#To try and help her when she was banished. Even Irida and adaman could only do so much.

[kelpiemomma]

I find it great that a lot of the fandom looked at two out of time, out of place characters. Ingo and Protagonist, two characters with similar origins and have so much to relate to and thus fans agree that it is criminal and inexcusable that Gamefreak barely interact in Canon.

Everyone literally said "Screw Canon, These two are found family, train guy is dad/uncle/friend now

Love your PLA fics of that dynamic. I don't know if you're still open to prompts. You don't have to do this if you don't feel it but here's a prompt I got for you.

Explore Ingo's and Akari's relationship that develops post-game.

Many fics have them bond during the main plot but not much do post game events.

(You could touch events that occured preplot or during plot and explore how characters felt before they met)

Ohhhh interesting interesting interesting..... I think that's because most of us find it easiest to maneuver them around in-game events, and I don't think I've done too much post-gaming myself (easily distracted, started two other playthroughs)

I am definitely intrigued by this idea though. Do you mean they have their basic interaction in canon, but the further relationship develops post game? And what are we counting as post game- calming all the nobles & fighting palkia and dialga, but pre-volo? Or is Volo still part of the main playthrough?

Because I can see (rolling in the dad direction, as I do, in various directions) Ingo being distantly friendly with the protagonist (let's say Akari, as is my usual :,D sorry) He provides training at the dojo with Zisu, sees Akari there mostly, but doesn't much interact with her otherwise. I truly can't imagine him seeing her kicked out of jubilife and not doing anything- moral-wise, at least, I feel like he would say or do something. Even if he felt it wasn't his place as someone not of Jubilife, I think that he (and most of us, I would hope) would protest kicking a kid out of a safe area. It's possible he either wasn't there (returned to the Highlands for a time) or saw it happening, but didn't see Akari's face and assumed she was just going out for another mission. By the time he does hear about it, or understand what happened, and goes looking Akari has already been picked up by Volo. Ingo asks Irida if she knows where Akari can be found and Irida promises she's somewhere safe but can't say more. So until she returns, all Ingo can do is be satisfied that Akari is safe. He no longer trusts Jubilife residents as he did, especially Kamado, and spends less time there. When Akari returns having tamed the two gods, Ingo decides that maybe it's a little fucked up that this kid has done all this on her own. She's still just like 15 at most, right?

He attempts to strike up conversations at the dojo without being creepy, because some part of him is well aware how it might seem if someone of his age shows too much interest in a teenager (the very thought turns his stomach in disgust. He feels regretful that he couldn't help earlier.) but thankfully Akari likes to talk about the Pokedex, and Ingo is a walking Pokedex as well in a way. There's no one able to battle quite like him, which actually helps Akari with her research. She starts searching him out more because he never requires anything or expects anything of her, and they can talk about pokemon or item crafting or food easily. In fact, she starts going to him when she finds strange pokemon in space-time rifts because Ingo almost always finds them familiar and has something to say about them. Sometimes they'll run into each other in the highlands and Ingo will take her somewhere cool, or just take her to a neat little meadow and tell her to chill out because she's spiraling in anxiety over the work she still has to do. They end up bonding over little things and helping each other, with Ingo gradually becoming the first person Akari goes to when she has news because his enthusiasm is always genuine and a little extra but it's nice.

They bond further after Akari battles Volo and comes down from the summit looking absolutely wrecked and in tears. She's been betrayed and had what she thought was a dear, close friendship destroyed. Ingo doesn't pry as much as he wants to- he's upset that she's upset, and he wants to know what happened because this time they're friendly. He cares for her as family and wants to hurt whoever hurt her. But Akari comes first, and so he takes her to his home and lets her wallow in her misery until she can tell him what happened. He asks if she wants him to track Volo down and take care of him, but Akari denies it and says he doesn't need to act like her dad when he isn't. Which kind of makes Ingo stop and think bc... Well. He doesn't have kids. Has never had much interest in having kids. But he likes Akari, and he thinks that she could use a father figure, and he wouldnt mind filling those shoes... So he accepts her request, but he tells her then and there that he doesn't mind acting as her father (figure) because he does genuinely care for her and her well being. Which isn't something Akari was expecting and she kind of stammers... Declines... Takes off. And it hurts but Ingo lets her go. It's her decision to accept or not, and he won't force her one way or another. He appreciates their friendship too much.

