Chapter Text
Ingo had barely taken one step into the room, and he was already having second thoughts about agreeing to come. Dawn had mentioned Ginter was an ancestor of someone they knew in this time period, and Ingo was pretty sure he was looking at him, and he was staring back, quite intensely....
The other party goers flocked around Dawn, showering her in attention, but the blonde haired man's focus remained entirely on him. Someone else had their eyes directed his way, he soon noticed. It was Gardenia, the nice woman he'd met in Eterna. Apparently she was also a part of the league. She approached the Ginter-look-a-like and whispered something to him with an urgent expression. Ingo's body went stiff and awkward. Was he not welcome here after all?
"Ingo! Great to see you!" Wake approached him, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. He stumbled and caught himself from falling, not expecting the sudden gesture.
From the other side of the room, he heard the blonde haired man shout. "WHAT?!"
And suddenly he was coming toward them, and Ingo was not prepared. The chatter surrounding Dawn died in an instant, and everyone was looking now. Ingo swallowed hard. "My apologies, I didn't mean to- I can leave." He found himself uncharacteristically flustered.
All too soon, he was before them. He looked between Ingo and Wake with an expression of disbelief. "You two know each other? Since when?! For how long?!"
A woman with long blonde hair and a certain presence about her spoke up. "Volkner, what is this all about?"
Volkner, as Ingo now knew him as balked at the question. "What's this all about? I've been trying to find this guy the last three days!" He seemed to glare at Ingo. "Buddy, you have a lot to explain."
Ingo opened his mouth, and closed it again. He was shocked. Who, how, why all collided in his mind all at once and he was left utterly speechless.
"So you are the guy Candice told me to keep an eye out for. Hah, thought you looked familiar. What a surprise to see you turn up here." A man with red hair and glasses put a hand to his chin and looked Ingo up and down as if analysing him.
"Wait wait, slow down. What is going on here?" A younger green haired man spoke up.
Dawn stood between them. "Volkner, do you know something about Ingo? Like, where he came from? Who he was?"
"Who he was?" Volkner gaped. "Are you saying-" He locked eyes with Ingo. "Are you saying you don't remember?"
Ingo blinked, wide-eyed. "I... No. I don't have much of my memory from beyond four years ago."
The room went silent, apart from Wake's playlist which was still playing throughout the dramatic encounter.
Volkner ran a hand over his face and through his hair. "You've got to be kidding me. Oh man..."
"Wait, how do you know him Volkner?" Barry piped up.
"I don't- I mean, it's my friend! My friend is friends with him." He cleared his throat, looking back at Ingo. "With you, I mean."
Once again, Ingo's mouth refused to make words. He realized he probably had a past and people that cared about him, but to be confronted with it all at once, and so soon. He felt faint.
"Okay, time out people. Everybody calm down." The blonde woman put herself in the center of it all. "Let's take a seat and Volkner can explain things, calmly.
Everyone shut up, nodding dumbly in agreement and moving to sit at the comically long table reserved for their group. Volkner sat across from Ingo. He kept glancing at his phone anxiously.
"Go ahead, Volkner. From the beginning pl-”
"WE'RE HERE!" A shrill voice cried in tandem with the door bursting open. Candice immediately locked onto Ingo, and pointed commandingly. "YOU!"
Ingo could barely muster any further surprise at that point. Now Candice was here? How was she involved in this? His voice came out rather feeble. "Me?"
"That was fast. Were you two actually looking?" Volkner murmured under his breath.
She strutted forward, a threatening aura permeating from each step closer she got. Behind her, a pink haired girl followed. Volkner’s question went unacknowledged and unanswered.
"Yes you! You've caused us a lot of trouble y'know? What was keeping you from picking up a phone and calling home, huh?! Elesa was worried sick!"
"I-" Ingo couldn't fathom what she was talking about. Elesa? Was... that name supposed to be of significance to him?
"How many people know about this whole deal exactly?!" A man with a bright red afro cried.
"Yeah! How come I didn't hear about any of this?" Shouted Wake, ever sensitive about being left out.
The pink haired girl counted on her fingers. "Well let's see, me, Candice, Volkner, Gardenia, Roark..."
