July 22nd, First Year

"Ingo."

"Stop."

"Brother-"

"Cease!" Ingo whirled around, his chest tight as he turned to face the gangly creature across from him. He could hear his own heart beating frantically within his chest, cold sweat dripping down his face. "I- I will not hear any more of this," he growled. "Now be silent-"

"No." Emmet retorted. "I have given you aaall the details you have forgotten," he replied in his monotonous tone, the twitch of his fingers on his tunic sleeve betraying the intrepid anger brewing within. "You are not an idiot. Burr is not our ally."

Ingo scowled in turn. He had forgotten the details. His suspicions had been correct- that something was indeed amiss with his fellow faller. The Lustrous Orb hadn't led him astray in leading him toward interrogating Jaku for answers but almost as soon as he remembered arriving to Lake Valor, his memory blanked out until Emmet had clued him back in, his doppelganger at the angriest Ingo had ever seen. "Miss Jaku is not our enemy." Ingo reiterated, finding particular offense in the strange name that his doppelganger insisted on using regarding his fellow faller. "She is acting with suspicion, yes, but from the way you told me-"

"Burr wiped your memories," Emmet seethed. The man had gotten so close that Ingo had to practically restrain himself from lunging at his self-proclaimed twin. "Decommissioned you from the conversation because we apparently know too much. I saw her do it- some kind of item that she used. She admitted it to me- to both of us."

Ingo didn't remember anything about the conversation. He couldn't even remember running into Jaku. Emmet's words were frankly the only thing Ingo could base his interpretation of the situation off of and Ingo already didn't trust Emmet in the slightest. Ingo first thought to consult the Lustrous Orb or to find out Jaku at her station once more to make sense of the situation but it was Emmet's aggravation toward the subject that clued Ingo in that something else was stirring beneath the surface.

"Jaku only admitted something to you." Ingo put distance between himself and the imposter before him. As he spoke, the corners of his mouth rose in a cruel grimace. "I will revisit this topic at a later date. For now, I have a duty to perform and if you intend on barring the way, I won't hesitate to clear the tracks." His hand moved idly to the rope belt holding his pokéballs, watching as Emmet copied his movement without so much as batting an eye. Ingo met his doppelganger's gaze, confused at the rush of excitement that began to flow through his body. "You are setting your destination for an imminent collision? And here I thought you wanted me to trust you."

Emmet's smile widened; all teeth but no creases near his eyes. A crude smile. A mocking one. A sardonic one. An inciting one. "Don't twist my words, Ingo. You know how this goes. The best way to gauge a trainer's potential is through battling." And though Emmet's tone remained flat and unbothered, the three pokéballs at his belt and the reluctant touch of the man's glove against the metal latch suggested differently. That perhaps, maybe, Emmet knew he would lose if he followed through.

But why do I find myself caring at all? Ingo found that he could read Emmet like an open book. He recognized the body language of the other man almost down to a 't' and almost always grew increasingly concerned and confused when his predictions came true. And so he read Emmet again. Ingo read the tense way Emmet held himself ramrod straight, hardly blinking with his false smile and his glaring eyes. Ingo paused. Emmet hadn't been glaring at him at all.

"You are doing that thing again," Emmet commented from across the way. His hand twitched briefly over to the second pokéball on his belt before immediately switching back to the first. "You think too much. You used to do this on the Super Singles too… What are you looking at?"

Ingo grimaced. I cannot. He had read Emmet and what he saw hadn't been hostility; Ingo had instead seen fear. Desperation but also hope. Ingo fixed his posture, predicting that Emmet- that the creature's caricature of his brother- would most likely do the same. The dregs of adrenaline that had been coursing through him were immediately silenced when Emmet did as Ingo had predicted and matched his posture, crossing his arms back in front of him.

"No battle?" Emmet asked plainly.

"...No battle," Ingo affirmed. "I do not wish to come to blows over a… misunderstanding."

"Leave it to you to get the last word," Emmet grumbled. He took a deep breath. "Ingo. Listen. I want you to hear what I have to say."

"Haven't you already said enough?"

"Nnnope." Emmet carefully stepped out in front of Ingo, his expression still full of irritation. "I did not schedule an arrival to this dragons'-forsaken region just so that you could drag behind a switchman who's so obviously using you like a pokétoy. We are not playing pickup. Burr is not your ally, Ingo. If anything, you don't remember because she continues to alter your cab."

"And yet she cannot alter your own?" Ingo shot back.

