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A crack in space and time opens before them. Akari feels her body shake, the weight of the situation really sinking in. She is scared of what lies beyond, scared to take the first step. A large hand slips around her own, squeezing gently. Ingo looks down, a half smile on his face. He’s scared too, but he knows whatever is on the other side will be worth it. Lady Sneasler grabs her other hand, tugging the group forward towards the crack in reality. Akari takes one last glance back, a last glance at the only world she’s ever known, before she steps through the crack and falls through the world.
Lady Sneasler holds her warden close as she grooms him, scratchy sandpaper tongue making his hair stick up in weird directions. She chides him when he tries to move, claws tightening around the man to keep him from escaping. Akari laughs from the other corner of the den, unsympathetic to his plight. Said laughter abruptly cuts off when his lady puts him to the side to go grab at his daughter. Akari screeches and tries to run but it’s too late. It’s her turn now.
Emmet shifts slightly under Elesa’s weight, the model having fallen asleep while they were watching a movie together. She looked tired, maybe even half as tired as Emmet feels. Ingo’s disappearance had affected her as well after all. She snores lightly, and Emmet’s grin feels a bit more real as he lays his head on top of his surrogate sister’s. Maybe things will be okay someday.
Akari crouches behind the sofa, silently watching as her uncle picks up some books she scattered on the floor earlier. When he gets juuuuust close enough she pounces, nearly knocking Emmet to the ground with the force of her collision. He shouts in mock anger as she wrestles with him, attempting to steal back the candy bar he had taken from her earlier. After his initial surprise, he simply holds the forbidden treat far out of reach with one hand while using the other to keep her down. Akari lets out a horrifying screech that has her father rush frantically into the room. Freezing, they both stare at Ingo, who’s initial panic melts into exasperation at his family’s hijinks. Akari uses the distraction as her chance, clambering up her uncle's six foot frame before seizing the candy from his grasp and leaping towards her bedroom. Emmet gives chase but by the time he catches up she’s already barricaded herself in her bedroom, laughing her head off. She laughs harder at his whines, audibly devouring her hard earned treat. Ingo tells the two of them to knock it off, but there’s no real bite to his words.
Ingo awakens crying, his dream of moving boxes and purple flames fading away before he can truly understand them. Gligar lands gently in front of him, cuddling under his sobbing frame. He coos at Ingo softly, nestling his face into the underside of his chin. Ingo’s cries gradually soften as he pets the large bat, trying to remember what made him so upset. It hadn’t been a bad dream but… He shakes his head and gligar looks up at him reassuringly. There’s something about his smile that reminds Ingo of someone familiar. He can’t quite recall who though, and it will remain a mystery for him for many more years.
The train rumbles beneath their feet as Ingo and Emmet wait for their next challengers. Emmet gently knocks into his twin as the train takes a turn, and Ingo just lets out a fond sigh. He is Emmet and he can hold his balance just fine, but sometimes it is nice to bully his big brother a bit. Unfortunately, new challengers enter before he can escalate further, and the two take their places. As the train rumbles and shakes their backs gently knock into each other and Emmet thrives off the contact. It’s proof his brother is there, alive and well, booming voice not from a subway speaker but his own mouth. He might go deaf at an early age, but it’s worth it to be able to battle with his brother every day again.
Gear station was loud. There were people everywhere, talking and rushing, trying to catch the screeching trains that always rumbled into their stations exactly on time. Her fathers recorded voice echoed through the loudspeakers, friendly and comforting but oh so loud, adding together to the cacophony of noise that just made Akari want to curl up and hide somewhere. Hisui wasn’t ever this loud, this boisterous, the only thing that had ever come close was when the sky had bled and she faced down gods trying to kill her, frenzied and mad, out for blood-
She hadn’t realized her hands were clutched over her ears until Auntie Elesa gently pried them off of her. The full force of sound rocketed through her for a moment before a familiar set of red and blue headphones were placed on her head. Her aunt gently draped over her, yellow jacket obscuring the busy station that was now muffled behind soft soothing music. Akari gently rocked in her aunt’s embrace, closing her eyes and feeling the soft texture of the yellow coat engulf her and remind her that everything was okay. She was safe.
Chandelure was not by design a very cuddly pokémon, but that had never stopped Ingo. She was perched in his lap, spike nestled between his thighs and her arms perched securely on his legs. He had wrapped himself around her dome, ethereal flame passing through his chest in a way that made him feel ticklish. His oldest partner leaned into his hold, her metal arms leaning towards him as she did her best to hug him back. She had missed this, missed him, the tender being who would hug a Pokémon as infamous as chandelure. A pokémon known for leading humans astray in order to feast off them, to devour their souls. But Ingo knew that she wouldn’t. He trusted her, and she trusted him, and that was enough for them.
