#other than ingo but hes not always around them

[ryssbelle]

Legends Arceus blorbos got me like 🤪

[aya-luri]

Am I the only one who doesn't associate Zekrom with Ingo and Reshiram with Emmet but do it the other way around? Well, perhaps this will become an unpopular opinion, but, if you stop to think about it there are quite a few points that can support this theory. Let's check them out! To begin with, it's the legendary dragon Zekrom the one who appears on the cover of the White version of the game, while Reshiram does the same on the Black version, which would indicate that they actually represent their opposite color. Such small detail is already important in itself, not just the basic color of the dragons per se. Also we all know that Zekrom's associated element is the electric type, like Emmet's Eeleektros, while Reshiram's is the fire type, like Ingo's Chandelure, both being the most representative pokemons of the Subway Bosses.

Although the issue of ideologies of each dragon is used to link them with each brother among the fandom, "ideals" being the one typically attributed to Ingo for his passionate way of encouraging trainers, while for Emmet it is the "truth" for his direct way of communicating, this could work much better the other way around. If we have learned anything from Ingo on Pokemon Legends Arceus, it is that this man is full of existential doubts that lead him to want to get closer to the player in order to know more about himself. That's it, the truth about his origins. But he already had some tendency to this type of behavior long before, as it was evident in the first Black & White games.

"Where is my destination? I've kept thinking, and I've learned one thing. That is, you cannot know what happens after winning without winning." Through such questions, Ingo seeks to reach a real conclusion, his own truths. And perhaps in our idealized image of him we forget that he can also be frank and direct, without the need to embellish words with lies.

"However, it is difficult to win unless you and your partner are in total sync." On the other hand, and as we have said before, the frankness with which Emmet expresses his opinions makes him look like an open-minded character, sincere, making this seem (for many people) to be his only notable characteristic, despite the fact that it's kinda obvious the way in which he greatly idealizes Pokémon battles.

"This time, I am really serious. Really serious. Because if a battle is not serious, it is not fun." He firmly believes that there is a way to go about Pokémon battles, and that way is by giving it your all in them, and in an ideal world, everyone would have fun battling just as he does, but this is not always the case. Emmet clearly expresses how he believes things should be, and he's also aware that his own victory may not only be due to his skill but also to circumstantial elements or, put another way, luck. So he also idealizes the player's own defeat when it occurs, having enough consideration to make it seem like something unfourtunate. Further proof that the fandom has been associating the wrong dragon with the wrong twin can be found in the legend of the twin heroes, where it was the oldest who pursued the truth, while the youngest pursued the concept of ideals.

This birth order also corresponds to Ingo and Emmet, Ingo being the eldest of the both and Emmet the youngest.

That's why despite being white, I think Reshiram suits to Ingo much better and the same for Emmet regarding the black dragon Zekrom. All of these points put together carry much more sense than simply thinking that each dragon's ideologies relates to a brother just by the main color of his outfit. Although this, in the end, does not have much relevance either, since canonically there is no relationship between these legendary Pokémon and the Subway bosses, other than the simple fact of playing with mere chromatic issues. Still, it's always fun to speculate, right?

[smilesrobotlover]

Talon has never been afraid of things that people were typically afraid of. He never understood the fear surrounding spiders—he only found them to be pests that needed to be put outside where they belonged, and he even found some of them cute. Talon never found water frightening, the dark was no issue to him, and he found tighter spaces more cozy than anything. He was scared of monsters, but that felt more like a valid fear since they could actually kill him. But everything else he never understood the fear others had. That is, until he was swept into a different world surrounded by men looking for their respective heroes of Hyrule. Talon discovered that he was terrified of heights. He’s never had to climb anything high up—back then he would have his wife reach high places for him. Now either Malon or Ingo took care of those problems for him since they were both taller than him. But being on this adventure, he had to face heights more times than he’d like, and every time he faced them, his legs would turn into mush and he’d struggle to stand on his own. He always tried to hide it since he already felt like a burden to the other men, but he couldn’t. It was all getting worse when the men found themselves in the mountains, inching closer to cliff-sides that made Talon dizzy. Rusl picked up on Talon’s nervousness and he rested his hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t like heights?”

Talon gave him a look and let out a shaky breath. “Y-you could say that.”

Rusl smiled. “It’ll be ok, we’ll take care of you. And besides, we have Kass here in case we fall!”

The blacksmith gestured to their feathered friend who was chatting with Benji, but it didn’t make Talon feel any better. He didn’t want to put any responsibility on Kass, and he definitely didn’t want to fall in the first place. As the men walked, Talon couldn’t help but notice the cliffside getting closer to them, and he felt himself pressing up against the rocky wall more and more the closer it got. The path turned rocky and rough, and the edge was inches away from his feet. Talon turned away from the cliff, hugging the wall as he shuffled forward. This slowed him down, and the others were far ahead of him, not seeming to care that one wrong step could send them to their death. But Talon didn’t care; he didn’t bother to call for them. He was just focused on his breathing and shuffling along the wall.

“Talon.”

The farmer flinched and looked to his side where Leon was standing, watching him worriedly. “S-sorry,” Talon apologized, and Leon waved it away.

“It’s alright, we just don’t want to accidentally leave you behind. Here,” Leon offered his arm for Talon to grab onto, “you can hang onto me, but the sooner we’re off this path the better.”

Talon let out a breath and complied, not caring that it was childish to do so. Leon walked slowly, yet with confidence as Talon stumbled along. It wasn’t like the first knight to slow down for him, but Talon was grateful for it. He peeked over Leon’s shoulder to spot the others already on the other side, with Rusl watching them anxiously.

“We’re almost there,” Leon assured, and Talon nodded.

“I’m so sorry about this—“ Talon started, but Leon stopped him.

“We all have fears, it’s normal. But that’s why we have each other. We don’t have to face them alone.”

Talon smiled at Leon and they pressed onward. He didn’t know how long they were going for, but it felt like forever. But Leon still held onto him as they walked, so he continued. Sudden shouting from the others made him and Leon pause.

“What’s going on?” He heard Leon yell, but he wasn’t able to hear a response before the sound of crumbling rocks was heard. Leon gasped and he spun around, covering Talon as small rocks and dirt fell on their head. Talon felt his stomach lurch as the mountain shook, and a loud crash was heard in front of them. Leon let go of him and he cursed under his breath. Talon opened his eyes only to see the path in front of them destroyed, and the others hidden by boulders.

“Oh goddesses,” he mumbled, and Leon cupped both hands around his mouth.

“RUSL! AMMON!” He shouted, and it was silent until the two heard a faint shout back. Talon let out a sigh of relief, but was returned to his own predicament. “Well, they’re alive,” Leon muttered, turning to him.

“W-what are we gonna do? The way forward is-is broken!” Talon cried, gesturing to the broken path. Leon hummed and walked towards the edge, then he gave Talon an apologetic look.

“It’s not a far jump…”

Talon’s eyes widened.

“No.”

Leon walked towards him, his hands up defensively. “Talon, that's the only way we can reunite with the others.”

Talon shook his head, but the mountain began shaking again, and another loud crash came behind them. To his horror, the other side was destroyed, and there was shouting from his friends again, this time with the clang of metal. They were being attacked.

Leon grabbed his arm and started to pull him towards the edge. Talon pulled back, stopping him in his tracks.

“Talon, we need to go. Now!”

“B-but—but we—“

“I know you’re scared, but we must get to the others or else we’ll be crushed by rocks!” Leon turned to the gap and ran towards it, jumping towards the other side. It didn’t seem to take much effort for him, but it didn’t make Talon feel much better. “Talon please!” Leon tried again, his hand extended. “It’s going to be ok, we’re close to the end!”

Talon swallowed hard, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. He had to be brave—just this once.

The farmer started to slowly move towards the edge, his legs shaking uncontrollably as he shuffled. Parts of the cliffside began to give way, and it nearly made Talon fall to his knees, but with Leon pleading for him to hurry, he continued to move forward. He reached the cliff edge and he felt himself grow nauseous as he glanced over the edge. That was a mistake.

“Come on, Talon!” Leon pressed, his hand extended. Talon paused for a moment before letting out a breath.

“J-just give me a moment—“

“You don’t have a moment! Don’t think about the cliff, just jump!”

Talon swallowed again, his whole body shaking now. He shuffled closer and closer to the edge, feeling weaker each step he took. Leon was clearly growing impatient, but he gave Talon a confident look. He could do this. He had to.

“Run and jump, Talon,” Leon said, waving his arm towards him, and the farmer nodded. He just had to trust himself. Talon took a small step back and took a deep breath, then ran to the cliffside. But as his foot hit the edge, the ground beneath him crumbled, and he yelped as he began to slide over the edge. Talon’s hands were waving wildly, and he miraculously was able to grab onto something, stopping his fall.

“TALON!” The farmer looked up to see Leon reaching out for him, a more desperate look in his eyes. “Grab on!”

Talon was growing hysterical as the only thing stopping him from plunging to his death was his grip on the rocks embedded into the rocky wall. He squeezed his eyes shut, not trusting his strength to grab onto Leon.

“Talon please!”

The farmer looked up at Leon.

“It’s going to be ok,” the first knight assured, inching closer to him. “I won’t let go, just trust yourself, and trust me.”

Talon swallowed again, and he nodded. Using all the strength he had, he began to reach for Leon. Their hands were inches away from each other, and with one last effort, Talon swung himself, and their hands clasped together. Talon smiled relieved, as did Leon.

“It’s going to be ok,” he said again, starting to pull. But Talon heard something, an arrow shooting through the air, and Leon let out a pained yell as it was buried into his back. A sudden electric shock went through both of them, and Talon yelped as he lost all strength in his grip, and he let go of Leon’s limp hand. He could do nothing but watch as Leon and the path grew smaller and smaller as he plunged to the world below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Talon awoke with a jolt. He instinctively started to feel himself, checking for injuries, but he found none. He let out a loud sigh of relief, rubbing his hand against his head as everything came back to him. Was it all a nightmare? He didn’t know what else it could’ve been—he fell. Not even a tough Hylian would’ve been able to survive a fall like that. Yet… it felt so real…

Talon rested his hand on his heart and attempted to slow down his breathing. Whatever it was, he was still worked up over it; beads of sweat were beginning to drip down his forehead, and his throat hurt as though he was about to cry. He glanced over to his left and found himself in a clearing surrounded by trees, but no one else was there. He frowned and turned his head to the other side and found a shallow spring with fairies gently floating around it. Yet no sign of anyone. He sat up and flinched at a sharp pain going through his ribs. He groaned and rubbed at the area, trying to breathe in a way to not make the pain worse. Why was he hurt? What happened? Where was everyone? Talon’s questioning thoughts were interrupted when he heard movement behind him, and he spun around only for his heart to stop at the sight.

A large man was watching him from the shadows of the trees. He had long white hair that sat on his shoulders, with strange markings decorating his cheeks and forehead. But what scared Talon the most were the bright, white eyes staring back at him. The man began to move towards Talon, and the farmer began to scramble away despite his aching side.

“N-no no no! Stay away! Please!” Talon begged as the man reached him in only a few strides, but he stopped in front him.

“Be at peace, Talon. I will not harm you,” the strange man said, his hand raised in a way to calm him. Talon’s mind went blank as he stared at the large man, his eyes feeling like they were popping out of his sockets.

“D-do I—do I know you?” He stammered, fearing to anger him. The man’s expression was blank as he stared back at him, but he shook his head.

“No. But I know you.”

That certainly didn’t tell Talon anything. He looked side to side again, hoping to find one of his friends, but he remained alone with the strange man who somehow knew him. He swallowed and sat up, once again cradling his side with a wince.

“Um… Who—who are you?” Talon tried again, and the man simply kneeled in front of him, his expression continuing to remain blank. He was silent for a moment, and Talon wondered if he even heard him, but he finally spoke up.

“I am called the Fierce Deity,” he answered.

“Oh.” Well that still didn’t answer anything for Talon. But he supposed it was better than nothing. “Well… Uh… nice to meet you then. Um… Can I just call you Fierce? Or… something?”

Fierce’s expression was making Talon grow uncomfortable. He couldn’t tell what he was thinking, or if he was thinking at all. Was he even a Hylian?

“You may call me whatever you like,” he said after a long moment of silence. Talon nodded, and he began to lean back, his whole body beginning to shake. He fell backwards and let out a sigh, staring at the sky. With this… Fierce Deity here… It was becoming harder and harder to explain the previous events as a dream. Fierce suddenly came into his view, and Talon’s eyes widened.

“Wh-what?”

“Are you alright?”

Talon let out another sigh, rubbing his ribs. “I–I don’t know. My ribs kinda hurt. And I’m confused. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know what happened to me, I don’t know how you know me or what you even are. I’m just—” Talon’s voice began to shake and he rested his hand on his eyes. “I’m so confused.”

Fierce’s eyes squinted slightly and he left Talon’s view. “I can explain everything to you Talon, but first—” A twinkling sound was heard, and Fierce entered his vision again, this time with a fairy. “Let’s heal your side.”

Talon frowned, but the fairy floated towards him before he could say anything. In a blink of an eye, the fairy swirled around him, and his side suddenly stopped aching. Talon sat up, staring at his side in surprise. He always knew about the fairies’ abilities to heal, but he never experienced such a thing himself. It was incredible. He looked around him but found that the fairy disappeared. He glanced up at Fierce confused, who picked up on his confusion.

“It’s alright, the fairy only needs to return to a great fairy to rejuvenate her power,” he explained.

Talon nodded and looked down at his side, still amazed by the missing injury. Goddesses, he almost wished he could do that as well.

“It is fortunate that you fell closeby to a fairy fountain,” Fierce continued to explain, and Talon froze. Fell. So Talon did fall, so he…?

“What happened?”

Fierce turned to him and once again kneeled down. “You died.”

Talon’s mind went blank. “What?”

“You died.” He repeated, hitting Talon harder the second time.

“I… died?” Talon repeated himself, feeling his stomach sink to the ground. He died. That fall killed him. How was he alive? Did the fairies save him? Did he die when he hit the ground? His friends…

Did they all think he was dead?

Talon began to grow nauseous, and he ran his hand through his hair. “I died…”

Fierce watched him silently as Talon continued to look down on himself. There was no evidence from the fall, save for his aching ribs, but the fairy healed that away.

“Is-is it true then?” Talon asked in a quiet tone, his voice shaking uncontrollably. Fierce tilted his head which was the first emotion he’s ever seen him express. “Is it true that fairies heal you, even after death?”

Fierce was silent for a moment. “Only immediately after you die. If you die long before you can get to a fairy, then you’ll need fairy’s blood.”

Talon felt the blood drain from his face. Fairy’s blood was extremely illegal in Hyrule. In order to use blood from a fairy, it would have to be killed. To kill a divine creature sent from the goddesses themselves was an act of blasphemy. Did Fierce… kill a fairy to save him?

“You… you didn’t…” Talon started, but he felt his stomach churn, and he covered his mouth, feeling like he was about to vomit. Fierce’s eyes squinted at him, once again showing his confusion. “You didn’t—you didn’t kill a fairy did you?” Talon was able to force out.

“No, you died as soon as I reached the fountain. The fairies wasted no time in helping you.”

Talon felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders and he let out a loud sigh of relief. “Thank the goddesses. I couldn’t live with myself if I was responsible for a fairy’s death.”

The corner of Fierce’s mouth was curled up in a smile, but it went away so quickly Talon thought he imagined it. “I could never harm Hylia’s creatures.”

Talon frowned. Hylia? “Right, well… Thank you for saving my life,” Talon finally said, and Fierce nodded.

“Of course. It is my desire to help Link and those he cares about.”

Talon frowned again. “So you know Link… How—How do you know him? How do you know me?”

“You are Malon’s father.”

Talon nodded slightly. “How do you know my daughter?”

“She is Link’s wife.”

“Ok… And how do you know Link?”

Fierce’s empty eyes stared at him, and Talon swallowed, wishing he could read what he was thinking.

“Link saved me from an eternal fate in Termina,” he finally answered.

It was Talon’s turn to stare. Termina. He’s heard that name before…

“Before I ever saw Link, I always believed that mortals were all the same,” Fierce began, his eyes half-closed as if he were looking down. “They are selfish, greedy, and cruel. They’ll lie to you to benefit them, they’ll steal from you, they’ll hurt you. They use you and then give nothing in return. They imprison you when you have done nothing but help them.” Fierce’s voice had a hint of anger that sent a chill up Talon’s spine. “Link taught me otherwise. When Termina was threatened with destruction, he was the only one who set out and did something about it. I watched him help countless people when it didn’t benefit him; I watched him express compassion that was lacking from other mortals, and I watched him defeat evil, and save Termina.”

Realization hit Talon. Termina. He remembered Link telling him a story about a moon falling in a land and him going back in time over and over again. He always chalked it up as a child’s imagination, but now… was it all real? Did Talon brush his previous adventures away because he didn’t believe him? Guilt crept up on Talon. It was no wonder why he stopped telling Talon his stories. Fierce picked up on his guilt and tilted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing I just… I think I remember Link telling me about Termina… it’s… it’s real?”

Fierce nodded. “Link understands why you don’t believe him.”

Talon was taken aback. “Oh… well…”

“Do not feel guilty for not believing him.”

“… It probably felt like he had no one to talk to though…” Talon sighed. It was no wonder why Link was always so mature and jaded for a child. If everything he told him was true… poor Link.

“He has Malon.”

He supposed that was true, but regardless, he wasn’t there for Link like he should’ve been. He wondered if he would even want to see him again after this adventure…

“You have no idea how much you mean to him,” Fierce continued when Talon remained silent. “Everything you did for him, he cannot ignore it, nor can I.”

He didn’t feel like he deserved such talk. He didn’t even know why or how the deity knew about any of it. Fierce was large and stood out from the rest of the world like a sore thumb. How did he never notice him there, watching him and his family for the past fifteen years? The thought of it all was making him grow uncomfortable, so he decided to change the subject. “So… Termina… what happened after Link saved it?”

Fierce’s eyes went half closed again. “I’m not sure how he did it, but he left Termina, and he took me with him. I was doomed to remain in Termina forever, away from my Hylia. But because of him, I was able to return to her land.”

“You keep mentioning Hylia, is that a person?”

Despite having a blank expression, Fierce gave Talon a look as if he was stupid. “Hylia, the one who created your kind and Hyrule.”

Talon slowly nodded despite not understanding. He’s never heard of a Hylia who created Hyrule. He always thought it was three golden goddesses. If this Hylia created the land he called home, why hasn’t he ever heard of her?

