I Wish To Read The Continuation To This.. If She Ever Complete Her Pokdex And Get Back Home With Ingo...

I wish to read the continuation to this.. If she ever complete her Pokédex and get back home with Ingo... 😭😭😭

Comfort Him

Akari often brings things back from space-time distortions to show to Ingo, in hopes that it will help him regain any of his lost memories. She just didn’t consider it might bring back a memory that’s so distressing.

I wrote this based off of the prompt for the title ‘To Comfort a Parent’ that was given to me by @mismefancy for my title ask game! I also incorporated another request for more Snacktime AU. This has some sadder content than I usually write, but it still has a good ending.

OR read here on AO3!

Enjoy!

————

“I found some new things today, maybe one of these will be different?”

The sound of crinkling reached Ingo’s ears, who was in the middle of scrubbing the last soup bowl clean in the nearby river. He glanced back at Akari to see exactly what he was expecting - from where she sat on a felled log, she was pulling a variety of things out of her satchel - he immediately recognized a few snack bags. Plastic packaging that only came from the space-time distortions.

“Miss Akari, I’m beginning to suspect you purposely hide those until after meals are finished.” Ingo brought the clean bowls back to the snuffed-out cooking fire he had set up, eyeing the various things for no longer than a moment. It seemed she could never stop eating, but that was to be expected from an active teenager’s metabolism… something he did not share.

But, she was doing it for him. He was well aware of that; she often brought him things she would find in the space-time distortions - things that were entirely foreign to the people of Hisui, but were usually very familiar to Akari, and oftentimes faintly so for Ingo. Things that had come from their own time.

Ingo’s recollection of his previous station had considerably improved since his initial interactions with Akari, and they only grew with time. However, such growth was beginning to plateau, and when new memories were knocked loose, they were often small, and insignificant - usually general things, nothing personal for him.

Had he recovered just about everything he could? Akari didn’t think so, and had resorted to more trips to space-time distortions, for more chances to find something that might be their big break - that might be Ingo’s lucky chance to remember something significant.

Nothing had come close to providing that yet - sometimes a few pages ripped out of a magazine would help him dimly recall a passing general event, or an empty pokeball of modern-day design would send faint feelings of familiarity through his hands, but that was it.

It was like picking up shattered glass in the dark - there were many more tiny pieces scattered about than large ones, and reaching out blindly would more likely result in feeling the smaller shards first.

It was… a tedious process. Especially lately, where it seemed things were slowing down considerably.

However, Akari was persistent, incessantly so. She had kept trying, kept finding new things to show him. And Ingo… Ingo appreciated it.

“It’s not a lot, and it’s just items this time!” Akari pulled out a few other items from the bag. “Mostly.”

“Let’s see the items first, then,” Ingo moved to drop down beside her on the log, the dry bark creaking to accommodate him. Let dinner settle a little, first.

“Alright, here’s something I found skewered on the back spikes of a rhydon,” Akari explained, pulling something soft out of the stash. “Hopefully some kid’s not missing it too much!”

Ingo blinked at the item. It was clearly a plush toy of a Pokémon, but he didn’t immediately recognize it as one from Hisui… it didn’t help that there was a large puncture in its face, with stuffing poking out of it.

“Do you recognize this Pokémon?” Akari handed the ruined toy to Ingo, and he held it in his lap, handling it carefully as he took his time looking it over.

It was quadruped, light grey and black. Big head, tiny legs. Small, natural holes decorated the armor on its face and back, as opposed to the unnatural puncture that had destroyed one of the plush’s two big blue eyes.

That one was more like the holes that littered Ingo’s mind.

(Aron). A Pokémon that was brought to the (Battle)(Subway) for fights (on)(the)(lines), and would (nibble) on the (Subway’s)(rails) if they were of the wild variety.

…

A Pokémon that was brought for fights, were they of the wild variety.

…That didn’t seem entirely right.

“I believe the memory of this Pokémon can’t quite reach the station, yet,” Ingo rubbed at the back of his scalp with a hand, where a small aching was beginning to bother him. “But it’s halfway there.”

“It’s an aron,” Akari tried to help the memory the other half of the way. “Likes to eat metal? Evolves into lairon, then aggron?”

Ingo’s frown only deepened at the remark; the characteristic and names were faint sparks in his mind, but nothing more - he could not get a visual image of the evolutions, or even remember the typing for them. It was the exact same feeling he got when he glanced at one of the many voltorb in the highlands… or even his own sneasel.

He handed the damaged toy back over to Akari. “Ah, still not quite there, I’m afraid.”

“No, it’s ok,” A consolatory phrase. One that Ingo had grown accustomed to hearing from her every time she showed him something, anymore. Akari took the plush, and set it back in the pile, before pulling out the next item, and holding it up to him. “What about this? I found this one hanging off a cliffside!”

It was a small, plain shirt; tattered and dirty, there was a print of what almost appeared to be a braviary on it - it was hard to tell with all of the rips littered across the black fabric, though.

Nothing came to mind with this article of clothing at all, aside from the fact that he had recognized shirt designs like this were common where he came from - a realization that was a couple months old at this point, but one that had been special to Akari. It only solidified the idea that they were from a similar, if not the same, time period - she had arrived to Hisui in a plain printed shirt as well, after all.

However, nothing new sprung up at the clothing. Not even the tell-tale aching in the back of his skull, flaring whenever he managed to touch a locked-up memory that was infected with holes.

And why would it?

Ingo suspected Akari knew that more than likely, the mundane article of clothing wouldn’t be familiar to him at all. But he knew she had since resorted to bringing him absolutely anything he hadn’t seen yet.

They had already gone through a lot - Akari had told him about Pokemon gyms, about contests, and competitions. About Pokemon native to her home that she couldn’t find here, as well as others from different regions. About Pokemon centers and Pokemarts, and TMs and HMs. Everything she could think of. And it did bring a considerable amount of information back.

Of the world he had left behind, at least.

But what of his friends? His family? His personal life? How could Akari help lead him back to that prior track, when she had never been a part of it?

