It was a lot harder to be back in Hisui than Ingo expected.

It wasn't upsetting. He wasn't saddened to see it. It was hard in the sense that it was just so easy to slip back into things. He and Lady Sneasler walked all over the mountain just like old times. His Pokémon ran around the territory just like they used to. Even with Emmet and Zoroark in the mix, Ingo could picture just staying there forever. He knew he couldn't though. Even if Zoroark wasn't there constantly telling him his ghost was screaming, he had another life now.

Thankfully, Lady Sneasler understood that. After a short break at her den, Lady Sneasler hauled Emmet back into her basket and took off toward the Icelands. "Come on. We're going to the Icelands."

Anxiousness bubbled up in Ingo's belly. "Are you sure? You don't have to come."

Lady Sneasler waved a paw loosely. "I go where I want."

"Even onto an alpha's territory?"

"Especially onto an alpha's territory."

"Are we going to go see your family now?" Emmet asked from inside the basket. He became conditioned to being thrown in there rather quickly. His loss. Ingo was too big to fit in there now. Emmet was going to be carried around all over Nimbasa City when they went back and there was nothing he could do about it.

Ingo nodded but didn't say anything. There was too much to say and he didn't know how to say any of it. The pack wasn't really his family but it still felt inaccurate to say they weren't. Elesa had called Drayden Ingo and Emmet's ambiguous father figure and that felt right but they were related by blood. She'd called him Rei's ambiguous father figure and Ingo liked the vagueness of it. His relationship to the Zoroark pack was somehow between even that. They were related but it was something created and even then Ingo had pretty mixed feelings about the actual members there.

He always came back though. Ingo had come back when he first remembered he was human. He kept coming back when he was training to regain his life. He even came back after he battled his father. Family was who you came back to but Ingo didn't think this was what that saying meant. He came back to Emmet and Drayden because their bonds ran so deep even amnesia and time travel couldn't shake them. Ingo had good moments with his pack but most of them were from when he was a puppy. He spent more time away than with them. It probably wasn't healthy to keep coming back like this. Yet here he was.

He wondered if they'd changed. He hoped they'd changed. He hoped that every time and he was disappointed every time. They weren't changing. He was the problem, he supposed. His human mind couldn't accept the Zoroark way of life. He could hunt his own food and battle other Pokémon, sure, but he couldn't forget the life he had before like every other Zorua and Zoroark before him. Was it unfair to expect his father to accept that of him? Or was his father unfair for asking him to do such a thing when he hadn't asked to be put in that position in the first place?

Ingo felt the cold nip the skin under his thick fur as the Highlands bled into the Icelands. He'd trained a Ghost-type most of his life and even if Ingo couldn't remember it, he knew the ways of ghosts couldn't be understood so easily by humans. Chandelure hypnotized people and consumed souls. Ingo had trained her to do so safely but he'd accepted it was in her nature to do so even if it came at others' expense at times. Was he a hypocrite now that a ghost's nature to play with souls was affecting him? Maybe. Ingo tried not to get too caught up in questions of morality though. This was about him and his father. His mother too, he supposed. She'd been the one to steal his memories and Ingo wasn't sure if he was more upset about that or being killed. Something to find out when he saw them, he supposed.

Runt's whimpers drew Ingo out of his thoughts. "It's cold."

Ingo turned to tease him for getting used to Unova weather only to realize he was right. The Icelands were cold but Zoroark and Zorua were well suited to it. Even if they weren't used to it, they shouldn't feel this cold, especially at this time of year. Was there a Gengar nearby? Ingo didn't think he'd ever seen a wild one in Hisui. Haunter weren't particularly skilled at grabbing items from the time-space distortions, unlike the handful of Kadabra who managed to snag Link Cords. An Ice-type was more likely but Ingo couldn't think of any in the area that could change the temperature like this.

"Some of the trees have fallen," Zoroark pointed out, gesturing forward with his muzzle. He was right. The trees were thinner, some fallen and some gone entirely. "The forest is less insulated. It's letting the wind from Avalugg's Legacy in."

