Author's Note: I learned while writing this that Nintendo got rid of Pokérus due to the pandemic. Anyway, here's your content warning for sickness and hospitals. Nothing severe, just a Pokérus chapter.

Emmet read once that seeing a character in bed was a bad way to start or end a chapter.

The advice really wasn't applicable to Emmet's life in any way. He wasn't an author or director and most of the books and movies he consumed these days were nonfiction. It was just one of those thoughts that drifted into his mind on occasion. Getting out of and going to bed were the perfect transition. Sleeping was a reset. When Emmet had a bad day, the knowledge he could just go to sleep later and give it all another shot tomorrow was verrry helpful.

Perhaps reset wasn't the best word. That was what it was but calling it a reset implied it was easy, seamless as changing tracks. Falling asleep never came easy to Emmet though and waking up certainly didn't either. Getting out of bed wasn't the issue. Emmet usually just spent a good while in a sleepy haze before realizing he was truly awake and had to get up. That was, unless something got him up.

There was scratching at his bedroom door. Emmet's first thought was that Eelektross wasn't curled up next to him and must want in. Eelektross's claws usually made longer strokes though, not this quick squabbling against the wood he was listening to. Emmet knew he didn't have any Pokémon that sounded like that. Then, the events of the past couple days came rushing back and Emmet was out of bed and on his feet in an instant.

"Zorua?" Emmet crouched down to pick up the little Pokémon as he'd seen Ingo and Rei do before but Zorua darted out of his reach instantly. Emmet straightened, thinking Zorua just didn't want be held, before noticing the worried look on his face. Zorua whined in distress, pawing the ground as if asking Emmet to follow him. "Do you need to go out?"

Zorua shook his head and Emmet felt a little silly for asking the question. Now that they had a yard, a Pokémon-door was a must. The Pokémon could go out whenever they wanted.

"Is something wrong?" Emmet asked, fearing the answer. Zorua yipped, bouncing on his feet. Emmet stepped out of his room hurriedly, rushing right by Zorua. There would only be one reason Zorua would come get him. "Ingo?"

Ingo, as he'd told Drayden the evening prior, was in the living room. Only, he'd been on the floor when Emmet last saw him, snuggled up in a nest of blankets alongside his Pokémon. Now, he was on the couch, eyes closed and head tilted back. Machamp was seated on one side of him and Alakazam leaned against him on the other. That was kind of weird. Emmet didn't think he'd ever seen an Alakazam touch the ground, though he hadn't been around enough Alakazam to make any sort of claim about them. The same went for Machamp. Emmet had never seen one sitting in any sort of chair. That didn't mean something was wrong but it sure looked weird. Emmet only spared them a glance though. Emmet would always focus on Ingo first and foremost.

Ingo did look a bit out of place on the couch. Not for the same reasons as his Pokémon but still out of place. Maybe it was just because he'd been away for so long. Maybe it was his attire. He still hadn't replaced his tattered coat. It didn't matter and Emmet didn't get much of a chance to soak in the scene. Zorua was barreling down the stairs behind him, launching himself into Ingo's lap and forcing him into the waking world.

Ingo ran a hand over Zorua's back and murmured something that definitely wasn't Galarian or Ransein. Emmet had no idea how to describe it and it only lasted a few syllables so he didn't get the chance to think about it. Still, it was alarming, though not as alarming as the glassy look on Ingo's face or the sluggishness to Ingo's movements.

"Ingo?" Emmet called out, alerting his brother to his presence, and crept forward. "Everything alright?"

"I don't know." Ingo shifted like he was trying to sit up but quickly gave up. "Something feels wrong. My body hurts. Alakazam and Machamp too. I'm worried about them."

Emmet thought it'd be insensitive to say he was more worried about Ingo than the Pokémon so he withheld. That was a skill he'd gained in Ingo's absence. He knew his thoughts were unhelpful so he didn't voice them. Ingo had just told them what his new team meant to him. Emmet wouldn't ignore them just because he was worried about his brother.

