Ingo battled Melli's Stunky about a dozen more times before he stopped gong after it. It was starting to feel cruel to pick on the same Pokémon for so long.

He didn't win every battle after that first one, of course. Stunky still had a type advantage on him and the Pokémon packed a mean punch, especially if Melli was backing him up. This was training though and Ingo could tell he was getting stronger because of it. After a few clean wins, he decided it was time to move on to other Pokémon. Swift had come in handy fighting Stunky. He could use some training in Special Attack.

Alakazam, Gliscor, and Machamp usually accompanied him across Hisui in his quest to hunt down Abra and Cherubi to train against. Magnezone, Probopass, Tangrowth, and Lady Sneasler joined on occasion, once they got past their disapproval, but Ingo had a good thing going with the original three. Alakazam could get them wherever they needed to be, Machamp could get them out of trouble, and Gliscor had a good eye for whichever Pokémon they were looking for. Together, they were able to get Ingo's EV training down to a science.

Ingo was particularly proud of their routine fighting Starly in the Fieldlands. Machamp noted that Starly tended to hang around in flocks, then Ingo realized his Swift attack would be able to take nearly the whole group out in a few hits. Swift could hit multiple targets without missing, perfect for a fleeing flock. Double Battles Battles with multiple Pokémon weren't all that common in Hisui so he'd forgotten about that particular feature of the move. It really was perfect for defeating mass amounts of Starly though. Ingo could feel the training working too.

"Should be just a couple more rounds of this before you're maxed out," Alakazam told them as the group spied on a nearby flock of Starly from the tall grass. It wasn't a mass outbreak, Ingo hadn't been lucky enough to get any of those yet, but it was still a pretty decently sized flock.

"Finally," Machamp groaned, "we can move on to something other than birds."

"It's not like you like Ghastly or Chingling any more than Starly."

"Shut up, Gliscor."

"Are you ready?" Alakazam asked. Ingo nodded and Machamp crouched, letting the little Pokémon run up his back and use him as a launchpad. Ingo sprang into the air, charging up the Normal-type power inside him, and let the Swift rip.

"Ow!"

"Fly! Fly!"

"It's that Zorua again!"

"Youch!"

Ingo landed neatly on the ground, watching the stars knock the Starly out of the air and pursue those quick enough to get off the ground. It was satisfying to watch all the Starly go down in a way Ingo imagined was akin to the satisfaction of a good hunt. He wasn't eating these Starly but it was good to know he had a way of getting an easy meal if he needed it. Actually, maybe a bite or two wouldn't hurt…

A human cry sounded, snapping Ingo out of his thoughts.

"Ow! Who did that? I didn't think Starly learned Swift."

Ingo blinked, eyes scanning the area for the human in question. He hadn't seen many humans for some time, save for Melli. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. What was a human doing in the middle of a pack of Starly anyway? That was no place for a human to be.

The sight of the edge of a red scarf in the wind told him the answer. He knew that scarf and the boy it was attached to was known for sneaking around flocks of Starly in hopes of getting a glimpse of some new behavior. "Rei!"

Ingo's memories were still fuzzy but he could feel them tugging at the corners of his mind. He knew who Rei was. How could he forget? He was- he was… He wasn't sure what their relation was but Ingo suspected that he wouldn't be certain if he had all his memories intact. He knew this young human was someone important to him though and he'd just nailed him in the back of the head with a Swift! He had to check if he was okay.

Ingo knew Rei couldn't understand his worried barks but Ingo had always been able to infer what a Pokémon was able to say through their tone and Rei knew plenty about Pokémon so he probably could too. Ingo bounded to Rei's side, watching carefully as the crouched boy rose to his feet and rubbed the back of his head. At the sight of Ingo, his eyes lit up. "A Zorua? In the Fieldlands?"

Ingo poofed out his mane a bit subconsciously. He was no lost Pokémon but Rei sounded awed. Ingo had never been one for ego but it wasn't like he had much these days. Besides, this was Rei! He wanted whatever attention he could give him.

The sound of a Pokéball opening filled his ears. "Roserade, let's go! Stun Spore! And then hit it with a Poison Sting! It's probably not strong enough to take a lot of hits. Be careful so we can catch it!"

Wait, what?

Tiny specks of yellow dust began raining down on him, getting in Ingo's eyes and nose and making him cough. Then, his muscles seized and went stiff as the paralysis set in. Ingo tried to turn away but his paws didn't do what he told them to which was rather distressing. He didn't panic though. It wasn't a new feeling but it was an unpleasant one nonetheless.