"Is something wrong?" Emmet asked, head poking out of the basket. Ingo ignored him, ever-present frown deepening. He was too focused to play translator right now. He didn't know what was going on but he didn't like it. Had the Galaxy Team started lumbering up here? Unlikely but he didn't know what else could cause this. It was minor but it was viscerally alarming and Ingo didn't know what to do about it. So, he did what he did best and tipped his head back into a howl.

Runt and Zoroark joined him after a moment, instinct winning out over any questions they wanted to ask. Ingo sensed Lady Sneasler and Emmet cover their ears but he just kept howling. It was rude to enter someone else's home without knocking anyway. Within moments, Ingo heard pawsteps in the forest and soon they were surrounded by white pelts.

"Intruders!"

"Smell. Just pups. Not threat."

"Another pack?"

"Runt and Howler. And Howler's Noble."

"Human. Pearl? Not Pearl."

Ingo ignored the growls and murmurs of his former packmates and positioned himself at the front of his new little pack. "Is Alpha with you?"

The Zoroarks' heads swung back and forth, the pack muttering amongst themselves, before a voice rang through. "Yes but probably not the one you're expecting."

A Zoroark stepped forward and it wasn't one Ingo recognized. She wasn't large like an alpha blessed with the same red power Ingo inherited from his father but it was clear from the way she moved that she commanded the Zoroark around her. The sight made Ingo's brain stutter. Had his father lost a challenge for leadership? Had the pack merged with another?

"Sis!" Runt barked out, wiggling out of Lady Sneasler's basket and bounding forward. "You evolved!"

The Zoroark's expression softened into one Ingo knew well. "That's right. And I'm leading the pack now! That's what you get for leaving, Ingo."

Ingo was silently grateful she called him by his name. Padding forward, he let out a pleased rumble and nosed her in greeting. The other Zoroark got the idea that this didn't require their attention and dispersed, wandering out into the forest and returning to the camp. "I didn't want the spot anyway. But what about Mom and Dad? They're not that old."

The joy on his sister's face slipped. "I… I think it's better if I just show you. Your friends are cool, right? I don't need to chase them off my territory?"

Ingo abruptly remembered he had others with him. "Right. I don't think you ever met my Noble but this is Lady Sneasler. This Zoroark, uh, trained with a friend of mine. And the human in the basket is my brother Emmet."

Ingo said that last part in Galarian, hoping his sister understood, to catch Emmet's attention. Emmet hoist himself halfway out of the basket and beamed in her direction. "I am Emmet. Ingo and I are twins!"

"This is my sister," Ingo explained quickly as his sister padded over to give Emmet a sniff. There wasn't really any point in Ingo explaining more when smell would tell her everything she needed to know to decide if she was letting him into the camp. "She's the pack's alpha now."

"Oh!" Emmet looked confused but he remained polite. "Congratulations?"

"He talks funny," his sister commented before turning to Zoroark. "There are too many Zoroark here for me to just call you that. You got a name?"

"...Call me Ziru," he answered slowly, surprising Ingo. He'd been resistant when Ingo asked for his name before. But, it was clear where the inspiration for this name came from. Maybe leaving Zisu had become more defining than leaving his pack. Ingo found he didn't know or care. He was glad to finally have something to call his companion.

"Ziru," Ingo repeated aloud so Emmet could hear. He glanced between Lady Sneasler and his sister in question. "Are we ready to go see Mom and Dad?"

His sister winced but nodded. Lady Sneasler didn't say anything but she looked troubled. Ingo got the idea she picked up on something he hadn't. He couldn't fathom what though. Lady Sneasler rarely interacted with any Pokémon from the Icelands unless it was a territorial spat. It wasn't like she knew something he didn't.

Ingo expected it to become clear when they entered the camp but it didn't. Ziru, taking some initiative, stepped between Lady Sneasler and the others, signaling that they were going to hang back. Ingo didn't argue and kept following his sister. He was getting nervous.

"Dad? Dad, it's me." Ingo was led into a den, one large enough that he didn't have to duck much to get into. Inside, he found his father lying on a nest. He looked tired. Ingo didn't know how else to say it but he lifted his head at the sound of his daughter's voice. "Ingo and Runt are back."