Emmet held his breath as he placed another joltik carefully on the pile. Letting go slowly, the tenth joltik swayed gently and precariously atop its brethren before finding its footing and bunkering down. Akari giggled, jostling the joltiks and earning her a frantic shushing from her uncle. Plucking the eleventh joltik off the couch, he slowly approached the tower he was building on his niece's head. Ever so gently, he placed it down and they both sat with bated breath to see if it would hold. The pile trembled and Emmet’s grin grew wider as he reached for number twelve- but suddenly one of the joltiks let out a small spark, shocking his niece and sending the pile falling to the floor. Emmet cried out in fake agony, falling back into the couch with a dramatic flair. Akari giggled and dislodged the remaining joltik still on her head, before placing it directly onto his face. What a terrible niece he had.
Akari held one of the older sneasel kits under its arms and began to swing it as she walked. She chanted the word baby with every swing, an action that had the sneasel giggling like mad. Without warning Akari felt herself be lifted under the arms, her alpha gardevoir picking her up with a practiced flourish. Swinging Akari back and forth, her gardevoir also began to chant, a soothing melody that sounded suspiciously like what Akari had been saying just seconds earlier. Akari was the baby now.
Elesa’s heel broke as she and Ingo were walking home from a snack run. She swore lightly as she set down her heavy bags and checked on the state of her shoe. They still had several blocks to go and she didn’t think she could hobble along that far while also carrying the very heavy sodas and ice cream she had bought. She relayed this to Ingo who just laughed at her plight. Shifting his own bags to one hand, he scooped Elesa up with the other, grabbing her purchases as well. She tried to protest but he simply continued on, the model weighed practically nothing after four years of tough wilderness survival. Her protests gave way to reluctant acceptance, and the two continued on in peaceful silence.
Emmet came home to his too quiet, too empty, apartment and all but collapsed on the sofa. It had been a long day at work, (too much work for only one person to do) and he didn’t really have the energy to walk down to his room. His pokémon burst out of their pokeballs on their own, shuffling around the house and getting themselves ready for bed. A familiar weight settled on his shoulders and Emmet felt the clammy skin of his oldest partner draped over him like a weighted blanket. Reaching up, Emmet stroked Elektross’ head in thanks before burying his face in the couch cushions. As he dozed off, he prayed for a dreamless sleep.
The chains dig into her arms as she shifts and Akari can’t help but groan in pain. She wonders what she did wrong, what she could have done to avoid this outcome. The sky was bleeding and apparently it was all her fault. She chokes on a sob, burying her face in between her legs and wishing she wasn’t so alone. She wishes her Pokémon were with her or maybe-
No, she hopes Warden Ingo is somewhere far far away from here, so that he doesn’t get imprisoned for the same reason she did. Because her only crime was being an outsider, daring to exist even though she had come from beyond the rift. She was 12 with no memories, no home, and no family. Alone, imprisoned, and being blamed for something she didn’t do.
She could really use a hug
Ingo was staring off into the distance again, his thoughts consuming him as he gently stroked one of Lady Sneasler’s young. His lady watched him with an unreadable expression, seeing the blank 100 yards stare he got whenever he was trying to remember his old home and family. She let out a frustrated huff and left her den, coming back shortly after with a few pecha berries clutched in her long claws. She gently prodded him to get his attention before offering one of said berries. He tried to turn her down, but when she pointed out the already infected cut he had just gotten from the baby poison type, he reluctantly agreed. Cutting each pecha berry into pieces, Lady Sneasler forcefully hand fed him, as if he was a baby. It was embarrassing, but Ingo couldn’t deny that he felt touched.
Emmet looked up at the world's largest gardevoir with a bit of trepidation as she stared down at him menacingly. His new niece had some verrrrrrry strange Pokémon, but while the typhlosion and the zoroark were fascinating, her gardevoir was just downright terrifying. Emmet flinched as she raised one of her arms, but instead of striking him down she placed it on his head. She then gave him three solid pats, before floating down to his niece’s room. Emmet stood, reeling for a moment, before shaking his head and continuing his trek to the kitchen. His niece’s pokémon were weird.
The wind whistled loudly past the tent, the cloth walls blocking the snow but not the chill. Her father was long used to the temperature, but Akari was still susceptible to the cold of the Alabaster Icelands. Slipping under the covers of her bed, she situated herself on top of her typhlosion that was already there and waiting for her. His purrs rumbled through Akari, her oldest companion long used to becoming a spare mattress for the girl. Snuggling against him she smiled to herself. The night was cold, but she was warm.
Ingo stood in the hot sun of the training grounds, discussing battle tactics with Zusu. At some point, he must have said something she found humorous because the larger woman burst into a fit of hearty laughter. Wiping tears from her eyes, she slapped him on the back with enough force that he stumbled with a small shriek. His cry just made her laugh harder, practically doubled down as she rubbed his stinging back in apology. It hurt quite a bit, but Ingo found that he didn’t mind.
Emmet stared despondently at the cake on the table. Hesitantly, he counted out 28 candles and placed each in the cake one by one. Rubbing his blurry eyes filled with tears, he carefully lit each candle by hand. Usually chandelure would do it, but Emmet had recalled all their pokémon for the day, wanting to spend this time… alone. But that wasn’t really true. Emmet's birthdays weren’t supposed to be spent alone. He stared, silently, watching the candles slowly burn themselves away. Interlacing his fingers, he pretended that it was his brother's hand he was holding. Taking a shaky breath, Emmet extinguished the only remaining candle and made a silent wish.
