Chapter 1: unexpected detour
Chapter Text
It's a cold February morning. Behind the counter in your humble coffee shop, you feel grateful that the old fireplace in the middle of the store was fully functional and as soothing as it was. The gentle crackle of the flames concealed behind the wire guard screen created such a peaceful atmosphere that it was easy to fall into a daze and complete your shift without much thought going through your head. The local villagers appreciated the cosy vibes in your shop, often stopping by in small groups to meet up with family and enjoy shelter from the crisp and bitter late Winter chill.
It was just you behind the register this morning. Your co-worker and close friend, Elisabeth, was not due to come in until the afternoon. You couldn't complain, however - the old folks in the village were generally patient and friendly with you, never complaining about having to wait a little longer for their Twinings brew. You could handle the sleepy morning shift, no problem. The outside weather was shifting rather ominously, seemingly threatening a storm of some kind in the near future. This was often good for your litle shop - local shoppers loved an excuse to hide indoors and drink freshly ground coffee next to an old-fashioned fireplace. The soft rumble of thunder every now and again was somehow calming, though you couldn't help but notice a lack of bright lightning. Perhaps the growing storm was simply too far away at this point to be truly visible.
Soon enough, it was nearing the end of your shift. Elisabeth would be there any minute to relieve you of your tasks and you could slip upstairs into the quaint break room where your beloved Nintendo Switch lay charging alongside the rest of your belongings. You didn't consider yourself to be a 'gamer' by any means, but you grew up with one particular franchise which still left an imprint on your heart all these years later: Pokemon. You used to collect the trading cards, you had a myriad of figures and plush toys from Japan, you had most of the games, and lately you were utterly engrossed in the new Legends: Arceus release. The game was a breath of fresh air, you thought - new mechanics, new Pokemon, new characters... well, some new characters. For some reason, a character from Pokemon Black and White (one of your personal favourite games) was present in what was supposed to be a historical land. You recognised him fairly quickly: Subway Boss Ingo. You had at first thought the unusual presence was an on-the-nose ancestor of the Ingo in Black and White, but the game quickly clued you in on the fact that Ingo had somehow been transported back in time. Your mind considered his twin brother on more than one occasion, wondering how this strange new lore would affect the storyline going forward.
Dingling!
The jingle of the door opening snapped you out of your thoughts, drawing your gaze to a tired looking Elisabeth. You grinned at her as she shut the door behind her and approached the counter.
"You look like absolute trash, Liz." You greeted her, sticking your tongue out playfully at the woman.
"Thanks! I try to match you as best I can," Came her response, a teasing smirk on her face as she approached the stairway leading to the break room, "I'll be down in a mo', don't get too lonely without me."
"I'll try my best!" You replied dramatically, an arm outstretched towards Elisabeth as you pouted.
As you grabbed a nearby cloth to wipe down the countertops, the vicious crack of thunder returned with a lot more vigour than before. You and several of your patrons jumped with a startled yelp, eyes darting outside to the grey skies looming overhead. Another ferocious boom followed, and then another, and another... you felt goosebumps beginning to rise across your skin, an uneasy feeling sinking into your stomach. There was still no flashes of light, no rain, not even a gust of strong wind. You reached for your phone, hoping to search for any weather alerts, when the onslaught of thunder seemed to stop. The coffee shop was silent save for a few confused whispers.
Dingling!
The door opening startled you somewhat, and you quickly went to revive your customer service smile at the new face entering the store and approaching the counter. Before you could greet them with your usual 'what can I get for you?' spiel, you felt your smile drop.
"I am Emmet. I'm a bit lost. Could you help me get back on track?" The strange man asked, his accent very clearly American.
You blinked at him, feeling a little bewildered at how eerily he resembled the character of the same name from Pokemon Black and White. You quickly put back your usual smile and nodded. "Of course! Where are you headed?" You ask, feeling slightly creeped out by the smile on his face and the paradoxical lack of discernible emotion he seemed to show.
Without hesitation, the man replied, "Nimbasa City. I was there earlier today. I shouldn't be far."
Okay, this had to be a prank of some kind. You were the only Pokemon fan you knew of in your area and you were certainly known for it. The amount of times you had to explain the concept of Pokemon GO to the older people in your village helped solidify you as the Peculiar Pokemon Person.
You frowned at the thought. "If this is a joke, it's not very funny. It's inventive though, I'll give you that." You say coldly, forcing a laugh that quickly was silenced by the way the man's eye twitched at you.
"I am Emmet. I am not joking. I am very serious."
Your customers were beginning to stare, stopping their hushed conversations about the storm to observe the new peculiar phenomenon going on. You forced another smile on your face, hoping to assure the folks around you that everything was alright.
"Okay, Emmet..." you began softly, clasping your hands together in front of you, "you'll find Nimbasa is a little far away from here. The nearest station is just a short walk down the road. Big sign, says 'Gumthorpe Station'." You offer the strange man, frowning as he simply stared at you in confusion.
"Where am I." He demanded, somehow turning a question into a stern command. You felt yourself shrink a little behind the counter, confused and concerned by how long this practical joke was being dragged on.
"Um... Gumthorpe. In Yorkshire?" You answered nervously.
As if to rescue you like a Knight in shining coffee-shop uniform, Elisabeth came flying down the stairs leading to the employee break room. She paused and stared at you, confusion evident on her face. You pleaded with her silently, begging for help with a pained smile.
"Good afternoon, mister!" Elisabeth beamed, hastily taking your place, "Sorry, its the end of my colleague's shift. I'm happy to serve instead!"
You made a mental note to thank her properly later before you escaped upstairs to retrieve your belongings and put away your work apron.
As you entered the empty break room, you unplugged your Switch from the wall socket and put it into your shoulder bag. Before you could retrieve your coat, Elisabeth's voice called up the stairs. Sighing, you flung your bag over your shoulder and swapped your apron for your jacket, holding it in your arms as you stormed back downstairs. Elisabeth was waiting nervously with Emmet still lingering by the counter.
"Sorry, he said he wasn't finished with you." Liz murmured to you, an apologetic look in her eyes.
Ignoring the ominous wording, you looked to Emmet with a tired smile. "Walk with me."
Leaving the store, you waved Liz goodbye. She traced the shape of a cross on her chest and put her hands together, mouthing good luck to you. You stuck your tongue out at her.
Emmet followed close behind you, eerily silent as he watched you close the shop door. You opted to ignore him as you hastily put on your jacket and adjusted your bag where it sat on your shoulder.
"Look, man, I don't know what you want but don't come into our shop and make a scene. Your whole Subway Boss cosplay is cool and all but you're gonna freak people out," You scolded him, missing the way his eyes widened at the use of his title, "I've told you where the train station is, so if you want me to walk you down, that's fine. But this... thing? Stops here."
Emmet blinked at you, smile unwavering. "You recognise me."
"Huh?"
"You said 'Subway Boss'. I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. Nobody except you has recognised me." Emmet took a step closer to you, staring down at you.
"Well... yeah, you're in an old boomer village. Nobody plays Pokemon here except me."
Emmet's demeanour changed at the mention of Pokemon, his eyes seeming to sparkle and his smile widening. "You are a Trainer?"
"Uh, I guess you could say that?" You gestured for him to follow you as you began walking, hoping to ditch the stranger at the station.
What you didn't expect is for him to leap in front of you, holding what could only be described as a Pokeball in his hand. You stared at him, waiting for an explanation. He clicked the button on the front of the ball. Staring in utter shock, you watched as the ball doubled in size, the button now flashing green.
"How... how the f*ck did you..." You stammer out, mouth agape as you openly stared at the ball in Emmet's hand. He seemed amused, watching you with a vaguely entertained expression.
"You are a Trainer. You have never seen a Pokeball before. You are verrrrry weird."
Things were starting to make less and less sense. You briefly considered the man's unusual mannerisms, his immaculate costume, his dedication to the role... his f*cking magic monster capsule...
You took a step closer to Emmet, eyes still wide with awe. "There's a Pokemon in there?"
Emmet chuckled at you, tossing the Pokeball in the air and catching it in his other hand with a smirk. "You are verrry silly. Of course there's a Pokemon in it. His name is Archeops."
Okay, now you were starting to question your reality. You quickly changed directions, opting to find somewhere less public to finally settle this Emmet situation once and for all. The man immediately noticed your shift in behaviour, and marched close beside you.
"You have changed tracks," he stated bluntly, "You aren't taking me to the station."
You cast a glance to him, your eyes narrowing. "No, I'm not. We're going somewhere private. You're gonna show me Archeops."
Emmet seemed confused, but he tutted and put his Pokeball back in his pocket anyway.
Your chosen spot was in a nearby forested pathway. The village was fairly rural, so it was surrounded on all sides by farmland and wooded areas with a single railway line running through. The woodland was usually a beautiful and idyllic setting, but with the eerie grey skies and the odd man beside you, it felt a little more like a horror movie background.
Climbing over a stone-brick wall, you called out to Emmet to follow. He was reluctant to do so, but for some reason opted to follow you anyway. Perhaps he was as confused by you as you were by him.
"Alright, Emmet. We should be alone now. Show us your bird, dude." You put your hands on your hips, staring expectantly at the man as he reached for his Pokeball. There was only really two outcomes here: he'd be proven to be a very very intense LARPer, or he would somehow have a literal Pocket Monster.
You couldn't help but smile in amusem*nt as Emmet struck his signature pose, Pokeball in hand. "Everything's ready! All aboard!" He cried out, launching the ball into the air. The capsule seemed to fly up in slow motion as you eagerly awaited the thud of the ball falling to the ground in an anticlimactic manner.
For some reason, you were incredibly disappointed when the ball erupted into a flash of blue light. You could only stare with your mouth hung open as a massive feathery reptile squawked and flared its wings at you. Emmet was telling the truth. Emmet was real. Archeops was loud. Emmet's voice was muffled. You ignored him. The sky was moving. Your eyes shut involuntarily. The ground hit your head. It hurt. You think Archeops is biting your feet. You don't care.
It's nap time.
Chapter 2: uncoupled
Chapter Text
You woke with a startled gasp, eyes snapping open to see Emmet crouched beside you with a concerned expression. Archeops squawked, peering at you from behind his trainer. Okay, so it wasn't a bizarre dream. This was all real.
Emmet waved a gloved hand in front of your face, snapping you out of the secondary daze. You looked up at him, too shocked to say anything. With a sigh, Emmet recalled his fossil Pokemon to its ball and got to his feet, offering you his hand to help you up. You reached up hesitantly, yelping as Emmet pulled you suddenly upwards.
"You fainted," Emmet told you, "You didn't believe I had a Pokemon."
You sighed, pulling your hand away from Emmet's to brush off the leaves and dirt from your clothes and hair. "No, I didn't. Pokemon aren't real. Not in this world, anyway."
Emmet raised a brow at you, his hands clasping behind his back. "This world?" Before you could reply, his expression fell. It seemed you both began to understand the situation you were in. "I am Emmet. I am verrrrry lost." The Subway Boss said quietly, shaking his head with a sigh.
Perhaps it was the post-fainting dizziness affecting your judgement, or perhaps it was shock inhibiting your logical thoughts,- either way, your mind already set its destination and you felt unable to steer away. You looked up at Emmet and gently tapped his shoulder, exhaling shakily as you readied your next words.
"I think you should come home with me." Emmet shot a look at you, confusion written all over his face. You felt your cheeks flush as you scrambled to explain yourself.
"J-just to get your bearings. I think there's a lot you need to know and I have a lot of questions for you. Besides, you look like you could do with a cup of tea." You offered, smiling sheepishly. The man's posture straightened up and he nodded, adjusting his hat and resuming his regular smile.
"Very well. Lead the way!" Emmet beamed at you. You hid your amused smile by turning and heading out of the woods, climbing back over the stone wall and onto the main road with Emmet in tow.
The walk to your small bungalow was short, being only a few minutes away from the coffee shop. Despite the distance, it felt like it dragged on forever. A million and one things flew through your mind, meanwhile Emmet was completely silent and following along like an obedient dog as you hastily walked. You fumbled with your keys when you finally reached your door, cursing to yourself when you nearly dropped them. When you swung open the door, you silently hoped you hadn't left anything lying around that would make this already incredibly awkward experience any more awkward.
"Here we are, home sweet home." You said softly, moving aside to allow Emmet to enter. You shut the door behind him and flicked on your lights. There was an uncomfortable feeling sitting in the pit of your stomach as you watched the man wander into your living room, the sight a bittersweet echo of memories you would rather not recall. You shook your head as you took off your shoes, forcing your perception back into the present.
"Your house is nice." Came Emmet's voice from behind. You stood back up after freeing yourself from your work shoes and peered into the room, seeing Emmet nosily observing as much as he could around him. You threw your bag over onto your sofa, opting to leave it there for the time being as you dealt with the matter at hand.
"Oh, uh, thanks," You replied, "Can I, um, get you something to drink?"
Emmet perked up, grinning at you. "Yes please. Black coffee. No sugar."
You couldn't help but giggle at his spoken order, remembering all the headcanons you'd seen online about the twin's opposite tastes. Most people seemed to agree that Ingo was the brother with the sweet tooth. You debated asking if this were true.
Your kitchen was fairly small, with a two-chair dining setup in the corner and various potted plants adorning the windowsills and countertops. The dim overhead bulbs did little to counteract the dark skies outside, but the warm comfort of the sparse light was nevertheless appreciated. You filled the kettle partly and set it to boil, preparing a mug for yourself and Emmet.
You nearly jumped when he spoke up from nearby, having snuck into the kitchen without you even noticing.
"Pokemon are not real. In your world, that is. How do you know about them?" Emmet inquired, seating himself at your little dining table. You hummed, trying to figure out how to explain things without fumbling over your words. It was a good question after all. He deserved a decent answer. An idea quickly formed in your mind.
"Wait here, I'm gonna grab something." You told Emmet as you dashed into the living room, grabbing your bag and retrieving your Nintendo Switch. As you reentered the kitchen, you held the console aloft and sat across from Emmet at your table.
"It's better if I just show you," You explained, switching on the device and opening your most recent game: Legends Arceus. "In this world, Pokemon refers to a franchise. It started with video games but now its got everything from trading cards to a live action movie."
Emmet seemed bewildered but intruiged, leaning forward to see what you were doing on your Switch. You swung the device around for him to see, his eyes widening at the game and the familiar icons featuring Pokemon in the bottom right corner.
You paused for a moment, pondering if your next idea was a good move or not. Hesitantly, you pulled the screen back to face you and moved your character to the Jubilife Village Training Grounds.
"Y'know, its funny you appear of all people. This game came out super recently and there's another familiar face that appeared there too." Your character stood in front of Ingo, and you slowly turned the screen to show Emmet.
You expected him to recognise his own brother, but what you didn't expect is the choked sob that he let out. He gripped the Switch tightly, forcing you to let go of it.
"Emmet...?" You said softly, reaching over to get his attention before a loud click startled you. The kettle slowly quietened down, though Emmet didn't seem to notice. You decided to get up, make the drinks, and give the guy a chance to comprehend his current situation.
He made no further noise nor comment as you silently made his coffee. You fixed yourself a simple cup of tea before taking the two mugs to the table, sliding Emmet's over to him. He still stared wide-eyed at the screen, his face pale.
"Emmet..." You sighed, reaching to gently take the console from his grasp. He let go without much of a fight, but the look in his eyes made you worry he would suddenly try to grab it back. You made a point of switching the console off entirely before setting it down on your lap. "Talk to me, Emmet. How did you get here?"
Emmet looked down at the table, an uncharacteristic frown on his face. "I don't know. I was finishing up safety checks in the Battle Subway. There was a strange light. Before I knew it, I was in some odd street. Everyone was staring."
"Was... was Ingo with you?" You asked tentatively, noting how Emmet seemed to flinch at the mention of his brother. He sighed, removing his hat and smoothing back his silvery hair. He clutched the cap in his hands, seemingly needing something to fidget with.
"No," He replied bluntly, "Ingo has been missing. I haven't seen him in nearly two weeks."
Your heart shattered at this new information, but it was quickly replaced by a creeping feeling of dread. You glanced down at your Switch.
"This game came out two weeks ago..." You began, but you didn't need to finish the sentence. You and Emmet sat in silence for a few moments, quietly trying to come to terms with everything that was happening. Your heart broke for the man, and you wondered what could be done on your part to help. A single thought crossed your mind.
"Emmet, do you... do you have anywhere to stay?" You asked, nervously tapping your foot on the tile floor.
"No. I am lost." Emmet replied simply, his defeated tone shattering your already broken heart all over again.
You reached for your tea, staring down at the drink and sighing. No point backing out now, you thought.
Emmet watched you carefully as you visibly struggled to find your words. "I... uh, I have a spare room. Its... my parents use it when they visit. The bed's not made but, um, you... if you wanted..."
The Subway Boss stared at you for a moment, his expression completely unreadable. You debated burying yourself in the garden out of embarassment.
"You are very kind. I suppose I don't have any other options." Emmet finally replied, smiling at you as he took a sip of his coffee. You exhaled in relief, taking a sip of your own hot drink as you began to relax again.
The two of you finished your drinks in a comfortable silence before you inevitably rose to show Emmet to his new room, leaving the Nintendo Switch and your two empty mugs on the dining table. You swung the door open, revealing a bare room with a decently sized double bed and various boxes stacked up in the corner. You winced at the sight of the boxes, having forgotten they were there in the first place.
"Sorry, I've been using this for storage lately. I'll go get the bedding for you."
When you returned with arms full of assorted sheets and blankets, Emmet was standing nervously next to the bed. You placed the bedding next to him, looking up at him with a questioning gaze.
"You alright?" You asked him, unfolding some of the sheets and laying them over the bare mattress.
"Hm? Oh. I am fine," Emmet replied unconvincingly, causing you to raise a brow at him, "I... don't have anything on me. Clothes. Money..."
Ah. "Don't worry about clothes, I should have something lying around that you can use. And please don't worry about money either. I can afford to keep up with two people and I'm not about to start charging you rent." Emmet seemed to ease up at this.
Your attention turned from the bedding to the stacked boxes nearby, a frown forming on your face as you considered them. With reluctance and a sigh, you peered into the uppermost box and pulled it down onto the bed with a grunt. Opening it up revealed various messily thrown-in items of men's clothing, all of them too big for you to consider wearing.
"Feel free to use whatever's in here. The other boxes too, actually. I was gonna throw them away anyway." You told Emmet, noticing how his gaze turned quizzical.
"Who's are these?" He asked bluntly, ignoring the way your face screwed up at the question.
"Um, it's.... not something I wanna talk about," You replied quietly, averting your eyes from the offending box, "Look, you can use this stuff but don't pry. Okay?"
"Okay." Emmet pouted, but you ignored him. The afternoon was moving on and you had chores to do.
"Listen, I'm gonna tidy the kitchen so, like, if you need anything, you know where to find me. Oh, and you can let Archeops out-" Emmet suddenly beamed at you, eyes sparkling, "- BUT! He has to stay inside at all times and if he makes a mess, you clean it." Emmet nodded excitedly, already reaching for his Pokeball. You chuckled at the sight before turning and leaving the room.
As the village began to grow quiet with the creeping invasion of the evening darkness, the stormy clouds above growled and boomed once more. The woods nearby were eerily silent, save for the occasional crack of sticks breaking and trees creaking. A flash of light erupted from within the dense forest, the air suddenly tingling with static while nesting birds took flight in a panic. A long dark arm gripped one of the trees, the wiry fingers curling around the bark and singeing the wood as sparks flew from the appendages. More limbs crawled out from the heart of the woods, their wire-like digits grasping at every surface. From atop the black limbs a faceless head of white peered sightlessly around the environment, the spiked surface glowing like a bulb. Despite having no mouth, it let out a shrill cry.
"Xuuuuurrrrrrrkkkeeee!"
Chapter 3: safety checks
Notes:
reader has a backstory. no u don't get to know what it is yet. yes i am stupid. you're mom .
Chapter Text
Water jug in hand, you hummed to yourself as you hydrated the various plants decorating the kitchen. The dreary weather outside had begun to devolve into a light shower before fully committing to being a rainstorm. The heavy patter of the rain on your roof became a soothing white noise, helping you relax after what could only be described as the strangest day you've ever had.
You heard a crashing sound coming from your spare room followed by the sound of Emmet yelling, pulling your attention away from your watering. Strutting out of the room and into the kitchen with prideful stomps, Archeops approached you and let out a muffled squawk. In his mouth was Emmet's hat, clearly stolen from the man. You giggled as you pried the item from the Pokemon's mouth, petting its scaled head before Emmet dashed into the room.
"You took my hat. That's not nice." Emmet said coolly, staring down his Archeops with a teasing smirk. He'd removed his iconic jacket, leaving him looking like an office worker with his neat button-up shirt and tie. His shirt was a little tight around his arms and chest, hinting that the otherwise lanky looking man was actually somewhat toned. You didn't realise you were staring until Emmet cleared his throat, his hand outstretched towards you.
"Oh, sorry - here." You handed the hat over, avoiding Emmet's eyes and instead opting to glare at the four foot tall gremlin bird by your feet.
"Thank you!" Emmet beamed, throwing Archeops a fierce look whilst sticking out his tongue. You smiled at the display, a laugh escaping you when Archeops tried to mimic his trainer.
As Emmet turned to leave again, he seemed to hesitate. His head turned slightly to the side and his free hand clenched. Following his line of sight, you found yourself staring at your Nintendo Switch. You sighed as you approached Emmet, gently reaching for his shoulder to turn him around.
"Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but if you want I can show you the game. I haven't finished it yet but there's some interesting ideas in it. Maybe it might help us figure out how you got here." You said softly, offering a reassuring smile to the taller man. He didn't reply, instead choosing to nod and turn back towards the spare room. Archeops paused to look at you before obediently following his trainer.
As you resumed your floral chores, your phone chimed with an incoming text. Setting the water jug on the counter, you peered over at your phone screen.
[4:24pm] liz ☕🤎: did u get rid of the weird guy
[4:25pm] liz ☕🤎: get rid of as in told him to go away i don't mean murder
You couldn't help but chuckle as you unlocked the screen and started typing back a reply.
[4:25pm] you: yeah yeah lol dw it got sorted
You hesitated over the keypad, debating whether or not to tell Elisabeth that you ended up letting the 'weird guy' stay with you.
[4:26pm] liz ☕🤎: nice one, lowkey thought he was gonna jump the counter to get u
[4:27pm] liz ☕🤎: was gonna ask if u wanted to meet up after work but im p sure the apocalypse started
[4:27pm] liz ☕🤎: u seeing this weather rn?
[4:28pm] you: yeah its getting bad, not going anywhere tonight soz babe
[4:28pm] liz ☕🤎: good call!! stay safe b xoxo
[4:29pm] you: u too homie, don't die on ur way home
Setting your phone back down on the kitchen counter, you allowed yourself another glance outside. There was still a strange lack of wind, the trees in your garden standing tall and calm as proof of this. Thunder was now beginning to rumble frequently, a soft booming noise to accompany the constant drum of rain. Emmet's voice drew your attention from the weather to the kitchen doorway where he peered quietly at you.
"I never got your name." He stated, causing you to blush in embarrasment. You told him your name with a nervous chuckle, trying to hide the way you smiled in delight as Emmet repeated your name aloud and gave an approving nod. Clearing his throat in a dramatic manner, he held out his hand for you, grinning as you stared at him in confusion. You hesitantly reached out to grab his hand which he shook eagerly. "I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. Pleased to meet you."
You couldn't help but giggle. "Nice to meet you too, Emmet."
With the overdue introduction out of the way, the two of you returned to your previous tasks - you with your watering, and Emmet with his box-rummaging.
The storm outside swirled above the little village, flashes of lightning finally accompanying the thunder and rain. A long, black mass of cables reached up to the sky, coppery wires extending like fingers to the dark clouds. As if on cue, bolts of lightning struck the cabling - shock after shock - but the appendage did not move. Over and over the ferocious crack of electricity sounded as the cabled monster emerged from the woods, arm still held high as it caught the lightning in its wirey hands. A nearby tree was shocked in the onslaught, the bark ripping open as the force of the bolt ravaged it. The monster lowered its hand, curiously touching the tree as it creaked and smoked, before the trunk snapped under the pressure of its own weight and collapsed.
Now tingling with electrical power, the cable creature found itself able to percieve its surroundings far better than before. It could sense lifeforms in the nearby settlement, all of which were foreign to it, but one particular area held a promising aura within it. It was a distinct energy that resonated with the creature, a sign that something else in this world was also not where it was supposed to be. Stomping through the rural fields with five long black limbs, the creature made its way towards the familiar energy readings, hoping to find a way back home.
The evening grew dark and the storm remained a consistent feature, leaving you to find entertainment indoors. You would usually be meeting up with Elisabeth by now, enjoying the evening sunset and exchanging gossip. A sigh escaped you as you sunk onto your couch, your hand reaching for the television remote.
As usual, the catalogue of content was dry and fairly uninteresting. The sci-fi channel was running some old monster movies, the comedy channel was playing only Big Bang Theory as usual, and the nature channels were all showing programs that really did not seem to fit the channel at all. Huffing in annoyance, you decided the monster movies would be the most entertaining option.
It was one of the older Godzilla movies, complete with the rubbery suits and cheesy fight scenes. You couldn't help but giggle at the poorly aged movie, settling comfortably on the couch to enjoy the goofy film.
Archeops, intruiged by the noises coming from the television, came strutting comically out of the spare room. His head bobbed as he walked, a slight clucking sound leaving his fanged mouth as he curiously stared at the TV.
"You wanna watch with me, buddy?" You cooed to the colourful creature, patting the seat next to you. The bird tilted its head at you before suddenly launching itself onto the couch, completely ignoring the cushion you had offered it and instead nestling into your lap like a gigantic dog.
"Arrrck." The beast squawked, eyes staring blankly at the screen. You dared not move, stunned by the sudden weight in your lap and worried about upsetting the clawed creature.
"Oh... okay... good boy..." You whispered softly, nervously petting the soft feathers along its back. Archeops let out a trilling purr, readjusting his wings to settle comfortably in a feathery puddle on your thighs.
"You have stolen my Pokemon. I am starting to think he likes you more than me."
You look up at the sound of the voice to see Emmet, standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. He had clearly found some clothes that fit him, seeing as he was dressed in a grey longsleeve shirt and sweatpants. They fit him snugly, though the familiar sight of the old clothes had you blushing and averting your gaze. Emmet noticed.
"This is okay, right?" He asked, a questioning lilt punctuating his words for once.
"Of course, yeah! I just... haven't seen those in a while." You explained quietly, idly rustling Archeops feathers with your fingers.
"Kyop." Archeops barked, gaze now fixed upon Emmet.
Thankfully, Emmet's attention was now focused on his Pokemon and the television. He craned his neck to see the film, partially obscuring the screen from your view.
"Um... if you wanna watch with us, you can sit down. I don't bite," you said with a laugh before gently poking Archeops, "he might, though."
Emmet sat down beside you - a little closer than you anticipated - and patted his lap, looking Archeops in the eye with a small smile. The bird ignored him, going back to watch the monster movie with a vacant stare. Emmet narrowed his eyes at his Pokemon, but let out an amused chuckle regardless. He clasped his hands together and rested them on his lap, glancing at the screen before throwing a quizzical look to you.
"It's a Godzilla movie. Not sure which one though," you explained, but Emmet's continued stare made you realise he probably didn't know the famous monster, "Think of him as like... a giant rampaging Tyranitar. He's kinda famous here."
Emmet hummed in contemplation, watching the huge creature stomp through the impressively detailed town set. Archeops bobbed in your lap as the carnage unfolded, his feathers ruffling up in excitement.
"We have something similar in Unova. It was filmed in PokeStar Studios. The Titanic Tyranitar." Emmet spoke absentmindedly, eyes unfocused as he stared forward.
"Maybe someday you could show me," you responded, a grin forming on your face, "besides, it's only fair I get to see your world too." Emmet turned to look at you, eyes widened. You couldn't quite tell what his expression was.
Before Emmet could reply, Archeops flinched in your lap. The bird Pokemon's feathers fluffed up as he stood, leaping off of your legs and onto the floor with a soft clucking sound. You looked to Emmet in alarm, your stomach sinking when you noticed his usual smile falter. He rose from his seat, glancing around the room and squinting at the windows.
"Archeops. Safety check." Emmet instructed quietly, sending Archeops to scurry towards the main living room window.
You reached for the TV remote, switching off the film just as the monster character began to roar. The house fell silent, the rain the only consistent sound aside from the crunching of plants outside. Wait, what?
Archeops hissed at the window, wings raised above its head. The crunching outside stopped.
You and Emmet watched in silent horror as a creeping mass of cables reached to the window, the copper wires exposed at the end delicately feeling the windowframe. Emmet pulled you to your feet, holding a finger to his lips as he ushered you behind him. The cables paused before withdrawing from view. You let out a sigh of relief.
"Archeops. Protect!" Emmet suddenly snapped, startling you. The Pokemon hastily snapped its jaws and manifested a translucent shield, just in time to deflect the massive cabled arm that crashed through the window without warning. You screamed in terror as the wiry claws tried to grasp at Archeops to no avail, the limb snaking back out the window in defeat.
"E-Emmet, what the f*ck... what..." You stammered out in a panic, subconsciously clutching onto Emmet's arm in fright. He turned to look at you, a reassuring smile crossing his features as he gently patted your hands where they grasped his arm. His soft smile quickly turned into a determined smirk, his eyes burning with a passionate flame.
"Don't you worry. I am Emmet. And I like winning more than anything else. Archeops! Pokemon battle right on schedule. Let's go!"
Chapter 4: aim for victory
Chapter Text
With a determined yell, Emmet threw open your front door and stormed out into the thinning rain. Archeops leapt through the broken window, rushing to Emmet's side and screeching fiercely. The cabled monster stood at least twelve feet tall, its white spiked head flashing in sync with the thunder booming overhead. The stormclouds seemed to swirl around the house, the eye of the storm now centering on the monstrous beast and creating a sheltered zone where wind and rain seemed to pause. Around the home, the storm raged on.
Your heart hammered loudly in your chest, the colour draining from your face as you backed up against the living room wall. Sharp panicked gasps left your lungs as you fought to keep steady, legs shaking beneath you and threatening to drop you onto the wooden floor. Through the open door across the room, you caught a glimpse of the creature that threatened you and your home.
"Xurkitree..." You mumbled, eyes widening in recognition. Emmet's voice could be heard calling out commands to his Pokemon, and you realised he was using ineffective moves against the creature. Adrenaline flushed your system as you shakily stepped away from the wall, moving with a panicked haste to the front door.
The Xurkitree was far scarier in real life than it was in the games. You recalled the times you played the Sun and Moon 3DS games, feeding colourful bean treats to your Xurkitree after a battle well fought. It had been an endearing and lovable partner to you then, but now? It looked like something straight out of a Lovecraft tale.
"Emmet!" You cried out, holding onto the doorframe for some semblance of security, "It's Xurkitree! Electric-type!"
Emmet looked to you with a stunned expression, before nodding and grinning fiercely. "Archeops! Earthquake!"
The bird Pokemon screeched before stomping its feet in rapid succession, suddenly bolting towards the electric monster with a snarl. The ground shook, the vegetation in your front garden losing leaves and snapping branches. The Xurkitree flinched, footing unsteady as it tried to endure the tectonic assault.
