Ingo was a Zoroark. Wasn't that weird.

He hadn't been replaced like Rei suspected. He wasn't a Zoroark who just thought he was Ingo like Drayden feared. And he wasn't going anywhere like Elesa thought he might. He was still Ingo, just in a new body.

It was sort of funny, or at least Emmet hoped he'd find it funny later. Twins were well respected in Unova thanks to the legends of Reshiram and Zekrom but the presence of Zorua didn't help either. Being a twin had been advantageous in adulthood, helping Ingo and Emmet paint the image that got the Battle Subway so famous, but it'd made their lives that much harder in their youths. Other children often accused one of them of being a Zorua. Neither twin was immune to it. They both had their reasons. But now it was true.

What would their lives be like if Ingo had always been a Zoroark? How would their lives be different now? Emmet had to wonder. It couldn't be that different. Afterall, none of them had suspected Ingo was a Zoroark all this time. Sure, there were some oddities but those could be easily explained. Nothing really had to change now, except maybe Ingo could let his illusion down at home and let his family touch him without fear of them feeling his fur. It might take some getting used to but Emmet was feeling pretty optimistic all things considered.

Plus, Ingo was big. Big enough to ride. Emmet had never thought about riding a Zoroark but he had to say he was enjoying it so far. Ingo carried him out of the den and down the cliffside then decided he didn't want to put Emmet down and hoist him onto his back. His mane was a barrier but it provided a good place to hold onto and they were off.

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Emmet asked as they neared the clearing Ingo's grave awaited. Ingo's grave. What a terrible thought, even if he did have one back in Unova. "Everyone was pretty, um…"

"Scared?"

"I was going to say surprised but yeah."

Ingo didn't respond and kept padding forward. Emmet accepted that as an answer and braced himself as they returned to the clearing where Drayden, Rei, Elesa, and Allister awaited. Roserade was gone, back in his Pokéball, but Zoroark remained, the Pokémon barking quietly to alert the humans of Ingo and Emmet's arrival.

"Hey," Ingo greeted almost awkwardly as Emmet slid off his back.

"That's weird," Elesa said, eyes never leaving Ingo's mouth. There was no visual illusion there. It was odd to see his mouth moving and hear words that weren't lining up with it.

"Are you really Ingo?" Rei asked and Ingo nodded. "Can you prove it?"

Ingo opened his mouth and then paused. He glanced at Zoroark who merely shrugged, making Ingo look back down in thought. "I could tell you how we met or what your usual order at Beni's is but I don't think that's what you meant."

"Zoroark can look at memories."

Emmet didn't think that was exactly true but then again, he didn't know much about Hisuian Zoroark. He probably should now, shouldn't he? He should've been paying more attention when Rei talked about his Pokédex. Then again, Ingo was the true expert here. He probably knew far more than Rei ever could.

"...You called me your dad once," Ingo spoke, catching Emmet off guard. This wasn't new information but it really wasn't what he was expecting to hear about right now. He had to admit it was a pretty good way to prove it was really him though. Memories could be faulty but feelings were real in a completely different way. "I have some mixed feelings about it."

Rei covered his face with his hands, embarrassment quickly replacing his fear. "We don't need to talk about that."

"Not bad feelings," Ingo insisted quickly. "I think I felt similarly before I died. I'm just- You told me when I'd just evolved. I didn't really feel old enough to be a parent yet. And, um, I'd just found out my father killed me so I don't think I was ready for… I'm glad you came to Unova with me though and I still want to adopt you. I just need some time to figure out what our relationship is."

"It was similar for me when I adopted you two," Drayden spoke up for the first time since Ingo and Emmet's return. "What you call each other doesn't matter as long as you care for each other."

"Ambiguous father figure," Elesa suggested, eyes curling up with humor, before she stiffed. "Wait. Are you Zorua's dad?"

"What?" Ingo reeled back a bit, lifting one paw off the ground in his surprise. "No! Where did you get that idea?"

"He's your pre-evolution, he's always trailing after you, you don't ever put him in his ball…"

"You kind of baby him a bit," Emmet agreed, glancing between the two. Ingo was a lot bigger than Zorua but he could see it.

Ingo shook his head, shooting Zorua a glare when the little Pokémon started giggling. Gently, he reached out and scooped him up in one paw before offering him to Emmet. Emmet took him in his arms, a little confused by the gesture. "I'm not Runt's dad. We have the same dad actually."

