Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day had been completely normal.

Routine.

Everything was right on schedule from the moment he and his brother woke up and went about their daily ritual of getting ready for work.

The day had been busy and full of commuters and exciting battles. Emmet had won more battles than he had lost and that was always fun.

What was not normal was the call they got from one of their depot agents at the end of the day informing them of something being left in the tunnels, which was odd, to say the least since he and Ingo prided themselves on having great security to keep their passengers safe and away from the tracks. It couldn’t be a pokemon either since they cleared any remaining stragglers from making their nests down in the tunnels. It was verrry weird.

Emmet along with Ingo made their way down the tracks, their steps in sync, they scanned the tunnel for any other surprises as they made their way to where Agent Cloud was. Emmet could see Ingo’s ears twitch and swivel every so often trying to pick up any sounds. The subway tunnel was quiet since they deactivated it for inspection, the only noise being Chandelure’s gentle chimes echoing off the walls. Her ghostly glow was comforting as she helped light their way. Even though they had flashlights, Chandelure was quite stubborn when she wanted to be just like Ingo. Emmet snickered at the thought drawing attention from his big brother who looked at him questioningly.

“Nothing dear brother of mine just thinking of how similar you and Chandelure are. Yup!” Emmet said with a grin his ears twitching in amusement at his brother’s brief confusion.

“Mind sharing what those similarities are my dear little brother?” Ingo said with amusement clear in his voice. The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement, a smile that is so uniquely Ingo.

“Hmm let me see..” the younger twin murmured in fake contemplative thought, tapping his chin with his index finger “The both of you are verrry stubborn mother hens. Yup!” he laughed, keeping pace with his twin even as he sputtered in indignation.

“Emmet! I am certainly not a ‘mother hen’ as you so call it and neither is Chandelure. Someone has to keep you and Eelektross from causing utter chaos.” Ingo huffed and leveled his little brother with a mock glare.

“You didn’t deny the stubborn part”

“Emme-”

The twin's bickering was interrupted when they saw Depot Agent Cloud up ahead waving at them.

The scolipede hybrid waved the bosses over to get a look at this ‘mysterious object’ that was carefully cradled in her hands. She looked both concerned and surprised as she glanced at the object.

“Boss Ingo, Boss Emmet! I would have never believed it myself but something or someone left this egg here under the ledge!” she gestured behind her and raised the medium-sized egg so they could see it. Emmet squints his eyes as he looks at the egg studying it. The shell is black and speckled with red and it’s verrry familiar to Emmet. He may breed joltiks exclusively but a responsible breeder should always know different kinds of eggs from different species. But this didn’t make sense, Zoroarks stayed in Lostlorn Forest and not a bustling city like Nimbasa (the irony of his words is not lost to him since he and his brother are zoroark hybrids who live in Nimbasa). He couldn’t imagine them leaving one of their eggs either in the tunnels. He turned to his brother to ask who they would call for a situation like this only to freeze at Ingo’s expression. His brother’s eyes were solely focused on the egg in front of him pupils blown wide. Ingo’s nose twitched as he picked up the egg’s scent, a small sound coming from the back of his throat low enough for Emmet to hear. Before Cloud or Emmet could react to his sudden change in behavior Ingo quickly grabbed the egg from the confused depot agent cradling it protectively against his chest.

“Um, Boss Emmet is Boss Ingo ok?” Cloud asked as she watched Ingo inspect the egg hidden under his coat. He was unusually quiet. Emmet felt his brain blank for a moment. Ingo has never acted like this with an egg before and he should know since Galvantula has had many clutches in the past.

“I am Emmet. I do not know why Ingo is acting like this but it would be wise to contact the pokemedics. I don’t think this is a normal pokemon egg and it has been left down here for who knows how long. Ingo would need to be checked up as well. Yup, yup.” his smile quirked in a mixture of confusion and worry for his brother. Chandelure bumped into Emmet’s side sensing his worry and wanting to comfort him. He patted her glass casing gently enjoying the warmth she gave off “Thank you Chandelure.” He sharply turned to the depot agent in front of him “Agent Cloud, my brother and I will head to our office while we wait for medics to arrive. Thank you for reporting to us about this egg.” he gave her a salute and quickly marched off pulling his brother along with him. Chandelure gave an appreciative chime and spin to Cloud and floated after her twins.

Cloud smiled and quickly made her way to the command center contacting the pokemedics and informing the other agents of what she found.

Back in their office, Ingo was quietly sitting at his desk still holding the egg. He looked content but Emmet was still very confused. After a few moments of silence, his leg bounced up and down anxiously, his tail following his twitchy movements “Ingo? Are you ok? Are you experiencing derailments of any kind?” Ingo shook his head.

“I’m quite all right Emmet, I apologize if I worried you or Agent Cloud earlier I just- something about this egg feels familiar? I don’t know how but it just does.” At Emmet’s horrified look, Ingo is quick to clarify, almost falling out of his chair in the process “NO, NOTHING LIKE THAT!” he was equally as horrified at his brother’s assumption “What I mean as in ‘familiar’ is its soul, it has a familiar presence but I do not know where it’s from or where I could have felt it before. Definitely nothing of the sort that you’re thinking of.” Ingo huffed in annoyance at his younger twin, hugging the egg closer.

