Winter came and Ingo's life became less whimsical and more scheduled. And as much as Ingo liked schedule, it was not in a good way. He was still Lady Sneasler's Warden and he had to help her prepare for the winter. And, now lacking the Pearl Clan's resources, preparing himself and his Pokémon for the cold became a lot harder. Zorua were good at hunting and stealing at least but truly, thank Sinnoh for Machamp's hands or they may not have been able to get everything together in time. He could do all the drying, canning, and storage Ingo no longer could.

He stayed in Lady Sneasler's den. It made the most sense. There, he could ensure his Lady's wellbeing and his pack had one less mouth to feed. He still visited, often with a Starly or two. He'd finished his training some time ago but Starly were the only prey he could carry that far unfortunately. Ingo wished he could offer a Stantler or even a Psyduck but alas. Starly weren't found in the Icelands though so it wasn't like it was a bad offering. He just wished he could bring more.

Ingo had a Starly in tow today and it was a big one, about half the size of his body. It'd make a meal for himself and his siblings, at least. The prey pile just had Bidoof and Buneary on it when he arrived. The Starly made a fine contribution but, again, Ingo found himself wishing it was something bigger. These tiny pieces of prey would fill their bellies tonight but they'd be hungry again in the morning. They always were.

Runt bounced up to Ingo as he was setting the Starly down on the prey pile. Ingo prepared to drop into a play bow but he caught a worried look in his brother's eye and realized this wasn't that kind of moment. "Is something wrong?"

Runt skidded to a stop. "Mom and Dad are fighting."

"What?" Their parents were fighting? That was odd. Parents fought, he supposed, but Alpha was always good to his mate and in turn she was good to him. Ingo didn't think he was disillusioned just because they were his parents. They loved their pack and each other. What could they be fighting about? And now of all times? The pack needed to be united now more than ever.

Runt nodded. "They were arguing about you."

Ingo's stomach dropped. "What were they saying?"

His brother shuffled his paws. "I- well, um, I couldn't hear all that well but they were saying something about you always being with that Sneasler. And, uh, putting an illusion in your mind."

Ingo felt his mane and tail fluff out in anger. "They what?"

Ingo didn't wait for Runt's response. He had a nose. He could sniff out his parents himself. Whipping around and stalking across the camp, he approached his mother and father. They were deep in conversation but they looked in his direction when they heard him approach. "Howler!"

"Don't call me that," Ingo snapped. It was rude, he knew, but he didn't care right now. "You were going to try putting me in an illusion?"

Ingo's mother looked faintly surprised and for a moment, Ingo wondered if Runt had heard wrong. But, Alpha was too collected to be natural. "You don't fully understand our illusions, pup. You have nothing to worry about."

Ingo lashed his tail. "You're blowing me off. I'm not just a pup."

A low growl rumbled in Alpha's throat. "Yes, you are. You know you're a pup until you evolve. You and your siblings still haven't joined your first hunt yet!"

"I've hunted before," Ingo argued. "I contribute to the pack!"

"And we appreciate that but you're still a pup and we protect our pups."

"I don't need your protecting! I'm strong!"

Alpha's eyes narrowed. "Is that a challenge?"

Ingo could feel his mind working to recall what exactly a challenge meant for a Zoroark pack. To humans, a challenge was a Pokémon battle but it was more for sport than anything else. It had no consequence. Here, it did. As far as Ingo knew, every type of pack Pokémon had some sort of challenge system for when a member disagreed with the pack leader. It almost always involved battling.

Ingo suddenly realized the pack had gathered around them. He hadn't noticed how loud he'd been talking. Ingo opened his mouth to respond but his brother then appeared at his side, pawing him nervously. "You're not going to fight Dad, are you?"

Ingo looked away. "I think I am."

Alpha's lip peeled back into a snarl. He didn't say anything and prowled forward, ready to fight. Abruptly, Ingo realized how much bigger his father was than him. He was big for a Zorua, bigger than his brother and sister at least, but his father was an alpha. He was massive. He'd tower over Ingo's human body if he still had it. Sinnoh, he was probably twice Machamp's height if he fully reared back. Ingo was going to get crushed. He had to do this though.

"My life is elsewhere," Ingo told him softly, a last ditch effort to avoid what was coming and it was a weak one. This was happening.