“I could’ve left Link as soon as I was in Hyrule, but I instantly felt an emptiness where Hylia used to be. Judging by your lack of knowledge of her, I take it she no longer resides here?”

“Uh, no I guess not…”

Fierce stared long and hard at him before turning away. “I see. I was always curious since meeting Link, if Hylia’s influence on the world changed mortal’s nature. But, I suppose it makes sense that they were never influenced by the goddess herself. When Link returned to Hyrule he grew ill and didn’t have the strength to carry on. The mortals simply passed him by, which went against what Hylia believed in.”

Familiarity sparked in Talon. He remembered finding Link again in the middle of Hyrule field, burning up with a terrible fever. So Fierce was watching him the whole time. Where was he?

“You proved me wrong again, Talon. Not all mortals are selfish and greedy. Some are… good, and pure…”

“Wait, what? I proved you wrong? How?”

Fierce gave him another look. “You helped Link, and expected nothing in return.”

Talon frowned. “Is this about when I found him with a fever then? Trust me, I ain’t special for doin’ that.”

“You saved him, Talon. That’s not a small thing.”

“Oh come on! He was a sick kid in the middle of the field! Anyone would’ve helped him!”

“No. No one did.”

Talon froze. “What do ya mean no one helped him?”

“Like I said. The mortals passed him by. Link asked around Kakariko and Castle town for help, but he had no money. No one helped him.” Fierce’s voice grew angry again until his face turned to Talon fully. “You were the only one who reached out to him. He had given up at that point.”

Talon stared at him, shocked. It put everything from that time into perspective for him. Knowing Link, an eleven-year-old boy, tried to get help, but no one did? That didn’t seem possible, no one was that heartless.

“That’s how I know you. I saw the way you and Malon treated him. You may think you’re not a good person because you don’t believe him, but that does not erase all the good you’ve done for him. You restored my faith in mortals, and you saved Link. For that, I thank you.” Fierce bowed slightly. Talon felt his face flush and he turned away. He was starting to hate this praise. It almost felt wrong, especially from a deity.

“It… it really was nothin’. But… um… really I should be the one thankin’ you… for… you know… savin’ my life?”

Fierce squinted his eyes again. “You already thanked me.”

“Oh, well… It certainly doesn’t hurt to thank you again, now does it?”

Fierce stared blankly once again. “Why?”

“Well, like you said, it ain’t a small thing.”

Fierce stared for a moment, then turned away. “You mortals confuse me.”

Talon chuckled. “Well if it makes ya feel any better, mortals confuse me too.”

“But you’re a mortal.”

“Exactly.”

Though it was subtle, Talon could almost pick up an annoyed expression on Fierce’s face, and he couldn’t tell if he should laugh at it or not. They both remained silent for a while, until one more question went through Talon’s brain.

“What… are you?” He asked. Fierce looked contemplative as he looked down at his hand, and he glanced up at Talon.

“I’m not sure. I suppose I am what they call a deity. But I have no divine power unlike the others. A demon is a more appropriate thing to call me.”

Fear pricked at Talon’s chest and he turned away. “So you’re a servant to evil?”

For the first time, Fierce’s expression grew dark, and Talon leaned back. Oh no.

“I will never serve Demise,” he growled. Talon nodded, yet continuing to not understand anything he was saying.

“R-right! Well then… you’re no demon!”

“That’s what we were called in Termina.”

“Well, lucky you, this ain’t Termina.”

Fierce’s expression softened and he didn’t press any further. Talon supposed no one knew what Fierce was, but he began to feel less of a threat to him the more he talked to him. Sort of.

“You should get some rest,” Fierce finally said, standing up. “Fairies don’t rejuvenate energy.”

“Oh,” Talon looked down at himself, admittedly still feeling exhausted from before. But… “My friends will be out lookin’ for me. A-and the puppeteer too… I reckon he’s the reason I fell down the mountain.”

“I will keep watch. But you must restore your strength if you are to continue on.”

Talon sighed. The others could be in danger—Leon could be in danger, and he’d be none the wiser. But his heavy eyelids fought against him and he simply laid back, staring sadly at the sky. His mind began to run rampant over everything that happened to him, and he was struggling to calm himself down so he could rest. He died, he was resurrected, Leon was shot with an arrow, and his friends were either dead, fighting, or captured. How was he going to reunite with them? Will Kass fly down to search for him? Will they try to move down the mountain to find him? Or will they continue on, with Talon completely separated from them? Anxiety pricked at Talon; he couldn’t travel alone, even with a deity at his side. He was a farmer, not a traveler. He wouldn’t survive on his own and he wouldn’t know what to do if something happened. His heart already ached for his home and for his daughter, he didn’t feel like he could handle anymore stress. Tears pricked at his eyes and he rubbed his face, feeling a sob threatening to escape his throat. He was spiraling; no matter how much he tried to not think about his current situation, he couldn’t help but only think about it. It was all too much—this whole adventure was too much. Just as he felt himself go into panic, a soft melody suddenly filled the air. It was a gentle, rising melody that put Talon’s mind at ease. He felt his body relax and his eyes grow heavy, and a thought went through his head.

You’re going to be ok.

Talon took in a shaky breath, tears threatening to spill, but the gentle melody continued playing, and he was finally able to fall asleep.

[leggerefiore]

Ooh! An idea with any Poke-Hybrids of your choice, how do you think they'd react if (through whatever shenanigans) S/O was changed into the same hybrid species as them? (Permanent or temporary is up to you)

cw: pokehybrid au, temporary transformation

characters: Ingo, Emmet, Larry, Grimsley

Somehow, you were not sure what had happened, but a very upset Zoroark with oddly coloured fur had done something to you. What had happened was truthfully far beyond you, but something was obviously off with your body. It took a minute until you found a place with a public restroom and mirror. When you had, however, it all quickly became clear. You had to take a step back in panic before reaching for your phone to finally contact your partner.

▲Chandelure Ingo▼

● At first, Ingo had not believed you. It seemed fantastical and not bound by any kind of logic. His main concern was that a Zoroark had used Confuse Ray on you. Yet, when he found you waiting outside, he knew instantly what that eerie purple glow that ruminated from you in the low light of the evening was. Your eyes held a familiar yellow iridescence. Ingo was shocked. Yes, he had met a few other Chandelure hybrids in his time, yet you… Well, you had always been a human. You ran over to him and clung to his body while asking for answers. He only wished that he knew. The older twin rubbed your back as he debated his next moves.

● First, his concern was nutrient changes. Chandelures... They had a very specific dietary need that humans never exactly had to worry about. Teaching you how to responsibly absorb life energy was a must so that you could go without incident while you were stuck as a hybrid. His next concern was behavioural. While he was more than used to suppressing whatever urges entered his mind due to his upbringing, he imagined it would be a bit harder for you. The urge to spin needs to be rejected. He felt odd going through the list of ways he pretended to be human with you. Especially when you gazed at him with a strange look in your eyes. Those feelings were forced down. Your safety was most important.

● Though, he did relax a bit when you two were alone. There was no way to describe the feeling he got as you both spun together to just show your joy or seeing how your flames burned brighter in each other's presence. He hummed for you and felt eager when you joined – an eerie harmony achieved. Part of him felt awful for enjoying these things more than he should. He loved you no matter what, after all. Yet… Indulging these parts of himself without feeling like a bother or strange to you was simply too much. The feeling of having so much deeper understanding of how he was… Ingo cherished those moments entirely.

● Ultimately, however, whatever trick had been done to you wore off, and you were back to yourself within the week. Ingo lamented it for a moment but understood that it was for the best. To have such a sudden, unexpected change brought to you was difficult… He certainly could not have imagined handling it well. The moments of harmonising and dancing with him stayed. The experience had at least given you insight into how to better meet his needs. You did not particularly feel like joining him on “food” runs again, though, alas.

▽Galvantula Emmet△

○ While he did not much like leaving his den (your shared apartment), he felt obligated by how simply distressed you had sounded. It was difficult getting to where you were, but when he found you, he blinked a few times. Then, he screamed and tried to run away. You chased after him, demanding that he help you understand. Needless to say, the instinctual fear of being eaten by a mate was still very much present inside him – Even if he loved and adored you. When you turned to stare at him with six eyes and scuttled around on your legs… His mind just registered panic and fear. You did eventually manage to catch up to him. He calmed down finally. Then, he realised that something serious had happened and called Ingo.

○ He does not know what to do. Emmet is completely and utterly bewildered by your state. You were almost certainly not a Galvantula hybrid when you had departed from the apartment this morning. Now you undeniably were. He then realised something terrible. Your diet! He had already been concerned over human nutrition… He instantly was eager to impress you by hunting more bug types for you to eat. And all to make sure you were well-fed. He verrrrry much did not want to be eaten. Another part that occurred to him was web making… Excitement bubbled up inside him at the thought of teaching you. His fears almost faded instantly at the thought of spending time with you in the ways only Galvantulas could.

○ Building a web with you was definitely a strangely romantic experience. It was mostly learning on your part, but teaching you was something he deeply enjoyed. His gasp when you had made your own hammock made you smile, too. The living may have been filled with many previous attempts, but he felt excited that you finally had done it. There was only more giddiness to follow when you somehow caught a Weedle all on your own in one of your webs. Granted, you still were not a fan of eating bugs, but when told that you might start attacking Emmet, you felt swayed to try. The younger twin felt a sense of contentment with the situation.

○ Yet, it ended. A few days later, you woke up in the web hammock back to normal and able to return to the comfort of human foods. Emmet had been a little sad at first, but the relief that you would no longer be tempted to eat him was something greater. And, well, as much fun as it had been living with another hybrid, he loved his cute human mate way more. You were nicer about his webs, too, having come to understand how complicated they get and their importance to him. The experience was overall a good one, he thinks.

💼Staraptor Larry🏢

🍙 The salaryman nearly hung up. It sounded illogical. The entire story and climbing that you had wings like him. Then, he considered it for a moment. Why would you lie about that? He got up and headed to where you were. His astonishment about your condition was masked by his usual facade. Your panic was clear as day as you rushed towards him, asking him to confirm that you had not been hallucinating. He brought a hand out to your wings, feeling the soft feathers and warmth coming from them. They were real, without a doubt. He felt tired just thinking about how to go about handling this.

🍙 He basically informed you to not really change anything. There was no need to learn to fly, even though he rarely used his wings. There was no need for you to hunt, either. Your diet should fulfil the nutritional standards for a Staraptor. Essentially, he wanted you to remain as you and barely acknowledge the wings and talons. After a bit of pestering, however, he does relent to teaching you how to fly. You kept alluding to it and pushing it – There really was no way to escape how much you wished to learn to fly. He was fine relenting to you.

🍙 Teaching you to fly was a strange experience. You were not a Starly hybrid, after all. Most Staraptors had already long since mastered this skill, yet… You were not really a Staraptor. Your struggles were obvious, certainly looking like hatchling with how you took to the ground, but Larry worked you through everything with detailed instructions, making it clear what you needed to do. Eventually, you both took to the skies together. The experience was odd to Larry yet… It was deeply charming to some instinctual part of him. Flying with a mate was an important part of getting to know each other. You both were long past that stage, though. There was also an unexpected song call between you both. His heart felt oddly light and free from its cynical prison in those moments. Of course… He knew somewhere deep down that they were not meant to last.

🍙 You were back to being your normal self soon enough. Everything was gone. Larry almost felt disappointed, but he had expected it. This was the natural order of things. You seemingly noticed his slightly down turn in mood as you hummed the mating song back at him. He unconsciously returned it. A sigh left him. Well, you really were his mate now as you both had gone through every step on his side of things now. He was grateful the song remained a common thing between you both in the end.

♠️Liepard Grimsley❤️

♤ The gambler actually hung up. Though, when he thought about what you claimed for a moment, he called back and apologised. Well, if you were lying, he supposed he could claim he called your bluff, but… If you were not. He did feel a bit lost on what to do from there. His familiarity with dark types made him wonder if you were under the effect of some Zoroark's illusion and only thought you had those traits. But, well, the illusion of those pokemon are very convincing and almost lifelike. His suspicions remained even when he saw you like a familiar pair of ears and a tail. Though, he let out a chuckle. You looked utterly adorable with Liepard hybrid traits, and he loved how you clung to him and begged for answers. He wished that he knew.

♡ There was little to teach you about being a Liepard. Grimsley supposed if you were not eating meat before, you might have to for now, but he could arrange an appointment with a doctor to figure out what supplements could keep you in good form. He did warn you that your teeth were much sharper now and to be careful if you intended to bite anyone, but there was no reason for you to be biting anyone anyway. Though, you did manage to sneak up on him once or twice and make him hiss at you while puffing up. He then iterates that your steps are unconsciously more controlled.

◇ Part of him quickly grows attached to you being a hybrid like him. Curling up with you while purrs unconsciously erupted from the both of you was simply one of the best things he had in his life. The few times you curled your tail around his waist got a chuckle out of him, too, clearly imitating what he usually did to you. There was also something so enjoyable about being able to scratch at your ears and introduce you to that feeling. Your purrs in response to his touches made him all the more eager. His mind even rushed to more intimate things related to Liepard's biology but…

♧ One morning within that week, you both woke up to your return to normalcy. The ears and tail were gone, alongside any other additions. Grimsley felt mildly annoyed, but he had suspected it was a temporary state from the beginning. Part of him wanted to know about what caused it, yet he was aware that information would simply be too difficult to obtain. He would miss your purrs greatly, and the cute way your tail would betray whatever your emotion your face held. Now, however, you seemed easily to notice when he was creeping behind you. He felt annoyed about that. Fun ruined by that Zoroark. (He enjoys the thrill of it even more, though.)

[gypsypendragon]

I come presenting the first bit of my Submas Au: "Shadows"

(Tis a spooky AU. Below the cut is the first "prolog" bit in written form if you're interested. The next will be a short comic. Anything for this Au im going to be tagging with "Shadows AU")

"Have you guys heard of Shadows?" Elesa turned, walking backwards as she folded her hands loosely behind her back.

The look she received from the twin boys behind her was what she'd been expecting. "Of course we have. What kind of question is that?" Emmet asked with almost an offended quirk in his usual smile.

She waved him off quickly, “I’m not talking about those shadows…” She pointed down to the ground where the trio’s shadows followed diligently beneath them, “I’m talking about the monster shadows.”

This time it was Ingo who gave her a quizzical look, “Like a pokemon?” 

“No, they’re supposedly these spooky things that live in our shadows. Or some other dark world or something” Elesa turned back around to face forward, but slowed her pace until she was walking between the twins, “I heard a couple grown ups talking about them one time.” 

Emmet huffed as he shoved her with his shoulder, “Monsters dont exist like that, it’s probably some kind of pokemon.” 

“I asked my dad about them!” Elesa shoved him back, “He told me they’re said to be connected to our actual shadows. Everybody’s got a shadow, so there’s as many of these things as there are people. They lurk in the other world that’s supposed to be exactly like ours, but it’s dark and backwards.” 

“That sounds… unpleasant…” Ingo’s fingers curled around the strap of his backpack slightly as he blinked wide-eyed at Elesa. 

“Oh dont listen to her!” Emmet waved a hand at his brother, “She’s obviously making it up.”

“I am not.” Elesa puffed her cheeks out at Emmet before she turned to Ingo, opting to ignore the twin who wasnt interested, “But the other world is an unpleasant place! The Shadows know it is too, so they’re constantly, always trying to get here to our world! They want to take the place here, so they dont have to be trapped there… but they cant do that, cause they dont look like us all the way.” 

“Are they just, formless? Like our actual shadows?” Ingo asked despite the exasperated look from Emmet over Elesa’s shoulder.

She shook her head, “Dad told me they cant take our place here because they arent complete. They dont have faces like we do, they’re just wisps of darkness from half their head up!” She put her fingers against the bridge of her nose just a bit lower than half way and gestured to the upper part of her face, “It’s all gone, that’s why they cant be here cause they dont look like us.”

“So what’s the point of these things if they cant even come here anyway? Why would they want to come here if they cant?” Emmet this time, causing Elesa to turn away from Ingo who was starting to look a tad concerned. He was wearing a rather scrutinizing expression as if expecting her not to have the answer. 

“They can get faces! If they get a face they can take the place of the person who’s shadow they belong to…” Elesa said quietly which caused Emmet’s smug expression to falter a little. 

“...H-How do they do that?” Ingo’s question was quiet, concerned. 

“There’s a few ways, supposedly, some people said they naturally gain a face as we get closer to death here on our world, and when their person dies they finally gain a face…” Her eyes darted between the twins and found even Emmet was quietly staring at her with a slight tension in his jaw, “Then if they can find a way to our world they linger and stay; like how people claim to have seen people they know long after they’ve died…”

The boys shared a shaky gaze with each other as the trio walked. The sun set lower and lower in the sky, their own shadows stretching further and further behind them. Two pairs of steel blue eyes darted around to the lengthening shadows around them as they subconsciously drifted closer to Elesa. 

“W-What…” Emmet swallowed quickly after his voice wavered, “What’s the other way?”

“Well… sometimes, there’s little cracks between the worlds. And sometimes, the shadows find them. They slip through and make it here, with us, but they cant stay long because they arent complete…” Elesa’s voice dropped as the sun vanished behind the tall buildings, the warmth of it fading away leaving only a chilly breeze of the coming night, “So they have to, steal our face before they go back to the other world…” 

“S-Steal?” Ingo wrung his hands around his backpack strap, “How… do they do that?”

“Well, the only way they get a face is when their person here dies… so they, try to kill the person they belong to.” She looked at each of the twins as she spoke, taking a bit to slow her steps enough she was a bit behind them as she explained, “They can come through whenever there’s a crack, and they find it… and they can blend into any shadows nearby…”

The boys had automatically drifted closer to each other as Elesa talked, essentially pushing her out from between them. Ingo gripped the sleeve of Emmet’s shirt as the nightly shadows stretched around them, the dim lights of streetlamps making longer, darker shadows.

“They arent actually real right, Emmet?” Ingo asked quietly as he watched a particularly dark shadow pass by under their feet as they walked. 

“C-Course not!” Emmet managed a bravado he didnt feel as he stared down at the shadow under his own feet, “Even if there’s stories or whatever I still think it’s a pokemon or something! People had tons of spooky stories about ghost pokemon…” 

“Elesa you were just, making them up right?” The boys turned around to glance back at their friend, but found they’d wandered away without her. 

“E-Elesa?” Ingo called out quietly. 

There was no answer. 

“Oh ha-ha, not funny!” Emmet shouted with a twitch in his grin as he fought off the growing anxiousness he felt, “You’re not gonna scare us just disappearing like that!” 