Questions never worked, asking about his life or loved ones, no matter how specific they got.

He needed connections.

So what else could she do, besides hope a ruined toy would unlock a memory of a potential close companion of the same form? Or that a ripped shirt would remind him of a friend or family member that had possibly happened to wear the same article of clothing?

It was all she could do, and Ingo knew it just as well as she did. At this point, she could only show him random relics left behind by the distortions.

Hoping it would somehow click.

“Anything?” Akari’s arms began to lower, looking over the top of the shirt at Ingo with cautious hope in her eyes.

“Ah, nothing of significance, I am afraid.” Ingo locked his fingers together, regret in his own gaze; he hated to disappoint her.

“Hmm…” Akari turned to fold and stuff the shirt back into her satchel. “...It’s ok.”

The same consolatory remark again. It was hidden deep, hidden well, but Ingo noticed it sounded… not exactly sadder, but more… disheartened.

She was not obligated to subject herself to such disappointment.

“Miss Akari,” From under the brim of his hat, Ingo’s eyes watched Akari’s hands, putting the shirt away. She paused to glance at him. “My apologies if this is, well, a discouraging process. I am doubly appreciative for your efforts to assist me, but I am aware the tracks are unfortunately slow… and I apologize for that. If you would rather take a break from this, I would understand.”

“What? No, no!” The shirt was forgotten entirely as hands went up, emphasizing. “It’s not! …Something I want to take a break from, I mean! I don’t want to!”

Ingo must have shown a little of his surprise on his face at her enthusiasm, because Akari noticed it.

“I just… I really want to help you get your memories back.” The teenager relaxed a little. She confined her hands to her lap, so they would not fidget with her scarf as she focused on her words. “I think about my mom a lot, and my friends, and my home. I mean, yeah, it's hard sometimes to think about, but I’m really glad I have them. I want you to have that too.”

She knew Ingo wanted it very much; she could see it in his features whenever he listened to her talk about her memories. Not jealousy or envy, but a specific type of sadness. He was able to hide it well, but his eyes would always give him away.

“It doesn’t bother me, even if it takes a while.” She kept going. “It’s not your fault either, but… I don’t look at it like that anyways. I just want to help, any way I can. Even if it takes time.”

The things Ingo had done for her during her time in Hisui went through her mind. How he had led her, accompanied her through the mountains to his noble. How he encouraged her, and appreciated her company. How he taught her how to do certain things, and did his best to guide her when she felt confused. How he made her feel less lonely in a way her other friends couldn’t here in Hisui, the only other person in this world that had come from a previous one before, just like her.

But these things didn’t leave her mouth.

“You’ve done a lot for me.” She simply summed up, instead. “I’d be happy to do something back for you.”

She turned away, back to her pile before Ingo could possibly try and assure her that really, it was alright (but in doing so, she missed the look of appreciation that found its way into his eyes). The sound of shifting fabric was replaced with the crinkling he had first heard earlier.

“Ok, snacktime. Here, try this one first.” Akari held out a small bag to Ingo, wanting him to take it. “You haven’t had these before, right? It’s popcorn, I think.”

The bag was a bright blue, featuring a pair of Pokémon he couldn’t quite recall - small brown bodies, with large fluffy heads. One had a pair of curled green horns, the other blue.

Popping the bag open, Ingo could see the popcorn inside; white and yellow puffs that resembled the Pokémon’s fluffy cotton, and covered in an orange dust.

“You’re correct, as you oftentimes are with these,” Ingo offered the opened bag to Akari as he always did, and she grabbed a messy handful of the puffs to munch on. Ingo took a handful himself, popping them into his mouth one at a time as opposed to Akari, who shoved it all in at once.

Hmm…

Definitely stale.

Just like how they always were in the (vending)(machine) by the (Battle)(Subway). Stale. (Emmet) liked them, but he didn’t know anyone else who did.

…

Just like how they always were. Stale. Someone liked them, but he didn’t know anyone else who did.

Well, that was a lot of nothing, but he shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as how he apparently never really touched the stuff to begin with.

“I think this bag was a little old,” Akari commented with a full mouth, rubbing some of the cheese dust from off her face.

“I believe they’re just like that,” Ingo finished off the popcorn, before neatly flattening the empty bag and handing it back to Akari - he would have simply crumpled it, but he knew she liked to keep and collect some of the packaging to later show to Rei. “But unfortunately, that is the only memory that’s returned to the station; my apologies.”

Once again, Ingo could sense the modicum of disappointment that she couldn’t quite hide with the rest. She took the bag back and folded it neatly, slipping it into her satchel. “No! It’s ok, Ingo, really.”

The warden couldn’t help but feel bad again. Ingo was sort of hoping that was the last thing she had, so that he wouldn’t have to disappoint her for a fourth time tonight. But apparently, she wasn’t done.

“Alright, last thing, I promise,” Akari picked up a small, stocky jar. “I think it’s a drink. Maybe a protein shake, or something-“

She paused as she got a better look at the item in her hands. It was much easier to identify things when she wasn’t swiping things from off the ground, going thirty-something miles an hour from atop Lord Wyrdeer’s back.

“Wait no, nevermind, it’s not a drink. Well, for people, at least. It’s um, a jar of carbos,” slightly surprised, Akari took note of the matching blue cap and triangle symbol on the front - it had been hard to notice with all the dirt that covered it. “Vitamin mix for Pokemon. There are other types too, like Zinc, and Protein… I don’t think I’ve found any of them in a distortion yet, though. I know it’s a long shot, but maybe… see if it reminds you of anything?”

She held the jar out to Ingo. Another offer for him to try again. To try one more time. For her.

A deep breath. Scared to disappoint her again. Ingo reached out, taking the jar in his fingers. “Alright.”

The warden brushed some of the dirt off as he inspected the item more thoroughly. The plastic container was covered in little scratch marks, probably banged up from when it fell through the distortion. The blue triangle on the container stared back at him, a label that didn’t hold much meaning or significance to him. It stirred weak familiarity as a jar of vitamins though, riding off the words of explanation Akari had given.