"I uh, kinda called Fantina about it too." Candice admitted.
"Well?" The blonde haired woman raised her voice. "Anyone else?"
A moment passed, and Byron put his hand up somewhat timidly. "Roark may have mentioned it to me..."
"Seriously?!" Wake roared. "I was the only gym leader that didn't know?!"
"Let's keep things on track shall we? The poor man looks like he's about to faint." As for who was talking now, Ingo could barely register it among the storm that had been unleashed on his conscious. Purple. They had purple hair.
"Right right, if everyone would stop talking for a second!" Volkner yelled.
An older woman spoke up. "Dear, shall I grab you a glass of water? You're looking awfully pale." It seemed regardless of his answer, she was already on her way.
Volkner glanced at his phone again, then looked back at Ingo. Listen, this isn't really the type of conversation to have surrounded by a bunch of people. Can I talk to you alone?"
Ingo nodded numbly. His body felt like it was on autopilot. He barely processed sitting up and walking down the steps to the first floor. It was only when they stepped outside and the night air hit his face did his senses return to him. Volkner pulled his hoodie over his hair, glancing over his shoulder as if to check for any prying ears or eyes.
"I thought you could use some fresh air. Uh, I'm really sorry about all of that. That could've been handled better."
Ingo shook his head. "That's quite alright. I'm just a bit... well, taken aback by all of this."
Volkner reached to scratch behind his neck awkwardly. "I can imagine, yeah."
"This Elesa Candice mentioned, they've been looking for me?"
He nodded. "Ever since you disappeared." He paused. "Uh, this is kind of awkward to ask, but I don't suppose you remember your brother either?"
Ingo's eyes widened. Those words... That face flashed in his mind. His own face, wearing a smile. A white coat...
*I like winning more than anything else.*
"...I have a brother?" He breathed.
Volkner's face turned grim. Grim, and somewhat sad. "Yeah. A twin brother. You really don't remember?"
"I..." Ingo leaned against the wall of the restaurant, feeling his legs wobble and threaten to give out.
"Woah there-" Volkner grabbed his shoulders, keeping him upright. "Come on, let's go back inside. You need to sit."
Ingo was in no frame of mind to object. He was a train with a track being placed as it travelled by the strangers around him. At this point, he was just simply along for the ride that was quickly becoming his life.
The first floor was empty of people, besides the occasional staff member ducking in to grab something and bring it upstairs. Ingo sat down, staring wide eyed at the floor. A headache was creeping in. The music from upstairs was muffled enough that all he could hear was the bass, a persistent thud thud thud of drum beats knocking on the inside of his very skull. He didn't have much time to comprehend the life changing news he'd been told before Volkner started talking again.
"Hey I know you said you don't remember anything, but do you really not remember anything? Do you know why? Like, have you seen a doctor?"
He shook his head. "No... I-We were going to try and find Uxie."
Volkner frowned. "One of the lake trio pokemon? How's that supposed to help?"
Ingo slouched further forward, rubbing his temple. "The Professor... He said Uxie has the ability to take memories. We thought it may have been the culprit behind my amnesia."
Volkner paced back and forth in a short line. He looked conflicted about something. "Okay, so where were you? Have you been with Dawn the whole time she was missing? Is that why you know each other?"
Ingo swallowed. He could really use that glass of water offered earlier now. "It may sound difficult to believe, but Dawn and I were transported into the past. This city was still just a village... Pokeballs had just been invented."
Volkner blanked. Ingo could practically hear the gears in his brain ticking, underneath that awful bass that was. A moment passed before he spoke again. "I think I would have been confused as hell no matter what your answer was, considering this whole situation is so weird already. Still confused though. Arceus... what a mind fuck."
"Dawn.. She was given some kind of mission when she was transported into the past. As for me, I was given nothing. No memories... no direction. I..." His throat burned, and he found himself unable to continue whatever sentence he was trying to put together.