Emmet looked deep in thought for a moment before snapping up suddenly “Hmm, hybrids like us are more likely to get traits from our pokemon partners. My immunity to electricity and your ability to sense souls like Chandelure for example. But the real question here is why you’re able to recognize a soul that you’ve never met before. Verrry weird” his younger twin huffed at not knowing. Emmet knew all sorts of things whether it was about pokemon, their typings, battle strategies, abilities, and more. His brother could recite it all without a problem.

“I am just as confused as you are Emmet” Ingo said, looking down at the egg. It felt unusually cold and a part of him said that that was wrong, the egg was supposed to be warm. Safe. He looked back up at his brother, concern shining in his eyes “Emmet, Zorua eggs aren’t supposed to be cold are they? The temperature may differ from Joltik eggs but even I know this is not normal" he somewhat reluctantly handed the egg over to his younger twin so that he could have a look at it. Emmet took one of his gloves off to properly feel the egg and gauge its temperature, the waver in his smile told Ingo all he needed to know as a jolt of dread shot through him. Without another word, Emmet began bundling the egg up in some spare blankets they had in their office that their pokemon used. Once satisfied with his temporary solution Emmet handed the egg back to Ingo “This should keep it warm for the time being until the pokemedics get here which shouldn’t be too long by now.” he glanced at his xtrans.

As if summoned, one of their depot agents rushed through the door “Sorry for not knocking first bosses but the pokemedics are here and they brought an egg specialist with ‘em” said Depot Agent Jackie as they now recognized the frillish hybrid. Without wasting another moment both twins quickly followed Jackie to the lobby. It was empty which was to be expected with it being so late at night. A few commuters could be seen on the far side of the station. Waiting in the lobby were two humans and a gardevoir hybrid, the latter sensed their presence and quickly floated over to them.

“Hello, Mr. Ingo and Mr. Emmet my name is Dr. Luna I heard one of your depot agents found an egg in the tunnels correct?” She leans forward a bit too close into Ingo’s personal space trying to get a look at the egg safely bundled in his arms. His tail bristles at the intrusion and Ingo has to bite back the growl that almost escapes him. His ears flicked back in shock at what he was about to do. It surprises him and Emmet notices, immediately drawing attention away from his elder brother “Yup! Depot Agent Cloud informed us about something being left in the tunnels. It turns out it was a Zorua egg. We do not know where it came from or who left it.” Emmet said, his smile a bit strained as he subtly separated the gardevoir hybrid from his brother. He and Ingo had always been touchy with their personal space and people touching them (besides each other of course) but this was verrry surprising. Ingo never growled at others. Was it the egg? The woman nodded and seemed to not notice his brother’s discomfort. “I have my equipment in the ambulance and we can further check the egg’s condition when we get to the center” she nodded at the pair and made her way to the ambulance with the twins following.

Emmet looked over at his twin as the doctor led them out of Gear Station, when he caught his attention he signed 'Ingo? What was that back there? Are you ok?' A questioning tilt of his head at his brother's confused gaze. Ingo tried his best to sign with occupied hands 'I didn’t want her near the egg. It’s so helpless' his frown deepened and he covered the egg some more when the blanket slipped.

Emmet would have said more but it looks like they’ve reached their destination.

“Ok” she breathed out after opening the back of the ambulance “May I see the egg please Mr. Ingo? I’ll have to check for any damages, temperature, and a familial bond so that we may find this little ones’ parents” she smiled, holding her hands out expectantly. Ingo nodded and stiffly handed the egg over to the awaiting specialist no matter how much he wanted to snatch it back and keep it safe in his coat. Once it was handed over she went straight to work leaving the twin bosses waiting at the side.

Ingo tucked his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground, finding it much more appealing at the moment. He just couldn’t understand why this egg was so important to him. Yes, he somehow recognizes its soul but why? How? His thoughts would have spiraled if not for the light touch on his shoulder from his right. Emmet’s ears twitched and Ingo could tell his brother was getting increasingly worried about his sudden change in behavior.

'Ingo. I know you care for the egg but what if it has a family? And it might not even make it with how cold it was earlier.' Emmet signed and Ingo knew he was right. His brother has always been blunt and straight to the point.

Ingo sighed. 'I know Emmet but I can’t help but worry no matter how strange this situation is. I just hope the egg is ok.' Ingo looked back at the ambulance to see how the tests were doing only to tense when the woman’s face changed. She looked sad as she stared at one of her screens, Emmet seeing his change placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. The doctor’s posture slumped as she made her way to the two bosses, egg in tow “...Um unfortunately we won’t be needing to go to the center at all. The egg is too cold and without knowing exactly how long it was down in the tunnels there’s no chance it survived. I didn’t want to believe it at first so I used my stethoscope and there was still no sign of a heartbeat. I wasn’t able to sense any familial bonds either.” She held the egg close, sadness radiating off of her in waves.

Ingo knew there was a possibility the egg wouldn’t make it but he sensed its soul. That means it must be alive right? He wanted so desperately to believe that it was alive. Chandelure can sense his and his brother’s souls and they’re not dead. It doesn’t make sense. Dr. Luna’s machines must have malfunctioned, that has to be the case. He didn’t want to believe that the egg he had held less than twenty minutes ago, the small life he could sense was gone. He held his shaking hands hiding them from view. He couldn’t have a meltdown for an egg he just met in public of all places. Emmet must have taken over for him since the doctor wasn’t talking to him. He would have to apologize for his behavior to both of them. Ingo forced himself to look at the egg, he could see the doctor’s lips moving but couldn’t hear what she was saying. He could still feel its soul, a small fragile thing that reached out to him.

