Prompt #20: Road Trip

Lots and lots of blowing snow. Emmet sipped on his piping hot coffee, his eyes constantly wandering to the frosted windows of the inn himself, his brother, and his brother's charge- Dawn- were temporarily refueling in as a blizzard raged outside. A small road trip to Sinnoh. On Ingo's whim. And on Dawn's suggestion over the internet weeks ago. Emmet took another sip, letting his idle hand pat against the warmed flesh of his thigh. Out of sight, out of mind. Emmet took another drink.

Emmet glanced over to Ingo who sat directly beside him, deep in conversation with Dawn in the flowy and distinct foreign language Emmet recognized to be Sinnoan; an extremely difficult language to learn for a native Unovan. A language that Emmet sometimes heard Ingo mutter in on and off chances, barely audible within the walls of their shared home. Emmet took another sip of his coffee. Normally, he'd be one to eavesdrop- it made life exciting- but doing so- on his brother which he was always opt to do in the past- was nigh impossible now. It had been years since Emmet had spoken a word of Sinnoan and years since Elesa had taught him anything regarding the language. Another bitter sip of coffee.

"Uncle Emmet!" Dawn reached across the table and tugged on the hem of Emmet's jacket, her eyes sparkling as she regarded him. "Uncle Emmet! I just had this wonderful idea!"

"It is storming outside, Young Dawn!" Ingo loudly protested, earning the startled glances of some of the pokémon rangers keeping watch over the station. "This is no weather to be running our engines in! Please do not continue to entertain the idea any longer! Those tracks are certainly treacherous!"

Emmet didn't immediately respond. His skin crawled from the sudden contact of Dawn's grip. His ears were ringing from the uncomfortable switch between Sinnoan and a distorted Unovan that Emmet had needed to sound out internally to understand. His mouth burned from the coffee. Emmet only smiled, waiting patiently for Dawn to continue, keeping his smile pleasant and his gaze welcoming.

In response, Dawn reached into her comically-sized frilly pink bag and drew forth a tattered, waterlogged map that looked as though a commuter had left it under a station bench. "Lookie here! I just had the best idea- ignore Uncle Ingo- see riiight here?"

"Hmm." Emmet couldn't read Sinnoan in the slightest and judging by the way the map had been made on what looked to be ancient paper, Emmet guessed it to be a remnant of Hisui; the place neither Ingo nor Dawn ever spoke about, especially never directly to him. "What is this?"

Dawn blinked. "It's a map, dummy. It's of the Coronet Highlands- where Mt. Coronet is. Fun fact!"

"Young Dawn!" Ingo was a hair out of his seat, his unruly hair sticking up as he obscured the map with his calloused hands. "Please, do not- "

"Did you know that Uncle Ingo used to live near the highlands?" Dawn continued, blissfully ignorant as she ripped the map out from underneath Ingo's hand only to proffer it to Emmet. Emmet did not take the paper.

Ingo hurriedly reached across the table and furled up the map, hiding it away in his coat pocket. "Young Dawn! We are most certainly not venturing out to those dangerous tracks! There is a reason I bode you not to visit so often in the past!" Ingo was sweating, his eyes darting nervously to Emmet for only a moment. Emmet had never heard his brother so close to downright hissing before; especially at Dawn.

"Nuh-uh! You were always happy to see me!" Dawn protested, pouting. "And besides, you were all al- "

Ingo immediately shushed Dawn. Loudly. His eyes, frazzled and electric in the dim lighting of the inn bore a sizzling hole in the side of Emmet's head as if afraid his brother would glance back and read his expression. To maybe ask a question. With a loud exhale, Ingo slowly retreated into his seat, slouching. Where in the past they were always touching at one point, now there was an obvious few inches of space between them. "Not so loudly," Ingo croaked.