Emmet turned to you once more, a massive smile on his face. It quickly faded when the Ultra Beast recovered, screaming out a high-pitched cry as it raised two of its cabled limbs. The static in the air around you grew uncomfortably strong, the hairs on your body rising involuntarily, before a wicked crack of light briefly blinded you. You shielded your eyes too late, falling to the ground with a frightened sob.
Archeops had been struck with a vicious electric move, partially paralysing him and rendering him slower than normal. Still, the little beast snapped its jaws and let out a meek hiss, still ready to fight.
Emmet called out for another Earthquake, but Archeops was weakened. The bird flapped his wings pathetically, feet struggling to move beneath him. Emmet snarled at the Xurkitree before he gasped and looked back to you.
"Pants pocket. Beside the bed. Should be some empty Ultra Balls. Go!" he cried out, snapping you out of your stunned daze. You rubbed your eyes, scrambling clumsily to your feet as Xurkitree let out another deafening cry.
Everything was a blur. The air felt tingly, the ground shook, and your ears wouldn't stop ringing. If it weren't for the chemicals pumped out by your brain for survival you were sure you'd have simply passed out. Crashing through the spare room doorway, you searched frantically for the trousers Emmet had left. Your hands were shaking as you picked up the target garment, fingers unsteadily rifling through the pockets and pulling out an assortment of items. Trainer card, Archeops' Pokeball, some keys... ah-hah! Ultra Balls! You found two of the small black-and-yellow capsules, grasping them tightly in your palm as you rushed back out the room and into the front garden.
You cried out Emmet's name, ready to throw the two Ultra Balls to him, but froze in terror when you saw the weakened Xurkitree grappling the man's arms and pinning him down. Archeops must have let off one last Earthquake before collapsing, his defeated form laying in a singed crater of dirt. Despite being wounded, the Ultra Beast was still an immense threat. You felt your head spin as Emmet looked at you, face unchanged from his fiery determined snarl. If he secretly felt terror, his expression was doing nothing to betray him.
You exhaled shakily, desperately trying to ignore the way your vision began to blur. Mimicking Emmet's actions from earlier in the day, you clicked the button on one of the balls and watched it expand in size instantly. Your glare was cast to the Ultra Beast, still struggling to stay on its feet, before you closed your eyes and threw the capsule with a strangled cry.
In a flash of blue light, the Xurkitree was sucked into a whirling vortex, disappearing with a final screech. The ball closed automatically, dropping to the ground with an audible thud.
The ball flailed wildly, the light on the front flashing yellow.
It twitched again, this time slower. The yellow light flashed again.
A third wobble. A third flash of golden light.
Click! The light turned green, the ball shrinking back to the pocket-size it was just moments ago.
For a moment, it felt like the world had just... paused. The storm raging around you mellowed out into a heavy rain, once again filling the gap over your home and flushing the area with cool precipitation. You stood there, mouth agape and eyes staring in disbelief at the little Ultra Ball that sat in your utterly decimated front garden.
A clap on your back and a hearty chuckle startled you, making you flinch and yell out. With a frightened turn, you found yourself face-to-face with Emmet. You let out the breath you didn't realise you had been holding and allowed yourself to fall to the ground, the rain soaking your trousers as you came to your knees.
Archeops, still incredibly weak and twitching from the remaining paralysis, gingerly picking up the Ultra Ball in his mouth and lumbering over to you, wings drooping at his sides. He crumpled with a meek chirp at your side, dropping the ball on your lap with a lopsided smile on his toothy face.
Emmet dropped to a crouch beside you, hand once again patting you on the back as he reached to ruffle Archeops' feathers with his other hand.
"Your timing is the best. Perfect!" The Subway Boss gleamed at you, his hair slick across his face as the rain soaked him, "Though you should get inside. You and your new Pokemon, that is. You will catch a cold."
You stared up at him with disbelief, "My Pokemon?"
Emmet grinned at you, "Of course! You caught it, after all."
Glaring at the ball in your hand, you felt yourself grow faint all over again. Only this time, instead of the ground slamming into your limp skull, Emmet's arm caught you.
By the time you returned to the land of the living, the daylight had long since faded and the thunderstorm had become a simple light shower. A cold draught of air stung your cheek as you turned, blinking slowly and rising up from your couch.
Couch?
With your eyes now shot open, you glanced around to see you were laid on your sofa, covered by a blanket and being watched by a sleepy-looking Archeops laid beside the cosy furniture. He chirped at you when he found you finally waking up, his tail wagging at his side when you reached down to stroke his scaled head.
Images of tree-like cables and electrified wires pierced your mind almost painfully, sending you shooting to your feet in instinctual panic. You turned to the window near the front door, groaning in frustration at the very obvious missing glass. You couldn't help but notice, however, that the shards of glass that littered the floor were nowhere to be seen.
The pat-pat-pat of little reptile feet could be heard behind you, but you didn't quite register it until a second louder pair of feet stepped into your range of hearing. Spinning on your heel, you saw Emmet. He had swapped his rain-soaked trousers for a fresher pair of black sweatpants, and his hair seemed drier. He wasn't bad looking, you know.
You shook that thought from your head before your face started to flush.
"You fainted again," Emmet recounted, his hands clasped behind his back, "I let you sleep it off. You don't seem fully recovered, though. You should rest more. No more stops for you."
You moved slowly back to the sofa, allowing yourself to sink back onto the cushions as you shook your head, "I have work tomorrow morning. I..." Throwing a glance to your wall clock, you let out a horrified gasp, "Emmet, its two in the morning. Holy sh*t. I have to be ready by eight." You visibly started to panic.
Archeops marched over with a concerned squawk, but the sight of the Pokemon coming into view so suddenly caused a sharp squeal of fright to escape you. Emmet frowned, squatting down in front of you whilst gently pushing a confused Archeops to the side.
"Safety check! You are a mess," He stated bluntly, causing you to frown, "You are not fit to work. Especially not with cafe equipment. You could get hurt."
It was hard to argue with the man - then again, your head was still spinning, refusing to allow you a single brain cell to use in forming arguments. How unfair. Instead, you resorted to grumbling in frustration and staring down at the floor. Emmet watched you in vague amusem*nt, lips twitched upward in a small smirk.
"Fine. Fine. I'll need to let my boss know as soon as possible. And I'll need to let Liz know I'm okay. Ugh." You spoke outloud, mostly to yourself. Throwing your head back onto the sofa, you dragged your hands down your face with a loud groan.
Emmet clapped his hands and rose to his feet again. "Excellent. You should depart for your bedroom. Your clothes are also dirty, by the way."
You glanced down at your shirt and trousers, noting the damp patches of dirt covering the lower parts of each garment. Standing up with a sigh, you took a step forward away from the sofa. Your legs, still trembling from shock, gave way and sent you tumbling to the ground. Luckily Emmet was once again there to catch you, concern hovering in his gaze. You smiled weakly at him, quietly relieved he was there to help you back up again.
"Thanks, Emmet. I guess that Xurkitree paralysed me just as bad as Archeops, huh?" You joked, though Emmet simply stared at you. He wrapped his arm around your back and hoisted you up a little more, letting you lead the way to your bedroom. With slight hesitation, you made the first step, hoping you had remembered to clean your more embarassing things away.
"You recognised that Pokemon. I am very grateful. How do you know it?" Emmet asked you, effortlessly supporting your smaller frame.
"It's from one of my Pokemon games. Uh, set in Alola. Its one of the Ultra Beasts and... kinda used to be one of my faves when I still played."
"I had never seen one before. We don't get those in Unova."
You chuckled softly at that, reaching for your door handle, "Yeah, I'd hope not."
Opening the bedroom door, you glanced around nervously. The shelves lining the walls were adorned with various merchandise from shows and games you enjoyed, with some of the items being recognisable as Pokemon characters. Emmet, ever the nosy bastard, openly gawked at your belongings as he helped you to your bed, setting you softly onto the sheets before he straightened up. He audibly gasped and flapped his hands a little, honing in on the life-size Joltik plush you kept on one of the shelves. You couldn't help but giggle at his excitement, nodding at him as he wordlessly pleaded for permission to hold the toy with a puppy-like expression.
"He is so precious. So small and good. Little creature." Emmet muttered to himself, gleefully squeezing the toy in his hands. He then turned to you and his beaming grin changed into something a little less easy to decipher. Placing the Joltik on the shelf, he took a few steps towards the shelf closest to your bed and raised a brow at you. You paled, realising which shelf he had spotted.
You could only stare in embarassment as Emmet picked up one of the Pokemon Trainer plush dolls off the shelf, recognisable as being, well, Emmet. The mans lips curled into a devious smirk as he placed the doll next to his face, staring down at you as your face flushed pink.
"He looks just like me. This is verrrry weird." Emmet noted, still grinning at your flustered expression.
"It was part of a set... I just- I'm a completionist, I needed to collect them all, y'know?" You stammered as you reached out to snatch the doll from Emmet's hands. He pulled away, tutting at you.
"You need to rest. Isn't that right, Emmet?" The Subway Boss turned to face the doll in his hands, making the mini-Emmet nod. You quietly hoped the ground beneath you would open up and suck you into a violent demise.
Awaiting the next set of shameless teasing, you found yourself surprised by Emmet's sudden silence. He dropped his doll doppelganger to the floor, his hand going limp as he reached for the shelf again, gently grabbing another plush. Your heart fell when you recognised the dark hat and conductor outfit.
Emmet's smile twitched and his eyes seemed to stare out of focus for a moment, holding the Ingo doll with shaky hands. He didn't look at you, instead gazing blankly in front of him.
"I am Emmet. You are... Ingo," he said softly, voice quivering, "We're both Subway Bosses. We... are both lost."
You felt your eyes begin to well with tears, watching the man grieve over his missing brother. In a way, you could empathise... loss was something you were unfortunately very familiar with. Perhaps Emmet had more to struggle with, however - he still had hope his brother was alive, waiting to come home. That hope raised him up above the swell of sorrow but should the news ever come that Ingo was beyond saving, he would have that much farther to fall. Without hesitation, you stood on your shaky feet and wrapped your arms around Emmet, silently rubbing his back. He stiffened, dropping the Ingo plush onto the floor. He watched the doll bump into his own mini-self, the two plushes touching. With a broken sob, Emmet softened up and wrapped his own arms around you, his body shaking with grief as you held him close.
Chapter 5: outbound
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Brilliant white light and black cables haunted your dreams that night. By the time you awoke, you were drenched in sweat and your head was pounding, a searing pain shooting through your temples. You growled to yourself as you reached for your phone, noticing the alert LED blinking for your attention. Blinking away the sleep in your eyes, you squinted in discomfort at the sudden bright screen invading your vision before quickly turning down the brightness setting. With the blinding light taken care of, you could finally see the notification on the screen.
[6:46am] dark souls boss music: Hey girls, bad news. No need to...
You found yourself waking up quickly at the message preview. It was an hour old, according to your phone's clock. Unlocking your device and sitting upright in your bed, you opened your work group chat to see the full message.
[6:46am] dark souls boss music: Hey girls, bad news. No need to come in today. Storm has ripped through the front of the shop. Will keep you updated on repairs. Hope you are staying safe. Kim x
You sighed in relief, thankful you won't have to make up some wild excuse for missing your shift. Your phone pinged just as you set the device back down, prompting you to recheck the messages.
[7:38am] liz ☕🤎: omg!! thanks for heads up, hope ur ok
Your private message conversation with Elisabeth then lit up.
[7:38am] liz ☕🤎: bruh
[7:39am] liz ☕🤎: looks like we are freeee. hmu if u wanna meet up b
You chuckled at the texts, before letting out a sigh. You would probably have to let Liz know about Emmet. It would be incredibly difficult to explain to your friend why she couldn't come inside anymore - she'd immediately know you were hiding something. A curious Liz was not a Liz to be messed with. Switching off the screen and tossing the phone lazily onto your bedside table, you opted to go back to sleep and leave that whole issue to your late-morning self.
At least, that was the plan.
A certain feathery face peered at you from your doorway, having used his little grasping wing-claws to open the door to your bedroom. You glared at Archeops, your eyes narrowed at the Pokemon. It was still pretty surreal to see the creature in the flesh, and even more surreal that you felt comfortable enough to tease the powerful monster.
"Caught you, birdie," You whispered to him, wagging your finger playfully, "What are you sneaking into my room for, huh?"
"Kyop." Archeops yipped, strutting confidently over to your bedframe and clumsily climbing up onto the sheets. You giggled quietly at the bird, watching as he settled shakily on the blanket above your legs. His mouth flew open and he sat there motionless, jaw agape but no sound coming from it. You blinked at him for a moment, before understanding.
"You hungry, big guy?" You asked him, smiling as the Pokemon started to wiggle excitedly, "Okay, lets go get some breakfast for the hungry birdie. Quiet now, don't wanna wake your papa. Shh. Big guy has to be sneaky." You cooed in a singsong voice, hushing the Pokemon as he leapt off your bed with a soft squawking sound.
You yawned as you reached for a dressinggown, throwing it over your silk night-dress that you'd put on before you slept. You really ought to have showered before putting on fresh clothes, but 2am-You wasn't exactly up for that sort of strenuous exercise. Leaving the gown untied, you followed the eager bird Pokemon to your kitchen.
The broken window in the living room left a crisp chill emanating through the house, prompting you to reach for the heating controls with a shiver. You cranked up the thermostat, the boiler hidden away in the kitchen closet clunking to life with a soft drumming sound.
The cold tiled floor had you lightly dancing on your feet to avoid the uncomfortable chill, your toes making a soft pap-pap-pap sound which seemed to amuse Archeops. He imitated you, stepping rapidly from foot-to-foot as he watched you dash around the kitchen. When you finally noticed your copycat, you snorted in amusem*nt, before deciding you really would appreciate retrieving your slippers.
"I'll be right back, big guy! Don't worry, I'll get you some food. My feet are cold. I don't have your big strong birdie feet." You whispered to Archeops, who continued to tap-dance on your kitchen floor. Chuckling, you hurried out of the kitchen and rushed back into your bedroom to retrieve your slippers from under your bed. Sliding the fluffy footwear on, you also reached for your phone to quickly access Google. Typing in 'archeops pokemon diet' into the phone browser, you waddled absentmindedly back out of your room and collided headfirst into a bare chest.
You gasped, nearly dropping your phone as you looked up at a very sleepy looking Emmet and his very shirtless body. You gawked for a while, mouth opening and closing as you tried to find something to say to make things even just slightly less awkward. Emmet simply yawned, ruffling his hair and stretching his arms out. His eyes were slightly puffy, you couldn't help but notice.
"Oh, morning Emmet... sorry, I wasn't looking, I hope I didn't wake you..." You murmured, casting your gaze to the floor in shame.
"You are verrrry clumsy," he teased, "I was just looking for Archeops. He seems to have escaped my room."
You laughed shyly, nodding your head in the direction of the kitchen, "He wanted food."
Emmet rolled his eyes, grinning, "Typical Archie. Allow me to help you!"
Still shirtless, the male began to sway his arms and march into the kitchen, prompting you to dash in front of him and hold your hands up. "You don't have to, Emmet! I can handle it, really. You can get some more sleep if you want," Your cheeks turned warm as you found yourself once again staring at his chest, "B-besides, it's cold. You might want a shirt."
Emmet smirked down at you, before wordlessly retreating into the spare room and shutting the door. You were left in the hallway, blinking and trying to process the interaction, before an impatient squawk alerted you to more pressing matters.
"Sorry, big guy! Your papa woke up." You apologised to Archeops as you dashed back into the kitchen, now protected against the cool floor. The Pokemon nipped at your feet in curiosity, taking great interest in your new footwear. The interest quickly faded, however, as you made your way to the fridge and opened it up. The bird crouched low to the ground, staring at your shoulder and swaying like a cat ready to pounce. You glared at him, shaking your head as your body stiffened in anticipation.
"No, no! I don't think I am steady enough to hold you on my shoulder, big guy! You are a very big guy! Huge! I am small!" You pleaded, sighing in relief when the feathery beast huffed and strutted away to leap onto the dining table instead.
Pulling out your phone again, you quickly scrolled through the previous search results. Your other hand reached into the fridge, pulling out an assortment of foods including punnets of berries and smoked bacon rashers.
"...along with hunting for prey, it has been seen eating fruit..." You read aloud from the webpage, inwardly thanking Archeops for being far clearer to feed than Xurkitree.
You gasped. Xurkitree.
You'd forgotten about the Ultra Beast, casting every memory aside as a mere bad dream. Before you could scurry away to find the capsule it was housed in, a now shirt-wearing Emmet crept into the kitchen. He eyed you quizzically, his gaze briefly settling on your low-cut nightdress before hastily shifting to Archeops. You quickly tied up your dressinggown with a blush.
"Morning, again," You muttered to Emmet, throwing him a shy smile, "I got some stuff out of the fridge, feel free to give some to Archeops. I gotta... um, Xurkitree."
Without missing a beat, Emmet quickly brought up a different subject. "You are up early. Did you contact your work?" He eyed you suspiciously, arms folded.
Now was your turn to be confident, flashing a toothy grin to the man and pulling up your phone messages. "Didn't need to, my boss messaged us early this morning saying the shop was damaged in the storm. No work for me."
Emmet hummed, a satisfied smile on his face. "Very well." Without hesitation, he pulled out a chair at the dining table, gesturing for you to sit. You stared at him, silently demanding context. "You are resting today. Let me sort out breakfast. Its the least I, Emmet, can do for you. You've been verrrry kind to let us stay here." He then bowed a little, drawing a flustured chuckle from you.
"Fiiiine. At least let me get myself a coffee, first."
The intimacy of the morning was not lost on you. There was a comforting warmth in having someone else in your kitchen, the close proximity satisfying that innate human desire to simply be near someone. It felt right. Your home was too empty before, too hollow and lacking soul. You recalled the night before, how you held Emmet close and comforted him through his moment of sorrow. The act of being clutched so tightly send sparks flying within you. You could almost still hear the way his heart beat next to your ear.
Then again... the sight of Emmet in those familiar old clothes, occupying a space that belonged to someone else in a way that was far too perfect... it sent cold stones sinking into your heart. Those splinters still felt fresh inside your chest. Too fresh.
"You look unwell." Emmet's voice snapped you out of your daze, his hands held aloft as if ready to catch you should you fall again. You shook your head, forcing a smile as you avoided his gaze.
"Just sleepy. I'm fine, don't worry."
"You are lying to me."
Okay, that got you staring at him. Whilst you were aware of Emmet's often blunt insights, it was still jarring to be told so plainly that you are basically full of sh*t - and so casually, too. The way you stared wide-eyed must have betrayed your little lie as Emmet sighed, bending down slightly to be more level with your face.
"Things are weird. A little scary, too. You want to help me. I want to help you, too," he smiled sweetly, straightening up his posture before striking his iconic pose, "I am Emmet. Please, allow me to help you! I am at your service."
Archeops squawked merrily, chomping away at the handful of strawberries Emmet had thrown to him. You couldn't help but chuckle, your eyes blinking away the tears that threatened to fall.
"Thank you," you said softly, "that goes for you too, by the way. I've got your back. We'll get you home. You and Ingo, both," you glanced up at Emmet again, cheeks flushing, "Can I... can I hug you...?" Came your timid question, your hands pressed tightly against your chest in your uncertainty.
Emmet grinned, opening his arms wide, "All aboard!"
You couldn't help but laugh at him and his silly mannerisms, thudding your body into his chest and allowing him to envelop you. You felt his hand rub your back, drawing out a contented hum from your throat. The fabric of his shirt felt soft against your face, the warmth eminating from him calming your dizzy mind. The shirt still carried some of its old smell, a bittersweet familiarity blending with Emmet's natural scent to create something both comforting and upsetting. You shut your eyes and let yourself succumb to the embrace - mirroring the night before, you thought to yourself.
The rest of the morning travelled smoothly, with breakfast being a quick throw together of whatever was left in the fridge accompanied by a brief lesson on Archeops by a very eager Emmet. You couldn't help but smile at his display of excitement towards Pokemon.
When it came to Xurkitree, you found yourself hesitating to display even a fraction of that excitement. As you stood in the living room, Ultra Ball in hand, you found yourself starting to grow nervous again. Whilst your inner Pokemon fan was leaping for joy at the prospect of having a real life Pocket Monster, your grown-up responsible side was terrified of the power contained in such a tiny capsule. You knew your Alolan lore fairly well, and if it represented the reality of Ultra Beasts, then these things were not to be taken lightly. You had yourself a serious problem on your hands.
So, instead of facing the issue head on, you opted to get showered and dressed. Procrastination never hurt anybody, right? Whilst the warm water and delicately scented soap seemed to help you relax, you found the looming issue was growing more and more heavy within you. Even as you threw on a comfortable pair of jeans along with one of your favourite long sleeve shirts, you felt completely lost. Your simple life of working in a coffee shop and then going home to play video games by yourself suddenly felt incredibly far away. Unreachable, even.
By the time you hastily towel-dried your hair and threw on some light makeup to hide your fatigue, Emmet had already gotten fully dressed into his button-up shirt and a pair of borrowed trousers. His hair was neatly slicked back and his smile was wide and bright as he watched you emerge from the hallway. In his hand was a single Ultra Ball, which he placed in his pocket - much to your confusion. Noticing your bewildered expression, he wordlessly gestured to your coffee table, where a second Ultra Ball sat waiting. Ah. You forgot he had two of them originally.
You reluctantly walked up to the table, picking up the ball and blankly staring at it.
"Where did you even get these?" You opted to ask, avoiding the task at hand.
"Trainers drop things in the Subway a lot. I pick them up and put them in our office. These were useful, so I kept them," Emmet explained, before gesturing to the door, "Now then. It's time to depart for a brief detour. You need to get to know your new Pokemon!"
You gawked at him in horror, clutching the Ultra Ball a little tighter, "Dude, what? You saw what it could do, what if it goes crazy as soon as I let it out?"
Emmet reached into his pocket to pull out a Pokeball, casting you a knowing smile, "That's why Archeops is battle-ready. We shall find an isolated spot and greet our new friend. Now then! Put your shoes on. Check safety. Everybody smile!"
As you stomped to the front door where your shoes and coat lay waiting, you couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit relieved that the Subway Boss and his Archeops was coming with you. Gritting your teeth as you tied your laces, you hoped it would be enough.
Notes:
thank u for reading. i apologise for getting a bit self-inserty but tbh writing this is super therapeutic. suffer with me, gamers <3
also i would die for archeops i will pet his head and cry
Chapter 6: new passengers
Chapter Text
Your chosen spot to unleash your alien Pokemon was none other than your woodland hideaway. Heading deeper than the place you had first witnessed a real-life Pokemon, you came upon a charcoal-dusted clearing that, after a brief look around, you realised had been created by Xurkitree itself. Slashing claw marks were burnt into fallen trees and the tops of the standing trunks were singed and splintered. It was an eerie looking scene, but you figured it was the best place to let Xurkitree out without being spotted by local people.
In your hand the Ultra Ball sat, reflecting the clouds above in its glossy metallic sheen. You looked to Emmet with a nervous expression, feeling only a slight bit more relaxed when he offered a reassuring smile. You took a deep breath in, held it, and released it. The ball left your grasp as the air left your lungs.
With a burst of light, the ball snapped open and released the eldritch electrical creature onto the charred ground. You felt your body start to freeze up, your hands instinctively flying up to shield your face from the Pokemon as it swung its massive arms side to side, stretching its cabled limbs with a snarl. Emmet kept his ground beside you, his hand gripping Archeops' Pokéball.
Xurkitree's movements slowed as it appeared to recognise its environment, a zapping sound emanating from its spiked head. Despite having no visible eyes, you felt the creature stop and stare at you. Time seemed to stop as it glared facelessly, an uncomfortable silence flowing around you like a thick smog. The only thing stopping you from fainting then and there was Emmet softly saying your name, smiling at you and showing you the ball in his hand. I've got your back.
Swallowing loudly, you let your line of sight fall directly on the white bulb in front of you, your hands lifting up to show your empty palms to the creature. Xurkitree leaned forwards agonisingly slowly, almost touching your hands, before recoiling with a fizzing noise. You cast a confused glance to Emmet but he was unable to offer any advice - this was an unfamiliar Pokemon to him. You were the expert in this scenario, you thought.
That's it! For once in your life, your video game knowledge gave you the upper hand. You hastily scoured your memories for any and all information regarding this Pokemon, from Pokedex entries to Pokemon Refresh animations. Refresh... an idea popped into your head.
"Hey there," you whispered softly to Xurkitree as it watched you, seemingly just as nervous as you were, "it's okay. I know you're lost. You come from Ultra Space, right?"
You had no idea if the Pokemon understood what you were saying, but you recalled some movie lore about Pokemon understanding what you feel rather than what you say. You envisioned the Ultra Plant environment from your virtual adventures in Alola, mentally willing your thoughts to seep out of your mind and towards Xurkitree. The creature remained still, leading you to wonder if this was even going to work.
"You're a long way from home, darling," you cooed, taking a shaky step towards the Pokemon as Emmet watched in awe at your sudden spike in confidence, "My friend Emmet here is lost, too. I am going to help him, and I want to help you too."
Xurkitree flinched, but to both your delight and horror it crawled closer to you, nervously raising a black wiry limb and poking it towards you. You hushed the creature - despite it not making any obvious sound - and ignored the outstretched limb. Emmet seemed worried as you approached the Ultra Beast's head, his fingers clicking the button on his Pokeball ready to throw it. With a final shaky breath, you pressed your open palm to Xurkitree's head, bracing yourself for electrocution... but it never came.
Xurkitree's head was cool to the touch, thrumming like an electrical generator and softly glowing against your skin. Feeling braver, you moved your hand across the spiked bulb, rubbing the glassy skin slowly and carefully. Xurkitree suddenly grew limp, letting out a soft mechanical purring sound as it leaned into your touch. A soft chuckle left your lips as you pet the gigantic alien, your wide eyes darting over to glance at a stunned Emmet, who seemed to have been ready to charge at the Ultra Beast himself. He looked at you with a questioning look, bringing out a proud smile upon your face.
"In the game Xurkitree is from, there's a feature that let's you pet your Pokemon and feed them and stuff. Each Pokemon has a place they hate being touched and somewhere they love being touched. Xurkitree likes it's head being petted," you looked back at the much calmer Pokemon rubbing against your hand, "looks like my Pokemon addiction was useful after all."
Xurkitree quickly perked up, its arms raising up as if grasping at something in the air. As if triggered by the odd behaviour, your phone began to ring. Elisabeth was calling. You looked at Emmet with an alarmed expression, pointing at him and then at Xurkitree. You couldn't tell if Emmet was excited to take your place or utterly terrified - his expression was very good at concealing the stronger emotions. With Emmet now pacifying the eldritch extraterrestrial, you answered the phone. Xurkitree waved its coppery fingers in the air, seemingly entertained by your phone and whatever was surrounding it so invisibly.
"Heyyy! What's up?" You called into the phone, voice feigning a cheery demeanour.
"Where are you?" Elisabeth replied, her tone colder than usual.
"Uhm, just out for a walk. Why?"
"I stopped by your house and the window was smashed and the garden was destroyed... you didn't answer the door and I got worried..." Liz rambled, breaking your heart in the process.
"I'm so sorry! I'll be back soon, don't worry! The storm was... not kind to us last night." You noticed Liz pause on the other end.
"Us?"
Oh sh*t. "Yeah, as in the village? Y'know, that sh*t was wild." You quickly explained, scratching at the back of your head in an antsy manner.
"Is everything okay? You've been weird since that guy came into the shop," Liz paused, "He didn't hurt you, did he?" Her words turned sharp, and you could only imagine how cold her expression would have been on the other end of the phone.
"No, no! He didn't- ugh," You pinched the bridge of your nose, glancing to Emmet with a sigh, "Are you still at the house?"
"Yep, still here. You're on your way?"
"Yeah, yeah. We'll be there soon."
"Okay- wait, we?!" You hung up the call before Liz could finish.
"f*ck." You hissed, throwing your hands up to the sky in defeat. Xurkitree shyly imitated you, lifting its arms up and wiggling them a little. Turning on your heel, you picked up the Ultra Ball your new Pokemon was caught in and slowly presented it to Xurkitree so it knew what was coming. A click and a flash of light later, the beast was sheltered away in the little black and yellow capsule. Emmet smiled at you, blankly somehow. He seemed as uncertain as you did. All you could do was shrug at him, gesturing for him to follow as you went home.
In the short few minutes it took for you to arrive on your street, you stopped and looked at your companion.
"Listen, I will introduce you in a sec but you have to just lurk here until I call you. Okay?" You instructed the man, feeling no less nervous even when he nodded in understanding.
Leaving Emmet to stay back momentarily, you dashed down the rest of the path to where Elisabeth stood waiting. She was nervously biting her nails, peering into the house and at the damage surrounding the front garden with a worried look. Upon seeing you approach, she visibly brightened.
"You! You scared me to death." She scolded you, softly punching your shoulder.
"I know, I know, but it only gets worse from here." You told her, grinning halfheartedly and failing to control your growing anxiety.
"...Okay, you're scaring me again. What happened?"
You fidgeted with your coat for a moment, the Ultra Ball sitting heavy in your pocket as you rehearsed your words in your head. Liz stared expectantly at you, brows furrowed.
"So... you know the weird guy? The American?" You began, attempting to gauge Liz's response. The moment her eyes widened in what could only be described as horror proved that this was not going to be an easy thing to explain. You decided to just get on with it, refusing to procrastinate with this issue like you did with Xurkitree.
"Emmet, come say hi." You called out, watching Elisabeth's face turn from horror to complete and utter bewilderment.
"I am Emmet. Pleased to meet you." Emmet greeted, extending a hand to Elisabeth as he approached. The woman stared at the outstretched hand, stared at you, and then back at Emmet. With some reluctance, she finally reached out to shake Emmet's hand, becoming visibly stunned by the man's vigorous handshake.
The two exchanged looks - Emmet's a friendly one, Elisabeth's a more fierce and confused one - before glancing at you eerily in sync.
Smiling nervously, you clapped your hands against the sides of your legs and gestured to the front door.
"Uhm, do you want to come in for a coffee, Liz?" You asked, batting your lashes at the other woman as she glared at you.
Eventually, Elisabeth gave in and followed you and Emmet inside. She kept a close eye on the man, seemingly waiting for him to slip up so she could go absolutely feral. You'd seen the petite woman enraged before - an old incident involving some very rude teenagers outside the coffee shop - and you did not want to see it again. You knew she was just protective of you but there was so much she needed to be clued in about. You doubted she'd even understand.
With the kettle boiling, three mugs prepped, and two very contrasting people staring at each other near the kitchen counter, you attempted to properly introduce Emmet to Liz.
"You brought him home?" Elisabeth interrupted incredulously, clearly not bothered that the man in question was standing right beside her. Much to your dismay, Emmet nodded.
"Her shock is pretty valid. It is verrrry weird to invite a stranger to stay."
You glared at Emmet, spotting his mischievous smirk. "Dude, you aren't helping." The man only seemed more smug as you scolded him, making you realise he was deliberately messing with you for his own amusem*nt. Asshole.
Elisabeth herself seemed completely lost, looking between you and Emmet as if you were speaking a foreign language. You groaned and buried your face into your palms, reevaluating your approach to this meeting in your head.
"Okay, f*ck it. Liz, babes, my lovely," you spluttered out, growing exasperated, "I'm gonna tell you some really weird sh*t, okay? It's gonna be weirder than my usual nonsense. But I promise you its all true. I need you to trust me." You pleaded, waiting impatiently as Liz scanned your expression for any signs of deceit. Her features softened as she observed you, a sigh escaping her lips. She nodded, signalling for you to continue. With a heavy exhale, you prepared the unhinged rambling.
