December 1st, First Year

Ingo could only watch in horror as the bandit holding Akari by the slack of her hair kicked the young girl off of the edge, her scream of fear cut short. He swallowed, feeling the heavy jolt of dread and anger cut through him like the edge of his saber. His throat dry and his hands shaking, Ingo balled them into fists. "Freight." Gliscor immediately dove over the cliff and directly into the streaming lava beneath, leaving Ingo to face the woman who had harmed his younger charge. His twitching hands moved instinctively to Chandelure's pokéball but at the last moment, he chose differently, remembering his partner's trauma over what he had done to a certain Zoroark in his moment of lapsed judgement. But this time, Ingo knew exactly what he was doing. He would choose a co-conductor who wasn't averse to easing off the brakes a little. "Pullman, Gravity - "

"Stun!" Charm made to move back an inch before she suddenly seized up, falling limply to the ground with a groaning wheeze, pings of electricity zipping over her skin. Emmet grabbed Ingo's shoulder as he passed him. "Please remain calm," he gritted out. "Akari is oookay."

Faintly, Ingo could pick up the smell of charred skin. He looked first to Charm who was still breathing and then to his brother who didn't look even the slightest bit bothered by his actions. "Emmet, how can you- "

"She is okay, Ingo." Emmet's gaze remained cool and collected but he didn't name who exactly he was speaking about. Emmet instead ordered his trigger-happy Eelektross to do the same with Charm's escaped pokémon until they were all paralyzed and prone on the ground before the two of them. "Akari will be fine. Gliscor is searching for her as we speak. She will arrive back at this station in no time at all." Emmet then turned his scorching gaze upon the trussed-up bandit in front of him and though his smile remained, Ingo recognized the glint of disdain that even he couldn't look at for very long. "We must focus our efforts on resolving another imperative."

"Another imperative? ...Turning her in, you mean?" Phrased like a question- an incredulous question- Ingo had no real motive to play nice with the bandit leader who had been stalking Akari ever since he had seen firsthand the sheer amount of damage the miscreant group had inflicted upon his younger charge; the group who had been most likely aiding in sabotaging travelling merchants and in turn, imprisoning and mistreating his invaluable partner, Excadrill. Charm- the bandit leader who had been directly responsible for harming Akari and Emmet as well when Ingo had not been there to defend either of them- laid helpless in front of him. But in front of Emmet- his younger twin who still held him in a respected light- on an invisible pedestal with a height Ingo didn't think he'd ever quite reach- he couldn't help but sound hesitant not to let his anger get the better of him. "Are you sure that's the right direction to take on these tracks?" He watched impassively as Charm struggled against her binds.

Emmet folded his arms behind his back and for a brief moment he tucked his head into his chest, his eyes closed. He playfully rocked on the balls of his feet a few times before eventually nodding, making a show of contemplating his words. "...Yes. We should… turn her in. As much as I do not want to."

For once, I am quite unhappy that we're in agreement. Ingo reluctantly summoned Boxcar from their pokéball, the massive Tangrowth making quick work of containing each and every suspect with thick unbreakable vines before chaining them to his inescapable bulk. A sentient walking prison. Ingo couldn't bring himself to look directly at the disheveled, grime-covered woman who cursed him with every vulgar word in the hisuian language through the thick vines obscuring her mouth. This feels wrong. Freight has not yet returned and if Akari was truly not in dire straits, why then did she call out?

He then heard the sound of many, many shuffling feet. The rest of the Galaxy Team scouts had ascended to where Ingo and Emmet stood, their uniforms dirty with kicked-up grime, soot, and spots of blood. Their pokémon were in similar states of disrepair. Ingo was the first to greet them and as he made up his mind to do so, he took a deep breath and smoothened out his coat and tunic. He had to remain composed. Somebody had to be the calming authoritarian figure. Ingo carefully assessed each and every scout for injuries- dire or not- before moving to stare over the edge of the cliff where he had watched Akari disappear.

Thick, slow-moving lava sloshed through the ravine cutting wider and wider tracks through the rocks. The surface was already hardening. Ingo was alerted to the sound of heavy footsteps heading in his direction and so too the sounds of gentle whining. That must be Lesser Lord Growlithe. "...Warden Palina?"