Out of habit, Ingo turned the carbos over in his hands, his eyes following the label strip as he turned the jar, until-

There was a sticker on the back of the container, stamped over the labeling. Ingo squinted at it, reading over the words - The writing was not Hisuian, just like everything else Akari would fish from the distortions. It was thankfully Galarian, which he could read, but it still took a moment. The scuffed state of the sticker didn’t help either, but Ingo could eventually make out:

CARBOS - 1BP

THANK YOU FOR RIDING THE BATTLE SUBWAY. ENJOY YOUR PRIZE. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU RIDING THE LINES AGAIN SOON. FOLLOW THE RULES AND DRIVE SAFELY!

-INGO AND EMMET

Ingo blinked.

Emmet had come up with that message himself, believing the words of support on the prizes would be appreciated by the trainers. Emmet had run a few variations of the message by him when they were still adjusting to their top positions in the place.

This was a BP exchange item from the Battle Subway. It cost exactly 1BP, and would raise a pokemon’s speed. Valuable, but essential to trainers who wanted to help their Pokemon reach their full potential. Which is why Emmet wanted to lower its cost from 10BP to 1BP.

Emmet always told him he’d start putting this stuff in his coffee, to make him finally start moving faster in the mornings. And he actually did it, once.

There were no holes in these thoughts.

These disconnected, jumbled recollections simultaneously shot like an arrow through Ingo’s brain, a quick, sharp stab before all the pain - all the realization - caught up with it, and bloomed out. Ingo could barely process the memories flooding back.

Emmet. That’s who he was - that’s who the man in white was. Emmet. His brother, who he ran the Battle Subway with.

Emmet’s actual appearance was still just as murky, as were any experiences with him outside of the limited information that was attached to this jar of carbos. But Ingo had something.

His brother was encouraging, to think of putting messages like this onto prizes for trainers, and trusting to come to him for approval on it. His brother was considerate for making prizes like carbos more affordable for trainers, and he was, well… apparently a bit mischievous for putting the nasty stuff in his morning coffee.

He was a good brother though. A brother that he loved dearly, and a brother that loved him back just as much. Ingo knew it. Why else would such a surge of emotions be connected to these sparse memories? His mind could not explain his feelings with memories, but his heart could remember them all the same.

It reassured him, even if he didn’t understand it.

A confused sound left Ingo’s throat, a deep heave in his chest as he tried to keep his head above the rising waters. He looked up to Akari, who was watching him intently, in hopes that she would extend a branch and help him stay afloat.

She blinked at wide grey eyes. “Did you-?”

“My brother-” His fingers were loose around the plastic container, the carbos practically forgotten in his hands. “I have a brother. His… name is Emmet. He works in the Battle Subway, as did I.”

He held up the jar in his hands, now remembered, and turned it around for her to see the sticker - the confusion on her face had been immediate, wondering how he got all of that from a jar of carbos.

“This is a prize item that could be obtained from the Battle Subway, something that could be exchanged for BP. I can’t quite recall what BP stands for, but it was treated as currency for our system…”

As Ingo went on, Akari studied the scuffed sticker on the jar, still in his hands. When her eyes drifted over Ingo and Emmet’s names, her expression lit up, eyes bright as she smiled wide.

“Oh, Ingo! this is great!” Akari jumped up, hardly able to sit still with the excitement buzzing in her chest, making big gestures with her hands. “This is- this is a big thing! You remembered something! You have a brother! And you remember him! And your job, too!”

Akari’s infectious enthusiasm spread to Ingo, the corners of his mouth quirking upwards into a smile as she continued to talk. He did remember. He took another glance down at the worn sticker on the carbos, as if reading Emmet’s name again would bring back more memories.

“You work at the Battle Subway!” Akari kept going, talking a mile a minute. “Which means you’ve got to be from Unova! When I was really young, my mom and I would go there for contests she was in! We went on Gear Station’s subway lines too! I could have already met you and not even known it! Ingo, wouldn’t that be great? I mean, just-!”

Clearly, the prospect of not only living in the exact same timeframe, but also possibly having already met before, was exciting Akari beyond belief.

But as she went on, her words only turned to static in Ingo’s ears.

It was entirely unintentional - he would never purposely tune her out like that. But it was hard not to do it when the third line on the sticker had snagged his attention in its entirety, working its way through his mind as another set of gears started turning in his head.

FOLLOW THE RULES AND DRIVE SAFELY!

Ingo ran his thumb over the rough texture of the scuffed sticker, over the words.

A familiar phrase to him. That was what he always said. He always said that when initiating a battle at the training grounds. Because it always felt right to say so.

But, Emmet was the one who had written the message on this sticker.

These were Emmet’s words.

It was a deep feeling in his gut. They were not his own. They were his brother’s. His dear brother’s. Those were Emmet’s words that had stuck with him, and remained in his heart.

Had he always been saying Emmet’s phrases? No wonder they always filled him with such will. Such determination. They were the words of his brother. His encouraging, trusting, compassionate, mischievous brother.

Emmet’s words had left him with a will to keep going when he had been separated, even if he didn’t realize it until now. But what had he left Emmet with?

Did he leave him with anything at all? Did Emmet know where he was? That he was still alive?

Did he leave Emmet all alone, for all this time?

Ingo could not recall any of the answers, but a deep, nauseating bubble of grief filled his chest at the questions before it could go any deeper.

His heart could remember what his mind could not. He did not understand the intensity. And this time, it terrified him.

Grief only hurt like this when something you dearly cared about was wronged.

Something had happened before he had departed from his previous station, to this one in Hisui. Something terrible, and he knew it involved Emmet.

What if he couldn’t ever get back to him, and fix it? What if he was stuck here in Hisui permanently?

The new, upsetting wave of emotions in his heart welled up out of his chest, unable to be contained, forced down deep the way tried so hard to maintain sometimes. They filled his eyes, blurring his vision, until they began to stream down his face.