Why? The question triumphed over all other questions. According to Volkner, he had a brother, a friend that missed him dearly. He'd had a life, and that had all been taken away. Why? For what? He couldn't understand. It was easier to accept the way things were when he had no knowledge of his past. He'd moved on. He made a new life for himself, and now that new life had been taken away from him just as his previous one had been, except now he lacked the memory to appreciate being reunited with his correct timeline. Why? The word lingered, permeating every inch of his being to his brain to the tips of his fingers. Why?
He was overtaken by a hot flush, and he couldn't breathe. His wind pipes had closed up, refusing access to and from. Ingo looked down at his hands and realized then that he was shivering. He'd never trembled this badly, not even in the coldest tundras of the Alabastor Icelands. Had he had this thought before? Ingo could faintly make out Volkner saying something from him, but through the ringing and the thud thud thudding in his head, making out words was impossible.
"Ingo!"
"--met!"
A flash of something. His own voice, but younger. His own face, but different.
"Ingo, look at me!"
"E—-t! Look at me!"
Tear-stained cheeks, a wobbly smile.
"Ingo!"
That wasn't Volkner's voice, that was... Who was that? His head snapped upright, and the sudden movement alone did wonders to help him break free from his daze. Grey met grey as their eyes met. Dawn looked relieved to have finally gotten a reaction out of him.
"Ingo, try to calm down okay? Breeeaathe. In and out. Okay?"
He spluttered, only becoming ever more conscious of the burning in his lungs. What did she think he was trying to do?! Somehow, taking even a single breath in that moment was something he was struggling immensely with.
He heard another voice further away, it sounded like someone was giving Dawn instructions. "Just focus on my voice. Don't worry about anything else. Just breathe."
Ingo shut his eyes tight, listening as Dawn began counting backwards from one hundred. The further she got in listing numbers, the more the heavy blanket of anxiety over him began slipping in pieces like dead skin, and he was finally able to take a breath.
The whole ordeal had only lasted a few minutes, but it had felt so much longer. Agonizingly so. A panic attack, Dawn had explained once the worst of it was over. In the midst of it, he saw flashes of something. A memory, perhaps. For now, he tried not to think about it. There was too much on his mind, and it was all so overwhelming.
He took a big gulp from the glass of water that had finally made its way to him and sat in place, allowing the remaining jitters he still had to wane off. It wasn't just Dawn that had come, presumably at Volkner's panicked request. Johanna and the blonde haired lady were also here. He was pretty sure it had been the latter that had instructed Dawn on what to do. He was admittedly grateful it was Dawn who had come to his aid and not someone he didn't know. Knowing how he felt in that moment, it may have made things even worse.
The four talked amongst themselves in hushed voices. Ingo noticed that the music from upstairs wasn't playing, and probably hadn't been for a while. His own mind had concocted most of it in conjunction with his aching headache, he suspected.
Ten or so minutes passed, and Dawn split off from the group to return to Ingo's side. Seeing her smile, comforting but strained with an undertone of worry, he was struck all at once by a tidal wave of guilt. Before she could even get a word out, he began speaking.
"I'm so very sorry Dawn. I didn't mean for your party to turn out like this. I could have never expected... but it is my fault. Please, don't mind me. Go back to your friends and enjoy yourself. This is your night." He wished he had his hat to hide behind. It was rare that he felt this amount of shame.
He immediately felt even worse as he saw Dawn's expression crumple. "I-"
"No." Dawn shook her head. "It's not your fault, Ingo. It's like you said, you could have never expected this, but it's okay. Tonight is as much about you as it is about me." She paused to take a shuddery breath, fighting back the teariness in her eyes. "I knew you probably didn't like parties but I... I wanted you to come, because your return deserves to be celebrated too. I wanted you to know, that even if you've left behind a lot of friends, that you can make new ones."
"Dawn..."
"But we can celebrate any other day of the year. What's going on now takes priority, and I know you're scared, so I'm not leaving."
Ingo could feel a stinging in his eyes, and knew a few tears of his home were creeping in. In truth, he was scared. How was he supposed to return to a life he had no memory of? Would he have to leave yet another friend behind? Yet another home?
Dawn outstretched her arms, offering up a hug, and Ingo accepted. "I'm sorry for making you worry." He murmured.
