Author's Note: Howdy! It looks like I've made yet another story (despite having so many others to work on, sorry everyone for the wait on Ronpa and Ideals 2)! This time, it's about the esteemed Subway Bosses/Masters, Ingo and Emmet (who I don't even know if people like anymore tbh)! I've had their past in my head for quite some time ever since they debuted in "A Heroine's Return", so I decided to finally write it as a separate fic! And because it's in the same universe as IoD 2, there's a chance it'll be alluded to come a future chapter. But, that's for time to tell. For now, enjoy the first chapter!
Another day came to rise over the small and rural Anville Town. The bright morning sun warmed the atmosphere above its citizens, all of whom were going about their day as if it were nothing special. All atop the hills that towered over numerous dormant train tracks, true peace went all about the people; be they conversing, walking, or merely greeting the day with silence.
On the fourth floor of a tall six-floor apartment building close to the center of town, inside of Apartment 11 was Subway Boss Ingo, who was fully dressed in his traditional work uniform, black conductor's long-coat and all. He had just put the black version of the Subway Boss hat over his slightly disheveled silver bangs, covering up every inch of hair save for the back and two thick knife-shaped sideburns. Ingo looked in the mirror, straightening the blue tie around his dress shirt collar. Although the man wasn't in a horrible mood that morning, the perpetual frown still, as usual, had no intention of leaving his face.
As Ingo got to preparing some coffee for himself and a sustainable breakfast for both him and his younger twin, he thought about what he'd intended to do in the hours preceding his shift at the Battle Subway. Such thoughts of his brought back memories, all the more melancholic regardless of how they'd truly occurred. However, there were some memories that came up and made his heart gnarl further from it all, eyebrows threatening to crease as a means of dealing with such horrific times.
While his past thoughts began getting more grim, Ingo was yanked back to the present by the sound of the coffee maker at last brewing loudly. The machine bubbled audibly as Ingo put his favored white mug with a black arrow pointing upwards on it under the center, scalding dark brown liquid pouring its way inside at a steady interval. Steam rose from his mug the more it filled, satisfying the black-clad Subway Boss all the more. Ingo looked at the clock on the kitchen wall, ghostly silver eyes noticing the clock hands forming a solid "7:53" in its circumference. Peeking out from the kitchen, he noticed one of the doors in the apartment was still closed shut, knowing very well who had yet to emerge from it. Once his coffee finished filling the mug to its near brim, Ingo set the hot drink on the counter, leaving the kitchen temporarily in favor of the specific door.
"That man really needs to start using his alarm clock…" Ingo sighed, knocking on the door a few times. "Emmet? Wake up. We have work today."
"Mrrnnn…" was the tired sound heard from the other side.
"Come on. Last chance to wake yourself up before I come in and do it myself." Again did only a tired moan come from Emmet's room, Ingo sighing again as he entered through the unlocked barrier. "Okay, I guess we're doing this again. You brought this on yourself, mein liebster Bruder."
Into the room Ingo went, standing before the physically identical 25-year old male he so shared nearly everything with: his brother, Subway Boss Emmet. Despite being alike in appearance and genes, the twins had some notable differences of their own. The most recognizable one was the drooling smile permanently stuck upon the sleeping Emmet's face where a frown would be on Ingo's. Emmet's silver hair was completely disoriented against his pillow, more than likely from the man moving around in his dream. Ingo looked from his younger brother to the clock now reading "7:55" in red digital numbers, the alarm off and unused as per usual with Emmet.
"Em, it's time to get up," Ingo said, kneeling down on the side of Emmet's bed and shaking his arm.
"Myrnmmm… I finally found the shiny Joltik hoard," Emmet snored in his sleep, seeing and hearing only his dream while turning away from Ingo.
"Okay, that still has yet to work on him. Maybe if I do this."
Ingo went over to the end of Emmet's bed, ripping the covers away from the dreaming adult and revealing a pair of white pajamas with cyan stripes over the long sleeves and pants. Despite the chill that now befell Emmet, he wasn't quite ready to give into his brother's wishes and get up for the day. Although his dream was now disturbed, Emmet curled up to keep warm and preserve serenity a while longer.
While Ingo usually admired his brother's persistence greatly, the battle to get him out of bed was a special exception. He tried shaking Emmet awake again, only to be ignored completely as if he'd never touched him or entered the room. Rolling his eyes with annoyance, Ingo went back to Emmet's bedside and got close to his ear.