Emmet had finished all of his coffee, his mouth tingling and his throat feeling tight. Right. I must not be privy to quite a few things. This is… a problem, he wanted to think. What was Ingo keeping from him? A hidden home station? Secrets from Hisui? Emmet set down his mug and slowly rose out of his seat. "I must make a sudden departure for the restroom. I shall return shortly- "

Dawn's small hand clamped onto Emmet's sleeve, holding him in place. "We're sorry, Uncle Emmet- "

"This has nothing to do with your conversation," Emmet cut in, his usual grin still on his face. It was starting to hurt, smiling all the time. "Please, do continue without me. I will return shortly."

"Emmet," Ingo muttered. "I really do- "

Emmet strode away before either his brother or Dawn could stall him for much longer. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't hurt by the way things had been being kept from him. He let his thoughts wander as he strode down the hardwood floors past the diner counter and into the main lobby. The receptionist leaned back in his chair, clearly half asleep. Emmet silently moved past the desk and past the hall leading to the restrooms. He had another destination in mind.

The door leading to the front of the mountain shelter opened. A bell tinged ever so quietly. Emmet was greeted by the treacherous chill of the blizzard as the cold needled at his skin. Worked its way under his sleeves. Settled on his face and his exposed hands. He kept along the side of the inn until he found a quiet sheltered portion where the remnants of a firepit sat cold and lifeless. He didn't sit; he instead leaned against the building, hitching his hands in his pockets as he watched the storm rage around him.

The roadtrip had been… frustrating. Emmet never hid his like or dislike for things; especially not around people he considered close. He had agreed to accompany Ingo on the trip due to his brother repeatedly requesting his presence. At first, Emmet had believed that Ingo's convenient trip to Hisui- modern day Sinnoh- was a way to come to peace with his jumbled scrapyard memories of the place he had left behind some time ago. He had learned his lesson with smothering Ingo and had opted at first to let his brother go alone. Clearly, Ingo had left some freight behind at his previous station and he needed to go and take care of it. That was before Ingo had begun to pester Emmet into coming with him. Into 'seeing Hisui' under the premise that Ingo would finally talk about what had happened in Hisui. What had traumatized him so deeply. What he could tell his therapist but not Emmet- not his twin brother that had dropped everything on a dime to fetch him and reintroduce him to everything and be at his beck and call for months and months and months and months and months-

Emmet took a deep, deep breath, the icy air replacing the burn from the hot coffee. Ingo was never one to push the letter- and Emmet would never say it aloud- but he had really been looking forward to hearing about Hisui. To finally being trusted with what haunted Ingo every single day. Emmet instead tapped one finger against his thigh; anything to distract himself from the gnawing frustration that ate at him like a Durant through steel train tracks.

The entire time he had been tagging along, being in close proximity to Ingo or Dawn always felt as though Emmet were hairs away from trodding across the third rail. Always accidentally overhearing things. Always interrupting something. Odd glances. Hushed tones. Diverging tracks that would operate whenever he entered the room. Dawn had visited Unova and had called Ingo numerous times in the past and neither of them had ever spoken as much Sinnoan as Emmet had heard within his burgeoning trip to the region for a few days.

He shrank into himself, the cold making his face numb. What was even the point of accompanying them on this 'necessary trip' if I am only going to be an unwanted third car to their train? He kicked at a nearby stone, watching as it disappeared into the seething wall of white just paces away. Emmet fancied that he would definitely be happier back in Unova, in charge of the subways where nothing had changed and where he wasn't constantly worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing in a foreign country where he couldn't read anything or understand the locals.

He would be happier in the muggy heat of downtown Nimbasa, probably walking back home from the station with the leftovers of his lunch. He would be happier if he was back at home working on a model train that he had been putting off for some time yet. He would be happier even if he was working the closing shift, having to walk along the empty platforms to check for hooligans and miscreants. Anywhere but here. Anywhere but Sinnoh.

On a whim, Emmet consulted his Xtransceiver. The blizzard was due to let up soon. Very soon. The nearest cable car back to the other side of the highlands would be up and running shortly after. The nearest airport was in Eterna City which would divert its course in Jubilife City where the international airport was located. From there, Emmet could easily pay for a one-way ticket heading back to Unova. He carded a trembling, slightly frostbitten hand through his frosted hair. A verrry long sixteen hour flight. And I hate heights.