Akari avoids him for a couple weeks, which sucks but Ingo stands by his decision to not push. He continues his work in the Highlands, continues training at the dojo, until one day he finds himself standing in front of the photo parlor. He's gotten a picture of himself before, but he was alone and it didn't feel right. It felt like something was missing. Someone should've been by his side, at his back. He's lost in thought until he feels the wristband of his coat get tugged on and looks to see Akari standing beside him, shifty. She apologizes for running off and avoiding him, explains that she had to think, and he accepts her apology. Says he understands, because it was something he'd gradually come to realize and that he shouldn't have sprung it on her. And Akari is clearly Not Of This Time because she gets quiet and then asks him, really fast and kind of quiet, that he meant like being her DAD and not her DADDY right, because she REALLY didn't see him like that and- and Ingo immediately says NO ABSOLUTELY NOT. Just... Dad. Acting as a caretaker. Keeping her safe. Being a place of refuge. Platonic father feelings ONLY. And Akari looks relieved, and Ingo is also relieved because he definitely doesn't see her that way and is glad she now understands that. He shudders at the thought, and she laughs at him, and Ingo pretends to glare at her and scold her but she settles in a little closer.

She looks at the building with all the photos and paintings and asks what he was up to. He explains that he was wondering if he should try getting another picture done, that he'd had one taken before but had needed to throw it away because looking at it made him feel uncomfortable. Akari asks if he thinks it has something to do with the man in white and ingo... nods, because now that she mentioned it, yes. Because the man in white is not here, and Ingo is alone. Apparently he says that out loud, and Akari's face flushes as she takes his hand and drags him inside. Because Ingo's not alone anymore, she says, because they're family. So until the man in white is back, she's going to be where he was. And they take the picture, and it's not exactly perfect... She doesn't fit like he thinks she should, and the pose is weird and not quite correct, but as he looks at the photo she handed him before going to grab some of her gear to take up to the Highlands - there's something she needs to check on, she said, and since Ingo has decided she's his responsibility obviously her DAD needs to go with her! - he feels... Better. Not fixed, but still... Complete. He's not alone. He has family now.

He tucks the photo into his coat for safe keeping, and when Akari returns to his side (she said she'd see him as her father, would she call him dad? Should he call her his daughter? They'll need to talk about it.) he smiles, and she smiles back, and for now everything will be okay. He is not part of an incomplete set anymore.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

I always kind of thought Arcanine died before Palina ran for Clan leader, because she was traumatized enough that she didn't really want to be one anymore. I don't really have anything to back that up, that's just the assumption I've been running on thus far. Crippling ptsd, career-ending injuries, and (if they're incredibly lucky) old age retirement are really the only ways short of death that I've been imagining people leave their warden duties, but that'd make sense if the other wardens could kick out a member if they fucked up badly enough. Maybe Palina considered herself to have violated her duties by failing to keep her noble alive and was trying to kick herself out, but because none of the other wardens faulted her for it she wasn't removed from her position and was ineligible to be Clan leader.

Oh man, imagine how that'd play into both their insecurities, if Irida won by default because everyone else who was marked dropped out, and Adaman won because he was elected by the clan after no one was marked by Sinnoh? Even worse if Irida didn't even take the test, like if she was so young that they were going to have her go last, but everyone else before her failed so the clan decided that was a good enough answer and she didn't really need to go through with it.

What I'm wondering is what were the circumstances where they could not only meet, but continue having their clandestine affair without someone being like, hey why are you leaving all the time? And did anyone know Irida's dad had cheated on her mom before he left or did they just think he got cold feet at the idea of having a baby and ran away to become a merchant instead? Because traveling with a toddler/infant or while pregnant would be really dangerous, so why do so voluntarily? Unless they were caught together and ended up being banished with nowhere to go but the Guild. In an au where they're twins, I like to think that Volo just got lucky and looks a bit older than he is, mostly because him being like 18ish would make some of his decisions make more sense. Like, of course his plans look slapdash and poorly thought out, he'd have started making them when he was what, 16? I'm not exactly expecting fantastic, applicable doomsday plots from a kid lol.

Does knocking it out get rid of the frenzy though? It'd certainly make them easier to move elsewhere, but if becoming unconscious broke them out of it, wouldn't it just be easier to wait until they go to sleep? I know that in game the wild alphas can go to sleep, although it's really rare, so it's at least possible for them to do so. Unless they need be fully unconscious for it to break and when they sleep it's very shallow and they never hit REM. Maybe the reason they moved (or lured?) it up to Snowpoint is because becoming frenzied gave it a huge power boost. I highly doubt Sabi trained it to be level 70, but regardless, I don't think the others would have had the firepower to knock it out, other than Ingo. Who I'm sure would help if asked, but they might not have had a whole lot of time to come to a decision about it and I guess at that point it's either potentially damaging part of the Temple or letting Sabi's partner go running off into the wilderness to do who knows what. That'd still leave why they didn't ask him to KO it after it was trapped in there, but maybe that was right around the time Kleavor became frenzied and by that point they had bigger fish to fry, and in the meantime Sabi started training up an electibuzz that could ride around with her for protection during the few months it takes the protag to get up there.

i feel like if arcanine died before palina was tested for leader, she wouldn't have been considered at all. since from the way she talks about it, it seems like most of the clan considers her an unworthy warden because of that failure? so surely they wouldn't have wanted her as leader, either? so it's either after or during, and of the two during makes the most sense. by the same token, if she were trying to quit being a warden because of the failure, i think the last thing on her mind would be aiming for leader. i do think that the only way you get out of being a warden is via consensus from the rest, though, and even then it's very, very rare. 95% of the time, wardens "quit" by dying. the rest of the time, there has to be a strong majority agreement that the person in question is unfit for duty for some reason, due to injury/trauma or because they've violated their holy duty and can no longer be trusted.