Emmet froze. "Wait. So you're saying-"

"He's my brother."

Emmet's smile widened and he spun Zorua around in his arms so he was facing him. "I get another brother!"

"Zor!"

"He's so much smaller than you though," Elesa pointed out, drifting over to get a better look at Zorua now that she knew who he really was.

"I'm an alpha."

"He's still small."

"You stole his size," Emmet joked, rotating Zorua back around so he was facing Ingo. Zorua barked in agreement, tail wagging against the front of Emmet's coat.

Ingo rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure he was one of Lady Sneasler's kits before he died. Age transfers over when you become a Ghost-type. I was an adult when I died so I matured quicker. He was still pretty young so it's going to take longer for him to grow up."

"Oh, so you are kind of his dad," Rei responded, grinning cheekily. Zorua barked and wagged his tail excitedly, wiggling in Emmet's arms to try to get over to Rei. Emmet passed him over happily. A new brother and a nephew? Neither were things Emmet ever knew he wanted but he wasn't complaining now that they were here.

"S-sorry to in-interupt," Allister spoke up, making Emmet jump not for the first time. He kept forgetting he was there. Was that how people felt about him when he was a kid? "We- we still need to a-address the issue of I-Ingo being a ghost…"

"Ingo had a point before," Drayden said, rubbing a hand along his beard. "I'm still catching up but he died with the intention of becoming a Ghost-type. That has to count for something."

"Plus it's kind of Arceus's fault," Rei added before pausing. "Hey, we saw Arceus since you became a Zoroark and he didn't say anything."

Wait, what? Ingo and Rei had seen Arceus? Emmet didn't think they'd mentioned that. That was kind of a big deal, wasn't it? Allister didn't seem to think so though. Shaking his head, he told them, "I-It's not me you need to convince. A-Any Ghost-type can f-feel it. My job is to g-guide lingering souls away before- well, a l-lot could happen but I d-do it because c-cling to their old life-"

A bark interrupted him as Zoroark began speaking. Ingo, Zorua, Machamp, and Alakazam all turned to him, nodding along as if they were hanging onto every word. Emmet exchanged a glance with Elesa and Drayden. This was going to take some getting used to. At least they could understand Ingo so they could follow along with half of the conversation.

"But if coming back to Unova already changed things, how would going back to Hisui be helpful?" Ingo asked, making Emmet's stomach drop. They wanted to take Ingo back to Hisui? "Won't things keep getting better here?"

"Ark, zark zoroark."

"I suppose." Ingo's frown deepened and Emmet did not like that. "And how would we get there?"

"Zoroark!"

"I do want to ride the Ghost Train…"

"Translation before Emmet panics?" Elesa spoke up to Emmet's relief.

Ingo shook himself. "Sorry. The circumstances of becoming a ghost are often very distressing. By coming to Unova, I got closure about my missing memories but there's still the whole issue with my father killing me. Back in Hisui, Zoroark told me to talk to my father. It didn't go well but he thinks I should try again."

"And you can take the Ghost Train back in time?" Emmet asked. He glanced at Allister. "How do we know they're not just going to spirit you off to wherever ghosts go?"

"I-I wouldn't do that!" Allister insisted, stutter betraying his nerves. "I w-want to help Ghost-types. Making them g-go somewhere t-they don't want to i-isn't helping."

"Zoroark got from the past to the present with the Ghost Train," Ingo explained. "I trust him."

"Well I don't."

"Zoroark!"

Emmet prepared himself to snark back at the Pokémon but Ingo spoke before he could. "He says you can come if you want."

Emmet perked up at that. "Of course I'm coming. I need to have words with your new dad."

Ingo felt kind of bad about hitting the Ghost Train with a Boomburst. It was definitely warranted but now that he was inside, he felt horrible for trying to damage such a beautiful vehicle. Metal meshed perfectly with the power of the afterlife. A young ghost like Ingo couldn't comprehend it as well as Ingo would've liked but he remembered enough about trains to know mankind had no hope of ever making a train like this one.

"How did the Ghost Train get from Galar to Unova?" Emmet asked, tearing Ingo's eyes from the train walls. Emmet had been excited too but Ingo got the idea humans couldn't sense what he could. That was too bad. Emmet probably would have appreciated this even more than Ingo did. "I'm sure you didn't pack this thing up on a boat and ship it here."