Emmet let that idea fester as a gust of air blew into his face, frost stinging at his eyelids. They would immediately notice that I have decoupled from their party. Ingo would notice, Emmet immediately corrected himself. He let that idea fester, time souring his thoughts. Or would he? Ingo and Dawn had been chugging along their own tracks the moment they touched down; Emmet had only been a passenger. Would he? Emmet reached into the pocket of his trousers and opened up two hand warmers, squeezing them to get them going; necessities for snowy climates like the mountains. He was letting himself become derailed in the most quiet but damning way. Would Ingo notice if I made an abrupt detour? Back home? Maybe he would be so busy with Dawn that he wouldn't notice if I decoupled. Maybe he wouldn't notice if I left for the next station without him. He could imagine the warmth of his bed and the ease of navigating around Unova without feeling like a bumbling idiot the entire day, completely and utterly lost both physically and socially.

Something moved amongst the snow. Emmet paused, his eyes struggling to focus as the blizzard cleared ever so slightly. Slender and graceful with spots of red so striking like blood in the snow, Emmet watched as a Froslass floated out of the blizzard, glittering in the remaining sunlight as it turned its piercing gaze upon him. Yellow on black. Red on white.

Emmet said nothing. This wouldn't be his first time around a Froslass and he was none too diligent as he sunk into a low bow, his smile polite and warm. In turn, the Froslass drew closer, a shuddering, silky ghost of a laugh reverberating through his ribcage as the ghost-type drew closer. Froze him in place. Let one of its icy hands settle on his stooped shoulder. It tugged.

Emmet didn't tug back. "I am verrry s-sorry," he muttered, his teeth chattering and his voice pathetically weak from disuse, "b-but I c-c-cannot depart from this s-station with you. P-please forgive me."

The pokémon released its grip on him, almost seeming to find his words amusing as it instead swept around him, clearing the frost from his sideburns and eyelashes. It cooed softly at him, one hand gently curled around his arm. Like a child reaching for their parent's arm at a busy train station, not wanting to get lost. Emmet rose from his bow and resumed leaning against the building. Froslass prey upon men, Emmet's mind supplied. Lost men... Men all on their own… Me.

Emmet carefully removed himself from the wall, realizing that the Froslass had already gone. Vanished into the storm without so much as a sound. Emmet returned back inside the lobby, wiping the melting snow from his face and jacket. I wonder if they're still talking. I wonder if they're talking about me. I wonder if they've gone back upstairs already. Emmet took a deep breath. Some coffee would help.

He let his leaden feet steer him back to the dining hall and to his surprise, Ingo and Akari had already gone. Their food had been cleared. The table was dull having been wiped down some time ago. All Emmet could taste was the bitter tang of his coffee. I was correct, then. They did not notice. Emmet took a seat at the counter far away from the grills and the register and using his Xtransceiver for translation assistance, ordered one more coffee. Black. No cream, no sugar. He let the pitch black drink burn at his hands, hardly flinching when he brought the mug to his lips and drank. It burned.

Pokémon rangers came and went, some stopping in for a snack and others doing security checks. Only a few stopped and waved at him, tipping their hats in acknowledgement. Never speaking to him. Almost seeming to recognize that he was a foreigner. That he didn't belong there in the relative peace of the diner.

Emmet took another sip of his coffee. It wasn't all that long ago when he himself had created a habit of ending up in foreign inns, his pockets filled with strange currency. The old torn coat tucked away in his closet. The numerous receipts. The postcards filed away on the top shelf in a cardboard box. Emmet could easily remember the numerous beds he'd slept in on the road while he was hunting down Ingo. The horrible meals. The changing weather. The long plane rides. The ferries. Emmet took yet another sip, setting the mug gently on the counter. He stared at his muddled reflection, clasping his hands together under the bar. He felt sick to his stomach.