YEAH. though idk what, exactly, the "test" was or how many others attempted it... i feel like snowpoint might be the last in a long series of them, since from the way irida talks about it it seems like "vying for leader" is a thing that took her and palina a long time. but anyway yessss re: both of them having parallel/comparative Weird Feelings about how they acquired the role of leader. irida sort of feels like sinnoh's last choice, under pressure to be as good as possible because there is nobody else, whereas adaman doesn't even get the reassurance of being chosen by anything other than his clanmates.

see, i'm wondering if his parents weren't both wardens. because i feel like that's the most likely way for two opposing clan members to meet, form a close bond, and have the chance to have a child without their clans really knowing about it. they could have even been the highlands wardens, a region where they'd have plenty of places to secret themselves away and they could have known cogita before leaving, as an extra bonus. which also makes irida and ingo's relationship WAY weirder. and now i'm kind of digging the idea of volo's mother leaving with him to go join the guild and it taking a few more years to convince him to leave too—which would also mask the "running away together" thing and give them a little plausible deniability. i wonder if volo, at least, knows they're half-siblings? and yeah no lol, volo's uh, Everything About Him, makes way more sense if you assume he's early twenties at the latest and has had this arceus-giratina-apocalypse obsession since his teens. dude is not hmm, Rational about this.

i think if knocking it out gets rid of the frenzy, it's less about unconsciousness and more about wearing it down into submission. i think fainting in battle is a lot different than going to sleep normally, after all, with being caught more akin to the first than the second. + yeah re: frenzy giving a power boost, alphas do tend to be much higher-level than their non-alpha counterparts, after all. i do love though that we have to work around "why didn't they just make ingo take care of it" bc yeah he Absolutely could and it wouldn't even be difficult. in the anthro au it could be explained by them really not wanting to make him go all the way up to snowpoint, but in canon there's not so much of an easy out.

[xgoldenlatiasx]

mini info dump about my p:la ocs cause they’re bouncing around in my head today

Hana

Hana is actually a daughter of a Pearl Clan and Diamond Clan member, however her mother didn’t realize that Hana’s father was a Diamond Clan member until after she found out she was pregnant. Her parents panicked and immediately split up, not wanting to be shunned by their respective clans, and once Hana was born her mother left her in the care of Cogita and returned to the Pearl Clan hoping to forget she existed. (Well, actually Hana’s mother freaked out and tried to leave Hana to die in the wilderness instead, buuut Cogita ran into her and managed to stop her. Hana’s mom was like “whatever as long as I don’t get banished” and threw the poor kid at Cogita before running back to her clan’s camp, lying and saying the baby died✌️)

Cogita never told Hana about her parents, worrying that Hana might try to go find them and inevitably be disappointed once she realizes they didn’t want her. Hana’s first Pokémon was actually a Shaymin, who wandered by the Ancient Retreat one day when it was injured and latched onto Hana after she and Cogita helped heal it. Hana also definitely befriended a bunch of other legendary Pokémon like Manaphy and the Lake trio that she didn’t realize were legendaries at the time LMAO (Hana was out here meeting gods before any of you could hold a Pokéball)

Cogita teaches her a lot about Pokémon and growing up in a place surrounded by wilderness with very few humans helped Hana connect with them easily. She can’t hear what they’re saying but she understands Pokémon on a very deep emotional level and can almost always tell how they’re feeling. Wild Pokémon were pretty much her only friends as a kid, at least until she runs into Irida and Adaman one day. The two are arguing about something out in the forest- Adaman accidentally scared away an injured Bunery that Irida was trying to help- meanwhile one of Hana’s Pokémon friends tried to lead her to said Bunery, so she was trying to look for it too, and runs into Adaman and Irida bickering instead.

She gets them both to calm down and offers to help them both look for the Bunery, and together the trio end up finding it and helping it (but not without a close call with an alpha Lopunny LMAO) after that she still hangs out with both of them, mostly individually though cause at this point Adaman and Irida still don’t rlly like each other LOL They do learn a lot from each other though, Hana learns more about the clans from them and Hana helps them form and even stronger connection with their Pokémon!