Emmet groaned loudly, taking to steepling his fingers together again. "I don't know," he eventually admitted. "I do not know why my cab is impervious to these changes, but I continue to remember where you do not. Please believe me, Ingo. I would not lie to you and I have no reason to even consider doing so."

Ingo pushed past Emmet, too disturbed to dignify the man with a response. He pulled his tattered jacket tighter around him, Freight emerging from its pokéball to form a wall of lithe muscle between the two arguing men. The large bat chittered atop Ingo's back, hissing menacingly as Emmet attempted to approach again. It had been so since the two men had set off from Lake Valor that morning.

Ingo's boots squelched in the thick mud, an approaching storm rumbling above as the warden led the way across the thickening swamps of the Crimson Mirelands. He could feel the telltale ache in his back and bad knee. A safety check is in order, his mind supplied quietly, dredges of anger-laced venom seeping into his thoughts. He had done what he had set out to do and had checked in on his fellow faller. All was well, despite whatever the Zoroark trailing behind him believed.

All is well, Ingo repeated. Things are running smoothly on their respective tracks. All but one passenger has been accounted for. He let his fingers skim the coverings of his set of pokéballs. Not true, his mind argued. Not all things are running smoothly. What is my task? What am I supposed to be accomplishing here? These thoughts had been plaguing Ingo since he had first gained the Lustrous Orb, as were the thoughts of any other living thing near him whenever he consulted the spherical object.

What was Ingo's purpose? What was he supposed to be doing? Akari's job was to quell the rampaging nobles and, by proxy, so too was this his job. Jaku's job was to restore the flow of time by fixing the time distortions scattered about the region. So then, what was his goal? Surely, he hadn't been brought back just to collect muddy papers. Ingo's train of thought was interrupted as the thick swamplands began to clear, a large marshy clearing coming into view.

Members of the Diamond Clan milled about, their clothes stained with clay and mud as they hauled lumber and rolled stones into position, laboring in the hot, humid air. In the center of it all was Adaman, the Diamond Clan's leader.

The young man's clothes hung on his frame, accentuated by the dark bags around his eyes and the way the clan leader limped to-and-fro, wincing all the while. The bandages around his arm were now coupled with matching sets around a tattered leg and a bloody cheek. Despite his injuries, the leader quickly moved along his people, his face collected and calm despite the mess of mud and sweat and anger that seemed to pulse from the rest of his clanmates.

"Pardon my intrusion!" Ingo called as he approached the makeshift camp walls, wincing as an errant step forced him deep into a hidden pit of mud.

It had taken a second for anybody to notice him. "Melli!" Adaman called, flipping over a stained piece of parchment. "Can you help the rangers fix those wooden pikes into position by the western wall, please? And- oh!" Adaman paused and fixed the two approaching men with apprehensive stares. He focused on Ingo first. "Warden Ingo? …And Emmet as well! What are you two doing here?"

"Leader Adaman," Ingo rumbled. He bowed low, pointedly shooting a glance at Emmet who followed his motions with a bit more hesitation and dismay. "Apologies for our sudden intrusion. I couldn't help but notice that the Diamond Clan is no longer stationed by Lake Valor. Would your clan happen to require any assistance with repairs?"

Adaman blinked. He walked closer still, helping get Ingo's boot out of the mud as the two men shared a deep understanding glance. Once he was seemingly satisfied, Adaman nodded. "It's been… rough these past few days, Warden Ingo," he admitted, scratching a spot on the back of his head. "Any help you can provide for the Diamond Clan would be deeply appreciated."

"Of course. This blight affects us all. Please let me know how I can assist you-"

"Well, well, well! You can start by helping me out over here, old man!" Warden Melli of the Diamond Clan appeared, his long pale hair pinned into a low bun as he elbowed his way into the group. "I'm going to borrow this one, Adaman," Melli simpered, one hand resting leisurely on Ingo's shoulder, the other on Ingo's lower back. "I'll return him later at my earliest convenience."

"Right. Sounds like a plan," Adaman nodded. "And as for you, Emmet-"

"Ingo, we still need to talk," Emmet piped up, hardly acknowledging Adaman who blinked owlishly at the effortless dismissal. "You can't leave just yet. You're deflecting."

From before Ingo, Melli blinked. "A bit possessive, aren't you?" He then turned back to Ingo and in a much quieter voice, added, "Is he a-"

"I cannot say for sure," Ingo replied curtly. He then cleared his throat. "Ah, this makes the perfect opportunity. I do believe I needed to speak with you about a terrain change in the Coronet Highlands." He gave Melli the smallest of nods which the man returned in kind; a quiet message.

