"I am Emmet. I am a subway boss. And I am looking for my brother." He said it out loud over and over again, at this point trying to keep himself on track and calm.
It had become his mantra, the phrase that kept him going despite his limbs growing heavier and heavier with each step.
Everything was still hazy and wobbly, the world not making any sense.
Before all this, it had just been a typical Thursday. They had woken up at four in the morning as usual, eating breakfast and freshening up before heading out for Gear Station to start the days safety checks. The brothers were dressed and ready to leave when something very atypical happened.
An odd light enveloped Ingo.
Emmet had leapt forward and grabbed his brother's arm right as the light completely engulfed him, taking them both. The two were ripped from their apartment, the brightness morphing into a strange purple world with floating islands and waterfalls that flowed in every direction imaginable. That's all the detail he could make out as they fell, an odd force distorting gravity and the entire reality around them, trying hard to pry them apart.
Ingo had attempted reaching for Emmet, but the force was too strong to pull his free arm even close to his own body. Emmet was the only thing keeping them together, and he held on with all the strength he had. His nails had dug deep into Ingo's skin, mouth moving but no sound coming out. He had prayed to any higher being watching that he'd be able to hold on. He was pretty sure blood had splattered against his cheek at one point too, though it was impossible to tell when everything around them was spinning.
The younger's grip couldn't hold forever, and no higher power intervened. The last thing he saw before Ingo slipped from his fingers was his elder brother's terrified expression. The boss in black was yanked away violently, tumbling into another flash of light, Emmet screamed, continuing to fall into the void until every blur of motion and color finally solidified into darkness.
And now he was here, having woken up in a rocky ravine between two sheer cliff sides. It quickly became obvious that he was far away from the subway tunnels and bustling city he called home.
This place was chilly, windy, and very remote. He was very close to a massive mountain, or perhaps trapped near the base of it. A very tall, snowy peak overtook the skyline, and a giant hole was right above it.
A giant tare in the middle of the sky.
Dark, swirling and menacing. Far away and mocking his predicament.
Even if he spent most of his life underground in subway tunnels, rarely emerging when the sun was still in the sky, he still knew what was normal to see above his head.
This definitely wasn't normal.
"Did I fall out of that?" Emmet couldn't help but wonder. It seemed impossible, but after being forced through an odd world and waking up here, it seemed the most likely.
He only has one objective at this point though.
Find Ingo.
There were too many unknowns. He had no idea where this place even was, or if his brother had crash landed near here. Hell, he wasn't even sure if this was still part of the backwards realm the two were sucked through. It definitely didn't look like Unova. It had been decades since he and his brother had gone on their own Pokémon journey, but he remembered the Twist Mountain and Reversal Mountain areas didn't look quite like this. The color of the rocks were all wrong.
He was working alone, and the twin in white absolutely hated it.
He generally followed Ingo's lead on most things, not that he was incapable of running the subway himself. His brother had always been the more rational of the two, perhaps a superpower he had from being three minutes older.
Hopefully his brother would have a better idea of what to do and was able to find help.
If he was even here at least.
"INGO!" Emmet called at the top of his lungs. It echoed throughout the mountain, sending flocks of small bird Pokémon flying out of their nests in panic.
He listened intently for his brother's booming voice to answer his cries, but he heard nothing.
Even if the twins were both verrry loud, Ingo definitely held the title for greatest volume. All of the PA systems he's broken by mistake over the years are proof of that.
Still, Emmet never even heard the faintest response.
He needed to be louder.
"IIIINNNGOOOO!!!" Emmet called over and over again, walking further into the steep ravine still finding no signs of his brother.
Walking and shouting his brother's name, scaring away many skittish Pokémon in the process. That was all he did for well over an hour.
Shouting until his throat started hurting.
No response.
"Ingo…. Where are you?" Groaning under his breath, Emmet noticed a branching path in the long rock prison he had been trekking through. Taking the escape opportunity, he finally found an area with actual trees and tall grasses. The land was still at a severe slant, a deadly slope covered in jagged rocks, stray grass and trees that somehow managed to stay standing on such an unforgiving incline.
It eventually leveled out into flat ground, and he could see some wild Rhyhorn grazing in the distance.
Emmet had no desire to fall down there. If he survived the tumble, he'd have to walk past those Rhyhorn to get out of the clearing.
Gulping hard, the train conductor removed his hat to wipe away the accumulating sweat with his sleeve. Things were starting to look more and more dire. Shakily Emmet reached into his pocket, double checking that he still had the Pokeballs he landed here with. The only two Pokeballs he managed to grab before they were taken by that light.
His Pokémon were a small comfort. The only things he had to defend himself if something tried derailing him from his search.
He hoped they could get back to their other Pokémon before too long. Maybe Elesa would stop by their house and make sure they were fed? If only he managed to grab his Xtranseiver. Then he could at least call and ask her too… or call for a rescue service. That would probably be the smarter option.
"WOAH!" His dragging foot caught on a divot hidden in the earth, sending him stumbling forward. Hands held out, he barely managed to grip a tree trunk before falling any further.