"So. This is Emmet. He's not from this world. He's a Pokémon trainer. From, uh, the world of Pokémon," Liz's expression fell, her glare seemingly going right through you and into the wall behind you, "I know it sounds crazy but he comes from a world where Pokemon are real. He's somehow trapped here. I let him stay because I want to help him get home again."
"It is true. I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. I am verrrry lost." Emmet chimed in, smiling.
Elisabeth looked at you with an expression you'd never seen before, her eyes seemingly portraying a sense of hurt. She didn't believe you, of course she didn't. The look she threw Emmet's way led you to realise she was blaming this percieved bout of insanity on him. Seeing the way Liz's face paled and her face contorted into something akin to rage, you quickly decided it was time for Plan B. Plan Bird.
"Emmet, Archeops. Quickly." You hissed in a panic, watching as Emmet pulled out his Pokeball and clicked the button.
With a cheerful screech and a rustling of his feathers, Archeops landed rather gracelessly upon the kitchen counter, nearly knocking your unfilled mugs off of the surface with his long tail. His head craned towards you for a quick cuddle before his eyes widened at the new face, an excited squawk leaving his toothed mouth.
What followed was a very uncharacteristic scream from Archeops. At least, you thought it was from Archeops. He seemed utterly bewildered as Elisabeth crashed onto the ground with a thud, her face pale. Emmet blinked, throwing you a tired glance.
"Is this going to be a recurring theme?" He asked, pointing down at the new addition to the 'Fainted Because Of Archeops' list. You slouched forward, your head drooping and colliding with the kitchen counter as a frustrated groan escaped your throat. Archeops leapt off the counter and onto the tiled floor, nipping gently at Elisabeth's knees with a concerned cluck.
It was gonna be a long day.
Chapter 7: scenic route
Notes:
slightly longer garbage for u train simps. less plot this time and more nice shenanigans :) dont forget to show ur mom
Chapter Text
Helping Elisabeth come to terms with the situation was proving to be particularly difficult. Whilst the coffee shop was being repaired, you asked her to come over frequently, hoping to get her used to Archeops and his Trainer. Even after several days of meeting and greeting, Elisabeth couldn't help but squeal in fright whenever Archeops flapped towards her.
"It's going to eat me." Liz would spit out, eyes wide.
"He's not going to eat you." You would assure her.
"That pigeon is on steroids and it is going to eat us both." Liz would then murmur, watching in horror as the Pokemon preened his feathers with a soft clucking noise.
After a brief chat with Emmet, you both decided it would be best to not show Elisabeth that you had a Pokemon of your own. Going from giant chicken to Lovecraftian horror was a bit of a jump, after all.
The weekend approached like a bullet train, forcing you out of the magical reality you found yourself in and back into the terrifying realm of Adult Responsibility. Your fridge was starting to look comically bare and you really wanted to get Emmet some clothes of his own. As much as you somewhat enjoyed seeing the old garments being worn, sometimes it was just too painful to observe.
Bursting into the kitchen in a dramatic entrance on that Saturday morning, you slammed your hand down on the countertop to get Emmet's attention. He and Archeops sat quietly at your dining table, Emmet with a coffee and Archie with a bowl of water. Both appeared just as startled. It wasn't like you to be up and ready with such determination. Not at this hour.
"Today's plan," You began, imitating a drill sergeant purely for the hell of it, "is to aquire more food and to get you some stuff of your own."
Emmet raised a brow at you, smirking at your energetic demanour, "You mean we are going shopping."
"Yep. Lemme know when you're ready."
As you quickly adjusted your hair in the bathroom mirror, you took a moment to quickly judge your chosen outfit for today. Black jeans, a blue tank top with a dark button-up shirt loosely thrown on top like a jacket... you felt smart. Cute, even. Shaking those thoughts away, you pulled out your phone and clicked open the Messages app.
[9:56am] you: heading out w/ emmet, will have my phone on me dw xoxo
The reply was almost immediate.
[9:58am] liz ☕🤎: i will text you every hour + call u when ur home
[9:59am] you: i expect nothing less b
[10:01am] liz ☕🤎: fr tho, pls stay safe :( i refuse to go back to work without u
[10:02am] liz ☕🤎: im not looking after steroid pigeon and train boy if u die
[10:04am] you: ill call u later homie, dw i will fist fight steroid pigeon if he gets feisty. train boy too. love u
[10:04am] liz ☕🤎: ly2
Heading back into the living room, you cast a glance outside at the sky above. Whilst the storm seemed to have passed, the clouds remained a pastel gray - a far more normal weather state for your quaint little English village. The air felt cool as you moved the wooden board that had now acted as Window 2 for the broken glass, your hand stretching out of the empty pane and gauging which level of warmth was appropriate when selecting a jacket. Emmet watched as you hummed in thought, sliding the wooden board back over the broken window and wedging it firmly under the window handle to keep it secure.
"Are you ready for departure?" He asked, drawing your attention away from the window. The man stood tall in his Subway uniform, his iconic white jacket concealing his toned frame as he effortlessly held Archeops aloft on his arm. The bird nibbled quietly at an apple, purring as Emmet's free hand reached over to tickle his scaly chin.
Your inner Pokemon nerd squealed in delight at seeing such a beloved 'character' in your own home. Emmet looked so proud in his uniform, his back straightened and a smile plastered on his face. You couldn't help but notice subtle bags under his eyes, though.
"Yes sir." You called out as you fumbled around your coatrack for a jacket. Deciding on a black Victorian-style coat, you pulled the garment on and reached for your shoulder bag. Emmet looked at you with an indescribable expression, clearly eying your coat with some level of interest. It almost matched his own jacket, the hem reaching below your waist and the collar being large and pronounced.
Reaching into your pocket, you produced Xurkitree's Ultra Ball and placed it gently into the bag's inner pocket, sealing the Pokemon away for safekeeping. No way were you about to leave it in the house. You heard the signature schwooop of Emmet's Pokeball opening and securing Archeops safely within the capsule.
Unlocking the door, you silently went over your mantra of Necessary Outing Items. Keys, wallet, phone, reusable carry bags, the f*cking eldritch wire creature from Outer Space... yep, you were set. Looking behind you towards Emmet, you grinned.
"There's not much in the village, so I hope you don't mind us going a little further out," you giggled as Emmet's eyes widened in understanding, "To the train station! All aboard!" You cried out dramatically, stepping out the door with a merry smile.
The train station was barely a station, being just a single set of tracks with a small ticket machine and some sheltered waiting seats. Even still, Emmet held his arms close to his chest and flapped his hands in excitement. The sight made you blush, your smile widening.
Reaching for your phone, you opened your Trainline app and loaded your tickets. Satisfied that they were ready to access, you put your phone back in your pocket and awaited the train. Emmet took the opportunity to excitedly recall any and all information about the Battle Subway, recounting some of his favourite battles and describing the incredible engineering behind the trains themselves. You didn't understand a lot of what he told you, but the sheer contagious passion was enough to make you wish he would never stop.
When the train finally arrived and you were able to embark, you were pleased to see the car you had chosen was totally empty. It was to be expected, of course - these local trains were never busy at any point - but it meant you and your cross-dimensional traveller could talk openly. Pulling out your phone once more, you clicked open one of the apps you used for reference when playing the various Pokemon games.
"It's called Datadex. It's basically a Pokedex complete with move info, type matchups, stats and habitats, and even a little Team Builder option." You explained to Emmet, showing him the screen as he leaned over to look closer.
You'd chosen a table seat, thinking Emmet would choose to sit opposite you, but you were both a little stunned and a bit pleased when he opted to sit beside you instead. You figured he was used to company - having a twin brother kinda implies such, anyway - so you tried not to think much of it. Still, you hoped he wouldn't notice the dusting of pink across your cheeks.
Opening the Team Builder section of the app, Emmet gasped in delight at a team you had labelled 'BATTLE SUBWAY'. Chuckling, you opened the team info panel and handed the phone to him so he could oggle your chosen Pokemon.
"Garchomp. Very wise. Powerful Pokemon. Jolly nature, veerrry good," Emmet commented quietly, almost entirely engrossed in judging your team, "Magnezone too. Sturdy ability? I would have picked Analytic."
Your smile faltered when Emmet's brows furrowed, spotting two of the Pokemon on your Subway team. You shamefully took a few moments to realise why.
"Chandelure... and Haxorus. Good choices," Emmet murmured softly, a wistful smile barely visible upon his lips, "Ingo would like you."
Sighing, you let yourself gently bump shoulders with the man beside you. Looking up at him, you offered him a soft smile, "I actually picked those two because of him. I didn't realise how cool they were until I battled in the Subway."
"He would be verrrry honoured."
"Y'know, I also have a Galvantula in my game. I've had one in every game they are available in. That," you carefully took your phone from Emmet's grasp, "was because of you."
Emmet's grin returned, his eyes sparkling. You giggled quietly, exiting the Team Builder section and searching though the Alolan Pokedex.
"Here we go, Ultra Beasts," You declared, placing the phone on the table in front of you both, "Xurkitree is one of them, but there's a load more. You can only get them in Alola, but there was one area in Galar where you could find them, too. Oh, here's another of my faves! It's called Nihilego. It's kinda cute but the in-game lore is anything but. Here, this app lets you look at all available Pokedex entries..."
You couldn't help but get excitable about your game lore. Pokemon was a stable feature in your life, always there no matter what happened. It was a comfort for you, a passion that sometimes helped you leave the house on bad days. Nothing brought you out of a sour mood like a walk around the village catching virtual creatures in Pokemon GO, taking goofy AR photographs of them in the streets and shops. Emmet smiled fondly as you recounted theories and headcanons surrounding Ultra Beasts and Ultra Space, though you were too engrossed to notice.
The train ride was soon over, the forty-five minute trip into the nearest city feeling incredibly short thanks to your enjoyable conversations. Emmet beamed as he stepped out of the train car, finding himself in a very impressive station that made Gumthorpe look like a rundown Tescos carpark.
Giggling, you leapt out of the train and caught up with Emmet, "Welcome to Leeds!"
"Verrrry impressive! Reminds me of Galar." Emmet noted, grinning widely.
"Its funny you mention that. Galar is supposed to be based off of this country." You laughed as Emmet turned to stare at you, utterly gobsmacked by the idea.
Stepping out of the station, you inhaled the crisp morning air and exhaled with a delighted 'ahhh'. Today was all about having a good time without anybody fainting or being attacked by space monsters. Even thinking about the past scenarios made you chuckle, the thoughts seeming so silly and unreal as you gazed upon the tall buildings surrounding you. Your mind wandered to Xurkitree, the image of the Ultra Ball nestled away in your bag filling you with a sense of confidence that was pretty foreign for you. All these people walking by, staring at their phones or talking to their friends... none of them had any idea that the barista walking nearby had what was likely the most powerful creature on the planet right now sitting in her bag besides a half-empty roll of mints and some old reciepts. Taking another breath, you felt the air swirl around in your lungs and cleanse you of your worries. Emmet stepped up beside you, his expression gleeful, and things simply felt okay. Normal, even. Out of a habit you forgot you even had, you nearly grasped onto Emmet's hand. You quickly thrust your hands into your pockets to avoid any embarassing interactions. It was a nice day. You weren't about to see it made awkward.
With a devious smirk on your face, you speedily walked through the city streets with Emmet following as close behind as possible, his eyes narrowed at you in suspicion as you made a beeline for a particular store. You knew the store well - it was a comic shop with all sorts of geeky merchandise. You often came here to pick up the Pokemon manga as well as some figurines and plush toys from various franchises. Motioning for Emmet to follow you inside, you cheerfully entered the shop.
Emmet's eyes widened in delight at the sight of familiar creatures on some of the shop shelves, immediately darting over to a little plush Archen. The way he held it in his hands and turned to you with the most ridiculous puppy-dog eyes had you melting on the spot. Rolling your eyes and smiling, you nodded in approval.
"Fine, we can buy him. Heads up though, I have some disposable income but I'm not loaded. You can have a little plush toy. As a treat." You told Emmet, tones mimicking a stern parent in a way that made you both struggle to hold in amused giggles.
Your gaze scanned the shelves as you continued your curious shop-exploration until you gasped at the sight of some figures from Japan. You recognised the figures as being Moncolle-EX, a line of particularly cool Pokemon figurines. One in particular caught your eye.
"Ultra Necrozma..." you whispered as you grasped the plastic packaging from the shelf, eyeing the golden Dragon inside. Emmet peered over at you, co*cking his head in curiosity. You didn't expect his eyes to widen in recognition.
"Isn't that the Blinding One?" He asked, causing you to whip around and stare at him in surprise, "It was on the news for a time. Nearly caused a catastrophe in Alola. Nobody has seen it since."
You paused for a moment, mulling over your knowledge of the game's lore, "I... somehow didn't think you'd have known about that. I guess it only makes sense." You hummed, still holding onto the figure.
"You want the Blinding One." Emmet observed, your roles reversing as you looked up at him with a pleading look.
After paying a somewhat overpriced total for your two treats, you and Emmet joyfully skipped out of the store and began the hunt for your next target: the clothing store. Emmet whined at you when he realised you had passed the store on the way to the comic shop, prompting you to stick your tongue out of him in a sudden burst of confidence. The look he threw your way made you squeal, your body turning as you expected the man to give chase. He pretended to lunge, chuckling in amusem*nt as you scowled at him.
Shopping for clothes with Emmet was fairly straighforward, thankfully. He had a very particular sense of style that meant he was very easy to buy for. Button up shirts, smart trousers, goofy socks with animals on them... it all felt very 'Emmet'.
As Emmet was rifling through a shelf of more colourful socks, you found yourself looking through some of the more gimmicky neck ties. A quick thought passed through your head, and you grabbed one of the ties and hid them beneath the other clothes you had picked up. Emmet noticed, regarding you with a brow raised. You glanced at him with a sly smile, clutching the clothing close to your chest to prevent him from seeing.
"You have to wait 'til we're home." You told him.
Overall, Emmet didn't set you back nearly as much as you thought he would. He was very conscious of prices and made every effort to keep the price tags low, something you didn't ask him to do but appreciated anyway. With a modest new wardrobe for the man placed in one of your reusable bags, you left the store and paused to think. Checking your phone quickly, aiming only to check the time, you felt guilt creep into your heart at the sight of many texts from Liz. Throwing an apologetic look to Emmet, you pulled yourself aside to quickly call your friend. She picked up immediately.
"Hey Liz, sorry I didn't reply! I didn't realise how quickly the morning flew by." You sheepishly said through the phone, wincing slightly as Elisabeth exhaled on the other end of the line.
"It's okay, it's okay. Honest! You know I just worry about how completely dumb you are sometimes," You snorted, drawing a laugh from Liz as well, "Is... is the guy being nice?"
"'The guy' has a name! And yes, Emmet is being nice. You don't need to stab him yet." You noticed Emmet mouth the word 'yet' in horrified bewilderment, flailing his arms a little. You hushed him and stuck your tongue out.
"Okay, good. Just a heads up, I went by the shop earlier and it looks like we might be back in on Monday! Kim really got things sorted nicely. It's weird though, our shop was the only one affected by that monster storm the other day."
You laughed nervously, "Yeah, that's odd. Not gonna lie, I can't wait to be back behind the counter again."
Liz exhaled sharply, but whether it was from amusem*nt or some other emotion was very difficult to determine. "If you bring steroid pigeon I will blend you up and make you into a latte."
You belted out a full laugh, holding a hand over your mouth to muffle your sudden outburst, "That's fair! Always nice to know you have my back, babes." Your worries seemed to melt away as Elizabeth laughed over the phone with you.
"Always here for ya," Liz sighed, "anyway, I'll let you get back to babysitting. Lemme know how it goes when you get home. Oh, and check your texts, you nerd."
"I'll try my best to check my nerd texts, loser."
"Talk to ya later."
"Bye-bye."
Hanging up the call, you stepped back over to a very pouty Emmet. He held his hands on his hips, his silly flared sleeves hanging by his wrists. "Safety check. No stabbing permitted from this point onward." You snickered at him, playfully shoving his shoulder. A spark of delight blossomed within you when Emmet smiled, returning your gentle shove.
Your final destination was a fairly decent cafe near to the train station. It was somewhat busy, but in all the times you'd visited Leeds you'd never known it to be anything but. Emmet held the door open for you as you both approached the storefront, causing you to dip your head in order to hide your reddening cheeks. Lingering near to the counter, you turned to Emmet.
"Go grab us a table, yeah? What do you want to drink?" You queried, reaching into your bag for your wallet. Emmet seemed stunned at the question.
"I am Emmet. I am perfectly fine without a drink." The man replied, shaking his head.
"Em, I'm not gonna go broke because I ordered you a coffee."
Emmet's brows raised slightly at the use of the new nickname, before he cast a glance to the menu hanging on the wall behind the cafe counter. With a sigh, he looked back down at you. "You are sure. I don't want to be a nuisance." He said softly, causing you to frown and reach up to pat his shoulder.
"You aren't a nuisance. I'm... really enjoying your company. C'mon, lemme treat you. I insist."
It seemed that was all Emmet needed to hear. He hesitantly told you his drink preference - simple black tea - before he held out his hand to take the shopping bag from your grasp. Ever the gentleman, it would seem. You handed the bag over to him, smiling as he departed to find a table.
You returned to him with your order number on a plastic stand, a signal for the waitstaff who would be bringing your drinks to you. Emmet had chosen a window table with two seats, and only when you finally sat down did you feel just how reminiscent of a date this trip had been. You sat in silence for a moment, unable to meet Emmet's gaze. He himself seemed occupied with some sort of thought, though you weren't sure you wanted to ask about it.
You couldn't deny that you were already fond of Emmet as a result of playing the Pokemon games, but now that you had met the actual guy himself you found your emotions growing stronger. It was like you already knew him fairly well, and in a sense you sort of did. Then the opposing thought entered your train of thought, derailing it completely. From Emmet's perspective, you were a complete stranger who had a bizarre knowledge of his world. You felt uneasy as you pondered what this meant for your relationship.
Relationship? No no, you can't be starting down that track. You couldn't become close to this man. You had to remember you were sitting here with a person who didn't belong in this world. You didn't know what effects his presence would have on this reality, let alone what could happen if people found out about his true origins and, heaven forbid, his magical pet bird from the Jurassic Period. The logical part of you was firm in the belief that Emmet needed to go home as soon as possible. The emotional part of you was hesitant to let him go.
"I... wanted to thank you," Emmet's voice snapped you from your thoughts, releasing you from their choking grasp, "We don't know eachother well. You help me regardless. I don't know what I'd have done if we hadn't met." His eyes seemed unfocused, staring blankly at the table. His hands sat clasped together on the table in front of him, tempting your old habits to prowl to the surface again. You clutched your jacket to keep your hands occupied.
"Hey, Em, it's no biggie. I've got your back, remember?" You leant forward, trying to meet his gaze but failing.
With a quiet sigh you reached into the clothing bag and pulled out the tie you had bought, bunching it up in your hands under the table to hide it from Emmet's view. His eyes lifted, watching you in vague curiosity. You shot a toothy grin at him.
"Close your eyes. I won't bite, promise." You said to him, watching with delight and nervousness as he hesitantly obeyed. You pulled the tie out from under the table, placing it around his neck and hastily tying it in place. It wasn't exactly a neatly done tie, but that wasn't the point. "You can open them now!"
Glancing down at the mysterious object you put on him, his eyes blew wide with surprise. He held the tie aloft as it hung from his neck, peering at it closely with a joyful open-mouthed smile. You chuckled at the sight, pleased your little surprise gift was appreciated. It was a simple dark blue tie with golden railway track highlights and the occasional motif of an old steam train dotting the fabric. Emmet looked close to either exploding on the spot or bursting into tears. Or both. He seemed so genuinely pleased with the little present.
Thankfully, your drink order arrived before Emmet could spontaneously combust. He beamed at the man who placed your drinks at the table, thanking him earnestly. You followed suit, though with a little less explosive enthusiasm. You hummed in delight at the smell of the vanilla latte you ordered, noticing Emmet doing the same with his tea. This new silence as you both enjoyed the warmth of your mugs and the contagious joy was far more comfortable. You didn't feel as though you had to say anything. You were perfectly content to simply sip your latte and glance at Emmet as he continously examined his new tie. There was something adorable about how easily pleased the man was.
On the way back to the station, your mind was filled with content and merry thoughts. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Emmet clutching his new Archen plush toy that he had retrieved from your bag and kissing its fuzzy head. You wished he'd do the same with you.
You mentally slapped yourself. No, no no. Banned. Not allowed. Emmet had a brother to get back to. A Battle Facility. An entire team of staff to resume working with. You couldn't tie him to your world so selfishly. And yet, as Emmet looked at you with a beaming smile and turned his plush to face you, his hand moving its little wing to wave in your direction, you couldn't help but feel your heart burst.
The train ride back to the village was fairly quiet. You weren't alone in the car this time, but you didn't mind. You informed Emmet that you wanted to stop by the Co-op food store in the village once you got home, to which he nodded in understanding. You considered the coffee shop, wondering if you ought to stop by and see just how bad the damage was. You brushed the thoughts aside, listening to the steady thrum of the train's movement and the giddy chatter from Emmet as he told you everything you could ever need to know about Archen.
Both sounds were equally soothing, though you knew which one you preferred.
Chapter 8: an unfamiliar station
Notes:
pls note that from here on out we will be getting into some angsty feels. next chapter especially. also shoutout to whoever mentioned emmet seeing jurassic park. u will get ur wish in the next part wink wonk
Chapter Text
It was just past one in the afternoon by the time you arrived back at the village. Emmet followed you happily as you led him down the road away from Gumthorpe Station towards the quaint little convenience store. You had your own mental shopping list - typical necessities like milk, bread, cereal and the like - but you now had more mouths to feed. Money was not an issue in this regard (you had the sense to keep a savings pot in your last job which came greatly in handy at your lesser paid barista job), but what you were concerned about was that Archeops wouldn't get the appropriate diet. Perhaps you were overthinking the differences between your worlds, but you didn't want the Pokemon to miss out on vital vitamins or anything of the sort!
Turning to Emmet as you grabbed a shallow trolley, you called out his name for him to come closer. "What do we need for Archeops? Does he need anything in particular?" You asked quietly, slightly paranoid about speaking up when there were nosy old people roaming the stores like great whites. Thankfully, they didn't seem to look your way.
"He likes fruits. I also give him beans for protein. Kidney beans are his favourite." Emmet informed you, voice lowered.
"Awesome, do you want to go grab him some stuff, then? I can buzz 'round and get the people food."
"Sounds like a plan. Onward I go!" Emmet turned gracefully on his heel, jacket flaring with the slight momentum, before strutting down the aisles to locate his target goods. You snickered to yourself at his quirky movements.
The gathering of goods and placing them in the trolley alongside Emmet was a strange dance of domesticity. Part of you wanted to get the grocery shop over and done with so you could stop pretending you were closer than you actually were with this guy. The strange bitter voice in your head seemed to be growing more and more vocal over the last few days, something you noticed very quickly. The only thing you could think to do about it was shake your head, clear your throat, and move swiftly onward. It wasn't a very effective strategy.
Stopping at the register, you neatly placed the scanned items into the remaining carrier bags you had stuffed away in your shoulderbag. Emmet insisted on helping but was distracted by the middle-aged cashier who smiled at him from her seat.
"I love your coat. Are you a train driver?" She asked politely.
Without hesitation, Emmet stood straight and smiled, "Not quite. I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss."
You looked up at Emmet in alarm, but much to your relief, the cashier simply smiled again and finished up scanning your items. "That's lovely, dear."
After paying and squabbling with Emmet over who gets to carry the majority of the bags home, you found yourself with only the single carrier bag of clothes from the city and a very smug Subway Boss carrying three heavy grocery bags as if they were trophies. Pausing on the main road, you looked to the man beside you.
"I wanna stop by the coffee shop real quick." You informed him.
"You are not working today." He replied simply.
You huffed, ignoring his remark. "Apparently the store was the only one damaged in that storm. I wanna check it out."
"You are verrrry nosy. Let us depart to investigate!"
The two of you crossed a couple small roads and waved to village folk as they passed you, with the occasional greeting given to you in particular due to your familiar face as one of the village baristas. Usually you didn't mind being stopped and spoken to by the elderly residents, but right now all you wanted was to see how your beloved little coffee shop was doing. Politely waving people goodbye with apologetic smiles, you hurried to the store.
You couldn't help but gasp at the sight. Liz was right: it was like the storm personally chose to unleash fury upon the little cafe. Your boss seemed to have gotten straight to work, however, hiring builders to start repairs. The windows were boarded up - presumably waiting for new glass to arrive - and the wooden doorway seemed freshly painted. The windowsill flowerbeds were knocked over, and as you approached them with curiosity, it appeared nobody had begun fixing them up just yet. You heard your name spoken from behind you, causing you to turn and see Emmet staring interestingly at one of the flowerbeds.
Following his line of sight, you saw a glimmer in one of the fallen windowsill pots. Placing your bag of shopping delicately beside you, you knealt down to brush away the stray dirt and flowers to reveal a curious little stone. It was transclucent and glistening in shades of blue and purple, refracting light around it subtly like a prism in a strangely mesmerising manner. As you reached towards it, you couldn't help but notice a beautiful red glow eminating from the center of the gem that grew brighter and brighter as your fingers came closer. You didn't register Emmet yelling your name in alarm in time, the gem bursting into a flash of light that felt like it seared your skin. You fell backwards in fright, yelping as you felt two arms wrap around you to prevent you from hitting the ground.
"That was verrry stupid." Emmet scolded you, his voice reverberating through you as your head landed back against his chest. You didn't reply, your hands darting to your face to rub at your eyes. The flashing light stunned you for a few moments, your body instinctively blinking furiously to clear the blurry vision you found yourself dealing with. Your body began to rise on its own - before you could panic, you realised Emmet was lifting you back onto your feet.
"Power Gem. Verrrry powerful move. Looks like it didn't fully work. The light in that Gem was not released yet." Emmet informed you, flicking a piece of stray dirt from your shoulder as you tried to regain your vision. He waited patiently for your eyes to refocus on your surroundings, watching you with a vague sense of concern evident in his gaze.
"Wh... what? Someone used a move on the coffee shop...?" You mumbled as you rubbed your eyes a final time, huffing in frustration as you rubbed your face in hopes it would stop your skin from feeling so bizarrely hot.
"Your Xurkitree, before it was caught, perhaps?" Emmet offered, noticing how you flinched at the mention of your Pokemon, "Don't worry. There's nobody on the street. They won't hear us."
You cast a nervous glance around you as best you could with your sore eyes, sighing when you felt a little more reassured. You quickly frowned as you pondered Emmet's original suggestion.
"Xurkitree doesn't learn Rock-type moves. In the games, I mean. I don't think so anyway. It could be different in reality..." You rambled, reaching to grab your bag of shopping from the ground, "C'mon, lets get this home. I can then have a look at my Pokedex and see if it tells us anything."
Emmet seemed satisfied with your answer, retrieving his own three bags before offering to carry yours.
"I just blew myself up dude, lemme regain my dignity by carrying this one bag home." You jokingly huffed at him, leading the way once again.
Putting the shopping away was far easier with two sets of hands. Archeops was let out to help, but in his eyes, 'help' meant 'steal the bunch of bananas and make a break for it'. You could hear Emmet chasing after the mischievous bird Pokemon through the living room as you finished unpacking the bags. He returned swiftly with the bananas - though, with a noticable chunk missing off of the bunch. Archeops leapt onto Emmet's back to perch on his shoulder, banana in his claws as he bent down to nibble the fruit from under his feet.
"You are making my shirt dirty." Emmet grumbled, watching as the feathery fiend crushed the fruit into his shoulder and left bits falling out of its grasp.
"I'll wash it, you big baby. Let him devour his prey," You laughed, reaching over to boop the bird's snout, "Now then, Pokedex- oh." Upon pulling out your phone, you saw more texts from Liz.
"You promised to call the angry lady," Emmet commented, "The Pokedex can wait. I do not wish to be stabbed by your friend. This is an acceptable detour."
A snort escaped you as you unlocked the phone screen, sending an outgoing call to Elisabeth.
An excitable 'hello' from Liz brought a wide grin to your face.
"Told you I'd talk to ya later." You said smugly into the phone, your free hand perching on your hip.
"The prophecy came true after all!" Elisabeth beamed before hesitating, "Is... whats-his-face there?"
"Mh-hm. Say hi, Emmet." You held your phone to Emmet's face as he called out a polite 'hello' before bringing the phone back to your ear.
Elisabeth seemed to hesitate again, "Could... we meet up today maybe? Without... Emmet?"
You glanced at Emmet, pausing for a moment, "Uhm, yeah. Sure! You free now?"
"Sure am, sis. You wanna come down to my place?"
"Sounds good to me. Get the kettle on wouldja? I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Be safe! See ya soon!"
Hanging up the phone, you let out a long drawn-out sigh. Emmet peered over at you, brow raised. You shot him a forced smile.
"I'm gonna go see Liz. Are you okay to hang back here for a bit?"
The way Emmet seemed to flinch had your heart breaking slightly.
"You'll come back." He seemed to ask for confirmation, voice quiet.
"Ye- of course. I'm not leaving you. I'll be back before you know it." You assured him, noticing how the man's smile twitched and began to falter.
"Okay." He said simply after a few moments of what looked to be panicked thought, his hand idly reaching up to ruffle Archeops' feathers as the great bird finished its little stolen snack.
You sighed, gently touching Emmet's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze, "I'm not gonna disappear, Em. I'll take Xurkitree with me, if it makes you feel better."
He seemed to calm down a little at that, nodding wordlessly as you reluctantly moved past him. As you made your way to the front door, you heard Emmet softly call out to you, "Follow the rules. Safe driving."
Elisabeth had hugged you tightly when you arrived at her little house. She shared the two-bedroom cottage with her older brother, who was currently studying at University. Liz seemed to be taking advantage of the solitude, using the freed up space to embrace her hobbies. An easel stood in her living room surrounded by collections of high-quality acrylic paints and expensive brush sets, a work in progress that looked to have been abandoned for some time. Guilt clawed at your stomach as you wondered if it was your fault for stressing Liz out to such a degree that her art was being impacted.
Sitting at her sofa, a mug of warm mint herbal tea in hand, you watched nervously as Liz sat near you with a strangely blank expression. You'd known the woman for some few years now and all your previous experience told you that she had entered Mother Mode. Your fears were confirmed when she softly said your name.
"I'm... worried. About you, I mean," She started, her hands fidgeting in her lap, "Last week I spilt coffee on my new work shirt and I thought it was the end of the world. Now... now I worry about monsters from different worlds coming into your house and eating you. It's scary."
Your shoulders fell as you listened, your eyes falling to the floor as you avoided Liz's concerned gaze.
"And this... Emmet guy? You've known him for less than a week and you already go on trips out with him. That's sus as hell, surely you see that!"
"It's different, Liz, I know him-" You started, but your mouth shut instantly when you saw Elisabeth's eyes grow wide.
"Know him? You've just met him!" She whined, leaning closer to you as she reached out for you to hold her hands. You hesitated, placing your cup of tea on the coffee table before allowing Liz to clutch your hands tightly. "I know he's from the games you like or something, but that doesn't mean you know him properly! How do we know those games even show him correctly? And don't get me started on that... creature he has. What if he goes rogue on you? You'd be torn apart!"