"Your life should be in the pack!" Alpha snarled and lunged.

The thing about Zorua and Zoroark was that they were both Normal and Ghost types. That meant they had more immunities than any other type of Pokémon but it also meant they were immune to most of the moves they learned. For pack Pokémon, this was incredibly useful. Zoroark could throw around Swifts and Bitter Malices without having to worry about hitting their packmates. But, that meant it was harder when two Zoroark or Zorua actually wanted to fight.

Ingo used Shadow Sneak, slipping into the shadows and shooting clean through his father. As he passed by, he saw the Flying-type energy of an Aerial Ace dancing around the edges of Alpha's form and felt his heart leap to his throat. He hadn't realized his father knew Aerial Ace. It made sense. Alphas tended to learn unusual moves the rest of their species rarely knew. Aerial Ace particularly was scary though because it was a lot harder to dodge and Ingo's speed was about all he had right now.

Ingo dropped the Shadow Sneak once he'd gotten behind his father and used Snarl. A wave of Dark-type energy slammed into him from behind, making Alpha whip around and growl. Ingo's paws hit the ground, wobbling a bit as he tried to find his balance, and Alpha was suddenly on him again, forcing the two to repeat this dance a few more times. Snarl would do nothing to help against the Aerial Ace but it might save Ingo from a few more hits in the future. Ingo's Pokémon had a hard time strategizing around their physical/ special split and Ingo was desperately hoping Alpha was the same.

Ingo was fairly certain Alpha's Special Attack was fairly low by the time he switched from Aerial Ace to Extrasensory. Ingo saw the pink energy begin building in front of his father's face and then it shot forward all at once and slammed into him, knocking him out of his rhythm using Shadow Sneak. Ingo tumbled, tiny Zorua body lacking the bulk needed to tough it out against the move, and flew across the clearing. He twisted in the air, trying to angle himself to fire off another Snarl without hitting any of his spectating packmates but Ingo was far too disoriented to even try drawing on the power needed to Snarl, let alone aim it.

Eventually, Ingo rolled into a tree. His back smacked into the bark and snow fell off the branches onto his fur. Ingo pulled himself to his paws as fast as he could, trying to shake out his fur in the process, but Alpha was nearly on top of him the moment he got his thoughts together. Ingo tried to slip away in a Shadow Sneak but Alpha brought down a Shadow Claw, snagging the edges of his Shadow Sneak and keeping Ingo from rushing away. With one paw, Alpha pulled Ingo up to his face and said, "Running away? Those are pup tactics. Face it, you're not ready to leave the den, my little Howler."

His tone was kind but close to his father's face, all Ingo could see was the hint of red that glowed behind every Alpha's eyes. Not warranting his father's words with a response, Ingo Snarled. Or, he tried to use Snarl. Some other power, something much louder, erupted from his maw and washed over the clearing. It passed right through Alpha– a Normal-type move then– but the sound waves shook the earth beneath their paws and unbalanced him enough to drop Ingo scruff. Or maybe he'd just gotten too heavy. Something about his body felt off, like it was growing. That power he'd felt building up was spreading through his body and suddenly his paws were on the ground. Strangely, only two of them landed but Ingo was too distracted to take note of it.

"You evolved," Alpha murmured but Ingo didn't hear him over his own voice.

"My name is Ingo!" Ingo shouted, Hyper Voice rippling through the clearing and deafening his packmates. Alpha didn't flinch back but his silence was enough to prompt Ingo to do a double take and think over his words. "Wait, I evolved?"

A wordless snarl sounded from Alpha's throat and he shot forward in an Aerial Ace again. This time, it hit. Ingo was knocked off his paws flat onto his back and Alpha quickly moved to pin him. Ghost-type power built up around his claws and Alpha lashed out with a Shadow Claw. It didn't hurt, of course it didn't, but Ingo still closed his eyes and flinched. If Alpha meant that was a warning, it worked.

"Do you yield?" Alpha growled. Slowly, Ingo nodded and Alpha let him up. Immediately, Ingo took a few steps back, unsure if it was out of fear or shame. He'd stood up to his father and lost. What did that mean for him now? Ingo's relationship with Alpha was complicated but he knew Alpha loved his pups so maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Alpha seemed pretty pissed though.