While the boys were aware Elesa liked to prank them, it was proving difficult to keep the reminder at the front of their mind. An edge had settled into their thoughts, and the chilling air of the night and the shadows creeping under their feet were not helping against the words Elesa had just told them. 

“E-Emmet…” Ingo tugged his twin’s sleeve. 

“Y-You’re not gonna scare us Elesa!” Emmet tried again as he grabbed Ingo’s arm. 

Still silence stretched onward into the night as the Twins stood still. Caught in the space between the two street lamps, shadows were warped and long, and each one that moved caught the boys’ attention. 

“Let’s go already Emmet…” Ingo said, trying to pull his twin onward, “Even if it is Elesa… I-I dont wanna be out here anymore right now.”

Emmet was rooted for a moment, but he nodded slowly and awkwardly followed his brother, “Im gonna get her for this… her and all her scary stories!” 

“You really think it was just a story?” 

A stiff nod was all Emmet could get out for a moment, “Y-Yeah… she’s always telling us stupid spooky stories to scare us…” 

“True…” 

They walked in silence for a moment; Ingo still tightly holding Emmet’s sleeve and the strap of his backpack. Emmet stared forward stiffly trying not to let himself jump at the shadows that moved around them. They had just passed another streetlamp when Ingo jumped startling Emmet. 

“What?!” He asked quickly, finding Ingo’s gaze was glued to the foliage next to them; a short iron gate they’d been walking by with flowers and vines growing out through it. 

“S-Something moved the flowers I saw it!” Ingo said quickly looking back at Emmet. 

Emmet glanced into the messy foliage and vegetation, the gate was short enough they could jump it, which meant Elesa could too if she was following them to scare them. Emmet glared at the darkness beyond the plants. 

“Not funny anymore Elesa! You’ve spooked us good already!” 

Nothing answered still, and Emmet huffed. He turned and walked forward toward the plants causing Ingo to awkwardly follow behind. 

“E-Emmet?!” Ingo’s voice was dripping with surprised question, wondering why exactly his brother was going toward the sound instead of away. 

“It’s just Elesa I know it is.” Emmet huffed as he reached the gate, “I’ll just pull her out of there so we can stop this stupid ga-”

Emmet didnt finish, his words instead devolving into a horrified, startled scream which was accompanied by his brother’s own as well. From underneath the bottom of the plants arms shot out and grabbed one ankle on each of the brothers. Fingers squeezed around their ankles tightly before they panicked and stumbled backwards tripping over themselves and each other. Ingo tripped first, having jumped nearly five feet in the air, and his latch on Emmet dragged his brother down who had been trying to regain his own footing from his panicked backpedaling. Emmet landed on Ingo who landed in the grass as the two flailed and panicked for a moment. 

A wicked, full body laugh sounded over their panicked breathing as they stopped struggling against each other’s limbs and looked back toward the plants. Elesa stood up, leaves sticking up out of her hair and stuck to her shirt, as she laughed hard. She laughed so hard she wheezed a bit as she put a hand to her stomach. 

“I think… I think I’ve gotten you guys the best with this one!” She worked out words through her hysterical laughter, “What a reaction!” 

The boys stared up at her dumbly for a second before they reacted. Ingos arms, which had been supporting him, gave out and he flopped backwards into the grass, sprawling out with a shaky sigh of relief. Emmet on the other hand glared daggers at the girl across from them as he threw his brother’s legs off of him and scrambled to his feet. 

“You nearly gave us heart attacks!” Emmet huffed out angrily as he jumped up, “Y-You and your stupid stories!” 

Elesa was still chuckling, working to get herself back together as she wiped at her eyes, “Dont be a baby! It’s not my fault you two scare so easy all the time! You even knew it was me and you still got scared!” 

“You’re the worst sometimes you know!” Emmet huffed at the girl as he threw his hands up before turning to help pull his brother to his feet. 

Ingo was wobbly, but looked much more relieved now, the strap of his backpack had taken quite a beating this time though. 

“You two are too easy.” Elesa sighed out with a smirk.

“We’ll get you back one day.” Emmet glared at her, “You’ll never see it coming.” 

She folded her hands behind her head as the trio finally went to finish their walk home, “Sure, sure. Whatever you say Emmet.” 

He stuck his tongue out at her, and she returned the gesture.

They walked for a while in silence, until Ingo broke it glancing at Elesa.

“All the stuff you said…” He started catching her attention, “That was all just a scary story right?” 

Elesa shrugged as the boys both glanced at her, “I did hear about the shadows before from my dad, just some kind of supernatural thing that supposedly exists. Like normal ghosts and stuff like that. I dunno if any of it’s true though, like how people say they’ve seen ghosts and aliens and all that junk.”

“It’s just stupid stories.” Emmet said firmly patting Ingo’s shoulder, “Dont worry about it! Elesa’s just always messing with us…” 

He squeezed Ingo’s shoulder tightly, but his jaw was tense.

It was just another of Elesa’s scary stories. 

[writing-time-bitches]

Submas headcanons

-Emmet was nonverbal as a child. He always had a frown on his like a his brother before being told that a smile would make him look more approachable. He doesn’t know when he began smiling. (Though, he certainly didn’t mind being talked to)

-Ingo is self-sacrificing. Its the older brother/mother hen complex he has.

-Ingo, Emmet, Elesa and Skyla were all childhood friends before Skyla moved to a different city. Elesa and Skyla reconnected in their late teenage years, with the twins following shortly after.

-Ingo, as a kid, would often take the blame for Emmet’s mistakes. Like if Emmet accidentally knocked over a glass vase, Ingo would jump to take blame and get punished instead. He doesn’t like to see Emmet ashamed. (So why did he always look that way when they were kids?)

-Ingo has the memory of a goldfish(me fr) and can barely remember what happened the day before while Emmet can recite the gear station train conductor handbook from start to finish, word for word, from heart. (Its over 300 pages)

-Sometimes they swap coats for fun.

-They take over each other’s battle trains from time to time, especially during the gym challenge season in Unova. Its always amusing to see fledgling trainers suddenly start panicking when they see Emmet on the Singles.

-Emmet is scarier than Ingo.

-Ingo is a cat person. Emmet prefers bugs.

-They have an attic full of Joltiks much to their landlord’s dismay. The electrical bill is… very high.

-Emmet does not like conflict! And neither does Ingo, especially when it relates to himself!!

-They LOVE soft fabrics. Almost every piece of cloth they own is made with Silcoon silk. Rough or gritty clothes… sends them over the edge. Including sweaters.

-As a kid, Emmet was heavily dependent on Ingo. And Ingo was stuck to Emmet’s side like he were coated in dipplin syrup. Being nonverbal made it hard to be around people and to keep those people with them.

-Emmet speaks softer and quieter than his brother but can be just as loud. Ingo is just a loudred in human form.

-Their parents didn’t know how to raise autistic twins. Ingo pretty much raised himself and Emmet. (The scars from glass sometimes stung when they looked at happy parents for too long)

[r0-boat]

Possessive

Cat hybrid! Ingo x reader x Cat hybrid! Emmet

Cw: slight yandere, jealous, and possessive Behavior.

They owe you their lives for rescuing them. Ingo I'll never forget the day it was a cold snowy night him and his brother, who had been surviving outside for as long as they could remember seeking refuge in an old abandoned train tunnel. Emmet being stubborn, refusing his brother's torn coat no matter how cold he was. Him and his brother were tired cold and starving this town was unforgiving too wild hybrids and they were not cute kittens anymore and nobody was willing to bring home two strange men.

Thats when Emmet, trying desperately to huddle into his own clothing for warmth, noticed a bright light coming down the tunnel. As the bright light approached they noticed a figure, a human. Emmet hissed at the figure, all day they had been running from mean humans and other hybrids just to find a spot to sleep but Ingo did not want any trouble he understood his brothers frustration but responding hostility would only brew more hostility. The human had a green uniform and the light came from a lantern they were holding. They came to inspect the old railway tunnel as their boss was hoping to remodel and refurbish for future use. But they did not expect to find two hybrids cold and dirty looking glaring up at them. The one with a smile was growling at you, his tail fluffed and his ears flattened. The one who had a frown his voice scratchy husky as if he was suffering from a cold spoke quietly

"Please we do not want any trouble if we're trespassing; we'll leave immediately."

Your heart broken too technically they were trespassing but you couldn't just kick them out like this.

"Do you need help? Here come with me."

Ingo with speechless, unable to answer this was a random human who offered their help normally he wouldn't trust strangers but they are in no shape to decline help of any kind Emmet was confused. Surely this was some kind of joke? But seeing his brother take the humans offered hand, he was still wary, but he would have done the same.

Now, their lives have changed. Ingo smiles fondly, seeing his brother now practically begging for the human's attention.

Emmet hated you at first; he would stay respectful and cordial, but other than that, you'd always keep his distance. If he weren't with his brother, he'd be somewhere else. Now he's attached to you to the hip, insisting on following you around anywhere. And he can't blame him. You are as kind and gentle as your heart, taking in two strange hybrids, opening up your home to them and your heart. And their mind has saved their lives. They are indebted to you, and they'll happily do anything and be anything you desire.

Now they walk side by side with you, your scary "dog" privileges. You like they keep the creeps away, but sometimes…

"Ingo… I told you we were going to have a guest tonight. Why did you throw him back out?" You were sad and Confused. You brought home a date, and for some reason, you are normally polite and well-mannered. Hybrids started acting strangely, cold, and childish, squishing themselves in between you and your date. Literally and figuratively, as they squeeze themselves in between the two of you or cut into your conversations, anything to steal your attention until your date who has gotten fed up with their shenanigans and leaves your home.

"My dear, I don't know what it was about him, but he didn't feel right to me," Ingo said.

"What are you talking about? He was great, perfect even. Emmet ?" Looking over at his brother for his opinion Emmet who had a triumphant smile on his face, bluntly stated, "Good riddance, I'd say. He did not deserve you."

You sighed in frustration, resting your head in your hands. This was the third date they had chased off. It's not like going somewhere would stop them the last two times you tried; they were conveniently in the same place you were.

"Guys, please. If you don't stop chasing people the way I might actually get a partner. And not die alone."

Emmet wiped his head around, walking toward you, wrapping his arms around you from behind. "don't say that; you are not alone because you have us."

Ingo agrees, taking your hand in his, steel gray eyes staring into yours. " That's right, you already are a part of our 3-car train. You don't need anyone else."

[nekumiho]

persona 3 reload came out yesterday so Naturally i was obligated to finally do a finished piece with my silly velvet room attendants submas au. alt versions, lore info, and misc doodles under the cut o__o (attendant related p5 spoilers mentioned). also sorry for the eyestrain.

protags they attend to are Fellow Twins hilda and hilbert who always just get referred to as 'passenger(s)'. velvet room manifestation is the inside of a subway car, no i havent worked out what that symbolizes to hilda and hilbert, dont worry about it. but i think whether its visibly in motion or not wld depend on the protags' mental state, one side of the windows for hilda and one for hilbert. mostly dark empty with no visual movement outside the windows w/ maybe a flickering station light somewhere or a visibly blocked tunnel for when theyre feeling stuck in life, default would be like a well lit platform outside of the window with faceless shadow people walking around, how crowded it is depends on their progress with social links. high speed through the tunnels with their half of the car rocking violently when there's high stress super dire stuff going on, steady movement when theyre making progress with something, etc etc

their brassards HOPEFULLY translate to 'down' (χάμω) and 'up' (πάνω) in greek??? i wanted smth like caroline and justine's hats but also not The Same and uhhh yknow. persona 3 and greek mythology are pretty :handshake:.

i dont wanna steal margaret's eldest sibling clout so i think physically ingo and emmet would be younger than her but only barely. margaret is literally the only attendant i can see being physically over like 35 and i need sbms to be mid thirties at like the bare minimum. theyre highkey disturbed whenever lavenza willingly splits herself back into caroline and justine. weirded out by the other 'twins' in general bc they're not even Real twins. they gatekeep being twins. if anyone asks "so are you guys also just two halves of one person" it will be the most offensive thing you could ever say to them. elizabeth and emmet bully theodore together. ingo doesnt dislike theodore but just kind of forgets he exists because the twins are always being like "my brother, [name] (pauses and remembers theodore), i mean, ONE of my brothers,"

emmet is very :handshake: with elizabeth while ingo is very :handshake: with margaret. they both have their own fave sisters whoops. (sorry lavenza). in any sort of 'dancing game' scenario theyre both awkward as hell. very theodore core in general with emmet having some of the elizabeth vibes of just 'i am just never going to stop making random jerky body movements' ingo is a BIT more stiff. but like in general i think theo's way of life and elizabeth's aria of the soul have pretty good ingo and emmet vibes respectively. if i ever learn model editing beyond texture replacement its so over for my mmds.

i love igor dearly but i think since there are Two of them they can kinda handle stuff on their own while igor helps with Other persona protags in their respective rooms? emmet says shit like "YEAH FUCK IGOR THIS IS OUR LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!" and ingos like "emmet be nice thats still our boss and the only reason he let us be in charge is because hes busy".

ingo handles all persona fusion stuff and emmet does storage/organization/other misc stuff and gives you p3 elizabeth styled quests. they can both be social linked because i say so. emmet is justice arcana and ingo is judgement. emmets quests are the only way or at least the main way to increase your social link with him and if you dont finish one of his Special Request ones you lose your link with him. one of the special requests is to take him and ingo to see a real subway station 100% because theyve never seen one.

of all the other velvet rooms, they like the p4 one the most because the inside of the limo is the closest to the subway car they're familiar with but i think theyd like the p3 one too for the possible rocking motion of the elevator eternally going up

thats all i can think of right now i THINK thats everything??? so heres an original concept sketch,

and also a funny emmet quest moments doodle

oh yeah emmet really fucking loves jack frost because they have similar vibes. ingo, on the other hand, is a big pyro jack fan.

[subway-boss-jericho]

Queuing posts for most of my AUs! Check out this Masterpost! ᵈᶦˢᶜˡᵃᶦᵐᵉʳ ⁻ ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉⁿᵗ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉᶦʳ ᶦᶜᵒⁿᶦᶜ ᵏⁿᶦᶠᵉ ᵇᵃⁿᵍˢ! ᴵ ˡᵉᶠᵗ ᵗʰᵉᵐ ᵒᶠᶠ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᶦˢ ʳᵉᶠᵉʳᵉⁿᶜᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵏᵉᵉᵖ ᵗʰᵉᶦʳ ᶠᵃᶜᵉˢ ᶠᵘˡˡʸ ᵛᶦˢᶦᵇˡᵉ.

Mechanical Dreams (can you hear the cogs clicking?)

-Premise- Alright. Bear with me, this one is very, very different. To give you the elevator pitch summary, I had a dream involving my version of Ingo from Steady Tracks except instead he was a hundreds-feet-tall mecha robot trapped under the ocean. Everything else is stuff I have worldbuilt around this concept in order to make the timeline of events make sense. Cool? Cool.

If that sounds interesting enough to read the less summarized version (LONG), get ready for one hell of a canon divergent crack AU:

Ingo and Emmet are both native-born Hisuian and proud members of the Pearl Clan. Unlike most members of their clan, they do not fear most pokemon. For a reason neither of them can place, they've always gotten along with them a little better than they did with other people. They've spent a lot of time getting to know pokemon, learning to battle alongside them, and bonding with them.

One night changes everything they've ever known. Young and bright, no older than 19, the two of them share a foreboding and brilliant dream.

Mighty Sinnoh approaches them face to face, speaking of an unknowable calamity on the horizon. Pokemon overflowing with incredible power- interfering with their natural ability to shrink, forcing them to grow taller than the mountains. In a blind rage of unbearable, uncontainable energy, they will ravage the lands of all living things. These will be known as the Darkest Days, when rifts in time and space bring Dynamax Energy down on Hisui.

Sinnoh has waited patiently to interfere with this disaster, observing each candidate and deliberating over who to designate as its heroes. After all this, the twins are Sinnoh's first choice. Should they choose to accept this duty, they may take the power to prevent this crisis into their own hands. Should they choose to deny it, it will continue to the next candidates it has selected until someone agrees to its terms.

It has chosen them because of their synchronicity, their bond, and their compassion for the pokemon of the region. If they bear this duty, one of them will become an overwhelming force- As powerful, if not more so, than the pokemon that will rise to challenge them. He will become a work of machinery so beautiful and so complex that he will rival work made in centuries to come- So impossibly grand that he will take on life incomparable to any creature or mechanism that has or ever will walk the earth.

In order to sustain such a life, this is what will become of the other: A being overflowing with energy and will. The ability to command metal with only the thought of desire, the knowledge and dominion over electricity to know and understand all things made of them. With these he can repair and protect the other, just as the other defends and protects all the region. He will be made brilliant just as his brother, but will remain of flesh and blood to ensure both are separate in the restrictions of their capability.

Their lives will entwine, ensuring the safety of both so long as both desire the safety of the other. The machine will power the soul, a fortress of steel defending the lives of both. So long as the machine does not perish, the engineer will never be susceptible to his own mortality. Neither age nor injury will prevent him from returning to the other's side.

With this overwhelming duty, impossibly vast opportunity laid out in full before them, the twins need to talk. More than anything, they need to decide. Will they? Yes. Absolutely. They could pass this on to someone else, but both of them would rather be able to ensure the safety of their brother with their own power.

It is decided that Ingo will become the Grand Machine, and Emmet will take the mantle of the Engineer. Ingo has always been in awe of strong moves, but more than this, it gives him the chance to take direct action in preventing any harm from ever coming to Emmet. As the (slightly) older of the two, he feels strongly about taking responsibility. Emmet has made his choice for the very same reason. Whoever is the Engineer can take direct action to ensure the safety of the Machine. He can protect his brother and keep him safe, and he will always be the first at his side in the line of fire.

With this, their shared vision comes to an end. They provide whatever explanation they can to the clans, to their family, before they set off together to the peak of Mount Coronet.

Emmet steps forward first, to receive the blessing that will change him. With the touch of their maker, his hair is shifted to a brilliant snowy tone- Eyes a bold and electric blue as a flowing coat of white and gold rests over his shoulders. He shines like a man of royalty- change arriving in another wave of light as he finds himself remarkably taller. The two brothers share a moment to revel and celebrate all of these verrry cool blessings!! Younger swinging older into the air in an expression of joy, hugs shared fiercely at the same size again as Emmet discovers his choice between old and new.

They share quieter words of comfort, of assurance. Ingo steps forward to receive his blessing. He turns with a smile on his face, a last look to his brother with the touch of his maker as Emmet sees his eyes glow vibrant blue- Before a torrent of metal sprouts from his back, encircling him completely. It warps and twists like the stem of a growing tree, walls of steel rising into the sky like a tower, faster than human hands could ever build.