Your heart hurt at Liz's voice, the way it wavered and broke tearing at your heartstrings like Archeops' claws. You sighed, "My Pokemon could easily beat his, don't worry about that. He can't hurt me. He wouldn't hurt me-" You paused as you realised what you'd let slip. Elisabeth looked ready to faint.
"Youhaveapokemon." She whispered in a frantic panic, face paling.
"Uhm, yeah," You replied nervously, before quickly trying to quell the new fears that were certain to be flooding into Liz's mind, "B-but its okay! It's not gonna hurt me. Its just lost like Emmet is. They both want to go home. That's all."
"Do you... have it on you...?" Liz asked, voice still hushed as she ignored your reassurances.
With a hesitant pause, you reached into your bag and pulled out the little Ultra Ball, holding it in front of you for the utterly horrified Liz to see. As you put the ball away, you heard a sniffle. Elisabeth was crying.
"Liz, Liz! Hey, it's okay!" You reached forward to hold your friend's shoulders, but she flinched.
"I don't know whats happening anymore! One minute I'm making some... some old lady a hot chocolate and the next minute my best friend is wielding a monster with a creepy stranger and our workplace is destroyed and... I'm scared! I'm so scared!" She sobbed, falling into your embrace with a defeated whine. You could only hold her close, rubbing her arm and hushing her gently.
"Liz... I'm scared too. I just... I need you to trust me. I need you by my side. We're co-workers, remember? I know I get into dumb sh*t sometimes but this is way bigger than you or me. You're smart and rational. I'm not. I need you here. I need you," You assured her, forehead resting against her shoulder, "Besides, think how cool this will look on your resume." You felt her laugh in between choked sobs, a promising sign.
You withdrew from the hug after a few more moments, giving Liz time to process her emotions before you met her eyes, "We're gonna go into work on Monday, make a sh*t ton of drinks, maybe spill something on your new work shirt again, and then complain on Twitter about how tired we are. Just like every other Monday. Nothing's gonna change, okay? We're in the middle of Yorkshire for Christ's sake, nothing happens out here." You chuckled, relief seeping into your system as Liz smiled feebly.
"I get to beat Emmet up if he does anything wrong." She then demanded, causing you to snort with shocked amusem*nt.
"Yes, you'll be first in line to beat him to death." You replied, unable to hold back the choked laughter creeping up from your chest.
"I'll pour coffee on his shirt, too." Liz added, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
"Well of course, that's to be expected."
Elisabeth sniffled once more, blinking away the stray tears in her eyes before smiling meekly at you, "Thanks for coming by. I'm just... overwhelmed, I guess."
You reached out to hug her again, squeezing her tightly and hoping desperately that you did the right thing by bringing the other woman into this nightmare.
Chapter 9: fare evader
Notes:
thank u for all the comments omg
im big nervous dumbass so sorry i havent replied, pls know i read them all tho
btw datadex is a real app and i love it so much. its so useful i just had to include it in the story lmao its like the real world equivalent of the ultimate pokedex
Chapter Text
Emmet tapped his foot against the hardwood floor, his knee bouncing up and down as he sat on the living room sofa. You'd been gone for only an hour at that point, but time began to feel like you'd been swallowed by a black hole. Time was normal for you - stable, constant - but on the outside, time sped forward by hours every minute. Black holes... time... space... Emmet's mind began to race. The once majestic imagery of the wonders of the Beyond became monsters that haunted his waking thoughts. The flash of light that brought him to this bizarre world replayed in his head over and over, the blinding white fading into Xurkitree's glowing spiked head. Emmet began to hyperventilate.
"Arkkkkeee." Archeops grumbled, gently nibbling at Emmet's fingers as they rose to tug at his hair. The bird only got more and more stubborn as Emmet seemed to fade into his terror, teeth digging ever so slightly into the man's flesh as Archeops grew desperate. Letting out a panicked muffled screech, Archeops flared his wings in front of Emmet's face, tail swishing with feathers erected like a colourful fan. The sudden rainbow forcing itself into Emmet's vision seemed to snap him out of his panic attack, his eyes wide as he stared around the room in a panic. Archeops paused, watching his Trainer carefully, before gently releasing the hand from his jaws. A guilty caw escaped his throat as Emmet held up his hand and observed the faint dot of crimson growing on one of his fingers, the Pokemon jumping up to clean away the blood as his bird-y way of saying sorry. The sight was enough to bring a feeble smile to Emmet's face, his other hand weakly petting Archeops' face.
Trying to ground himself, Emmet stood up and slowly walked to one of the windows that hadn't been shattered by a demon made of wires, his gaze settling on the scenery that so calmly sat upon the horizon. Some sort of avian creature, akin to a Pidove but with far stranger proportions, strutted along the path outside the house, pecking at the ground whilst some other unusual creatures - black and white, unfamiliar in size and shape but clearly birds of some sort - tried fruitlessly to chase the far larger Pidove-creature away. Usually the sight of Pokemon- ahem, creatures interacting in such silly ways would have him bringing out his Porygon Phone to snap a pic and share with Ingo. Now? Now he just felt alien. This world was so familiar and yet everything was bizarre and confusing. His brother wasn't here to tease or support him and the rest of his Pokemon were no longer by his side ready to cause trouble.
Emmet sunk to his knees, fighting back the lump in his throat as he squeezed his eyes shut to conceal the alien world outside from view. He mentally begged you to come home, pleading for someone to just sit there and exist with him. Emmet was not used to this suffocating isolation and he certainly wasn't used to having no idea what destination to head to. These tracks were not his own and he was terrified of what that meant. His mind fell to the image of his beloved brother trapped behind a screen of glass in some make-believe world... did he miss Emmet? Did Ingo want to go home as dearly as Emmet did? Did Ingo even exist anymore? Did Emmet exist anymore?
The sudden warmth of Archeop's tongue against Emmet's face brought him back again, this time for long enough that the man realised he had been crying. His eyes were puffy and his throat hurt. His Pokemon diligently tried to help dry his face, drawing a halfhearted laugh from Emmet as he reached forward to hug his archaic bird companion. His nose nestled in the feathers of the creature's back, tears falling onto the oily integument and then rolling off onto the floor. Archeops didn't seem to care, instead seeming content to sit and snuggle against his trainer's chest for as long as he needed.
You'd been gone for over two hours. There was an unspoken obligation to make sure Liz was feeling okay before you left, one that led the two of you to simply spent the early afternoon gossiping about work, the village, the stray cats you spotted, Liz's brother and his progress at uni... by the time you left her home it felt like you'd been there all day. By comparison, the brisk walk home felt like instantaneous travel. Funny how the perception of time worked like that.
When you unlocked your door and swung it open, Emmet's name left your lips in a sing-song tone. No answer followed.
"Emmet?" You called out again, closing the door behind you and stepping into the living room. Your heart shattered into dust as your eyes fell upon the sunken form of Emmet, quietly nestled against the wall with Archeops pressed against him. You dashed over, dropping your bag on the floor as you practically slid over to the man.
His face slowly rose from the feathery pillow of Archeops' back, his eyes squinting to adjust to the light. He'd clearly fallen asleep, not hearing you come in. That didn't explain why he was on the floor, you worriedly thought, or why his eyes were red and glistening. When he finally registered your presence it was like he'd seen a Legendary Pokemon - eyes wide, disbelieving almost. Archeops trilled in delight as you relieved him of his comforting duties, leaping off his Trainer and stepping aside.
"You came back." Emmet muttered, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I told you I would," You reached up to gingerly touch his hair, ruffling it up like you would with Archeops, "what happened? Are you okay?"
Emmet shrugged, casting a glance at the floor as he idly fidgeted with the fabric of his trousers. He was shaking somewhat, face twitching as whatever was going through his head threatened to make a return. An idea jumped into your head.
"Wanna watch a movie?"
Emmet had been hesitant at first, but when you excitedly listed all the different films you could show him he very quickly warmed up to the idea. Archeops was buzzing with excitement, and the sight of the feathery reptile gave you the perfect movie idea.
"Jurassic... Park?" Emmet read aloud the text on the DVD case you held, glancing at the smirk on your face with a certain level of suspicion.
"Yep. This is probably one of the best films in this world. I think you'll like it." You knelt down to dust off your disc player, cracking the DVD case open and placing the disc into the device. The machine whirred to life, the television screen flickering as the new signal was loaded up.
You plopped yourself onto the couch, nestling into the mountain of blankets you had retrieved for this special occasion, and patted the seat next to you. Emmet dropped onto the seat with as little grace as you did, causing you to bounce slightly on the springy cushion. The knowing grin on his face was all you needed to know he did that deliberately.
Clapping your hands at Archeops, you beckoned the Pokemon to come over, "Come on, big guy! Big dude, little guy!"
Archeops excitedly scurried over with a quack and leapt onto you and Emmet, stretching his body out to use you both as a personal bird-bed. You couldn't help but laugh at the beast, tickling his chin as you reached for the DVD player remote with your other hand.
You turned to Emmet with a devilish grin, "If you get scared, feel free to squeeze my hand!"
The way he looked at you, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, had you wondering if your light teasing had been a bit much. You began to inwardly stress over it, before the sudden feeling of a hand clasping your own startled you, making you yelp. Emmet broke out into a barking laugh, only stopping so he could grin at you. The damn asshole did it on purpose to scare you. You narrowed your eyes at him, a silent promise that retribution would come. He simply glared back, face contorting into a forced scowl before his typical smile came bursting back. His hand let go of yours, sparking a slight bit of disappointment within you that in itself was disappointing to feel.
Once the film started, Emmet was fairly engrossed near instantly. The strong start of someone being attacked by an unknown creature gripped his attention, occasionally looking to you with an expression that could only be described as 'did you SEE that?!'.
It was only once the fossil dig scene began to play out that Emmet began to catch onto why you chose this of all films. The raptor skeleton on screen even caught the eye of Archeops, who bawked in surprise at the eerily familiar body shape.
The reveal of the titular Jurassic Park, the dramatic entrance of the first dinosaur, the magnificent score accompanying the scenes - all of them seemed to fill Emmet with a giddy excitement. You watched him eagerly, waiting for the Mr DNA speech to begin so you could see the Subway Boss's reaction.
He gasped as the character described near exactly how his own Archeops was born into the world, his hand tapping your shoulder as his other hand pointed at the screen. You couldn't help but laugh, fully satisfied with the energetic response.
The rest of the movie was just as good as you remembered it being. Archeops had gotten up at some point and begun mimicking the various dinosaurs in the movie, nearly setting off an Earthquake in his dedication to fulfilling the roles he played before Emmet leapt up in alarm to stop him.
Before you knew it, the credits were rolling - the iconic theme music filling the room and signalling to you that it was time to get up. You cast a quick glance to Emmet, smiling when you noticed his eyes were no longer red and his gentle grin had returned. Flicking the power button on your DVD player remote, you turned in your blanket nest to face your companion.
"Soooo... what didya think?" You asked, a playful lilt in your words.
"That was the best. Perfect! Yep! That was so much fun!" Emmet beamed, hands flapping in front of his chest as you chuckled.
"There's four more movies after that one, y'know. So if you ever want to... no, no! We are not watching them all now," You quickly declared, spotting the excited glimmer in Emmet's eyes, "besides, I'm hungry and I would assume you are too. If you behave we can watch the second movie afterwards."
"What are we waiting for, then? Follow the schedules, depart for the kitchen!" Emmet announced, grasping your hands and yanking you up off the couch and chuckling as you yelped in surprise. The blankets surrounding you fell to the ground, immediately being targeted by the roaming Archeops as he sank himself into the soft puddle of fabric. By Arceus, the chaos of this man would be the death of you someday.
Dragged into the kitchen against your will, you laughed merrily when you were finally released. The thought of dinner hadn't really crossed your mind all day, though now the seed had been planted it felt as if you hadn't known a meal in a hundred years. Emmet leaned over the kitchen counter, elbows planted on the stone work surface, watching you with an indescribable expression plastered across his face.
"What are we thinkin', dude?" You asked, opening the fridge and investigating the contents like a foraging squirrel, "We could have a stir fry. Archeops could eat it too if we make him a portion without the sauce."
"Sounds perfect." Emmet answered, settling the question of What The f*ck Do We Have For Dinner instantly. With a satisfied hum you got to work, retrieving various vegetables and pre-prepared tofu portions whilst Emmet watched with some level of interest. In the corner of your eye you spotted a hand snaking towards some of your freshly sliced bell peppers, prompting you to tut at the owner of said hand in mock disappointment. Emmet pouted before he snapped his arm back - pepper in tow - and plopped the sliced fruit into his mouth with a smug grin. Rolling your eyes despite your amused smile, you got back to work. Emmet continued to observe you, cheerfully chewing his stolen goods.
As you retrieved a package of pre-made egg noodles from your cabinets, you heard Emmet sigh from behind the work surface. You glanced up at him, concern evident on your features.
"Ingo would like you." The man said plainly, eyes avoiding your gaze.
"Yeah? You've said that before..." you quietly replied, slowing your food preparation as you pondered your next words, "what... what is he like? Ingo?"
To your relief, Emmet seemed delighted that you had asked. As you began cooking, he cheerfully recounted tales of times where his brother had played pranks on him, engaged in thrilling battles, said something embarrassing whilst in a public train... the love he held for Ingo was beyond clear. The affection was almost viral - you found yourself growing fond of Ingo, too. The way Emmet beamed when he spoke of his brother seeped deep into your soul, the feeling warming you from the inside out. More and more you felt determined and hopeful that you would help them reunite... assuming you could help them.
You brushed that nagging thought straight out the figurative window and began to plate up your stir-fry. A smaller pan containing a sauce-less portion was placed in a bowl and offered to a very excited Archeops who barely waited for the bowl to be placed on the floor before he began scarfing it down. Setting the empty pans into the sink for cleaning later, you looked to Emmet and held two plates aloft.
"Dining table or sofa?" You asked, already knowing the answer.
"I am Emmet. I want to see the dinosaurs."
Watching The Lost World: Jurassic Park, stir fry in hand and Emmet beside you, the lurking sense of domestic peace came crawling back to you. The Subway Boss praised your cooking skills with a plethora of happy comments, cleaning his plate and setting it aside on the floor so he wouldn't miss a single bit of CGI reptilian action. He was incredibly endearing, you thought, what with the way he felt things so passionately and unapologetically. The fact that he could march forward so merrily when he had his own grief, his own sorrows and worries looming overhead was beyond inspirational. The way he bounced back after falling into a spiralling gloom was just awe-inspiring.
The nagging negativity in the back of your mind came crawling back into the forefront of your consciousness. You started to feel a little guilty that Emmet was being so open and candid with you, seemingly hiding nothing when asked. You, on the other hand, weren't so straight with him. He didn't even know where the clothes he had borrowed were from, and even still you didn't want to tell him. Your intrusive thoughts told you that this could only mean two things: Emmet was actually hiding things from you too, or that you were being a sly and untruthful bastard. Both concepts stung like something shot those blasted Power Gems through your heart.
Power Gem... sh*t. Whilst you were very grateful that something else was more mentally demanding than your selfhating inner dialogue, the dread of finding out what had attacked your humble place of work was just as crushing, if not more so.
Glancing at Emmet, you saw him totally engrossed in the action on-screen, grinning widely as a Tyrannosaurus rampaged through a city street. Pulling out your phone and opening the Datadex app, you quietly tapped on the Move Dex function and typed 'power gem' into the search bar. The move in question came up as a singular result. Clicking the result, you hovered over the bottom line of text that read 'POKÉMON THAT LEARN THIS MOVE'. You hesitated. Did you really want to know? Your anxiety clawed at your fingers and prevented you from hitting the link, but the fear of something else lurking in your lovely little village was equally potent in affecting your movement. With a sharp exhale, you pressed the link and watched as a list of Pokémon rose up on the screen.
Many of the Pokémon on the list were Rock-type, as was expected, and many more seemed to have gemstone-like fixtures as part of their bodies which made the move make sense, visually at least. You scrolled down the list, brows raising when it ended rather abruptly. It would seem that the move was not particularly common - that would help narrow things down immensely. Still, despite this somewhat relieving revelation, your heart skipped a beat when you spotted two familiar names at the very end of the list: Nihilego and Necrozma. Both were very powerful and both were very dangerous. You hoped that one of the smaller, meeker Pokémon on the list was responsible for the storefront damage, but your mind drifted to Xurkitree. Did Ultra Beasts attract other Ultra Beasts? You sincerely hoped the f*ck not.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Came Emmet's sudden howl of enjoyment, scaring you half to death as you looked over at him with a startled glare. Oh. The film was over. You'd barely taken in what happened, your mind so engrossed with your brief research that you hadn't quite paid attention. Emmet noticed very quickly that you weren't responding as he expected you would. "You look pale. Are you unwell again."
"Huh? No, no I'm alright!" You began, before sighing and wiping a hand down your face in exasperation, "Okay, no. I figured something out. Not sure I'm really liking what I've learnt."
"Do tell." Emmet flicked off the television without hesitation, flinging the remote onto the seat next to him and focusing on you with his full attention. The sudden change of his focus was a little jarring, but you pressed on.
"I was looking at what Pokémon can learn Power Gem and I'll be honest, I'm worried. There's two Pokémon on this list that are incredibly dangerous and if Xurkitree's appearance in this world is anything to figure out a trend from, then it looks like we are in big trouble." You turned your phone screen to Emmet, showing him the end of the list. He frowned, recognising the creatures you had taught him about on the train journey to Leeds.
"That's not good."
Scoffing, you pulled your phone back into your own view. "No kidding."
Reaching into his pocket, Emmet produced the second and now sole usable Ultra Ball, grinning at you with a devious glint in his eye.
"Well then, we better be ready." He chuckled, winking at you.
Staring incredulously at the man, you began to find it rather amazing how simultaneously reassuring and deeply worrying he could be sometimes.
Chapter 10: new schedule
Notes:
ok i give in, you get a bit of steamy cringe in ur train fic
still undecided on outright smut but be aware the tracks can change uwu
will update tags as i go along
Chapter Text
Monday morning approached like an upcoming station, visible and expected but still requiring some degree of preparation. The Sunday afternoon before the inevitable worklife began was spent in the company of Elisabeth and Emmet, who Liz had reluctantly allowed to join you after you mentioned his apparent isolation anxiety. Sitting in her living room with Emmet seated next to you (keeping him away from the ferocious Liz on the other end of the sofa, you thought in amusem*nt), the three of you held warm mugs in your hand and engaged in simple conversation. You felt it was important to keep Liz in the loop from now on, slowly introducing her to some of the things you and Emmet had learnt whilst keeping certain things concealed for now. Whilst you mentioned you had a Pokemon, you still didn't dare tell her what kind it was. She seemed to know you were being coy about the subject, but she was either too afraid to know the truth or just respecting your privacy. You had a feeling it was the former.
Liz scrolled through her phone, holding up various images of animals on the screen before leaning across the sofa and showing them to Emmet. This had been the hot new activity for the last ten minutes, with Elisabeth seemingly finding some sort of amusem*nt in the strange man's reactions and comments.
"That is a verrrry naked Rapidash." Emmet commented, staring at the image of a sleek racehorse on Liz's screen. The woman threw a greatly entertained glance your way before tapping in a new specimen for Emmet to analyse. You didn't get to see what animal was chosen this time, the phone being quickly shoved in Emmet's view again before you could take a look.
Emmet stared blankly, blinking before looking at Liz with a bewildered stare.
"Dude, it's a mouse! Do you not have mice in your world?" Elisabeth cried out in mock-horror.
"Oh. Like Pikachu?" Emmet asked innocently, head co*cking to the side, "This doesn't look like the Mouse Pokemon."
Elisabeth giggled as she pulled her phone back to her lap, looking at you with a pleased smile. You couldn't help but feel relieved she was feeling more comfortable with the situation, as chaotic and bizarre as it was.
"Man, it's hard to imagine a mouse being able to, like, electrocute you. What if you wake up late one day and miss breakfast? It could just come up and zap you!" Liz mused, drawing a chuckle out of you and Emmet.
"Makes me glad Archeops-" You began, cut off by Elisabeth's stern stare.
"Steroid Pigeon." She corrected you, fighting back her own laughter as she said the bird's true title aloud.
"Ah, my bad. Steroid Pigeon. Makes me glad all he does it sit on me and make chicken noises when he's hungry."
The conversation continued in this light manner, the atmosphere joyful and calm as you finally felt able to speak freely without concealing Emmet's origins or important revelations in your short time together. When Liz hesitated, however, you felt your nerves begin to fester.
"So... which one attacked the shop?" She finally asked, fingers tapping against the handle of her coffee mug nervously.
You glanced to Emmet, his reassuring smile giving you the push you needed. "We... don't know. It definitely wasn't ours, though. But... my current guesses... they aren't great, Liz."
It seemed Elisabeth expected this answer, though that did nothing to settle the worry that was printed across her features. She paused again, her mouth opening and closing as if trying to speak.
"Liz?" You tentatively prodded, hoping the warm smile on your face would calm whatever fears she held.
Letting out a sigh and adjusting herself on the sofa to get a little more comfortable, Elisabeth finally spoke. "Do you... think it's looking for, uhm...?" She nodded her head in Emmet's direction, who was glancing between the two of you as if oblivious. He was very quick to learn how to keep Liz calm, much to your relief. He knew not to say much around her.
You rubbed the back of your head with a nervous laugh, shrugging and taking a sip from your mug as if it would help your brain process the idea. Liz continued, her face contorted into an expression of deep thought.
"Maybe it wants your Pokemon? Didn't you say yours was trying to grab Steroid Pigeon when it broke your window?" You blinked at Liz, your alert expression egging the woman's thoughts to continue, "If your Pokemon is more powerful than his, maybe the mystery one will be more attracted to it. You could use it as bait."
The pause that followed was so silent you could have heard a feather hit the floor. You put your mug on the nearby coffee table and gripped Elisabeth's shoulder. "Liz. Babes. You're a genius." You praised, a smile bursting out onto your lips when Liz blushed sheepishly, playfully swatting you away.
You turned to Emmet, grinning at him widely, "Em. The clearing in the woods. We could train with Xurk and see if its power draws out the wild Pokemon."
"Xurk?" Liz piped up, "That's what you called it? What even is it?"
Emmet smirked at you, seemingly entertained by your startled expression.
"I... don't think you're ready for that nugget of knowledge just yet." You shyly told your co-worker, grimacing when Liz stared at you with a painfully blank expression.
"I'll take your word for it." She finally replied, drawing an awkward breathy laugh from your throat.
The walk home in the evening was quiet. Winter seemed reluctant to withdraw its hold on the land, the sky darkening before teatime and the air turning bitterly cool. You shivered as the cold breeze sliced past your cheeks. Rather stupidly, in your own opinion, you had opted to leave your jacket at home. It was just a quick stop by Elisabeth's house, you had thought. You didn't need a coat for that, you had thought. You're stupid, you were now thinking.
The sound of Emmet clearing his throat beside you had you stopping in your tracks, looking up at him sheepishly as if you'd been caught with something you weren't supposed to have. The bastard had asked if you wanted a coat before you left and you brushed it aside in your haste to see your friend. The raised brow and slight smirk on his face was evidence enough that he was holding back the urge to say 'told you'.
"Safety check. You are cold." He observed, sighing as he shrugged off his white coat and held it open for you, grinning at the open-mouthed expression of shock on your face.
"Em, you don't have to-" You tried to resist, but as the icy wind picked up again seemingly just to target you, a defeated sigh escaped your pouting lips. Holding your arms out, you allowed Emmet to place his comically large coat on you, humming as he pulled the garment over your shoulders and adjusted the collar to shield your neck. You were thankful the high-collar jacket was concealing your cheeks as they began to furiously blush pink.
"There. Better?" The smug bastard asked, visibly pleased when you nodded and silently fiddled with the flared sleeves as they covered your hands. As you began walking again, you cast a sly glance to Emmet, your blush burning brighter when you noted the shirt and tie he was wearing - the silly train tie you had bought him sat neatly over one of the new button-up shirts from the city, the fabric of the shirt tight around his chest and biceps. Looking away in embarassment at yourself, you took in a deep breath hoping to steady the way your heart began to flutter. As it turned out, this was an equally distracting action - the scent of Emmet enveloped you, the mix of his natural musk and cheap cologne filling your senses. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, you thought, as you trembled beneath the heavy coat. You were beginning to feel unsure if the warmth you felt was because of the jacket or something else entirely.
Mercifully, the rest of the way home wasn't too far. Emmet took it upon himself to unlock the door for you - seeing as your hands were basically hidden by his jacket sleeves - before stepping aside to allow you to enter first. You did so with haste, a full body shiver jolting through you as you embraced the warmth of the home and removed the conductor's coat from your body. You chastised yourself internally at your frankly rather immature teen-girl-crushing behaviour, frustrated that your hormones were begining to take charge over you. You briefly considered whether it was That Time of the Month approaching before deciding that yes, this was because of that and not because of the handsome man brushing past you to greet his overgrown chicken that was waiting patiently in the living room. Biting your lip, you removed your shoes and scurried into the hallway and making a beeline for your room. Grabbing clean clothes and a towel from your cupboard, you peered out of your door and called out to Emmet.
"I'm gonna have a quick shower, still feelin' cold!"
"Okie dokie. Have fun." Emmet called back, his voice strained as he wrestled with Archeops over the television remote.
When you finally stepped into the warm shower, you couldn't help but sigh in relief. Still, you reached for the temperature gauge and opted for cooler water, feeling the burning in your cheeks and stomach lingering uncomfortably. The cascading colder water poured across your body as you closed your eyes and tilted your head back, the blush on your cheeks fighting against the nip of the chilled flow. Experimentally - and against your better judgement - your hands gingerely traced the swell of your chest, a stifled gasp nearly escaping your lips at the surprising sensitivity. Nibbling your lip and hesitating, you slowly slid your other hand down your belly and to the warmth between your legs. Okay, you were down bad. That much was obvious as your breathing began to speed up.
When was the last time you were touched? Shown genuine physical affection? Kissed along your jaw and neck? Held close at night with another's breath in your ear? Were you really so touch-starved that simply inhaling the scent of an attractive man was unravelling you this easily? You let out a small whine as you forced your hands away from yourself, reaching for the soap and cleansing yourself.
The shower did little to calm you. Emerging from the bathroom with wet hair and wearing comfy lounging clothes, you plodded somewhat sourly to your bedroom to find your hairbrush with a slight scowl on your face and a heavy weight deep in the pit of your stomach. You had only managed to sit at your little desk, brush in hand and gaze set firmly on the mirror in front of you, for a few minutes before a soft knocking at your door stole away your attention. Steadying your breath but remaining seated, you called out behind you.
"You're fine Em, come in."
Emmet creeped into the room uncharacteristically shyly, his eyes glancing at the floor and walls as if they were the most interesting thing in the room. You frowned at him, placing the hairbrush on your desk and spinning around in your chair to look at the nervous man.
"I... hope I didn't make you uncomfortable." He said softly, prompting you to tilt your head at him. Did he realise the effect he'd had on you? Oh dear God. He must have seen the way your eyes widened in alarm because he quickly let out a feeble laugh, hand scratching at his cheek.
"Sorry. Ingo is usually the one to do the talking. I am Emmet. I prefer battling." Emmet explained, though that did very little to comfort or inform you.
"Don't apologise dude, you're alright!" You assured him, smiling softly. He seemed to relax a little at that, though he still fidgeted - his hand moved to his sideburns, smoothing down the hair with his knuckle. You fought back the image of your hand replacing his with a sharp inhale.
"You were cold outside. I couldn't let you shiver when I had a perfectly good coat. I... didn't consider your boundaries." Emmet continued, leaving you staring at the man with a dumbfounded expression. That's what he was nervous about? Okay, sure, it was better than him realising you were having a bit of a bitch-in-heat moment but still. That?
"Good Lord, Emmet," you exhaled, momentarily massaging the bridge of your nose before looking back at the man, "That was fine, I promise. Caught me off guard, sure, but I appreciated the thought."
Emmet let out a loud sigh of relief, his smile returning to his face, "I am glad it was alright. The way you immediately made for the shower worried me. I thought my jacket smelled terrible or something."
You couldn't help the snort that escaped you, your hand clasping over your mouth at the idea of Emmet being so concerned over whether you found him stinky. At the very least, the heat in your stomach was very much gone now, the flame violently extinguished by the sheer whiplash of the moment that had unfolded. Not exactly how you wanted that issue to be solved but at least it was over with.
"Don't worry you dork, you don't smell bad." You laughed, your breath hitching at the way he raised a brow and leaned towards you.
"So I smell nice." Emmet commented, grinning as you rolled your eyes.
"This is a weird conversation." You replied, blushing again.
"That is not a denial."
"It's not a confirmation, either."
Emmet stared at you, his eyes narrowing before he let out a soft chuckle. You couldn't help but sigh in relief when he pulled away and approached the door, waving at you as he left. Sinking your head onto your desk with a low thud, you quietly and simply muttered "bruh" under your breath.
The evening soared past after that. Playing with Archeops, musing over Elisabeth's ideas with Emmet, making and enjoying the evening meal, household cleaning and preparation for work the next morning... there was a peaceful bliss about how easily things played out. The new routine was so quickly embraced by you, something that worried you and pleased you in a paradoxical clash of emotions. Adapting this fast was something that didn't always work in the long run. Creatures died out in eons long since passed because of this trait - if something changed now, you would be left in the dust. New environmental pressures could present you with extinction like Archeops' ancestors, leaving you unprepared and unsteady in the wake of coming storms. Isn't that what the history books always said? Or was it the other way around? Your anxieties refused to let you mull over the answer.
By the time night fell and you found yourself collapsing into bed, you were too fatigued to notice the clouds outside turn black as they swirled around the woods, the faint rumble of forcast-defiant thunder lulling you to sleep.
Chapter 11: everybody smile
Notes:
in which you, the reader, are finally shown ur own backstory
cw for mentions of loss, grief, etc
if ur reading this, don't forget to talk to ppl and let em know if ur struggling. yeah thats right the weird fanfic person is looking out for you. you cannot stop me. ily /p
Chapter Text
The week progressed in a way that honestly felt liberating. The coffee shop was open once again and as a result, patronage was far higher. Your regular customers wanted to stop by and support your business as best they could following the damage, something which warmed your heart. This did mean, however, that shifts were longer and more frequent - you and Elisabeth found yourself sharing the workload more than you used to, not that you complained. Your bubbly chemistry and youthful charisma helped the little cafe flourish in the aftermath of the freak storm, rejuvinating both the store and your own confidence.
Coming home to Emmet each day was something you found both hard to get used to and very much a comfort. It was strange how easily you accepted your new reality despite the uncanny familiarity of it making your stomach turn every so often. Even Liz was concerned about it.
"Have you told him?" She had asked when you were cleaning some of the tables near closing time.
"No..." You had admitted sheepishly, not missing the way Liz put her hands on her hips disapprovingly.
"He really ought to know," Liz replied, sighing, "purely 'cause it affects you so much. I've seen the way he looks at you, y'know. You're gonna worry him if you have one of those episodes without any context."
She was right, as usual, but you stubbornly ignored that. Revisiting old wounds was not very high up on your to-do list and you were determined to keep it that way.
Emmet had actually begun to worry you, in a strange turn of expectations. Seeing him excitedly greet you after work like a puppy waiting for its master to return was a sad sight indeed. It's not like he had much to do in the quaint little village, plus you only had one door key so he couldn't go out on his own...