White filled his vision, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts. Emmet. Ingo met his brother’s eyes which widened slightly when he made eye contact. Emmet made a motion with his hand near his own eyes and Ingo knew what he meant, he lowered his hat to cover the red marks around his most likely slitted irises. He didn’t realize he reacted that badly to the news. Emmet looked at him again “Ingo, is talking too much right now?” he said softly, low enough for the both of them to hear. Ingo nodded and straightened a bit more peeking from under his hat to see doctor Luna packing up her medical equipment and two saddened drivers hopping in the front of the ambulance. The egg is nowhere to be seen. He frantically signs to his brother 'The egg! Emmet, where's the egg??' His ears twitch nervously, red marks becoming deeper the more he panics. His younger twin quickly holds one of his hands up in a placating manner “It’s ok. The egg is right here, see?” He made sure it was in Ingo’s line of sight “She gave it back to us because she thought it would be better taken care of by fellow zoroarks.” Emmet paused and seemed reluctant to say the next part “...I was right this isn’t a regular Zorua egg, it’s a hybrid Zorua egg. She could tell by the markings on the bottom.” Emmet handed the egg off to his elder twin who instantly cradled it close to his chest, rewrapping the loose blankets.

Making sure the egg was properly secured in the crook of his arm, Ingo turned to his twin.

'I apologize for my behavior tonight Emmet I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I should probably apologize to Doctor Luna, I hope I haven’t offended her in any way.' Emmet could see the guilt in his brother’s eyes, he shook his head “The doctor is not offended at all Ingo. She understands that this is a hard thing to hear. After all, she deals with cases like these all the time. What we need to do is make way for the home station. You definitely look like you need rest. Yep!" Was all the younger twin said with a small smile and worry swimming in his eyes. Ingo caved in, not strong enough to resist his brother’s lillipup eyes, he just nodded and cradled the egg. He could still feel its soul, it was reaching out, a bit stronger than before when Dr. Luna was examining it.

Strange.

Before Ingo could process it his brother had said their goodbyes to the pokemedics and their depot agents who would be running the night shift. Making sure to do their safety checks and that everything was accounted for, they quickly made their way home. Emmet, always the one for speed, set the pace and kept Ingo close. Ingo let a small smile grace his features, a small reprieve after those few draining hours. Had it been hours? He is quite tired now that he thinks about it. No point in thinking about it now, all Ingo wanted to do was rest his cab and figure out what to do with the egg. And maybe schedule a doctor's appointment even though he dreaded the thought.

Tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Ingo opens his eyes and white is the only thing he can see. He quickly realizes it’s snow but the amount before him leaves him confused, he’s never seen this much snow before especially in a city like Nimbasa. Where is he? The wind whips around him but he can’t feel it, he can’t feel anything around him. He tries holding his hand out to catch the snow but it phases through him like he’s not even there. Thoroughly confused, Ingo looks at his surroundings finding nothing but more snow and a few bare trees. How did he get here? He remembers going to bed and this certainly doesn’t feel like a dream.. it looks far too real from the usual mishmash of images his brain puts together. A shout startles Ingo and he whips around to see where it came from, it’s hard to tell due to the raging blizzard around him and the echo. He hears it again, louder this time from his left, and turns to see two figures who are... running? The closer they get he can see that they’re hybrids but not any that he recognizes. And he’s seen his fair share on the battle subway. Their hair is flowing and would have blended into the snow perfectly if not for the red staining the ends.

Ingo calls out to the pair only to realize that he can’t talk. Nothing comes out of his mouth no matter how hard he tries, he’s rendered silent. He sees two pokemon he’s never seen before trailing behind them and at first, he thinks they’re chasing them but sees they’re just as panicked as their trainers. He doesn’t have to wait long to see why when a group of people appear from the blizzard holding torches and spears!? There look to be five in total. They’re shouting in a language he can’t understand and it makes the hybrids and their pokemon freeze in their tracks. Ingo notices that they’re exhausted and scared, one of the hybrids is holding something but he can’t see what it is. Both groups are in front of him now and he can see just how massive these two pokemon are as they stand in front of their trainers snarling, protecting them. Distantly Ingo thinks they look similar to Zoroarks. He can see the hybrids clearly now and notices it’s a man and a woman. The man shouts something at the people holding torches humans he notices sounding desperate, his hands are shaking, and Ingo wishes he could help. The people don’t listen and advance, holding their spears out keeping the giant pokemon from attacking.

The woman this time calls out to her pokemon who is instantly by her side. She says something that has the pokemon letting out a mournful whine, ears flicking back as it looks at her and then at the object she’s carrying. She tries to reassure her partner but even Ingo can see the tears threatening to fall as she gently pets the pokemon’s head with a shaky hand. Without another word, she hands the object over to the fox pokemon and it gently takes it, holding it close to its fluffy chest. She nods and the pokemon takes off quickly vanishing into the flurry of snow. The fox left behind nods and lets out a howl that sounds too much like a goodbye. Ingo doesn’t like how this is looking. Why are these humans chasing them? Why? Where did the other fox go? Not wanting to see how this plays out, Ingo turns and runs following the other fox pokemon in hopes of catching up. He ignores the howls and wails from the pokemon and the screams from the hybrids. This is some dream… he hopes this is just a dream.

He follows the faint tracks that the fox left behind which eventually lead him to a cave. The pokemon has its precious cargo in tow and carefully hides it in one of the numerous cracks in the wall of the darkest part of the cave. It takes a long look at it and whines and this time Ingo can understand what it’s saying. A voice tired and full of grief echoes throughout the quiet cave.