Melli's expression melded to one of fury, feigning frustration as he quickly removed his hand from Ingo's shoulder. "Of course! You come to me just to talk about work. Fine! Adaman, we'll be back! Warden's meeting only!" He then turned, regaling Emmet with the energy of a Braviary deciding which Swinub it would swoop upon for dinner. With an overtly-kind smile, Melli added, "You can have him when I'm done! I'm sure you can wait a few hours, can't you?"

Once the two were far enough, Melli had dropped his smug aura. He frowned, dropping his hatchet into the sopping earth before taking a seat on a log. "So what's the occasion? It's not often that you come looking for help. And what's with that guy tailing you? I've seen a few lookalikes- the occasional Zoruas that migrate in the spring- but never one that doesn't explicitly look just like you. It's creepy."

Ingo cradled his face in his hands. "I am not sure what to make of that… creature. Upon retrospection, I wish that I would've rid myself of it when I first encountered them."

That made Melli start forward. "You were going to kill the thing?" The man then paused and reseated himself. "Right… Right, I- I forget that Zoroarks hate you." After a moment, Melli spoke again. "So? Why didn't you?"

"...Kill him?"

"...Yeah. Why didn't you?"

"Chandelure wouldn't allow it," Ingo eventually gritted out. "Lady Sneasler located a breeding den of Zoroarks near the Primeval Grotto. I was supposed to clear out the den- so to speak- but Chandelure did not follow my command out. She let that thing live- protected it even. It was her that had pulled me to that place. I believe she was worried about him- about it. I had to call upon Freight to finish the job correctly."

"Isn't Chadey-lure-"

"Chandelure," Ingo corrected promptly.

Melli sighed. "Chandelure. Isn't she supposed to be that pokémon that wielded flames with mastery? Isn't she your pokémon? The one you're closest to?"

Ingo didn't know the right answer to that question. He rolled Chandelure's brand new pokéball into his hands, feeling a cold heat spike along his palms. She had refused to leave her ball ever since the incident back in the highlands. It made him feel… disgusting. Rough, even as though he had swallowed a mouthful of bitter herbs. "…May I be honest with you, Warden Melli?"

The man rocked forward, his eyes widening as he stood at his full height. "Excuse me? You wanna tell me something personal? Who do I look like? The clan shaman?" Despite his outburst, he remained seated, his Stunktank moving to rub against Ingo's legs. "What could you possibly have to tell me?"

"I… I want a second opinion on a few things, and I want the opinion of a person that won't regard me by my title or by my background but for who I am at my core. A person who will tell me the truth. I believe that person to be you, warden."

"…You think I would ever cut you any slack?" Melli chuckled smugly though his words were interlaced with confusion. To Ingo's surprise, Melli didn't keep speaking. He simply backed away, inviting the older man to talk.

Ingo cleared his throat. "It has come to my attention that… the people I have been associating with- they are not what they seem to be. I want to hear what you think about these people if you know them and how they appear to you. Whether or not you believe they are to be trusted."

Melli hummed for a long time, narrowing his eyes as he stared off into the dense swamp. "I don't know them anywhere near as much as you do but I'll do my best. Shoot."

"Ahem. Young Akari. Have you met them yet?"

Melli scoffed. "That Galaxy Team noodle of a grunt? Yes, I've seen them. Seen them struggling, that is," Melli chuckled. "She's a strange little girl. And who does she think she is, walking around messing with the nobles?" Melli stopped laughing, removing his hat from his head as he picked at the embroidery with his long nails. "I heard about what the two of you had to do to quell Lord Kleavor back when he was rampaging. I can only hope it doesn't occur with Lord Electrode. Anywho, I don't think that girl is cut out for the task. She's too weak- too dependent on help. If I remember correctly, you did most of the work!"

"She assisted-" Ingo butted in, but the man was quickly cut off.

"Quiet, warden! You asked for my opinion so that's exactly what you're getting! Now pipe down! That Galaxy Team noodle isn't suited for tackling the nobles. They're called nobles for a reason. I have faith that Almighty Sinnoh sent them for something, but as far as I'm aware, they've done nothing but meddle in affairs that don't concern them. I don't believe that they're untrustworthy- rather, they're incapable."

"And even now? What about with Lady Lilligant?"