"My sons," Alpha rumbled. He tried to get to his paws and Ingo immediately saw what was wrong. He heard Runt gasp as Ingo hurried forward to keep his father from getting up.

"Your leg," Ingo said, not knowing what else he could say. He held his breath, trying to tune out the sour smell hitting his nose, and tried to inspect the injury. His father's hind leg was bent at an angle Ingo knew wasn't natural and the smell told him it'd been like that for awhile. "What happened?"

"Storm," Alpha answered bluntly. He looked down. "Your mother… didn't make it. A lot of the Pokémon in the area didn't."

"Mom died?" Runt asked, eyes growing wide. Alpha wordlessly nodded and Runt bundled into his mane. Something in the back of his mind made Ingo want to do the same but he withheld. It was more shock than anything else. His mother was just… dead. Not even from an attack. If it was an attack, Ingo could run out of the camp and hunt down his mother's killer, giving his father the closure he couldn't. But no. There was no great enemy to face down. It was a storm. A big storm but still just a storm. No one could be blamed for that, except maybe a few legendary Pokémon. Ingo doubted it was them though.

He wanted to ask for more. What killed her? Had the wild Pokémon become scared and she'd been caught in a stampede? Had a tree fallen on her? Had his father been with her? Had he been hurt trying to save her? Or was it more indirect? Was it the cold? Had she gone hungry for too long? But listening to Runt's whimpers, Ingo couldn't bring himself to ask. His mother died and he hadn't even been there. He was in no place to demand to know the details.

"He needs antibiotics," Ingo said instead, getting a confused look from his sister. "Human medicine. Smell, his leg is infected. He's going to die unless he gets help from-"

"Humans are the reason we're in the Icelands, Ingo," his sister reminded somewhat harshly. Ingo didn't let himself feel hurt from her tone. She was right. He knew the Pearl Clan as kind but the pack did not. "Going to the humans would kill him too."

"Dad's not dying either," Runt said in a quiet voice that made Ingo's heartbreak. He turned away, placing his tiny paw on Ingo's much larger one. "We can help him, right?"

"I don't kn-"

"Human doctors are very good at what they do. Remember, Nurse Joy helped when you, Gliscor, and everyone got sick. And Uncle Drayden said humans have all sorts of special doctors. He said there was a doctor you could see for your memories! If there's a memory doctor, there has to be a leg doctor. We can-"

"Runt," Ingo interrupted. "All that stuff is in the future. We can't take Dad to the future."

"Why not?" Runt shot back. "We're taking Lady Sneasler, aren't we? There are way more reasons not to take Lady Sneasler than Dad."

That was actually a pretty good point. Ingo looked up at his father, trying to gauge his reaction. "Dad?"

Alpha didn't look very happy. "I don't want my son to put me in one of those human contraptions and take me away from my home. Even if it did prolong my life, giving up my freedom isn't worth it."

Ingo tried not to wince. He didn't want to subject his father to that either.

"But," Alpha continued, surprising Ingo, "I don't want to be a burden on my daughter either."

"Dad-"

"Don't," Alpha interrupted, shaking his head. "I know you won't say it but I'm just lying here eating your food and waiting to die. I wish I could say no member of the pack is a burden but ideals don't survive very long up here. The truth is that the pack can't afford to keep dragging along dead weight."

Truth and ideals. That tickled something in Ingo's brain. He didn't know what though. Stupid amnesia. He couldn't really be angry about that now though, huh? Maybe later but not right now. The grief hadn't even settled in yet, the littermates too focused on caring for their father to think about their mother, let alone what she'd done.

"The future isn't that bad. It's warmer there. And Ingo has my Pokéball but he doesn't make me stay in it," Runt told him, scurrying back over to their father. "He knows I'm not one of his Pokémon. Right?"

"Right," Ingo said quickly. "I, um, I've actually been thinking about giving Rei your Pokéball. It does feel kind of weird that I… We can talk about it later. The life of Pokémon with humans is pretty different in the future, Dad. There are a lot of options. I'd let you pick what felt best for you."

Battling was probably off the table but Pokémon could do plenty of other things. Not a lot of things that didn't involve walking but still plenty of things. And at this point, Ingo didn't care if his father spent the rest of his life digging up his backyard. Anything was better than seeing him like this.