A single dart of poison fired from Roserade's mouth right into his chest and that one stung quite a bit but, like Stunky's attacks, it didn't hurt all that bad. Or, well, it did because this was a Roserade trained for battle, not a companion Stunky to one of the only people in the Highlands, but compared to another attack it hurt a lot less than Ingo thought it would. He wasn't winning this though. He knew that much.

Ingo heard the sound of a Pokéball opening and suddenly he was shrinking. Like the paralysis, the sensation seized his whole body but this time, it was so much worse. He'd always thought Pokéballs relied on some kind of energy conversion. He'd expected it to feel more like it did when he slipped into a Shadow Sneak, not that he'd given it much thought. No, this was more like a Minimize. Ingo had never used that move before and he was pretty sure Zorua couldn't even learn that move but some power had wrapped around him and was forcing him down into this wooden capsule and he hated it.

He could feel the power of the Pokéball over every speck of his body inside and out. It flooded every ounce of his being, rooting itself deep in the very essence that made him Ingo. It was deep and visceral and it made Ingo want to flip himself inside out. Fur, bones, ghostly soul, all of it. It felt wrong and he wanted out out out.

It wasn't new though. Being inside a Pokéball was, of course, but this urge, this need, this repugnance, this squick, this revulsion- This intense feeling welling up inside him telling him to get away wasn't new. Never this strong but he'd experienced before. Human or Zorua, Subway Master or Warden, it didn't matter. There was a word for it, he knew, but his mind was so hazed in his panic that he couldn't recall a thing about it.

Through the sensation and through the panic, there was some comfort. Something about the Pokéball made him want to stay there. It was drowned out by the hatred for it. Being in here felt awful in the most inexplicable way. Worse than when he couldn't wear his coat. Worse than when he had to wear something that wasn't his coat and it itched all over. Worse than the headaches he got when he tried too hard to remember. Worse than he looked to his right and got slammed with that old, familiar longing for something that wasn't there.

Ingo lashed out every way he knew how. He tried Shadow Sneak, Swift, and Snarl. He tried howling for help and scratching the metal side of the Pokéball. He prayed to whatever omnipotent Pokémon may be listening. But in the end, it was simple thrashing that did it. The paralysis let up for a second too long and then Ingo was out of the Pokéball.

A lot of things nowadays felt familiar but the feeling of Alakazam grabbing his dazed body with her telekinesis was a bit more tangible than the echoes of memory that came to him deep in the night. This time was a lot worse than those losses to Stunky though. There was no real danger there. If he lost back then, not much would happen. At worst, Melli would tell the Diamond Clan there was a Zorua in the Highlands but there was a pretty good chance they already knew that and he'd be long gone before Adaman arrived to deal with it. Here, his freedom was at stake. If Rei caught him, any hope of really being Ingo again was lost.

Vaguely, Ingo was aware of Machamp rushing past him. His ear flicked as Rei and Roserade squawked in alarm, Machamp roaring as four powerful fists came swinging right at them. A few moves were thrown around but it seemed like Rei was retreating. That was good. Ingo, as awful as he felt, didn't really want Machamp to go after Rei. Rei didn't know what he was doing. He didn't deserve it and Machamp would feel pretty bad afterward if anything happened.

"Ingo!" Gliscor cried, catching Ingo's little form in his claws. "Are you okay?"

Ingo tried to shake his head but the Stun Spore was still in effect. "I want to go home."

Gliscor nodded, looking a bit relieved he had a clear set of instructions. "Yeah. Yeah, we can do that."

When Ingo said he wanted to go home, he wasn't sure what he meant. He had a faint image of some place far too comfortable to be any Pearl, Diamond, Galaxy, or Ginkgo settlement. Presumably, it was his home before he came to Hisui. More clear was Lady Sneasler's den where the rest of his Pokémon awaited. The Zoroark den wasn't even close to what he had in mind but when his mother shuffled him off to his nest and nosed a Cherri Berry to his muzzle, Ingo didn't find himself complaining. This place was home too in a way. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

His brother and sister came by to try to pester him but Ingo wasn't really feeling up for it and they left him to his own devices. His mother fussed over him, grooming his ruffled fur and making sure he wasn't trying to move about, which was sort of nice but it was also a reminder of just how young this body was. Ingo didn't like that reminder. It was a necessary one but he still didn't like the fact he was still just a pup.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Alpha asked when he finally came around. He smelled faintly of Stantler. Had he been hunting? Probably. Alpha was always out hunting or patrollin or something like that. He took good care of the pack. Ingo knew that, even if it was harder to remember these days. Human memories blurred Zorua memories and Zorua memories blurred human memories. It was hard to keep track of what to hold onto and what to let go of.