It isn’t until Hana turns 15 does she find out about what happened between her parents. Adaman and Irida somehow find out about it and tell her, which makes Hana PISSED at Cogita for hiding this from her all her life. She storms off to try and find her parents, hoping that she can convince them that they can all be a family again. She ends up finding her mother, who pretends to not know who she is and denies anything about ever having a child with a Diamond clan member at first. Eventually her mother snaps and just screams at her to leave before she ruins her life even more, heartbroken Hana at least tries to see if her father will want her. She finds her father, who is VERY surprised since he had no idea he even had a daughter, he and Hana’s mother just split up right away once they found out they were from opposite clans. He’s not as hostile towards Hana, but is still hesitant around her, while he doesn’t outright shun her he refuses to take her in.

Hana feels too guilty to return to Cogita after she yelled at her so she crashes with Adaman for a while since her father doesn’t hate her as much as her mom does therefore she feels at least a little bit safer in the Diamond Clan. Shaymin stayed with Cogita and eventually returned to the wild, so Hana doesn’t have any Pokémon for a long time, but she still spends her days taking care of the wild Pokémon and helping the Wardens whenever she can. Honestly it was her wild Pokémon friends who helped her get through those rough next few years. Once she’s 18, though, she sees how much Jubilife Village is struggling to coexist with Pokémon and she’s like “oh lord these people need all the help they can get” and ends up joining the Galaxy Team! She dedicates her survey work to helping people understand Pokémon better, and often helps introduce the townsfolk to Pokémon who can help them in their daily lives.

Eventually, her relationship with her father somewhat improves and she reconnects with Cogita, though still remains in Jubilife Village. When Auberi is banished by the Galaxy Team she’s actually the one who suggests they go to Cogita (though Volo still leads them to her). When not in her uniform she wears the Shaymin-themed outfit from the game as a way to honor her first Pokémon, hoping that one day it will forgive her for leaving it behind and come back. She also gets a Rowlet from Professor Laventon since she’s most familiar with grass types. Shaymin does eventually return and Hana catches it again :)

Extra note but Volo’s betrayal hit her hard. She didn’t exactly grow up with Volo, but during her time living with Cogita she knew him well enough to consider him a friend. Even after she moved in with Adaman and eventually to Jubilife they kept in touch, sharing stories with each other and generally goofing off. So when she, Atticus and Auberi confront him atop Spear Pillar she is PISSED

She catches Giratina sometime after that and while she does release it eventually she still spends the rest of her life looking after it doing what she can to make sure no one abuses its power again.

Atticus

Atticus is originally from Unova, and ran away to Hisui when he was 18. Everything started around the time he and his twin sister, Asher, were 11- they grew up with a mother who never wanted them to begin with and constantly neglected them. Although Asher had long accepted that their mother didn’t care for them, Atticus was always trying to win her approval, but nothing he ever did was enough.

Eventually, an old man came to their door and offered to take the twins. Their mother immediately obliged and sent them away, much to Atticus’ distraught. The old man- who’s name was Genesis Harmonia- took the two in and brought them back to his village, a small community up in a very desolate part of Unova. Atticus and Asher weren’t considered part of the Harmonia’s family, though, Genesis just had a family friend give them food and a roof over their heads. He was more their mentor than anything.

Genesis had two grandchildren- Mavis Harmonia and her older brother Gavyn Harmonia. The two were forbidden to interact with the twins at first, Gavyn isn’t really interested anyways. Mavis, however, sees how depressed Atticus is over his mother disowning him and she tries to be there for him. The two become best friends, Asher however never really trusted Genesis and avoided interacting with the Harmonias for most of her life. Asher just sits through Genesis’ lectures and zones out but Atticus does his best to learn from his teachings, not wanting to be abandoned again.

By the time he’s 13, Atticus wakes up one day to find out that Asher’s run away, without even leaving him a note or offering to take him with. Distraught over losing the only family he had left, he became solely focused on his training, shutting out the rest of the world- even drifting apart from Mavis. Genesis is a shit guy but he pretends to be a good mentor to Atticus, and Atticus is constantly afraid of Genesis abandoning him like his mother and sister did so he just follows everything he says.

Years later he’s 15 and finally gets an idea of what Genesis’ plan is- Summon the legendary dragons and use them to rule over Unova. Genesis has convinced Atticus that Unova is some horrible place and needs a king to rule it once again, and that Atticus’ destiny is to help him take the throne and drive Unova to an “ideal future”. Asher, however, saw how the world truly was- sure, it wasn’t perfect, but it was nothing like what Genesis had told her and didn’t deserved to be ruled by someone as horrible as him. She ran away cause she learned about the horrible things Genesis had done to get this far- long story short he nearly got Mavis and Gavyn killed when they were rejected by Reshiram and Zekrom (They actually have scars from this incident- Gavyn has a burn scar and Mavis has a lightning scar) and before that he killed Mavis and Gavyn’s mother (his own DAUGHTER) when she refused to help him achieve his goals. And he was planning to use Asher and Atticus to summon the dragons this time around since his grandchildren were rejected by them. He chose Asher and Atticus because he found out they were descended from the old twin kings of Unova and thought that factor would help them earn the respect of the dragons. (Also Asher DID want to take Atticus with her, but was chased out of the village before she could, and Genesis burned the note she left for him.)