"N-No." Allister shook his head. "The Ghost Train travels through the ghost world. It can appear wherever there are tracks."

That was pretty neat. Ingo didn't understand it logistically but it made sense.

"Wait, but how did you get it to Hisui? There aren't any trains in Hisui."

That was a good question and it wasn't one Allister could answer. "I-I'm not sure. I just drive the train. I don't understand it all that well though…"

"Time and space can get pretty bendy for ghosts," Zoroark explained, padding over to Ingo. "You drew some train tracks in Wayward Cave and that's good enough for the train, I guess."

"I did?" Ingo didn't remember that. Zoroark shrugged and Ingo figured that was the most he was getting from him. He hoped he stopped being so cryptic but it wasn't like he'd been any less cryptic when they'd met in Hisui.

Wait. Zoroark was Zisu's Pokémon. Had he left her and Hisui to come after him in the future? Or had he been in Hisui, wandered onto the Ghost Train, and then come back? Had he known about the Ghost Train when they met? Ingo knew it was most likely that Zoroark had just found the train some time after he left but he wasn't like any other Zoroark he'd met before. There had to be more there.

Emmet elbowed Ingo, snapping him from his thoughts. "Hey, translate."

Ingo relayed what Zoroark had told him. He hoped Emmet didn't do this for every conversation he had with a Pokémon. That would get tired fast.

"I think we're almost there," Runt said and Ingo had no idea how he knew that but they slowed to a stop within a few seconds. Zorua bounced around the train car, tail waving wildly behind him. "Where are we going first? The Icelands? Your den? Are you going to visit your human friends?"

"Hold your Rapidash," Ingo told him as Allister hauled the doors open. Before Emmet could ask, he translated, "Runt was asking where we were going. We're pretty close to the den so I'd like to see Lady Sneasler first but I don't know about after that. There are some people I'd like you to meet but I think Rei had a point."

Rei had stayed behind in Unova. As much as he missed his friends in Hisui, it'd probably just hurt more to have to leave them again. Ingo had respected his decision but hadn't really thought it through until now. He'd seen the Pearl Clan's future. He missed the clan he knew but he didn't know how he'd react knowing what he did.

Emmet shrugged. "I'm just here for moral support. You lead the way."

"Zoroark, do you want to see your pack?" Ingo asked, looking over his shoulder for his sort-of friend only to realize he'd already stepped out of the train. "Or Zisu?"

"I don't think so," Zoroark told him and didn't elaborate. Ingo followed him out of the train, Runt and Emmet close behind. "Allister doesn't leave the train."

"I-I'll stay with the train," Allister said, repeating what Zoroark had just said. Ingo kind of wanted to comment on it but it felt like something that would get old fast. "I d-don't think there's a t-time limit here but…"

"We won't make you wait too long," Ingo promised. "Send a ghost to find us if you need anything."

Allister nodded and shut the train door. Ingo took that as a signal to leave and began leading his companions through the cave. With his Zoroark eyes, the darkness wasn't a problem but to his surprise, there was light up ahead. Melli restored his torches. He thought the other Warden would take Ingo's departure as a victory. Instead, he started lighting the cave himself. Ingo didn't know why but that made his insides go all mushy. But, it meant nothing to Emmet, Runt, and Zoroark though so he didn't comment on it.

They surfaced at the waterside entrance. Ingo paused for a moment, wondering if they should've taken the other exit, before shrugging off his coat and handing it to Emmet. "What are you doing? You're not really going to swim that?"

Ingo shook his head. "Basculegion is big but I'm bigger. I'm alright. I just don't want to get my new coat wet."

Emmet looked doubtful but draped Ingo's coat over an arm, drawing Basculegion's Pokéball with the other. "Hey there. We haven't gotten much of a chance to hang out but you think you can get me across the water?"

Basculegion glanced at Emmet then to the otherside of the lake. It really wasn't that far but it was still too far for a human to risk without Pokémon assistance. Shrugging, Basculegion turned around and gestured with his neck for Emmet to hop on. "Sure. Better me than that Noble."

"What's wrong with Lord Basculegion?" Runt asked, pouncing onto Basculegion's tail then crawling past Emmet up to Basculegion's head.

"Nothing. Just kind of takes away from my thunder as an alpha that there's a bigger one, you know? Zoroark, you getting on?"