"Well, since you obviously want the hard way so badly," Ingo shrugged, leaning in and clamping his mouth around the top of Emmet's ear cartilage, sinking his teeth into the flesh until his brother bolted awake.
"GYAGH!" Emmet yelped, grabbing his sore ear once Ingo set it free and rubbing the reddened section of flesh. He looked at Ingo with puffed cheeks full of air, pouting despite being slightly amused. "Morgen to you too, Bruder."
"Guten morgen, Emmet. Are you ready to get up now? Or would you rather I give you another rude awakening?"
"Nein, I'm up, okay?"
Despite the soreness in his ear, the cat-like smile on Emmet's face didn't falter an inch downwards. He yawned, leaving his bed before Ingo finally put the covers and sheets back in their proper place. With a few pajama shirt buttons pressed down from their slots, Emmet removed his sleepwear until only his undergarments remained. Going over to his dresser drawer below the attached mirror, Emmet took a white dress shirt and pants of the same color into the connected bathroom door, the shower running a mere seconds later alongside some enthusiastic singing from the person using the hot water.
Leaving his brother alone to shower in favor of finishing up in the kitchen, Ingo went back to the abandoned cup of coffee, taking a sip from the bitter liquid as his preferred taste enveloped his tongue all the way down with the piping temperature. Taking a second swallow to intake his daily energy, he heard the shower shut off and drain with the tune silenced, telling him Emmet had finished cleaning himself.
In the minutes that followed, out came Emmet, completely dried and dressed in his white pants and dress shirt after finally fixing his stubborn blue necktie with glove-bearing hands. He pulled over his body a conductor's long coat similar to Ingo's save for it being white in areas that were black on his older brother's, slipping on shoes that matched the pearl color of his uniform. From the nearby hat rack Emmet took his traditional Subway Boss hat, also white in places that were black on Ingo's hat. Making sure messy silver bangs were clipped back, he slipped the cap onto his head until the only visible features were the knife-shaped sideburns sitting lateral to his common smile.
"At least you're finally up and about," Ingo commented. "Now come, eat breakfast so you aren't complaining about being hungry later on."
"Alright!" Emmet agreed, sitting down at the table with his brother in front of the prepared food. "This looks really good, Ingo!"
"Danke, Emmet. I did make it myself."
Ingo watched as his perky brother got to work on eating the first meal of the day. Granted, the black-clad Subway Boss was usually not one to crack even the slightest smile, but seeing Emmet be his typical optimistic self was still a definite method of bringing happiness to Ingo's own heart. Of course, the furthest his mouth would crease up wasn't enough to be a true smile, far too busy alternating between eating breakfast and drinking coffee. Though seeing Emmet be prosperous and joyful made his day like every other one, Ingo's pre-work plans made his heart sink and shudder from how such memories came to be.
Right after breakfast was done and cleaned, Ingo and Emmet locked their apartment and walked on to the elevator to travel down to the lobby. Once there, the twins went all the way to the small train station below the hills of Anville Town. They passed some common item traders in the middle of a barter and greeted them on the way to the train. Of course, while Ingo said his greeting in a subtle tone, Emmet just couldn't keep back his enthusiasm and grin with his salutations to the others up until he and Ingo arrived at the train with the brown stripe.
"G-Good morning, Boss Ingo," a Depot Agent in green said, saluting the twins as he stood beside the open train door. "Good morning to you too, Boss Emmet."
"Guten Morgen," Ingo and Emmet said in unison with no trouble, giving salutes of their own. "We hope you put your best efforts in today like the rest."
"Oh, don't worry, sirs! I will! I hope your days go well!"
Both twins nodded with gratitude, boarding the train and sitting minutes before it took off for Nimbasa City. Ingo sat idly next to Emmet, who started to play with his Joltik when the little creature popped out from his coat. Ingo watched on at his playful twin crooning and cooing at the Joltik he so affectionately snuggled against his silver sideburn, paying attention to hardly anything else. As the train kept moving closer to the city containing the Battle Subway they were in charge of, Ingo's mind flashed back to his own plans before he'd head off to work with Emmet. Again was the elder Subway Boss ripped from his thoughts, this time by the playful Electric and Bug-type hopping onto his shoulder and hopping in place.
"Pippy, I am not Emmet," Ingo sighed, giving a hazy eye without irritation as he placed the Joltik onto his brother's shoulder. "You should know this by now."