When they return from the mountain, they are changed. They are twins, they are brothers, they are Ingo and Emmet. But they are impossible, they are changed to unknowable depths. They are not the same as when they left.

The Giant of Steel and The Engineer alter the fate of the region in more tales than can be catalogued here alone, preventing the deaths of many and earning the respect of every faction. Members of each walk of life vow to join them, becoming a part of Ingo's Crew.

When all is finally over, the final battle comes long after the danger has passed. None were expecting a last straggler, and none were prepared for the inky tendrils of the siren's grasp. The water was never Ingo's ally, but he would never let it be his crew's grave. He forces them to evacuate, the crew taking The Engineer with them to escape the soul-stealing songs of Gigantamax Jellicent. At the cost of his own safety, he brings down the final Dynamax threat once and for all. Consciousness fading, he crashes into the ocean- tsunamic shockwaves sending escape pods tumbling to shore.

Emmet, with all his abilities and tools, does not have the resources alone to craft something with the strength to rescue Ingo from the ocean floor. As days pass, he finds himself fading- He knows what this is, he must always know. Emergency hibernation. In his last days awake, he begs the people of Hisui, his friends, his Crew, to save his brother's life. To save him, when he cannot.

Emmet falls into an indominable slumber, kept safe from the elements in a case of wood and glass he assembled himself. The ocean is quiet, the threat is gone. The Dynamax War is over.

The crew which had endeared themselves to these strange, dedicated, charming, and incomprehensible yet so human twins, vow to repay their dutiful protection by rescuing Ingo from the water's depths.

And so time begins to pass.

-Noteworthy Points- I can't believe I'm posting this online where people can see it haha. Please be nice to me 😂 This is the longest post I've ever made. I hope that summary is to your liking because I am (grinding teeth) not kidding. that's the best way I know how to summarize this ENTIRE plot I made. Based on a dream I had one time two years ago!

Things to note! Ingo and Emmet are both capable of size-shifting but to very different degrees. Ingo is 120ft tall in his Off-Duty form, but can assume an Active Threat mode which allows him to scale up to 400ft tall. Emmet can shift between on/off duty forms also, but the difference is 8ft (Extremely Tall) to his former height somewhere around 5'10" (Above Average)

To re-say what arceus blessed them with in a way that is less cryptic: Ingo is a Mecha. He is bio-mechanical, sort of like a cyborg? In essence, he is an otherwise impossible combination of man, pokemon, and machine. He has a pokemon type and can use various moves. He also operates using a hell of a lot of complex machinery, but retains his humanity and thought. There is nothing else like him! Also he's fucking huge as I mentioned a second ago. He's made to be manned by a crew and has lots of hollow space, rooms, and other things required for life onboard. He also has an internal computer that helps him micromanage everything he needs to know about himself, who is onboard, what he is doing, and what other people are doing. Essentially, he has multiple trains of thought he can use simultaneously in order to help him keep up with everything. Because of this, he also can process information at a speed faster than a normal person is capable of by a significant margin.

Emmet has Technokinesis, and is capable of understanding how any machine works by observing it. He is capable of inventing or assembling machines that are far beyond his time, and can disassemble anything and put it back together with no issue. He has some amount of heightened/super speed, but not on a 'speedster' level of crazy, just unnaturally fast. He has a bigger reserve of energy as well than any normal person would have, and can think/process things at an unnatural speed. This helps him keep up with Ingo, although his processing ability is still a bit slower than his. Emmet also has hammer space with his coat pockets and can magically equip/unequip his coat at any time.

I have so much world building that I genuinely can't put it all in the notes here. There is so much shit to unpack, please understand I've basically made this entire goddamn narrative from scratch in my head and with the help of a close friend. This is me being turbo mentally ill

If I had less self control I would keep writing but I think I've given you all enough to understand the concept and I need to shove this in the queue before I miss the posting time <3 have fun

-Links- Currently none! I will update this post with links to comics/art/writing if/when I post any!

[nartothelar]

you should do a submas fic rec post o7

Ooo good idea! Here's a few fics I adore to pieces and have reread more than a few times:

we'll build a bridge (An incomplete collection of unconnected one shots)

Summary: The only constant is this: they find each other. The how might change, but the why doesn’t, and the why is what matters, here. (The why is this: one never stops searching, and one never stops hoping.)

(Made me cry multiple times. Happy endings and heartfelt reunions: it's got everything you need to feel good inside. My favorite chaoters are 3 and 8)

Ounce of Prevention (incomplete)

Summary: If one suspects strangers of causing the apocalypse, one generally should not allow them to continue to roam free. They should ideally be restrained until their innocence (or guilt) can be proven. Even if one of them is a child and openly sobbing at the thought of her only family hating her. Even if the other one's absence is probably going to be noticed by a very large, very dangerous Pokémon.

Elsewhere, the rift spits out a man in white. He's not her Warden, but Sneasler will take all the help she can get in finding him.

(ABSOLUTELY INSANELY GOOD like this is one of my favorite submas fics. Just thrilling and had be binge it in a frenzy. Awesome action scenes, cool plot, and badass Emmet, like seriously Emmet's characterization here is god tier and I think about it constantly. I actually drew a comic based on a scene from this fic here. )

In Tandem (Incomplete)

Summary: Or in which Arceus calls upon two pairs of twins to stop two doomsday plots simultaneously.

Ingo and Emmet are summoned to two different Jubilifes, to two different teenagers to aid them in their seemingly innocent journeys for reasons they do not fully understand. Dark machinations are at work though, and if everyone wants to get home safe at the end of the day it will take every ounce of strength, conviction and courage to brave the trials set before them.

(A verrrry good story: good plot (like you'll get invested), good action, good pacing, and good characterization! I haven't read many fics with Lucas and Dawn and this ones just amazing. I wait patiently for its updates)

The Hand (Complete)

Summary: It was something Ingo always wondered about.

(Unexpected premise but I really like it for some reason and have reread it multiple times)

Give Not Into Sorrow (Complete)

Summary: Something strange is going on in Hisui. There are reports of a man in white roaming the wildlands while leading a pack of Pokemon . Some say they're a mix of Pokemon, some claim they're a pack of zoroarks. Some swear that the man is none other than the amnesiac warden of the Pearl Clan. One thing is certain. Those who meet the man in white all report the same thing: He is looking for his brother. And he will not rest until he finds him.

(Absolutely beautiful and heart wrenching. Deal with grief, with anger and with holding on and letting go. Drew a comic for this just yesterday too)

Conductor of Stone (Completed)

Summary: Ingo was not alone when he woke up in the region of Hisui.

There was a man next to him who shared his face. With a body as cold as ice.

Who are you?

A Land of the Lustrous au! Cool concept and excellent writing that sucks you in. This is actually part of a series which is also very good. The author, PerpetuallySleepy, is a favorite of mine too and they have a bunch of other ones shot fics I recommend checking out!

Intermittent Retention (Complete)

Summary: In theory, the space-time distortions should not overly effect Ingo's daily routine. They certainly wouldn't, if he could remember what happens after he steps inside of them. Even that could be overlooked, reluctantly, if Ingo weren't overwhelmingly drawn to them despite their amnesia-inducing properties. Or if anyone else had this problem. Something happens to Ingo when time and space break down around him, something that leaves him with fierce joy and crippling grief he cannot find a source for, and he's going to figure out what in the world is going on.

(Sweet and sad and beautiful.)

Diamond Crossing (Complete)

Summary: So, here’s the thing. Elesa’s best friend is a little…weird.

She means it in the nicest way possible. But there’s no getting around the fact that Coop is weird.

Their mood swings are all over the place, very serious at one moment and unhinged child at the next. They sprouted train facts at the drop of the hat, insisted on not only being in charge of Gear Station but taking it a step further and turning Gear Station into the Battle Subway. They’re honestly crazy for that alone.

Elesa does her modeling career on top of being a Gym Leader and a lot of people think she’s crazy. She will argue that it’s nothing compared to Coop running the entire transportation system for Nimbasa City on top of being a Battle Facility.

She adores Coop though. She really means it when she says Coop is her best friend. And no matter how crazy Coop comes across as, she knows Coop won't hurt anyone.

("Well, there are exceptions, of course," Coop says, tone serious and expression set to a frown. "We don’t allow unruly passengers for starters." They then smiled, brightening. "And anyone who makes Elesa cry will be tied to the train track and run over." )

(A super interesting concept and I love fusion aus! It's actually part of a series that are loosely connected together. Fun times galore)

Emmet wasn't scared (Complete)

Summary:

Emmet knew his brother will be alright since they were fourteen.

Or: Emmet wasn't scared when his brother went missing. He already knew he would

(Short and haunting)

[waywardstation]

Forgot

Phione Akari AU

Ingo is pushing himself too hard and forgetting important responsibilities. Kana is not happy dealing with this.

I wrote this based off a combo of requests, one requesting an AU-specific situation where Ingo needs to hide Akari somewhere, and a general request for more interactions with Kana. And then I remember at the time I wrote this I had been dealing with a pretty awful sore throat and lost voice, so I cast that upon Ingo just to get some of my irritation with it out. It's cathartic writing about it so I can at least relieve it for other characters, haha.

OR read here on AO3!

AND check out the Phione Akari AU masterpost!

Enjoy!

————

The worn bench creaked quietly as Ingo sat down, leaning forward against the table with a sigh.

It felt good to sit down on an actual seat after another trek of five extensively rough days, devoted entirely to fruitlessly scouring the coastlands for Akari. 

Well, in a sense. Her body was still out there somewhere (he believed at least, from what Akari had managed to share with him through writing in her pokedex), but Akari herself was right here with him. And she always had been, it just took the entirety of this trip to realize that. Now a small, watery pokemon hidden just within the flap of his coat collar, it was easy to keep her out of sight.

Ingo felt some guilt over the fact that he could no longer carry her in her water bucket around Jubilife, or even really have her out in the open at all. She had grown attached to residing in it during trips (and understandably so – phione dried out fast), but it was simply becoming too bothersome with Kana and her friend Miki snooping around. And Fancy – Miki’s staravia – was too interested in Akari for their own good. It always gave her the same stare those hungry coastlands murkrow did.

Thankfully though, he had yet to see any of them yet today. Perhaps it would be a little too hopeful to think they were currently too busy with corps work to come find him tonight. But he didn’t hold out on that – usually a trip into Jubilife guaranteed a forced visit with at least one of them anymore.

Ingo had seen a lot more of the two women lately than he would have liked to, ever since they caught a glimpse of poor Akari. 

The phione’s true identity had been easy for Ingo to keep from the two women when the truth had been obscured even from himself, and he simply knew her as ‘Passenger’ . But now that he knew, Ingo felt it may take a little more strain to keep that narrative going; Akari had made him promise not to reveal her demise to anyone, especially not to Kana or Miki. And while returning back to Jubilife, she had made it abundantly clear she wanted him to just keep them away from her for a while. So for now, as far as anyone else was concerned, she was simply a wild pokemon that had become attached to him, nothing more.

But obscuring the truth would allow some problems to continue. During their last few run-ins, Kana had been heavily implying that if he wasn’t going to bother catching the novel Pokémon, she would catch it herself. She ‘had a job to do so as a survey corps member’ , as she had put it (not like Ingo had ever seen her particularly motivated to assist Professor Laventon with filling out his pokedex, though – he assumed it was simply a front to get her hands on a relatively new, conventionally cute, and conveniently portable pokemon that had caught her eye). 

And even if Kana had been exaggerating her intent, Ingo did not want to risk that hypothetical. Not once had he tried to capture Akari in a pokeball, and he absolutely did not want to test to see if he could. He was fully aware that Akari was freaked out by all the unknown consequences that would accompany such an incident, even more so if someone like Kana would manage to catch her.

So, no bucket in town – nothing to tip off that he had her with him for anyone, but especially not for Kana and Miki. And not a word to anyone that she was alive and well, except for the fact that she was stuck in the body of a phione.

While Ingo had his own reserved thoughts about these tracks going forward, he understood Akari’s desired route. Technically, she had gone directly against Kamado’s orders. And after what had happened in the last few months, after the sky bruised red, Ingo knew Akari’s nervous uncertainty was… still there. And while he felt it would be received much better than she was expecting, and he felt ultimately it would be better to say something now rather than later, a small part of him didn’t blame her hesitance.

So for now, he would honor her wishes, despite the extra effort.

A soft clack against the table pulled Ingo from his thoughts. Beni had set down the order he’d made at the canteen’s front — the usual plate of potato mochi, bowl of rice, and steaming cup of tea. 

“Ah, thank you.” The warden pulled the hot food and drink towards him. A quick scan of his order, and he realized something was missing. “…Oh. By any chance, could I request a cup of water as well?” 

“It’ll be right out.” Was Beni’s only reply. Ingo suspected that the man knew exactly why he was asking for it. He’d seen Ingo order it just for his accompanying companion a few times, and probably knew she was with him. Ingo did not worry about him knowing, though. 

The warden cleared his throat delicately, as if the simple action hurt. “And if you’ve got it, some combee honey with it as well?”

One of Beni’s eyebrows raised.

“Ah, not in the water, just with the order.” Ingo was quick to try and explain himself at that sight. He gestured vaguely to his neck. “For my tea. Sore throat.”

Surely, Ingo thought, Beni had heard him constantly shouting Akari’s name like a broken record outside Jubilife’s gates at some point over the last week and a half. 

“Of course, I’ll send Magby out with it shortly.” He finally answered, turning to slip through the restaurant’s door and re-enter his kitchen.

“I appreciate it.” watching the door to The Wallflower slide shut, the warden was left alone to survey the Jubilife strip. At this time of evening, few people were out and about, browsing shops at their own pace, or standing in small social groups. A flock of what he presumed to be starly were out in the distance, amongst the sunset clouds…

Ingo felt something wriggle under the collar of his coat, impatient to move from off his shoulder. The sensation reminded him of the damp spot that had developed there.

“Stay on schedule, Miss Akari.” Ingo reminded her of what they had discussed earlier on the way back to Jubilife. “Remember, safety checks first.”

Squinting against the fading sunset he was facing, Ingo scanned the Jubilife strip street, looking out towards the Galaxy Hall.

A quick peek at the people shopping and talking. A few folks he recognized, but no Kana. 

A glance over his shoulder at the training grounds. No Miki.

“Alright, it is now safe to exit the cab.” The warden tugged the flap of his coat collar back with a finger. He turned his head to find his hidden companion under the fabric, intending to safely remove her himself. However, he instead felt something damp wriggle down his arm from inside his coat sleeve. The suddenness caught Ingo off guard, but she was out of the fabric bridge and onto the table before he could even do anything.

Akari was certainly impatient to get something. Ingo would have guessed the plate of mochi was her target, but he didn’t find himself too surprised when he saw her heading for his cup of tea instead.

“ Phi! ” Akari grasped at the edge of the cup with her flippers, making sounds in her effort to pull herself up and over.

“Ah, refrain from boarding, I am drinking that.” Ingo gently nudged her away from it, before picking it up to take a sip. “I requested water for you, and it will arrive shortly.”

“ Phi,” She squeaked up at him, a tone in her voice revealing that she seemed to be lamenting something. It was so much harder for Ingo to understand her like this, but with some trial and error oveer the last day, he had gotten by with guessing most times. He knew she was starting to dry out by now, and was eager to find a substitute for her bucket.

And most likely, it was partially his fault that she was so desperate to get rehydrated. But he hadn’t had the heart to interrupt Anthe when she pulled him over to her shop for a half-hour conversation the moment she spotted him wearily shambling through Jubilife’s gates. 

Bless the woman’s insistence on attempting to hearten him with every update to the Galaxy Team’s recovery efforts on Akari over his five-day absence. 

“Nothing turned up in the fieldlands, but they’re still searching through the highlands, and they’re supposed to start combing through the mirelands soon… oh Ingo, they’re trying so hard.”

Anthe ended up apologizing when she became emotional herself, and Ingo could do nothing but extend comfort to her. She had no idea the watery blue pokemon situated within his coat collar was the very teen she was so worried about. And Akari had no choice but to slowly dry out on his shoulder over the course of that well-intentioned, but lengthy conversation.

“The tea is too hot for you. The water will be a more suitable option. We do not need you evaporating… again.” An earlier visit to Firespit Island had taught both Ingo and Akari that a phione’s aquatic body was quite prone to evaporation, especially when presented with the heat that the area exuded.

Ingo coughed, restrained but hoarse. He cleared his throat again gently, just as he had earlier. “And I require it in order to properly service my cab. Our last trip had left me in need of it, as I’m sure you understand.”

Endlessly shouting Akari’s name all throughout the coastlands for days on end, even after his throat had been stripped, and his voice cracked. Minimal water breaks sacrificed to instead continually search for her. Breaking down gracelessly the day before at the sight of Akari’s belongings strewn about Castaway Shore, and the horrific implications that such a scene presented. Then breaking down all over again when he realized that not only was Akari still alive, she had been right by his side the entire time.

Understandably, this all took a toll on him. Ingo had sorely overused and undermanaged his voice these last two weeks while searching for her. And for him, it took a lot to get to that point.

It was the entire reason why upon returning back to Jubilife after almost a week in the wilderness, Ingo’s first stop had been The Wallflower. He was sleep deprived, emotionally shaken, his muscles ached terribly, and both himself and his clothing desperately needed a proper scrubbing. But his throat was absolutely killing him, so tending to that came first. 

Another sip from his hot tea, grimacing as a swallow spurred a sharp stinging sensation to flare down his throat. It hurt now, but it would get better. 

He set down the steaming cup, but kept an eye on it to ensure Akari would keep out of it. As it was, he could see her staring at it longingly.

“Your water will arrive shortly, I assure you. But for now,” Ingo pushed the plate of potato mochi closer to her. “Take some time to properly refuel; we haven’t been keeping on schedule doing so as we should.”

The last five days had simply consisted of grazing on plucked berries whenever he had passed by a populated tree or bush. Stress-induced heartburn at night had already made the process discouraging, but it had been hard to justify sitting down to put together an actual meal when hypotheticals nagged at him.

Hypotheticals about how Akari may have been just out of sight, hidden right over the hill. Probably hurt. Maybe bleeding. Possibly passed out, or even-

At the time, it felt morally reprehensible to do anything else other than put every ounce of energy into looking for Akari, but in retrospect, it had been irresponsible to neglect his cab like that. 

Akari had been even worse, though. With frequent refusals to eat any of the berries he offered her, she sometimes even threw them back at him in apparent irritation. Now that he knew this phione as Akari, he recognized she had been understandably frustrated at him for not realizing who she was. But back when she was simply ‘Passenger’ to him, a clingy and high-strung enigmatic Pokemon, it had been exasperating and confusing behavior.