"Yeah," Zoroark responded, clambering on to sit behind Emmet. "I don't know what Ingo's thinking."

Ingo winked and the moment Emmet's head was turned, he used Shadow Sneak and shot across the surface of the water. The look on his friends' faces when they saw him on the other side perfectly dry was priceless. Shadow Sneak was such a helpful move both in and out of battle. He couldn't believe most Zoroark elected to forget it when they evolved.

"You better not start playing pranks on me now that you're a Zoroark," Emmet complained when Basculegion reached the shore. Emmet dismounted quickly and recalled him to his Pokéball. "Thanks, bud. You want your coat back, Ingo?"

Ingo shook his head. "I don't think we'll see anyone but I don't want any clansmen to see a Zoroark in their Warden's clothes."

"And seeing a smiling copy of him is better?"

"Good point," Ingo said and accepted his coat. Part of him wanted to leave it with Emmet. They had a lot of ground to cover and he didn't want his new coat to end up in the same state as his old one. It wasn't like Emmet would be able to take better care of it though. Emmet was probably worse off in his white one, actually. "I don't think you're going to want to walk all the way to Lady Sneasler's territory. Wyrdeer's Pokéball is in the same Pokéball as Basculegion's if you want to ride him."

"Verrry useful Pokémon to have," Emmet commented as he followed Ingo's instructions and climbed aboard Wyrdeer's back. "Don't even think about leaving me behind this time."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Ingo promised. "A good conductor always sticks with his passengers."

"Can I get a ride?" Zoroark asked as Emmet helped Runt into a comfortable position between Wyrdeer's shoulders.

"No," Wyrdeer responded bluntly and that was that. The group set off at an easy pace across the Highlands, Ingo eager to show his brother his old home and Emmet trying to keep up. They were city boys, Ingo knew, and all this open land probably looked the same to his brother as any other mountain but this was probably the only chance he had to show Emmet Hisui and he was going to take it.

"Snea?"

"Sneasler."

"Snea!"

Emmet had seen photos of Sneasler, of course. He'd looked up his brother online the moment he had the chance and that included a picture of Ingo posing alongside his Noble. Rei had also shown him a couple drawings in his Pokédex. All of them had shown Sneasler standing on flat ground. He was not expecting to look up and suddenly have three of them flying down from the mountainside right at him.

Emmet glanced at Ingo. He thought he'd be excited to see a Sneasler again but he looked startled. This wasn't what he wasn't what he was expecting then. Ingo reacted quickly, getting on his hind paws to grab Wyrdeer by the hindquarters and yank him back before a Sneasler body slammed him. "No hunting my Pokémon!"

"Sneasler!" the Pokémon complained when it hit the ground with no prey under its claws. "Snea snea!"

Ingo barked something Emmet couldn't understand and the Sneasler shuffled back looking bashful. He joined the other two Sneasler and ducked his head apologetically. Ingo kept glaring at him but Emmet could see his resolve weakening. "Where's your mother? And why are there three of you? None of you were meant to be her heir."

"Snea snea," one of the Sneasler answered but Ingo didn't look satisfied by whatever she said.

"What was that about?" Emmet asked as the Sneaslers hurried back into the mountains and Ingo resumed walking, Wyrdeer following uneasily.

Ingo shrugged. "They said Lady Sneasler would explain. It's weird though. Those were all Lady Sneasler's kits but normally there's only one Sneasler per territory. It's odd she let three of them evolve."

"Three that you know of," Emmet pointed out and Ingo's ears flattened against his head, displeased. It was endearing in a way. "Rei said you helped raise them? So you're like their dad?"

"More like big brother who never left the den," Ingo responded. "I thought I was finished rounding up kits…"

Ingo trailed off, ears pricking up. Emmet tried to follow his gaze, trying to spot whatever it was he heard. Emmet wasn't exactly sure where they were but he thought the clearing they'd wandered into looked familiar. Then again, what did he know? They could be in Johto and he wouldn't be able to tell until a Pineco fell on him.

"Snea!"

"My Lady!" Ingo called, abruptly veering off Wyrdeer's path and clambering up the stone face of the mountain. He only made it up a few feet before a black blur crashed down on him, sending him sprawling. "I missed you."