"Are you going to knock me out?" Ingo asked, trying to make his voice go quieter but didn't quite succeed.

Alpha looked mildly surprised. "No. That would be unnecessary. You're a Zoroark now, Howler, and the pack needs all the hunters it can."

"Ingo," Ingo said aloud before he could stop himself.

"What?"

"I'm a Zoroark now. You said it yourself. It's Zoroark tradition that a Zoroark can choose his name when he evolves." The words were tumbling out before Ingo could stop them and he wasn't sure he wanted to. There was rage welling up in his chest and Ingo couldn't do a thing to dampen it. "I liked being called Howler but that's what you called the pup that didn't remember he had another life. My name is Ingo. It always has been."

Alpha's lip peeled back. "You're not your past life and you're not a Zorua anymore. If you want to have a place as a member of the pack, if you want to be a Zoroark, you need to remember you are one."

"I am Ingo," Ingo repeated, voice calm and bold. And with that, he turned and stalked out of the forest.

Ingo vaguely remembered thinking about how much snow there was in his mane and the next thing he knew, he was pinned on the ground in the Highlands, totally exhausted, and there was something heavy on his back. More than one something, if he was feeling things right. "Wha-?"

Lady Sneasler's face was suddenly in front of him. "Oh, you're awake. It's been awhile since you've had a rage, Alpha. Don't worry, I won't tell Ingo if you don't want me to. Alakazam has some Sitrus Berries ready for you to eat on your way back home."

Ingo blinked a few times trying to process the words his Noble was saying. "I'm Ingo?"

The weight was suddenly gone from his back and Ingo was hoisted into the air. "Oh my Arceus! Ingo! I'm so sorry for sitting on you!"

"He needed to be sat on."

"I don't care. That's still our trainer."

Machamp was holding Ingo like a baby with his head over his shoulder despite his newfound height but Ingo didn't complain. His body ached for some reason he couldn't fathom. "What happened?"

"Well, you evolved."

"I know that," Ingo responded, trying not to snap. "How did I get here? Why does my body hurt so much? And why was Machamp sitting on my back?"

"Probopass was sitting on you too."

Probopass grunted as if to tell Machamp to shut up.

"You know how when we battle alphas, their eyes are glowing red?"

"Yes?"

"The red eyes are usually a sign that the power that makes them an alpha is spilling over," Lady Sneasler continued, waving a paw for Machamp to rotate so Ingo was facing her. "Some alphas have control over it and can utilize it in battle. Sometimes they can't though and they lose control. Like you did."

Ingo's mind spun as he tried to wrap his mind around what Lady Sneasler was saying. "I'm… an alpha?"

Lady Sneasler nodded, unaware of the dread welling up in Ingo's chest. "Your eyes were glowing."

"Red," Magnezone clarified. "Not white like they normally do."

Ingo began struggling against Machamp's grip. "I'm an alpha?"

Machamp set Ingo down gently, not wanting him to hurt himself. "And that's bad? Alphas are pretty strong. I thought you wanted to get stronger."

"I wanted to get stronger so I can go back to being a human! Even if it's just an illusion, I want to be Ingo again!" Ingo shouted, unaware of how loud he was getting, as he paced around the little group. All his Pokémon were there around the base of Lady Sneasler's mountain. They'd all rushed down when they saw an Alpha Zoroark nearing. An Alpha Zoroark. That's what he was now. "An alpha- my father's an alpha. An alpha's supposed to lead the pack. I don't want to do that. I don't want to be a Zoroark. I just want to be Ingo."

Ingo's Pokémon glanced at each other and Ingo braced himself for the worst. They were going to be like his father and tell him he was evolved now, that he couldn't entertain these fantasies of his past life anymore. They were going to tell him that it was unrealistic, that a Zoroark's illusion could never truly pass as human. They were going to say-

"Okay."

"Okay?" Ingo echoed, surprised.

"Okay," Lady Sneasler repeated with a nod.

"Of course we're going to help you, boss!" Machamp told him, picking up Ingo into a big hug again. This time, Ingo noticed how awkward it was. Ingo didn't think he was as big as his father yet but he was still taller than Machamp. He'd been taller as a human though and they never stopped Machamp from picking him up before.