“Please… please if you’re listening Almighty I beg of you to save this egg. Humans have driven us from our homes hunting down those who are different. I beg of you to spare this one life and give it a chance to live. I-” A spear whizzes through Ingo and embeds itself in the pokemon’s shoulder. The howl of pain is almost deafening and Ingo feels sick to his stomach at the fox’s pained whimpers. When it notices the humans the fox goes from grief-stricken to aggressive in a blink of an eye. The pokemon snarls, its hair flaring out as it extends its claws eyeing the humans at the mouth of the cave. Dark energy swirls around the fox as it lunges at the man who threw the spear silencing his screams in a matter of moments. A familiar shimmer of an illusion catches Ingo’s attention as the pokemon uses it to catch the others off guard. With a pained hiss, the pokemon takes the spear out and attacks the closest human using its illusion as cover.

One after another the humans fall, red stains the fur around the fox’s mouth and drips from its claws. It's wounded and breathing heavily but it stands strong in the face of the last human. Ingo is frozen in place, horrified at what he’s witnessed. The pokemon is at no fault in his eyes as it's simply just defending itself and the egg it was tasked with protecting. After losing its humans and fellow fox Ingo can’t even begin to imagine what the fox is feeling. He’s horrified at the actions of these humans, relentlessly hunting down this small family, and for what? Ingo felt his eyes well up with tears as he watched the injured fox take down the last human but not without receiving a fatal blow in return. It’s quiet now save for the howling of the wind just outside the safety of the cave. The fox limps to where it hid the egg leaving behind a trail of red. It rests its weary body next to the crack, a broken whine escaping its maw “I’m sorry little one.. but it looks like I won’t be able to stay. I hope that the Almighty heard me, I hope they give you a chance the rest of us never had.. I protected you and that’s all that matters..” The pokemon looks at the entrance of the cave idly watching the snowfall, the snowflakes building up on the bodies outside, “I’m quite tired now.. I think I’ll rest.. for just a little…. while.”

The fox stops moving. Still. Cold. All the fight it had is gone. Ingo hopes it’s at peace now.

He has no words. Even if he could talk now he would be speechless. Why was he seeing this?? Why? Whatever pokemon that was making him see this had a sick sense of humor. It just had to be some pokemon making him see this. Making him watch this family be destroyed and denied happiness. The tears he tried holding back streamed down his face as he stood there unable to do anything.

A quiet pop breaks the silence and the cave is filled with a soft golden light. There’s a golden orb floating in front of the pokemon and it lets out a sad chime. A golden ring surrounds it, spinning every so often as it hovers in place. Ingo worries for a moment that this strange orb might hurt the egg but it just gently lifts it from its hiding spot. A soft but powerful voice reverberates off the cave walls as it speaks to the egg.

"I have heard the zoroark’s call but it looks like I’m too late to help them." It lets out a sad croon, the light from its core dims slightly before brightening, "I’m sorry little one for I may not have been able to save your family but I will be able to save you. I know of a chosen, one that will be able to provide you with the chance at a happy life, one that you and your family should have had in the first place if it were not for those humans. He has a kind soul, one that you will be able to recognize, and in turn, he’ll recognize yours as well. I shall make it so to ensure you find him." The glow from the orb illuminates the egg and Ingo can see it clearly now, but that can’t be- It’s the egg from the tunnels. In a flash, the egg is gone leaving only the hovering orb "Safe travels little one" it hums out, and then it turns to him, it looks straight at him acknowledging his presence.

"Wake up."

The blaring of the alarm startles Ingo awake. He jerks up gasping for breath frantically looking around his room. His hands are shaking, gripping the blanket beneath him attempting to ground himself in reality. They only release their death grip to silence the shrieking alarm. He’s home, he’s in bed, he’s ok. He repeats those three facts until he calms down, wiping away the leftover tears from his face. A concerned chime comes from his right and he flinches only to recognize that it’s Chandelure. She carefully floats in front of him not wanting to startle Ingo further letting out a questioning chime, low and soft. Ingo nods and she wastes no time cuddling up with her distraught trainer. He hugs her form close to his chest enjoying the warmth she gives off and the tickling sensation her fire leaves behind. Slowly Ingo’s breathing evens out as he holds his partner close combined with mentally listing off familiar objects around his room. Once he’s calmed down enough he gets up and thanks Chandelure giving her another hug before making his way to the bathroom.

He still has work to do there’s no time for delays.

Emmet notices his brother’s change immediately, how could he not when they’ve been by each other's side their whole life? Ingo thinks he is good at hiding how he feels but it's obvious, even more so with the red marks around his eyes. He doesn’t say anything though because Ingo will tell him when he wants to. Last night was stressful enough and his brother doesn’t need him smothering him. As he drinks his coffee Emmet ignores the fact that he’s acting like a mother hen. He is not! Just concerned as any sibling should be. After draining the mug of its contents Emmet goes about serving his and his brother’s combined pokemon breakfast, he knows how dramatic Eelektross can get if he doesn’t eat. His ace acts like he never eats and is withering away into nothing. Chandelure floats by his side and pats his head, messing up his neat hair. She laughs at him when he gives up trying to fix his hair for the third time. Grabbing all twelve bowls and filling them up with their pokemon’s favorite food, Emmet makes his way to the pokeroom which is just up a set of stairs at the end of the hall. The room is able to house all of their pokemon comfortably which was a must for the twins since they do have a few large mons.