"Sne! Sneasler snea," the Pokémon replied, sitting up on top of Ingo and bapping his snout with one paw. One very large paw. Emmet knew the moment he saw her that this was the Noble. The size made it obvious but the utter affection etched on her and Ingo's faces confirmed it. "Sneasler!"

Lady Sneasler rolled off Ingo and let the Zoroark sit up. Ingo's eyes were bright and Emmet would bet money if he had a tail, it'd be wagging. "This is my brother Emmet! You know, the man in white. He came back to the past with me."

Sneasler blinked at Emmet with wide, owlish eyes. She didn't say anything, merely padding over and circling around him like she was inspecting him. She probably was. Emmet still didn't fully understand what a Noble was but Emmet knew her approval mattered to Ingo so he slid off Wyrdeer's back and let Lady Sneasler look over him. "I am Emmet."

"Sneasler," Lady Sneasler said in response and Emmet tried not to look at Ingo to see if that meant something good or not. Their eyes locked, Lady Sneasler shifting her weight to one paw and tapping a claw against her chin in thought. "Snea…"

Without warning, Lady Sneasler moved toward him. Emmet barely had time to react before he was swept off his feet and haphazardly dumped into… a basket? Where had she gotten that from? Emmet hadn't seen it with her, or maybe he was just unobservant. She'd come down the mountainside pretty fast. "Wha-?"

Ingo laughed as Emmet tried to make heads and tails of what had just happened. Lady Sneasler had thrown him into the basket head first, thankfully with enough grace that he hadn't landed directly on his head but still awkward enough that he had to wiggle to get upright. Once he got his legs under him, he sat up and tried to climb out only for a large paw to pat him on the head, wordlessly telling him to stay put. "Snea."

Emmet looked to Ingo for some help but his brother made no move to lend a paw, eyes bright with amusement. "You got basketed."

"I can see that," Emmet responded, inspecting the basket he found himself in. It was surprisingly soft on the inside. Most of the baskets he'd seen in Unova were rough, dry, and unbelievably stiff. This one felt pretty strong but it was made of a more breathable material, making it entirely enclosed while still being somewhat bendable. Good for climbing, Emmet figured. It let the basket bounce instead of jostling around its contents when Lady Sneasler moved around. "Um, why?"

"She did it to me when we met. It's how she carries all her kits around," Ingo answered and Emmet wasn't sure if how he felt about that. He didn't really want to get adopted by a Pokémon. Then again, Ingo had a whole Pokémon family without him and he didn't really want to be left out. "It means she likes you."

That was a relief. Emmet didn't know what he'd do if Lady Sneasler didn't like him. "Can you tell her to let me out?"

"Oh, no."

"No?"

"You're stuck like that until she decides you're done."

"Great." He was getting tired of sitting on Wyrdeer's back so he supposed it wasn't the worst thing. He'd prefer to walk around a bit, maybe get a chance to stretch, but if they were going to travel a bit more, a basket was a nice change of pace.

"Snea sneasler snea," Lady Sneasler said and Ingo recalled Wyrdeer to his Pokéball. Lady Sneasler moved and Zorua was dumped into the basket alongside Emmet a moment later. He half-expected Lady Sneasler to throw Zoroark into the basket as well but Zoroark had the sense to keep his distance. Emmet couldn't see him from inside the basket but he could imagine him eyeing Ingo and Lady Sneasler warily. "Sneasler!"

"I doubt this is what you were expecting when you said I'd come back," Ingo told her, tone light and happy. Lady Sneasler hoisted the basket onto her back effortlessly, putting the lid over Emmet's head, and began moving. The jostling told him she was climbing. He heard Zoroark bark in complaint and Emmet suspected this was going to just be Ingo and Lady Sneasler time.

The two talked as they climbed. Ingo mostly kept speaking Galarian, only slipping into Zoroark speak a few times, so Emmet was able to follow half the conversation. Ingo told Lady Sneasler of Unova and the Ghost Train. Lady Sneasler, in turn, told Ingo of the lack of suitable heirs and her new plan of training a few of her stronger kits to defend the Pearl Clan instead. They kind of danced around saying it directly but Emmet knew Lady Sneasler would be returning to Unova with them. Emmet rubbed a hand over Zorua's back and let the bounce of the basket lull him into a drowsy state. He'd seen how happy Lady Sneasler made his brother. She was kind of a lot but Emmet didn't think he'd mind having her around.