"We've never seen you that upset," Tangrowth added, patting Ingo's back with a vine. "This really means a lot to you."

"What kind of Pokémon would we be if we didn't support our trainer?" Gliscor asked, clambering up Machamp's back to headbutt Ingo gently.

"Zoroark or not, you're always going to be our trainer," Magnazone agreed, magnets humming softly as it floated a bit closer.

"It's going to be difficult," Alakazam pointed out, "but you've gone great lengths for each and every one of us. We will always try to return the favor."

Probopass bounced and grunted in agreement. Ingo felt emotion well up in his chest. "Guys… Thank you."

"You don't need to thank us," Machamp said as he set Ingo back down. "Want to give it a shot? Your illusion, I mean. Want to try to look human again?"

Ingo took a deep breath and pulled on the corner of his image, twisting the ghostly aura around him and casting an illusion. He tried his best to recall what he looked like. It wasn't difficult, far easier than he expected for someone who didn't own a mirror. Ingo didn't like looking at his own reflection much. It always made his head hurt, his mind trying to remember a memory that wasn't there any more. Maybe that had to do something with why he was able to recall his image so easily.

He'd been tall, taller than Machamp by a significant amount. A foot maybe? That sounded about right, though Ingo had no real way to measure that in his illusion. His coat, hat, and hoodie were easy too. Lady Sneasler had them in her den. He should ask for those back soon, he realized. Even if he could include them in his illusion, Ingo would like to have them back. They brought him a lot of comfort.

The thing he got caught up on the most was his face. Ingo knew he wasn't that expressive and that he always frowned. The image in his mind showed his face smiling though. And his clothes were white? That was odd. Ingo felt his illusion flicker, trying to mold to the image in his mind, but he forced it down. He wasn't supposed to look like that. He knew that better than he knew himself. Ingo was the one who frowned and slowly, Ingo managed to sculpt that into his illusion.

"Well?" Ingo asked, looking hopefully at his Pokémon. He was not expecting to be met with horror.

"Oh my Arceus."

"Go back! Go back!"

"There's something on your… everything."

Ingo cocked his head, confused. "Did I not get it right?"

"How do I say this kindly…" Lady Sneasler wondered aloud, eyes wide.

"What do you think you look like right now?" Tangrowth tried as Gliscor buried his face into her vines.

"I tried remembering what I look like? The last time I saw myself, I guess," Ingo told her, wondering what could be wrong with that. "I've got a lot of images of myself in my head but I think my image changed since I came to Hisui."

That sounded right. Ingo knew he'd gotten some scars since coming here, though those were hidden by his clothes. The edges of his coat had been shredded and his face had become more weary, signs of the toll life in Hisui had taken on him. Had he taken that weariness too far? He knew he'd gotten stronger too though and that'd affected the shape of his body. Maybe he'd gotten that wrong? He knew he hunched quite a bit now.. Had he overdone it?"

"The last time you saw your human body you were dead," Probopass told him abruptly and Ingo dropped the illusion.

Casting an illusion of a human was far harder than Ingo expected. He hadn't struggled with an illusion in a long time. Ingo could disguise himself as a Bidoof, a Scyther, an Ursaring, and all sorts of other Pokémon. Even the Liepard spots that had troubled him so long ago were easy now. Humans were different but Ingo didn't expect them to be that different. The differences between individual humans were so much more obvious than the differences between individual Pokémon. Detail wasn't something Ingo was expecting to get caught up on.

It was hard to get something that looked like him and then it was hard to get something that behaved like him. Ingo had not foreseen that being an issue in the slightest. He had eccentric behavior so distinct it carried over both when he forgot everything about himself and when he'd died. But had it really? Ingo knew his Zorua self didn't act exactly like he used to. He was still there but his youth and the mischievous nature of a Zorua overrode the human parts of him at times. Well, no longer. Ingo wouldn't let it.

As promised, Ingo's Pokémon friends helped him out and they helped him out a great deal.

Lady Sneasler reminded him of who he was. She told him about their time together and mimicked his favorite phrases to say. Conduct! Two-car train! Prepare for departure! Sync! Winning! Destination! Bravo! All aboard! Oh, what fun they all were to say. Ingo was sure Lady Sneasler got tired of him saying all those words but they really helped, or at least Ingo thought they did.