Ingo shook his head, shaking away the lingering fog. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"I know," Alpha told him patiently. He sat down, laying his head down beside Ingo, though he still towered over him. "I just want to know what happened."

"Well, there was this flock of Starly-"

"Starly?"

"My Swift can hit a lot of them at once. I was practicing," Ingo explained quickly, "and there was, um, this human I didn't see. He tried catching me."

Alpha's face twisted with distaste. "Those human catching devices are evil. We've lost a few Zorua to them over the years. I'm glad you're alright, my little Howler. That dangerous human will never lay hand on you if I had anything to say about it."

Ingo blinked, not quite sure what to think of that. Rei wasn't dangerous. Sure, his memories of Rei were pretty spotty but they were good, except that last one. And even if he couldn't remember, the evidence was practically right in front of him. Rei battled with a Roserade, a Roserade that had evolved from a Budew. Budew only evolved if their trainer treated them right, and Roselia only evolved if their trainer was invested in them enough to track down a Shiny Stone. Rei couldn't be bad if he trained Roserade so well.

Ingo had used Pokéballs too, both before and after coming to Hisui, and his Pokémon never seemed to have a problem with it. Then again, when he held their Pokéballs, what choice did they have? Gliscor and the rest hadn't said anything since he'd gained the ability to understand them though, even going as far to grab their Pokéballs from his body when they'd been trying to escape the Iceland cold. They'd left other things, like his flute, but insisted on taking their Pokéballs. That probably meant something. Or maybe they were scared of some other human taking them and using them against them.

Being inside one had felt pretty horrible though. Did all his Pokémon feel that way? Hopefully not, or Ingo would feel even more awful than he did inside that Pokéball. His Pokémon seemed to go into their Pokéballs willingly though. Probopass seemed to like it even. Another Pokémon he'd had, one with big claws he'd had before he'd come to Hisui, did too. Still didn't change the fact that being in one was the worst Ingo had ever felt in his life, even worse than dying. He just couldn't justify why any human would use them. Maybe his father and the clans were right. Pokéballs just weren't Almighty Sinnoh's way.

"Are you going to make me stay in the camp again?" Ingo asked quietly, looking down at his paws.

Alpha was silent for a moment. "No."

Ingo looked up. "No?"

"I don't think you would listen," Alpha admitted. "I also don't think you'd learn much from being cooped up in camp. Go talk to your friends. That Alakazam friend of yours seemed to have a level head on her shoulders. But, you have to promise me one thing."

Ingo sat up a bit, tail curling up behind him. "What is it?"

"Next time you go after a flock of Starly, bring some back for the pack to eat! What were you thinking letting them go? We don't get meat like that in the Icelands, pup!"

Ingo asked his Pokémon how they felt about Pokéballs like his father suggested, only he didn't go to Alakazam, Gliscor, and Machamp. They'd seen how afraid he'd been. They'd try to protect him and that meant they may not be entirely truthful. He didn't want that influencing their answers to his questions. It'd be nice to talk to Tangrowth, Magnezone, and Probopass anyway. He hadn't spent as much time with them lately.

"Hey Ingo!" Tangrowth called as he neared Lady Sneasler's domain. The Grass-type extended an arm, waving lazily. Her other arm was deep in the branches of a nearby tree. "Don't go up there. Gliscor spotted some Carnivine floating around so Lady Sneasler's having me set up some vine traps."

"Will vines do much against a Carnivine?"

Tangrowth shrugged. "I think it's more about the message than actually catching them. You heading out again today?"

"I don't think so." Ingo shook his head and padded a bit closer. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Really? Go ahead."

Ingo took a deep breath. "What do you think of Pokéballs?"

Tangrowth blinked, looking thrown a bit off guard. "What do you mean?"

"When you go in one," Ingo elaborated, "what do you think of it? Is it bad? Is it good? Do you wish I didn't put you in one?"

Tangrowth paused for a moment, thinking deeply. "It's… good. And bad. At the same time."

"What do you mean?"

"We Grass-types like to be outside. A barrier won't cut off our connection to nature but it's still better when there isn't one," Tangrowth explained. She retracted her arm from the branches, letting it hang limply at her side. "I don't dislike it though. It's kind of nice to go in one. You're just kind of suspended in there and it's pretty comfy. And since I evolved, it's a bit harder to get around so it's nice to have one so you could take me places. Does that answer your question?"