“...My mom said that on the first trip, when I was really little, I got lost at the station,” Akari continued on, oblivious. “And that staff helped her find me! What if you had talked to my mom? Or your brother did? Or even-”

Any further words died in Akari’s throat at the sound of a sniff, and her excitement followed her words as she turned to see Ingo. One hand still held on to the carbos jar, but he was rubbing his eyes with the other, catching tears with the heel of his palm.

…Was he crying?

“Ingo?” A foreign, novel anxiety sprang up in Akari’s chest, cold and uncomfortable.

Ingo does not cry.

“Are… you ok?”

A glance up from under the brim of his tattered hat, eyes heavy with tears.

“I am alright, Miss Akari,” Ingo sniffed, “It’s just that…Emmet, I don’t- I believe something happened, before… and I am afraid that I’ll be unable to-“

The confusing emotions kept pushing. The tears kept falling. Ingo shut his eyes tight, which only squeezed out a few more fresh ones. A deep breath around the swell in his throat.

He did not want to burden Akari with this. He was the adult, and she was a child, she shouldn’t have to-

“…Please excuse me,” Ingo sniffed again, wiping at the tears with his sleeve as he looked away. They wouldn’t stop coming. “I- I don’t wish to… I can’t seem to-“

It was all he could get out before his voice cracked. He stopped hopelessly attempting to form a sentence, and relented to simply choking back a sob. It was quiet, in a way. He suppressed himself so as not to openly weep, but each stutter of breath was still agonizing. Leaning forward to hide his eyes under the brim of his cap, the tears came down.

Akari was struck with a cold shock, unsure what to do. She had never seen Ingo like this. He had never cried, regardless of whether it was simply misty eyes, or relentless tears being shed. And the sound of him sobbing was so foreign to her; it felt so wrong. So sad.

At least, she had never seen him do such things.

Her heart clenched at the possibility that perhaps it was different when it came to times of solitary, when he was alone and no one was watching.

But what if it wasn’t like that either? He could have just as easily been bottling these feelings up inside, consciously or subconsciously, letting things grow tighter and tighter in a fragile heart, until the pressure shattered it.

Both thoughts made Akari all the more appreciative that they were out in the wilderness, away from any prying eyes and attentive ears of the Jubilife villagers. She was sure Ingo felt doubly grateful. Because either way, it was obvious he needed to get it out.

Ingo restrained a few more sobs before he slumped forward into his hands, elbows propped weakly against his knees. Perhaps it was out of grief weighing heavy on his shoulders, or it was simply to hide his face, and the tears that rolled down it. Either way, Akari’s heart ached, squeezing so hard in her chest that she almost felt nauseous.

She had never seen him like this.

Akari moved to sit back down on the log next to Ingo. She was still for a moment as his shoulders jolted with each stifled choke, before hesitantly reaching around his middle as best she could in a hug.

She said nothing as she leaned against him, embracing him - what could she possibly say? Ingo continued to sob. She knew he probably couldn’t stop now even if he wanted to - containing such strong and built-up emotions after letting them out was comparable to fitting a steelix into a pickling jar. But a heavy arm moved, shuddering, and he turned his torso to better accommodate her efforts, and embrace her back.

Akari readily took the opportunity, and buried herself into his warm front, securing her arms around his back. She felt his arms settle around her in turn, holding onto the comfort she was offering. The way his chest stuttered, bouts of sporadic breathing interrupting an otherwise-smooth cycle, only made Akari settle further against him, practically in an effort to ease it.

He was hurting.

And he probably had been for a long time, even if he didn’t realize it.

Akari had always assumed Ingo’s amnesia was a curse. All it had ever seemed to do was cause strife - Ingo would doubt himself on many things due to it. And he never spoke about it out loud, but Akari could tell he would occasionally question subjects pertaining to himself and his previous life that she didn’t want him to even entertain.

What was he like before Hisui - as a person? Were people as wary to trust him in his own time as they are here? Did they have reasons not to trust him? Was his morality previously… tarnished? Did he do something wrong - something wrong enough to land him here in Hisui?

It was a very slippery slope of bad thoughts that Akari always wanted him to dismiss. She hated the thought of them, but how could one not at least wonder about it from time to time, if they had no memories of the person they were before?

But now, Akari believed it had been a blessing. He couldn’t miss the things he terribly loved if he didn’t remember them. He couldn’t worry over loved ones he didn’t remember, or ache for home if he couldn’t recall what home felt like. He couldn’t torment himself over the events leading up to his demise, or think of what he could have done differently, if he didn’t recall what had happened before. He couldn’t lament his previous life progressing without him if he didn’t know how good he really had it. He couldn’t question if there was a plan for him like there were plans for Akari, if he didn’t realize their methods of arrival were vastly different.

He could not beg for a ticket back home if he didn’t know enough about what home actually was, and what unfinished business he left behind, to consider it terrifying that the trip might possibly be a one-way deal.

His amnesia had been protecting him from some terribly distressing feelings, and she had dug them back up.

All with a jar of carbos.

Akari felt her throat tighten uncomfortably as blurry stinging welled up in her eyes. Ingo’s tunic caught a tear as it fell; an infectious action in turn from a cold wetness spreading on her shoulder, his own continued tears.

She had never seen him like this.

“I’m so sorry,” Akari’s voice was muffled against his tunic. She continued to feel the sporadic heaves of Ingo’s lungs, stuttering around his sobs; he said nothing in his current state, as she didn’t think he even could. But the shakey, reassuring squeeze he gave her told her that he appreciated the gesture.

He had always been there to comfort and ease her. To tell her that things were ok, and that he would fix whatever was wrong to the best of his abilities. Several times, she had admittedly cried to him about her homesickness, and her mother, and her friends. And he always listened. Always reassured her. Always indulged in her good memories, and spoke well of her friends and family that he had never even met.

It felt almost jarring to be in such a position now, the other way around where she was the one comforting him over such things. She sometimes forgot that he was really only around twice her age, three times at the most. That he was not only just as lost in this world as she was, but even deeper in the thickets than her… and yet he was always trying to push her forward, closer to the clearing and out of the woods.