The smell of food wakes up the slumbering lumps from their pokebeds, excited growls, chirps, a particularly loud squawk and the like greet Emmet. Serving the impatient pokemon is a quick affair as a few of them -Eelektross- don’t even wait for him to put the bowls on the floor. Satisfied that everyone is happy and fed, Emmet checks his xtrans 7 am, they’re not too behind schedule since they have to clock in at 9.

He glances around the room for any signs of mess anyone might’ve made and sees that the nursery door is open. Looks like Galvantula wanted to see the new addition which Emmet is not all that surprised about. If anyone was a mother hen in this house Galvantula holds the title and crown. He checks on the little egg sitting in one of the incubators, he’s happy that everything looks to be in order. Emmet thinks back to last night, his brother had been so tired after the whole ordeal that he handed the egg to him with ease. He told him it was still alive and who was Emmet to not believe the word of his brother? Ingo has never been a good liar, it has been that way since they were children. So being the best little brother in the world, Emmet had put the egg in one of the empty incubators he had, promising Ingo it would be safe. Checking the temperature one more time Emmet left the room shutting the door. He has a hunch his brother will be antsy leaving it all alone so he gets the baby monitor camera connected to his xtrans. He hasn’t used it in a while since the first clutches Galvantula had but it’s still in working order.

Emmet knows that it’ll be a while before the egg hatches but knowing his brother he’ll worry himself into an early grave. Mother hen indeed.

When Emmet comes back with the empty bowls he sees Ingo serving himself a cup of coffee or what used to be a cup of coffee if not for all the sugar and milk he added.

“Ingo, I still don’t know how you manage to drink that. I am not gonna call it coffee. That would be an insult to real coffee.” Emmet playfully joked with his brother as he busied himself with putting the bowls in the dishwasher. His ears flicked back, picking up the small huff from Ingo.

“For your information Emmet this is coffee and it’s quite delicious. You’re missing out and your taste buds are suffering from being subjected to plain black coffee.” Ingo said downing his coffee in one go almost choking on it at his brother’s disgusted face. Contained laughter shook his frame, his eyes pinched in amusement. Emmet’s ears flicked back as he good-naturedly scoffed.

“Horrible. Horrible, terrible brother.”

Feigning hurt Ingo looks over to Chandelure who floated in at just the right moment “My dear Chandelure Emmet just deemed me a horrible, terrible brother. My heart is broken, woe is me” the elder twin said dramatically drawing out a snicker from Emmet.

Chandelure looked at the twins with the best-unamused expression a living chandelier could muster. She chimed at them and messed up their hair -Emmet’s hair for the fourth time now- and motioned to their xtrans. The glowing numbers of 8:10 am had the twins rushing to get out the door. Uniforms and teams all accounted for they headed out to Gear Station for yet another busy day in Nimbasa City.

When the twins came home they slumped on the couch in exhaustion. Today had been very busy with the influx of passengers and trainers and the brothers were glad they had tomorrow off. They loved their jobs of course but learned years ago to enjoy their off days. Their teams let themselves out in search of the perfect napping spot, a few of them going upstairs. Chandelure and Eelektross stayed with the twins and demanded pets from their tired trainers who gladly obliged. The happy gurgles and melodic chimes were a balm to their tired minds.

While running the lines and conducting passengers to their stations, Emmet’s hunch was correct. Ingo had asked about the egg and the smug aura that appeared hadn’t left him the entire time they were on the clock. He had connected Ingo’s xtrans to the monitor as well so he could check it at any time but forgot to tell his dear brother he would be notified when it was accessed. The number of times Ingo checked the camera was hilarious as it was annoying. His xtrans buzzed three times, three times during just one of his battles on the double line. And Ingo denies being a mother hen, he doesn’t know it but he’s second place to Galvantula whether he likes it or not.

“What’s for dinner?” Emmet asks suddenly not taking his eyes off Eelektross as he plays with his paddle-like arms. He moves them up and down, his ace letting out happy gurgles each time.

Ingo hums, absentmindedly petting Chandelure while he thinks “We can order takeout from that Galarian restaurant? We haven’t had curry in quite a while and I’m sure our pokemon will enjoy it as well.” he says, the corners of his lips twitching up at Chandelure’s happy chime. Emmet nods and hugs his spoiled eel laughing when his tail smacks Ingo in the face. With an amused huff, Ingo pushes his brother -who falls dramatically on his side, Eelektross in tow- to the side as he gets up to order dinner.

When dinner arrives the twins are swarmed by their combined teams, the onslaught of baby doll eyes almost makes Ingo cave while Emmet pays them no mind. He takes their now clean bowls out of the dishwasher and begins serving their dinner with Ingo’s help. With their pokemon fed first Ingo and Emmet can finally eat their meals in peace. Ingo ordered the sweet rich curry while Emmet got the spicy coconut curry. After a long day of work, this was just the thing they needed, a delicious meal.

They were on the couch enjoying their meals, the sounds of their happy pokemon all around them. They’re watching a movie that Emmet forgot the name of already but it’s interesting enough to keep his attention. His tail idly sways back and forth as he munches on his meal enjoying his brother’s presence. He looks over to see Ingo watching the movie with rapt attention and Emmet’s smile softens, happy to see the cloud that hung over his brother for most of the day is gone. Finishing the last of his meal, Emmet put the container on the coffee table and got comfortable as Eelektross and a few stray Joltiks cuddled around him. Their combined warmth paired with the movie lulled him to sleep. Before drifting off he heard Ingo huff in amusement and felt a blanket being wrapped around him.