Okay, maybe you had another key hidden away in your bedside table. But that one... it was special. You couldn't give it away to someone else just yet. That and the act of giving someone the key to your home was incredibly significant. You just weren't ready for that.
In the middle of the week you had shown Emmet how to use your Nintendo 3DS that you kept stashed away in your room, resetting your Pokemon Ultra Sun save file and allowing him to play for himself. At first he found the battle mechanics to be too rigid and linear, but that soon changed once he got the hang of it.
You remembered how on Thursday evening when you came home he basically ambushed you with an excited grin.
"Look! A shiny Grubbin. I found him a few hours ago. I am verrrry proud." He had exclaimed, showing you the little bug Pokemon on the screen with a childlike beaming grin. He'd barely given you time to take your shoes off - the energetic display was too much for your heart to handle so the only thing you could do was laugh and reach up to rustle his hair like you used to do with... uh, anyway. The impulsive act seemed to take you both offguard, but the pleased smile on Emmet's face helped you feel a little better about indulging in old habits. A little better.
By the time Friday approached, Emmet had all but finished the main story in his new game. As you flopped onto the sofa after changing out of your work clothes, you were joined quickly by an excited Emmet with the 3DS in his hand.
"I have had so much fun! I got to play a lot of Double Battles. Those are my favourite. Oh! I got a Xurkitree. Reminded me of you. Also, check out these pictures. The Photo Club is verrry fun..." He rambled on, seemingly never stopping to breathe as he recounted his journey through the virtual Alolan isles.
"I'm glad you've liked it, I'll admit it's one of my favourite games." You responded, smiling fondly.
"It's a shame we cannot do a Link Battle. I would love to battle you." He then sighed, prompting you to prod his shoulder.
"You do realise we both have actual Pokemon... right? Besides, I'm off work tomorrow. We can go train with Xurkitree like we planned to. Maybe you could show me the ropes." You suggested, chuckling at the way Emmet's face seemed to light up.
"That would be so fun! Though you should be warned! I like winning more than anything else."
"Oh yeah? Well so do I. I am the Alolan champion, after all!" You gestured to yourself with a smug grin.
"I am too." Emmet waved the 3DS at you, snorting as you whispered a quiet 'oh, yeah'.
You went quiet for a moment, eyeing the console and fidgeting with the hem of your shirt. "Y'know... I might have another console somewhere. We could have a practise match. If I can find it, that is..." You murmured, frowning.
"Let's depart immediately! Where would it be stationed?"
You hesitated, biting your lip, "Probably one of the boxes in your room."
You couldn't say no to Emmet's excitable pleading to find the second console, though part of you wished you had. Still, you don't think you could have lived with yourself knowing you had a secret second game console when Emmet felt so strongly about playing with you. Reaching into some of the lower stacked boxes, you found yourself starting to grow nervous.
Emmet didn't think much of it at first. Maybe you were tired, a little fatigued from a busy Friday shift and you simply didn't want to go rummaging in boxes for a DS that may or may not even exist. He felt a little bad about pushing it, but if there was an opportunity to see your battle style in action in the medium you were most familiar with, he was sure to seize it. When you grunted in defeat as you finished rifling through another box, Emmet opted to help out and took another sealed box out from the cardboard corner of exile.
He whipped the box open, spotting various items including old books and magazines that seemed well read judging by the faded print on some of the spines. At first glance they were fairly horror-esque in appearance, mostly about fantastical creatures or cryptid lore. Emmet couldn't help but cast a glance at you, unable to picture you being into vampires and werewolves. Still, maybe there was a reason you had these locked away in these boxes - maybe these were from an old phase you had grown out of and felt embarrassed by.
Beneath one of the larger books about folklore, he spotted a dark blue console that looked like the 3DS but without the folding screen. Before he could pick it up with a delighted cry of success, he noticed a wooden frame tucked beside it. Curiosity got the better of him as he gently tugged the frame out from the tightly packed books, revealing a photograph embedded behind a fractured glass cover. There were two people in the photo, you - smiling brightly with slightly different hair - and someone dressed in black beside you. There was an arm around your waist and a blush on your cheeks, something that-
"What are you doing?" You gasped, ripping the frame from Emmet's grasp. He blinked at you, confused and startled by your sudden display of anger.
"Sorry. It was just sitting in the box." Emmet explained, though he noticed you had turned the photograph over and set it face-down in the box you'd just sorted through.
He started to piece together the puzzle, feeling slightly ashamed that it took him this long.
"Who is he?" He asked against his better judgement, regret setting in the moment he saw your lip twitch and eyes look away. You seemed unfocused, distantly absorbed in something. Emmet thought you were going to leave it at that, the question going unanswered as usual, but your meek voice surprised him.
"My... partner. Used to be, anyway." You muttered, expression devoid of any discernible emotion.
"He didn't take his things." Emmet noted, realising all too late that he misunderstood the clues in this puzzle a little.
"He's dead, Emmet." Came your blunt correction, arms crossing over your chest.
Emmet fought with himself internally for a moment, fighting his nosy urge to ask for more information - how did he pass, how long ago, why is everything hidden away? - but the way you sniffed and blinked rapidly had his heart breaking. This wasn't a situation he had any reference for - for a moment he felt frustrated that Ingo wasn't here to help, to advise him or stop him from making impulsive remarks. Ingo... maybe Emmet didn't need a reference to go off. He himself knew the pain of loss, albeit a different kind. Taking a deep breath in, he placed the box onto the floor and climbed up onto his bed, legs hanging off the edge. He patted the space next to him, looking up at you with a gentle gaze. At first, you didn't move - Emmet worried he had done something wrong or made things worse - but after a few moments you sighed and climbed up next to him. Emmet fought the urge to wrap an arm around you, worried it would be more distressing than comforting.
You were very clearly battling with your tears, refusing to let them fall across your cheeks. Emmet silently pondered how best to deal with this, to help you and heal you. If he could help at all. He noticed your hands shaking in your lap and decided to take inspiration from his brother - this was something he knew how to solve. He picked up his Archen plush toy from next to his pillows and very gently placed it in your hands, coaxing your fingers to wrap around the soft doll. When you started to knead and stroke the little bird, Emmet felt just a little better about his ideas.
"Thanks..." You whispered, still refusing to look up at him.
"You're welcome. I am sorry for upsetting you. I... didn't mean to pry." Emmet apologised as sincerely as he knew how.
"No no, its... it's fine. I shouldn't have snapped. This was bound to happen."
The Subway Boss paused for a moment, unsure how to progress. He quietly recalled the times you expressed discomfort or some sort of remembrance, once again putting pieces together to figure out the picture you were so determined to keep ripped up. An uncomfortable truth became glaringly obvious.
"It's weird having me here." He spoke softly, glancing at you to see if you would confirm or deny his suspicions.
"...Yeah." You said after some hesitation, causing Emmet's heart to sink. Though, he noticed fairly quickly, your hands weren't shaking as much. There was still very much a watery glimmer lingering in your eyes, however. "Sorry, I shouldn't be saying this. I... I like having you around. Really, I do. It's just a little... deja vu-ey, y'know?" You sniffled and wiped your face with the back of your sleeve, "I just... I didn't want you to think I was, I dunno, helping you to... uhm, fill that... empty space. That and... it's just hard to talk about. It's been a few years by now but... it still gets me sometimes."
Emmet sighed, scratching the back of his head before smiling down at you, "I understand. Feelings are hard. You are verrry strong for telling me this. If Ingo were here he would agree. 'Bravo', as he always says." A flicker of joy spread through him as you let out a short laugh, smiling up at him feebly.
"Thanks, Em..." You whispered, glancing down at the Archen in your hands. Emmet felt a little braver now that you seemed to be calmer, saying your name softly and smiling.
"Do you need to board the Hug Express?" He asked, drawing a giggle out from you.
"Yesplease..." You squeaked, prompting Emmet to open his arms and pull you in, warmly nestling you against his chest. The way your chest fell and your body relaxed in his embrace had Emmet smiling widely, cheeks blushing. He was a very physical person - he found it easier to express things through actions rather than words, it came far more naturally to him. He quietly hoped you didn't mind the way he rubbed your back, his other hand snaking up to gently pet your hair.
"Passenger notice!" He then announced, raising a hand and reaching behind him to grab the console you had both been searching for in the first place, "I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. And I cannot wait to win against you." Waving the console in front of you, he gleefully noted the way your facial expression went from sheepish to competitive.
"Oh yeah? Well I can't wait to derail that confidence."
The two of you laughed, the tension and distress fading as you both got up and raced to find your copy of Ultra Moon to prepare for battle.
Well. That could have gone better.
You anticipated questions being asked when you started to rifle through those old boxes but that was far more intense a scenario than you were emotionally prepared for. Despite the sting of old memories and feelings being ripped open to fester at the surface of your consciousness, there was a sense of freedom floating around you. Your lungs felt less constricted, your steps less heavy and your shoulders less sore. Your short discussion by no means solved your pain but it defied your worries and helped a fair amount.
Things felt... lighter. Lighter as you rummaged through your drawers for that spare charger, lighter as you procured the little grey game cartridge, lighter as you joined Emmet back on the sofa and plugged in the newly retrieved 2DS console. The relief was almost dizzying.
Starting up the game, you quickly explored your save file and grinned in delight as you uncovered powerful Pokemon, a plethora of items in your inventory, and even Battle Teams already set up in your in-game boxes. Looks like this was the save you used to grind the Battle Tree, with the Ultra Sun save being more for messing around and exploring. Looking to Emmet with a smirk, you opened up the menu and began linking your devices for a battle.
Emmet, as expected, requested a Doubles format. Your team was fairly straightforward - you both decided on no Legendary Pokemon to keep things fair, but allowed non-Alolan Pokemon to widen the pool a bit. Taking a deep breath, you initiated the start of the battle.
The gameplay was surprisingly long and challenging. Somehow you had figured Emmet would not have fully grasped the stat system and would be at the mercy of your fully EV-trained team, an assumption that cost you dearly - his use of Galvantula as a starting 'mon that was trained for speed was a bit of a surprise for you. The damn thing had a Focus Sash too, meaning Emmet could set up Sticky Web - slowing the rest of your Pokemon - on the first turn guaranteed. The minute he gained the speed advantage was the minute you began to fail.
With a triumphant cry, Emmet's final move knocked out your last Pokemon. You could only stare at the man with an incredulous look as he stood up, performed a short bow, and smiled smugly down at you. "I am Emmet. I won against you. But this is not the end. I am sure you will want to try again. I will be right here ready to win against you again. Because I am a Subway Boss. I am Emmet."
"You're a nerd, is what you are." You pouted, snorting at Emmet's feigned offense.
"That was verrry fun. I can't wait to see how you battle in real life." Emmet said, ignoring your teasing insult and sitting back down on the sofa beside you.
"That's a point... we should take Xurkitree out tomorrow evening. There'll be less people out by then since they all prefer the morning for their walks. We can see if Liz's plan works." You noted, scratching your chin.
"Consider it part of tomorrow's schedule."
"Cool. We could see if we can figure out what moves Xurk knows, too. Then I can kick your ass."
"I eagerly await my ass kicking." Emmet chuckled, shutting the 3DS in his hands and setting off to charge it in his room.
Chapter 12: tickets, please
Notes:
gonna start using ▽ to signal when its emmet's pov to make it less confusing. ▿ will signal the end of this pov. i'll try remember to go back thru the old chapters and add these markers in
Chapter Text
Saturday morning was slow and easy, but the dread of tasks that needed to be done hung in your subconscious like a dropped dumbell. The plan was easy enough: take Xurkitree and Archeops out into the clearing, get Xurkitree to demonstrate its moves, note down the moves it can do, and see if the power of the Ultra Beast lures the mysterious Power Gem-user out of hiding. It was the real-world threat that came with it, however. These weren't fun virtual monster-friends anymore, these were genuinely dangerous creatures that could have devastating abilities that spat in the face of physics as you knew it. Weren't there some Pokemon that were somehow hotter than the surface of the f*cking Sun? What would even happen if a creature of that temperature stepped foot into this world?
As you waited on the living room sofa for Emmet to finish getting dressed, you had decided to entertain yourself with a little bit of Legends: Arceus gameplay. You hadn't really picked it up since Emmet appeared, both due to a lack of time and an unwillingness to play a game with his lost twin in it. You figured you would just spend a few minutes having a good look around the open world, listening carefully for the jingle of Shiny Pokemon or the deep call of a random Alpha spawn as you laid across the couch like it was a bed. The entertainment value of this chosen track was decaying every minute you spent soaring overhead in Braviary's claws, the lack of any actual destination making the expedition feel rather pointless. Your mind wandered to Ingo for a brief moment, the sad glare he held on his face popping into your head. Whilst you used to consider interacting with him to be nothing more than basic gameplay, now there was... a sort of energy behind it. The idea of finding the man in Jubilife Village and asking for a battle felt far more personal than it ever did before. You hummed idly as your game character travelled back to the village, fast-travelling to the Training Grounds where you knew Ingo would be stationed. As always, the hunched form of the tired man came rapidly into view as you rushed over to talk to him.
As if summoned by the press of your button, Emmet emerged from his room and stepped into view. He was wearing a navy blue button-up shirt and black dress trousers, the simplicity of outfit making him look incredibly clean and handsome. You couldn't help but notice his hair was styled differently, the usual slicked-back style swapped for a more natural tousled look. It certainly made him appear less like a 9-to-5-office-worker, much to your delight.
"You are playing a game." Emmet noted, startling you by picking up your legs and swinging them around onto the floor so he could perch beside you and watch. You could only gawk at him and scoff, gently slapping his arm as he chuckled next to you.
"Well I was until someone came along and brutally threw me aside." You sighed, rubbing your legs and whining dramatically as if Emmet had smacked them with a sledgehammer. His narrowed eyes and unamused glare threatened to make you giggle.
"Fine. I will return you to your previous station," Before you could question what the f*ck that meant, Emmet leaned over and grabbed your legs again, positioning them over his lap so you could lay down again, "now you can continue playing. I would like to watch."
Your face flushed furiously as you sat with your legs strung over the man, struggling to find words as your brain tried to process the event. Groaning at Emmet's tilted head and piercing stare, you briefly showed him the screen of your Switch.
"I'm battling Ingo. Sure you wanna watch?" You asked, partially teasing but also genuinely concerned over whether Emmet would be alright with seeing his brother. He seemed to hesitate, before his smirk faded into a soft smile.
"I'd love to watch your inevitable defeat." Aaaand there was the smirk once more. A competitive flame ignited within you, your eyes burning as you swiftly swung yourself off Emmet's lap, strolled to the television, and docked your Switch. Emmet watched you with an inquisitive stare, patting his legs with a silent instruction when you came back to the couch with the Joy-Cons in hand. Once the TV was on and the game visible on the screen, you threw your weight back into your seat on the couch - causing Emmet to bounce somewhat - before kicking your legs up and over the man's lap. You couldn't help but grin mischievously at the way Emmet went oof at the ferocity of your return. He lightly whacked one of your legs, a feigned scowl on his face, inadvertently setting off a different flame deep in the pit of your stomach. f*ck's sake.
Your attention turned to the game, exhaling sharply as your character conversed with Ingo, asking him for a battle. After a brief exchange of words, the fight began. By the way Emmet was squinting at the screen you could tell the smug bastard was analysing your move choices and judging them critically. You'd battled Ingo in-game before so you knew his team well - Emmet did not. With a dramatic cackle, you began your merciless onslaught of strong moves and needless power.
The battle was a total reversal of your previous one against Emmet - poor Ingo didn't get many chances to even get a single move out. Your victory was swift and seemingly unfair, causing Emmet to pout as you cheered in delight.
"You should battle us as a two-car train in the Battle Subway. You wouldn't be cheering then." Emmet huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh yeah? Well I'll have you know I've already battled you both in the Subway. And I won." You boasted, feeling amused by Emmet's confused expression.
"How." Came his simple demand, and you realised he didn't really know much about his presence in your world.
"You guys are in one of the video games. I've played it quite a bit and I was very fond of the Subway. If I knew where my game was I'd show you but that thing has been missing for a while." You informed him, the high of your win fading out as you returned to your regular energy level.
"That is verrrry surreal." Emmet replied, staring ahead at the television screen where Ingo was simply standing, idly waiting for the next button input. The way he kept averting his gaze and then looking back as if he had no choice was not lost on you. Leaving the Training Grounds, you opted to run back through the Village and head to the pastures to lazily browse the Pokemon you had caught. Emmet seemed to relax a little after that.
"I can imagine... How are you handling it? All this 'alternate reality' stuff?" You asked, looking away from the game to glance up at Emmet. He was idly fiddling with the fabric of your trousers, seemingly not even aware he was even doing so.
"It is weird. Verrry weird. Whilst I enjoy getting off at different stops every now and again... this is not the sort of station I am prepared for."
Shifting your weight onto your elbows, you positioned yourself into a seated position - still keeping your knees over Emmet's lap - and bumped your shoulder into his. "If you need to talk about it, you're more than welcome to grab me. I... might not have the answers but it's better than suffering in silence, y'know? Hah... ironic coming from me, huh." You let out a hollow laugh followed by a sigh.
"The same goes for you too." Emmet responded quietly after a few moments, "If there's anything I, Emmet, can do to help. Let me know."
When you turned to smile at him, you found yourself far closer to his face than you had thought you were. Your noses were almost touching in this pose with Emmet's every breath leaving a ghostly touch across the lower half of your face. You felt your heartbeat hammer fiercely in your chest, as if it were wildly crashing against the cage of your ribs to get close to the man in front of you - you were so close already, close enough that you could so easily capture his lips with your own. All you had to do was push foward.
Instead you pulled away, clearing your throat and getting to your feet to retrieve your Nintendo Switch and close down the game still idle on the screen. It needed to charge anyway, you told yourself. You need to make sure it's put away. Wouldn't want Archeops to break it. Yeah, that makes sense.
▽
Did. Did that just happen.
Emmet blinked in bewilderment as you lifted yourself from beside him, wordlessly fetching your game console and removing Ingo's form from the screen with a silent press of a button. Did he do something wrong? Just moments ago he was sure you were pulling him towards you as if magnetised and now... you seemed deflated. Crestfallen in some way. Had he misinterpreted your mannerisms, accidentally confusing things for signs or putting meaning into something that needn't have any?
"I'm gonna get this put away in my room, don't want Archeops to think it's a new toy. This thing's expensive." You said quietly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear with a shy - and rather forced - laugh. Emmet could only nod as you turned and departed, leaving a ghostly silence behind you.
Whilst the man wasn't exactly the king of social encounters, he could have sworn you showed interest. Interest in... him? Maybe he was overthinking, overanalysing platonic affection as a side effect of everything that happened with Ingo and this strange new reality. He sighed, swiping a hand down his face. If Ingo had been in his place, trapped in this odd world, he'd probably have swept you off your feet. He was articulate with his words and able to communicate his feelings a lot better, despite the often stern frown he wore on his face - meanwhile Emmet was often described as being more intense, more hyper. He'd had complaints before from challengers on the Battle Subway who found him too alarming in his eagerness to battle. Whilst those comments used to bring an amused smile to his face, now he found them to be more painful. Did you find him intense? A bit much? He sincerely hoped not. He didn't want to scare you away. You were all he had, after all. His last train home.
▿
As if part of some unspoken agreement, the afternoon was spent very much ignoring Whatever That Was Earlier. Headphones in and cleaning spray in hand, you opted to get the kitchen sparkling purely as a way of keeping your hands busy and to keep time passing. The minute you sat down for any reason it was as if time threatened to pause entirely - staying occupied until the evening came seemed the only reasonable option.
Emmet mercifully stayed in the living room, having gotten Archeops out of his Pokeball to watch a documentary on dinosaurs alongside him. It seemed he also had the same idea in mind: keep yourself busy.
The early descent of the sun meant darkness was approaching swiftly. By the time the sky dimmed to a soft and shadowy blue, you were ready with shoes on and jacket buttoned up. Xurkitree's Ultra Ball sat in your hand, the metallic shine of the capsule glistening in your palm. Emmet stood behind you, Archeops set away in his own Pokeball.
"No point putting it off any longer. Let's go find our stowaway." You sighed, turning to Emmet with a subtle smile as you unlocked your front door.
The walk to the woods was quiet - as expected, most of the villagefolk were at home or on their way to be so, leaving the wooded outskirts to act as your personal Pokemon playground. You and Emmet didn't speak much on the way there, instead content to observe your surroundings and nod in polite greeting at anybody walking home past you. The clearing that Xurkitree had created was still very much a scorched circle of electrical carnage, much to your dismay - it was only a matter of time before a local villager found the scene and started some conspiracy theory of crop circles or something. Aliens in the Village... how preposterous.
Emmet was the first to free his Pokemon - Archeops burst from the ball with an excited flap of his wings, landing on the crisp ground with a delighted squawk. Bird and Boss looked to you, a silent assertion that it was now your turn. You paused, pulling out your Ultra Ball, before you unleashed Xurkitree out into the world.
The Ultra Beast seemed to untangle itself as it emerged in front of you, the black masses of cables writhing against one another as it stood tall and proud over you. The white spiked head appeared to turn as if it were surveying the area, before it lowered to your eye-level with wiry limbs spread out around it. The head rumbled lowly, leaning forward to close the gap between you and the beast.
Your hand reached up to gently pet the creature, your fingers gripping one of the spikes so you could playfully shake the creature's head. It glowed in delight, a coppery hand reaching up to softly nudge your head in imitation. In your short time together, it quickly became apparent that Xurkitree was a very sociable creature - something the games couldn't exactly tell you - and so mimickry was one of the best ways to get close to it. It was nervous in your world, paranoid and afraid of the new environment, meaning you had to be the grounding force for the gigantic monster. When Xurkitree copied you, an alien lifeform that came from this new dimension, it seemed to feel more confident and safe. You were its extradimensional mother, teaching it how to walk in this strange place.
"Alrighty, Xurk - let's see what you can do! Think you can show me your powers? Don't be shy, baby." You murmured softly, giving Xurkitree a final supportive pat. You stepped back, standing next to Emmet and Archeops, as your Pokemon raised its fifth limb - the equivalent of a tail - and wiggled it, almost as if uncertain.
"Its okay, you can do it! It's just us here." You reassured the beast, finally coaxing it out of its shell.
Xurkitree's tail-like limb rose behind it, pointing up to its head before the coppery wires at the base began to violently flicker. The flashing light continued to spike in intensity before it held stable, the light seeming to trigger Xurkitree's head to glow even brighter. When the bright tail flash expired, the creature's head still remained aglow. You had trouble deciphering what had happened, but based on the gasp that left Emmet from beside you, someone had it figured out.
"Tail Glow. Verrrry rare move. I thought only Volbeat could learn it." Emmet explained, clearly in awe at your Ultra Beast. The mention of learning moves gave you a quick idea - opening Datadex on your phone and accessing Xurkitree's move pool, you tossed the device over to Emmet.
"We can cross-check with that. See if Tail Glow is on there, would you?" You asked, to which Emmet nodded eagerly and began to read the text on the screen.
"Ah. Yep. Tail Glow is right at the top here." Emmet confirmed, cementing the move as the first in Xurkitree's set.
"Nice! Okay, can you show us what else you can do, sweetie? Can you show us your moves?" You cooed again to the electrical monster, which danced about in what could only be described as excitement.
The next performance began with the planting of all five of Xurkitree's limbs into the ground, its glowing head growing brighter and brighter before a beam erupted from it and into a nearby tree stump, shattering the bark into splinters. When the sinister ray of light had vanished Xurkitree retrieved its limbs from the dirt and wiggled again, the light in its head now dimmer.
You let out a laugh as you processed your own amazement, absolutely in awe at the power of your Pokemon.
"Good job baby! That was so good!" You praised with a clap of your hands, giggling as Xurkitree clasped its own wiry digits together and creating a spark.
"Looks like Signal Beam. Bug-type move." Emmet then commented.
"Aww, who's my zappy buggy boy?" Came your playful cooing once again as you praised your eldritch tree, "Do you know any more?"
The previously sparking fingers in Xurkitree's hands sparked once more - this time with more power - before shooting out a flourescent yellow bolt of lightning from the wires. The zap struck the same tree trunk, nearly setting the wood on fire with the ferocity of the strike. Emmet didn't need to consult the app for that move.
"Thunderbolt." You and Emmet stated in unison, grinning at one another at the synced up conclusion.
Tail Glow. Signal Beam. Thunderbolt. So far your Pokemon had a pretty neat set of skills. If the games were anything to go by - and so far they were pretty good references - then the Ultra Beast had one more move.
Xurkitree seemed reluctant to continue, its limbs diving into the ground repeatedly as if confused. A part of you panicked, wondering if it was finally time to encounter the Power Gem Pokemon - in your excitement to learn more about your new partner you had completely forgotten the reason you were even here. You glanced to Emmet, who seemed to be thinking a similar thing based on his widened eyes.
"Xurk baby, what's wrong?" You asked, voice shaky. The alien kneaded the ground a little, occassionally letting out sparks from its fingers that fizzed out across the dirt.
Archeops trilled at Emmet's feet, catching your attention. The bird was a little put off by the giant electric-type in front of him but he was otherwise calm. Surely Archeops would sense the approach of another Pokemon - he did sense Xurkitree coming, afterall. Looking back to Xurkitree, you reached up to gently pet the glowing head. It looked like it had one last move left but was unsure about using it.
"It's okay, you can show us. Show me." You said softly, nodding at the creature. Emmet watched you carefully, his brows furrowing in concern.
As if your words were the one thing it was waiting for, Xurkitree suddenly wrapped a long coiling arm around your waist, picking you up as you yelped in surprise. You gripped the black cables holding you off the ground in terror, your eyes locking on Xurkitree's head as the bulb began to pulse. You could hear Emmet yelling nearby, but he seemed to be disappearing into the distance. The gentle light show eminating from Xurkitree's head was just mesmerising. There was a thrumming vibration travelling through your head, thumping in time with the pulsing glow. Your limbs started to relax in the grasp of the monster and your eyelids grew heavy. Honestly? You felt sleepy. Maybe it was getting late. It was time for a nap. Just. A little. Nap.
"ARCHEOPS, EARTHQUAKE!"
The sudden shrill cry snapped the attention of Xurkitree away from you, causing you to wearily begin re-registering your surroundings. The cabled arm holding you aloft hastily set you down, pushing you to the side before the tectonic rage of Archeops tripped up the Ultra Beast, sending it tumbling over. Emmet rushed to your side, waving his hand over your face in a panic. In your drowsy state, Emmet looked wobbly - the sight made you giggle. Though, now that Xurkitree's light show was absent from your line of sight, you felt the world swirling back into focus. Your giggle turned to a gasp as you shot up, looking around in worry for Xurkitree. You sighed when you saw it curled up in a mess of wires, head no longer glowing.
"Sorry. I thought it was hurting you." Emmet blurted out as he followed you to your feet, carefully observing you in case you began to look dizzy again.
"It's okay, it's okay," You hushed him, patting his shoulder before you slowly approached your Xurkitree, "Hey baby, hey... you scared us a little there! I hope Birdie didn't hurt you, are you okay?"
The Ultra Beast let out a soft buzzing noise, its head drooping sadly as you reached up to hug the now dim spiked bulb. It seemed it was more confused than actually hurt - though you weren't sure this was very reassuring to you at all. With a hum and a gentle nuzzle to Xurkitree's head, you let out a breathy laugh.
"Well, you can add Hypnosis to that moveset, Em." You called out, smiling at a now far more calm looking Subway Boss.
In the end, nothing seemed to happen as you comforted Xurkitree in the woods. You prompted the creature to use its damaging moves some more, striking the dead trees in the clearing to see if the unleashed energy would attract your mystery Pokemon. Still, nothing. By the time you had decided to call it quits, the night had arrived in full Wintery darkness and brought with it a bitter chill that had even Archeops quivering before Emmet recalled him to his Pokeball. With Xurkitree calmed down and its moves mapped, you called the giant creature into its own capsule.
Whilst the disappointment of learning nothing new about the Power Gem user was somewhat crushing, there was a vague relief inside you - honestly, you really didn't want to meet a Pokemon that was intrigued by Ultra Beast power enough to come and investigate. Any beast that did so would either be incredibly reckless or incredibly powerful. Both were frightening prospects.
Once wasn't enough, though. You knew you'd have to try again. The combined frustrations and relief seemed to morph into determination somehow, egging you on to get this thing sorted.
Something was out here in your quiet village, lurking in the shadows like some sort of cryptid, and it had begun to feel like it was your responsibility to lure it out into the light.
Much like Emmet, you enjoyed a good challenge. And, just like Emmet, you liked to win more than anything else.
Chapter 13: bravo!
Chapter Text
Another week. Another set of disappointing evenings spent with Xurkitree in the forest. Another reminder that something is out there that you hadn't found. Thankfully, like an act of mercy from the village as a whole, the rush to support your humble coffee shop began to die down - your shift rota was less chaotic, leaving you with a Friday workday that ended in the middle of the day for once. It was strange how quickly priorities seemed to change in these odd new times, with the mysterious magic monster lurking around any corner being less of a big deal than a Friday afternoon where you could stay at home and do good-f*ck-all.
On the way home from work you opted to nip into the Co-op, browsing for the cheapest booze you could find in order to unwind a little. It wouldn't taste great but you didn't care - you wanted the dizzy buzz it would give you, not the actual drink itself. Emmet seemed surprised to see you holding the crate of beer when you came home, a brow raising as you awkwardly hauled the heavy box into the kitchen.
"It's Friday, may as well have a nice time," You explained as you removed your jacket and threw it over one of the dining chairs, "Besides, I don't have work tomorrow and I am so ready to drink the week away."
"I hope you don't intend on drinking all of these." Emmet put his hands on his hips, staring down at you in concern as a grin spread across your lips.
"Nah. I thought we'd share."
As the late afternoon approached, you figured you would finally ditch the uniform and find something nice to wear. Throwing your work clothes onto the floor for tomorrow-you to deal with, you found a comfy black dress and slipped it on. It wasn't fancy in any way, it was just cute enough to feel special but simple enough to be lounge-on-sofa-worthy.
Emmet was lurking in the kitchen whilst you were changing, giving Archeops a bowl of canned fruit as he waited for your return. When you finally did, the man seemed to stare at you, expression blank and eyes wide.
"I feel underdressed now. I ought to have found a tuxedo jacket." Emmet commented, drawing out a barking laugh from you.
"C'mon man, it's not even a special dress! I could sleep in this. You're the one who insists on wearing dress trousers and tucked-in shirt all the time," Your eyes fell to Emmet's chest, spotting the tie you'd bought him, "and a tie? Indoors? I think you are trying to out-drip me here, dude." He chuckled at your teasing, hand reaching for a bottle from the crate of beer and offering it to you. Let's go, gamers!
You hooked up your Spotify to blast through the TV speakers - thank Arceus you didn't have neighbours that lived right next door - and left it to run a basic playlist, something you could listen to idly but still enjoy. As the two of you sipped from your bottles, suddenly the worries of the outside world fizzled away. Pokemon? I barely know her, man.
Emmet was sat beside you on the couch, arm draped over the back as he held his drink in the other. He recounted tales of Battle Subway encounters with an energetic vigour, occasionally getting up to imitate a particularly bizarre trainer in exaggerated mockery. It made you laugh every time, the cheap booze seemingly removing your standards for good comedy. That or Emmet was just genuinely entertaining.