He was such a sturdy, supportive foundation in this unstable reality for her, that she oftentimes (and shamefully) forgot he was just as scared of the uncertain future, and his place within it, as she was… if not more.

A distressing recollection might have been the catalyst for the tears, but she knew more was pouring out than just that. Months of built up stress, and confusion, and worrying-

He needed someone to tell him it would be alright too.

He missed home, just like her.

She hugged him tighter, squeezing.

“You’ll get back home. To Emmet. And everyone else who cares about you. I’ll fulfill my purpose here, I’ll earn my way back, and, I-I‘ll take you with me.” Akari spoke against his chest. The wetness continued to spread over her shoulder. “I won’t leave you here. No matter what. You… you’re going to see them all again.”

The tears kept coming from above her. Akari’s unspoken words of appreciation from earlier welled up in her heart - why did she never say them to him?

“You’ve helped me so much,” she let the words flow. “You spend time with me, and you care about me, and listen to me, and… I miss my mom a lot, but I don’t feel so alone here when I’m with you. It would be… very different without you here. And I… I know Emmet is feeling that. I know he wants you back. I’m taking you back with me, and you’re going to see him again, and whatever happened will be fixed.”

Ingo had needed to hear that. A deep breath shuddered as he slumped forward. Another gentle squeeze in his arms as he continued to quietly cry. Broken heaves of breath through restrained sobs.

Akari remained leaned against him, head resting close to his aching heart.

She would not leave him in this place.

They sat like that for a while, the cold darkness of the wilderness surrounding them. Ingo continued to cry, and Akari let him.

She had never seen him like this, because he had always tried his hardest not to let anyone, especially her, see him like this. He did not want to burden her with his stressors. But she did not see it as a burden at all.

She was going to complete her purpose. She was going to earn her way back home. She was going to take Ingo with her.

She would not leave him in this place.

Things would be ok.

❤️🤍❤️🤍

Kabu for a request from twt

❤️💜❤️💜

🖤💜❤️

Doodle dump!! Cleaned up a bunch of sketches I had sitting around and put them together ^^

I like the build up of this fanfic! 😆😆😆

Didn't expect the ending turned south, I do hope for continuation of this fic.. 🥺🥺🥺

You Know What They Say About Assumptions

"You know what this means," Emmet gave her a shit-eating grin. "The return of Emmie-" he struck a dorky pose.

So Elesa struck one, much more elegant, pose in kind, "And Ellie!"

"Team Gossip back in action," Emmet twirled around to turn on the big-screen monitor in the room, a Tynamo logo flickering to life. "Our newest operation: spying on a love-struck Subway Boss!"

Or; when Elesa's boyfriend, Ingo, starts acting strange her and Emmet come to the only conclusion possible; he must obviously be planning a proposal!

First fic of the year and predictably it's a crack ship XD The romance is really light in this one, so if you're not big on the ship you still might find it an enjoyable read (maybe)! I do not know what the name of this ship is called beyond Elesa/Ingo. Enjoy!

Word Length: 4369 Relevant Tags: Comedy, crack treated seriously, established relationship, marriage proposals, time travel, amnesiac Ingo

Do not tag as ship beyond the one actually listed. Doing so will incur an automatic and swift block.

Read it on AO3! Or below the cut! Enjoy!

Elesa knocked on the door to the twins' office, waiting to hear an allowance for her to come inside before opening it and going, "Hey Emmet?"

"I am Emmet, do you need something?" the Subway Boss looked up at her from where he was typing on his computer, a relaxed smile on his face but a questioning lilt to his voice. He was likely curious as to why Elesa was visiting him during lunch when she and his brother were using up their vacation time to spend the rest of the year together.

"Yeah," she crossed the room in a few easy steps before settling down in the office chair across from him. "Has Ingo seemed a bit... odd to you these last few days?"

"Not that I've noticed," he shrugged his shoulder, saving the document he was working on before he swiveled his chair in her direction, "Wouldn't you know more than me considering you live with him?" 

"I suppose," Elesa nervously nibbled on her bottom lip, teeth lightly scraping against it so that she wouldn't break the skin, "It's just that I was wondering if he said anything to you."

"Hm, not since he told me he was taking the following week off." Emmet checked his Xtrans just to confirm he was giving accurate information. "Your questions have me worried. Did something happen to make him act strangely?"

"You remember that thunderstorm last Friday?" Elesa asked him.

She watched as Emmet looked up in consideration before nodding. "Yup! I had to smooth down Galvantula's fur and rock Eelektross to calm him down. It made them verrry antsy. Too much energy to stay cooped up in the apartment. Why?"

"Well, after getting Cotton and Candy to settle down," she huffed at remembering the mischief her twin Emolgas got into by knocking down things from their shelves as they flitted about, "We went to sleep-"

"Gross."

"-and you know how long it takes for me to do that compared to your brother," she rolled her eyes at his interjection. "I was reading a novel- with that cute book light you gifted me during the solstice, thank you for that again."

"Of course," he preened. "Anything with Joltiks on it is a winner. The best of gifts from yours truly."

Elesa nodded in agreement because, well, it was the undeniable truth. Joltiks did make anything an instant hit. Even book lights. "As I was saying, I was reading a novel while he snored." She thought it was cute how he sounded like a train while he slept. That's how she perceived it at least, Emmet claimed it was like the horn on a boat- annoying and obtrusive- especially since Ingo slept like a log and wasn't easily woken up. "When a particularly loud crack of thunder woke him up and he tumbled off the bed. I was really concerned that he had hurt himself! It sounded like a rough landing."

"Did he tell you he was hurt?" Emmet asked.

"No, but then again he didn't say much of anything," she frowned, recalling the look he had given her as she crawled across the bed to look over the side. The expression of wide-eyed confusion he had given her and when he had looked down at himself, staring at his hands and clothes in bafflement. "He just got up and ran to the bathroom. When he returned he was frazzled and tense when he slipped back into bed."

"Hmm," Emmet used his thumb to rub at his curled pointer finger in thought, his fist closed. "That is bizarre. Ingo has never been afraid of thunderstorms before. How else has he been acting odd?"