"Maybe Emmet could train him," Runt suggested. Ingo blinked at him, wordlessly telling him that was a terrible idea. Runt amended quickly. "Or Rei, or Drayden, or Elesa."

Drayden wasn't a bad idea, actually. Ingo was pretty sure he was thinking about retiring from his gym. He'd been away since Ingo returned so he presumably had someone else running it who could take over. Most of his Pokémon would probably stay at the gym which meant Drayden could use a companion. He was also definitely the kind of human Alpha would respect. Ingo didn't say anything though. He couldn't make any promises without talking to Drayden. It was his life affected too, plus Alpha had killed one of Drayden's sons. He didn't know if Drayden was the forgiving type.

"We'll figure something out," Ingo promised. He reached into his coat pocket, careful not to tear it with his claws, and drew an empty Pokéball. He expanded it and held it out for his father. "I won't make you. If you'd rather stay here in Hisui, we'd understand. But, we want to help you. I can give you a better life in Unova."

Alpha stared at the Pokéball for a long while. It was a modern one, not one of the wooden ones from Hisui. Ingo sort of wished he had a Heal Ball or even a Luxury Ball. This was his father for Sinnoh's sake, not some new training partner. Ingo wouldn't say he deserved the best but Alpha was right. It felt weird to just stick him in a ball. Maybe that was why Alpha was hesitating. Ingo wouldn't force him or say anything else to convince him but he really hoped he accepted it.

Finally, after a long while, Alpha leaned forward, tapping his muzzle against the button, and his future was set.

Ingo had been gone for awhile and Emmet was getting verrry bored.

He understood why he couldn't follow. He also understood that if he followed, he would have no idea what was going on. He didn't love sitting around waiting though. Lady Sneasler let him out of the basket but it was cold out here and the Zoroark kept glaring at him. Lady Sneasler and Ziru growled at them every time they did at least. Emmet found some comfort that they were willing to stand up for him. Still, most of the day had been spent not doing anything and he sensed a lot more not doing anything ahead.

Emmet tried to entertain himself by imagining Ingo's life here. He'd been a young once, and he'd lived here with a brother and sister. Ingo hadn't had the best life here, he was told, but the mental image of his brother running around playing with other puppies was cute. It didn't make up for all they'd lost but it was cute.

Ingo emerged from the den some time later. His gaze was low and both his siblings looked somber. Emmet had to ask. "Did something happen?"

Ingo, to Emmet's surprise, held up a Pokéball. "We've got another passenger."

Emmet didn't know how to process what he was seeing. "What?"

"My Dad isn't doing so good. Runt suggested we take him to a Pokémon Center." Ingo swallowed. "I was thinking about asking Drayden if he wanted to… not train him but…"

Ingo trailed off and Emmet saw how much he was struggling. Even if he didn't remember, Ingo had lost his parents before. Emmet knew what that felt like and he wasn't going to make this harder for him than it already was. He'd been sort of hoping Ingo would change his mind about visiting the Galaxy Team or the Pearl Clan one last time but this wasn't a trip down memory lane. It probably never was but the tone had shifted dramatically and Emmet had to roll with it. So, he nodded. "I'm sure Drayden would love to have him."

Ingo visibly relaxed. "Okay. Home then?"

"Say goodbye to your sister," Emmet prompted gently. Ingo nodded. The fact that this would be the last time he ever saw her went left unsaid. Ingo began speaking in that language only Pokémon could understand and Emmet respectfully tried not to decipher what they were saying. They were family but Emmet had to accept he and Ingo had family they didn't share now. Instead, he turned to Ziru and asked, "Are you staying? Ingo said you had a trainer here."

Ziru shook his head and pointed a claw at Ingo. "Zoro ark."

"You want to stay with Ingo?" Emmet clarified, somewhat surprised before growing suspicious. "Wait. You're Allister's Pokémon. You just want to keep an eye on him."

Zisu flashed a Zoroark grin and Emmet didn't know what that meant. Thankfully, Runt was bounding over and that was plenty distracting. "Ru!"