"Then there was a time Ingo and I decided to be verrrrrry bad. We swapped uniforms before going in to the Subway and tried to pretend to be one another. We timed how long it took people to notice." Emmet chuckled, glancing over at your gaping mouth as you stared incredulously at him.
"Dude. Emmet. You gotta show me your Ingo impression now," You begged, eyes wide with the light buzz your drinks had graced you with, "C'mon, try convince me you aren't Emmet."
Emmet's eyes seemed to unfocus for a moment, his smile wavering, before a wicked grin replaced it entirely. He stood up, beer clutched to his chest as he snapped his posture straight and wiped his grin from existence. It was pretty eerie seeing him frown like this, it would almost be scary if you weren't expecting it.
Clearing his throat, Emmet glared down at you, his eyes more intense than usual as they focused on you. "Good evening, miss! Allow me to introduce myself: I am Ingo, I am a Subway Boss. A pleasure to meet you."
You could only stare and giggle at the sudden switch in mannerisms, your hands rising to cover your eyes as if it would stop the display, "This is so weeeiird! Emmet! Come back!"
"Ah, you know my twin brother! Bravo! Excellent!! He is certainly the more handsome one. Far more talented at Pokemon battles, too!"
Unable to control your laughter, you got up off the sofa and threw a hand over Emmet's mouth, causing him to break character and let out a muffled chuckle. His free hand reached up to grip your wrist, firmly removing your hand from his face to reveal a toothy grin. You narrowed your eyes at him in scrutiny.
"Emmet." You stated.
"I am Emmet." Emmet confirmed, still clutching your wrist.
"Thank God." Came your breathy reply, the two of you erupting into laughter once more.
Your playlist continued, switching to one of the various synthpop tracks from the 80s you had stashed away in your Liked Songs playlist. You groaned as your guilty pleasures began to blast through the television, before the calm beat gave you an idea. You picked up your phone to tap in the name of another song from that era, humming in satisfaction when you found your target. Looking up at Emmet with a cheerful smile, you placed your beer on the coffee table by the couch and held your arms out.
"Dance with meee?" You asked shyly, "I think you'll like this song~!"
When Emmet grinned, you knew exactly what the bastard was going to say. And he did, because of course he would. "All aboard!"
After discarding his bottle onto the table, he held you gently at your hips, hands softly pressing into your sides whilst you threw your arms around his shoulders. Your hands hung loose behind him before you began tapping the beat of the song onto his back, not even realising you were doing so.
I only knew you for a while
I never saw your smile
'Til it was time to go
Time to go away
Emmet rocked you gently, his mind seeming to be listening in on the music to gather why you decided on this in particular. You giggled as he seemed to furrow his brows in thought, listening to the lyrics and nodding his head along to the beat. Your smile only grew as the chorus grew close, the lyrics mirrored on your lips as you silently mouthed the words.
We'll always be together
However far it seems
We'll always be together
Together in electric dreams
When Emmet looked to you with a soft look of understanding, you couldn't help but pull him closely into a tight hug with your face nuzzled into the crook of his neck. You weren't hammered by this point but the alcohol in your system was certainly not doing your inhibition any favours.
Though you're miles and miles away
I see you every day
I don't have to try
I just close my eyes
I close my eyes
"See?" You murmured against his skin, "He's with ya. Always together."
Emmet gripped you tighter, his hands moving from your hips to wrap around you in a closer embrace. You all but purred against him, a hand reaching up to gently stroke his hair. At this point it was hard to gauge whether it was the alcohol clouding your judgement or the way Emmet's breath hitched as your fingers delicately traced the back of his neck. Your music queue was empty after that, not that you noticed the silence set in until well after the song had finished.
You almost whined when Emmet pulled away from you but found any sounds you were about to make completely stopped by the feeling of his hand gently grasping your chin to angle your gaze to meet his.
"Safety check." He murmured, brows furrowed.
"Hm? Am good." You replied, hiccuping. How long had it even been? Why was the floor so far away? Why did Emmet look so f*cking good?
Emmet raised a brow at you, stepping backwards - still holding onto you - and watching as you stumbled a little. His gaze was stern but the smirk on his face was playful, not that you were capable of percieving the mixed signals in his expression right now.
"I think it's time to disembark and depart for bed." Emmet told you firmly.
You pouted in response, clutching at his biceps weakly, "Tha's no fun."
"I think we have had plenty of fun. Do I need to carry you?" Whilst Emmet was clearly only poking fun at you, you still nodded giddily. He paused for a moment, before bending down to lift you under the knees and picking you up bridal-style. "All aboard."
It was lucky Emmet had ended up not deciding to drink as much as you - his steps were far more confident and he was very much able to stand upright still. He pushed your door open with his hip, placing you gently down on your bed and patting your head before he turned away.
"Y'not gonna tuck me in?" You whined, reaching out for Emmet's departing form. The man stopped, turning to face you with a perplexed stare. He tutted as he returned, pulling your blankets roughly from under you - resulting in you letting out a startled squeak - before he coaxed your head to lay back on the pillows with a gentle yet firm hand. The blankets were laid over you, the covers tucked in at your sides before Emmet reached over to switch off your little bedside lamp. Sleep came for you swiftly, the moment you felt the blankets over you was the moment you were done for. Before your consciousness snuck away into the realm of dreams, you could have sworn you felt lips press softly against your temple.
Saturday morning - after you woke up late with a vicious headache - was spent in your little coffee shop during Elisabeth's shift. The shop was fairly quiet with only a few folks scattered across the various tables, each sipping their drinks and distracting themselves with phonecalls or newspapers. Liz brought you a second black coffee, chuckling at you as you sat at a table with your face pressed into the hard plastic surface.
"Thmks." You groaned, muffled by the table. Liz patted your head before pulling out the seat opposite you, rummaging through her pockets for something. You looked up, eyes heavy with fatigue.
"I figured you were havin' fun without me when you didn't answer my texts," Elisabeth started, a hint of a teasing lilt in her voice as you grimaced guiltily, "so I ... um, I did some research for you. I... wanted to help you." She finally pulled out a folded piece of note paper, carefully opening the sheet and sliding it across the table to you. Much to your surprise, it was filled with hastily scribbled ideas and thoughts relating to Pokemon and even Xurkitree.
You paled. "How... how did you know...?"
As if expecting you to ask, Elisabeth simply beamed at you. Her hangover-less energy filled you with envy as she spoke, "You called your Pokemon Xurk, right? I thought that was spelled with a 'Z' at first but after some digging I found a lil guy called Xurk-ee-tree with an 'X'. I may have said that wrong. But still! I'm going to ignore how terrifying it is because, well... you aren't dead yet. It must like you."
You glared at the addition of the word 'yet', but chose not to comment on it. Elisabeth was clearly trying to cope with the situation by going academic - if it helped her, who were you to judge? Deciphering the messy handwriting on the paper in front of you with your headache not helping, you found yourself looking at a little section of notes titled 'Abilities??'. You must have accidentally spoken aloud, as Elisabeth let out a soft 'oh!' before clapping her hands together.
"Ah! Yep! I was trying to learn about Pokemon lore for you and I was getting super distracted by the different things they do," Elisabeth explained, somehow excited to share the new things she'd learnt - it was better than terror, you thought, "and I saw they all have an Ability? I don't know what that does, but your Xurk has one. I forget what it was called, it should be written there."
Sure enough, the cryptic handwriting seemed to read 'Beast Boost??????'. Your eyes grew wide.
"I can't remember what it does, I think I also wrote it down but I may have forgotten." Elisabeth added, nodding. You didn't need to look to remember what the ability does.
"It raises its highest stat after knocking out another Pokemon." You murmured, your tired braincells whirring back to life. Elisabeth must have seen the shift in your expression because she seemed to bubble with excitement.
"Look at me helping! If you brush aside how absolutely horrifying these things are then its really fun to look into them!" The woman beamed, standing up to return to her post behind the counter as the cafe door opened with a bell chime. You remained glued to the notes, thoughts ablaze.
If you could get Xurkitree's ability to activate, maybe the Power Gem Pokemon will be more inclined to come out. So far all you had been doing was letting Xurkitree fire off random moves with no target or true purpose - perhaps a true battle was the right way to proceed. Beast Boost only activated when the Pokemon knocked out another, so perhaps the aural shift in Xurkitree when it did activate would be the Pokemon equivalent of saying "hey, I'm strong and competitive, look at me defeating foes with ease!". You hummed in thought, mind leaping to the one other Pokemon you knew of that could battle Xurkitree.
You slammed back the coffee Liz had given you - thankfully she had put some cold water in to cool the drink down before giving it to you, the absolute legend - before jumping to your feet. Liz glanced at you as she processed a customer's payment, a brow raised.
"Liz! Your genius strikes again! Where would I be without you!" You called out as you rushed out of the store.
"Unemployed!" Liz cried out after you, smiling at the person she had just served before chuckling.
When you burst through you front door, Emmet immediately got up to see what the rush was all about. He had been lounging on the couch with Archeops, playing Pokemon on the 3DS he borrowed from you whilst he waited for your return.
"Emmet. I want you to battle me." You stated simply, slightly out of breath with how quickly you rushed home.
"What." Emmet replied, blinking.
"Kyop?" Archeops bawked.
Chapter 14: full speed ahead
Notes:
its time to get funky with time and space
disrupting physics all over the place
Chapter Text
The skies were dark, the air tingling with static as rain clouds began to crawl across the horizon with the threat of enveloping the village. You and Emmet stood on opposite ends of the clearing in the woods, Pokeballs in hand as you felt the competitive flame within you ignite full-force. This wasn't a video game anymore, this was real. Tangible. There was genuine danger involved. You had originally worried you'd be too nervous to engage in a proper Pokemon battle but now you were here, Ultra Ball in your grasp with a fire burning in your gaze? You were set on these tracks now and by God you were gonna see it through to the final destination: victory.
Emmet had insisted on putting on his Subway uniform - complete with his hat sat snugly on his head and accompanied by his cherished train tie - when he agreed to battle. The passion in his glare seemed to intensify as he stared you down, the grin on his face wide and revealing a hint of his teeth. He almost looked menacing in this light, what with the way the winds blew his coat behind him like an anime villain. With a confident smirk, you clicked the button on your Ultra Ball, the capsule expanding in size in your hand. Emmet followed suit, his red Pokeball sitting enlarged in his fingers.
"I am Emmet," he announced with a booming voice - this must be his Subway Boss display, the intensity sending shivers up your spine, "What I do. What I say. Always the same. I am a Subway Boss. Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedule. Everybody smile! Check safety... everything's ready! Aim for victory! All aboard!"
With his final battle cry, he struck his signature pose and cast Archeops onto the battlefield. The bird's demeanour was uncanny - he immediately screeched, wings lifted above his head in a threat display. You wouldn't be intimidated this easily, however. Your plan required victory in order to work and you weren't about to lose to this smug bastard again - regardless of setting.
"Xurkitree, let's go!" You cried, releasing your ferocious Ultra Beast into the ring. It let out a buzzing hiss before seemingly turning to face you, its head glowing slightly as you nodded to it, "Do your best, baby. You got this. We got this. Tail Glow!"
Xurk immediately followed your command, its wiry tail illuminating as the glowing tip buzzed around its head. The white bulb began to glow with a luminous intensity, causing the beast to wiggle gleefully with its newfound power. Archeops seemed undeterred, letting out a shrill cry as Emmet called out his first move: "Rock Slide, right on schedule!"
The bird stomped forward, tail feathers and clawed feet dicing up the ground and pulling massive rocks into the air.
"Xurkitree, focus - Signal Beam on the rocks!" You barked, watching with giddy excitement as your Ultra Beast unleashed a sinister ray of light onto the larger boulders, cracking them partially as they collided with its body. The Signal Beam mercifully weakened the stones and caused them to fracture with far more ease, lessening the damage done to your Pokemon. Xurkitree may have been relatively unharmed, but it seemed to flinch in the wake of the geological onslaught.
"Earthquake!" Emmet commanded, causing your stomach to twist inside you.
"Xurkitree, dodge it!" You cried but to no avail - Xurkitree stumbled with a squealing roar as Archeops shifted the ground with a ferocious rumble. You gasped, nearly running to comfort your Pokemon before you realised you were still in the battle. Xurkitree got back to its feet, shaking off debris from its wires and buzzing with a newfound intensity. It was clearly frustrated. Emmet looked ready to call out another Earthquake, drawing out a snarl from your throat as you cast a fiery look to your Pokemon. The creature's head pulsed as it watched you before turning back to Archeops. The static in the air seemed to grow more and more unbearable as Xurkitree's electrical power sizzled visibly within its arms, almost as if the beast could tell your next command.
"Wreak havoc, Xurk! Thunderbolt! Give it your all!" You roared, the hairs on your body spiking up as the energy filled you to a whole new extreme.
Xurkitree flailed, body twitching with power as Emmet called out for an Earthquake. Archeops could barely get a step towards the Ultra Beast as a flash of blinding light erupted from Xurkitree's copper fingers, shooting through the opposing bird with such a vicious intensity that even Emmet had to shield his eyes.
Time seemed to slow to a halt as Archeops's feathers sparked with the remnant electricity before he fell limply to the ground. Emmet seemed astounded by the outcome, even though you had both discussed that Archeops needed to faint in order for this to work. Did he doubt your abilities that much? Or was he so confident in his own Pokemon that he expected this plan to go awry?
"I am Emmet. I lost against you," Emmet murmured, recalling his unconscious Archeops back into his Pokeball, "But I feel good. Because it was very fun!" His ominous battle-face was replaced by his cheery smile, drawing a relieved chuckle from you.
You turned to give Xurkitree a congratulatory hug, the adrenaline from the battle still racing through your veins, before the Ultra Beast let out a sizzling hiss. Pausing in alarm, you quickly remembered why you needed to win in the first place.
Xurkitree's flashing head pulsed faster, the light somehow reaching a more dazzling white intensity as it emitted a minor shockwave, sending a blast of pressure expanding outward with a soft 'fwooosh'. Xurkitree raised an arm to the sky, fingers sparking vividly as it cried out again.
"Beast Boost." You whispered, eyes wide with awe. The beast's glowing head lowered to your height, thrumming in delight as you reached up to pet it. There was a very subtle tingle in your body as you made contact with the alien, your scalp itching and fingers aching as you recoiled your hand in shock. Xurkitree looked confused, before it froze up. There was a frightening silence as the beast's body remained totally still save for the slow creeping rise of its tail, the eerie sight worthy of being part of a Ridley Scott horror movie. You could only stare in dread as your Pokemon seemed to detect something with the spikes in its tail.
You nearly screamed when Emmet grabbed you, the sudden shock of his touch snapping you out of your mesmerised staring. He wordlessly pointed to the sky, drawing your attention to the swirl of the rain clouds.
They were far, far heavier than before the battle. Grey clouds became a sooty black as they spun in frightening coordination around a single point just above the clearing - a slight flickering speck, almost like a star hovering ominously above the forest. Without a single sound, no thunder or rain to be heard, the speck suddenly expanded as if ripping open the sky. The jagged shape grew larger in sporadic bursts, your eyes struggling to focus on the growing tear. Its form seemed to be inpercievable somehow, the edges flickering and the white shape itself almost vanishing from view when you glared directly at it.
With a final pulsing rip, the speck had become a gaping wound in the sky - the clouds around it were thrust into overdrive, the sounds of howling wind surrounding the forest as if the storm raging on was actively encircling the area.
Your hands gripped Emmet tightly as if without him you'd be pulled away into the whirling chaos. In agonising slow motion, you both stared open-mouthed at the pulsing hole in the sky as three black spikes emerged. The spikes seemed to grip the edge of the sky-tear, stilling in their movement as a second set of spikes grew visible and mirrored the first set's grasp. You gasped in realisation that these weren't spikes, they were fingers. Giant fingers.
The fingers then emerged in erratic jolting movements, a vague indescribable mass of sharp angular limbs emerging from the hole before limply falling to the ground, landing with a heavy crash. Xurkitree was quick to pick you and Emmet up in its massive cabled arms, leaping with graceful agility out of the way of the dark invader. The hole in the sky vanished with an audible pulsing sound, the dark mangled body in front of you unmoving.
The darkness surrounding you did you no favours, so as Xurkitree released you from its worried grasp, you quietly commanded it to light up a Tail Glow. Like a pale torch suspended on wires, Xurkitree leaned over to illuminate the downed form - the light refracted onto the ground as if shone through a black prism. The body suddenly shifted, janky movements uncoiling the sharp limbs in frightening robotic movements. You cried out in shock as you grabbed Emmet's arm, pulling him away.
"Emmet. Emmet, sh*t, it's... that's f*cking Necrozma!" Came your horrified scream as the now very much awake Prism Monster rose from the ground with a low rumbling growl.
Emmet reached for his Pokeball, growling in frustration as he remembered his partner was in no shape to battle. As if on cue, Xurkitree stepped forward with a hiss, its body shielding you and Emmet from Necrozma's enraged sight.
The Legendary monster twitched in terrifying intense bursts, crawling along the ground with its massive scythe-like claws. With each erratic pull of its form it let out a shrill piercing scream as if the very act of moving was the most agonising yet necessary torture it could experience. Something was not f*cking right with this monstrosity but you were too panicked, too terrified to think straight. The creeping hulk of prismatic mass slowly dragging itself towards you on shaky staggered limbs was almost hypnotic to watch, like a horror movie you simply couldn't look away from no matter how clouded your eyes grew from tears.
The shadowy form of Necrozma was suddenly blanketed in light, obscured from your view as you instinctively winced at the sudden glow. The light seemed to wave in front of you, snapping your consciousness back to full-strength - huh?
Looking around with a bewildered glare, you found Xurkitree with its tail alight and buzzing with energy. It used Tail Glow on you. Oh you f*cking cutie.
The determination to win came back with such a ferocious strength that you couldn't help but let out a feral snarl, stepping forward to be by your Ultra Beast's side. You turned to Emmet, his eyes glued to you as he watched you in absolute awe.
"Em, you got that Ultra Ball ready?" You grinned as he shakily produced the capsule from his pocket, "Alright. We have one chance here. You ready, Necrozma? It's time to get serious. Because if a battle isn't serious..." You winked at Emmet, your burst of confidence sweeping a whole new persona onto your spirit, "it isn't fun! Signal Beam, let's go!"
▽
If he thought you were surprisingly powerful before, Emmet now thought you had all the strength of the original Dragon of Unova. Your new ferocity was unmatched, not even by Xurkitree - the way you commanded your Pokemon was so passionate that he could hardly believe this was the first Pokemon in your care. Even he, Emmet - a Subway Boss! - found himself blown away by your strength and fury.
Your mastery of the Ultra Beast and knowledge of its abilities was as mesmerising as the hypnotic dance of cabled limbs beside you. The Signal Beam attack landed perfectly, searing the weakened form of Necrozma with deadly precision. You knew these monsters well, you had read up on them and loved them and now you were face to face with them - the fickle hand of fate seemed to be on your side, for whatever reason. Jealousy bubbled within the man's chest at that thought.
Necrozma unleashed Power Gem, firing lasers from pure energy crystals at Xurkitree. Your beast was still affected by Archeops' battle, the rock-type move drawing out a piercing squeal from the electrical alien as the damage stacked up. You remained steadfast, the sharp bark of a command triggering Xurkitree to unleash a powerful Thunderbolt. The electricity vividly sparked along Necrozma's prism armor, exacerbating the jarring erratic movements in the creature to an even more frightening degree.
The Prism Pokemon was weak, that was certain. Despite this frail lesser state, however, the pure blind fury it exhibited was enough of a fuel to keep it from outright collapsing. As it pulled off a critical hit Night Slash, the enraged aura that surrounded the Pokemon was becoming almost visible. The glass-like body of Necrozma seemed to splinter with every move it unleashed, the vicious crack of Xurkitree's lightning sending shards of black prism shards scattering across the ground. The iridescent glimmer reflected by the translucent pieces created a nearly dreamlike arena for the two giant aliens, the light from Xurkitree's limbs dancing off each little splinter of Necrozma like glitter in the air.
Outside the swirling storm walls, Emmet could hear sirens. The sound was muffled as if underwater, the flashing lights of emergency services vehicles leaving ghostly colours imprinted on the apocalyptic clouds. The siren wails seemed to pause, stutter, play in reverse... the nightmare unfolding before his eyes was growing more and more severe. It was as if Spacetime was rupturing with every anguished scream from Necrozma.
An even more horrifying image began to flicker in his vision, causing him to screw up his eyes and rub them furiously to ensure he was even seeing things correctly. Your body seemed to phase in and out of existence, your outline wavering like television static. Your clothes seemed to change with each jolt of energy ripping through the clearing, zapping from your ordinary outfit to a summery floral set of activewear. What in Arceus's name was f*cking happening?
Emmet watched in silent shock as you flickered more and more - sometimes a full bag would appear on your shoulder, sometimes your hair would change lengths or colours, sometimes a bulky black bracelet would appear on your wrist whilst you commanded your Xurkitree. The plethora of alternate images began to fade into a single instance, the combined states of You entangling into one form.
You stood unaware, calling for another Signal Beam as your tropical tank top and ripped shorts became the new reality, the thick bracelet on your arm glowing brightly with a crystalline glow to rival the fallen prisms sprinkled around you. Emmet could only let out a sharp laugh of amazement as you seemed to ignite with a visible power, your arms crossing in front of you in a strange burst of choreography as you cried out a new command for Xurkitree.
"That's enough! Xurkitree, lets electrify and paralyse with Gigavolt Havoc!"
The explosion that followed blew Emmet backwards blindly into an all-but-obliterated tree stump, the thud forcing all the air out of his lungs as he clutched his chest. His other hand rubbed at his eyes, a ringing in his ears and a bright seared blotch in his vision temporarily removing his senses. He thought he heard his name, muffled and distorted, echoing through his head as he slowly regained his ability to percieve his surroundings.
▿
"Emmet? Emmet!" You called out, panicking as you shook the unresponsive form of Emmet. Tears welled in your eyes as you gripped his shoulders, desperately trying to bring him back to the present. You all but sobbed when Emmet lurched forward with a sudden gasp, gulping in air and staring around in wide-eyed alarm. When he finally focused his eyes on you, his gaze softened and you couldn't help but pull him roughly into a hug. Your cheeks grew wet with tears as you felt Emmet latch onto you, clutching you as if you were going to fade away.
"Emmet... f*ck, I thought I'd lost you there." You pulled away and briefly scanned him for any visible injuries, a nervous chuckle escaping your lips.
"What. Wh- huh." Was all Emmet seemed capable of spitting out, his face returning to his default smile in a strangely creepy display. "How... how long..."
Oh, yeah. In the explosion, the storm had abruptly vanished. The chaos unfolding outside the woods had simply... vanished. The sirens no longer wailed, the lights of emergency vehicles completely absent. The stars above were twinkling delicately, completely unaware of the violence that so viciously obscured them moments ago. It was as if the storm never happened at all.
"You were out for a few minutes, Em," You finally answered him, hushing him as his face contorted into a display of deep confusion, "I know, it's weird. I don't know what the f*ck happened. Look..." You lifted your arm, showing Emmet the odd bracelet with a bewildered stare of your own, "A Z-Power Ring. It just... just appeared. And don't even get me started on these." You tugged at your tank top, hands visibly shaking.
"Necrozma." Emmet suddenly gasped, prompting you to stand up so he could see behind you.
Necrozma lay motionless on the ground, curled up into a fractured glass fortress. If you didn't know better, you'd think the thing was dead - it certainly didn't look to be alive in any way. The faint and easily missable glow of energy within its translucent skull reminded you to be on your guard, however. This extraterrestrial invader was weakened but not entirely powerless. Not yet.
Xurkitree sat limply against a tree nearby, head drooping as its cabled limbs lay still all around it in a rather sorry state. It was clearly on the verge of fainting - not surprising after your sudden powerful move. You nearly passed out from the power yourself.
Emmet shakily pulled the Ultra Ball from his pocket, hitting the button on the face to prepare it for catching. You stared at him in confusion as he held it out for you.
"You defeated it. You catch it." He told you, his smile strengthening as you hesitantly took the capsule in your hands.
"A-alright. Let's get this done," You whispered, taking cautious steps to the Prism Pokemon, "full speed ahead, I guess."
Chapter 15: destination approaching
Chapter Text
You stared at the fallen beast crumpled before you, a shaky breath leaving your lungs as you steadied your nerves and steeled your resolve. Hands dove into your pocket, retrieving the Ultra Ball belonging to Xurkitree from the unfamiliar shorts and recalling the Pokemon back to rest. There was a slight stillness in the air as you stepped softly towards the weakened form of Necrozma. An owl hooted in the distance and foxes scurried in the shadows as time seemed to return to normal, the calm night breeze slowly resuming and ghosting softly past your skin. A twig crunched beneath your step. Necrozma flinched, retreated into itself even more. Something was not right here, the nagging feeling of dread tugging at your heart and draining the blood from your face. This was the Legendary Prism Pokemon, a monster from dimensions still unknown to mankind - it seemed so weak and afraid in these moments, completely defying the legends spoken about in Alola. Were the legends even true? So far the games had been right about basically everything. Why was this beast different?
"H-hello..." you meekly called out to the Pokemon, unsure how to continue as you kept your distance, "You're hungry, aren't you...? That's why you came to find my Xurkitree. You aren't well."
As if in response, Necrozma's body shook with a booming rumble, trembling the ground around it before it stilled once more. Okay, that was progress... maybe? Who even knows. At this point you were entirely fueled by adrenaline - this wasn't exactly a situation you had planned to be in and the potential outcomes were so numerous you were glad you couldn't maintain a string of advanced thought for too long. Your electrifying Z-Move had decimated the flame within you and left you running on fumes... much like Necrozma.
"We want to help, Necrozma. We want to help you." you said softly, once again initiating your slow advance with hands held open. The empty Ultra Ball was visible in one hand - you didn't want to be seen as holding secrets from the powerful monster. You had to be open and honest.
Another step forward, another softly spoken coo of comfort.
"Come with us. I... I can share my light with you," you tapped your Z-Ring delicately, the crystalline surface seeming to reverberate with a soft chime as your nails touched the surface, "We need your help, Necrozma. And it looks like you need ours. Come with us. We can keep you safe."
The way Necrozma slowly rose from its self-pacifying hold was enough to send shivers down your spine. Weakly pressing itself up onto its clawed arms, the beast growled - the force of the vocalisation sending more splinters erupting from its body. As if knowing there was no options left, it bowed its massive angular head and let out a low rumble which seemed to vibrate your bones in the close proximity.
Another shaky breath, another step forward.
You pressed the Ultra Ball to Necrozma's head, leaving the beast to ultimately push the button that would result in the capture attempt. To your delight, the Legendary gently pushed forward, disappearing in a flash of light. The Ultra Ball shook feebly, the light turning green after just one pulse. The instant capture should have been exhilirating, triggering a sense of pride and victory within you.
All you felt was hollow as you picked up the ball and held it close. Even Emmet didn't cheer as he limped over to you, his face uncharacteristically painted with concern.
"You are not satisfied." Emmet noted, gaze dropping to to Ultra Ball.
"No, I'm not," You sighed, placing the ball in your pocket, "I know I've never seen real Pokemon before all... this, but this didn't feel right."
"It was verrrry weird." The man agreed, before letting out a confused hum.
You watched him bend down, reaching to the ground to pluck a stray shard of Necrozma from the dirt. Though, this splintered crystalline piece wasn't black like the rest - its pale hue was very much an anomaly amongst the glassy debris, the milky-white opacity barely concealing the black shape of a star within the center of the piece. It took you a few moments to analyse the item before the identity burst into your mind.
"Emmet. Holy sh*t, that's a Z-Crystal," you exclaimed as you gently took the gem from Emmet's hand, "I might be wrong but... I think it's Ultranecrozium. I'll have to check but if I'm right, then we might have our key to getting you home."
Emmet's eyes widened, his expression difficult to define as he digested the information. You pocketed the Z-Crystal and gently put a hand on Emmet's shoulder.
"C'mon, let's go home. I want a cuppa and you look like you need a lie-down." You nudged him, a soft smile forming on your lips as you gathered yourselves and began the short walk home with Emmet leaning on you for support.
[8:29pm] you: are you free rn
[8:30pm] you: we got some updates for u
[8:34pm] liz ☕🤎: b i literally just sat down to watch tv
[8:35pm] liz ☕🤎: wait what happened
[8:36pm] you: ngl probs best if u just came over lmao
[8:38pm] liz ☕🤎: ur the worst :) omw xoxo
[8:41pm] you: will leave door unlocked for u, come straight in
[8:42pm] you: and dw steroid pigeon isnt out
[8:46pm] liz ☕🤎: aw darn ill leave my baseball bat at home then
"You sure you're okay?" You asked Emmet, watching him from the bathroom doorway as he checked himself for wounds in the mirror. Liz would be at the house fairly soon but your focus was on the man in front of you, who winced as he tried to stretch his arms.
"Yup. My back hurts though. Can you check for me." Emmet asked in his usual question-less tone, his gaze meeting yours in the reflection of the mirror.
"Oh, sure." You replied, stepping into the bathroom as the Subway Boss removed his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and slowly shrugged it off so you could see his bare skin. Seeing him undress for any reason was enough to fluster you, but the massive bruise developing on his lower back kept your hormones in check as concern took over your expression. You gingerely pressed the pads of your fingers to the area, testing the sensitivity of the skin surrounding the reddish patch.
"Ow." Emmet stated, his matter-of-fact tone at first making you think he was just saying it to be dramatic. As you pressed his back again, he let out another louder 'ow'.
"Sorry! I was just seeing where it hurt," You pulled your hands away, rubbing Emmet's shoulder apologetically, "You've got some bruising going on but no other wounds. You should go lie down."
"I can lie down on the couch." Emmet assured you, causing you to frown.
"Not comfortably. C'mon, let's get you into bed." You turned to leave the bathroom, your steps ceasing when you heard absolutely no movement behind you.
"I don't want to go to bed." Emmet pouted, still watching you from the mirror with no shirt on.
"I'm not sending you to go and sleep, you dummy. I just don't want you to be up and about if it's gonna hurt you."
"I will lie down on the couch."
Groaning in vague exasperation, you couldn't help but let out a short chuckle at Emmet's childlike arguing. Before you left the bathroom, you quickly cleared your throat and pointed at the man's bare chest through the mirror.
"Put a shirt on first. You'll scare Liz."
"Why. Has she never seen a handsome man before."
The comment had you nearly choking on your next breath. You spun around and glared at Emmet incredulously, raising a brow at him as he tried not to giggle.
"Don't you start this again." You warned him, unable to stop the grin on your face breaking out.
"Start what?" Emmet inquired, co*cking his head to the side as if to feign innocence.
"Don't play dumb, I can see that smirk on your face. Next you're gonna ask me if you smell good or something."
Emmet barked out a sudden laugh, the back of his hand covering his mouth after the short outburst as if he didn't mean to let slip his amusem*nt.
"You won't let me forget that will you." He sighed, glaring at you.
"Absolutely not. Now come on, Smelly - Liz'll be here any second now. Remember: shirt."
Elisabeth arrived a few minutes later, dressed in cosy long-sleeve pyjamas and a long zipped-up coat. When you came to greet her, you couldn't help but raise a brow at her outfit choice.
"I love you but I'm not getting re-dressed just to come see you." Elisabeth teased, setting you off into a fit of giggles as you both embraced warmly. Liz's smile changed to a stunned surprise as she looked past you, her hand raising to wave awkwardly. "Hi, Emmet."
