This chapter once again contains spoilers for Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It's also a pretty emotional one, so make sure you follow the rules and drive safe as you join me on this two-car train to sadness😅😢
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The next morning, feeling fully refreshed, you and Adaman grab some breakfast at a nearby café, much like you used to do at the Wallflower even back before you were together, then decide to have a wander around Pasio, trying to 'seek out' (as Arceus put it) as much information as possible to take back to Hisui with you. Having so many of your memories unlocked by seeing Cynthia and talking to some of the other champions has made you a lot more comfortable with the prospect of remembering more now and this, combined with Adaman feeling more and more at ease in his new, modern surroundings, has led to you both feeling far better about the whole situation than you did when arriving yesterday. Of course, you miss your friends back in Hisui, and at the same time deep down you're not looking forward to saying goodbye to your modern-day friends now the knowledge of their existence is no longer clouded by your amnesia, but that's a problem to worry about another time. For now, you're just looking forward to spending a rare day without responsibilities exploring with your boyfriend.
From the smile on Adaman's face as you make your way hand-in-hand through the main square in the centre of the bustling city, he feels the same, and you can't help but squeeze his hand lovingly. Noticing this, he stops to kiss you gently, and you gladly reciprocate, then squeeze him into a tight embrace before turning to continue your way across the square. It's at this point, however, that something catches your eye that almost makes you gasp out loud. Standing across the square from you is a man who looks remarkably like the Pearl Clan warden and your close friend and fellow faller, Ingo. With his upturned mouth and white coat and hat in a strikingly identical (but less tattered) style to Ingo's, he looks like your friend but in reverse - he looks so similar that they could be twins. He's less weathered and a lot less strongly built than the warden, but then you suppose that's what living in the tough environments of Hisui does to you - you know you've grown a lot stronger than when you first arrived in Hisui. You stop in your tracks and give Adaman a gentle nudge,
"Adaman look... Don't you think that guy looks like Ingo?"
He looks across to where you're pointing, before his eyes widen in shock as he sees the man you're talking about, "Almighty Sinnoh, he looks almost exactly like him! Do you think they might be brothers?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm gonna talk to him," you say, suddenly filled with determination.
"Hm?" Adaman hums, tilting his head as he notices the shift in your tone.
"I... I know one thing that was always painful to think about when I thought about having a past life was my loved ones not knowing where I went after I suddenly disappeared. If this is Ingo's brother, I'm sure he'd want him to have closure and at least know he's is safe in his new life," you explain, your voice catching slightly at the thought of the conversation you're about to have, but knowing it needs to be done. Adaman smiles gently at you, before wrapping his arms around you and giving you a soft kiss on your forehead,
"I remember you mentioning that to me in the past," he murmurs, "and you're right - if this is Ingo's brother he deserves some closure. I'd be absolutely beside myself if Mai disappeared like Ingo did, and I know I'd want closure too. Having said that, are you okay doing this?" he asks, his eyes gentle as meets your gaze.
"I should be," you nod, "I know it's what needs to be done, and I know I'll be helping not only Ingo but his brother too, if that is actually his brother."
"You're amazing, do you know that?" Adaman says, "I love you, and I'll be right here with you through this."
"I love you too," you smile, before taking a deep breath as you look over towards the Ingo lookalike, "Right, let's do this."
As you approach, it dawns on you that you're going to need a way to actually figure out if this guy really is Ingo's brother without sounding completely insane. As you pause for a second to ponder this, you notice a kid approaching the very man you need to talk to.
"Mr Emmet! Can I please battle you?"
The man turns around to look at the kid with a wide smile, "My name is Emmet. I am a subway boss. I accept your challenge!" he says, before his tone drops, almost imperceptibly, as he continues, "I used to be a two-car train. Now I am one. But I will still ride it straight to victory! A battle isn't fun unless it's serious after all. Follow the rules. Drive safe. All aboard!"
The kid's eyes light up as Emmet sends out his Pokémon, one you recognise from somewhere deep inside your brain as Archeops, while doing a remarkably similar battle pose to Ingo's, and the kid sends out his Staravia in return. As they battle, you turn to Adaman,
"Yep, this guy has to be Ingo's brother. He uses those same strange phrases and poses that Ingo uses, but can't explain why. It must be from his past life!"