When Emmet awoke the living room was dark, the only light coming from the TV as it played whatever. He blurrily looked around the room to see it was empty sans Eelektross who was on top of him and the pair of Joltiks nestled in his hair. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he slowly got up -much to Eelektross’s displeasure as he let out a grumpy hiss- and looked around for Ingo. He walked down the hall a yawn escaping him during his search, Ingo wasn’t in his room since his door was open, and not in Emmets’ either. A thump from upstairs told him all he needed to know. Emmet’s smile grew into a smirk, his little brother senses tingling urging him to tease the older twin. Quickly making his way upstairs and tip-toeing to the nursery door Emmet heard his brother speaking in a hushed voice -verrry surprising- as he peeked through the crack. He was sitting cross-legged in front of the incubator.

“Hello little one, I know how you appeared in the tunnels. I didn’t believe it at first but that dream felt entirely too real. Just know that I promise my brother and I will take care of you.” Ingo said softly, his tail wagging from side to side. Emmet, putting his little brother mischief aside, softly knocked on the door getting his brother’s attention before sitting next to him. Ingo looked over surprised to see Emmet up “I suppose you want to know what I’m talking about, yes?” Emmet eagerly nodded the curiosity that had been building up all day coming back in full force. Ingo laughed at his eagerness but it was soon replaced with a grim expression, his brow furrowing as he looked back at the egg.

“I know you want to know but are you sure you want to hear it? What this little one has been through it’s-” he was lost for words.

“I am Emmet. We are a two-car train, yes?” At Ingo's nod, he continues “You can’t carry the weight of everything just because you’re older by seven minutes, I’m here to help too. And it’s just like you said, we’ll give this little one all the love in the world. And I’ll be the best uncle in all of Unova.” Emmet said, his smile growing at the last bit. He was genuinely excited at the idea, he could teach his niece or nephew double battles and more! Maybe give them a Joltik when they were old enough? So many things to think about.

Ingo gave his little brother a glameow smile “Thank you, Emmet.”

Once he was ready he told Emmet everything.

Chapter Text

Emmet was quiet for a moment. Ingo knew that look on his face and patiently waited for his twin, focusing on just watching the egg in front of him. Good thing they added these cushions to sit on or sitting on the floor would have been a pain. A wiggle from the egg caught his attention and he could tell it would hatch in a few days and was very excited to meet his kit. 

He was not expecting Emmet to break the silence so soon.

“Ingo what the fuck ?” the younger twin blurted out staring at the egg and then back to his older brother.

“Language!” Ingo huffed pointedly looking at the egg that sat in its incubator like it could hear Emmet. The younger twin rolled his eyes, an amused smirk playing across his usual smile. Ingo sighed but Emmet could see a small smile on his face as he continued “I know it sounds completely insane and unbelievable but I assure you it felt real and that-” Ingo was cut off by Emmet covering his face with his hand as he made obnoxious shushing noises.

“Before you start rambling just know that I believe you” Emmet waited until he knew Ingo would let him continue.

“Ok. So what I am getting is that wherever this egg came from humans do not like hybrids and pokemon??” Ingo nods and Emmet continues.

“Yep, ok. The dying wish of a Zoroark was heard by this region’s deity pokemon. The egg was sent away by said deity and ended up in our tunnels. The pokemon said it would make you and the egg able to recognize one another’s souls. I’m assuming with whatever power it has to be able to do something like that. You’re apparently this pokemon’s ‘chosen’ whatever that means. And finally, it looked at you in this “dream” when nothing else could???” Emmet listed off everything that caught his attention, ears flattening against his messy hair at the ‘chosen’ part. He didn’t like how that sounded at all.

“Yes, that’s everything.” Ingo nodded as a small yawn escaped him. “ I don’t understand why I was shown any of it but I just know that this little egg here is now the caboose to our two-car train.” 

Emmet huffed out a laugh “Caboose huh? Not even hatched yet and you already gave them a nickname” Ingo rolled his eyes and tossed one of the nursery pillows at his brother “You can’t just expect me to keep calling Caboose “egg” or “the egg” the whole time!” he laughed. Emmet threw the pillow back satisfied to see it hit Ingo square in the face.

Still bothered by the dream Emmet grabbed another pillow hugging it close “Are you sure you’re ok though? I saw you this morning and you didn’t look too good. Even at the station, you seemed off.” His tail curled closer to his body as his earlier curiosity was now replaced with worry. Emmet didn’t like seeing his brother so distraught. The whole older sibling thing where they have to be the strong one was complete ponyta shit.

“I’m fine Emmet, talking about it with you has helped me plenty. I do admit that it was frightening to witness but I’m relieved that Caboose is safe with us.” Ingo gave his brother a small smile “I assure you that nothing else will happen. It seems all the pokemon wanted was to send little Caboose to a good home, but if anything else does happen, you’ll be the first to know.” Emmet’s posture relaxed a bit at Ingo’s words.

“I just hope that whatever pokemon sent us little Caboose doesn’t give me any more “dreams”. One was enough and I would like my jumbled dream mess back.” The older twin chuckled trying to lighten the mood again. It worked when Emmet snorted and turned his attention to Caboose who was snug in their incubator. His tail puffed up and wagged and Ingo knew his little brother couldn’t wait to meet the kit too. However, he didn’t miss the yawn that escaped Emmet and nudged him.