"You're staying with Ingo too?" Emmet asked, looking over at Ingo's sister. She was the only one staying in Hisui it seemed. That was kind of sad, Emmet thought. Lonely, even if she had her pack. It was admirable though. He sort of wished they spoke the same language so he could tell her but Ingo was always better with words than Emmet was. He'd tell her that he was proud of her, that she'd do a good job, and all the things a good big brother told their little siblings. Emmet would know. He'd been on the receiving end of those little speeches his whole life. This Zoroark had too, in a way. For a moment, Emmet felt a sense of solidarity with her. He was nothing to her, Emmet knew, but they were still linked through Ingo and that would never change.

Lady Sneasler flipped the lid of her basket open and Emmet got in without protesting. Runt quickly followed him, getting comfortable in Emmet's arms. Lady Sneasler picked the basket up but left it open, letting Emmet watch as the Noble and the two Zorork walked out of the Icelands. The air was heavy but Emmet thought it was getting lighter as they started walking away from the Icelands and toward Wayward Cave. Or rather, toward Unova.

"How does my ghost look now, Ziru?" Ingo asked after they'd been walking for awhile. "Still screaming?"

"Zoro, zoroark."

Ingo snorted. "I'm a loud soul? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Zoroark."

"I can't argue with that. I did learn Hyper Voice and Boomburst. Even Alpha Zoroark aren't supposed to learn Boomburst."

"Zoro. Zoroark, zoro ark."

Ingo hummed wordlessly like he was thinking and Emmet had to ask. "How's it looking?"

"Ziru said we'll see."

"We'll see?" That wasn't very comforting. This was his brother they were talking about. Emmet needed to know if he'd be taken from him again or not.

"I think I got my closure," Ingo told him without facing him. "I'm still- I'm never going to get to talk to my mom about my memories but I'm getting my life in Unova back so I…"

Ingo didn't finish the thought and Emmet didn't ask him to. Returning to Unova had done him wonders. Even if Emmet couldn't see it or even understand the full scope of it, he knew his brother was happy to be home.

"I know Alpha and I are probably going to fight again. It's hard to imagine right now but he's going to get better and we're going to have to figure things out again. Except this time I'm the pack leader, I guess. It's going to be weird." Ingo's lip twitched as he looked down. "There's still a lot to figure out. I still need to talk to Rei, and with Drayden… I think things are going to be alright. There's no terminal called end, afterall. We're always going to be chugging along."

Emmet smile softly. "When did you get so wise?"

"When Arceus abducted me and Zoroark stole my memories," Ingo joked before stopping abruptly, making Ziru and Lady Sneasler come to a halt as well. "I forgot about Arceus."

"You forgot about Arceus?" How did someone forget about Arceus? Then again, it wasn't like Emmet was thinking about Arceus every moment of every day either.

"There's no terminal called end," Ingo repeated as he resumed walking. "'Learn about Pokémon, foster your connection to them, and show humans and Pokémon alike the future they could have. When you succeed, seek me out once more.' That's what Arceus told me when he brought me to Hisui. But there's no real end to that, is there? I became a Warden and showed the Pearl Clan another side of Lady Sneasler. I helped Zisu at the dojo and taught a lot of villagers how to train their Pokémon. I became a Pokémon and I learned to see Pokémon in a totally different way. Now I'm going back to Unova. Maybe I'll get my old job back, maybe I won't. I'll still work with Pokémon though. I'm never going to stop. Do you think Arceus knew that when he gave me my mission?"

Ingo took a big breath after he finished talking. Ingo used to be able to go on and on but Emmet supposed that wasn't true anymore. Ingo was the type to just start talking and have all the words come to him. Emmet had to think more. Not this time though. The answer to Ingo's question felt pretty obvious. "I'm sure he did. I am Emmet. I am more of a Reshiram kind of trainer than an Arceus one but legendaries do all sorts of things we don't understand. Arceus telling you to keep doing what you've always been doing is pretty amazing though, right?"

Ingo's eyes met Emmet's and he offered the best smile he could. "It is. I'm excited for where our tracks lead us, Emmet. I think it's been awhile since I've felt that way."

Emmet matched his smile, feeling a weight he hadn't noticed was there lift off of him. "Me too, Ingo. Me too."