"You're right," Adaman says, "and did you hear the bit about him saying he used to be a two-car train but now he's one? I bet he was talking about Ingo!"
"Oh Sinnoh you're right!" you exclaim, a pang in your chest at the thought, "That's so sad, he must really miss him."
Adaman nods in agreement at this, his eyes shining sadly, before you both turn to watch the battle while you wait. As it happens, however, it's over remarkably quickly, with Emmet emerging triumphant. 'He must be just as skilled at Pokémon battles as Ingo is,' you think to yourself, as he thanks the kid for a battle before noticing your and Adaman's presence behind him,
"I am Emmet. I am a subway boss. You are new here. Nice to meet you," he says with a smile, but you can't help but notice the sadness behind his eyes even straight after a Pokémon battle.
"Hi Emmet, nice to meet you," you say, "I'm Y/N and this is my boyfriend Adaman."
"Nice to meet you, Emmet," Adaman smiles, before looking at you to continue. You smile at him gratefully, appreciating that he trusts you to do this and that he's recognised just how important this is to you.
"Would you two like a Pokémon battle?" Emmet asks, "I am a one-car train. I will still ride it to victory if you wish to battle me."
Your feel a jolt of sympathy for him once again at his words, and you shake your head with a soft smile, "We're okay thank you, Emmet," you begin, your heart starting to race as you try to think how to start, "But we do need to talk to you about something, if that's okay?"
Emmet seems slightly taken aback by this, but he still doesn't break his seemingly permanent smile, "Oh? What is it?" he asks.
"Well... This may sound like a stupid question, but do you know someone called Ingo?" you ask tentatively. Emmet's eyes immediately widen at this, something shining in them that you can't quite read,
"Ingo is my brother," he begins, "He took a wrong turn on the tracks a while ago. I haven't seen him since. Do you know where he is?"
Despite his straightforward way of speaking, you can tell how much he is hurting from the way his voice shakes when talking about his brother. Adaman gently brushes his hand against yours as he sees tears pricking at your eyes at Emmet's words. You take a deep breath, hoping what you have in mind to make him believe you works,
"Emmet... Adaman and I are from a region called Hisui. It's from a time period long before this, before trains and Pokémon battle facilities and everything like that."
"No trains? No battle facilities? That sounds verrrry sad," he gasps.
"It's not as bad as you'd think, trust me," you tell him, "We like it there - life can be hard but it's a lot of fun and the people are amazing. I'm what is known as a faller; I was transported through space and time to Hisui but was left with none of my memories of my past life. There's another faller there, too. He's amazingly strong at Pokémon battles and is helping set up a new battle facility in the village where I live. His name is Ingo, and I think he's your brother."
"Ingo... taken through space and time? With no memories?" Emmet asks with a soft gasp, "That can't be. He is coming back. I will see him again."
You sigh as you think just how outlandish your story sounds, and you realise you're left with no other option. You reach into your satchel and pull out a small photo album. In it, you have a collection of photos with every one of your friends and adopted family in Hisui, including Ingo. You quickly flip to the page where his photo is, and hand the book to his brother, whose breath immediately catches in his throat,
"I-Ingo...," he murmurs, a single tear falling down his cheek and onto the photo as the realisation sets in. He looks back up at you and Adaman, "That is my brother," he states. Then, after a pause, "Is he safe? Is he... happy?"
Emmet's voice cracks at this last question, and you can almost feel your own heart crack with it at the amount of sadness in his voice. Suddenly unable to speak, you turn to Adaman for some help, and your unwaveringly supportive boyfriend quickly obliges,
"He is, please Emmet believe us when we say that," he begins, "He has a good job, and is enjoying setting up the new battle facility. Despite his amnesia, he knows there is someone he has left behind who is deeply important to him, but he is also happy. We're so sorry you have to find out like this, and we're sorry we can't reunite you both too."
"It's okay. He is happy. I am glad," Emmet nods, "I will try to be happy too."
"Y-you can keep the photo, if you like?" you add, after taking a deep breath to find your voice again, "I... I have a spare."
"I appreciate that. Thank you," Emmet murmurs, tucking the photo into the inside pocket of his jacket, "You say he has amnesia? Please don't tell him about me. He is happy. Telling him will make him feel the same pain I do. I don't want that."