"Zorua, go wake up Drayden," Emmet ordered, crouching down next to the couch. Zorua nodded and darted off on nimble paws. Emmet reached to take off a glove he wasn't wearing, shook his head at the mistake, and reached toward Ingo's face. Ingo, unsurprisingly, flinched back.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to check if you have a fever."

"I don't know how to make it feel like I have a fever."

Emmet blinked, still-sleepy brain unsure exactly how to process Ingo's words. "I am Emmet. I don't want you to have a fever. I don't know any other ways to try to figure out what's wrong."

Ingo being conscious and unwounded eliminated most of the possibilities Emmet was trained to deal with. Sure, he understood why CPR and first aid training focused on those sorts of things but this was far scarier than anytime Emmet had to put that training to use on the subway. At least then he could identify what the problem was immediately. Ingo being kind of confused and uncomfortable was a whole different story. Emmet had no idea what to do.

Ingo looked conflicted. "I don't want you to touch my face."

Emmet wanted to ask why. Ingo never had a problem with being touched before. In fact, he often sought touch out. Now he flinched when his family neared. At least he was telling them he didn't want to be touched. It was odd that he kept specifying his face though. Emmet had to wonder if there was a story behind that. He wanted to know more but he knew this wasn't the time. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know.

"What if I just hover my hand? So I don't actually touch you?" Emmet suggested. Ingo still looked doubtful. "What about Alakazam or Machamp? I'd prefer to check you but they're having the same symptoms as you."

"Alakazam doesn't like being touched at all," Ingo said and Emmet consciously decided not to point out that she was leaning against him right now. "Machamp?"

"Ma ma champ." Machamp lifted one of his lower hands and gave a thumbs up. Emmet still would've preferred to feel Ingo's forehead but Emmet sensed this was the best he was going to get. He didn't know how warm or cool Machamp usually ran but Emmet assumed it was close to humans. Machamp's skin was thicker than humans though and Emmet had no idea how that would affect how hot their skin felt. Emmet thought he felt warm but he couldn't tell.

"What's going on?"

Emmet felt a bubble of relief as his uncle flicked the lights on and entered the room. "I'm not sure. Zorua woke me up to tell me Ingo, Machamp, and Alakazam aren't feeling well."

"Gliscor threw up in the bathtub," Ingo added helpfully and Emmet tried not to wince. He hadn't noticed the Pokémon's absence but it was obvious now. "Magenzone and Probopass both have headaches and it's giving Alakazam a headache. Tangrowth is sore too, I think. I don't know about the alphas."

"Ingo's Pokémon are sick too?" a foreign voice said, drawing Emmet's attention back to the staircase. Rei stood at the top with Zorua underfoot and his Spiritomb floating at his side. Emmet hadn't seen the Ghost-type before now but he could tell the Pokémon wasn't feeling their best either. "My Sinnoh team is fine but Zorua woke me up and Typloshion didn't look too good and everyone else wasn't moving…"

Emmet knew Rei was looking to him for guidance but Emmet had no idea what to do. Well, that wasn't quite true. Emmet always knew what to do when he was lost. Emmet looked up at Drayden, feeling a little childish for turning to his uncle but he didn't care one bit. Drayden always knew what to do. Emmet knew there was no shame in leaning on him, especially in times like these. Not for the first time, Emmet was grateful for his presence.

"If it's only the Hisui Pokémon, I imagine the problem is with their immune systems. They must not be prepared for modern germs." Drayden's words were sure but there was uncertainty in his tone. "The Pokémon Center takes house calls. Nurse Joy will be able to identify the problem better than we can."

"What about Ingo?" Emmet asked, glancing at his brother. His eyes were closed again and Emmet knew that didn't mean anything but he still didn't like it.

"Is Ingo not feeling well either?" Rei asked and Emmet nodded. "Weird. I feel fine."

"You have modern vaccines," Emmet pointed out.

"Ingo does too, right?"

He did. "Maybe it's because you're younger."

"That makes sense, I guess. Zorua seems fine too."