“Phi.” Phione pointed at the potato mochi, then at him. 

“In a moment, I will. I’d like to take care of this first.” Ingo gestured to his throat, before reaching for his cup of tea again. Without honey, the fleeting relief was much too temporary. “Go on and eat.”

“Phi-phi.” Akari squeaked, seeming to accept his answer for now. Using her flippers, she pulled herself over to the plate, and flopped over against one of the potato mochi patties. Ingo watched as bubbles began to fizz inside her transparent body, similar to water slowly climbing towards its boiling point.

Her body was simply just dissolving the mochi to absorb. Over the course of the two weeks she had been with him, Ingo had seen her gradually shift to eating like this. At first mimicking human eating habits and gumming on food, Akari had eventually succumbed to this method instead, realizing it was easier for this form.

Ingo remembered that Laventon had hypothesized the species used their bodies to filter feed in the ocean as they drifted in the cold depths. Phione didn’t exactly have teeth. Or a skeleton. Or a recognizable muscular system, or even proper skin. He didn’t really know what the frail species’ body did have – as far as he could tell, they were almost entirely made up of water. So he supposed a process like this shouldn’t be surprising.

Soon enough, the patty was gone. Ingo cleared his throat gratuitously after another sip, setting the cup aside for the moment. “Alright Miss Akari, I’ve been thinking about our next trip out to the coastlands.”

“ Phi? ” Akari shot him a puzzled look. 

“Indeed! It’s been on my mind the whole trip back,” Ingo guesstimated Akari’s reaction. “And I’m considering when we next depart, our first stop should be over around Veilstone Cape. If that’s where your belongings were found, perhaps your, well… your original body is still somewhere nearby.” 

“ Phi!” A firm, disagreeable shake of her head. 

“No? Do you think we should look somewhere else?”

“Phi-phi!” Was that a yes, as in “yes, look somewhere else!” ? Or no, as in “no, you’ve got it all wrong!” ?

“Ah, should we… survey the cliffsides then?” Thoroughly confused, Ingo had no idea if he was even interpreting things right anymore.

“Phi!!” Akari was definitely becoming more animated with her methods of disagreement. He was headed down the wrong track, surely.

“Alright then, do you believe it’s not even located within the coastlands anymore?” Ingo was trying to make sense of her adamant disapproval. “Should we set our destination somewhere else? But how far could it go? Surely as a natural water-dweller, I would assume it would be slow to leave the shore…”

“Phi-phi!” At some point during his rant, Akari had flopped off of her mochi patty and over to his arm, just to smack his wrist with a flipper. 

Ingo halted to turn his attention to her; ok, that was her ‘please stop and listen to me’ tone. He would know after being constantly subjected to it for two weeks. “I am sorely misinterpreting this, aren't I?”

Finally, an agreeable head nod. It seemed the complexity of this conversation needed more than just ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers to maintain itself.   

And Akari was very much aware of that. She leaned over the side of the table and pointed down at his… waist? His thigh? The bench he was sitting on? It was admittedly hard to tell when she was gesturing with an amorphous flipper, as opposed to a clear finger.

“Um,” Ingo’s confusion put a stop to Akari’s attempts at pointing. She sat back and stared down at the wooden patterns on the table for a moment, clearly considering something, before she squeaked enthusiastically. Ingo watched as she held one of her flippers out stiffly in front of her, while wiggling the other in front of it. Big, determined eyes stared up at him intently the whole time, hoping he’d understand.

It almost looked like she was imitating the act of taking notes in a…

Oh!

“Are you requesting your pokedex?”

Akari nodded her head vigorously, seemingly happy he finally understood.

“Bravo!” Ingo mirrored her sentiments before it fizzled into a cough – that’s right, Akari had used it yesterday to try and communicate with him, pointing to words and pictures, and even attempting to write something at one point (it had taken a very long time and hadn’t been very legible in the end, but they could work on that). He turned to the side, reaching into his coat pocket in search of the waterlogged field book. In the moment, he had practically forgotten he had it on him. “Alright, let me retrieve it for you.”

Maybe she had a map in her pokedex? So she could point out the location they needed to go to next? Or perhaps she even had something recorded within the pages about this pokemon she has swapped with, that could give them a hint as to what happened-

“ Starr! Rrravia!!”

Sudden, frantic squawking and flapping of wings directly by Ingo’s right ear jumpstarted his heart. A loud bang as his knees hit the underside of the table, causing the dinnerware to clatter. Almost dropping the pokedex, Ingo jerked his head back up to see the very two people he was attempting to avoid for Akari’s sake, now heading right for his tableside.

The culprit of the excited squawking — their curious staravia, Fancy — was pecking around his plates on the table. 

“Ingo! Where have you been?”

Great. That sentence was sharp with thorns.

“Ah, Miss Kana, Miss Miki… Hello.” Ingo’s tone wasn’t as warm as he supposed it could have been, noticeably so. But then again, five days of agonizing over horrific hypotheticals in the wilderness had drained him of social courtesy in the presence of unwanted company. 

Plus, he couldn’t entirely help his aching throat from sounding like it was full of rough gravel.

A quick, not-so-inconspicuous survey of the table between calibrating blinks as Fancy continued to poke around the table. Among his dinnerware, Akari was suddenly nowhere in sight — something that was equal parts relieving and terrifying to him.

Was she hiding from them?

“It’s been five days since we last saw you! Were you out in the wild this entire time? We were starting to wonder if something happened!” Miki told him. 

“Ah- no, no-” Ingo’s words stalled, attempting to simultaneously search around the table, and keep a proper conversation going. Fancy seemed interested in the general area by his plate. Ingo attempted to see where its gaze was pulled, in case it had caught a glimpse of something small and blue. “Besides a rather sore throat and tired cab, I am alright, I can assure you. I was solely searching for Miss Akari. And unfortunately, I- ahem , I still am.”

Ingo hoped that wherever the teen was, she understood the double intent and kept close to him. He didn’t want Fancy finding her before he did.

A look of empathy crossed Miki’s features (or maybe it was pure pity; Ingo was acutely aware of how worn down he looked, and his broken voice had involuntarily cracked. It could have easily been mistaken for swelling emotion), but Kana only seemed to grow annoyed at his words. Ingo wasn’t surprised, as he knew how she felt about how much time he was putting into searching. 

Kana never stated her feelings outright, but her behavior had made it very clear to him that she was irked. Irked that Kamado was basically allowing him to drop half of his work to voluntarily look for Akari out of his own volition, while she was ordered to do the same thing.

The survey corps are already looking for her, Kana had practically scolded him the last time she saw him, five days ago when he was first heading out to search. That’s our job, because we’re the survey corps. You’re not. We’ll find her, but we need you here at the training grounds, doing your assigned job at least some of the time, ok?

She used ‘we’ a lot, most frequently during perplexing admonishments like this. Ingo sometimes wondered if Kamado was aware of just how much implied authority Kana utilized to try and inflate her words’ influence. She talked to him like she was Kamado, sometimes. 

Or like she was Zisu, at least. But Zisu would never talk to him the way Kana tried to, even if she technically had the authority to.

“Well, have you found anything helpful yet?” Miki seemed to not be keeping an eye on her staravia at all. To Ingo’s slight exasperation, she either didn’t notice or didn’t care that Fancy was now pecking at his plate of mochi. 

“Ah, I recovered a few things that might be of help, I suppose.” Ingo collected his plate and bowl, pulling them a little closer within the protection of his arms. Fancy glared.

“Well, that’s good…” while it was more appreciated than Kana’s hard silence, Ingo could not tell whether Miki was being pitiful, sympathetic, or unbelieving with that painfully, poorly-hidden sorry tone.  

However, his statement was not a lie. Just a vague truth. He had found Akari and some of her belongings, now they just needed to find her body, from what he understood. 

…Though, right now he was still vying to know where Akari herself was at this moment. With both himself and Fancy searching for her and coming up with nothing, Ingo was practically convinced she was not anywhere on the table, which worried him.

Speaking of the feathery pokemon, the absence of exposed food now left Ingo’s cup as the only lure. Fancy stepped closer, curious eyes fixated on the drink. Ingo could see their intentions coming from a mile away, and he was not about to have hot tea spilled all over the table and himself.

“Fancy, please-“ Ingo grabbed the cup right before they could poke their beak into the drink, sheltering it close with his food.

“Starr!” Fancy squawked indignantly at the action, flapping their wings. It hopped the rest of the way across the table to invasively jab at Ingo’s hand, most likely in an attempt to snatch his cup.

“Fancy! No!” Miki finally took initiative to admonish her poorly-mannered companion, reaching over the table to pull her staravia out of Ingo’s personal space. The scolding finally forced Fancy to flutter down to the ground, squawking all the while. With a sour disposition, they had to settle for simply pecking at the dirt instead. 

“Sorry! I think Fancy’s just looking for your little friend!” Miki attempted to brush off Fancy’s behavior, as she always did. “…Where is that strange pokemon that’s always clinging to you?”

While straightening his coat and brushing stray feathers off himself, Ingo almost laughed at how desperately he wanted that question answered himself.

“Ah, Passenger uncoupled itself from me, and I am no longer sure of its whereabouts.” Again, a truthful statement. And again, Ingo hoped wherever Akari was, she could recognize the inherent worry that the phrasing implied.

Though maybe, Akari had retreated somewhere into one of his coat pockets. Was that why Fancy had been poking at him? Ingo kept his eyes on the two women, but all focus shifted to what his fingers were feeling out, his hand subtly moving to pat his coat pockets from under the table. Where was she-?

“What is that?” An element of morbid curiosity entered Kana’s voice, the woman speaking up for the first time in this whole conversation. The tone alone made Ingo’s hands freeze midway in one of his pockets. 

“Is that… Akari’s pokedex?”

“Her pokedex?” Miki peeked over the edge of the table to get a better look. “Ooh! Did you find it out there?”

“O-oh. Well-” Oh dear. They’d seen the waterlogged notebook in his lap when he leaned away from Fancy. 

All things considered, it was only Akari’s pokedex. But then again, it was Akari’s pokedex. Gut reaction told him it would be best that Kana and Miki not know he has that right now.

Why? It would cause trouble. How? Ingo wasn’t entirely sure yet. But he was holding onto Akari’s missing things. He hadn’t shared where they had been found with the Galaxy Team. He had Akari herself with him while the survey corps were still breaking their backs looking for her. He sort of knew what had happened to her, and kind of felt like he could piece together how to fix this.

There was a lot to uncover, all things considered. Putting it like this, Ingo for the first time properly reflected on just how much he was withholding. And it wouldn’t have mattered if he really only learned the truth about all of this yesterday — if Kana found out about even one of these things, he knew she would not spare any empathy if the narrative was in her hands.

Nervous jitters begin to tickle inside his ribcage. This felt comparable to suddenly realizing the tallgrass fields were unnervingly quiet because they weren’t empty.

“-Yes.” 

That sounded much too certain, he chastised himself. Add some uncertainty.

“I… believe it is, at least?”

Ingo tentatively picked up the bloated bundle of notes to show it to them. People showed things to other people when they had nothing to hide, and he certainly had nothing to hide. Definitely not. 

“I, ah, happened upon it while searching; the contents of the pokedex have sustained significant water damage, as you can see.” Ingo carefully flipped through a few curled pages to prove it, before setting it back down beside him. “So it is difficult to tell for sure. I was on track to deliver it back to Professor Laventon for confirmation, but when I arrived, it appeared his station had already closed for the day.”

A truthful statement. Laventon’s office was dark, because at some point in the warden’s absence, the professor had most likely joined the last survey corps group on their last departure. Laventon frequently went out searching for Akari too when he could, he simply was not as solitary as Ingo when it came to his methods.

But it didn’t seem like the two women cared much about that, though. At least Kana didn’t — she just stared at him with the same look she’d been giving him throughout the entire conversation. 

Hands on her hips, it was beginning to feel like she was trying to come across like she was expecting something.

Expecting him to say something.

Ingo swallowed uncomfortably, this time more from social pressure than any kind of sore pain. Maybe he missed an obvious social queue… the majority of his attention was still lingering around what was going on beneath the table, if he was being honest.

Fancy had sneakily begun pecking at one of his shoes, furthering his suspicion that Akari was somewhere on his person. Ingo gave himself another subtle pat-down from under the protection of the table. She was definitely not anywhere within his coat pockets. If she was, he would have expected to feel a damp flipper bap his searching hand in response by now.

Where was she?? Nervous energy was continuing to build, only able to be somewhat subdued by a bouncing leg. 

“So… is that all?” Kana’s barbed voice broke the silence, somewhat refocusing Ingo’s scattered attention.

Where was this even supposed to be going? Why were they still lingering around? The conversation felt awkward with how it was dragging, like they were beating around the bush. Ingo just wanted this interaction to be over, so that Kana and Miki could leave, and he could properly look around the area for Akari, and stop stressing over the idea that Fancy had grabbed her-

“Ah, I believe so?” Perhaps that would have sounded more authentic if he didn’t have so much urgency to just end things.

Wrong Answer. Kana, clearly exasperated at this point, exaggerated a sigh as she rolled her eyes. 

“Our training session, Ingo. You weren’t here for my training session today. After you told me you would be.” She crossed her arms, her tone suggesting the experience was entirely unpleasant. “I had to train with Zisu.” 

Poor Zisu, Ingo’s tired mind lamented what his manners would never let slip past his lips.

“You did?” Ingo said instead. “There was no need; I’m certain we rescheduled due to my expected absence. But not to worry, I will still be on schedule for it tomorrow morning.” 

Kana’s hard glare gained a bewildered quality to it, as if Ingo’s skin had suddenly turned blue. “What? Today was the reschedule, Ingo.”

“It was?” Ingo’s split concentration once again reconvened on the conversation for a moment. “…It was.”

That’s right. He had scheduled a training session with Kana the day he was supposed to get back, having only been set to make up for another session he had missed earlier in the week. 

But after finding Akari’s things scattered across the beach yesterday, he had sort of deviated from his plans of going back to Jubilife that evening. He had been so distraught, that he couldn’t see himself in any state to be around others, and still keep his dignity. 

It seemed all the physical exhaustion and roiling emotions had scrambled his schedule and fed him unchecked assumptions — an extra day in the wilderness did not mean a pushback on the training session.

That’s why Kana had approached him. She was looking for an apology from him, or an explanation at the very least. And he had given neither.

The stark realization that he had failed to meet the schedule he had set brought an annoying, unwanted flash of heat to his face. 

Ingo found himself sitting up a little straighter, haste fumbling his words. “Oh dear. I- I greatly apologize Miss Kana, I didn’t mean to derail like that. Genuinely, I had forgotten-”

“You always forget,” Another frustrated response was the harbinger that warned Ingo of the oncoming storm.

“Kana, don’t,” And Miki’s hasty attempt to quell it further told him that this had apparently been brewing for a few days now.

“Ingo, this is what I’m talking about.” Kana ignored Miki and took over. And because he’d already strained his voice way too much to speak over her quickly-raising anger and reclaim the conversation, Ingo let her. “You keep doing this! For almost two weeks now, you’ve been throwing aside your responsibilities at the dojo for something that other people are already taking care of-”

But they were all looking in the wrong place anyways, Ingo added a mental footnote. 

“-and you’re not even following whatever you do manage to schedule!” Kana continued, none the wiser to his annotation. “People like me depend on those schedules you set, you know. I spent my only break in between these search expeditions waiting around for you, when I could have been resting instead! And look at you; correct me if I’m wrong, but I bet you’re going right back out there again first thing tomorrow, if not tonight!”

No correction was hurriedly inserted into her terribly brief breath between words, for really, she was not wrong.

“Ingo, I know Akari is missing, but you’re not helping anyone like this.”

Ingo’s frown deepened, not out of indignance or hurt, but as a plain reflex to opposition. He might have felt deeply offended by such blunt words, or even taken them to heart under different circumstances. But it was hard to truly do either when Akari was alive and well (wherever she currently was at this table), and it was solely because of him. 

“ Ok, Kana,” Slightly horrified at the way her friend was talking to someone who was already clearly so spent, Miki pulled back on Kana’s shoulder. Ingo’s pulled frown must have given off an upset quality. “He’s just worried about her.”

“Aren’t we all?” Kana retorted. “We’re all looking for her! The difference is, we’re taking shifts to juggle all the other responsibilities we have around here. And he- ” an accusatory finger jabbed at Ingo. “-is not. Tomorrow, I’ll be surprised if he even still has a job here once I have a talk with Kamado.” 

Miki actually appeared offended enough on his behalf to let out a little gasp, which surprised Ingo a little; normally, her reputation as Kana’s malleable friend led to stubbornly agreeing with her. Throwing a quick glance at him, she pulled Kana a few steps away to squeeze half-audible whispers through gritted teeth.

Now Ingo’s frown really did emphasize a conflicted expression as they conversed about him. While objectively Kana’s entire viewpoint did come off as insensitive, Ingo couldn’t help but feel he wouldn't be so torn on the treatment if he hadn’t failed to meet the expectations that he himself had set.

The biggest problem here was that Kana felt she had been stood up by him several times now, because all things considered, even if they had been accidents, she had been.

Really, the only reasonable path forward was to apologize to her, offer another solution to the dilemma, and hope that went over well. First and foremost, he wanted to right his wrongs where he could. However, he couldn’t deny that a tiny part of him was motivated to just get them out of here quickly, so he could find Akari.

But a genuine apology required talking. Lots of talking. And Ingo felt his vocal cords were running out of steam for that. 

Kana and Miki were still currently arguing at the end of the table. Ingo grabbed his cup and tipped it back, expecting another swallow of hot tea to soothe the fire in his throat long enough to present an offer. He could get this over with quickly, then-

To say his poor heart stopped would be an understatement when he felt a loose, lukewarm blob bump against his lips with a warning squeak.

Tea sprayed out his nose and between his teeth. Whatever Kana and Miki were saying halted abruptly as Ingo lurched forward, choking harshly into his cup. Only after the dramatic reaction had calmed somewhat did Ingo become aware the flow of words had stopped around him, and he was being stared at intently.

“Wrong… wrong track, apologies-” He half-bluffed, wiping at his mouth as he continued to cough through his words. “-I’m alright.”

“You sure?” Miki extended.

“Yes.” Ingo attempted to regain composure and clear his throat as he moved to protectively place a hand over his cup. 

So that’s where she had been. 

Perhaps Fancy’s attempts to get to his tea had been more deliberate than he thought. But at least he had found her. 

