asking if that might be them. Many news articles and headlines were sprinkled through the chat. 

“This is the Champions, Elite Four members, and even Gym Leaders in almost every single region in the world, in one large chat. Iris helped assemble it for me. Any time they see anyone that might even potentially be related to the twins, they ask me immediately. I even flew out once or twice to see for myself without getting your hopes up. This has existed since the first week that I found out about them going missing. Not only am I and Elesa and Emmet and even Iris taking time to scour everything and try to find anything about their whereabouts, we have every single master battler on the face of the planet also on the lookout. And you are the only one looking? It’s just you on your own little personal crusade?” 

Ingo stared at the spot the phone was in, even as Drayden took the device away and pocketed it. His expression softened considerably as Ingo floundered, looking for something to say. He laid two large hands on his nephew’s shoulders, garnering his attention. “Listen. All I want is to see you functional. I understand being worried sick. I understand that it feels pointless and worthless and like it is counterintuitive. I don’t expect you to be back to normal. I just want to know that you won’t collapse at any given moment. If you carry on like this, you might need to be hospitalized.” 

That made Ingo blink a couple times. “I. What?” 

“Trust me, you don’t want that,” Emmet said solemnly. He shook his head. “Not fun. Awful time.” 

“Emmet?” Ingo knit his brow at his brother. “What are you saying?” 

“Did I not tell you about that?” Emmet asked genuinely, cocking his head at Ingo. Surely he’d mentioned that at some point? 

“No?” Ingo sat back down, prompting Drayden to do the same. “What happened?” 

“I kept telling everyone I was fine but refused any type of fuel for months. It wasn’t until I fainted at work that they realized how bad off I actually was and I was hospitalized for a few days. They kept watch on me until I proved I could function again.” Emmet mirrored his brother’s perplexed expression. “I really feel like I’ve mentioned this before now.” 

“Not to my knowledge.” Ingo stared at the table. “I… I had no… I’m so-”

“Hush, Ingo,” Drayden spoke softly, cutting him off. “No apologies. If you feel guilty, show me by eating something. Even just a little snack, but preferably a meal. It is getting close to dinnertime.” 

Ingo sighed. After a few moments, he nodded. He placed a scrap receipt in the book he was reading and closed it, marking his spot for later. “Let’s,” was all he said, his voice small. 

Emmet hated seeing his brother like this. So unsure, so small, almost feeble. Ingo was not supposed to be feeble. Ingo was supposed to be confident and loud and outgoing and boisterous. But right now, he was none of those things. 

Emmet wanted his brother back.