Melli's expression hardened. The male warden had been strictly against interfering in the quelling of nobles, reminding Ingo painfully of the tendencies a certain Pearl Clan warden often took when defending his own noble.

"I… I cannot speak about Lady Lilligant," Melli grumbled. "I have heard that the Pearl Clan has forbidden you from quelling any more of the nobles but I would've preferred you doing it over the girl. And before you get all nervous and cutesy about the fact that I, The Great Melli, have noticed you, it's only because you're the only pokémon wielder with a team of six in all of Hisui! Don't you get sentimental on me, now!"

Ingo gave a hearty chuckle, the corners of his mouth twisting upwards. "Come now! At least let me cherish a crumb of your praise, as rare as it is!"

"No, Ingo. That's not what I agreed to." And then, Melli continued. "Was that all you wanted to ask me?"

"Hmm. Not quite. I want your opinion of Miss Jaku and of that… thing. Emmet. Surely, you've run into them before while they were lingering around this particular station. I believe they used to be coupled to Miss Jaku before she was moved to her mountain post."

Melli clicked his tongue. "Who first? Swamp-Thing? Jaku?"

"Preferably. We can start with your opinion of her."

"I don't particularly care for her. No, scratch that. I don't like Jaku. I haven't talked to them and I don't plan on doing so unless absolutely necessary, but I don't trust her either."

"What for?"

"I just don't," Melli shrugged. "She doesn't talk much outside of taking orders, did you know that? Used to spend hours and hours out in the swamps at the crack of dawn doing Sinnoh-knows-what. Frankly, I don't trust anybody who talks to themselves out loud. Mind you, these are all hear-says that have gotten passed around the camp. I can't verify the truth in them."

"But do you think they're malevolent in any way?"

"Not malevolent," Melli replied cautiously. "They're just… odd in an uncanny sense. I wouldn't trust them. Skinwalker is next, huh?"

"You have guessed correctly," Ingo chuckled. "And perhaps I might keep that nickname."

"I'll put it like this. When Emmet was here with the clan, he wouldn't shut up about finding you and returning you home. I don't think he's a Zoroark but whatever he is, he's uncanny just like Swamp-Thing. It's the way he smiles all the time and I feel like he stares too much. And don't think I didn't hear your little argument with it when you two came thundering in; you should know that Skinwalker absolutely hates Swamp-Thing."

Ingo blinked. "Has that always been a thing?"

"Yeah, it has. I don't think the girl knows it, but he was constantly complaining about her and badmouthing her to his own pokémon whenever she was gone. Never wanted to work with her. Skinwalker can't stand her. I'm not sure what that thing's goal is or why it hates Swamp-Thing so much, but you should keep him at a distance too."

"…Thank you, Melli. Your insight is greatly appreciated."

"It better be. You're lucky I don't charge for such great wisdom."

Ingo hastily got back onto his feet, carefully tying his jacket around his waist, his haori glinting in the pale sunlight. "Thank you for answering my questions. Should we return to work?"

Warden Melli reaffixed his hat, a brief flash of worry crossing his face. "Of course." But before Ingo had managed to take a single step, Melli had grabbed Ingo by the shoulder. "And maybe you should try the Temple of Sinnoh." He continued in a softer tone. "I know you. There's something you're not telling me… but The Great Melli won't pry. But feel free to make an appearance if you feel like receiving my wisdom again."

Ingo gave the man a genuine smile. "Thank you, Melli."

July 23rd, First Year

Ingo carefully picked his way through tangling tree roots, careful to keep his hands away from the spore-covered leaves. He emerged near the bank of Lake Valor, his eyes settling on the swirling gray border of the distortion. This will not work. He grew closer still, setting one hand along the firm edge, watching as the skin of his palm began to distort and sink into the bubble. He quickly drew back. What am I even doing anymore? Ingo sighed deeply and continued further downstream where the river splashed into a raging rapid. He sank to his knees on the pebbly riverbank, watching his reflection darken in the swirling sediment.

Ingo eyed the dead screen of his Xtransceiver. No messages from Almighty Sinnoh. No new orders. Just a blinking light denoting the location of the next Old Verse. He gritted his teeth and then proceeded to reach into his pack to draw out the Lustrous Orb and an Old Verse. Will this work? Surely, the water isn't clean enough. Surely, Ingo figured he would need to figure out a different way to contact his patron god.

Ingo held the Lustrous orb between his shaking hands. Silence. He did the same with the Old Verse, his scowl deepening when it too yielded no results. He contemplated entering the water but backed away as a large, twisted tree trunk flew past him on the water's surface. A mission for a dead man, this. How disappointing.