Ingo nodded slowly. It did even if it wasn't really the answer he was looking for. "Yeah. Have you seen Magnezone around?"

"I think it's patrolling the top of the mountain," Tangrowth told him, pointing off into the distance with one vine. They were still quite aways away from the base of the mountain, not all that far in reality but far enough for a little Pokémon like Ingo. "Hope you find whatever you're looking for!"

"Thanks!" Ingo replied and began making his way over, mind going back over Tangrowth's answer. He didn't find the Pokéball comfortable at all and didn't really understand how Tangrowth did. Different Pokémon were different, he supposed. Like how he liked the Galaxy Team's coffee and Melli didn't but Melli liked the Diamond Clan's tea while Ingo hated it. It just left a different taste in different people's mouths.

Ingo passed Machamp and Alakazam collecting some berries on his way to the mountain and briefly stopped to say hello but continued on his way mostly interrupted. When he neared, he saw Magnezone's shadow passing by overhead and knew he'd tracked it down. Only, he didn't see Lady Sneasler around to carry him up. That was fine though. Ingo had other ways of getting Magnezone's attention.

"Magnezooone!" Ingo howled up the mountain side. "Come pick me up!"

Magnezone's magnets warbled and it came veering down the mountain right for Ingo. With well-practiced timing, Ingo leaped right before it would've slammed into him and landed neatly on Magnezone's head. "Bravo!"

"You're getting good at that," Magnezone commented as it surged back into the air. Like he did every time, Ingo wrapped his paws securely around Magnezone's antenna. "Did you want to dive-bomb some Staravia again?"

Ingo shook his head then realized Magnezone couldn't see him when it was on its head. "Not today. I called you over to ask you something, actually."

"Oh?"

"What do you think of Pokéballs?" Ingo asked and repeated what he told Tangrowth. "I don't really understand why Pokémon would like them."

"Well, I think I'm a bit different because of my typing," Magnezone pointed out, "but I don't think I could speak for other Hisui Pokémon."

"Why not?"

"You caught me after I came out of a time-space distortion," Magnezone reminded him. It was a necessary reminder too. Ingo hadn't remembered that, though he wasn't sure if it was his mind's tricks or if it'd just been so long that he'd forgotten. Magnezone and the rest had been at his side for quite some time. "Where I'm from, humans and Pokémon think of Pokéballs very differently than they do here."

There was an inkling in the back of Ingo's mind but he couldn't quite place it. " I think… I know I used Pokéballs before but I don't remember anything about it. Could you tell me?"

"On the other side of the time-space distortions, a lot of humans and their Pokémon like battling like you and Zisu. Most of human life is centered around it and Pokéballs are integral to that," Magnezone explained as it curved around to avoid overshooting the mountain. It didn't like straying far, not unless Ingo and the rest of the team were with it. "It doesn't really matter what our relationship to Pokéballs are. Pokéballs are just tools. They are the means to having a relationship with our trainers, and I for one rather like having a human. Or, er, a Zorua now I suppose."

Ingo's tail wagged behind him. That was nice to hear. He knew his Pokémon liked having him around or they would've left a long time ago. Maybe that was why the Pokéball felt different for him than Tangrowth. Since coming to Hisui, he'd befriended all his Pokémon before catching them with the promise that he'd help them get stronger. There was no battle, no struggle. There had been with Rei. Even if he liked Rei, he didn't want to be his Pokémon. Tangrowth and Magnezone had wanted to be Ingo's Pokémon though and that made a world of a difference.

"I saw you talking to Tangrowth earlier," Magnezone spoke up, starting to lower toward the top of the mountain. "I imagine you want to talk to Probopass next, right?"

"That's right," Ingo told it. "I know Probopass doesn't really like talking but…"

"He'll say something when it matters," Magnezone finished and began descending a bit faster. "I think he's in- wait, there he is!"

Probopass was coming up the side of the mountain and headed toward a bed of rocks that Ingo knew he liked to sun on. His eyes tilted upward as he heard Magnezone approaching and grunted in greeting. Magnezone swooped close to the ground and let Ingo hop off before rushing back into the sky. "Probopass, I have a question for you."

Probopass didn't stop moving but he grunted again, prompting Ingo to continue.

"I'm sure you heard Rei tried to catch me. I've never been in a Pokéball before. I didn't like it much but I know you do," Ingo explained as Probopass reached his favorite stones. "Tangrowth said they're comfortable and Magnezone pretty much just called them tools and I understand that but I don't at the same time. I was hoping you had some insight."