A very lucky catch.
"T-that was a close one…" His voice was hoarse from exhaustion and stress. Emmet hadn't realized how winded he was, or how long he'd spent walking. When he woke up on the mountainside it was clearly early morning, but now the sun was midway across the sky.
"M… maybe it's… t-time for a… short stop." The words came out choppy between pants. If he continued like this, he'd likely make another stupid mistake and actually fall the whole way down. He wasn't sure if he'd survive the landing when he finally hit flat ground.
Spotting a relatively flat boulder in the shade of some trees, he carefully made his way over, keeping his knees bent and center of gravity lower. This time he managed to get there without incident.
Damn, he really needed to work out more.
Taking a heavy seat, Emmet used a few minutes to just breath, watching the grazing Rhyhorm before planning his next move.
This wasn't just a hunt for Ingo anymore. It was clear they were stranded in a place far from civilization, and he was thirsty. Pretty soon hunger would set in, and getting both of those resources could be a problem.
And worst of all, they were both alone. He knew from all those TV shows that survival was hardest when traveling alone. Even when he was roughing it as a young Pokémon trainer in the woods, Ingo had been by his side the entire time. Tackling every challenge together one step at a time.
If only his grip had been tighter. Maybe he could have held onto Ingo a little longer-
A flash of motion on his right side was all he had time to process.
At first he thought it was a Yanma trying to fly away, until it tackled him.
There was a strong impact knocking him off the rock, like someone rammed him full force with a motorcycle. A Luxray was on top of him, digging into his coat with claws long enough to pierce the fabric and teeth digging deep into his shoulder.
Emmet screamed, instincts telling him to push it away, claw at its face, punch it.
The Luxray didn't care, trying to adjust its teeth from his shoulder to reach the jugular. Claws kept scratching and digging into his chest until it finally got a strong hold, stopping Emmet from struggling as effectively.
He tried for his pokeballs next, but they were pinned under his hip. With so much weight they couldn't even open voluntarily.
He was out of options, and any rational thought he was clinging to left with the realization.
Controlled scratching turned into wild kicking, breathing getting faster as fresh panic set in.
Emmet couldn't even form real words, just howl and wail in fear and pain.
He was going to die here.
He was going to die here!
He didn't WANT to die here!
His flailing foot finally managed to push against a tree with enough force to send them over the edge of the hill. The Luxray roared and released in the fall, smashing against several trees with Emmet tumbling right behind it.
Everything was whipping around and every attempt to grab ahold of something ended in failure. His coat caught onto a jagged rock, whipping him sideways into a tree with a loud crack. The impact was accompanied by ripping, the trapped fabric giving way completely and sending him tumbling again. He was vaguely aware that his hat came off and something was falling out of his torn pocket, though he wasn't able to think hard on it. His body hit the bottom of the hill hard, rolling several more feet against the rough, rocky ground before losing all momentum. He was on his left side, twisted painfully and an odd pressure building in his arm, hip and rib cage.
It took a moment for the world to stop spinning, time seeming to slow down around him. His breathing was heavy and labored, heart pounding in his ears ready to explode. His body was littered with scratches and bruising, and his right arm especially felt off. Adrenalin stopped his body from registering the pain right away, which was finally wearing out in favour of intense aching.
Emmet had no idea how bad the damage was, but he knew his clothes were sticky and warm. Why was he so wet?
Then there was heat.
Emmet's eyes shot open, a sharp pang of electricity running through his body. Everything was tense and stiff, muscles locked in a tight position preventing him from even attempting to sit up. His darting eyes finally landed on the Luxray, now standing up with lightning flicking from its mane. It had shaken off the tumble with only a few scratches, looking even more pissed.
Emmet's mind was screaming at him to grab a Pokeball.
Throw something at it.
RUN.
But he was paralyzed.
All he could manage were a few sharp twitches from his fingers.
The creature leaned forward, roaring and pouncing right for him.
The teeth on it were huge.
Long.
Curved.
Deadly weapons.
He hadn't realized how big a Luxray's fangs were until he saw one in person, as it was coming down to finish him off.
He was going to die.
Emmet was really going to die.
How could he be so careless?
There was always a risk of wild Pokémon attacking, even back home in the subway.
But he was a strong trainer. He was assertive and always had his brother to pick up his slack.
Emmet forgot how to watch his own back, and it was the last mistake he would ever make.
Foolish. He'd die right here before ever finding his brother. Ingo was out there, probably alone and scared, surrounded by other Pokémon just as dangerous, without even knowing Emmet had died.
"… I-Ingo…" it came out as littler more than a whimper. His last words. "I-I'm sorry…"
The only thing he could manage was one last terrified screech as the teeth came down around his face.
The claws and fangs continued to pierce his upper body, feeling every time the teeth plunged into his flesh and hearing the snapping of bone.
His bones.
Emmet's shoulder, neck, face, and chest were being shredded to ribbons and there was nothing left he could do.
His vision finally went black, self awareness fading and sound muddling beyond comprehension.
Respite only came when his consciousness finally gave out.