“I know we have the day off tomorrow but we shouldn’t stay up so late. Both of us are yawning like a couple of snorlax.” Emmet tried to protest but Ingo beat him to it “And don’t say that you’re not tired, I can see it on your face” Emmet dramatically groaned and conveniently ‘fell’ on Ingo squishing the other.

“Emmet you’re too old to be acting like a baby!” Ingo teased and was answered with an overdramatic gasp from his lap.

“I am not old! If anyone is old between the both of us it would be you. You are seven minutes older while I’m young and amazing.” as if to prove his point, Emmet tilted his head up with a pleased look on his face showing off his “awesomeness” only to be met with Ingo holding back a laugh when he glanced up.

“I think the lack of sleep is getting to you Emmet. Time to depart to bed post haste!” Ingo hauled himself and Emmet up off the floor ignoring his brother’s glare.

The twins made their way downstairs and quickly changed into their pajamas when they realized they still had their work clothes on. Pajamas acquired and teeth brushed the twins finally retired to their rooms -way comfier than the couch- to get some actual sleep.

“Goodnight Emmet” yawned Ingo as he shuffled to his room eager to get some sleep.

“Night Ingo” came Emmet’s tired reply and he inwardly cursed that Ingo was right and he was verrry tired.

______ ▲▽▲▽▲ ______

Ingo was happy that his dreams were back to their jumbled mess as he groggily sat up in bed and was happily greeted by his beloved Chandelure. She twirled in place, happy to receive a few pets here and there while Ingo stretched and made his way out of his room. He was greeted by a sleepy Haxorous who gently headbutted him mindful of her sharp tusks while she made her way upstairs most likely to her favorite bed. After freshening up Ingo went to the kitchen to start on breakfast and saw Emmet who was making coffee.

“Morninggg here to taint yet another cup of coffee dear brother?” even in the early hours of the day Emmet couldn’t resist being a pest.

“As always Emmet now if you would excuse me,” Ingo said, reaching over his brother to grab his favorite mug. It was a gift from their friend Elesa and it was decorated with both of their combined teams. He happily served himself some coffee and sweetened it to his liking ignoring the dramatic noises from Emmet.

The morning was quiet as the twins went about their routine. Ingo would go upstairs every once in a while to see how little Caboose was doing while Emmet sat on the couch watching a rerun of an old train documentary. It was nice and both trainers and pokemon very much enjoyed it.

The quiet was disturbed by a phone call coming from Emmet’s xtrans and Ingo could hear Elesa’s voice from down the hall as he came back from checking on his egg. That’s when it hit him, neither he nor Emmet told her about the egg! Oh, dragons she’s going to have their heads and wonder where the egg came from. Ingo doesn’t think he wants to tell the story again, it was already mentally draining the first time around when he told Emmet. 

When he appeared in the living room Emmet perked up and motioned to his xtrans while Elesa talked about the battles she had. The emolga hybrid happily talked about the different pokemon with Emmet and told him that there were a few from the Sinnoh region that came through today. They spoke for quite a bit before Ingo worked up the nerve to tell Elesa about the egg.

“Elesa?” he started, getting her attention after she finished talking about a modeling job happening in a few months.

“Yes, Ingo? You’ve been kinda quiet, is something the matter?” she asked and Ingo could hear the subtle worry in her tone. Her big round ears twitched while the yellow pouches on her cheeks gave off some sparks.

“Oh no! Nothing is the matter Elesa I apologize if I worried you.” Ingo fidgeted a bit, his ears twitching, he felt a bit bad at making Elesa worry for nothing “I just wanted to tell you that last night during our last shift we found an egg in the tunnels and that I’m keeping it?” Ingo’s voice went up a pitch at the last bit as his nerves got the better of him.

Emmet looked on at the dumpster fire happening in front of him, reveling in his brother’s oh-so-elegant way of telling their childhood best friend/sister about the egg they were keeping.

Elesa stared at the twins for a good while, processing what in the name of reshiram Ingo meant by ‘finding an egg in the subway tunnels’ and that he was going to keep it.

“Ingo, so you’re telling me that you found some random egg in the tunnels and that you’re keeping it?? What about its parents? Have you taken it to the center so it can get checked out?” Elesa shot the questions one after another at rapid-fire which was quickly overwhelming Ingo. Emmet decided to cut in and spare his elder twin.

“Yes, Ingo is keeping the egg. No, Caboose does not have parents. We had the egg checked out the night we found it by a doctor but she said it was gone.” Emmet saw Elesa about to ask another question but beat her to it “The egg is not dead no, Ingo can feel its soul and says it’s very much alive. The doctor and her machines may have overlooked that. Verrry irresponsible yup!” Emmet finished and laughed at Elesa’s face that screamed “seriously?” .

“I’m coming over” was all she said and the call quickly ended. The twins shared a look knowing Elesa would want the full story. Ingo groaned and flopped over the back of the couch while Emmet patted his head.

“Want me to tell her everything? You look verrry tired and she’s not even here yet.” Emmet said and Ingo could hear the concern in his voice. He wordlessly nodded and thanked his younger twin with a hug.

______ ▲▽▲▽▲ ______

When the twins heard a knock at the door they were surprised by how fast Elesa got to their apartment. It didn’t even take her twenty minutes to get here! Ingo retreated upstairs to sit with Caboose while Emmet opened the door to answer any questions Elesa had. Emmet led Elesa to the couch so they could be comfortable while he explained the crazy events that have happened so far. Ingo told him that it would be fine to share his dream since Elesa is basically family, their sister.