"If it was spring I'd say he was getting ready to clean sweep the apartment with how he's been picking up and looking at everything," Elesa leaned back into her chair, breathing out of her nose as she crossed her arms. "Plus he's been so quiet this whole time, speaking at a softer volume." When he chose to speak at all that was.

"Ingo? My twin Ingo? That Ingo? Quiet?" Emmet's jaw dropped as he stared at her in disbelief.

"Yes!" Elesa could hardly believe it herself, after all her Ingo was so full of life that it was bursting out of his voice box at practically all hours of the day. But now he was as quiet as a Tandemaus that Elesa barely noticed he was in the same room as her, gazing at her as if she was some puzzle to solve.

"Ingo is never quiet... unless-!" Emmet exclaimed, eyes widening as his gloved hands came to cover his mouth.

"What?" What did he realize about her boyfriend that she didn't?

"No, it couldn't be," he muttered, shaking his head. "But it's the only thing that makes sense."

"Come on Emmet, tell me," she lept out of her seat to shake his shoulders.

He reached out his hands to place on her own shoulders in kind, drawing his head closer to hers. "Elesa. Ingo is only ever quiet when he is planning something that must be kept a secret."

"Yeah?" She knew this; having dated the man for so long now, Elesa knew that the only way he could keep a secret was if he zipped his mouth shut with great effort on his part.

"And your anniversary is in the summer," Emmet continued staring her down. "And your birthday was in November."

Where was he going with this?

Upon seeing that she was still clueless about what he was trying to lead her thoughts to, Emmet rolled his eyes and said, "What is the milestone that happens after a couple has been together for some time?"

"Marriag-" she cut herself off as her mind caught up to her brain.

Emmet smiled wildly, "Yes."

"No," she gasped in disbelief.

"What else could it be?"

"So you mean, my Swadloon Sweetie is going to propose to me this week," her cheeks turned bright red as she released Emmet's shoulders to turn around, hands slapping her face as she blushed.

"It makes sense," he snapped, a sound softened by the fabric of his gloves. "He took this week off to spend time with you, probably waiting for the perfect moment to get down on one knee and pop the question. And what better time of year to do it than winter in Nimbasa? I am Emmet and I am right!"

Elesa's heart pounded in her chest like a stampede of Bouffalant. She couldn't deny that Emmet's words were seeping into her mind and rattling about, painting a snowy proposal in her mind.

"Ingo is such a romantic," Emmet nodded, a pleased look on his face.

"If I'm to marry Ingo then that means-" she realized before springing around and embracing the other man. "Brother!"

"Sister!"

She nuzzled her cheek against his face, having to lean down slightly to do so as she was much taller than him. When she released him, she said, "Oh, I'm so excited! When do you think he's going to ask?"

"Probably at the end of the week, before the New Year," he commented.

That was too far away. "I wish he would ask me today... or that I would ask him first." After all, it was Elesa who had made the first move on Ingo, who had practically talked himself into circles before uttering nervously that he wished to go get a coffee with her sometime. Elesa had responded in kind by kissing his cheek and saying that it was a date- practically malfunctioning his flustered mind.

"You know Ingo, he likes to take his time with things," Emmet flapped his hand back and forth dismissively. "Milling about. That sort of thing."

"I wonder what ring he got me," knowing her sweetie he would probably make sure to get something that was non-conductive so that she could still wear it during Gym Battles. She sighed, "I know I have to be patient but the excitement might just short me out before he gets the chance to ask."

Her soon-to-be brother-in-law got a devious smirk on his face, "Who says you have to wait?"

"Huh?" she blinked. "What are you implying?"

"You want to see his preparations, yup, and I do too," his nosey side was coming out in full force knowing that Ingo was planning something without him. "So let's just follow him around this week to see what he buys, who he calls, yadda yadda."

"But won't that ruin the surprise?" Elesa asked, feeling neutral about the concept. Honest.

"Surprises are boring, knowing in advance is more fun," Emmet said, which was just about what she expected from the kind of guy who looked up movie plots before watching them.

"Hm," she weighed her options before her. On one hand, it probably wasn't good to spy on her boyfriend like this, especially when he was planning something momentous for their relationship going forward...

On the other hand, if she knew everything about the proposal beforehand then she could coordinate her outfit so that all of the pictures afterward would be perfect.

"Let's do it," she nodded a look of determination firm on her face.

"You know what this means," Emmet gave her a shit-eating grin. "The return of Emmie-" he struck a dorky pose.

So Elesa struck one, much more elegant, pose in kind, "And Ellie!"

"Team Gossip back in action," Emmet twirled around to turn on the big-screen monitor in the room, a Tynamo logo flickering to life. "Our newest operation: spying on a love-struck Subway Boss!"

Elesa placed her hands flat on top of his desk, eyes shining brilliantly as the two discussed the methods of her operation. Oh! She just couldn't wait to inform the girls about what was in store for her later this week!

"This is nice, isn't it?" Elesa asked as she wrapped her arms around Ingo, leaning into him as the lights of Nimbasa shone down below.

"Yes," he grunted, staring out of the window of the cart they were in. They were approaching the top of the Ferris wheel now and his heart was beating so fast that Elesa could practically feel its desperate attempt to escape his ribcage. He must be so nervous to pop the question.

Their spying on Ingo's whereabouts this past week had been a bust for the most part. For one, Ingo did not buy her ring at any of the stores in Castelia, which meant that he had probably bought it way in advance. That was disappointing as Elesa really wanted to see it and Emmet, as the future Best Man, wanted to make fun of his twin's choice of engagement rings.

The only thing that Ingo did buy was some sort of loom. Despite telling her what it was when he brought it back to their apartment, Elesa didn't see him weave anything on it, so she just shrugged it aside as an impulse buy. Not that her Swadloon Sweetie was a window-shopper but maybe the holidays had him hunkering for a new hobby outside of battling and trains. A New Years' resolution even. Who was Elesa to judge?