"I am Emmet. You are Elisabeth. Good to see you."
You turned slowly, your gaze falling upon Emmet's chest before you sighed in relief at his newly-acquired shirt.
"Hold on, why are you judging my jim-jams when you look like a Hawaiian pin-up girl?" Liz asked, holding back her laughter as she eyed your new garments. You frowned at her, ignoring the way Emmet snorted behind you.
"I didn't choose these!" You whined, realising very quickly that Liz had yet to be informed of the whole... well, whatever the f*ck happened earlier. Your friend stared at you with a smirk before glancing to Emmet.
"He isn't dressing you now, is he?" Liz's eyes grew wide, and much to your frustration, Emmet seemed to simply decide now would be the time to go sit on the sofa and rest his aching back. Liz chortled as you stared in bewilderment at the retreating man. "Guiltyyyy~!"
"No! C'mon, come sit down. You have a lot to catch up on."
Filling Elisabeth in on the action was both amusing and somewhat eye-opening. When you informed her that it was, in fact, her notes that ended up making the plan succeed she all but cheered out loud.
"Aww! I'm so glad I helped, look at me go!" She had beamed, warming your heart.
The cheery warmth died down fast once you began to recount the battle with Necrozma. Seeing the panic rising in Liz's face you opted to leave out some of the more terrifing details, instead focusing on the fact that Liz you helped us catch a Legendary Pokemon! It seemed to work somewhat, but you couldn't help leaning over to pull Liz into a side-hug to comfort her anyway.
"I'm just glad the storm stopped, it sounded like one of those huge tornadoes you hear about in America-" You continued, stopping abruptly as Liz muttered 'what?' from beside you.
"You mentioned this storm but like... it was nice and calm all evening. I hung my washing out to dry and everything." Liz told you, baffled by your tale.
"That's... odd. Emmet, you said you heard sirens, right?" You glanced to Emmet, your heart breaking slightly when he turned with a tired smile to look at you, "Em, sweetheart, you don't have to stay here if you want a nap or something..."
Sweetheart? Since when was that a thing?
Luckily Emmet either didn't notice or chose not to mention your new term of endearment. He sat up in his seat, hand rubbing his back with a pained smile before looking over at Elisabeth. "The sirens were verrry loud. Lots of flashing lights, too. Sounded like chaos." Emmet informed her, nodding before sinking back into his cushions.
"That's weird," Liz blinked, tapping her chin in thought, "doesn't explain the new drip, either." She gestured vaguely to you, her eye briefly catching on your Z-Power Ring. "What's with the bootleg Rolex?"
You paused for a moment before realising what Liz was referring to. "Oh, this? It's a... uh, item from one of the games. It just... appeared during the fight."
"Hm," Liz pondered your situation for a moment, eyes narrowed as she regarded your attire, "are the clothes from the games, too? If they're not yours, that is, which you keep suspiciously insisting." Her teasing lilt did not go unnoticed, but the new theory distracted you from making a returning remark.
You gently pulled at the orange fabric of your tank top, eyeing the floral patterns and rubbing the material between your fingers. Elisabeth very swiftly noticed the way your face seemed to light up.
"I've done it again, haven't I? I really gotta start charging for this service, y'know." She mumbled, grinning as you rose from the sofa to fetch your mobile phone.
When you sat back down, you'd already opened a Pokemon database site, scouring through the pages discussing the various features of the seventh generation games. A link titled 'Trainer Customization' caught your eye, a quick tap opening the new page and starting the tedious loading of what felt to be a hundred small screenshots of every customisation option in the games. Mercifully - as if Arceus itself decided to give you a little hand out of impatience - the article's header image was a simple screenshot of the male and female main character default options. The female model was eerily similar to you.
"Liz, at this point you could be a Pokemon Professor!" You exclaimed in delight, reaching to pat your friend heartily on the back.
"I don't know what that means but it sounds cool so... yay!" Liz clapped her hands, looking over at Emmet to boast some more before her hand went to cover her mouth.
Following her gaze, you found Emmet softly breathing, eyes closed as he slumped against the back of the sofa. His chest slowly rose and fell with each deep breath, his mouth slightly agape as he let out the occasional quiet snore.
"I did tell him to go to bed..." you mumbled, resisting the urge to crawl over and stroke his hair. He seemed so peaceful, so calm and free of worry. The wonders of sleep, eh? Liz chuckled in a hushed volume, tapping your shoulder to recapture your attention. The way she grinned at you so deviously had you wishing Emmet would return to the land of the living so you wouldn't be left dealing with what you knew was coming next.
"Sooooo~", Liz began, now whispering, "Sweetheart?" You blushed furiously, avoiding eye contact as you scratched at the back of your head.
"It's not like... like whatever you have in that weird head of yours," you firmly told her, eyes narrowed when you finally met her gaze, "He's hurt and he's tired, and... it just slipped out."
"Suuuure."
"Liz. He's right there. Shush."
"You can just snuggle him back to sleep!"
"I love you Liz but I am not above unleashing an alien monster to beat you to death."
You heard a sound behind you, the clearing of someone's throat. You paled, spinning around to see Emmet still laying motionless aside from the steady movement of his chest.
"I am Emmet. I am not deaf. No alien monsters inside the station, please." He mumbled, clearly not as asleep as you had thought.
The scowl you threw Elisabeth's way was downright vicious, causing the other woman to snort as she desperately fought the urge to laugh.
"Sorry, Emmet! You can go to sleep if you-" You were cut off by Emmet's firm 'ahem', his eyes opening so he could smirk at you.
"'Emmet'? I am Emmet, yes. But what happened to sweetheart."
"I am going to beat you to death as well, holy sh*t." You buried your face in your hands, surrounded on both sides by two giggling demon schoolchildren.
The rest of the evening was spent threatening various methods of fatal violence upon your two companions and musing over the peculiar clothing you suddenly owned, the appearance of the Z-Ring, and the bizarre storm-that-didn't-actually-exist. Elisabeth seemed to be enjoying being included, her ideas and thoughts growing more and more creative (at one point, she outright suggested you were a clone sent by aliens to guard the village because it was actually a hub for alien meetings - that one got a loud barking laugh out of you).
Eventually, however, you had to let Liz go. It was pushing eleven o'clock at night and she seemed to grow more drowsy with each passing moment. Leaving Emmet vaguely awake on the sofa, you went to see Liz out.
"You sure you don't want me to walk you home?" You asked, slight worry lacing your words. Liz shook her head and smiled at you.
"Nah, I'll be fine. It's not like there's anybody out at this time. And if anybody is out, I can just karate chop their fragile bones."
"Please don't karate chop the elderly," you chuckled, "but seriously, get home safe. Text me as soon as you're back."
"Sure thing, sweetheart." Oh you were so gonna let Archeops bite her toes for this.
"Shut up, oh my lord," You playfully swatted her arm, grinning as she pouted at you, "on a final unrelated tangeant, I'm glad you're handling this stuff. I know it's wild and seems to get wilder with each update." You sighed, staring down at your feet.
"Honestly? I'm just glad you have train boy over there with you. I thought he was weird at first - I mean, I still think he's weird - but he seems good. He's kept you safe. I can appreciate that. I don't have to worry as much," Liz said softly, her smile warm, "it's... helped keep me sane lately."
"Don't forget you help a lot, too. We wouldn't have gotten this far without you."
Liz blushed, gesturing as if to push you away in embarassment, "Pleaaaase, it's the least I can do as Professor."
"You really like that title, huh?"
"Yup. It's only fair that I get to be a Pokemon character too now that you've basically turned into one."
You paused, mulling over Liz's amused words. "Pokemon character..." You repeated, lost in thought.
"I really need to stop being so good at this." Elisabeth muttered, blinking at you as you mumbled inaudibly. She almost yelped when you bolted back to reality, eyes wide.
"No, you need to keep being good at this. I think I understand what happened now," You informed her, a wide smile upon your face as you gestured wildly to yourself, "I.... I think I've been turned into the Sun and Moon player character."
Chapter 16: new uniform
Chapter Text
Once Elisabeth was on her way home, you closed the door with your mind travelling like a bullet train down so many different tracks it was hard to keep up.
Let's say that the current theory was right: somehow, for some reason, you had ended up merging with the protagonist from the Pokemon games set in Alola. It sounded so ridiculous to you, the thought nearly leaving as quick as it came, but then you remembered that one of the Subway Bosses from Pokemon Black and White was snoozing on your couch after being injured during your battle with a literal Legendary Pokemon. Something was drastically wrong with the timelines here and the condition Necrozma was in when you encountered it just made that lurking fear more and more potent.
As you made your way back to the sofa, you wordlessly ran through your current observations, hoping to pull a Liz-braincell-moment and piece something - anything - together from the chaos that continued to unfold all around you.
Okay. Breathe.
First of all, Necrozma was definitely not alright. Its prism armor was almost shattered to pieces. Whatever did this to it must have been on a whole other level of rage, maybe taking advantage of the weakened black state of the Pokemon - you knew Necrozma pretty well from the franchise and you knew its powerful original form was not something to be trifled with. So... that was incredibly concerning.
Two. The apparent bubble that surrounded you when you battled Necrozma was not a familiar phenomenon. If Emmet was right about hearing the sirens play back almost as if someone was messing with an audio recording then it meant time was a little f*cked up outside your set arena. Not to mention you apparently rapid-fire cycled through appearances like a character creator set to randomise. You didn't notice yourself, so once again, you had to trust Emmet's insight. It was like dimensions were colliding or... something. Or maybe you were just thinking about that Spiderman movie that released fairly recently... the one with the multiverse stuff?
f*ck, you're getting off track. Focus.
By the time you sat down, Emmet had noticed your blank expression and total silence with a worrying glance.
"What are you thinking." His voice brought you out of your mind's clutches, causing you to blink rapidly and shake your head.
"Sorry. I was just... trying to make sense of everything." You groaned, rubbing the bridge of your nose as you let out a sigh.
"Unsuccessfully." Emmet deduced.
You nodded as you repeated, "Unsuccessfully." Emmet seemed to deflate a little, his gaze falling to the floor before wandering over to the Nintendo Switch dock sat unused by the television. You moved up the sofa to sit nearer to him, careful not to cause too much movement so as not to aggravate Emmet's sore back. Without a word spoken, Emmet opened his arms wide, a sad look thrown your way. You nodded, understanding the silent plea as you gently lowered yourself onto his chest. He held you close, your cheek pressed against his ribcage where you could feel every beat of his heart. Emmet's strong arms gripped you as he adjusted himself, causing you to squeak out in surprise as he more or less laid across the sofa with you on top of him. He winced as he adjusted his back, before letting out a sigh of relief at the new comfort of laying down.
"This is okay, right?" He asked, unusually nervous. You nodded against him, but mumbled a soft 'yeah' so there was no room in Emmet's mind for doubt.
"Safety check..." You murmured, lifting your head from Emmet's chest to glance at him with a questioning look.
"Still on track," He replied, smiling faintly, "though I can't help but wonder if there's any point to it."
You tilted your head, "What do you mean?"
Emmet seemed to pause, mulling over his words it looked like. That alone was enough to make you worry for him. "We make progress, things go south. We get closer to the destination... then the next station vanishes. It feels like I'll never see home again."
The way his voice quivered at the end of his sentence had tears welling up in your eyes.
"Em, don't say that," You said softly, reaching up to gently touch his cheek - your heart nearly skipped a beat when his head tilted to lean into your touch - in a manner intended to be comforting, "We have Necrozma now. It can make wormholes - if we can get it back to its regular strength, we can get you back to your world."
"'If'," Emmet repeated, frowning at your poor word usage, "Who's to say I won't get sent back here again. Or to some other world I don't understand."
"I-I don't have the answer Em, but if that does happen I'll be right back at your side to help. Please don't give up hope. Think about Unova, all those people in Nimbasa City who miss you. Think about your Pokemon waiting for you to come home. Think about... about Ingo."
Emmet's chin trembled, his eyes glossy in the dim light of the living room, before he shakily replied, "I failed them all once when I lost Ingo. I'll just do it again-"
Before he could finish his sentence, you shifted your body to essentially straddle his waist, keeping your weight balanced on your knees so you didn't put pressure on his back. Both hands held Emmet's cheeks firmly, making him look up at you.
"You didn't fail anybody. What happened to Ingo wasn't your fault." You told him, tone stern but soft in volume.
"How do you know." When you hesitated, Emmet's eyes grew wide and his faint smile became uncannily more visible. "You... do you know who did this. To my brother. To me."
"No. I mean, not really. I don't know much, but-" Emmet rose up like a vampire from a coffin, growling as the pain in his back reprimanded him for moving so fast. You remained sat in his lap, now staring like a Deerling-in-headlights at the strange shift in the man's demeanor.
"Tell me what you know. Please." Emmet's tone was somehow fiercely stern but also a beg - you found yourself unable to look away as he mirrored your earlier position and held your face in his hands.
"Um... okay," You began, voice shaky, "There's a chara- a man, I mean. He's part of the new game and he... ends up being a bit crazy."
"Go on."
"His name is Volo. He broke open a rift in spacetime..." you slowed your speech as your own revelations hit you like a freight train, "... the rift that the player fell through at the start of the game. There's theories that Ingo had the same thing happen. Wrong place, wrong time... he fell into a very new place in a very old time."
Emmet took a moment to digest this new information, a flicker of rage briefly visible in his blank stare. You found yourself growing nervous, your mind recalling some of the fanart and headcanons people had as a result of the situation with Ingo in the game - many expected Emmet to end up similarly to Volo... a little unhinged.
"Emmet? You still with me?" You asked timidly.
"Hm? Yes. I am Emmet. I am here," He replied, a startled look in his eyes as he let you go, "I... I apologise. I don't know what came over me."
"It's okay, you're fine," Was he? "You just... worried me a bit there."
"Sorry..." Emmet all but whispered, surrendering to your touch as you pulled him back into a gentle hug.
"We'll get you home. We'll get Ingo back, too," you assured him, softly petting his hair, "and I swear to God I'll do everything in my power to stop this from happening again." You couldn't help the way your voice ended in a snarl.
Your mind drifted to the image of Volo, standing smug upon Spear Pillar with his stupid outfit and stupid hair. If the fan theories were correct and Volo was responsible for utterly shredding spacetime, you were sure you would be the one to just as viciously rip him apart. Just like him, you'd had a bizarre change in wardrobe. And, just like him, you were filled with a fiery determination to get your way no matter what.
Emmet slept in the next morning, though you didn't complain. By the time he went to bed he was all but unconscious on his own two feet. You were still a little shaken up by his peculiar behaviour and opted to begin researching for the final part of the Get Em Home plan: opening a wormhole.
The idea was simple. Get Necrozma feeling better, get it to open a crossdimensional wormhole, shove Emmet through, and then get Ingo. Spoken out loud, however... it felt silly. Wormholes? Crossdimensional travel? Going back in time? It felt like a sh*tty sci-fi movie plot. Not to mention this was real life - you weren't gonna have ominous brick-like robots with a bad sense of humour helping you traverse time and space like in Interstellar. You had Bulbapedia, fan forums, a couple video games, and a big f*cking monster tree. Still, you thought, it was better than nothing at all.
Archeops rested beside you on your bed, having decided Emmet was no fun and craving conscious company. He was still groggy after being totally decimated by Necrozma, and without revives and other items to use, Archie had to rely solely on good ol' R&R. His head rested against your thigh as you tapped away at your laptop, your phone resting on the bird's back so you could see Datadex. Luckily, the Pokemon had no issues with being used as a giant fluffy phone stand, instead content to cluck softly next to you as you murmured to yourself.
So far the search efforts were delivering plenty of information that was... only a little useful. Due to the nature of the games being, well, games, there were a lot of gaps between plot points and vague explanations for things that really would have helped if you had more detail. It didn't help that a lot of info relating to Legendary Pokemon stemmed from in-universe rumours and legends - hardly reliable sources.
Even the extensive lore given for the Ultra Wormholes raised more questions than it answered. The main issue was feeding Necrozma - you knew it needed 'light', whatever that was. You knew that light came from the Z-Power Ring when you used it, and you knew that power is thought to have come from the wormholes themselves. Then you found some sources claiming light was literal light, others claiming it was actually the energy forming the bond between Pokemon and Trainer as their wishes combined, and all sorts of wacky theories that squirmed in-between. It was hard to differentiate useful info from useless conspiracy.
Your mind eventually wandered to the Ultranecrozium, the dull crystal sitting on your bedside table rather pathetically. You were unsure how to proceed with using the thing, seeing as it had different usage styles in different continuities. In the manga, for example, Necrozma simply absorbed the crystal to gain the power it needed to change form. In the games, Necrozma needed to fuse with the Legendary Pokemon of the Sunne or Moone first and then it needed to hold the crystal and then the trainer had to do a funky dance move...
You sighed out loud, sitting back against your pillows as Archeops lifted his head with a squawk. You ruffled his neck feathers, careful to avoid knocking your phone onto his little clawed wing-hands.
"Don't worry lil man, we'll get you home. We just gotta get Necrozma feeling better first."
Archeops seemed to understand, but even if he did, it wasn't like he could talk back. It was a shame Necrozma was so gigantic - otherwise you could have simply had the massive creature napping on your bed to regain its energy like Archeops did. It wasn't like Necrozma even had a visible mouth to consume food, either. You could give Archeops a banana and he'd get his energy back in no time. Hell, even Xurkitree was easy to feed - turns out it could just absorb electricity from its surroundings by shoving its limbs into the ground.
You thought back to Xurkitree, remembering your Electric Z-Move you had unleashed by its side. The Z-Ring appearing on your wrist with the Electrium Z-Crystal seemed to just... trigger an instinctive reaction. Almost like a habit that snapped into play at the right time. The power that surged through you when you commanded Xurkitree was so potent, so tangible - it was no surprise your determination to see things through ended up manifesting as a bright burst of energy.
Pausing, you explored that train of thought further. Maybe this idea of 'light' was in fact a combination of all the legends, all the rumours? A combined will strengthened by the bond between trainer and beast, using the Z-Ring as a sort of conduit, and the bright light that was emitted was the physical realisation of that power. You hoped the goofy choreography that was in the games was simply a cultural thing and not actually necessary. You still felt embarrassed when you remembered you actually reenacted the Electrium Z boogie.
You opened up a Microsoft Word document that was sitting on your desktop - the file being used to copy and paste important lore information - and added a new paragraph detailing your new ideas. At the end of the text, you hummed and tapped in a final sentence: Necrozma and I need to be on the same page, and for that to happen, we need to become friends :)
Chapter 17: necessary maintenance
Notes:
thank u for all the comments, i cherish them all
<3
in this chapter u learn to cope. i hope u can say the same in real life
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"You want to battle me, Emmet, with Necrozma."
"Yes."
Emmet stared at you incredulously, having only just woken up from his sleep-bordering-on-small-coma and immediately being pounced on by you. He rubbed his eyes, glancing down at Archeops who sat quietly at your feet.
"N-not right now, obviously. Just... at some point." You clarified, hoping you didn't come off too strong by leaping at the tired man and basically saying the Pokemon equivalent of 'oi m8 fight me'.
Em's tired expression morphed into his iconic wide grin, seemingly finding the energy he previously lacked when faced with one of his favourite activities. "I am a Subway Boss. I may have lost against you last time... but it was fun! Absolute chaos! I'd love to play again."
"Sweet! Hey, it's a shame you only have Archeops. Would have loved to see your skills in action with a Double Battle." You nudged him playfully, before remembering the man's wounded back. "How's the bruise, by the way?"
"Sore. Could you look at it again."
"Sure thing! Turn around for me."
Emmet obediently complied, letting out a steadying breath as you pulled up the long-sleeve shirt he was wearing in order to judge his injury. It was still ghastly to look at, a dark blotched reminder of the very real consequences of dealing with these Pokemon. You felt a pang of guilt over the fact that Emmet was hurt when you, the person responsible for the explosion in the first place, was unaffected.
"It's not that bad is it." Emmet huffed, noting your silence and seeming to interpret it as a pause of concern.
"Oh, no no it's looking like a normal bruise, I just got distracted." You assured him, smoothing down the shirt again before patting his shoulder to signal that you were done.
He informed you he was going to put the kettle on, you asked he get a mug out for you too, he smiled at you with an energetic nod, you smiled back... ah, there it is again. That painful spark of domesticity and affection. You'd seriously gotten used to having Emmet around, entertaining you with his antics and keeping you company each day. Watching him leave the hallway and head into the kitchen, you found yourself picturing the inevitable day where you would have to let him go. Even just thinking about waving him goodbye for the last time sent a ripple of heartbreak coursing through you as if Xurkitree had shocked you, the emotion paralysing you where you stood. You'd never see him again if all worked well. He'd go back to being nothing more than a fictional character, a memory, someone to look back on and pine for. You weren't ready to grieve again.
That raised the opposite scenario from the depths of your imagination. What if, somehow, you could stay with Emmet? Would he even want that? What if he was looking forward to the day he could go home and pretend you and your world never existed?
Could a relationship with him even be pursued? Was it too soon for you? You thought of your partner, watching you in whatever form he now took, feeling betrayed by your new infatuation.
Infatuation? That's what we're calling it now?
No point being naive to your own feelings. You quickly ducked into your room, throwing yourself on your bed so you could at least be somewhere comfortable as you explored the feelings you were so useless at acknowledging. You thought of the day where you danced together in the living room, the day where he gave you his jacket so you wouldn't feel cold, the day where you almost felt what his lips would be like against your own...
f*ck. You really were in deep. You articulated the emotion in your head, reciting it to yourself to force a coming-to-terms-with moment.
I have a massive crush on Emmet.
You felt a little lighter, the weight of all the once undisclosed emotions lifting off of your heart. A little heaviness remained, still suffocating in its own venomous way, but at least you had taken a step forward. Or... whatever your therapist would have told you if you still attended those useless sessions.
You heard Emmet call out your name, informing you that the kettle had finished boiling. As you crumpled your body onto the floor before standing back up to make your way to the kitchen, you decided on a quick detour before Destination: Necrozma. Fixing yourself a cup of tea, you decided it was time to summon the powerful Pokemon Professor: Elisabeth.
Phone in one hand and cup of warm tea in the other, you sat at the dining table texting Elisabeth whilst Emmet prepared a salad for Archeops. The bird waited patiently at the table, sitting in the chair opposite you.
[12:11pm] you: hey prof
[12:11pm] you: i need some advice
[12:12pm] you: not about pkm this time i just need an opinion
You tapped your foot on the floor, knee lightly bumping against the underside of the table, as you anxiously waited for Liz to reply. It was a Sunday after all, she was probably still in bed enjoying the-
[12:16pm] liz ☕🤎: whats up b x
Orrr she was on her phone ready for your bullsh*t. Yeah, sounds about right. You smiled at the screen, grateful you were friends with this wonderful woman.
[12:17pm] you: am i moving on too fast
Okay, now that you'd sent that out to someone other than yourself it became all too real. You started to panic internally, wondering if you're even ready to know the answer. Hastily tapping out a new message before Liz could reply, you tried to reverse the conversation and reschedule it for another time.
[12:18pm] you: sorry that was a bit sudden, nvm ok?
[12:18pm] liz ☕🤎: call me
Emmet noticed your frown and pale face, crouching next to the table so he could be roughly eye-level with you.
"You look verrry startled." He observed, tilting his head.
"Sorry, I just need to call Liz. Thanks for the tea, Em!" You blurted out, picking up your phone and your mug and disappearing into your room. The emotions were running fiercely beneath your skin and you did not want Emmet to see you rupture.
Once your door was shut and your body laid across your bed, you hesitantly hit the 'call' button by Elisabeth's contact details. The call was immediately answered by a warm voice soothing you from the other end.
"Hey sweetie, talk to me." Liz cooed, the pure gentleness of her voice nearly making you break into a choked sob.
"I just," you glanced at your door nervously, praying that Emmet couldn't hear you as you lowered your voice, "I think I fancy Emmet. A bit too much."
You expected Liz to tease you, whoop over the phone - anything. Instead, she sighed.
"I know. You're worried about last time though, aren't you?" You debated asking how Elisabeth knew your feelings before you did, but then you remembered this woman was scarily observant and had the added experience of knowing you for way too long.
"Yeah." Once you admitted it, the floodgates opened. You let out a strangled whine over the phone, your hands furiously trying to wipe away the tears starting to fall.
"Oh, honey... listen to me, okay? Everyone moves on at different paces, there's no right or wrong time. Don't beat yourself up about that, okay? Wherever he is right now I bet he's just super stoked to see you smiling each day." Elisabeth's voice was like a grounding hypnotic lullaby, easing the chokehold your grief held on your heart with every motherly word.
"I just, I just worry that, like..." You sniffled, struggling to form sentences through the lump in your throat, "I worry he'd be mad. That I like someone else." The chokehold loosened just a little more.
"Is that you talking or your anxiety talking?" Liz asked, enunciating her words slowly for you.
"...My anxiety." You answered with reluctance, the spoken words reminding you of their truth.
"Thatta girl. I bet he's real proud of you. I know I am," You let out a small breathy laugh, rubbing your eyes again, "There we go, you're doing great."
"Thanks Liz..." you murmured, wishing you could reach through the phone and hug her, "It's just hard knowing what the right thing to do is. Y'know?"
Liz chuckled over the phone, before letting out a sigh. "Yeah, I know that feeling. Just remember, no matter what happens, I'm-"
"Always ready to beat up train boy, I know." You chuckled, relieved to feel the lump in your throat fading with each passing moment.
"Actually, I was gonna say I'm always going to support you, but 'beat up train boy' was next on the list," a shared laugh, a lighter heart, "but seriously, if you want this, you go for it. I'm right here for you whichever way you decide to go."
"You are my hero," you praised, sniffing away the more joyful tears trying to escape, "seriously, you've done so much for me these last few weeks and I just... I'm so grateful."
"Aww, don't mention it, sweetie. Besides, you kinda gave me something in return. Remember that easel with the painting I couldn't find the motivation to finish? I'll send you a pic, I found some inspiration out in the wild." You could almost hear her winking through the phone.
"I can't wait to see it, Professor."
"Oh I am loving that title. Please change my name in your contacts to that."
"Consider it done."
"Lovely!" Liz giggled, "Now then, one to ten - how are we doing?"
"Um... I'd say a nine." You replied, hearing a delighted squeal on the other end of the phone.
"Look at you go! I'm glad you're doing okay now. Do you need me to come over later?"
"No, you're fine - I don't want to be constantly holding you hostage." You mumbled, hearing Liz scoff in reply.
"As if. I like seeing you. But if you change your mind, you know who to call!"
The phone call ended with a plethora of exchanged giggles and goodbyes, praises tumbling from your mouths as you reluctantly hung up the phone. Elisabeth was going to get the ultimate birthday present this year. Stripper cake or something, too. You quietly thanked her again despite her being unable to hear, before you quickly changed into some warmer clothes to make a brief but necessary detour. When you opened your door, Emmet was there with his hand raised as if just about to knock.
"Oh. Sorry. I thought I heard crying. I was worried." Emmet explained, causing you to blush. Oh Lord, you hoped he only heard crying and nothing else.
"Yeah, I was just... I needed to talk to Liz about something. It's all good now, no more worries," you reassured Emmet, smiling warmly at him, "though I do need to quickly do something. I'll only be ten minutes, if that."
"Do you need me to accompany you."
"No, I need to do this myself. If... that makes sense."
"Very well. Safe driving, everybody smile!" Emmet beamed down at you, comically patting your head before returning to Archeops in the kitchen.
With shoelaces tied, jacket buttoned up, and Necrozma's Ultra Ball in your pocket (purely because you felt it would be good to keep the Pokemon by your side), you left the house and picked out a small selection of flowers from your front garden. The yard was still in a very sorry state after your first encounter with Xurkitree, but you just didn't see any need to tidy it up. The chaos was as much a fixture of the home now as the Pokemon itself.
Your new destination was just on the outer edge of the village, surrounded by fields and overlooking a valley of further farmland. It was a gorgeous view, with clouds in the distance giving way to slivers of golden sunlight, but you rarely came down here to appreciate it. You pushed open an old rusted gate leading into an old church garden, nodding to a few elderly women who volunteered to keep the church building and surrounding flowerbeds tidy. They smiled knowingly at you, solemnly nodding as you tread through the garden to the flat plot of land behind the church itself.
The neatly trimmed grass was littered with a variety of headstones, each a different shape and hue from the one next to it. You took your time walking past the collection of glossy marble and clean slate markers, approaching a dark stone cross with a shaky sigh. You crouched at the grave marker, placing Necrozma's Ultra Ball at your side - it gave you a sense of companionship somehow - before lowering your collection of flowers to arrange them at the base of the cross.
"Sorry I haven't come by in a while," you whispered aloud to the stone, "things have been... weird. Its hard without you. But... I..." you hesitated, struggling to find the words you had so bravely said to Elisabeth. You wondered if this visit was even a good idea.
Your gaze drifted to the Ultra Ball, the little capsule sitting still amongst the grass. You thought of Necrozma, then Xurkitree, then Archeops... Emmet...
"I have... people who depend on me now," you murmured, eyes still lingering on the Pokemon capsule, "I wish you could have seen the things I've been able to do because of them. They really help me push forward. I think you'd like these guys."
Necrozma's ball twitched, gently rocking in the grass as you paused. You had no idea what that meant, but you interpreted it as support. A deity prompting you to continue.
"I met someone, too. I..." A heavy sigh, the chokehold inside you stiffening, "I think I've fallen for them. I haven't forgotten you. I'll never forget you. I just... it's time, I think. I hope you understand," you picked up Necrozma, cradling the ball in your hand. There was a warmth to it, a comforting glow that made you smile, "I have a mission now. A very big and very dangerous mission. But I won't be alone."
You kissed your fingertips and placed them onto the grass, feeling the cool soil beneath you as you closed your eyes and said goodbye. Necrozma went back into your pocket, you got to your feet, and you took a deep breath. A steady inhale, lungs expanding freely and without much constricting them. The venomous viper that was anxiety still lurked within you, coiled and ever ready to strike, but you felt stronger - you were making your own antivenom and you were going to fight the beast when it came to smother you.
The pain still laid there, but you felt happier leaving it be. With a much more confident stride, you headed home again. Before you left the church, however, you sent a very important person a very important text.
[12:58pm] you: feeling much better now. ur my hero
[12:59pm] professor liz ☕🤎: thats my girl x
[01:01pm] professor liz ☕🤎: heres that painting btw :)
[01:01pm] image recieved
Opening the image, you found your smile growing wide upon your face and a warmth bubbling within your soul.
In the painting, a storm brewed over an ocean scene with a small tree in the foreground. Lightning struck the waves as a familiar little bird monster, rainbow in hue with claws upon its wings, sat atop the tree and roared at the storm in colourful defiance.
Notes:
i will probs paint liz's painting at some point <3
Chapter 18: final preparations
Notes:
we're in the endgame now, gaymers
Chapter Text
Things felt like they were moving faster, more precisely. You ended up feigning a personal emergency, receiving the all-clear to take the next few days off work. Elisabeth had your back - she wasn't exactly down for doing your shifts but once she was informed she would be getting the money from it, her tune changed. With the schedule clear and distractions absent, you and Emmet could finally get started on the homeward stretch of the journey.