“Look Ingo, it’s clear you’re… working through a lot of things right now.” Kana gestured to him with a palpable irritation that only sharpened otherwise-understanding words. “Just forget it, tomorrow-”

“-No, please stay for a moment.” Ingo hated interrupting Kana, especially considering where he stood with things right now, but he had to correct these tracks. “Miss Kana, I would like to propose an apology. A proper one.”

Despite it being the last thing his aching legs wanted to do, Ingo pushed himself to stand up from the table. A proper apology required approaching it and addressing recipients with seriousness and respect, and it just seemed more genuine not to do things while sitting down. He kept his cup of tea within his hands, though.

“One must conduct themselves with integrity, and keep to their expected schedules for those that depend on it. And yet, I failed to arrive at our set destination yesterday. For that Miss Kana, I deeply apologize, and I fully intend to make it up to you. Your time is important.” 

Kana said nothing, simply looking him up and down. Perhaps she was sizing up his apology, expecting more. Or maybe she was even questioning if he was in any state to uphold such a thing, believing him prone to forget yet again. And Ingo could see where she was coming from; her knowledge of his true situation was slim to none, and he was aware of how flippant things must have looked to someone who did not know.

Could she cut him a little more slack? Maybe (definitely). But he had essentially neglected her twice now. 

And he did genuinely feel bad about that. 

“Now, I wrongfully assumed my schedule included our training tomorrow morning, and as such, I have already set aside time for it. That offer is still open. I am well aware my word may not mean much to you at the moment, but would you be available at that time to begin the training session we missed?”

“I’m leaving early tomorrow with a group to comb through the highlands. I won’t be here. Remember?” A flat, barbed response unapologetically slapped Ingo across the face.

“Alright then…” Shake it off. Ingo cleared his throat again, to the point where it was becoming annoying. “When are you scheduled to return?”

“Three days. Could be four.”

More of a push than a slap this time. “Well then, when you return, I will be stationed here, ready for two consecutive training sessions with you… If you are up for that, of course.”

Kana seemed to consider it. Miki nudged her.

“I can do that.” Her tone suggested the compromise was still unsatisfactory to her.

Another nudge from Miki.

“And I’m sorry. About what I said about you. I know you’re trying to do a lot.” Rather mechanical words that practically creaked with how rusty they were. But it was an unexpected surprise all the same, even if it had been prodded out. “But Ingo, you can not forget again. Or I will tell Kamado about every single instance you’ve left me waiting within this week.”

“Of course, of course.” Quick to end the conversation on surprisingly agreeable terms, Ingo nodded his head. “That is more than reasonable. It will not happen again, I can assure you.” 

“For your sake, I’d hope not.” It seemed as if injustices had been made right. Satisfied enough with the outcome, Kana turned to leave. Miki was quick to follow, with Fancy trailing behind. “I’ll be seeing you as soon as I get back, Ingo. Don’t go get yourself lost in the wilderness again.”

“Ah, likewise,” Ingo wondered if she could even hear him with his limited volume. “Please enjoy a good rest of your evening, both of you.”

Miki at least waved goodbye to him as they moved on towards the Galaxy Hall. Ingo stood there in silence, posture rigid until the two women were out of sight. As soon as the hall’s doors closed, Ingo sat back down and leaned closer over the cup, finally removing his hand from over the top. 

“Miss Akari!” He whispered into the escaping steam. “I am proud of you for following procedure and hiding… but really? Of all places, it had to be in here? ”

“Phi!” The green-tinted liquid stirred, and a pair of miffed brown eyes blinked back up at him from within the ripples. Ingo didn’t need her to write it out for him to understand what she was implying.

“I didn’t know; I hadn’t seen where you had gone.” His stern features softened some. “I apologize, but next time, please board elsewhere.”

“Phi-phi phi,” Akari went on about something entirely indecipherable to Ingo, but it died down as she caught something. Ingo followed her gaze to spot Beni’s magby finally approaching their table, his honey and Akari’s water on the tray in its hands. 

It had certainly taken long enough! But Ingo gave Magby some slack, he knew the Pokémon was rather shy, and had probably been waiting to approach the table after such incensed company had left. It looked like it was expecting a comment on its tardiness regardless though, keeping its eyes on the tray so as to avoid a stern look.

“Thank you, Magby. Your service is much appreciated,” Ingo made sure to properly thank the Pokémon as it finished unloading the tray’s contents with shaky claws. Bashfully (and somewhat elated), Magby chirped at him before turning to take the tray back inside, leaving them both in peace once again.

Akari immediately leapt from Ingo’s tea, splashing into her cup of water.

“Better?” Ingo asked, already pouring the honey into his cup.

“Phi,” Akari splashed the water with her flippers in satisfaction before submerging.

Stirring the honey into the contents of his tea briefly, Ingo tipped it back and swallowed the improved remedy – the relief was instant. Much better. “I agree.”

“Phi-phi!”

Akari’s give-me-your-attention tone. Ingo was pulled out of his little piece of heaven to see Akari leaning over the side of the cup, jabbing a flipper over at the Galaxy Hall.

“Uh,” A few days ago, it would have been impossible to parse the correct intent from such a non-specific gesture. But now that he knew this was Akari he was talking with, and knowing how much Akari liked to snoop when she could, he thought he knew what (or in this case, who) she was wanting to talk about with him. “...that conversation went better than expected, didn’t it?”

“Phi-phi,” Akari nodded her head with a compliant tone. Whew, that was what she was wanting to talk about.

“I know, I only got my head bitten off once,” Ingo’s attempt at an amused tone cracked terribly, and he stopped to take another drink of tea. “Though, there is some good in this. Now that tomorrow’s schedule has been cleared, It seems we’ll be able to depart first thing tomorrow, and head back out for the coastlands.”

Akari had been largely passive from within her cup, but it seemed these words put a fire under her. With a squeak, she practically threw herself out of her water and flopped across the table. It startled Ingo when she just kept going right over the edge after a quick peek over the side at his lap.

“Miss Akari, what are you-!” Ingo instinctively reached to break her fall, but lethargy slowed his reflexes, and she plopped the rest of the way down onto her Pokedex, still set down on the bench beside him. “-what are you doing? Be careful!”

“Phi! Phi!” Stern squeaking and both flippers smacking the Pokedex’s cover was her only response. 

She urgently wanted to tell him something, and it was more complex than what a simple guessing game of yes and no could decipher.

“Alright, alright, one moment,” Ingo picked up the pokedex and pushed his plates back to make room for it on the table, balancing Akari on top of it all the while.

She got to work instantly, attempting to pry the cover open until Ingo gave in and opened it for her- 

“Here, just let me know when to stop,”

-thumbing through the pages and waiting for an indication of some kind.

Ingo flipped past pages of maps, hand-written observations on pokemon, and informational notes on local flora. But Akari made no sound or movement, so Ingo kept thumbing through them. Only once the pages began flashing blank faces did she reach up to bap his hand.

“Here?” Ingo stopped, exposing two blank pages to her.

“Phi!” A resounding yes. So, blank pages… she was going to write or draw something for him then, he assumed.

“Alright,” Ingo pulled out the pokedex’s writing pen from where it was clipped on the side and handed it to her. Her tiny little appendages wrapped around it as best they could, and Ingo leaned forward to watch as she began to scribble on one of the pages. 

T…  

Perhaps it was because he had been setting his mind towards nothing but marking and reaching certain destinations for weeks , but Ingo’s mind couldn’t help but jump right to a location. Tranquility Cove? Or maybe Tombolo Walk? Both locations were not exactly on land. But there were sheltered places amongst rocks and ship wreckage near both areas. Would the phione possibly seek out shelter there? Ingo just knew that he’d find a way to them if that’s where they needed to go-

A…  

TA? Neither place had A as the second letter. There goes his previous train of thought.

She definitely was not writing out a location. She could have used one of the maps for that anyway. It was going to be a message.

And this message was going to take a while, Ingo assumed. With the limited mobility of her flippers and the size of the pen in comparison to her, the work was rather messy and slow going. He resigned himself back to his rice and potato mochi as she continued – both would have normally been considered disappointingly cold by now, but if Ingo was honest with himself, it was still leagues better than anything either of them had eaten in days out in the wild. 

When she was done, Akari dropped the pen with a slick splat and leaned to the side, glaring up at him expectantly as she pointed with her flipper. 

Ingo’s hypothesis had been right – on the page, in big, boldly-scrawled yet shaky writing, it read:

TAKE A BREAK!!!

Three exclamation marks. She was serious.

Stalling on the words, Ingo mulled them over for a moment. “Miss Akari, I can assure you that I am alright, and will be even better tomorrow. Our departure is already scheduled, and I intend to keep with it.”

No squeaking, no shaking of her head, and no upset glare like he half-expected – Akari simply turned back around and continued the taxing effort of scrawling words across the page. When she had once again finished, she jabbed her flipper at the words with surprising vigor, then repeated the agitated movements at him.

NO TRIP. NEED REST

It surprised him a little, how adamant she was about this when her actual body was at stake. But it was clear she just wanted him to regain some lost energy, instead of trying to expunge even more from a tank that was already empty.

And perhaps she was right in wanting this. He had just spent five days out in the wild. Could he really put himself through something like that again? His will said yes, of course he could. But it was paying no mind to the aching in his muscles, already groaning at the thought of going back out there. 

And honestly, what could he do like this? A sore throat. A headache feeding off of sleep deprivation. A deep aching that one night’s rest realistically wouldn’t pacify. Maybe if he had managed his cab a little better out there… but that was nothing more than a hypothetical now. 

“Alright. I will… rest my engines.” Breaking up the sentence with a sigh, Ingo finally relented. He leaned forward against one aching arm as he gently massaged tired, darkened eyes with the other. He was in need of some decent sleep. “I do suppose the service is sorely needed. We will stay here tomorrow.”

Celebratory squeaking started up. A cold, wet flipper was felt against his wrist, bapping it animatedly – the only way she could really say thank you in this state. Despite his display of exhaustion, Ingo let out a quiet sound of amusement. 

“Just for a day,” He reiterated. “And I still intend to be productive in my search efforts tomorrow. Perhaps just within Professor Laventon’s numerous books this time, rather than the coastlands’ beaches.”

The agreement was still plenty satisfactory though, it seemed. Akari clapped her flippers together in appreciation and made her way back to her cup of water. 

Good, Akari had been pacified. Now Ingo just had to pacify his stomach – once he finished his meal here, he could finally go to sleep… in an actual bed! Ingo told himself he had been more than ready to go back out into the wilderness, but he couldn’t deny the thought of resting with an actual stuffed mattress under his back and soft blankets keeping him in a tight, warm hug until noon sounded like a dream.

“Alright now, give me just a moment, and then we can depart.” Ingo closed Akari’s pokedex and pulled his plates back towards him. Akari watched lazily from her cup as he resumed eating and drinking what remained, and while it only took a few minutes to put it all away, by the time Ingo looked back to see how she was doing, he could see she had fallen asleep. Drifting around lazily at the bottom of her cup, little bubbles were slipping up to the surface as she slept.

Quite a different energy from what she had been displaying earlier. She had apparently been much more tired than she had let on. Very in-character for her, honestly.

“Miss Akari,” Ingo tapped her cup gently after stacking his empty dinnerware together, freeing a small cloud of bubbles from her mouth in surprise. “Are you ready to depart now?”

A half-asleep nod. She was barely with him.

���Alright,” Ingo lugged himself off of the bench and stretched contentedly. “Next stop then, the dojo’s spare unit-” An intrusive yawn in between. “-All aboard.” 

Slipping Akari’s pokedex back into his coat pocket, Ingo held his hand out to her, waiting for her to hop on. She flopped onto it sluggishly with a little yawn, and he brought her up to set her back within the familiar spot of his coat collar as he started for the training grounds.

The street was much quieter now. The sun had set a while back, and the dark strip was rather barren with barely any activity in sight. Ingo didn’t mind, though. As he walked, he cleared his throat; tonight’s situation had turned out relatively ok, but if that happened again, it might not go as well the second time around, and he had to address that. He hoped Akari was awake enough to listen to him.

“Ah, Miss Akari… I would like to discuss something real promptly, if that is alright. I want to admit that well, traveling down this route is much rougher than I had anticipated.” Ingo turned his head slightly in her direction as he headed up the hill for the gates, hoping she was listening. “I understand your feelings on this and am trying to honor them. But tomorrow, if we are going to relieve ourselves of some stress at your request, I ask that we also relieve a few others of theirs. Tomorrow, if he returns back to the station, we must bring Professor Laventon up to speed on your situation.” 

“Phi! Phi!” Ingo’s frown pulled at the immediate argumentative squeaking that started up. It had taken a moment to kick in, but she was definitely listening, and it had certainly woken her up a little. At least she was paying attention.

“He is worried sick about you. I am sure he would be relieved to know you are alright.”

The squeaking began to lean more on the desperate side. Ingo felt a cold flipper bap his neck a few times.

“Now, you know he would not discuss your predicament with others if you requested, including Kamado. Your current situation will be safe with him. You must know that.” Ingo stopped outside the dojo’s doors, but kept himself from entering.

“Phi!”  

That was her correctional tone. He had misinterpreted her reasons. A proper glance over at his shoulder – Akari had been staring up at him, but she averted her gaze at the possibility of eye contact.

Sheepish. 

She was embarrassed.

“Miss Akari… I could not imagine him becoming angry at you, given the circumstances.” Ingo recalled the day Akari left on her fateful trip to the coastlands. She had told him that Laventon had suggested she take someone with her, and Kamado had required it. He would have gone with her, had she simply waited for him.

Ingo imagined Laventon would feel a lot of things if he revealed that the small pokemon he had gotten a glimpse at a few times over these last two weeks was actually Akari. Joy, relief, confusion… maybe disappointment for disregarding his suggestion, but not anger. Not in that moment, surely. Ingo could not possibly see Laventon getting upset when faced with the impossible truth that Akari was alive – he’d be too busy celebrating. The man’s optimism always seemed to outweigh any possible anger of his.

Kamado would probably be a different story. But they would not get into that. 

“I believe Professor Laventon would simply be appreciative to know you’re alright.” Ingo attempted to reassure her. “You have seen how much he’s been worrying about you. He is feeling… very much like I was before I had known. Even if he is not past admonishment upon realizing, it may still be rather amiable in comparison to what you’re expecting. Wouldn’t you agree with that?”

“Phi-phiiiii-” Akari groaned, but the drawn-out tone suggested her concern gave way to reluctant agreement. 

“So, you understand what I am asking?”

A squeak that sounded agreeable.

“And you are alright with it?”

Another agreeable sound, but it was significantly quieter and more delayed.

“...Would you like to discuss it more in the morning?” Ingo could tell sleep was weighing heavy on her again.

A cold spot nudged against his neck. She was nodding her head while leaning against him, not even opting to make a sound anymore. Yep, he was losing her again.

“Alright,” Ingo finally slid open the dojo’s door. A part of him was a little relieved that it was unlocked – Zisu had still been leaving it open in case, just for him. He stepped through into the darkness, closing it back behind him. “We’ll talk about it more tomorrow, then. Thank you.”

[au-wannabe-the-very-best]

I wanna chew on your Misplaced Super Train AU like it's got the texture of perfectly toasted potato bread. I wanna squeeze it like it's a triple-overstuffed squishmallow and wrap it around me like a silken weighted blanket.

This has got to be my single most favorite AU of yours so far, and I feel it with such intensity that all the All Caps and exclamation points in the world could not help me express it.

Feed

Me

More

Please

Like, does the group do anything about Volo, or does he manage to avoid them/avoid giving them Rancid Vibes? I feel like they would have a pretty good mix of people/pokemon able to pick up on individual little things that come together to make a Concerning Picture.

And how are the people (Emmet et. al.) back home doing? How do they feel? Because a whole group of people disappearing launches people straight into conspiracy theories rather than just ("just") the concern a single dissappearance would generate.

Would the group show up in history books? Would Ingo & Co know they were gonna disappear (a lá Stable Time Loop) or is it more like they don't show up in history until it happens (if at all)? (Time is weird.)

I think because of the fact that they just accidentally came through a space-time rift, Volo's operating under the assumption that they weren't sent to stop his plans or anything, so he just avoids them. As for the group, I think it would be super funny if they have like. An instinct for people who wield legendaries. Because they're so used to passengers trying to sneak them into the battle subway. They're BANNED for a reason.

So, like, they KNOW Volo's got legendary voodoo all over him but they don't particularly care? Not their passenger, not their problem.

As for the family back home, Emmet and the others aren't really handling this very well. Interpol gets involved immediately, but their lack of results is very discouraging. See, before this, there has been things disappearing throughout history that logically shouldn't just disappear! Things like a whole fridge or a washing machine, for example. But it's always been attributed to a thief who's got a really well-trained psychic type, or something like that. Nobody is going to connect these random disappearances to a whole ass train vanishing off the tracks, despite the fact that they're both connected to the space-time distortions. Up until this point, all previous disappearances were low-level and weren't given much investigation.

So there's really... no precedence on how to handle this. Not even "fallers" are as bizarre as this. Plus, there's no ultra wormhole energy, so that's ruled out fairly quickly. Interpol has got no leads. And the internet is getting wild with the conspiracy theories, much to the dismay of the family and friends of those who went missing.

Emmet breaks his phone against a wall when some tabloid claims it's a publicity stunt.

Anyways, no, I don't think Ingo or the depot agents had any clue they were going to disappear, but I DO think this is going to be a "stable time loop" scenario— while in the past, they're going to have the caution to not reveal much future info, and keep their identities generally a secret. Not to mention, in the future, the "secret third alien clan in Hisui" is considered a conspiracy theory, regardless of the evidence of their existence. It doesn't really reach the ears of the Unovan subway workers, outside of lesser-known memes. There's no photos of them, and the only person in their group who has much a reason to be interacting with anyone native to Hisui would be Ingo. And that's just because Lady Sneasler's taken quite the liking to him. There's the added plus that with Ingo's amnesia, he actually doesn't run much of a risk when it comes to revealing things, so they're not as worried about him interacting with the locals as they are of Big Mouth Cameron who told people they were FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

I also think, when they return, a lot of the proof of their existence is going to be taken with them... Which doesn't leave much for the historians to find.

When they come back, though? Oh, the historical community is going to have a field day with the goodies they brought back.

[imaginatorcreates]

Nimbasa Trio! Soul Resonance!

25 July 2024 — 30 July 2024

Summary: Lord Death calls upon the Nimbasa Trio to deliver a pep talk / demonstration to the students of DWMA. Along the way, Elesa (meister) reminiscences on how the three of them deviated from the standard path of fighting evil. Oh, and there's a Kishin egg somewhere in the mix, but the pep talk was more important.