The woman in question had been slowly approaching him, her own gaze transfixed on the cooling lava that still bubbled as it sloshed by. Beside her, Lesser Lord Growlithe padded slowly at her heels, their dark ginger fur patchy and soiled with mud and stones. "I heard what happened from your brother. Akari was pushed in?" She glared at the trussed-up bandit leader on Boxcar's back. "That vile woman pushed her in?"

"...Indeed." Ingo turned to his co-warden and slowly filled her in, all the while hoping that he hadn't sent Freight to a place his trusted co-conductor couldn't escape from. "It appears we arrived too late to assist. Akari may… she may not be in need of an emergency rescue now from what I know… but I must ask if there is a chance we may be able to enter and escort her safely out."

"I wouldn't recommend it," Palina began hesitantly, "but I know these islands and these canyons well. The channel that the lava is flowing in goes southward. Underground, I mean." She pointed around the cliff to where one thick stream of lava plummeted into the depths beneath a massive wall of arching stone. "It's a secret entrance to the place where the late Lord Arcanine used to rest; a hiding spot, if you will. If Akari is alive, the lava most definitely carried her underneath to wherever that passage leads to."

One of the Galaxy Scouts broke off from the bigger group, intruding into the conversation. "She couldn't have pulled herself out, surely? Doesn't she have her pokémon to help her?"

Palina gave a dry laugh, casting an imposing shadow on the tiny scout who had eavesdropped on the both of them. "Lava is molten rock," Palina explained slowly, each syllable enunciated as if she were speaking to a clueless child. "It's many times thicker and heavier than water. Pulling oneself out would be like me asking you to swim out to sea and then jump all the way out of the water. Not to mention that it's liquid fire. Would you care to take a swim and see what I mean?" She scowled, watching the scout retreat with an angry glance before returning her gaze to the cliff's edge, sighing. "Common sense is not all that common, is it? Warden Ingo, are you sure you want to enter? I'm aware Almighty Sinnoh has blessed you with the protective powers of water, but I have never seen nor set foot inside the greater Firespit Caldera. You would be venturing into uncharted territory."

"It is a risk I am more than willing to take to ensure the safety of my passenger." And one that nobody else will, of that, I am most certain. An alarming thought suddenly sprang to mind and Ingo immediately ushered Palina away from the edge. "And where of the current Lord Arcanine's whereabouts? Would you happen to know?" He strongly doubted that Akari had managed to defeat the rampaging noble without any help and more importantly, without any water in the fraction of the hour she had been out of his sight.

Palina shook her head. "My apologies, but I don't know." She then nudged Ingo and angled her head in the direction of the greater volcano. "My only guess is that he's somewhere around the Late Arcanine's arena. After all, most nobles have been circulating around one spot. If I were Lord Arcanine, that's where I would go."

"How dangerous is it to travel to the summit?"

"Incredibly," Palina grunted. "Firespit Volcano is constantly leaking out fresh magma. It's sweltering near the summit... And you know, I don't think a water-type would cut it all the way at the top." Palina then rolled down one of her sleeves to reveal a large, healed patchy linework of scars spreading from her elbow down to her wrist. "The last time I was up there- when I was first inaugurated and when I became the late Lord Arcanine's warden- he accidentally splashed me with lava. And I got these."

Ingo's eyes widened as he stared at the scars marring Palina's arm. "I am… surprised you have not lost your arm." Ingo was then quick to school his expression back to being neutral. "Apologies. I only meant to imply that you have healed well."

Palina chuckled. "It's okay. I'm showing you so that you're careful if you decide to go up there with your pokémon. I got help from Warden Calaba… but with you? You'd best be careful."

"I will." Ingo took a deep breath. With the discussion of the Firespit Volcano over and with the revelation that there were no adept medical teams nearby, Ingo knew that the mission had been a complete and utter disaster. If his fears were correct, they had suffered yet another casualty. He recalled his partners and cleared his throat. "Everyone retreat back to the coast!" he called, his voice echoing along the mountains. "Our mission has been compromised! Follow the trail over the advancing lava down to the coast immediately! Regroup with your ocean escorts and then proceed back to the Trail Encampment!"

The scouts needed no other orders. They slowly disappeared down the slope, Palina going ahead to guide them through the clouds of volcanic ash and dust.