"That's okay. You're worth worrying about." Dawn smiled as they parted, and Ingo smiled back.
Some time later, Volkner approached the two, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, I wanted to apologize again, uh to you." He looked at Ingo. "I know that was like, a lot to take in at once, and not all that great at this kind of stuff, um, as you've probably realized..."
"Not to worry. I'm feeling a lot better now." He maintained eye contact with the gym leader. "I'm glad you told me."
Volkner looked like he wanted to say something. He glanced at this phone. "Yeah..."
"Hey, you." Johanna cooed, walking up behind Dawn's chair and giving her hair a quick ruffle, Cynthia not far behind her. "Should I bring some food down from upstairs?"
"Do you feel up for eating, Ingo?" Dawn asked before giving her answer.
He nodded. Now that his panic from earlier had dissipated, he was feeling rather hungry. Besides, even if he wasn't, Dawn deserved to enjoy her own party dishes. "I wouldn't mind a bite to eat."
Johanna seemed pleased with his response. "Great, I'll be back soon."
As she headed back up the stairs, Cynthia took a seat besides Volkner at their table. "I heard from Rowan you were interested in Sinnoh mythology." She said, right to the point.
"You must be Cynthia then." Ingo hummed. "Yes, I imagine you know of our situation then."
"Barry regaled us all with the story." Her lips quirked upward in a smile. She looked to Dawn. "I'm amazed you got to experience such a thing, though I imagine it must have been painful too."
Dawn was quiet. She didn't often show it, but Ingo knew the time away from her friends and family had been scarring, not knowing if and when she was going to return home. Ingo's missing memories could be considered a favourable outcome, when faced with such an alternative.
Seeing she wasn't going to get a response, Cynthia moved on. "Uxie, the being of knowledge. That's the pokemon you wanted to know about, right?"
"Yes. Can you tell us anything that isn't in the books?"
Cynthia smiled. "Certainly." She pushed her hair behind her shoulders and perched her chin on the backs of her hands, leaning on the table surface. "There are some things, ancient rumours passed along generations that don't always make it to print. My grandmother told me many stories about the lake trio, and Uxie was always her favourite."
Ingo glanced at Volkner, who was once again staring down at his phone, not paying the slightest bit of attention. He looked back at Cynthia.
"I'm sure you know already that Uxie gave mankind the knowledge to improve their quality, just as Azelf brought about willpower, and Mesprit with emotion. During those times, it was believed by some that killing a pokemon would grant them its powers. Or in Uxie's case, limitless knowledge."
Dawn's brow creased in concern. "You don't mean..."
She nodded, a grave expression upon her face. "It's as it sounds I'm afraid. It was before the day of catching pokemon. It's said that Uxie was often attacked with human weaponry if it ever showed itself to humans. You see, despite its mythical status, Uxie is not a very strong pokemon, and so it retaliated the only way it knew how."
Ingo felt a pit in his stomach. "By stealing their memories..."
"...That's right. As a result of this, Uxie was said to become timid, rarely ever showing itself to humans."
"Is there another reason why Uxie would steal someone's memories?" Dawn pressed.
"I can't say for sure. In all mythos, it has been known as a punishment as evildoers. Although, seeing Uxie's eyes themselves is what appears to actually cause the amnesia."
"Maybe it was an accident then..." Dawn mumbled. "Either way, I'm sure if we're able to meet with Uxie and talk to them, they'll be able to fix everything."
Ingo glanced over at her, the pit in his stomach feeling a little fuller.
It was then that Johanna returned holding a platter of food and drink, along with what Ingo could only assume was an uninvited guest.
"I couldn't get him to stay upstairs." Johanna admitted tiredly, as a blur of orange and white sped well ahead of her and took a seat at the table besides Ingo. "I hope it's okay if he hangs around here for a while."
"Listen, I go where the sausage rolls go." Barry grinned, although Ingo had a string inkling he simply wanted to be with his friend.
For the time being, the subject of mythical pokemon was dropped as the unlikely group ate. The mini meat pies were Ingo's favourite. He felt like he'd possibly had them before, some place, some time ago.