Shit happens and Atticus gets Zekrom, Asher gets Reshiram with her own power and idea of truth rather than Genesis’, Asher confronts her brother and the two battle. It’s about to be a draw but Asher manages to get through to her brother, the two call off the dual and decide they were no longer going to fall for Genesis’ lies. Enraged Genesis walks in, kills the weakened Zekrom and Reshiram turning them into the stones, Atticus tries to keep the Dark Stone from him but ends up falling off the cliff he and Asher were just battling on, leaving Asher to think he was dead. Asher defeats Genesis in a rage and disappears with the Light Stone, meanwhile Atticus DID survive the fall and spends the next few years wandering Unova trying to keep the Dark Stone safe.

Eventually, when he’s 18 he comes in contact with Mavis again, and gives her the Dark Stone asking her to hide it somewhere safe. (Mavis has since cut off from her family and is living a happier life by now btw) Then Atticus leaves for Hisui hoping to start a new life, where he becomes a member of the Galaxy Team and Hana’s assistant, hoping to create a better future for people and Pokémon :)

By the time Auberi ends up in Hisui both Atticus and Hana are 20. The three of them work together to solve the weirdness with the space-time rifts and become Hisui’s chaotic trio :D

Also Hana 🤝 Atticus = having moms who don’t want them 😔

[smallestapplin]

OHH I GOT A GOOD ANGST ONE INSPIRED BY ALL THE KAMADO SLANDER!

What if during their missions the hero befriends this pack of hitsuian zoarks and zoras?

They have helped this pack many times during their missions and the pack has grown to care for their dear human friend.

But when you get banished hell has frozen over and what if you were seriously hurted during the banishment?

On top of the mountain everyone even thoughs who helped you will see an illusion of you dying body as the leader of the pack inches towards kamado scarring him for his actions!

Enjoy my fuckery!

Reader is gender neutral, the only she is the alpha Zoroark. Mentions of blood but nothing descriptive.

-

-

You don’t know what you did to deserve being banished, you only did what you were told.

No matter who stood up for you, they were instantly silenced to threatened with war, and that wasn’t something you wanted for any of those you still care for.

You didn’t know what else to do.

You weren’t given the chance to pack your things, or anything at all really, just whatever you had on you at the time.

The clans nor their leaders could help you.

So you wondered around, trying to find something, anything that could help you prove you innocence.

That drive lead you to the Alabaster Icelands.

Snowpoint temple seemed old enough to carry some secrets, maybe you could find something there?

While you set up your own little campsite in a cave you hear something, a curious sounding whine before it morphs into a happy yip.

Looking behind you, you see a little zoura you helped a while ago, if the cut out of their ear was anything to go by.

“Hey little buddy.”

You coo softly, but the small Pokémon senses something wrong, letting out a small whine, more zouras show up.

Ah, it’s the entire pack you’ve helped over the months.

You remember healing them when you found them and handing them back to a very angry and cautious alpha.

Speaking of, a louder, deeper grumble greets you.

The other zouras and Zoroarks of the pack form a soft circle around you, just as the alpha Zoroark makes her appearance.

“Hello to you too mama.”

The family looks at you, all letting out various sad or comforting sounds. The larger Zoroark curls around you, in an effort to keep you warm.

“Thank you.”

It’s funny being held like this. Your thoughts begin to tumble and before you know you, you’re sobbing into the fluffy mane of the Zoroark around you.

You cried your heart out to the whining pack, venting about all that has happened.

Your banishment.

You betrayal.

Your heartache.

They left it all.

The alpha Zoroark rubbed her cheek against your, wrapping herself up in your scarf before moving away. She stood up, speaking to her children before most of the zoroarks left, not without giving you a nuzzle.

One Zoroark was left to keep watch over you and the zouras.

You cried a little more, hugging and cuddling with your new family before falling asleep, surrounded by their fluffy warmth.

You sleep safe and protected, completely unaware of what is yet to come.

The pack of zoroarks quickly move in towards the village.

The have arrived by the next night.

The alpha looks down at the scarf you have yet to notice she took.

They hurt her pup.

They left her pup abandoned in the wilderness to suffer the same fate as her.

They will not be forgiven.

The meeting between the commander and clan leaders was dragging on.

It was late but no progress was being made.