Ingo's legs trembled. His throat felt tight. He briefly contemplated trying his luck and forcing his way into the flow channel with his capable team before Emmet clapped him hard on the shoulder once again and steered him in the opposite direction toward the retreating party. Ingo attempted to pull out of his brother's hold only to go nowhere. He grunted. "Emmet, we must go after her."

"And we will," Emmet sternly assured him, "after we perform the proper safety checks, refuel, and regroup. You know the rules."

Ingo grimaced. And so do I. "And what of the bandit leader?" he asked tersely. Quietly. "What is the plan when it comes to dealing with them?"

"The scouts have her detained. Eelektross is keeping her paralyzed. Her pokémon too." Though his words were chipper on the outside, Emmet's narrowed eyes and tight-lipped smile spoke otherwise. "Other news. From the scouts. You miiight want to listen."

Ingo rolled his eyes. "I am always listening, Emmet. Do not get cheeky with me… What is this news?"

Emmet then pointed sharply toward Veilstone Cape. "Through the cape is a tunnel that leads to the northern ocean. Where we rescued Excadrill. The scouts captured a few bandits who told them where our items are being hoarded. It is there."

Our… items? "...We were… being pickpocketed?" Ingo could nearly laugh aloud at the sheer stupidity of their situation if it were true. Something in the back of his mind told him that the word was both far too familiar and too much of an exhausting concept to think about; that and an insult to his pride whatever it happened to mean.

"If that is the correct term, then yes. We were… pickpocketed." Emmet scowled, covering his face with his hat. "I cannot believe it myself. Native Unovans, pickpocketed. In rural ancient Sinnoh. Elesa would never let us hear the end of it if she knew." At Ingo's questioning gaze, Emmet cleared his throat, his ears slightly red. "Ahem. Many stolen items were reported to be located there." Emmet's eyes then widened and he suddenly began to pick up his pace, his arms swinging wildly as he called for Eelektross to return back to him. He bade the giant eel to curl around his torso and then pointed Ingo to where dark shadows bobbed in the waves a distance from the shore. "The bandits. They're fleeing. With our items." Emmet then sneered, his teeth glinting sharply in the waning sunlight as he sent a challenging glance in Ingo's direction. "Should we give chase?"

Ingo felt the smallest of smiles appear on his face but he shook his head. "No, unfortunately. There is a time and place for everything. Now is not the time for aggravated assault." The notion caused a small thought to come to Ingo's mind. "That is a non-capital offense deserving of jail time which I shall not condone."

"Incorrect," Emmet immediately retorted, reaching over to push Ingo's hat all the way down his face. "That would be a felony which we cannot be prosecuted for so long as we are not caught."

"I am thoroughly surprised that you yourself aren't behind bars at this moment if you know so much about the topic, Emmet." And I am once again reminded that your first suggestion to quell Lady Lilligant was to construct a trebuchet which is a siege engine. But the swell of nerves that had been building in Ingo's gut lessened at his brother's idle banter and he found himself smiling, somewhat put at ease. "Remind me again why I allow you to suggest such treacherous ideas as my co-conductor?"

"Because I am Emmet and I am your twin," Emmet drawled, poking Ingo squarely in the cheek, "aaand because you would be verrry sad and lonely without me here to brighten up your tracks."

Ingo sighed and shook his head. He couldn't deny his brother's claim. He had been quite lonely and distracted before he had reunited with his twin. But he couldn't outright say it, knowing that Emmet would forever hold it over his head. "For that remark, I surely should have consumed you in the womb. My one true birthright." He saw Emmet stick his tongue out at him from his peripheral vision but that was before they had made it off of the mountain. As they stepped into the dry tall grass and the heat of the volcano was replaced by the chill of a settling cold front, the severity of their situation fully set in. Now is not the time to be making jokes. "...This is inappropriate," he suddenly muttered. "To be joking when Akari needs us the most."

"It is not." Emmet linked his free arm around Ingo's. Dark bags shone under his eyes but he continued to drag Ingo forward in a steady motion, their steps matching each other's down to the second. "We are making the decision to preserve ourselves and our passengers. They are relying on us to guide them along these new, frightening tracks. It is important to remain calm during times of crisis and focus on what we can control."

Ingo snorted. "Are you telling me or yourself?"