Another guest came in the form of Lucas complaining that he'd gotten bored of all the grown up talk upstairs, followed by the pink haired girl and Candice. Maylene, he soon learned her name was. The latter two were eager to talk to Ingo, explaining the lengths they'd gone through searching for him, and he was touched that they'd put so much time and effort looking for a total stranger.
After Maylene and Candice came the man with the bright red afro, Flint, who sat next to Volkner and was instantly able to get a smile out of him, like magic. His younger brother Buck followed, and Ingo had an inkling the two may have family ties to Zisu, judging not only by appearance, but by their loud, cheerful attitudes.
Slowly but surely, more and more people from upstairs began trickling downstairs.
Gardenia joined them next, telling the tale of her first encounter with Ingo, and everyone got a laugh out of the realization that the ghost rumours popping up as of late had been a result of him.
After Gardenia came Wake, who seemed to bring the rest of the party down with him, as followed by him came person after person until the party had entirely migrated downstairs.
For whatever reason, Ingo didn't find himself minding that much. In fact, over meaningless conversations about the best way to make poffins, to the hottest mining spots in the underground, he could honestly say that he was starting to enjoy himself. Although the unease of what was to come still rested heavily in his gut, for now, he was blessed with the warmth of a packed room, good food, and people who cared. Despite the majority not even knowing him, they cared, and he took great care in return to remember their names and passions.
Byron and Roark were father and son, both miners. Roark especially had a great interest in fossils. When Ingo had brought up the now extinct pokemon of the Hisui region, he had gotten excited, claiming that with an intact fossil, a pokemon could be revived. He learned of a massive system of interconnecting tunnels beneath the earth full of treasures to be found, and knew Lian would have loved to explore such an area, if he were still around today. Roark seemed eager to show him the mines, and Ingo was interested in the possibility of bringing back the few pokemon that hadn't survived the past few centuries.
Aaron and Gardenia could be mistaken for brother and sister, with the way the two bantered and gestured with each other. The two both hailed from Eterna City, he learned, and had grown up alongside each other. The pair had an immense passion for nature, not a surprise considering the geography surrounding them.
Bertha was the oldest of their group, and native to Kanto. She had come to Sinnoh as a young woman with the intention of honing her skills of Iron Island, and ending up falling in love with the region, settling in Canalave City a mere few years later.
Lucian had spent most of his time with his nose in a book, occasionally making a comment here and there to show he was indeed listening. Ingo got the impression he was a bit like him, unaccustomed to these kinds of events.
Then there was Maylene and Candice, the latter he'd already become somewhat acquainted with. The two girls were best friends and the youngest members of the league, besides Dawn. He asked once again if he could be granted access to Snowpoint Temple, and was given an apologetic yes.
That was as far as their talk had gotten, when the doors to the restaurant were opened behind them, and a figure was allowed inside. Ingo bristled. Who...?
"BONJOUR À TOUS!" An unfamiliar voice cried. Ingo gawked, taken aback not only by the woman's vocal chords, but her attire. Everyone at the party had kept things rather casual to avoid drawing attention to their gathering, but she seemed to have missed the memo. Purple, and frilly. With glitter. Lots and lots of glitter.
"Fantina!" Candice cheered and pointed excitedly at Ingo. "Look see, this is the guy! The guy I called you about! He's real!"
Fantina locked eyes with Ingo, holding her dress up as she walked to avoid treading on it. She smiled, pinching the bottom of his chin with one gloved hand and looking him over. Ingo’s cheeks flushed a faint red at the sudden close contact and he averted his eyes.
"Oh Candice, just because his hair is grey does not mean he has died yet!" She laughed a boisterous laugh that seemed to fill the whole building.
"That's not why I- Argh! You should have seen him when I saw him!"
"Uh, Fantina. How exactly did you get here?" Volkner questioned cautiously.
"My beautiful Loony carried me of course! What better way to travel than through the magnifique night sky." She twirled, her dress swishing and bleeding glitter with every movement.
"Fantina! We've been trying to keep this party a secret!" Buck hissed.
Fantina blinked. "Oh, is that right?"
She looked behind her.
Ingo was hit with a barrage of flashing camera lights.
"Merde."