"Since we're assuming whatever is affecting the Pokémon is the same as whatever is affecting Ingo, I think just calling the Pokémon Center is the safest bet. Worst case scenario, Nurse Joys are trained in both human and Pokémon medicine," Drayden reasoned. "I hate to take any kind of gamble but the only human medics that run at this hour are emergency services and I don't think they'd consider this an emergency."

Emmet knew Drayden was right but that didn't mean he liked it. This certainly felt like an emergency. In reality, Ingo was probably fine but even the slightest risk to his well being felt catastrophic right now. Emmet had just gotten his brother back. He couldn't face the idea of losing him again.

It hadn't even been two days, Emmet realized. That was really no time at all. A panicked plane ride, a reunion marred by Chandelure's bizarre reaction to seeing her trainer again, a late night conversation, another plane ride, a confrontation with the press and a panic attack in the park, one short evening, and that was it. Emmet hadn't even had the chance to wrap his mind around the notion of having Ingo back, let alone anything else that'd come up.

Time travel. Amnesia. The overlap between the two. Rei and Ingo had spoken of an era before modern technology and that wasn't even the worst of it all. It didn't even come close. They'd lived in a time of danger and mistrust. Ingo's very own coat was proof of the elements he'd braved and the enemies he'd faced. Ingo had mentioned he'd trained two of his Pokémon to fight humans alongside him as if that was the most normal thing in the world. Ingo had to do what he had to do but his casualness about it made Emmet sick.

Ingo shouldn't have had to deal with that. He should've been home with Emmet, and Chandelure, and Elesa, and Drayden. He shouldn't have been fighting wild Pokémon and soldiers on behalf of a group of people that didn't even treat him right. He should've been in Nimbasa running the subway for a city that adored him. But, Emmet could say how things should've been and that wouldn't change what happened. Maybe they'd have all that again one day. Emmet hoped so. He wasn't super optimistic though. He'd only had Ingo back a couple days and he could see how deeply changed he was. They'd probably never have the same life again, not like Emmet had hoped.

Ingo had forgotten him. Emmet didn't know why but he knew it wasn't Ingo's fault. It still hurt though. That was probably the biggest thing Emmet struggled to get into his head. Ingo didn't remember any of them. Every single thing he'd seen and heard these past few days had been totally new. Neither Emmet or Ingo liked change but these past few years had proven they could adapt. Ingo was really showing how far that could go though. Emmet hoped they weren't pushing it too much. As much as he'd love to have his brother back in the subway, Ingo's health came first. And speaking of health-

"Pokérus."

"What?" Emmet snapped out of his thoughts and back to reality. Vaguely, he was aware he'd been speaking. Answers to questions, presumably but he couldn't recall a word he'd said. That was a tad alarming, wasn't it?

Nurse Joy was in their living room. Emmet didn't remember her arriving. She was crouched on the floor over, the Pokémon dramatically plastering himself on the floor. Ingo had done that as a child, he recalled. The floor was cool and felt nice against his skin when it got too hot from fever. Emmet was a bit surprised Ingo was sitting on the couch, actually, and still in his coat and everything.

Nurse Joy rose to her feet, dusting off her hands. "They're all testing positive for Pokérus. They should all be fine within twenty-four hours."

"I thought Pokérus was asymptomatic?"

"Sorry, what's Pokérus?" Rei asked, leaning over the back of the couch. Ingo's eyes were open again but Emmet couldn't tell if he was following the conversation or not. "It sounds familiar but I don't remember anything about it."

"The term Pokérus comes from combining Pokémon and virus. I'm sure you can connect the dots," Nurse Joy told him good naturedly. "It's very rare but incredibly contagious. Emmet is right about it being asymptomatic though. It's a mutualistic virus. Pokémon who are affected by it usually gain stronger more quickly, specifically the rate at which they acquire effort values is faster. But, if a Pokémon is exposed to Pokérus when it has no effort values to gain, sometimes symptoms develop."

"Their bodies don't know what to do with the extra boost," Drayden said aloud and Emmet didn't know if that made sense or none at all.

"That's right. I've never seen symptoms like these though."

"EV training wasn't done in Hisui," Rei piped up. "All my Pokémon are grit trained. Ingo's too, probably. Maybe their effort levels don't mesh well with something that affects effort values?"