It took an hour but he had explained everything in detail, answering many of Elesa’s questions regarding the egg. Yes, they were going to take the egg for another checkup, Yes, they would change their schedule to take care of little Caboose and Yes, they were going to tell their uncle and cousin when the time came to. She was curious as to where Ingo was and Emmet told her he was upstairs with little Caboose since earlier he got a bit overwhelmed. Elesa instantly felt bad and wanted to apologize, Emmet led the way to the nursery.

As Emmet and Elesa made their way to the nursery a few stray joltiks would try to jump on Elesa and a few even managed to jump on her fluffy tail. She just laughed and kept walking knowing the little bugs liked the electricity she gave off. Many of the twin’s pokemon were resting and Crustle and Durant happily greeted her with excited chitters on their way to the nursery. After giving the two bugs some pets Emmet opened the nursery door and saw Ingo once again sitting on the floor accompanied by Galvantula and Chandelure.

Ingo’s ears flicked back as they entered and he partially turned to face his brother and sister “Elesa, Emmet answered all of your questions correct? I’m sorry I couldn’t answer them for you, but I was a bit overwhelmed earlier.” he nervously scratched the side of his face but was stopped by Galvantula who was batting his hand away, chittering at him. Emmet moved from the door and sat to his brother’s right, plopping Galvantula into his lap and petting her soft fuzz. 

Elesa hadn’t been in the nursery in a while and saw a few changes from the last time she was here. On the floor where Ingo and Emmet now sat were cushions to comfortably sit on to view the incubators, in front of the twins there were four in total with the one closest to Ingo containing a medium-sized red and black egg. The incubators were elevated off of the floor on a cushioned platform to prevent any slips. To the left, she could see a baby monitor sitting off to the side on a small table next to the big bookcase full of books about pokemon breeding and eggs. To the right, she saw a couple of pokebeds and some extra pillows that Galvantula most likely used and maybe archeops judging by the bright red feathers that littered the area. It was nice and cozy.

Elesa met Ingo’s eyes again silently asking for permission to sit since many parents were protective of their eggs. Ingo nodded and patted the spot to his left, Chandelure floated out of the way and into her trainer’s lap.

“You don’t need to ask permission Elesa, you’re family and I know no harm will come to little Caboose from you. But I do appreciate it, I will admit that I was a bit frazzled the night we found them.” Ingo smiled. Emmet snorted from his side, catching Elesa's attention as she gave him a look already knowing what he was going to bring up.

“A bit frazzled?? Don’t make me laugh brother, you were so close to growling at the doctor” he poked Ingo’s side while Galvantula smacked her trainer in the face, chittering in what seemed to be her version of a scolding.

Elesa laughed a bit at that, dramatically gasping at the elder twin “Not very Subway boss behavior of you Ingo! And here I thought you were the mature twin.” she joked before leaning forward and catching Emmet’s attention "Afterall, someone has to be mature out of the both of you.” she snickered at Emmet’s offended face when he leaned into view. She was on neither side! Teasing both of her brothers was fair game, no one was safe.

“I am Emmet and I’m not mature?! How dare!”

“Emmet you are far from mature! Does a mature person have gear station-themed socks??? Hmm?”

“ Yes, they certainly do! And what about you Elesa? Do mature people have emolga-themed pajama jumpsuits?? I think not” He stuck his tongue out at Elesa whose cheeks puffed out in annoyance, sparks of electricity crackling from the yellow pouches.

Ingo knew there was no winning with his twin and sister, he was just glad they were going at it with each other and stopped teasing him. This was nice though, being surrounded by the both of them, their pokemon, and his little egg. Ingo felt content and a small smile graced his face, Chandelure softly chimed from his lap quietly laughing at Elesa and Emmet’s antics. Galvantula looked half asleep in her trainer’s lap. Emmet and Elesa ended their teasing in a draw, an outcome neither party was satisfied with, looks like they’ll have to settle the score some other day.

Elesa’s ears perked up as something crossed her mind “Oh! Almost forgot but when are you going to tell your uncle the whole ‘You’re a grandpa! Congrats!’ thing? I know you guys will tell him but hopefully, it’s before the egg hatches.. right?” The twins looking anywhere but at her did not fill her with confidence.

“What am I going to do with you bidoofuses??” she playfully huffed “You don’t know how to tell him do you?” they nodded and Elesa facepalmed. She could work with this though, the twins liked sticking to schedules and knowing what to do next, so maybe they could tell their uncle after the egg’s checkup? They would have to schedule one soon with all the wiggling the little one was doing.

“I have an idea. Schedule the checkup for little Caboose here and then afterward you three can go to Opelucid or have Drayden come here and then break the news. Pretty solid plan huh?” she watched their faces as they thought over her plan, their ears twitching slightly.

Ingo spoke first “That sounds like a good track to follow. We can set aside some time today to make a temporary schedule for our depot agents to follow for both the commuter and battle lines that run that day.” he paused thinking for a moment “I’m not sure what day to schedule an appointment though, Emmet do you have any ideas?” Ingo asked, turning to his twin.

“Wednesday. We always get fewer challengers that day so we would have to change very little. The commuter lines can be easily handled by the depot agents and some higher-level agents can sub for us if there are challengers.” Emmet said not looking up from petting Galvantula, the arachnid chittering happily at the attention. Ingo nodded along already thinking of the new schedule while Elesa gave herself a mental pat on the back.

With a plan in mind, the twins had less to worry about and spent the rest of their day off with their sister.