Emmet did however find out the location of the proposal. It didn't take much spy work to check the history on the desktop the couple shared, seeing as Ingo's password was the same as his childhood one. From there they were able to discover that Ingo had looked into the times that the Rondez-View operated (and somehow ignored the search that went 'what is a Ferris wheel?').

There was nothing more romantic in Nimbasa than the Rondez-View; a couples-only Ferris wheel. And it even held history between the two as Elesa first met the twins in this part of the city, before they got appointed as the Boss' of Gear Station and before she finally worked her way up the ranks to become a Gym Leader. The three of them had been friends for a while before Ingo started to swoon for her, so this place carried a very special place in her heart. And Elesa could think of no better area to propose.

Once their cart reached the very top of the Ferris wheel, Elesa looked away from her boyfriend, assuming that he would pull out the ring when she was gazing away from him so that she could turn around and be 'surprised' at his proposal.

But when she turned back around, Ingo was still staring dully out the window.

Hm. Was he freezing up again? Maybe she should give him a little push, even if it meant revealing that she had an inkling of an idea about what his plans were, "It's ok, sweetie, you can ask me."

"Ask you?" he turned to face her, voice radiating confusion.

"You know," she pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "The question. The one that's," hopefully, "on your mind right now."

"Oh," Ingo practically sagged in relief. "It's really ok for me to ask? You won't be offended?"

"Nothing you could ask would ever offend me, sweetie," Elesa said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Good," Ingo took in a deep breath before asking, "Who are you?"

"Yes! Wait," Elesa lurched forward to embrace him but stopped herself, jolting awkwardly in her seat.

If Ingo had learned anything from the many joke books that she had given him as stocking stuffers over the years, then Elesa would ask what the punchline to that joke was, but she knew that Ingo still had a rudimentary grasp on the finer aspects of humor. Which meant that he wasn't joking. 

But if he wasn't joking then what did he mean by that question? Obviously, he knew who Elesa was, duh. So then...

Oh! Perhaps that was it. He wanted to test to see if marriage was even something that Elesa was interested in. They had talked about it once or twice, during the early days of their relationship when discussing boundaries and the like, and Elesa's opinion at the time had been 'not now, but in a couple of years.' And it had been a couple of years since then, and both of them were well off in their careers for it, but Elesa could still see and understand his hesitance.

So, she decided to answer his leading question with, "Who am I? Well, I'm your fiancée, Bounsweetie." 

Elesa expected a booming exclamation of jubilation, or even a heavy sigh of relief, but she was most certainly not expecting the way that Ingo's face paled and his eyes rolled up into his head as he murmured, "Oh, dear Sinnoh."

Before promptly fainting on her and knocking his head against the railing of the cart as he collapsed, the whole thing having happened so quickly that she wasn't able to catch him in time.

"Ingo?!"

Extra, from Ingo's Point of View:

The whole conundrum started after the first few months of Ingo's acceptance into the Pearl Clan. They were extraordinarily kind people if a bit old fashion by his standards- but then again, his standards were just a series of question marks and blank spaces so that didn't account for much of anything to the Hisuians- with a remarkably small population in the Icelands.

Perhaps that had been the problem. As once Warden Calaba, in conjunction with the other healers, definitively determined him as a middle-aged man and likely... there was no good way to put this without Ingo succumbing to an intense fluster... ahem, virile the public opinion took a strange turn on Ingo.

Whereas previously the elders didn't think much of him beyond that he was a stranger to their ways- one who was in desperate need of joining the children during schooling sessions- suddenly they were making comments like, "Oh, he is a rather polite man, isn't he?" and "Strong in the ways of Pokémon battling too, practically a warrior in the making."

And instead of being left alone to his own devices, Ingo was constantly getting introduced to various relatives of said elders. And since Ingo was a gentleman- or as the man in white would surely say a pushover- he entertained all these meetings. While his mind and soul curled up into a tiny ball in agony.

They were all lovely people, it was just that Ingo had zero interest in a relationship (his derailed mind practically bellowed at him that he could not, under no circumstances, 'cheat.' Cheat at what, however, he didn't know).

When Irida approached him with the idea that he become the warden to Sneasler at first he refused.

It was an immensely important position, as he had learned whilst sitting crisscross applesauce next to all the children of the clan, stooped forward so as not to intimidate the toddlers. It wouldn't be fair, or proper, for Ingo- a man who was effectively an outsider still to their traditions, even if he was getting educated slowly on that matter- to take on that role.

But Irida refused to take no for an answer and continued to list out the responsibilities that a warden required, hoping that one of them would entice him.

Including, "Of course, this does mean that you will be unable to marry during your tenure, however-"

That caused him to snap his head toward her and quickly say, "Sold," before she could change her mind about him as an applicant.

"Huh?" she had blinked, almost disbelieving that what Irida had assumed was her laying all the cards flat on the table so as to not seem deceitful about what he would have to give up should he rise to the station would end up being the winning sales point.

But what she didn't realize was that all Ingo heard was the perfect excuse to keep saying no to all the- absolutely wonderful, it wasn't them it was him- potential suitors the elders kept trying to hook him up with. Perfect timing too, as he was almost certain that he was running out of reasons on why he couldn't marry any single Pearl of reasonable age to his own.

Becoming a warden was about the best thing that had happened to Ingo in Hisui. And then it took second place after the Galaxy Team surveyor started helping him recover some memories through Pokémon battles.

That being said, Ingo expected to live out the rest of his life without forming a relationship with anyone.

So, you could give a fair estimate as to his surprise when he was suddenly sent back to his own time and promptly slammed into the carpeted floor of some random room, with a stranger- who was quite beautiful, please do not misconstrue his opinion on her- and in clothes that he had not been wearing moments prior.

And how speechless he became once he realized signs that he actually may or may not have been romantically involved with said stranger. Him; the confirmed bachelor of the Highlands.

Well, if there was one thing he was good at- well Ingo found that he was good at a quite many things if his modesty would permit him to say as such- it was going with the flow of things. That had been crucial during his time in Hisui.