Kamado sighs at Irida and Adaman’s stubbornness, the two were still upset about his ruling over you.

“It’s been almost a week! No one as heard from them, let alone see them!” Adaman’s patience is wearing thin.

“What if something happened to them? These lands aren’t exactly kind.”

Irida was worried, she heard from Lian that the day of you banishment you asked for her, but due to Kamado’s orders he couldn’t help and you left.

You are her dear friend, she hopes you’re safe.

Adaman’s anger is only to mask his fear, Irida is right, these lands aren’t kind, and with you by yourself, with no guards or professor on the look out for you, who knows what could happen.

The door to the side suddenly flings open.

A powerful burst of malicious pressure forcing it open.

Red claws grip the door frame, the Zoroark lowers herself to enter the office.

Before any made a move the gasp.

That’s your scarf, that’s your galaxy uniform scarf that you never took off.

Slowly the Zoroark morphs into you, a blood stained you.

“…..hero?” Irida’s voice breaks, her hands over he mouth with tears stinging her eyes.

Adaman and Kamado stand shocked and horrified at the realization.

It’s you.

“Why did you do this to me?” It’s your voice, it sounds so uncanny.

Your eyes however stay that stark yellow, glaring down the commander.

“I-I didn’t!- I-“

“I will give you a fate like mine.”

The threes face’s paled, neither clan leader’s teams were strong enough to take on such a strong, angry foe.

A part of them didn’t want to. It was you after all, you had every right to be angry.

They stare at the Zoroark’s illusion. It had to be you, the creature had your scarf after all.

You didn’t seem to have any open injuries, but the blood showed just where you were hit.

Adaman felt like puking at the thought of your pain.

With all the commotion, Cyllene and Laventon burst in.

Laventon’s loud cry startled the Zoroark, bringing her attention toward the other door.

Was that your pack mate you spoke fondly of?

“Everyone get back! Abra!”

Ah these the strict one you spoke of as well.

She lunges, breaking her illusion and going for Kamado’s throat.

But Abra teleports him out of the room just in time.

With a loud snark and howl, the village echoes in several howls.

“If you hadn’t banished them this wouldn’t be happening!”

“How was I suppose to know they’d be killed and turned into THAT!?”

“Are you so closed off you don’t see the world you live in anymore!?”

Kamado argues with Irida and Adman, he didn’t think this would happen.

“Enough! We need to take ever safety precaution we have. Zoroarks are dangerous, we won’t know who’s one until they slip up.”

Cyllene quickly takes over the situation.

“Lock down the village and get everyone inside this building state!”

“Yes ma’am!” Galaxy guards run out to round everyone up, alarms are being signaled and the lock down commences.

Hours into the lock down, well into the next morning, everything seems fine.

Kamado spent most of it dealing with the villagers, ignoring the harsh glares being sent his way by the other leaders, Cyllene, and Laventon.

His mind only replaying what happened yesterday.

You couldn’t be dead…could you? Though why else would a pack of zoroarks come to his village? They always stay in the Icelands.

The realization that he had a hand in your demise, seeing a ghostly you, so angry at him.

It made his heart sink.

The commander does his best to make sure that side door stays locked up tight. He always checks to make sure it stays that way, in fear it’ll open and you’ll be standing there, ready to finish the job.

-

With food secured and their mother’s actions done, the pack heads back to their den.

The alpha lets out a soft coo at the sight of you playing with the other pups.

“Oh! Welcome back.”

You holy in surprise when each Zoroark drops human food by you.

“Is that what y’all left for?”

You look at them confused as she nudges you towards it.

“Well, thank you!” You gave some of them some pets before eating some of the food.

Looking over to the mother of the pack you chuckle.

“I was wondering where my scarf went, though you can keep it, it matches you!”

Your chuckle turns into a laugh as she licks your face, fully trying to give you a bath.

Maybe staying here won’t be so bad.

[imfluentinfangirlandgay]

Traitors In Our Midst - Ch 1

[SPOILERS FOR POKEMON: LEGENDS ARCEUS AHEAD. DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS]

Summary: This was the last straw. That damned man had gone too far this time, and everyone knew it. Ingo was pissed. He wasn't going to let this go easily, for Akari's sake or his.

Word Count: ~2100

No matter what his mannerisms may suggest currently, Ingo was not an angry person. Given all of his mixed up memories and the constant thick fog settled over his mind, he knew that much. Before Hisui or now. He was never an angry person. But sometimes drastic action calls for drastic measures, and if this wasn’t drastic action, Ingo didn’t know what was. Ingo gritted his teeth, absolutely fuming. He flexed his hands where no one could see, itching to just throttle someone with his bare hands, and this time it wasn’t Melli.