"That would be my best guess," Nurse Joy answered, "but I'm no professor. I know what I see but I don't always know why."

"So you don't know why Ingo got it too?"

Nurse Joy shook her head apologetically. "I'm afraid not. Trainers as prolific as you know that sometimes the line between trainer and Pokémon becomes blurred and we can't always explain it in simple terms. I would recommend taking him to a human doctor though."

Drayden sighed. "Interpol gave us a recommendation. I'll try to schedule an appointment as soon as I can. Thank you for coming by. I know it's late."

Nurse Joy said something in response but Emmet was distracted by his relief that Ingo was alright and the sight of both Zorua and Gliscor trying to get in his lap at once. Ingo patted both of their heads, silently telling them to share, but his expression was tight, tighter than it'd been before. If Emmet didn't know better, he'd say Ingo looked stressed. Maybe he was nervous about seeing a doctor? Ingo never had an issue with doctors before, even as a kid. He was always one pushing for safety checks. He'd changed a lot though. Emmet supposed he'd just have to wait and find out what else was different.

Ingo, to put it simply, was stressed the fuck out.

He'd somehow picked up a virus that only Pokémon could get. The moment Nurse Joy said he had a Pokémon virus, Ingo thought he'd been caught. Drayden, Emmet, and Rei barely reacted though. He supposed they all had seen stranger things but still. It wasn't what Ingo was expecting.

It got his anxiety racing. The illusion that he'd be able to slot right back into what he'd one had was shattered, much like his actual illusion was probably going to be. He was seeing a human doctor. A doctor who'd look at him and realize he wasn't what his family thought he was. They were going to realize he was a Zoroark, and take away his friends, and throw him in a Pokéball, and Ingo would never get the chance to see the man in white or his partner who had mastery of flames ever again.

"Are you alright, Ingo?" a voice asked and it wasn't one Ingo knew.

"I'll be alright, Miss Anabel," Ingo responded, resisting the urge to tip the edge of his cap down to cover his face.

"You didn't answer the question, Ingo," Emmet responded and Ingo gave in. Caps and collars were for hiding and Ingo was going to use them.

As Nurse Joy and that Looker fellow suggested, Ingo was seeing a human doctor. Rei too, Drayden and Emmet accompanying them. Two Starly with one Sticky Glob. Apparently traveling through time and space meant they couldn't see a regular doctor. It had to be one Interpol trusted, and so Anabel was here to ensure everything ran smoothly and remained confidential.

Ingo didn't know what to think of Anabel. There were two of her, apparently, but she wasn't a twin like Ingo and Emmet. She was from another world, a world now missing its Anabel. She was what Looker had called a Faller, and they thought Ingo was one too. He wasn't and that made him unsure how exactly to behave around her. Arceus, not Ultra Space, was responsible for Ingo's disappearance and he wasn't sure how he wanted to breach that subject, or if he even wanted to.

"Are Pokémon allowed here? Can I let Alakazam out?" Ingo asked, still dodging the question. "I don't remember- I don't think I'll know- Alakazam knows better than me."

Ingo knew he didn't get his words out right but both Anabel and Drayden nodded so he quickly drew his Pokéball and released his Alakazam. Immediately, she sensed something was wrong. "Is there danger?"

Ingo shook his head, not knowing how to respond. He'd already made the mistake of talking to his Pokémon several times in front of his family and Ingo didn't want to repeat the mistake here. He may not remember how much authority Interpol and medics had but he knew now wasn't the time to slip up.

"Spoon?" Alakazam offered, holding up the aforementioned utensil. Ingo reached out and held onto it like a child holding onto a parent's finger. The spoon itself didn't do anything for him but Ingo appreciated the gesture.

"How long have you been training your Alakazam?" Anabel asked casually, drawing Ingo's attention back to the waiting room they were sitting in.

"Since she was an Abra. Almost all the time I was away. Why?"

"Alakazam are sensitive about their spoons. I was just surprised yours is letting you touch hers."

"Ah." Ingo didn't really know how to respond to that. Thankfully, Ingo and Rei's names were being called and that was the end of that.