He quickly returned back to the new camp, the two items burning holes in his pockets. The guards at the wooden pike fence bid him a quick hello and no sooner did Ingo enter the camp did Melli approach him, his eyes twisted with confusion.

"Oi! Old man! Where have you been? You've been slacking off!"

"Out," Ingo lied, not quite looking Melli in the eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, quit that! I'm not wasting my time on you for an idle chat," Melli corrected him, his tone leaving no room for jokes. "Skinwalker- Emmet- was he with you when you left?"

Ingo blinked. "No. No, I did not take him with me. Why do you ask?"

"He- they're missing. This place literally just got done being sieged by wild pokémon. Apparently, he got taken during the commotion by an alpha Yanmega."

Ingo hummed to himself. He didn't care. He didn't care? He didn't care. His mind drew away from the imposter that shared his face, instead gearing toward what he should do for the camp. And that bothered him immensely. Why don't I care? Why can't I bring myself to care? The imposter hadn't done anything to him… yet. And despite it all, Chandelure trusted Emmet. Chandelure believed him to be the real Emmet. Was it possible then, that pokémon could also be tricked by a Zoroark's illusion? Or maybe… maybe he'd been going at it all wrong?

"Ingo, what's wrong with you? You don't look well." A wet hand settled in the fabric of his haori as Melli began pulling him away from the camp center. "You need to visit Rez in the medical tent. I don't think you're well enough to be going out alone. Especially not during these times."

Ingo snatched away his sleeve and turned to look at Melli. He had trusted his fellow warden with a few of his worries. And the man had offered his assistance if Ingo needed it. "You… you suggested before that I go to the Temple of Sinnoh if I wished to speak with the divine creator, yes?"

"Yeah, I- I did do that." Melli carefully removed his hand, checking to make sure that nobody was listening in on their conversation. "Is that what's keeping you on edge? You feel the need to converse with Almighty Sinnoh?"

"Correct." Ingo wiped his clammy hands off on his kimono, his eyes darting to the cloud-obscured mountains that made up the base of the hostile mountain range. I-I need answers. I will be traveling there shortly and-"

"I'm coming with you need somebody around to make sure you don't fall into a snowdrift and suffocate." He faked a smarmy grin, steering Ingo over to the makeshift tents where he had slept the night before. "No offense. You get your weather report from your aching joints, old man."

Ingo scoffed. "Full offense taken. Is this how you regularly speak to your elders?" He then quieted down, finally getting his feet back under him. "But the sentiment is appreciated."

"I need to go and grab my winter tunic. I'll let Adaman know where we're going and then we can head there. This is gonna be a full week's trip and you spring this on me at the last second. You're lucky that I like you, warden. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother!"

Melli quickly disappeared and Ingo was left staring after him. Melli… likes me? Ingo pulled down the brim of his hat. He'd remember that for later. As soon as the other warden returned swaddled in thick furs and snowshoes, Ingo pulled out an Old Verse from his bag. He would have to personally thank Jaku for her given tip on 'fast travel' when he wasn't suspecting her of royalling deceiving him. "Hold onto me, Warden Melli. We'll be taking a shortcut, so to speak."

"Okay…? What's the muddy paper for?"

"You'll see." Ingo shut his eyes, feeling a prickle of heat shoot through his wrist and into his fingers. The earth warped underneath them and before long, the two men were standing safely at the icy stone steps leading up to the Temple of Sinnoh. Ingo quickly began to slow down his breaths, one firm hand on Melli's wrist to lock him in place.

There atop Mount Coronet, the air was terribly thin and the air was treacherously cold. Despite his tolerance for the cold, Ingo felt his body begin to shiver, rueing his inadvertent decision not to prepare for the trip as Melli had done. The snow was up to their knees. Only a few paces away lay the snow-covered steps up to the acropolis where ancient pillars reached into the heavens, clouds of swirling fog obscuring the sun.

"You- you know what? I'm not even going to question it at this moment." Melli extracted himself from Ingo's side and stood, slightly shivering, as the two gazed up at the acropolis. Melli was the first to move. "Okay. What exactly did you come here to do?"

"Please bear with me for this. I cannot exactly test my theory in the mirelands, but- the snow should do for the time being." Ingo quietly picked his way up the stone steps, his eyes taking in the abandoned marbled structure.