In one quick motion, he drained the rest of his coffee, muttered out a broken 'thank you' in Sinnoan and slowly ambled through the halls up to the room he shared with Ingo, resisting the urge to ask for a different room while passing the reception desk. He fought the urge to venture back out into the snow. He didn't want to be in Sinnoh. He wanted to leave it all behind. Would it be so bad? Emmet silenced that thought immediately, guilt prickling in his fingers. He instead reached over to his side and clicked the release button on one of the pokéballs at his belt, Durant quickly and efficiently crawling up his leg and directly onto his torso where it became a comforting weight.

Emmet's steps were easier. More comfortable. A cab with brand new wheels but a dented axel nonetheless. A bandage to rip off later at his earliest inconvenience. He reached the room, taking in a deep breath before letting his shaking hand settle around the key card for the door lock. He glanced out the window one last time, frost turning the stained glass a dizzying shade of gray. Is this what I really want? Or am I lying to myself?

Durant gently snapped his mandibles shut around Emmet's wrist and nudged his hand over to the lock where it clicked open immediately.

Guess that settles that then. He fixed his face and slowly opened the door, expecting the obvious creak that it would make. Voices, loud and snappy, had filled the room only to fizzle out upon his entrance. Emmet didn't let it faze him as much as it actually bothered him. He only nodded as he spotted Ingo and Dawn settled upon the two beds in the room, the mess of Dawn's bag scattered about as they stopped and stared at him.

Emmet made himself appear surprised. "Ah. I suspected you were both here. You were not back in the dining car when- "

Ingo was across the room in the breath of a moment, his hands shaky as they encircled him. "... Where were you?"

"...The restroom," Emmet enunciated confusedly, matching Ingo's slight hold in an effort to appease his twin. "Where I said I would be."

Ingo immediately pulled away. There wasn't anger in his gaze like Emmet thought there would be. There wasn't any confusion either. Instead, worry took its place. It stung like alcohol in a fresh cut. It was a look that Emmet hadn't seen for a long long time. It was Emmet's time to worry over Ingo constantly; not the other way around. "I checked the restrooms when we realized you had been gone for too long."

Emmet only shrugged and playfully pulled Ingo's cap over his eyes. "You worry tooo much. I was just distracted by the storm. Yup." he lied through his teeth. He shouldn't worry his brother. Ingo's health was more important, physically and mentally. "Sorrry."

"We're sorry for earlier, Uncle Emmet," Dawn squeaked out from her position on Emmet's bed. She seemed to shrivel under his questioning gaze, fiddling with her scarred hands as she avoided his placating stare. "You see, we- "

"Dawn." Ingo's tone was reprimanding. Curt. He sighed. "I must… share words with Emmet. I am very sorry, but could we have a moment of privacy?"

Emmet opened his mouth to protest but Dawn had skipped out of the room immediately with her scarf billowing behind her, leaving the two brothers standing across from one another. Ingo had his hands clasped around his back, looking much older than he had any right to be. A hunch in his back. Wrinkles around his eyes.

Emmet crossed his arms. "That was unnecessary."

Ingo didn't immediately respond. He instead gestured for Emmet to sit down on one of the beds; Emmet didn't budge.

"Ingo, what is this about?"

"I apologize greatly that we have been making you feel rather left out." It was blunt. Ingo's eyes pierced straight through Emmet, his voice strong and yet quiet. "It is not intentional. Never intentional. I did not wish to hurt your feelings- "

"You didn't hurt my feelings," Emmet protested without emotion, keeping his placid smile on his face. Maintaining the peace. Pulling at the muscles in his cheeks. "You did not do anything, Iggs," Emmet commented sweetly, making sure to use Ingo's old given nickname to leave no question about whether he was faking his sincerity. "Everything is in perfect working order- "

"We are the only people here at the moment, Emmet. The pokémon rangers were more than able to inform me that you had stepped out of the inn for a concerning amount of time."