"Go with Rei," Drayden told Emmet and it didn't sound like much of a suggestion. Emmet looked like he wanted to argue then thought better of it and nodded, following Rei after a nurse into another room. After a moment of hesitation, Anabel followed. Privately, Ingo was glad they were gone. Even if he managed to get out of this without getting caught, Ingo didn't want his brother and kinda-son to see… He didn't know what he didn't want them to see. Ingo didn't even know what was going to be seen but he knew he didn't want Emmet and Rei to see it.

"So," the doctor began and Ingo realized he hadn't been listening when she said her name, "I'd really like to get into what brings you in today but I think we should knock off a few preliminary questions so we don't have to return to them later. Are you alright with that?"

Ingo resisted the urge to look at Alakazam. "Yes."

"Do you smoke?"

That was not the question Ingo was expecting. "No."

"How often do you drink?"

Ingo didn't know how he was supposed to know that. "There was a lake near my home in Hisui but it was hard to transport water. I've been drinking more since coming to Unova."

"She means alcohol, Ingo."

"Oh." Ingo felt a little silly but he had no way of knowing that was what she meant so he tried not to get caught up on it. "I don't remember drinking any. I don't like the smell."

"Are you on any medication?"

"No."

"Any relevant family medical history I should be aware of?"

Ingo looked to Drayden for that one. The man listed a couple things that Ingo had no context for and couldn't make any sense of. Hopefully Alakazam understood or he'd have to ask later. That felt like something he should know.

"Any allergies?"

Again, Ingo looked at Drayden. "Feline Pokémon. Not severe though. We thought he might be allergic to canine Pokémon too but he has a Zorua now and hasn't had any issues so I'm guessing not."

Huh. Interesting. Ingo wondered if he was actually allergic to canine Pokémon and it'd faded once he became one. He supposed he'd never know.

"Thank you. Are you in any pain?"

"Just the normal amount," Ingo quipped and apparently that wasn't the right answer. "Um, it's hard for me to tell."

"Any reason why?"

Because he had a new body and stuck his mind in an illusion so he could act human without getting distracted by the fact he wasn't. He couldn't say that though. Instead, he looked to Drayden in hope he'd have some answer. And thankfully, he did. "Neither of the boys were particularly good at that as kids. They could tell when something hurt but it usually took a few minutes to figure out where or why unless it was something big."

The doctor nodded. "Do you need a moment? It's okay to skip these questions but if you're in pain, I'd like to note."

Ingo focused his attention inward, trying to pinpoint what exactly his body was feeling but he found he couldn't distinguish between the illusion and his actual body. His shoulders ached and his jaw felt heavy but they'd felt like that as a human thanks to his terrible posture. Zoroark walked on all fours so Ingo knew that couldn't be it yet the feeling lingered. The same went for old scars that weren't there anymore. Phantom pains? The term sounded familiar but Ingo wasn't certain that was what it was.

"Can we come back to it?" Ingo requested and the doctor nodded.

"That's fine. So, what brings you here today?"

"Nurse Joy said I contracted Pokérus."

"Also you traveled through time, you have amnesia," Drayden added, "and you haven't had any medical treatment for nearly seven years despite definitely needing it."

"Yeah, that too."

The doctor seemed amused. "The Pokérus is unusual and I'm not sure what we can do about that but the fact you got it at all says a lot. If you're alright with it, I'd like to get a blood sample to see if the wormhole made any significant changes to your make up."

Oh. Well, that was going to be a problem. Any confidence that this was going to go smoothly vanished in an instant. Ingo was fairly certain he had blood but he was equally certain a doctor would be able to tell human blood from Pokémon blood. He was going to get caught. He needed to do something. He had to get out of here.

"A sample would also give us insights into your nutritional needs and- Mr. Ingo?"

Ingo made a noise that he knew wasn't actual words but he hoped got his point across. Panicked, he turned to Alakazam. She nodded once and, summoning her psychic power, floated up and put a hand on Ingo's arm. "Teleport?"

"Please," Ingo answered and they were gone.