Probopass didn't say anything and settled down on a stone but Ingo knew he wasn't ignoring him. There were no visible indicators but Ingo knew he was thinking and he was thinking deeply. Probopass was just like that. He didn't say a lot but when he did speak, he made sure every word counted so Ingo didn't mind waiting at all. Ingo knew something was coming, something special. It may be in a few seconds, it may be in a few hours, but it was coming.

"If we didn't have Pokéballs, we may become uncoupled," Probopass said finally, turning ever so slightly to face Ingo. "I do not like being lost and I would hate to become uncoupled from you."

Memories slammed into Ingo.

"We make a good two-car train, Ingo and E̷͟m̷҉̵̢͞m҉̡҉e̶̵̸̕t̷͜͞."

"Let's demonstrate our combined power as a two-car train like we always do, E̷͟m̷҉̵̢͞m҉̡҉e̶̵̸̕t̷͜͞!"

"I spent many a day partnering with E̷͟m̷҉̵̢͞m҉̡҉e̶̵̸̕t̷͜͞ and battling passengers on the Multi Train..."

"Take care not to come uncoupled from me!"

Probopass grunted in concern, snapping Ingo out of his mind. He felt a rush of affection for his Pokémon swell up inside him. If he could smile to assure him, Ingo would but he couldn't so he gave him a wag of his tail, a lap on the nose, and the best frown he could. "I do not wish to become uncoupled from any of you either."

Ingo made a decision. It was a hard decision yet it wasn't at the same time. Probopass's words really stuck with him. He knew what it was liked to become uncoupled from someone in more ways than one. He'd lost the man in white, the one who liked to win more than anything. He'd lost the Pokémon that wielded flames and the bearded man too. More recently, he'd lost his clan and his friends. Ingo couldn't bear it if he'd become uncoupled from his Pokémon too.

"Lady Sneasler?"

He waited until morning came so all the other Pokémon were out of the den. He'd tell them later, they deserved to know, but for now, he wanted this to be a private moment between himself and his Lady.

"Yes, Warden?" Lady Sneasler asked, looking up from where she was organizing her collection of human trinkets. There were some new ones in there, he noted. Items from his cabin tent not far away, the one the Pearl Clan provided for him. He was rarely there as a human and he hadn't been back since he'd died. He hadn't realized Lady Sneasler was interested in his things but it wasn't like he was using them.

"I wanted to ask you a favor."

Lady Sneasler's whiskers twitched. She looked amused. "What is it, Warden?"

Ingo moved slowly, not quite sure how to bring it up. He shook his pelt, letting the item fall from his mane. Lady Sneasler's amusement dropped off her face abruptly. Lifting one paw, Ingo rolled the shrunken Pokéball toward her. "I want you to catch me."

"I'm not catching you, Ingo."

"Please," Ingo begged, trying not to sound like the pup he was but he still heard the desperation in his whine. "I don't- I don't want to be caught by a human. This way, I won't be taken from all of you again. I trust you to take care of my Pokéball, my Lady."

Lady Sneasler looked conflicted. "It's not right for Pokémon to catch each other."

"I'm not a Pokémon," Ingo said and what an utter lie that was. They wouldn't be having this conversation if he wasn't a Pokémon. "But you're not like other Pokémon either. You're a Noble. A Lady. My Lady. We are already bound to each other. A Pokéball wouldn't be all that different."

Lady Sneasler still looked hesitant. "Are you sure you want this? Alakazam told me how… difficult being inside a Pokéball was for you before."

Ingo nodded. "I am certain. It'll be different this time, I assure you."

Lady Sneasler visibly caved. "Alright. Okay, I'll do it. How do I do it?"

Ingo let his tail wave behind him. "Tap that button with your claw then roll it back toward me. Or throw it. It doesn't really matter. Just make sure you don't accidentally catch yourself. That's why I shrunk it down."

"I'm not stupid," Lady Sneasler snorted but did as she was told. She tapped the button with a single claw, enlarging the Pokéball, and then swiped at it so it came rolling toward Ingo. Ingo braced himself, watching it roll closer, and let the white light consume him.

He was right. This time it was different. There was anxiety but there was no panic. There was discomfort but it wasn't overstimulating. And instead of fear and dread, there was that comfort, sort of like what Tangrowth had described, only it was so much more than physical. There was security there. Security in the fact that from now on, Lady Sneasler would ensure no human could try to take him away from his Pokémon friends ever again.