Machamp trained alongside Ingo nearly every day, making sure his shortcomings weren't an issue of strength. Ingo's EV training had long since finished but he still had a lot of room left to grow and a new body to get used to as well. Machamp had been the one to help Ingo get strong enough to scale mountains and carry crates to and from clan grounds when he'd been human. Keeping his Special Attacks and Speed sharp was no challenge.

Gliscor helped Ingo steal a mirror from Melli. They'd checked Ingo's Warden tent and couldn't find one so they turned to the obvious solution. It was great fun and the mirror really did help. It allowed Ingo to practice on his own when he didn't want to bother one of his Pokémon to tell him how he looked, and it was far more accurate than looking at his reflection in the lake.

Alakazam offered insights into the illusion itself. Casting an illusion was all about taking advantage of the weaknesses not in the eye but in the nervous system linking the eye to the mind. Ingo wasn't changing anything about himself. He was changing the way others perceived him. The brain perceived a lot at once but made a lot of mistakes and missed a lot. An illusion was what filled in those gaps. All Ingo had to do was be sure he was doing that effectively as possible.

Magnezone tried to help him replicate the way their lives used to be to help Ingo feel more like himself and that meant battling. It was a bit strange being on the sidelines again after being a battler on the field for so long but Ingo slipped right back into it. Commanding Magnezone, they battled Golbat, Mothim, Golduck, Scyther, Bronzor, and all sorts of other Pokémon. Sometimes, it really felt like nothing had changed.

Tangrowth made sure Ingo's car was still in working shape, and the cars of all the other Pokémon. She made sure they ate and that the den was insulated from the winter winds. And when Ingo stayed up too late practicing his illusions in the moonlight, she grabbed him by the vines and practically threw him into the den so he could get some rest. When it came down to it, she'd even bind him up so he couldn't escape. Safety checks always came first, afterall.

Probopass offered silent comfort when the frustration became too much. It was a long, tedious process. Slight mistakes with illusions of other Pokémon hardly mattered. Pokémon could tell one another apart but they tended to look similar. Every little detail of Ingo's illusion of himself mattered and missing such vital bits made him want to scream and cry. He should be getting it! But Probopass was always there to lean on when he couldn't deal with it anymore.

In the end, it was Alpha who gave him what he needed. Or rather, his words. The ones Runt had told him the fateful day Ingo left the pack. Runt had told him that Alpha and their mother were talking about illusions of the mind. Specifically, placing one in Ingo's, or at least that's what he thought. Ingo didn't want to believe that's what they'd been discussing but Alpha was pretty insistent about keeping Ingo in the pack so he wouldn't put it past him, even if it contradicted all the kind memories he had of his father.

An illusion of the mind. A distortion of how someone perceives, understands, and interprets what's around them. Ingo couldn't say exactly what that meant but his mind latched onto it. His shortcomings had to be some kind of mental block. Ingo had no issues with other illusions. He'd even say he'd mastered this particular skill, or he would if not for this latest struggle. It was something about him, not his powers, preventing him from doing this.

Maybe he was too focused on his body. His fur, his claws, his mane, and everything else that made him a Zoroark was a constant reminder of what he was not. Maybe he was unconsciously stressed about what becoming human again would entail. He could return to the Pearl Clan, start training Pokémon at the Jubilife dojo again, and maybe even start searching for the man in white and the Pokémon whose flames looked like those of Rei's Typhlosion. Ingo didn't think he was asking for much but after so long, it did feel a bit daunting.

He could trick himself into forgetting those worries though. He could forget his Zoroark body, that he'd died, even that he'd lost his memories. Ingo could disillusion himself into whatever reality he wanted to. He didn't but the temptation was real. There was value in what he had, even if he hated it at times. He could manipulate his mind just enough to make him believe his illusion was more than just a facade though.

Ingo waited until late at night when Lady Sneasler and the Pokémon were all tucked away into the den for the night. The moon wasn't full tonight but it was bright and Ingo soaked in the moonlight, letting the tranquility of the Highlands wash over him. Taking a deep breath, Ingo pulled on everything that made him Ingo and channeled it into an illusion. When it was ready, he threw himself into it and the Zoroark disappeared. All that was left was Ingo, Warden of the Pearl Clan.