Word Count: ~3.9k words

Author’s Note: Listen. Soul Eater gripped me back when I watched it years ago. It was only a matter of time before I started writing a Soul Eater inspired thing.

Important!: Please keep in mind that my knowledge on Pokemon is close to zero. I'm mostly here because of the Submas Twins. Most knowledge comes from Detective Pikachu (which I should rewatch), absorption of basic terms via mild osmosis (TY to my close friend of over a decade), Discord friends, and infodumps to my Tumblr inbox. Feel free to expand my knowledge though!

Also on AO3

(notes may differ between Tumblr and AO3)

Elesa was fully aware that she was an only child. She had always had all the attention of her parents, may that be separately or joint force. She had learned to share via her classmates, and her house had been devoid of other kids around her age unless playdates had been approved by everyone’s parents.

She had been praised to be pretty from a young age, having components of her parents that people have always said mashed well together. She had been praised about how strong and friendly her soul was, one that would easily resonate with others if she so chose to venture down the path of a meister.

She didn’t exactly care about any of that when she was younger. What she had cared about was how lonely she was.

So to no one’s surprise but her parents, when she was eight, she latched onto a pair of identical kids and declared them to be her friends. No playdate approval. No stiff conversations because “just because the parents were friends didn’t mean the kids were friends” either. These kids were her chosen friends.

Sure, there were struggles at first. The combination of Elesa’s enthusiasm alongside the twins’ own should’ve caused a large clashing of personality. In spite of that, the trio stayed together. The twins introduced themselves first as Ingo and Emmet, then as demon weapons who could turn into a pair of knives.

“Daggers sound cooler, so we say that we’re dagger twins!” Ingo had explained to Elesa. Emmet frantically nodded along, bouncing around the two as if on a pogo stick.

Despite being twins, the Ingo and Emmet were complete opposites. Ingo little to no volume control (the amount of times that Elesa swore that she would never need an alarm clock again if she lived with the twins was too numerous to remember), while Emmet moved around so often without so much of an utterance of his voice that Elesa had relied on how his footsteps sounded to know that he was around. Ingo frowned in red, then in black despite his joy. Emmet smiled in blue, then in white despite his discomfort.

But what the two were opposites in, Elesa also found that they also complimented each other. And with such compliments, she wriggled herself in between them and found the perfect piece of the puzzle that she’d been trying to solve for so long.

Friends.

She shared Emmet’s boundless energy and Ingo’s chattermouth. She didn’t share their height at first — something that Emmet had tried to impulsively fight her on after she tried to physically drag him down — but as the trio grew out of single digit ages, she shot past them and stayed a comfortable two inches taller than them. She liked reminding them of it sometimes.

Something that the trio also shared was a well-controlled level of chaos. It wasn’t enough for any adults to raise concern over any of the trio developing a madness wavelength, but it was enough for said adults to shout at the children to be careful. What each person had to be careful about differed: the twins had to be careful about their demon weapon transformations and to not accidentally get stuck in weapon form, and Elesa had to be careful to not try wielding either twin.

Of course being children, no one listened. Perhaps that was why the trio was one of the best weapon-meister groups in their not-so-humble opinion. Of course, that had gone to their heads just a little bit when they had enrolled in the DWMA’s E.A.T. program, only to have encountered changes in their desires of future careers.

“I am Emmet. Hear me out.”

“Hearing.”

“You’re being listened to.”

“I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Thank Death you said it first!” Elesa had exclaimed. She remembered that she had been lounging on the trio’s couch in their rented apartment, their AC unit chugging away the hot air of Nevada. “I’m not too interested in fighting evil on a daily basis either.”

“I considered this to be a back-up after our last mission,” Ingo had added. “We’re some of the best, I agree. But even this three-car train needs a change in maintenance to keep its engines running.”

“We caaan’t quit the program though,” Emmet had huffed. The corners of his mouth had downturned slightly, giving his signature smile a frog-like appearance. “That’ll be considered defeat. I looove winning more than anything.”

The twins had glanced at each other, and with just a few twitches of their eyes and shrugs of their shoulders Elesa had known they were doing twin-to-twin communication. A feeling of unease had started to build in her. Looking back, she probably should’ve spoken up sooner, or at least had broken the silent communication. “I — ”

“Nope!”

“Not it!”

“You doofuses! Why do I have to talk to Lord Death about this?”

“Because yooou’re our meister!”

“We’re just following the rules we set up here. Last one who jumps out has to do it.”

Elesa had given both twins a frustrated huff before she had gripped onto both of their suspenders. “Then, as your meister, I demand that both of my weapons be there so you two can explain your future paths.”

Their complaints had stopped the second the trio had decided to race up the stars of the DWMA. It had given everyone enough time to formulate their words to Lord Death, and afterwards, to start formulating where to get jobs after they graduate.

------

If there was something that Elesa loved about where she currently lives, it had to be the transportation system. It was reliable and efficient. Best of all, her boys worked there, directing passengers and shouting out orders.

Now, she hardly calls them “her boys” in public or in front of the camera. Reporters and the paparazzi would eat those words up out of context and spit out atrocious stories that might sully her image. No, she only called them “her boys” when the three were off duty. She admits, that had been a while ago. However, between her boys being the bosses of the subway system (with select cars being perfect training grounds for weapon-meister pairs while traveling), and her own job of being a model and owner of a Death-approved weapon-meister training facility, things were busy.

So of course, it was only during some of their time off — movie night at Elesa’s apartment — did Lord Death call the trio over to the DWMA for a demonstration.

“Because you three are some of the best and worst students I’ve ever had!” Death explained over the phone. Seemingly ignoring the shouts of indignation, he only started to ramble on about various stories that he remembered about the trio in their schooling days. The narratives varied between laughable to embarrassing, and it was only until the trio shouted at Death loud enough to cause neighbors to start knocking on the door did Death return to the main topic at hand.

“I’d like the three of you to visit the DWMA for a pep talk for our current batch of students. Demonstration. Pep demonstration.”

Elesa could already see the comical way that Death was posing as he said this, and it only made her blood pressure rise.

“Pardon the interruption, but why us?” Ingo asked.

“Because you three nearly dropped out of the E.A.T. program!” Ignoring the shouts from the trio, Death continued. “I admit, I was surprised! But I’m not one to fail students without good reason. You three gave me a good reason to not fail you. Running a training facility and train in your home city? You three must send me souvenirs when you visit! Travel and lodging expenses have already been paid for, so I’ll see you soon!”

The phone call ended with a click.

That started up a racket. Only after pacing, muttering, yelling at each other, and downing some pizza did the trio admit defeat. There wasn’t really a way they could wriggle out of this.

“Boys.”

“Yes?”

“Yeah?”

“Whoever doesn’t pack their bags two days before departure day has to pay for souvenirs for Death.”

“Understood.”

“Bet. Not losing.”

------

Elesa gets nervous plenty of times. Before a photoshoot, when schedules change, when she spots reporters and paparazzi on her commute. But she had tactics. She would stand in front of a mirror, feet shoulder width apart and hands on her hips. She would breathe in and out and would hold the pose until she felt like she could walk into a room and ace the challenge.

“Ingo, Emmet. The purpose of this is to feel powerful,” she said as the three powerposed in the hallway just outside the gymnasium. “You’re supposed to stand still and be silent. Clear your mind of thoughts.”

Emmet’s smile on his face was tense as he bounced between one foot and the other. “I am Emmet, and I need to move to relax.”

“This engine needs ample time to warm up before running, and this is the sound of it warming up,” Ingo said before continuing to mutter under his breath, his frown deeper set on his face.

“You two literally run a battle subway! You interact with hundreds of people daily, and what makes you nervous is standing in front of a bunch of kids?”

“Kids are verrry wild!”

“These kids are also looking up to us as their alumni. To set the expectations so high only to fail to meet them…it would be a blow to the school and ourselves!”

Elesa glanced between the two of them. Just watching the two trying to dispel their nervous energy caused some of her residual nerves to try to build up again. However, she shook out her hands and stomped her foot on the ground. “We are the Nimbasa Trio! We carry the pride and joy of our district far beyond New York city! We’re the best of the best out there, and we’re the best of the best here!”

She struck a pose, one manicured hand pointed up and the other one pointed down. Her puffy yellow jacket made her upper body look like an appealing plate of fluffy scrambled eggs, and she shook out her black hair so they fell at just the right angle around her red and blue headphones. Her electric blue eyes shone with determination and pride. “We’re the Nimbasa trio!”

Emmet was the first to join in on her posing. He dropped into a squat and raised one of his arms up while pointing the other one forwards. He stuck one foot out and his smile grew. “I am Emmet, and we’re the Nimbasa trio!”

Ingo joined in, raising one of his arms and keeping the other pointed downwards. To Elesa’s joy, he allowed himself to slightly cock out one of his hips as the corners of his frown turned upwards, resulting in a cat-like expression. “We’re the Nimbasa Trio! All aboard!”

“All aboard!” echoed Emmet.

“Our team will be the next one to make your heads spin!” Elesa announced. Build up that confidence, and natural charisma will follow!

“Well, I guess there’s no need to announce who you are, seeing how we can all hear you loud and clear,” Death suddenly said as he popped up behind the trio. “Stop screaming, I was here all along!” He gave an annoyingly cutesy peace sign that did nothing to calm Elesa’s racing heart from the scare. “I already told everyone no recordings of any sort are allowed unless they want to fail their next exam. Or get fired.” He quickly started to push the trio towards the door of the gymnasium as he said, “Now go along and I’ll be enjoying those wonderful souvenirs you three definitely got for your dear ol’ headmaster!”

Just when Emmet was about to swipe at Death with both hands, Death disappeared. “I am Emmet! Stop doing that!”

“He can be perfectly on schedule and we can still miss him. How does he do it?” Ingo mused. He stroked his chin and gave a huff of irritation. “I wonder how his current batch of passengers manage to keep up with his erratic changes.”

Elesa loved her boys. She really did. But there was a certain point of patience she had when there was something that required her utmost charisma, and unfortunately, being around her boys lowered her charm and replaced it with the strong urge to be goofy. While she would rather be goofing off with the twins instead of being presentable in front of the current batch of students at the DWMA, she couldn’t exactly disobey the orders of the headmaster that allowed the trio to pursue their current paths in life.

She cleared her throat and tapped on her wrist. “Let’s stay on schedule.”

“Right!”

------

The second the trio presented themselves to the crowd of eclectic students, any and all nerves melted away. To the sides were the E.A.T. students and in the middle were the N.O.T. students. Elesa could see confident and bored expressions on the E.A.T. students, with some blatantly paying more attention to the unheard conversation they were having amongst themselves. Contrast that with the eager and nervous faces of the N.O.T. students and one could easily tell whom this talk was supposed to be towards.

The trio easily captured the attention of everyone with a loud yell of “All Aboard!” and a pose. The twins flanked Elesa with a large swoosh of their capes while pointing towards the audience. Elesa took one knee to the ground and threw her arms out in one of her signature poses. People have often said how it accentuated her limbs or something, but that was mostly modeling business. She did that pose because it made her feel powerful. It started in her chest and bloomed outwards until it spread through her entire body.

“Good morning DWMA!” Ingo announced. Even without the microphone provided, his voice easily echoed through the walls of the gymnasium. Several students perked up and actually paid attention. “It’s a bright day in Death City, Nevada. Before we get started, we have to set a few safety rules down.”

“Stay in your seats!” Emmet piped up. It took a bit more effort for his voice to carry through the room, to which he resorted to using the microphone. “It keeps things verrry orderly for us!”

“I’m sure that Lord Death had told you already, but no recordings of this talk are to be taken or shared with anyone.” Elesa rose from her position and flipped her hair. Gone was her smile; instead, a serious and stoic gaze was plastered on her face. “We may have our faces plastered on the internet due to our jobs, but that doesn’t mean that we consent to such today.”

“I’m sure many of you are amateurs anyways.”

Ingo gasped. “Emmet!”

Introductions were supposed to be brief. Of course, when one had a reputation, questions were sure to follow once people had confirmation that the face and name matched. There had been plenty of unrelated questions towards how much money the trio made (“Strictly confidential!”), modeling careers (“It’s a matter of connections, genetic lottery, and not something you easily study for in school”), how the train managed to stay running despite battles on it (“Not telling!”), and plenty more inquiries that more or less had repeated answers.

After clawing their way out of the ocean of questions, the trio managed to start sharing the information that Death actually wanted them to share: the idea of changing careers when it didn’t match one’s enrolled class.

As the trio shared their story, Elsa’s eyes moved over the mass of students out there, hoping that their anecdotes helped soothe some of the minds of the students. She remembered the day that the stray thought of ‘Is this what you really want to do for the rest of your life?’ crossed her mind. It ate at her every waking hour and followed her to bed. It had festered as she spared with her classmates and grew until it had burst from her mouth in a declaration that had been swept underneath the rug of exam season: “I need a break.”

Sure, the talk with Lord Death at the time had been nerve-wracking. It was expected that all E.A.T. students were to continue on that path and not stray. It had taken some persuasion, along with laying out some half-formed but passionate plans, but the trio had been able to graduate their E.A.T. program and march off to a different path.

They had to send Death official reports of their businesses every couple of months, as well as take care of any Kishin eggs that happened to spawn in New York, but it was better than being frontline soldiers and risking their lives daily.

Yeah. Elesa was happy with her decision.

So of course, it was only near the end of the talk did things go sideways.

A window high above the gymnasium shattered inwards, glass raining down on a large group of students. The staff at the edges of the crowd of students braced for the high possibility of attack and for defending the students, a few of the demon weapons already transforming in preparation for combat. Orders that were barked out told the E.A.T. students present to not engage and to focus on protecting the N.O.T. students. Already there were a few shouts of protest, but when the intruder revealed themself to be a meister-weapon pair, the students’ attentions moved back towards defending their classmates.

“Kishin?” Elesa curtly asked the twins.

“Verrry possible,” Emmet said.

“This may not be our district anymore, but we are its alumni.” Ingo threw a glance towards his younger twin, then towards Elesa. “And these passengers are quickly approaching a yellow line that’s moving towards them.”

“Then let’s go!” Elesa thrust her hands out to her sides and started running towards the rogue Kishin pair. A pair of flashes poked at her peripheral vision before two familiar knives settled into her hands. She didn’t even have to peek to know which colors were in each hand; at this point, it didn’t matter which hand wielded which twin. Elesa sent out her soul’s wavelengths towards the two demon weapons in her hands and felt them respond. Perfect, the basics of soul resonance were achieved. She dug deep into her soul and prepared to boost her boys’ abilities.

Elesa leapt towards the Kishin and twisted her body to one side to barely avoid a morning star being swung into her side. The sharp spikes on the end of the round metal ball nicked her yellow puffer coat though, tearing into the waterproof material. She hissed, not out of pain, but frustration. “Hey!” she exclaimed. “This is quality material! You’re not allowed to tear it!”

She threw one of the knives towards the Kishin. The silvery-gray blade glinted in the fluorescent lights and she could briefly see a wide grin reflected in the metal. The Kishin pair leapt up and towards Elesa, missing the knife completely.

However, Elesa had foresaw this possibility. How many times had she sparred with her classmates and experienced this? She threw her other knife into the air — it was identical save for the black handle — and shouted, “Rebounding tracks!”

The white knife switched directions and flew towards the black knife. It managed to slice into the Kishin pair and send a brief electric shock through the pair. Elesa amplified the electricity before she leapt up to catch the white knife and throw the black knife. The knife enveloped itself in hot purple flames and embedded itself into the abdomen of the kenshin’s meister. The electric shock from Emmet’s electric soul would’ve temporarily disabled any soul resonance between the meister and weapon, as well as caused the meister’s muscles to cramp.

With a simple amplification and a blink, the meister’s body was aflame. Uninhibited, Ingo’s fire soul would’ve burned everything to ashes, body and soul. However, Elesa was sure that Lord Death would want to get a look at this intruder and provide proper punishment, so she raised her free hand and the black knife flew back into it.

The most important part right now was to get the meister and weapon separated.

She ignored the painful screams of the meister and discarded her puffer coat. With that, she wriggled in between the kenshin pair and pressed her knives where they’d work best: Emmet against the weapon and Ingo against the meister. She sent out her own soul wavelength towards the two and muttered, “We’re the Nimbasa Trio.”

Energetic sparks and warm flames enveloped her own soul as each knife sent out their specialties. Only this time, amongst the purple flames that burned at the meister’s body were small sparks of electricity. Amongst the yellow lines of electricity that worked to dismantle the weapon’s current form were small licks of fire.

And right in between them, was a soul that glowed as it sent out pulses of energy towards the two. Elesa’s arms slowly started to move further apart as the meister’s grip on their weapon started to slacken. With a final burst of energy, her arms fully extended and broke apart the kenshin pair. She could hear the twin’s voices echo in her head as she gave herself a moment to breathe.

Bravo Elesa and Emmet! What a well polished-engine we still are!

Verrry much so!

“Weapon first?”

Promptly.

Of course!

Just as she took a few steps towards the weapon, who had shifted to their human form now, Death suddenly manifested and gathered up the discarded kenshin pair. “Magnificent work as always! I had every bit of faith in you three, but for the moment you three needed help, that’s when our regular staff would’ve jumped in. I didn’t think that we’d need too much of their help though, so I hoped they took notes on your work!” He waggled a finger at the trio and added, “Glad to see the proof of your words up close! You three really haven’t gotten rusty.”

Elesa. Lemme at him.

Emmet! No! We’re not going to attack our headmaster!

I am Emmet, and he keeps doing this! Aaalways tricking students!

I too detest his tricks, but we’re not going to have to make others make safety checks right now.

Elesa ignored the twins bickering in the shared headspace and instead gripped their handles tighter. “Death,” she hissed, “you cheater of a god. You owe me a new yellow puffer!”

“Ah, touché.”

Elesa tossed both knives behind her before feeling arms hook into her own. She didn’t have to look to her sides to see who the familiar knife-shaped sideburns belonged to, nor did she hesitate when the three of them walked out without a second glance back.

Yeah, they may have graduated from the E.A.T. program at DWMA, but their skills learned there didn’t define their paths. So as soon as Elesa got a new yellow puffer and the trio were checked over for any injuries, Ingo asked, “How about a movie?”

“The claaasic!”

Elesa laughed. “You goofy boys.”

[mocc-tok-flip-flop]

So it's been a while since I posted, but I got deep into the Pokemon fandom again and the train twins have now taken over! I just had to design some Pokemon forms for Emmet and Ingo!!