He was aware of its history, of the Ancient Celesticans enlisting the help of pokémon to bring the stones there as a dedication of their faith to Almighty Sinnoh. All around him wreathed the frightening truth that Almighty Sinnoh's first followers- the ones who revered him so- were missing without a trace leaving only their craftsmanship and mysterious artifacts behind. The tales of the place had always left a bad taste in Ingo's mouth but walking amongst the abandoned temple made him truly feel as if he were intruding upon holy grounds.

It truly was a temple: a structure built for worship with the central purpose of venerating an all knowing deity. The acropolis was the only remaining structure of the temple that could be fully seen above ground. All around the acropolis were slabs of polished marble- ceilings of prayer rooms made inaccessible by weighty snow and ice. Sunken courtyards of petrified stone with decorative pots and money sacrifices glued to the mountain itself. Frost, sharp in its patterns, permanently etched into exposed bricks like acid. All of it lost to time, permafrost sealing in the ancient structure for better or for worse.

The marble pillars rooted to the base of the acropolis with shining gold stood tall, their columns scratched with carvings in a language neither Ingo nor Melli could read. What Ingo could see were handprints; tiny handprints. Tons of them smeared along the length of the pillars all in red. The two men continued onward into the central worshiping room, their footsteps ricocheting off the glazed tiles, lost in the howling winds and suffocating fog.

Large statues towered over the two men, each bearing the likeness of a noble. Ingo found his eyes roaming toward the one of the first Sneasler, Grand Lord Sneasler. Only a cold sneer of contempt and anger met him, the narrowed eyes so like his beloved Lady but so filled with animosity that the hairs on the back of his neck spiking upwards as he turned his back on the statue.

"Creepy, isn't it?" Melli commented quietly. "Can't believe we're actually up here." He skirted around a pile of rubble, absently reaching for Ingo's shoulder. Ingo let him.

"If I am right in my theory, then we should not need to be here for long."

"And what's your theory, old man?"

Ingo paused in the middle of the acropolis where the roof did not cover and where the clouds had parted allowing a glimpse into the heavens. He took out the Lustrous Orb and carefully began to build a mound of fresh snow in the very center of the prayer room.

"The last I heard from Almighty Sinnoh was back in the icelands when I was submerged in water while retrieving The Lustrous Orb. "He gestured to the magenta orb for emphasis. "I might be able to connect with them again if I am once again submerged in snow."

"And you had to come all the way up here just to- no, wait. I did suggest that you come here to clear your head," Melli grunted. "No matter. So you're gonna bury yourself in snow until the merciful creator gives you the answers that you want?"

"Precisely. Would you mind terribly watching my things?"

"I don't care," Melli retorted, hastily taking Ingo's pack off before taking a seat on the far side of the prayer room with his legs tucked up underneath him. "Just do what you have to do, warden. You owe me a trip back to the mirelands anyway, so don't die of hypothermia."

"I won't, you have my word."

Ingo settled the orb in his lap and then pulled the remaining snow over his head, sealing himself inside the snow mound. Teeth chattering, Ingo took the Lustrous Orb between his two hands and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And just when he thought he might pass out, a debilitating pain in his chest forced him over and onto his belly, the snow pressing in to fill up the space his body had left behind.

"Seeking Answers From The Almighty Is A Fruitless Task." A heavy pressure settled around Ingo's chest, forcing his eyes closed as the being closed in around him. "Be Well, Champion Of Space. I Can See Your Inner Turmoil. Have Faith. There Is Still Much To Come For You."

"How can I be sure of that?" Ingo retorted angrily. "Why can't I be given a simple answer? What is my purpose? What is the point of collecting these Old Verses?"

The pressure moved to his spine, threatening to snap him in half as the deity continued. "You Are Frustrated," the being noted. "Your Lack Of Information Was Created Intentionally. It Is Not Desired For You To Know Too Much At This Time."

"By whom? You? Who are you?"

"I Am Mespirit. I Am The Being Of Emotions."

"Mespirit," Ingo sounded the name on his tongue. "Tell me, Mespirit. How much is being withheld from me? Why can't I remember what I don't know?"

"The Answer Is Simple. Perhaps You Have Heard It From The Champion Of Time?"

"…Miss Jaku?"

A warm hum filled Ingo's head. "Yes. Them. As It Stands Now, You Might Pose As An Obstacle To Them If You Were To Learn All That Has Occurred Within Hisui And All That Which Might Arise In The Future. You Must Wait Patiently, Champion Of Space. Your Inaction Now Will Be Reversed Once All Prominent Actions Fall Into Place. You Must Only Wait And Do As The Almighty Commands."