"Oh, have a heart, Ingo!" Emmet pleaded, holding Pippy in his open gloved palms. "Pippy just wants to play before work is all!"
"The offer's nice, but I think I'll take a raincheck. Besides, there's something I have to do before work starts in a couple hours."
"Hmm? What's that, Bruder?"
"I'm… I'm going to pay her a visit. Would you like to come with me, Emmet?"
"Her who-" Emmet's smile threatened to slack when he realized who Ingo was referring to with the pronoun. "Oh. No no, I went yesterday, remember? Going there again… it'd just be too sad."
"I understand, Em. If you change your mind, you can come with me. I'm sure Miss Bella would like to see you again."
"I'd like to see her too." Emmet's head hung low, smile quivering as tears started building up in his ghostly eyes. The white-clad Subway Boss wiped the salted water drops away, sadness still weighing his heart down as more tears teased his lids. "Bruder, I miss her so much!" Emmet sobbed, letting more tears fall with shut eyes when Pippy went back to his shoulder.
"I know, I miss her too," Ingo said to his brother sympathetically, pulling him close and hugging him. "But really, she's in a much better place than this, isn't she?"
"J-Ja, but… Bruder, why did Kinmäe have to die?! It's not fair! Wasn't- she was our entire reason for-"
"-She was. And in the end, it was worth it, wasn't it? We got to be with her for a while after… all of that." Ingo saw Emmet had started to bawl harder near his chest, the smile completely wiped off his face until it was a shape of anguish. Ingo kept the man close, bowing his head downwards onto Emmet's hat and rocking the man slowly and slightly. "Shhh… it's okay, Emmet. It'll be okay, shhh…"
"I- I don't want to lose you either, Ingo," Emmet sniffled in his sobs, clasping onto Ingo's coat sleeve. "I don't wanna lose anybody dear to me, especially not my brother…!"
"Shhh… Emmet, it's alright. I'll always be here for you no matter what." Ingo positioned Emmet to look up at him, his brother's silver eyes tear-soaked and red as he inhaled choppy breaths. He really hated to see Emmet break a perky face, so he had to think of a way to mitigate his sadness like before. "I promise, nobody's going to leave, okay? Especially not me."
"I-Ingo, I-"
"-Emmet, look at me, alright?" Ingo put both index fingers to the corner of his mouth, turning up his lips into a foreign smile and using the digits as physical support. "Come on, smile for big brother. Please?"
Emmet looked at Ingo, still sniffling and snivelling back his sobbing. Tears still dripped down his sideburn-covered cheeks as his mouth quivered somberly, but seeing Ingo try to smile for him gave him just enough assurance to bring back a smile of his own. Though this time, Emmet's was still full of sadness while he wiped more tears away with Ingo's help. When he started to calm himself down, Emmet's smile slowly grew more genuine in spite of his reddened sclera for the sake of his trying older brother. His heart still grieved for their deceased loved one, but Emmet kept smiling on even after Ingo resumed his typical frowning expression. When Pippy the Joltik scampered back into Emmet's hands, the younger Subway Boss continued to play with his tiny friend while Ingo waited for the train to stop at Nimbasa City.
"Even if I'm never the happiest person in the world," Ingo thought, looking at his brother, "Emmet deserves the best no matter what. And I'm gonna make sure it stays that way for as long as I live."
Before either of them knew it, the train stopped in the Gear Station of Nimbasa City just as the PA System announced the Anville Line's arrival. Ingo and Emmet exited the train, the Depot Agents standing outside greeting their monozygotic bosses and giving them salutes in unison. The twins greeted back with salutes of their own, leaving the line area in favor of the main part of the Battle Subway. According to the clock, the Battle Subway wasn't due to open for another couple of hours, leaving the metro duo to get some things of their own done before they were to battle any lucky challengers.
"Emmet, would you mind doing checking the lines this morning?" Ingo requested sincerely. "I'll be back soon."
"Oh, I don't mind, Bruder!" Emmet chirped, nodding as acceptance.
"And you promise not to get distracted on your own in the Control Room again?"
"Ingo, I'll be just fine! Honest!" Before he thought about leaving, Emmet flashed his brother a melancholic smile. "And if it's not too much trouble, do you mind saying 'Hallo' to Miss Bella for me?"
"Of course not, brother. I'll give her your best regards. I'll see you in a bit."