Since his brain did not hiss at the idea that he was involved with this enchanting woman, it actually purred every time he remarked on her in his thoughts which must have been a good sign that he'd recover his memories soon... he hoped, Ingo got to work on weaving a marriage mat the way that the elders had insisted he learn... you know... just in case.

But first, he needed to find out what that giant metal wheel he could see from their housing was. It mystified him and he had to know its story.

Extra 2:

"So did he propose?" Caitlin asked, eyes lidded as she sipped her tea.

"No," Elesa glumly stared down at her slice of Cheri berry cake. "He fainted before he could so Emmet's with him in the hospital right now." Emmet had been on the scene prior to that disaster with a congratulations sign- one that he quickly dumped into the nearest trash can after seeing the nasty bump on his twin's head.

The assembly of Gym Leaders and Elite Four members sucked in a sharp hiss of air. Oh, and former Champion Cynthia was also there, having been on vacation in Unova conveniently in time to hear Elesa bemoan this whole situation.

"My condolences," Shauntal winced and pat her hand. "I can't say that I'm... surprised at this turn of events. For one normally so elegant in his prose, Boss Ingo does get rather undone when it comes to expressing himself romantically."

"You're telling me," Elesa shoved a spoonful of cake in her mouth to soothe her misery. She had been wearing such a magnificent outfit too. She pulled the spoon out of her mouth, with it pulling down on her bottom lip as she did, to comment, "He did ask Emmet to give me something in that small moment when he was conscious in the ambulance though."

"The ring?" Skyla asked, leaning forward.

Elesa wished. "No," she shook her head, twisting in her seat to pull out the folded object from her bag. "Apparently the loom he bought earlier in the week was to make this." She punctuated the last word by unfolding the object and showing off the pink mat. 

"It's a nice gesture but admittedly I'm confused about why he thought I would want this," Elesa hadn't mentioned needing a new mat recently, or at least she didn't.

Cynthia, who had been looking away for a second returned her gaze back toward Elesa and promptly spat out the tea she had been drinking, ignoring the shouts of the women around her to exclaim, "Is that a traditional marriage mat from the Pearl Clan?!"

"A what from the huh?"

She lunged across the table and pulled it out of her hands. The action frankly shocked Elesa at the suddenness of it so there wasn't much resistance on her end. Also, somewhere in between Cynthia noticing the mat and yanking it from her hold, she had put on clear latex gloves to hover over the mat reverently.

"This is remarkably preserved," Cynthia commented, inspecting the fabric. "Don't get me wrong, Sinnoh has a good climate for the longevity of textiles, but this doesn't look aged at all."

"Yes," Elesa was still stuck on the fact that the historian stole her gift from her hands. Dumbfounded she continued, "Because my boyfriend made it for me. Recently."

"Hm, I'd like to meet this boyfriend of yours then," Cynthia said idly, still analyzing the mat. "To recreate something like this he must have an extensive background on the history of Hisui."

"What?" Really? Her Ingo? She loved her Swadloon Sweetie dearly but history was very much not one of his strongest aspects, ironically enough.

"How can you tell?" Roxie asked, interest piqued by the turn of events.

"Well, for starters, he managed to perfectly recreate the family crest of Warden Ingo," Cynthia's gloved hand traced one of the shapes on the mat. She did not notice the befuddled looks the Unovans shared with each other. "It was traditional for the familial clans within the Pearl and Diamond Clans to have a symbol solely dedicated to themselves beyond that of the Palkia and Dialga insignias. Since Warden Ingo was an outsider and welcomed into the clan, he had no family to inherit a crest from, as one might expect. So that means he had to start his own, incorporating the iconography typically used to denote a 'foreigner' into the design... here, see?" her finger trailed down the shape.

"Cynthia-"

"And we know that this specific crest belongs to him due to the adjustments made to it during his warden initiation ceremony, where Sneasler symbols were added onto it," Cynthia tapped the vaguely Pokémon-like features. "You would only find this kind of design on warden clothing and personal items. Traditionally, Pearl Clan mats featured a heavy focus on curvilinear designs whereas the Diamond Clan had more geometric aspects, you could never confuse the two," she commented to Shauntal beside her. Cynthia laughed, "Wardens were exempt from this status quo as you could imagine how hard it would be to design an Electrode using only edges."

"Cynthia-"

"Now, there were never any preserved marriage mats for Warden Ingo before or after his brief tenure as Warden of the Ride Pokémon Sneasler," she continued her lecture, not even considering the anxious looks the women were throwing to the other end of the table. "Not because it was forbidden for wardens to marry at that time- that rule was actually discarded during the unification of Sinnoh, the time period he lived in- but because allegedly he disappeared one day. Historians also claimed that he preferred the bachelor life and was just 'good friends' with the other bachelor of the Highlands, and you all know what that really means regarding the sexuality of historical-"

"CYNTHIA!"

"Oh," Cynthia blinked, coming out of historian mode. "Yes, Elesa?"

Elesa's eye twitched, as she asked, "Could you repeat the name of this historical figure for me?"

"Certainly, although if you had been listening attentively you would have heard me say it more than once," she mumbled the latter half. "The warden in question is Warden Ingo of the Pearl Clan."

Elesa chose to have faith that everything her friend had said was just a huge coincidence, but just to make sure she asked, "Do you have a picture of this guy that I could see?"

"Certainly, just one moment," Cynthia pulled out her Rotom phone before turning it around to show Elesa her search. "This is just one of the many photos taken of him in Jubilife Village."

All of the Unovans' jaws dropped. They all turned to stare at Elesa slowly. A pin could drop and everyone would hear it in the room from how quiet it was.

"Your boyfriend seems like a fan of his," Cynthia continued blithely. "What's his name again? Maybe we could chat."

Predictably, Elesa screamed into her hands.

A fine twin gentlemen and a beautiful lady.. 🥺🥺🥺

🤍🖤💜

meet the newest additions to the teacher staff at the Naranja/Uva Academy; Mr Ingo and Mr Emmet~

(a friend on IG mentioned this idea and i have not stopped thinking about it since)