Ingo considered the pokémon's words for a few moments. His amnesia was necessary. Removing everything he knew- everything that he remembered about his past life- it had all been necessary. "…Is it true, then?"

"Hmm?"

"Are they- is the champion of time erasing my memories on purpose?" Ingo clenched his hands in the folds of his haori, a terrible cold ache building in his gut. He hoped that it was all just a lie. That Emmet hadn't been telling him the truth the entire time despite the evidence from his confrontation with Jaku staring him directly in the face. He hoped that it was all an accident. That he wasn't the victim of a cruel joke.

Mespirit's voice slowly tuned back into focus, its drawling voice rumbling in Ingo's ears. "Yes. The Champion Of Time Has Been Instructed To Monitor And Potentially Erase Your Memories To Prevent Interference. That Much, You Are Allowed To Know."

And in the fraction of a second, the cold ache grew into an intolerable pain that made his entire body go cold. That thing- Emmet, they'd been right. Proven there by a deity, Emmet had been right. He hadn't been lying to Ingo. Jaku had been jostling around inside of his mind and had deliberately lied to him on numerous occasions.

"It Is Done With A Purpose," Mespirit appealed to him. "Retaining Memories Of Your Formal Self Could Potentially Harm The Natural Flow Of Time And Space In Hisui. I Believe You Mortals Refer To Them As 'Paradoxes'."

But Ingo wasn't listening anymore. "Leave me be. This orb allowed me to regain memories lost to time. I want to see them."

"You Can't," Mespirit retorted. "They Are No Longer Yours To Have, My Champion. Strange, That Palkia Would Even Allow You To View Them, Let Alone Recognize That They Are Still Kept Safe In The Spatial Realm."

Ingo clutched the orb tighter, his fingers starting to ache from the effort. He was cold; ice cold. Melting snow water dripped onto his chest and soaked through his haori. He felt the horrible chest pain seize him by the ribs, feeling his own heartbeat cease as his vision fuzzed out.

"What did you do?"

A terrible snarl rang through the clearing, the sound of quick, heavy footsteps squishing through the mud echoing away from him. Clothing snagged and as Ingo emerged into the hazy memory, he saw himself, cloudy-eyed, staring lifelessly at a patch of undergrowth numerous paces away.

Ingo then sighted Emmet towering over Jaku with an iron grip on her shoulder, his teeth gritted and his eyes glowing silver despite the blinding daylight. Aggression clear as day. No sharp teeth. No mist in his silhouette. Just a wrathful man, his form bristling. Nothing at all like the man-in-white. Nothing at all from what Ingo thought Emmet could be.

Jaku eyed Emmet in turn with the expression of a cornered, injured animal. Ingo had been expecting some form of malevolence. Something like anger or regret. Not the shaky, nigh inaudible murmur of her next words.

"...What?"

"Cut. The act," Emmet growled. The two of them were less than a few inches apart, Emmet's free hand twitching at his side. The other was set firmly on her shoulder and with each syllable, Jaku flinched. "Your little memory trick?" Emmet spat. "It didn't work. Tell me what you did to my brother."

Ingo watched as the man rolled a pokéball into his free hand. There was none of the hesitation that Ingo had seen when the two were a heartbeat away from battling.

"Tell me what you're up to," Emmet demanded. "Tell me where to find Uxie."

Jaku only blinked at him, confusion rife on her face. "…No. Hold on. That should've worked on you." She ripped herself free of Emmet's hold only for Emmet to grab her by her headscarf and haul a back a second time. She grunted from the strain and for the first time, Ingo heard fear in the ranger's voice. "What's going on?"

"Don't play dumb."

"…Oh." Jaku blinked, their fear short-lived as they stopped resisting Emmet altogether. "That should have worked."

Should have worked? There was the cold claw in his stomach once again. He had the truth proven in that very instant. Mespirit, the Lustrous Orb, Emmet and his own memories had confirmed that Emmet had been right; that Jaku was not to be trusted.

"How many people's memories have you wiped-" Emmet started, but Jaku paid him no mind.

"Let me try again." Their fingers went to their pendant hidden beneath their thick tunic, so small that Ingo realized neither he nor Emmet had even realized the gaudy fashion piece had been there the whole time. Jaku twisted the dial once, watching with a hauntingly blank expression as time began to twist and warp around them.