Your heart practically shatters to pieces at his words, but you nod, "We won't, I promise," you manage to choke out, as Adaman places a comforting hand on your arm. Emmet quietly thanks you, before noticing a group of trainers calling him from across the square. Taking a deep breath, clearing his throat and wiping away his tears, he shakes his head as if to compose himself before turning back to you and Adaman, his voice back to its usual tone, but with a hint of sadness behind his words,
"I am Emmet. I am a subway boss. My brother is Ingo. I miss him verrrry much. Please take care of him. Make sure he follows the rules and drives safe in his new life, just like he always did with me."
"We will, I promise," you say, fighting to keep your voice steady as a tear falls down your cheek at Emmet's words.
"Thank you," he says, his tone immeasurably grateful. With that, he bids you both farewell with a sad smile, before turning and heading towards the group of trainers to no doubt have another battle. It looks like, just like Ingo, battling is his life, and you can only hope that one day he will learn to be happy again, even without his brother by his side.
"That was rough," you sigh; you're glad you've helped Emmet get closure but your heart aches for him, knowing that he'll likely never see his brother again.
"You handled it amazingly as always, love," Adaman reassures you, pulling you into a hug and running his fingers through your hair as he kisses your forehead, "How about we go get something to drink, then go for a walk through the woods to clear your head, just like we do in the Heartwood back home?"
"I'd love that," you smile, taking his hand that he's offered to you and intertwining your fingers with his, "And I love you."
"I love you too," he says, looking at you with eyes filled with adoration, before leading the way to a nearby café.
Once you've had your coffee, you make your way to the woods, enjoying the peace and quiet and the way the sunlight dapples the floor through the leaves overhead. It almost feels like you're back home, except for the distinct lack of Pokémon around. Rachel and Sawyer had mentioned to you yesterday that there are in fact no wild Pokémon on the artificial island of Pasio, and you can't help but find it slightly unnerving, given just how rich in wildlife Hisui is. Despite this, you're enjoying the chance to clear your head after that talk with Emmet, and even more than that you're simply enjoying being able to spend time with Adaman. After walking for a little while, you find a small stream running through a clearing in the woods, and you both decide to stop and dip your feet in for a bit. The water is perfectly cool and refreshing, and you lean against Adaman's shoulder as it soothes your aching feet. He rests his head against your own with a blissful sigh, wrapping his arm around you. This feels remarkably similar to how you were by Lake Valor when this whole crazy thing started, and you feel a small pang of homesickness at the thought. Adaman is clearly having similar thoughts, as the next time he speaks up he asks the question that's on the tip of your tongue,
"So when do you think we'll get sent back?" he asks.
"I have no idea," you admit, "Arceus works in mysterious ways, but I can't help but wonder what exactly it wants us to 'seek out' here."
"I'm sure we'll find out soon," Adaman murmurs, "But at least for now we have each other, and it's nice that you're able to remember some things from your past life now. Speaking of that, are you coping alright with it?"
"Surprisingly yes," you reassure him, "It's actually been okay so far. A bit unnerving, yes, but okay."
"Good," he says, breathing a sigh of relief, "Please, though, promise me you'll tell me if it gets too much. I want to be here for you and support you through this."
"I promise," you smile, "But please believe me when I say you being here is more than enough to help me get through it."
He squeezes you tightly at this, "I'm glad," he says softly, "If I'm honest I'm grateful that I can experience all of this with you."
"That makes two of us," you say with a smile as you swirl your feet in the water.
You sit and enjoy the peace and quiet for a little while longer, and are just about to suggest you make a move and explore some more of the island when you jump at the sound of a voice coming from behind you,
"Bonjour you two, I was hoping I'd bump into you at some point! I heard about you guys and how strong you are from Lance, and when I saw you when flying over with Pidgeot I just had to come down to have a chat, and to ask you for a battle!"
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So that was rough to write😢 I can't even begin to imagine how it would feel to lose a brother like Emmet did, and I had to include him getting some closure in this story with it being based on Pasio. Despite the sad topic of this chapter, I really hope you guys enjoyed it!
Also, I wonder who on earth the trainer who says bonjour to greet people and likes to challenge strong trainers to battles could be?🤔👀
I knew I'd be too impatient to not upload both chapters today😂 I really hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Thank you so much for all the support on it, it really does mean a lot!💜