He held the sobbing child in his arms, on the cold floor of the cave. He patted their hair as they hiccupped, practically clinging to him. When that whole fiasco had gone down, what else could he do? It only made sense that he went into hiding with her. Next thing you know, the entire world crashing down around them was going to be Ingo’s fault too. He played over the scene in his head, wondering if it could have gone any different.

Kamado turned to Akari, Adaman, Irida, Cyllene and himself all hanging back. It had been Akari he had specifically requested, after all. There was something in his eyes that set Ingo off at once. He didn’t trust this man.

It wasn’t until the conversation had escalated that Ingo had felt true fear for the girl.

“Who or what are you, really?! Did you think you could gain our trust by quelling the frenzies you yourself brought about?!” he had practically screamed at her. Akari had frozen, and while Ingo hadn’t been able to see her face, he had an idea about what she may have looked like. Her voice had stuttered as she’d shaken her head, as if trying to convince herself it was all a trick. Ingo didn’t blame her. Kamado had completely derailed!

Adaman and Irida had attempted to argue on her behalf, but Kamado had shut them down in his blind fury.

“Consider yourself banished from the village! You are no longer a part of the Galaxy Team! Do not return until you can explain why these calamities keep happening - no, until you’ve restored everything to normal!” Ingo had raised his own voice in opposition to the absolutely outlandish claims the Commander made, but none helped. He made it sound like it was of his own goodwill that he allowed poor Akari to be able to leave and not be imprisoned. Ingo was outraged.

“Akari has put her own cab through so much hardship all for you! She has achieved every one of your goals for you, and the only thing you can think to do is throw her to the curb like garbage?” Ingo never shouted on purpose, as that was just the normal volume of his voice. However, when he wanted to have his voice heard over the thundering of a train whistle, then by Sinnoh, he would. “What kind of Conductor are you?”

Kamado pointed a finger in his face, “You watch your tongue! You are not completely exempt either! I know you favor the girl and you are foreign here, too. Maybe I ought to lock you in the basement just for your incompetence to your superior!”

“Nobody is my superior here except one individual, and we both know it isn’t you. I will not hear this nonsense of you throwing out a child over a problem there is no way they could have caused!” Kamado had grabbed at Ingo’s arm, locking on with an iron grip.

“Chain him,” he hissed with deadly calm. “I wish to hear no more from this freak’s mouth.” Without thinking, Ingo had grabbed the knife he used for slicing wood, nicking the Commander’s hand. He had loosened in surprise, enough that Ingo could pull away. Akari grabbed Ingo from behind, immediately taking off. The others tried calling after them, even Cyllene, but that didn’t last long. Akari summoned Braviary and they both flew off from town immediately, unsure of their next destination.

Why had Ingo acted so rashly? Surely, if he had been calmer about it, someone could have talked reason into the man. He knew that it was fear that had driven them to this act. Maybe if someone could have confirmed he had performed every safety check…

Akari shuddered in his grasp. Since landing in the Highlands, Akari had not said a word. Ingo had managed to summon Sneasler, who allowed them to take up residence in her cave. Upon sitting, Akari clung to Ingo as if he were the last thing she had (which, in a twisted way, was true). Kamado had been right, Ingo did favor this girl. Maybe it was because she fell from a rift, similar to him. Maybe it was because she did not seem to mind his… eccentricities. Maybe it was because they both bonded with Pokemon in a similar way. Whatever it was, it made Ingo feel a rush of anger on her behalf. He was going to break the Commander’s nose the next chance he got.

Every cry from Akari made Ingo’s gut wrench. He had this vague notion that he had done this before, acting as the shoulder to cry on for someone else dear to him, but damn it all if he couldn’t remember who. He patted her back as she openly wept in a way Ingo had never seen before. He had seen a small tear here and there from some bump or scrape (he had once found her fainted by a wild Pokemon), but this was different. Kamado hadn’t just hurt her, he’d decimated her. Ingo shook his head to himself, forming a plan in his head. Fine. Kamado wanted Akari to fix everything? He had another thing coming for him.

Sneasler rumbled deep in her chest, sitting by Ingo. The Noble’s eyes were filled with concern. She pointed at Akari with a long clawed hand. Ingo nodded, still rubbing her back. He didn’t say anything but he didn’t have to. Sneasler squinted her eyes and bared her teeth. He knew that the other Noble Pokemon would probably have some words to exchange with Kamado too, if they heard. Maybe they would just accidentally hear it through the Grepavine.

Akari’s cries had finally settled down. She still shuddered, but the shaking was less violent. She had her hands covering her ears, her eyes screwed shut as she buried her face in his chest. Ingo didn’t mind in the slightest, though this actually surprised him. He was typically not one for physical touch, but something about this felt vaguely familiar. He rocked her gently back and forth, hoping the rhythmic motion would help pull Akari out of her daze. Slowly, that is what seemed to happen. Her breathing leveled out, her knuckles slowly regaining color as she stopped clutching her ears as hard. Her eyes opened, looking around tiredly. Sneasler noticed this and gently placed a massive claw on the girl’s knee. It rumbled in sympathy. Ingo continued rocking. It just felt nice and Akari seemed to like it, too.