Emmet blinked. "I told you; I was distracted by the storm."

"We are from Unova, Emmet," Ingo enunciated, frustration evident in his tone. "Snow and blizzards are not localized entirely in Sinnoh! You know better than I do that blizzards should be watched from indoors!" Ingo's tone went rigid. Quiet. So low that Emmet had to strain to hear him properly. "You rarely ever venture outside during perilous weather unless it's raining."

Emmet averted his gaze, setting one hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezing. A motion he knew had a calming effect on his brother. "Ingo. Listen to me. I understand your concern for the weather but I am here. I am fine- "

"You keep insisting that you are, but I am your brother, Emmet, and I know that you're lying to me. Whether you believe you are being sneaky about it is another ordeal. You aren't, by the way- "

"Rude."

"- and I apologize greatly for the way Young Dawn and I have been conducting ourselves and involuntarily excluding you from our train. Please know that we greatly appreciate you being here." Ingo set one hand upon Emmet's shoulder in reciprocation and squeezed. Hard. "I appreciate you being here Emmet and I would indeed notice if you made an undeclared detour."

Emmet immediately froze, his blood turning to ice in his veins. "... How did you- "

"Know?" Ingo patted one of the pokéballs at his side. "My dear co-conductor wanted to return to their homeland for a visit." At the mention, Ingo's Hisuian Zoroark appeared and immediately lounged on Emmet's bed, taking the form of a very familiar Froslass for a single second. "They located you quite easily and though I did not particularly ask them to, they seemed quite eager to… broadcast your thoughts."

Emmet felt his face flush with embarrassment. So that's what that was about. Interesting. "So… you sent a spy after me?"

"Stop dodging the topic, Emmet."

"I am not dodging," Emmet replied heatedly. "I am only switching tracks momentarily. We will return to that station at another time."

"I wish to make a stop at that station now, Emmet."

"I don't feel comfortable discussing that with you." It was more blunt than Emmet had meant it to be but his words had had their effect. Quiet and cold. Not monotonous like how Emmet tended to be. With emotion. With feeling. Sincerity. A line in the sand for Ingo not to cross. The very first one that Emmet had made since Ingo had returned from the past.

Ingo swallowed, his eyes shut tightly. "...Very well. I will respect your wishes, but- " Ingo squeezed Emmet's shoulder again, his frown deepening into a scowl- "we will be returning to that station whether you like it or not."

" ..."

"And myself and Dawn- we- " Ingo paused. "I believe you deserve to know what it was Dawn was attempting to speak about earlier before I so rudely interrupted her."

" ...I don't mind if it stays a secret, Ingo," Emmet tossed over his shoulder, too emotionally fatigued to even remotely consider paying attention anymore. "Really. It doesn't matter- "

"It is regarding Hisui. And it is very important that we go; all three of us."

"Three, huh? Hmm," Emmet muttered tiredly. "It is storming outside."

"You will be coming with us."

"Whether I like it or not?"

"Concisely." Ingo's hand found its way to Emmet's turned shoulder. A motion that he was loathe to change. "We were planning on visiting my old abode… the place I lived in back when Sinnoh was Hisui. I realize that I have not told you much- if not anything about my time in Hisui. My old home holds quite a few memories; memories that I believe you deserve to learn about… "

Ingo continued talking. Emmet tuned him out, pretending to be falling asleep. So that's what they were so secretive about?\. Ingo's old house in the middle of nowhere. Emmet tried to ignore the stinging bitterness that clogged his senses, remembering that Ingo's Zoroark was still in the room, probably listening in on his thoughts. In return, Emmet focused on the white noise within the room and of Ingo's hand, warm but shaky, maintaining its spot on his side, his brother's weight causing the bed to dip.

For the first time in a long, long, long time, Emmet wondered as he drifted off into a nap whether Ingo had been happier in Hisui than he was in the present. And he also wondered whether he himself would still be on the road if Ingo had never come back.