"You." Emmet poked Ingo squarely in the chest. "I am telling you, Ingo. You always tend to overthink things." Emmet's grip on Ingo then became sharper. "You were fine when you were attacked. When you should have… been decommissioned. Permanently." A shadow fell over Emmet's eyes, made deeper by the sun finally peeking out from between the clouds. "But here you are. Here we are."

Ingo slowly nodded. He remembered all too well the incident where he had been lured to the beach in the Obsidian Fieldlands only to be murdered by an unknown attacker. But he knew he wasn't invincible and neither was Akari. He knew that there had to be limits, surely. "Here we are indeed… Fine. I will relent. For now."

The two of them approached the shore where a handful of scouts had already started the long journey back over the sea, lanterns making them look like floating stars. The others were only just entering the calm seas. High tide had completely cut off the thin sand bar connecting Veilstone Cape to the Firespit Archipelago, the sun disappearing behind a mass of dark clouds overhead.

Ingo was sure to watch as Emmet slowly eased himself into the freezing-cold water, his Eelektross settling itself underneath him and into the gentle waves with a relieved trill. Ingo looked over the seas as he prepared for the shock of the water, but he paused. He had ridden across the sea on Lord Basculegion's back at Warden Iscan's behest, but as he continued to check along the coasts for his ferrying operator, he realized that the great noble had already gone without him, effectively leaving him only one choice in getting back to the other side: a long swim. He had no acting water-types, after all. And none of his pokémon knew how to surf.

"I will go with you," Emmet immediately volunteered. He reached out his hand, Eelektross chirping as it reluctantly lifted its long body out of the water. "It is a looong walk back to the other side. We can depart together."

"We cannot make camp here, can we?" Of course, he couldn't. Ingo already knew this. Nor could they wait until low tide to cross which would be hours from then. Ingo debated using his Celestican Flute in the hopes that it might summon Lord Basculegion but he surmised that he only knew a few shallow tones on the ancient instrument and none of them would carry across the waters or to the other side.

But as Ingo scanned the pebbly shores of the archipelago, he paused. On the opposite reach of shoreline where steep barren cliffs plunged into the water, Ingo recognized a familiar dark bluish-gray pelt perched on the rocks. Just beneath it, Ingo immediately recognized the telltale teal scales and red spines belonging to a certain crocodilian pokémon. He carefully nudged Emmet and pointed before slowly picking his way down the coast toward the two.

Lady Sneasler was the first to notice them approaching. She leaped off the cliff and immediately rushed Ingo in a hug, dragging her rough tongue across any bit of skin she could reach while sparing Emmet a reproachful glance. Ingo waited until Sneasler was done to regard Mangrove but Emmet had already beaten him to the punch.

"...This is not your platform." Emmet tapped his feet in the sand, his Eelektross mirroring him. A monotone voice but a displeased and confused frown. "You are supposed to be accompanying Burr. Why are you here?"

Mangrove held up one hand for silence, reached into the slack of his cravat, and pulled out a large reddish crystal, turning it slowly in his palm. He coughed, his voice eventually becoming intelligible. "...Whoops. This ain't the same as the one before, but it'll do. And to answer your question, toothpick, Burr and I split up to get some shit done."

"Language. But she is fairing well, is she not?" Ingo asked instead, not commenting on the odd nickname. He had not heard from his fellow faller since before they had shown up to help quell Lord Basculegion.

Mangrove shuffled in place. "...I don't know," he admitted. "Last I saw her, we were down in the south clearing up that last thing-a-ma-bob that she was set on gettin'." Mangrove then pointed one of his claws toward the far south of the coastlands where the dark rift still sat on the horizon, completely opaque despite the reddish light of the setting sun. "I was kinda hopin' you'd know where she is. My sense of smell ain't the greatest on land and Burr- she hates water."

An interesting observation. Ingo hesitantly obliged him and easily pulled up the marker map on his Xtransceiver. He immediately sighed with relief when he spotted Akari's blue marker moving sporadically a distance from the cliff he'd watched her fall off of. Back-and-forth. Then in shaky circles. So she is alive somewhere. And Ingo knew that locating her would be much easier with his map. He then zoomed out until he just barely made out Jaku's orange marker point on the boundary between the Alabaster Icelands and the Coronet Highlands. Unlike Akari, Jaku's point sat completely still and even stranger still, the light behind it began to fizzle and occasionally disappear. "Miss Jaku is currently located to the north. It would appear she's resting her cab or something of that ilk. I cannot be too sure."