I know some people aren't as into stats and abilities, but I really wanted to sit down and hash out their strategies and movesets. They're subway masters AND ridiculously strong and skilled trainers, so I wanted to make sure that their Pokemon forms also reflected that! So if you're into that (or learning how Hisui changed their partnership) it'll be under the Read More below!

Let me know if y'all want to see more of these guys! I have even written their Pokedex entries and figured out their habits and natures! (Also, just because I thought it was funny, now Ingo is the one who's weak to Earthquake)

Ok, so the first thing I determined were general specialties! Ingo, despite his intimidating appearance and his fighting typing, is actually a better special attacker. I imagine that the twins play up the perception that other people have for them: Ingo is indimidating and Emmet is friendly, so Ingo is actually a sneaky special attacker and Emmet is a surprise physical attacker!

Their base stats reflect this, and I put their total around evolved starter range to make sure they're viable for competitive battling. As for typing, it was mostly based on various Pokemon they have on their teams, but I kinda wanted to make them partially types suited more to their counterpart, so Electric for Ingo and Steel(?) for Emmet? It's not perfect, but I HAD to make sure Ingo shared a typing with Lady Sneasler so they can be friends in Hisui. And Emmet is a Bug type because Emmet.

I agonized over their movesets and abilities for a long time, but I really wanted to show that they are a Duo, Please Do Not Seperate. So their moves and abilities help to cover each other in a double battle! Ingo has the absolute beast of a move Boomburst (both because he's loud and because it's a 140 base special attack with no downsides) so he's got Brick Break to make sure that there's no screens or shields blocking his big finishing move. Workup helps with all of his moves and since it boosts physical and special, it works to hide his little-known special attack specialty until it's too late.

I had fun with Emmet's moveset! Not only does he have Reflect to help cover his beloved brother's weaknesses, but in the case they're fighting a singles battle he's got U-Turn to effortlessly switch into his brother's big finisher move. I waffled between Reflect and another move that would reduce special defence (set up even better for Ingo's finishing move), but ultimately decided I liked Emmet shielding his big brother better.

I also want you to know that for his move Attack Order, Emmet literally commands a small battalion of Joltiks who like to hide in his coat. Verrry cute.

Of course, the codependency doesn't stop at their moves! Ingo's ability literally reduces the damage that Emmet takes when they battle together, and Emmet's Volt Absorb ability means that Ingo can always heal up his little brother if the Joltiks don't heal him first.

And now we get to the sad part. During their separation, both of them change, as now they no longer have each other to rely on in battle. Ingo changes out his Brick Break for an Aura Sphere, as when fighting solo (and sometimes multiple opponents) he doesn't have time for a lot of setup and is best on relying on his special attacking rather than trying to play the long game. His ability also changes to Defiant, to reflect his heightened need for fighting and his determination to find what he knows is missing (YES I know technically abilities can't really change but THEY'RE SPECIAL OK and it was sadder this way).

And oh boy, while Emmet can pretend he's fine as much as he wants, his changes truly show how much Ingo's loss devastated him. There's no-one left to switch with, so he trades his U-Turn for a more aggressive Lunge instead. And even worse, his new ability, Anger Point, will boost his attack once he hits half health. Which means that now he will try to get hurt and stay hurt, since now his brother can no longer heal him :(

Sorry for so much rambling, but I got suuuuper into designing these guys! The actual designs are alright, but I still think they need to be more distinctive somehow. Might go back and tweak it a bit later, but I'm happy with it for now. Why are they weird kangaroo things with hooves? Idk, but they look cool and that's what really matters~

[leggerefiore]

Can I request hcs for submas, cyrus nanu and larry where they have to leave for a long time on a trip or something? When they come back they accidently walk in on their s/o snuggling their clothes or putting on their cologne because they missed them so much. 🥺🥺🥺 Thank you if you decide to take this request!!

cw: fluff, comfort(?) kinda

characters: Ingo, Emmet, Cyrus, Larry, Nanu

▲Ingo▼

● The trip had been a surprise for the both of you. Business trips were not common at all. In fact, Ingo struggled to recall a time that they had occurred at all. But, somehow, it happened. An invitation by another battle facility to come learn and observe. A Battle Tower, off in Sinnoh. While part of him had wanted to say no, Emmet clearly was excited to explore the prospect, so it was challenging to deny the trip. That would leave the Battle Subway closed for a while, but the experience simply might improve their battle styles and make them more enjoyable for their patrons. So, the difficult time came to say goodbye to you. The hug was a long one marked alongside a sweet kiss. He promised to return in two weeks, but it truly did almost feel like forever. Your heart hurt to see him go, yet this was his brother and his interest and talent.

● The time spent separated was mostly boring. Nothing really happened around the home, especially since Ingo's and Emmet's pokemon were not around to play into their usual antics. It was quiet. It was routine. You did pop in to check on the station a few times, as Ingo had requested. Calls between you both were frequent, which kept you appeased for the most part. Yet… Loneliness and desperation began to creep into your mind. You missed Ingo. A lot. One of his uniform coats caught your attention one evening. The distant smell of his cologne and coffee… Perhaps a small odour from Garbodor and a sulphur smell from Chandelure. But, all of that made it so distinctly him. Clutching it to your body as you laid down, you could almost convince yourself that it was him.

● It became a new part of your temporary routine to cuddle with the coat when you missed Ingo. Occasionally, you even laid it out beside you on the couch to pretend that you were watching television with him or just sitting around with him. It was definitely a bit odd, but you felt that any form of comfort was better than just staring at your phone waiting for a reply from him. Though, you had lost track of the dates as the day of Ingo's return had come. You were once again holding the coat and sighing at the fading scent. The sound of the door opening barely registered with you. Ingo had entered with his bags, wanting to surprise you a bit. Instead, he caught sight of you clutching his coat to you rightly.

● “Dearest…” he called out, bewildered and flustered. Had you missed him truly that much? Something in him felt distressed about having left you for so long. He knew how jittery he got being away from Emmet for extended periods, but he had not even registered that the same might be true for you. Clearly, it should have been obvious as he had missed you, too. The coat, however, was dropped at the sound of his voice. Suddenly, you were running towards him to bury your face into his nape. The scent you had been relying on for comfort hit you hard. His warmth accompanied it as he caught you and embraced you back. “I'm here,” Ingo reassured you, “I'm here now…”

The image of you cuddling his coat remains a fixture in his mind as he goes through his daily schedule for weeks following. He finds himself entranced that you simply loved him that much.

▽Emmet△

○ The Subway Boss never had taken a business trip, admittedly. While he had travelled, certainly, the was almost always on his own time and something that you easily join him on. This time, however, it was a request by another battle facility to attempt a learning opportunity by training with other heads. He and Ingo almost felt it impossible to decline. Powerful trainers were their favourite things, after all. Though, mostly Emmet enjoyed winning over anything else. He agreed instantly without realising how it might impact you. Honestly, he was surprised to realise that you could not tag along. At one point, the twin even got a bit huffy over it before ultimately accepting it. His parting from you was filled with tight hugs and many kisses. Ingo probably had to pull him from you because he was simply being so clingy. You could only wave goodbye to the twin as he was pulled towards their beloathed airport to travel to another region.

○ Your time spent separated from Emmet was quite dull. Usually, the younger twin would fill your days with his silly antics or have you around the station with him. Loneliness was not exactly an issue with all the friends that he had left behind, but they understood your plight quite well. Your train man was missed dearly. His cute smile as he greeted you in the morning, all his affections that he just endlessly presented you with, and how he seemed ready to keep you involved in everything. It was little wonder you picked up his work coat and buried your face into it. Something sugary lingered in the scent mixed in with something like ozone and light spritz of cologne. The Joltiks seemed to surround you as you cuddled with the coat. It was enough to appease you for now.

○ The coat was something you found yourself coming back to in the following days. It was a simple comfort that reminded you of your sweet Emmy. If you were not cuddling with the coat, the Joltiks seems to take residence in it as well. They missed him just as much as you did, it appeared. Sleeping with it at night almost drew a similar feeling to Emmet cuddled up beside you or having it near made you feel as though he were. It was a better way to manage your feelings rather than hanging out by the phone waiting for any sign of life from your boyfriend. Slowly, however, you did lose track of time as the day of his return had come at long last. He threw open the door happily, ready to snatch you into a hug and be near you for a long while. Instead, he found you napping on his coat on the couch.

○ Emmet stared at your adorable sleeping face for a moment before gently waking you up. “Darling… I am back,” he cooed when you opened your bleary eyes. You rubbed them and yawned. Then suddenly jolted at the sight of him. He giggled when you wrapped your arms around him and buried your face into his nape. It was only natural to embrace you back. The coat entered his mind. Had you missed him that much? His heart hurt. Oh, his poor darling! You laughed at how his kisses tickled you. “You must have been verrrry lonely,” he spoke softly, “I am sorry! I am back!” The coat was forgotten as your real Emmet gave you all the affection you could ever want.

You cuddling with his coat stayed on his mind for a long while. The both of you had done many things with his coat, but somehow that was his favourite. You were simply too cute for him at times.

🌌Cyrus🛰

☄️ Business trips were not necessarily uncommon for Cyrus. He had a few sporadically throughout the year to meet with various business partners and discuss shared projects and other deals. Those tended only to be a few days at most, usually. However, a rare trip came up related to a foreign business partner wishing to discuss a possible device more in depth and have him work on development in house rather than on his own in Sinnoh. Cyrus typically would have declined such a request, hating being at the behest of others, yet he accepted. A possibility of gaining information for his more secretive project was simply too much to pass on. Unfortunately, that would mean you would be unable to join him. Your obvious upset over this was haunting as he attempted to say goodbye. You clung to him and asked why you could not come again. He awkwardly had to shake you off and give a lame explanation.

☄️ Truthfully, Cyrus being away on a business trip was not that different from your usual day to day with him. He was always busy and often did not return home until much too late at night. But, the few days he did arrive back at a reasonable hour kept you from feeling to unloved. Now, however, there was not a chance of that occurring. Phone calls were rare, as he was so busy. They did happen at least every three days, but loneliness truly began to eat away at you. Moments where you would wake up late at night to see the blue-haired man in bed with you did not happen any more either. It was little wonder that you found his tablet in his office and began to cling to it. The device almost felt like a small piece of him. When you thought of him at home, you thought of him and the device in his hand.

☄️ It was a strange comfort, certainly. The days were passed by with the tablet near you. The lock screen was his company's emblem, but you could pretend it was Cyrus in a way. Talking to it unconsciously as you might the man himself, you seemed to find small peace. It was something to let you pretend he was around. You even found yourself holding it to you in bed. Time began to pass as you unconsciously lost track of the days. The day of Cyrus's return had come finally, and he unlocked the door of your apartment entirely ready to rest after the mess of endless work and flight back to Sinnoh. Instead, he heard you talking to someone when he entered. Soft, tender, and loving words were spoken as his heart seemed to freeze. He stepped in quietly, needing to see whatever was happening with his own eyes. The sight he was greeted with was more bizarre.

☄️ You held his tablet in your hands while sitting on the couch and watching television. No one else was around. Then he heard you call the tablet his name. “… Beloved?” he finally called out to you, filled with a rare worry. Your eyes went big as the tablet was quickly abandoned. Rushing over to him, you linked your arms around him tightly and babbled out his name over and over again. He let his hand come to comb your hair with his fingers. Your hold was inescapable. How much had you missed him? You even had started speaking to his tablet like it was him, apparently. Cyrus grasped your chin to have you make eye contact with him. He had neglected your needs again. “I'm here now. We should… spend time together. It has been far too long.” Your embrace grew even tighter somehow.

The image of you clinging to his tablet and speaking to it as if it were him taunts him as he holds the very device. It was his fault that you had ended up in such a state, and he entirely intended to stop that from reoccurring.

💼Larry🏢

🍙 Business trips were a common occurrence with Larry. He was an overworked salaryman, after all. Geeta him sent him all over and seemed to intend to keep him busy no matter what. You usually did not accompany on his trips, but they were usually only a few days or just a day trip. This, however, was rare for both him and you. Nearly two weeks out for negotiations with a far off pokemon league. He was not going to decline, even if he clearly viewed it as too much of a hassle. The salaryman had apologised a few times to you. It was unfortunately just part of life for him. His goodbye was a quick peck to your cheek and hug. He politely bid farewell before disappearing onto a plane.

🍙 Truthfully, the days were not so different with Larry gone. He was often away for long hours, being pulled back and forth by his duties as both an Elite Four member and Gym Leader. But, evenings were frequently spent with the man. Sometimes you would nap with him before dinner or cuddle up with him while watching a some random show. That was not happening now. You found yourself oddly lonely when the sun began to set and looking for anything that would remind you of the man. His cologne was an unexpected find. The familiar smell seemed to ease the burden of loneliness almost instantly.

🍙 It became a common thing to spritz on some of the cologne when you began to feel lonely during the later parts of the days. The small change really did alleviate a lot of your previous upset. A simple sniff of your shirt could take you back to using Larry's chest as a pillow. Then, you could almost feel his lazy hold around your waist. It was far too comforting. The days began to pass unconsciously until Larry's arrival back finally came. He walked into your shared home to smell of you cooking something. His shoes were quickly taken off and his bags temporarily dropped and forgotten. Arms came behind you from behind as you stirred around a frying pan. Larry's head rested on your shoulder. An oddly familiar scent, however, entered his nostrils now.

🍙 He was still for a few moments while you greeted him. The food was put back to cool while you hugged him properly. Larry's mind was solely on that smell, however. “… Is that my cologne?” he finally asked, thinking he figured it out. You grew flustered by his words. He blinked. That was it? The scent was not a bad one, he supposed, but he did not really think it was your taste. Before he could offer to buy you a bottle, you explained how you had been using it. His heart raced for a moment. That was… oddly sweet. He felt bad for making you feel that way, though. “I'm here now,” Larry reassured you, “… I doubt I'll be sent off like that again for a while.” He might actually complain to Geeta about it, seeing as you had been hurt by the length of time he had spent away.

Something about you wearing his cologne stays on his mind for a while. It oddly made him feel a rare kind of smug. His scent had been on you and brought you comfort.

🐈‍⬛️Nanu❤️‍🩹

🌑 The old man was retired, so there was absolutely no reason for him to be going anywhere for an extended amount of time. That, and his duties as a Kahuna kept him bound to Ula'Ula and Alola until he dropped dead. Though, apparently Looker had gone through far too much effort to get the old man on a mission that was too much work for him alone. Even if he wanted to decline on behalf of his duties, the agent had already asked the Tapu if he could leave for a period of time. It had been agreed to. He was truly amazed. His intention had still been to say no, yet Looker convinced him it was of utmost importance. Nanu finally grumbled and agreed. His goodbye was a short one, clearly not one for getting overly emotional. A simple kiss to your lips and a warm hug before he messed up your hair. He promised that he would try to be back earlier if he could.

🌑 It was strange being in the Po town police station without him. His Meowths looked at you as if you were crazy while you cared for them and slept alone on Nanu's couch-bed situation. His computer was free use for you, but you felt lonely. Sure, the Meowth cuddled and demanded attention, but you missed napping on the Kahuna. His gentle heartbeat echoing in your ears while you nodded off. Now, you were left to sporadic eerie rains and meows. Picking up one of his discarded uniform jackets, you slipped it on and sighed. A distant smell of smoke and coffee came from it and made you feel almost like Nanu himself was embracing you. The comfort was immense enough for you to nap easily in the clothing piece.

🌑 The jacket became a staple in your attire as you hung around the station. It almost made you feel as if Nanu were there with you. Of course, he was clearly not, or the Meowth would not be crying as they were for your attention, but it was something small to give you relief. You had even found yourself laying it across the pillow when you slept to help feel like you were cuddling the old man. The days seemed to pass on without recognition until a certain day arrived. Nanu opened the door of the station, relieved to have actually finished that mission early. He tensed up at the sight of you watching something on his computer while bundled up in one of his spare jackets. His hand came to scratch the back of his head.

🌑 “I'm back,” he announced as he tried to avoid the horde of Meowth at his feet. Your attention left the screen. Then, you rushed over and nearly tackled him. Nanu caught you with unexpected strength and sighed. You clung to him tightly. Your face was buried into the nape of his neck. He rubbed your back and shook his head. Had you really missed a dreg like him this much? You must have been wearing that jacket as a comfort. Now he felt bad. “... Sorry for taking so long, Looker was making some annoying mistakes,” he sighed and brought his red eyes to meet your own, “You good for a nap?” They only sparkled in reply.

The image of you wearing his jacket became a favourite one. It actually suited you quite well, he felt. Or maybe he was taking a note from his Meowths' books about scenting.

[bellafragolina]

Request: Smallmas spying on Reader as they recently moved in and slowly falling in love with them.

yeyee! here's emmet leading the charge!

🍓🍓🍓

It is forbidden to interact with humans. The large, intimidating giants could easily kill the littler people, such as Emmet and his twin brother Ingo. But even though these rules are understandably in place and enforced, Emmet can’t help but watch you.

You move gracefully for a giant person. You walk carefully, always minding your feet, and you make their (now also your) home cleaner than Emmet has ever seen it. He peers through cracks and from the rafters of the home as you sweep and dust and mop and clean and polish and paint and just fix every thing you get your hands on.

Your hands are awfully nice too. Emmet has seen you pick up the Joltiks that scurry about. Unlike others, you’re gentle. You cradle their little bodies, play with their fluff and laugh when they give off little shocks in their excitement.

Emmet wonders what it’s like, held in your hands. Would you cradle him the same way? Are your hands soft? Or are they rough from the work you do? They must be warm, he imagines. Warm enough to sleep in.

You plague his thoughts. Even when you’re gone, and Ingo and him are scavenging for food and supplies (so much easier, now that you’re here (and probably even easier if you knew about them)), Emmet thinks about you. He finds traces of you all over, and your bed smells like you. Emmet almost doesn’t want to leave the plush softness.

So he waits until Ingo’s asleep. He waits until nighttime casts the house in shadows, and sneaks to your room. You’re asleep as well, lying still in bed besides the gentle rise and fall of your chest.

Emmet climbs up to you, basking in the warmth you radiate. Your hand lies on the mattress, so Emmet creeps closer.

The touch of your skin sends shivers through his body. Emmet carefully lies into your palm, soaking in the warmth. Your fingers curl around him instinctively, but instead of scary, it feels safe. Emmet feels protected for the first time in his life.

But he knows he can’t stay.

So he reluctantly pulls away from your hand, moving back towards the edge of the bed.

Only to meet eyes with Ingo as he pops up over the edge.

Luckily their shouting doesn’t wake you.

🍓🍓🍓

Lolol they’re both simps

~Renee