What Ingo saw terrified him. Where time had slowed to a standstill, Jaku moved back to the edge of the distortion, her face twisting with an unknown emotion as she quickly moved to the cover of an outcrop of large boulders as both Emmet and Ingo's movements reversed. The two men were placed back over the hill as if they were children's toys.

The two men then came over the hill just as they had the last time, only Emmet was now firmly grasping Ingo's hand as he led the way, his expression twisted with utter hatred and disdain. His twin's sharp gaze immediately landed upon Jaku's form, letting go of Ingo's sleeve in the frame of a second- moving faster than Ingo had ever seen him move in such an eccentric way- as Jaku once again reached for the pendant under her tunic.

Ingo could only look toward the distortion, ignoring how cold he had become. Emmet hadn't been lying.

July 23rd, First Year

"Breathe, old man! If you die on me all the way up here, I'm never going to forgive you!"

Ingo surged back to life with a wheezing breath, grasping at his cold, damp chest as Melli's face swam into view. He was uncomfortably aware of how cold the acropolis floor was and how his frost-bitten skin stuck to the tiles. He felt as though he weighed a thousand tons as he struggled out of Melli's arm, slumping onto his stomach.

"Oh, thank the divines!" One of Melli's arms encircled Ingo's waist and held him up, the other wrapping something warm around his torso- an extra tunic. "I thought you'd frozen to death in that snow mound of yours! Please for the love of Almighty Sinnoh, never-" he shook Ingo angrily- "do! That! Again!"

Ingo coughed up mouthfuls of snowwater, his limbs shaking with exhaustion. The pains in his chest eased and his mind cleared the fog out. "Thank you… Melli."

"You're welcome!" Melli yelled. "You insufferable old man! Next time, we're finding a clean body of water down in the heath! Remind me to never just blindly go along with you ever again!"

Ingo didn't respond. He couldn't trust his own mind anymore. Not when the people he thought he could trust were using his amnesia against him. Not when the deities he was supposed to be serving were deliberately lying to him and withholding important information from on the basis of potentially starting a chain reaction. Not when he couldn't trust his own senses. Not when he couldn't even trust his own pokémon or his own impulses. Could he trust anybody anymore?

"Emmet was right," Ingo eventually whispered, reaching the end of his repetitive internal monologue. "He was right about everything."

"About what exactly?"

Ingo winced. "I was right to ask you of your perceptions of my fellow fallers. It would seem as though there is much I have been blind to." He finally mustered up the strength to sit up, immediately regretting the action when the chest pains and headaches set back in. "I have been repeatedly lied to," he growled. "By my fellow fallers and by Almighty Sinnoh."

"By Almighty Sinnoh?" Melli repeated, not bothering to hide the echo of disbelief in his voice. "What do you mean by that? Why would Almighty Sinnoh lie to you?"

"On the account of possible paradoxes," Ingo retorted angrily. He shook his head, his fatigue, stress, and bodily aches catching up with him all at once. "Frankly, I'm at a loss as to who I should believe. I can't seem to locate the right tracks no matter how hard I search. I can't trust my own decisions- especially when I've just been proven incorrect in my beliefs and understandings. And I can't bring myself to believe in what others tell me either, especially when the truth is purposefully being stalled on inaccessible tracks."

"You're… derailed?" Melli tried. "You? The headstrong warden who makes his own decisions regardless of what other people think? You? The same man who promoted the coexistence of humans and wild pokémon only to get proven right when domesticated pokémon helped us get better farm yields and safer travel routes? You?"

Ingo sighed, wincing at Melli's sudden pick point of his former character. "That would be correct."

In response, Melli roughly clapped him on the back and pulled him to his feet. "You're beating yourself up too much, old man. How were you supposed to know any of that from the get-go?"

"I…" Ingo didn't know how to respond. "Elaborate."

Melli pinched at the bridge of his nose with feigned annoyance. "You're so dense sometimes, it's ridiculous. Ingo. Look. You need to rest. I'll lecture you another time. For now, stop doubting yourself and just focus on the present. You owe me a trip back to the mirelands. Focus on that."

Ingo nodded. At least Melli says what he thinks. "Of course," Ingo rasped. "You have been a great help to me, Melli. Thank you. Thank you for what you've done for me."

"I… don't mention it, Ingo."

"...You will lecture me another time about this subject, won't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whenever the Diamond Settlement isn't getting raided by wild pokémon. Now, come on. Let's get back to camp before you catch winter sickness or something."