“It’s all my fault.” Her voice was so quiet that Ingo almost thought for a moment he’d misheard something. Ingo froze. The anger returned with full force. She sounded so broken and lost, like she had just kicked a Lillipup and left it in the dirt (what was a Lillipup?). She was blaming this whole thing on herself, when really she didn’t have anything to do with it! This is something that should have been handled amongst adults, but apparently some weren’t grown enough to be able to see that!

Ingo breathed. In, and out. “No, Akari, it is not. You are the last person to blame. You did not ask for the rift to open, you did not ask for the nobles to be frenzied. I watched you risk your life for the things Kamado asked you to do, without question. No, Akari, it is not your fault. If anyone should be blamed for this mess, it’s Kamado himself. He could not be bothered to come investigate the problems for himself and had to send the poor child from the sky to do his dirty work for him.”

“Because I’m disposable?” Akari asked suddenly. She made eye contact with Ingo, something he didn’t love, but he couldn’t look away, not now. Her eyes were still bloodshot, a moment away from spilling more tears. “Because no one would notice or care if I got lost in the field?” Ingo couldn’t lie to her, he knew that. But he knew that she had also hit the nail right on the head. That was exactly why Kamado had used her. He must have stayed quiet for too long, because she looked down and barked out a bitter laugh. “And that’s why he sent me away again, so I could do everything like his little eager Aipom and return to him with the answer in a nice little box and he can get the credit for it.” She rubbed her arms impulsively.

“Then don’t.” This was definitely not something in character for Ingo, but he couldn’t help himself anymore. “Don’t go running off to fix his problems. Let him struggle. See how much he truly needs you on the team. And then maybe, only if he truly apologizes, then finish the task at hand.” Ingo recognized that this may not be the wisest plan, but he did not care suddenly. Kamado hadn’t just attacked him, but Akari. And he was going to regret it.

“B-but isn’t that going against safety?”

“Well, technically not, because not only was it never your problem to begin with, but now you are out of the face of danger, are you not? Facing Kamado again would be more dangerous than sitting in this well-protected cave.” Even Ingo recognized his words did not make the most sense, and yet they somehow did. He shook his head. “I know you want to help, and that’s why you are so much better than Kamado ever will be. How about this. Nothing good will come out of running out tracks down, so how about we rest our cabs here and figure things out tomorrow? I doubt that rift is going anywhere, especially given the treatment that Kamado has taken. I can take the watch and ensure no danger sneaks up on us.”

Akari played with her fingernails, still in his grasp. She opened her mouth, and then closed it. Then opened it again. Ingo encouraged her with his gaze. “Do you think you could stay here? With me? I don’t want to be alone. After everything. I know it might be a lot and… if you don’t want to that's okay but-”

Ingo shook his head at her. “It’s quite alright, Akari. You dealt with a lot today, better than I did. And you have not had the chance to properly rest since coming to Hisui. On top of everything else, some of which I understand deeply, you look exhausted. If you promise to rest your engines, I will happily accompany you on your track.” Akari nodded, not wanting to look at him. She stood and stretched, allowing Ingo to do the same. He moved his thin mattress and blankets from the mouth of the cave into the deeper interior, in case someone did happen to find them. Sneasler prodded his shoulder, pointing her claws at the entrance, then at herself.

“You say you’ll take watch?” Sneasler nodded, tapping him with her claws, then pointing at his bedroll. “My Lady, I couldn’t just-” Sneasler cut him off with a huff, practically shoving him towards the blankets. “As you wish, my Lady. Please call me if there is danger.” She nodded again, quickly scampering out of the cave. Ingo returned to the newly made bedspread and Akari.

She had already laid down, releasing her Samurott as she did so. It splayed out by her side, allowing her to curl up against it. Seeing Ingo, she beckoned to him like a child would their parent after a nightmare. He knelt next to her, removing his cap and setting it aside. He mirrored the Samurott, the large Water-type rumbling quietly. He lay out on his back, stiff as a board. Akari grabbed his arm and clutched it to herself, burying her face in his old, ratted coat.

Ingo rolled onto his side and threw the other side of his coat over Akari, effectively squishing her between her partner and himself. Samurott nuzzled her head with its nose. Akari gave out a small, bubbly laugh as it played with her hair. She settled in, pleased with the warmth offered by the two around her. As she drifted off to sleep, Ingo couldn’t help the arm he threw over her. His passenger’s safety was always his first priority, after all. Before he knew it, he had drifted off the tracks too, directly into sleep.

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