He was Emmet, and he wished he really was holding his brother's hand.
The doorbell rang and Akari rushed over to answer it. Auntie Elesa stood on the other side of the doorframe, a bright smile on her face and her arms full of bags. Strutting inside, she threw her bags on the couch before rounding on her niece. Akari, sensing the looming danger, tried to duck out of the way but it was too late. Her aunt grabbed her face and began to shower her with big dramatic kisses all over her face. Akari laughed at the onslaught, but no matter how hard she squirmed she could not escape. She was only freed when her Aunt went after her father next, chasing him around as he shouted in panic. Her family were all huge dorks.
Ingo grimaced a bit at the skin beneath the bandages. Akari’s burns were still just as bad as the last time he saw them… maybe even worse. She let out a low hiss of pain when the final bandage was peeled off, growing louder as he began running water over the crumpled skin. Ingo chided her lightly as he cleaned, reminding her that running a damaged cab would just lead to accidents for all passengers. She rolled her eyes dramatically, but he sincerely hoped she would take his words to heart. (It wouldn't be until much later that he learned she was overworking herself on someone else’s orders)
Emmet was not immune to poison yet. His brother was- and if Emmet kept this up he probably would be eventually. But for now, the squirming pile of toxic babies that had been dumped on him were leaving him verrrrrrry woozy. Lady Sneasler laughed at the glare sent her way, she could tell he didn’t really mean it. After all, he was perfectly capable of extracting himself from the snoring pile of babies. She still tossed him a pecha berry for good measure though.
Akari was cold, wet, and extremely grumpy. She angrily shoved thundurus’ pokeball at one of the survey corps as passed, making a combeeline to her tent as soon as she reached the camp. Unfortunately, (even with its aggressor captured) the thunderstorm continued to rage on, preventing her from truly drying off. In frustration, she released her zoroark into the tent, sinking her head into its fur and screaming. She wasn’t any dryer but at least she felt a little less mad.
Ingo didn’t know where he was. A furious snowstorm obscured his vision, leaving him freezing and lost in a world of white. Even if he could see he doubted it would help. Something was wrong with his memories, a hazy fog over everything he should be able to recall.
He kept walking regardless, worrying that stalling would cause his engines to be permanently put out of commission. Whatever that meant.
A particularly strong gust of wind blew him over, frigid snow cushioning his fall. The cold clawed at him, pulling him into a dark embrace from which he feared he would never return. His blue lips parted, calling for… someone. Someone who’s name was stolen from him, whose face was lost in the swirling snow. His movements stilled as he fell into the dark embrace of sleep, hands still outstretched, reaching desperately for the heat of another.
Emmet hummed along with the radio as he swept, his smile feeling more genuine then it had in days. His Pokémon were helping with the cleaning, and they reflected his cheery mood. Galvantula tapped her mandibles to the beat while archeops shrieked in a way that almost resembled singing. Emmet laughed as excadrill waltzed towards him, putting down his broom to join the mole in his dance. They swayed and spun to the music, encouraged by the cries of the others around them. Garbodor demanded a turn as well and soon, cleaning had been all but forgotten.
Auntie Elesa swatted at Akari when tried to take a peek, telling the girl to hold still so she could work her magic. Akari groaned in protest, but kept her eyes closed regardless. The tugging on her hair was soothing, her aunt's deft fingers slowly braiding and trying Akari’s hair with practiced precision. She was sure the result would be amazing.
Ingo made the unfortunate mistake of laying face down on the sofa. In record time, his daughter leaped over the couch and on to his back, knocking the wind out of him. His twin wasn’t far behind her, alerting the rest of the Pokémon in the house to his plight. Soon, half of the house was on top of him, treating him like a mudsdale instead of the tired subway boss he was. Under his family’s heavy weight, Ingo planned his revenge. Emmet better watch himself next time he uses the couch.
A loud cry of distress had Emmet bolting out of his bed. His brother's door opened at the same time as his own as the twins rushed towards the frantic sobs. Opening the door to his niece’s bedroom, Emmet was greeted with the sight of Akari, shaking and screaming, trapped in the hold of another nightmare. Ingo quickly went over to wake her as Emmet made his way over to the side of the bed. Whispering soothing words of comfort, Ingo held Akari while Emmet rubbed slow circles into her quivering back. Gradually, her tears stopped, screams melting into muffled sobs. She clutched her father in a death grip, and Emmet felt that he was intruding on something private. Reluctantly, he made motions to give the small family some space, standing and quietly turning to the door. He didn’t get far however, before he was stopped by a tugging on his pajama shirt. Akari looked up at him with big eyes and asked if Ingo and him could sleep with her the rest of the night. Heart swelling, he flashed her his biggest grin before laying down on her left. Pulling the other two down, he squeezed them into a big hug, making an Akari sandwich. His niece giggled at the action before snuggling into his chest and drifting back to sleep. Looking over his small family nestled safely together, Emmet couldn’t keep the grin off of his face. It had been a long and hard journey, but his family were together now and that’s what mattered. He loved them so much.