Ingo and Emmet went their temporary separate ways, the former going up the tall flight of stairs until he was out in the energetic and bright streets of Nimbasa City. He walked a few blocks down the corner from the Battle Subway, entering a flower shop not too far from the Pokémon Center. When the clerk turned around, they were startled by Ingo's typical scowl despite the man not actually being upset with them. Nonetheless, they shyly asked him how they could be of assistance to him.
"Do you still have any petunia bouquets in stock?" Ingo asked, his frown still clear on his face.
"Uhh, y-yes we do, sir! Some just came in this morning!" the clerk answered. "Is there a particular color you'd like?"
"Nein, any color will do."
"Okay. That'll be 1000 Poké Dollars, please."
Ingo paid the exact amount to the clerk, who opened the register and inserted the sole bill inside. As proper exchange, they gave Ingo the bouquet of purple and blue petunia flowers, the stern Subway Boss giving a very polite "danke schoen" before he made his way out of the fragrant shop of plants. With the small bell ringing behind him after passing through the door, Ingo made his way up the city sidewalk until he was on the other side of Nimbasa. While strolling into a less busy area, he passed an old brown house not unlike that of a quiet cottage. What he once remembered to be inhabited was now rickety and aged, dusty and most likely housing thousands of lonely cobwebs. Sighing, Ingo walked past the cottage to continue his trek down the street, where he finally arrived at the gates of a cemetery.
The very atmosphere of the cemetery was gloomy enough, the reason for Ingo being there not helping in the slightest. Each and every unique headstone went ignored by the 25-year old man, all until he came across a certain grave marked by a half-ogee shaped slab of stone. Upon closer inspection, Ingo at last found the correct words he'd been searching for, the grave reading "Beneath this Earth are the remains of Bella Marianna Öströmson; a loving friend, caretaker, and mother" directly above the years she had lived for. Kneeling in front of the grave, Ingo placed the bouquet of petunias next to the yellow daffodil bouquet already resting there, the colors almost resembling a beautiful garden as Ingo kept his eyes on the memorial.
"Guten Morgen, Miss Bella. I brought your favorite flowers," Ingo greeted as a gentle breeze brushed lightly against his coat and skin. "I'm sorry I couldn't join Emmet in his visit yesterday. I'd bet you'd have loved to see both of us here, wouldn't you?"
As expected, the grave didn't respond to Ingo's statement, leaving him to only stare and carry on such a one-sided conversation. He let the flowers join him in sitting near where Bella's body lay fathoms below the earth, putting a gloved hand to the grave and stroking it gently. Tears were considering falling from Ingo's eyes, but such an urge wasn't nearly strong enough to get away with. However, his heart was plenty sullen, cumbersome with grief from the huge loss years prior.
"I know it's only been five years since you left us," Ingo said to the headstone, "but to us, it still hurts as if it were yesterday. Especially since Em and I…"
Ingo ceased talking for a few moments, wiping his slightly misty eyes in the silence. He'd remembered everything from his past, good and bad. Upon thinking about every negative event of great importance, he positioned himself into a new sitting position that faced the rest of the cemetery like Bella's grave. A gentle breeze blew to the east, tickling the skin and stone it ran through in its path. While the wind was busy with its serene move, Ingo kept his arms atop his knee caps, still speaking without turning to the late Bella's headstone.
"Miss Bella, I don't think Em and I have ever told you the whole story of what happened to us after you left Hoenn," Ingo noted. "Now, realistically, you probably still won't hear the story, but I can at least get it out now. Emmet doesn't like talking about it, but one of us has to."
Scratching his chin, Ingo moved his eyes downwards as he pondered his memories. Rather than cut to the chase, he found himself struggling to find the right place to start. After much more thought given, the elder Subway Boss twin at last discovered the earliest memory he could recall of his and his brother's past. Though he felt melancholic about it all, such a feeling hadn't stopped Ingo from traversing his previous memories from beginning to present.
Author's Note: I'm not sure how this story will turn out. Sometimes I write something and it comes out completely different on paper (or on computer, y'know). I don't have everything 100% mapped out, but I've got an inkling on everything. Since everyone's mileage may vary, we'll just have to see if this fic will survive! Look forward to the 2nd chapter, everybody!
Chapter translations:
"Mein liebster Bruder" = "My dear(est) brother"
"Kinmäe" = short for "Kindermädchen", which basically means "nanny"
"Hallo" = "hello"
(If I missed any and you don't know what it means, feel free to ask)
"Danke schoen" = "Thank you very much"