Each night you took to the clearing in the woods, letting out Necrozma to check its condition and simply keep it company. It was a very stoic Pokemon, never really revealing much or making much noise unless you outright prompted it to. It was uncanny at first but you soon found yourself understanding that this was simply how Necrozma was - you had even joked out loud that Emmet took most of the hyperactive energy when he fell through the wormhole. Emmet had laughed at that, and Necrozma had tilted its massive angular head... whatever that meant. As its prismatic armor caught the reflection of the moonlight, you could have sworn the surface seemed smoother.
During one of the outings you had specially brought along Xurkitree. Archeops sat with a snarl in the clearing, blasting Xurkitree with a well-timed Earthquake that prevented the Ultra Beast from finishing its Thunderbolt strike. Necrozma laid behind you as you called out commands to Xurkitree, its massive clawed arms almost surrounding half of the circular clearing as it observed your battles. The idea of the Legendary forming an audience was all Emmet's idea.
"You can tell a lot about someone by the way they battle." Emmet had explained, 3DS in hand as he fed his newly acquired virtual Archen some rainbow beans, "It's part of why I love battling so much. You can really see the trust in a Trainer's Pokemon, the never-ending support! It's so much fun."
"So... if we get Necrozma to watch how we both battle, it might trust us more?" You'd inquired for clarification, tapping your chin in thought.
"Yup! I would also like to battle you again. When we clash in battles, I feel verrrry excited!" The way he beamed at you with a giddy smile was simply adorable. You had nearly tossed a cushion across the couch at him just so the endearing display would stop making you blush so hard.
"If you just wanted to battle me, you coulda just asked, you nerd." You teased, sticking your tongue out at him as he laughed.
"I always want to battle. I am Emmet. I like winning more than anything."
When Xurkitree crawled over to you after one of these battles, whether due to delight at having won or from fatigue after being defeated, you felt Necrozma's steely gaze on your interactions at all times. When your Electric-type monster glowed in glee at being petted, you heard a subtle rumble come from the ominous prism behind you. Emmet looked to you and nodded, prompting you to slowly turn around with hands raised so Necrozma could see your palms.
"I can pet you too, if you'd like." You softly told the godlike being, stepping towards it with slow yet confident steps. Necrozma did not flinch nor growl, a promising sign. When you finally made contact with the creature's massive crystalline head, the entire Pokemon seemed to tremble as it released a low reverberating purr. The armor tingled beneath your palms as the beast seemed to vibrate temporarily, the cool glassy surface of its skin slowly growing warm as your body heat transferred.
"See, that's not so bad, huh?" You chuckled, finding the act of stroking a monster from a foreign dimension to be almost addicting.
When Necrozma suddenly lurched forward, great clawed hands striking into the ground, you could only stumble backwards and gasp in awe - it pushed itself up off of the ground, no longer in the crumpled pile of shattered limbs, and slowly began to levitate. The floating was not as stable as it should have been, but the fact Necrozma found the energy to rise up at all was utterly amazing. You clapped your hands, smiling proudly at the beast as it leaned forward towards you, the crest of its helmeted skull dipping close to your forehead. Your hands reached to delicately touch its head once more, a delighted gasp escaping you as you eyed only a few stray cracks in its body.
"We make quite the team, huh?" You asked the creature, rhetorically of course though it still let out a deep thrum as an answer, "I won't push you to use your power. Not until you are ready. I need you to communicate with me, okay? I know you're a Psychic-type - when you feel you have the strength to open a wormhole, I need you to let us know somehow. Can you manage that?"
The creature was immobile for a moment before leaning into your hands, a second thrum echoing out of it.
"That sounds like a yes to me. What a spectacular Pokemon and a spectacular Trainer," Emmet mused merrily, coming up beside you with a proud smile, "Your combination is the best. It's perfect!"
Xurkitree let out a weak hissing sound, cabled arms drooping beside it. Emmet scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned to scowl at your Pokemon.
"Now now. Your combination is just as good." He informed the Ultra Beast, chuckling as the giant tree-like organism lifted its arms to wiggle them in delight.
Once your Pokemon were safely home inside their capsules, you began the short walk back with Emmet. The night was cold and crisp, but the skies were clear - a hope-inspiring sight. The circular shape of the moon seemed to shine brightly with promises of the future, the white light resembling an Ultra Wormhole above you. It was somehow a comforting presence, watching over you rather than looming menacingly.
"What's next." Emmet's voice chimed in, breaking your meditative thoughts.
"Hm? Oh! Well, we need to trigger Necrozma's transformation somehow. I have an idea of how that will work-"
"A battle using Necrozma, yes?"
"Precisely. If I can share my Z-Power with it, it should help it undergo Ultra Burst. I just hope my light will be enough to make that happen. In the games, Necrozma needed another Pokemon to feed off of, almost like a parasite." You hummed at the thought, frowning.
"Ultra Burst will make it become The Blinding One."
"Yep. It's true form. I'm hoping that if it becomes Ultra Necrozma, it'll have the stability and power to make a wormhole that is not only safe to cross, but also able to cross different worlds. It's one thing going through time, but going from dimension to dimension? I think Necrozma will appreciate the extra boost in strength."
Emmet stayed quiet for a while, brows knitted together in thought as he stared ahead. He remained silent until you made it through your front door, clicking the lock shut behind you.
"It's almost time for me to go home." Emmet said simply, startling you somewhat as you removed your jacket.
"Yeah! Are you excited?" You asked, hoping the dread in your stomach didn't seem apparent in your voice.
"I was. I would like to see my Pokemon again. Elesa, too. And alllll the Subway staff. But you will not be there. That makes me a little sad." Emmet was incredibly blank with his tone, expression unreadable as he avoided your eyes.
You took a deep breath in, hoping your next words weren't about to explode in your face like a Gigavolt Havoc, "What if I was there? In your world, I mean."
Emmet glanced at you, slightly perplexed, "Existing already? Or... as a result of coming with me?"
"Coming with you." There it was, out on the line. You chewed the inside of your cheek as you watched Emmet's eyes grow wide before narrowing again.
"Is that an option."
"I mean, it could be." You answered, the look in your eye silently pleading for him to make this decision for you.
"You want to come with me." His voice was sharp, almost demanding a response. You worried he was mad, creeped out, or just... not happy with this in general. You fidgeted with your shirt as you let out a shaky breath.
"Yeah. I do." You finally murmured, waiting for the rejection you were so sure would follow. It did not. Instead, Emmet seemed to let out a breath you didn't know he was holding, a short sheepish chuckle leaving his lips.
"That makes me happy," Emmet said softly, smiling down at you with watery eyes, "I am not sure I can lose anybody else." His arms wrapped around you firmly, his cheek resting against your head as he ran his fingers through your hair.
"Yeah, me neither." You replied in a whisper, closing your eyes as Emmet held you against his chest.
Your mind went to the village, the people you had come to know over the years, your little place of work, your overpriced drinks you had become talented at making, your best friend... could you really leave them behind? For Emmet?
Then again, it wasn't just him anymore. You had Xurkitree, who certainly didn't belong here, and the powerful Necrozma - who had been viciously attacked by something and needed to go somewhere where it could be safe. There was Ingo, too - a man you had never actually met but by now you had grown very attached to, the unknown promise of bringing him home linking you together. These weren't fictional characters anymore - they were real beings with memories, hopes, dreams, pain and sorrows that needed your help.
"You could come stay with me. In Nimbasa. In the apartment I share with Ingo." Emmet mumbled under his breath, snapping you out of your inner monologuing. You pulled away slightly to give him a questioning glance.
"That's rather forward, even for you." You joked, grinning at him.
"I am serious. Really serious." He replied quickly, still holding your body against his own. Your faces were so close in this position, your circ*mstances feeling familiar as your eyes momentarily glanced at his lips. You felt your grin vanish and your lips part slightly, your heart pounding in your chest so strongly that you were sure Emmet could feel it beating against his own.
"You want me to live with you." You said softly, hoping to get some clarification so you knew you weren't just imagining things.
"Yes. Would you agree to it." Emmet continued to catch you offguard, the feeling of butterflies in your stomach bursting to life within you as he spoke.
"I... yeah. I'd like that." Emmet's smile returned full force, his hands gripping your back just a little tighter. You couldn't help but steal another glance at his lips, your faces so close you could count the creases in his skin.
"You'd like to kiss me."
The statement nearly threatened to knock you out, your cheeks flushing pink as you tried to look away from Emmet, failing miserably as he removed a hand from your back to angle your chin up to look at him.
"E-Emmet..." You stammered, your breaths growing heavy as your heartrate sped up.
"I am Emmet, yes. I asked you a question," Did you though?? "You'd like to kiss me. Yes or no."
You swallowed thickly, taking a deep breath before answering, "Yes."
"Good." You had no further warning as Emmet's lips crashed against yours, the hand still on your back pressing you into him whilst the grip on your chin moved to gently cup your cheek. All at once, you felt the tingling sensation of joy and surprise flood your system, a gasp escaping you ask you finally caught up with the reality of what was going on. Emmet was kissing you. Oh my god.
In a burst of absolute bliss-fueled confidence, you angled your head slightly to allow you to gently nibble Emmet's bottom lip, drawing a sharp gasp from the man. You took the opportunity to hold him closely as you swiped your tongue across his lip, urging him to deepen the kiss with a hoarse groan - a sound that travelled straight down into the pit of your belly, the sensation zapping your lower body with pulsing sparks of pleasure.
Sadly, at some point in time you did need to breathe. You pulled away from one another, gasping as you held eachother close. Emmet stroked your cheek, observing the way your pupils were blown wide with a pleased smirk.
"Stay with me tonight. No funny business. My back still hurts. I just... I need you." Emmet said simply, watching your face for any signs of discomfort. To his very visible delight, you giggled, your face positively glowing.
"What are we waiting for, then?" You mused, pulling Emmet closer to give him a gentle peck on the cheek as you finally got out of the main entryway of the home to make your way to bed, hand in hand.
Chapter 19: all aboard!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The next morning was a sleepy, peaceful start. You awoke in Emmet's bed, his arm draped over you and his nose nestled into the crook of your neck - it took you a few moments to process why you were here, your thoughts going to the dreams you had just awoken from only for it to become apparent that those dreams really did happen. Sighing contentedly, you let yourself relax against him, your back gently pressing against his chest. You expected him to be asleep - in your mind, you were more than happy to just sit quietly with him laid beside you for a while. However the gentle press of lips across the back of your neck made you giggle like a crushing teenager, your body turning over just enough to be able to look your companion in the eye.
Emmet was smiling sleepily, his silvery hair a scruffy mess and sideburns a little unkempt as they swept beside his cheeks. You gently cupped his chin with your hand, bringing him close for a brief and lazy kiss. He sighed against you, kissing you harder before you could pull away. The sudden burst of passion from him made you chuckle, the sound muffled against his mouth.
"Good morning to you too." You murmured when you finally broke away, gaze dancing from his lips to his eyes.
"Had to make sure you were real." Emmet explained in a gravelly sleepy voice, raising a finger to gently boop your nose.
"Don't you worry, I'm real. And," you pressed a quick peck on his lips, humming against him, " so are you."
"Perfect."
Breakfast was a joint effort, with Emmet contributing to the traditional English breakfast by coming up behind you to cuddle you. You knew he was a fairly physical person - the amount of time's he'd hugged you before was evidence of that - but it felt so much more comfortable now. The way he buried his face in the crook of your neck, humming against your skin as he pressed kisses wherever he could reach, made you feel he was made to fit beside you. Part of you wondered how long he had wanted you for - the subtle hint of desperation in every touch made it seem like Emmet had been eagerly waiting for this for a long time.
After a quick flash of light and a thud of scaly feet on the kitchen floor, Archeops was free to dash around your legs and cluck happily as he awaited his share of the meal. You set aside a raw egg for the bird, mixing the yolk and whites into a bowl of chopped up greens. You cracked open a can of kidney beans, draining the liquid from the tin and pouring a good portion over the Poke-salad. Before you could even mix the contents of the bowl, Archeops began to wag his tail and jump up, squawking each time he left the ground.
"Okay, okay! Geez, big guy be kinda hungry, huh? Lil man wants breakfast?" You cooed, placing the bowl over onto the floor by the dining table. Archeops scurried over immediately, noisily crunching the leafy greens and licking up the raw egg. Emmet chuckled, his breath tickling the back of your neck.
"You'd think he never gets fed." He commented, pulling away from you to get some cutlery ready as you finished with frying your own eggs. Strips of bacon sizzled away even after the stove heat was switched off, your line of sight briefly touching on the hungry bird on the floor - you knew what he was like, and you knew he was probably going to attempt a bacon theft at some point. Then again... Archeops would probably benefit from a little treat. Especally considering the plan for today.
You ate your breakfast together at the table with Archeops at your feet nibbling away at the pieces of bacon you had eventually tossed to him. The silence between the three of you was comfortable, a non-spoken conversation in the air consisting of smiles and glances. Even though the atmosphere was fresh - a new sense of freedom lurking in the distance - you knew there was one last thing to do.
"I'll need to have a chat with Liz, update her on what's going on..." You murmured, picking up the empty plates to put them in the sink. Emmet rose from the table with you, gently placing a hand on your shoulder.
"If you need me, I will accompany you." You smiled at him, your hand reaching up to cover his own.
"Thank you, Em," you let out a sigh, "I might need to talk to her myself first. Then she'll probably want a word with you by yourself." Emmet raised a brow.
"Is this where she finally stabs me." You let out a snorting laugh as you remembered the phone call in Leeds, the sight of Emmet looking at you with a startled stare when you'd told Liz not to get violent yet.
"Let's hope not. I'll send her a text and let her know to come over, she should be off work soon anyway." You mentally tried to remember what day it was, finding yourself failing to comprehend something as mundane as the day of the week. It was amusing how quickly things shifted in importance - just a few weeks ago you would have been hastily getting your work uniform on hoping you wouldn't be late, whilst now you were idly dreaming of gateways through space and time like you'd dream of crashing on the sofa after a long day serving coffees. Somehow the more dangerous and reality-bending wormholes seemed more familiar and more 'normal'.
Your text was sent with haste, the nervous tingling in your stomach growing to become something more akin to excitable anticipation. It wasn't like you were eager to leave your friend behind in this world - that was far from the truth. You simply found a new calling that changed the way reality was percieved by you, a new path that somehow felt as if it had always been on your road map without you realising. Even with the uncertainty that hovered around the plan to transform Necrozma you somehow felt confident and determined that today was the day worlds collided in a way that would paradoxically set them apart forever.
You scoffed in amusem*nt at your own internal dialogue, wondering when you got so damn dramatic.
Entering your bedroom, you changed from your comfy pyjamas into the Alolan clothing you had recieved during the fight with Necrozma. Your Z-Power Ring sat upon your wrist, the strap snug and comfortable against your skin, whilst the Electrium-Z that was placed in the center of the sparkling device was swapped out for the dull Ultranecrozium crystal. You held your wrist up to your chest, your eyes closed as you prayed to God, Gaia, Allah, Arceus - anybody who would listen, who would be willing to help - pleading that this would work.
Your phone chimed with a response from Elisabeth, your anxiety threatening to grip you by the throat as you opened the message to type out an excited reply. Hitting enter on the short message without hesitation seemed to stun the viper inside you, the ominous hiss of paranoia fading into obscurity as you searched your room for a particular object.
The blue 2DS that once belonged to your late partner sat on the bedside table, plugged in but no longer needing the battery power. You unplugged it, checking the game cartridge that was still inside, before wrapping the wire around the console and placing the coiled collective into a small paper bag (a remnant of previous gift-giving occasions that you would usually keep out of their usefulness. No point paying for new gift bags if you had some stashed away, eh?).
Emmet waited with you on the couch, your head laid against his chest as you both listened out for the front door to open. When it finally clicked open and shut with a short slam, you rushed to your feet to greet Elisabeth. She was still in her work clothes - did she come straight to see you instead of heading home first? You melted at the thought, pulling the woman into a loving hug. Before pleasantries could be exchanged, you nodded to Emmet as he got to his feet and waved cheerily to Elisabeth. When she waved back, the man marched away into the kitchen to give the two of you some privacy. Liz glanced at you, though you couldn't see any signs of confusion or dread on her face. She seemed... calm. Peaceful.
You moved to the sofa with Liz's hand firmly clutched within your own, butterflies flitting around inside you - from nerves or from general affection was hard to tell.
"So," you began, unable to hide the stupidly massive grin growing on your face, "I did it. Me and Emmet... we, uhm..." Liz squealed, making it very clear you didn't need to finish your train of thought for her to understand.
"Finally!" Lis beamed before a devious glint in her eyes started to sparkle, "Sooooo... did you, y'know...?" She wiggled her brows, causing you to choke on a sudden burst of laughter. Burying your head in her shoulder, you groaned.
"Oh my God. Liz. First of all, we are both adults. You can just say 'did you f*ck'," You scolded her, pulling away again to scowl at the giggling girl, "Second - no, we did not. He's still hurt, remember."
"But you would have if he wasn't?" Liz inferred from your statement, her goofy smirk making it difficult to keep up the pouty persona.
"Dude, I didn't ask you to come here so we could gossip about my sex life."
"Or lack thereof." Okay, you couldn't help but lightly thwap her shoulder with the back of your hand. You both giggled childishly, settling against eachother on the sofa.
"Listen, I think we have everything set up. If things go according to plan, Emmet can go home tonight," You paused, sighing, "I... we..." You couldn't finish, your words coming out in short breaths as you struggled to find a way to break the news. Liz exhaled slowly, her eyes staring at the floor - there was no shock on her face, no fear or surprise. She just seemed to... reluctantly accept whatever it was she thought you were trying to say. You worried she hadn't understood fully, your mouth opening to try explain yourself again but Liz cut you off.
"You're going with him, aren't you?" She asked quietly, calm voice not betraying whatever emotion she was feeling inside. The heavy dread of the reveal lifted like a weight from your shoulders, but the guilt remained steadfast.
"...Yeah. I am."
You expected tears, a sharp sob, a scolding - anything but the soft chuckle that left Elisabeth's lips. You stared at her, perplexed by her.
"I've... kinda been expecting this to happen. Ever since you told me you had a Pokemon, I dunno... it made me wonder if you really ever belonged here at all. And then you got your new drip," she gestured with finger-guns to your Alolan style, "and I just... I dunno. I've known you long enough, your chaos doesn't surprise me anymore."
All you could do was pull Liz into a bearhug, gripping her as if she were the one thing keeping you afloat. In a way, she kinda was - Elisabeth was your grounding balance in turbulent times, a smiling face that always brought the sunlight back into your darkest days. All the things you wanted to say - the apologies, the praises, the thank-you-for-everythings - they all blurred into one and tumbled from your mouth in a choked cry as tears began to fall.
Elisabeth sniffled, the emotions she was so valiantly holding back breaking free as she heard you weep.
"Hey, look at me," Liz whispered, pulling away to look you in the eyes, "remember our phonecall the other night? Remember what I said?"
You sniffed, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand, "That you would beat up Emmet if he did something wrong?"
Liz let out a brief laugh, "Before that. I said I would always support you. This is no different."
"Ugh, I don't deserve you." You mumbled, smiling meekly.
"Oh hush you, I do what I can to help poor trainers like you." Elisabeth squidged your cheeks, her tones playful and light as she teased you.
"You are the most insufferable Professor ever. I love you." You blurted out as you tried to swat away the fingers pinching your tear-stained cheeks.
"And you are the weirdest barista in the world. Love you too, babes," Elisabeth pulled you into another hug before wiping her face and clearing her throat, "I would like to have a lil chat with your buddy hiding in the kitchen. I'll be back with you soon, hun."
You could only hear muffled discussion coming from the closed door when Liz entered the kitchen. There was a vague threat mentioned - something about dethroning God to bring you back to her if needed, you thought you heard - then nervous laughter, a gentle reassuring mumble of some kind, and a squeal from Elisabeth as she was no doubt given an impromptu hug. When the two emerged from the kitchen, Emmet all but rushed over to you, pointing at his body in delight.
"I am Emmet. I have not been stabbed!"
In sync, you and Elizabeth had the same response: "Yet."
As you gathered your essential items - Ultra Balls, the odd bag that replaced your regular satchel during the fight with Necrozma, the paper bag with the console inside - you pulled Liz aside in the main doorway.
"You don't have to come with us to the woods, y'know. I know you find the Pokemon scary." You assured her, but Liz wagged her finger in front of your face.
"I haven't even met your two monsters yet. Plus, I want to make sure you, um, cross over okay. When it happens." Her voice quietly betrayed the creeping sadness within her, signalling that it was time for your gift. You presented the paper bag to her, which she took with some confused hesitation. Pulling the item out of the bag, she recognised the device immediately - she had been there to help back those boxes in the spare room. She knew who's it was.
You smiled at her, "I want you to have it. My game, too. I know its silly and not really much but... it means we will be linked. You can come say hi whenever you want."
Liz stared at the console with her mouth slightly agape, her eyes glistening with the threat of tears, "I... thank you..." She pulled you into another hug, before her gaze turned to the approaching figure behind you.
Emmet gently placed a hand on your back, prompting you and Liz to break away from one another. "Ready for departure?" He asked the both of you.
"Everything's ready," you smiled, "so all aboard."
Elisabeth stood at the side of the clearing, almost like a referee watching over a wrestling ring. On one side of the circle, Emmet stood with hat and jacket on staring with a fiery determination to the other side where you stood. Your floral tank top hugged you nicely, somehow protecting you from the crisp British air despite being more revealing than your regular attire. In your hand was a single Ultra Ball, and in Emmet's, a Pokeball and the second Ultra Ball. You felt so confident in Necrozma's newfound strength that you suggested Emmet wield your Xurkitree. With a giddy flap of his hands, he accepted without hesitation. A 1v2 match.
Emmet was the first to call out his two Pokemon, the monsters crashing to the ground with their battle-ready cries. Xurkitree seemed delighted to be working alongside Archeops, an arm snaking to delicately nudge the bird's head. Archie trilled, leaning into the touch before they both set their gazes on you. The air grew still and silent as you unleashed your Legendary, the great Prism Pokemon Necrozma. There was no sound as it hovered in the air, the massive iridescent glimmer of its prismatic armor shining in ways you had never seen before - in a way, this was the first time you truly saw the Pokemon. It was no longer a hidden nighttime battle, instead the sun was illuminating the field to reveal your monstrous alien in all its otherworldly glory. When it slowly landed upon the ground, its small legs somehow holding it up whilst its long arm claws delicately touched the ground, you couldn't help but liken it to a fierce lion - you could almost feel the creature's fury within yourself, the feeling becoming a source of power rather than a painful hindrance. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Liz gaping in awe at the beast, tears streaming down her face as she took in the beauty of Necrozma.
The black beast raised a clawed hand, swishing it across the field with a deep shockwave that echoed around the forest - the environment outside the arena became obscured by a veil of purple and pink, the bubble that now encapsulated the clearing creating a beautiful aurora-like curtain shielding you from the outside world. You thanked Necrozma, the great beast turning to glance at you with a slow nod of its helmeted skull. You heard a soft thud from nearby, your line of sight falling upon the amusing sight of Elisabeth who was now slumped in a vague seated position on the ground - still gasping at the things going on around her. You chuckled.
"What, never been inside a spacetime distortion before?" You scoffed, grinning as Liz wordlessly raised her middle finger to you.
Your attention turned to the battlefield, your grin turning into a confident smirk as you glared at Emmet and the two beasts he wielded. He straightened up, his pointing pose filling you with even more competitive fire, before his face broke into an almost manic smile. He was absolutely loving this.
"Check safety. Everything's ready! Aim for victory! All aboard!" he exclaimed, drawing out excited applause from Liz as she watched with giddy anticipation.
You felt Necrozma's powerful presence linked with your own will, your hands subconsciously forming claw-shapes to mimic the monster as you murmured to your partner, eyes not leaving your opponent.
"Let's get this done, friend. Full force, no holding back," Necrozma let out an earth-shaking bellow, the sound causing Archeops and Xurkitree to flinch whilst you stood strong, a hand rising up and pointing firmly to the opponent side, "Power Gem, aim for Archie!"
"Tail Glow, Protect!" Emmet roared, the Pokemon in front of him immediately fulfilling the commands. Xurkitree rumbled with a bright flash of its tail whilst Archeops raised his wings and summoned the blueish defense with all his might.
Necrozma's power collected into glimmering gems that manifested all around it, the light erupting from them in a blinding laser show towards Archeops. The Protect deflected the rays, the beams fizzling out as they collided with the distortion's veil. You huffed, but you had very literally just begun.
"Night Slash, before he gets another shield up!" You commanded, your Pokemon viciously flaring its massive claws as it swiped at Archeops. The bird screeched as the shadow-dipped talons swung ferociously at his body, sending him flying backwards into the ground. Liz looked ready to scream as the creature collapsed, but she let out a whooping cheer as Archeops got back up and flared its wings with a snarl. Emmet grinned, commanding Xurkitree to climb the stumps of the fallen trees around it whilst Archeops prepared itself with a firm stomp of its feet - you knew what was coming.
You felt a hum inside your skull, your head instinctively turning to Necrozma who was staring eerily at you with its chromatic mosaic of eyes. Somehow, you understood. You didn't know what was said and yet you did, your head dipping into an approving nod as Necrozma growled again at its opponents.
Emmet, clueless as to what wordless agreement you and your Pokemon had settled on, called for a Thunderbolt and an Earthquake. Necrozma began to move. Within its claws you saw a distortion of some kind, the environment looking almost like it was being cast through a fish-eye lens before the visual anomaly expanded exponentially. You felt yourself stumble, your body feeling heavier than usual. Archeops only just managed to pull off an Earthquake with a strangled quack, the tectonic destruction firing off as Emmet gasped. Xurkitree came crashing down from its perch, landing on the ground with a screech into the heart of the Earthquake.
"You used Gravity." You whispered, eyes wide as Necrozma altered physics to its advantage, watching with awe as Emmet inadvertently used a super-effective move on his own teammate.
Emmet growled from across the pitch, calling out for Signal Beam and Rock Slide.
Xurkitree, weakened from the impact of Earthquake, shakily began to focus the energy within itself with a visible glow. Archeops kicked up stones from the ground, the rocks hovering ominously before they were launched towards Necrozma.
"Deflect with Night Slash!" You cried, a delighted smile on your face as Necrozma roared with claws slicing through the air. Most of the force behind Rock Slide was cut into piece, with some of the heavier boulders crashing into Necrozma's armor. It seemed unfazed by the attack, though Xurkitree looked ready to unleash its super-effective Signal Beam. "Power Gem! Target the beam!"
Signal Beam erupted from Xurkitree's head as Necrozma's gems rose around it and unleashed its own ray of light. The beams collided, an explosive tug-of-war playing out between the rival moves as both alien Pokemon ferociously fueled their attacks with all the strength they could muster. Unfortunately for Emmet, Xurkitree was still suffering from the Earthquake - with a small squeak of shock, the beast's beam was engulfed by Power Gem's light and the Pokemon was completely consumed by a searing flash of power. With one final shaky step, Xurkitree got up, before collapsing to the ground. Emmet recalled the beast with an expression that you expected to be surprised, but instead, all you saw was admiration aimed at you and your Necrozma.
Archeops stomped its feet and let out another battlecry, still determined to challenge the immensely powerful foe with all his might. Emmet was out of super-effective moves - you knew this - but you had one more unknown ability to take advantage of. Necrozma seemed to follow your thoughts, glancing at you as it stood by your side.
Taking a breath in, you held your Z-Power Ring to your chest and commanded wordlessly for Necrozma to unleash its final move, your wants and wishes so in sync with the monster that you didn't need to utter a single word.
The flash of light that then erupted from you could only be described as Blinding. The Z-Crystal that sat upon your Power Ring exploded in a prismatic display of colours, the rainbow remnants soaring into Necrozma's armored head before the light engulfed your entire field of view. You didn't see what happened next - the glow of the Sun seemed dim in comparison to the beast beside you, the Light seemingly scorching the sky as Necrozma transformed and unleashed a powered up Photon Geyser.
Archeops didn't stand a chance.
As the bright explosive aftermath of the battle began to settle into more of a vivid afterglow, you found yourself looking up at the gigantic form of Ultra Necrozma, the Dragon Who Burns The Sky. The creature must have taken to the skies when it transformed, no doubt to protect you from the massive heat it expelled from its pure-energy-based body, the spacetime distortion folding around it as it hovered in the air.
Emmet recalled Archeops, rushing over to you and nearly tackling you to the ground with a hug. Tears flooded your vision as you gripped him with almost a claw-like grip before he pressed his lips against yours in a heated and almost ferocious kiss. You almost forgot about your surroundings as you surrendered to Emmet's touch, your cheeks heating up as you nibbled his lip and-
"Ahem," you heard Liz cough behind you, pulling away from Emmet's lips to glance at your friend as she shakily got to her feet, "Get a room, geez."
You laughed, reaching for the approaching Elisabeth and pulling her into a hug that almost crushed all the air from her lungs. When you parted, Liz looked up with wide eyes and a mesmerised smile at the Blinding One.
"So... that's the thing you've been waiting for." She murmured, realisation hitting you both as she spoke.
"...Yeah," You replied, sighing, "the ultimate form. The one who... will take us home." Us. The word upon your tongue had you trembling with excitement, the emotion noticable upon your face. Necrozma must have heard or felt your vision, letting out a deep booming roar that seemed to manipulate space with a precise tear. You felt a warmth upon your skin, the three of you turning to see the swirling white Ultra Wormhole sitting stable and strong in the middle of the clearing. It was time.
Elisabeth turned to Emmet, surprising both you and the man in question as she hugged him.
"Take care of her. Or else." Liz demanded as she fought back tears.
"Of course, Professor." Emmet replied softly, rubbing Elisabeth's back before pulling away.
"You," Liz turned to you, hands cupping your cheeks as she pulled your forehead to rest upon her own, "stay safe. Please." Her voice broke as she whispered. You moved to press a kiss upon the woman's cheek, the trail of tears leaving a hint of saline upon your lips.
With a shaky smile, you let yourself sing out just a little line for her, "We'll always be together...however far it seems..."
Liz let out a choked laugh, joining in your song almost immediately as you harmonised together, "We'll always be together, together in electric dreams."
With one final hug, you stepped away from Elisabeth, your hand being grasped by Emmet as you both approached the wormhole. Teary-eyed, you looked back to Liz and smiled. She held a hand over her mouth, waving feebly as she wept.
In a flash of light, you were gone. Elisabeth stood in silence as you and Emmet vanished, her breath suddenly speeding up as the gravity of the situation hit her like one of your Pokemon's moves. Necrozma paused overhead, its massive draconian head peering down at the distraught woman with an unrecognisable glimmer in its prismatic compound eyes. Liz was too overcome by grief to notice the sudden slash of Necrozma's claws, shredding spacetime one final time before it disappeared from view.
Elisabeth blinked, opening her eyes. She was in the woods, for some reason. A vision of light and a forest clearing came into her mind, confusing her greatly. Why was her face wet? What was this bag in her hands? Shaking her head, she moved to go home, leaving the densely forested woods and wiping her eyes. She had a new job in the morning - she couldn't stand around all day looking lost in the forest. As she strolled through the woods with a hum, she had the strange urge to play Pokemon leap out at her. She inwardly felt relief at living alone with no friends in the area, nobody to judge her for indulging in video games. Maybe she could meet someone who was a fan of the franchise through her new workplace. It was a little coffee shop in the middle of the village, after all - all sorts of interesting folk would be sure to pass by.
end of part 1.
Notes:
thank u for coming along this train with me. part 2 is coming i promise. i separated it into a new thing bc it will take place in the pokemon world. love u lot and thanks for all the feedback <3