Mangrove nodded and immediately hunched over, running his massive hand down his neck. "Good. So she's okay. She's still here." He then snorted. "Can't believe she already made it all the way out there. Some speed on her, huh?"

"So then, what brings you to this platform?" Ingo asked carefully. He didn't trust Mangrove in the same manner that his brother disliked the crocodilian pokémon as he had shown himself to be far too quick to choose violence. Even Eelektross who normally got on with even wild hisuian pokémon backed away, their bioluminescent scales flashing. "You said that you were here to 'accomplish' something?"

"Yeah... There's a certain legendary pokémon around this area who I wanted to speak to but… I can't reach 'em right now. Might just have to wait until I'm back home. And- well- I knew you had a map so I figured I could ask you where Burr's at so I can just regroup with her for the time being. But, uh… do you need a ride back to shore?"

Ingo reluctantly nodded as he swapped suspicious glances with his brother. "It would seem that I am in fact in need of a ride. You are offering?"

In response, Mangrove rolled his eyes, reached behind his back, and proceeded to physically rip out the handfuls of colorful red barbs that covered his spine. He discarded them into the sand before offering his webbed hand to Ingo. "Of course I'm offering. You gonna hop on or what? Daylight's wastin'." Mangrove then paused. "Oi. Where's that girl at? The short one with the long ass hair? Where'd she disappear to?"

"Inside the volcano," Emmet grunted. He was already halfway in the water with Eelektross flicking his tail impatiently as if eager to leave.

Mangrove blinked, his tail creating a long furrow in the sand. "...Is she in trouble…? I mean, isn't lava deadly to humans?"

Ingo quickly caught Mangrove up to speed only to watch as the giant crocodilian pokémon went completely still. His face contorted with an unknown emotion before he marched past Ingo and proceeded up the cliff. "Where are you heading? We cannot proceed along those tracks!"

"Yeah, you can. She's your buddy, ain't she?" Mangrove tossed dubiously over his shoulder. "You're worried about her… so let's go fish her out."

"Have you ever been inside a volcano?" Ingo challenged. He involuntarily found himself following behind Mangrove. Steps sounded after him. He picked out Emmet's silhouette tailing just behind him. "These conditions are quite hazardous!"

"I have in fact been inside a volcano before," Mangrove boasted, loosening his ascot, "and it wasn't no big deal. A whole lotta hoopla. Now c'mon… Let's go get your buddy back."

Steam hissed from the depths as Mangrove bodily hefted up a chunk of rocks, excavating an opening via pressurized streams of water. He flooded the tunnels and then gestured Ingo to lead the way, arching an eyebrow when the warden shot him a confused look.

"What? I'll do the covering; you do the fighting." Mangrove graciously stepped aside as Ingo summoned Haxorus and Coach but he lifted his head to look down upon the two strong pokémon. "I ain't no coward 'cause I know that's what you're thinkin'. I'm just not no skirmisher. Don't get it twisted."

"A skirmisher?" The term sounded oddly familiar on the tip of Ingo's tongue. He hummed. "...Like Miss Jaku?"

That got a loud rise out of Mangrove. "Hah! Her? A skirmisher?" He howled with laughter. "You know, when we first met, she wasn't anythin' but a scout. A good ol' do nothing, hide in the back, manage the bags and say nothin' kind of teammate. No idea when she started bein' a skirmisher."

"Are you not taking the role of a 'do nothing' scout right now?" Emmet jeered. "Ingo and I will lead the way. You can watch our bags. In the back. And say nothing."

Mangrove scowled. "Hah, hah. Very funny, wise guy. You two'd be cinders if not for me being here so watch your mouth."

"Make me."

Ingo dutifully formatted a route through the lesser channel systems with Emmet keeping an eye on his back and Mangrove cooling things down on the inside. With the helpful sprays of ice cold water from time to time and the easy defeat of the swarming rock and fire types stalking them through the caves, they had made it a distance before Emmet forced them all to pause.

"Emmet?"

"Voices up ahead," his brother whispered.

Though they stayed in the shadows of a cooled-off flow channel, shadows flickered across a nearby cave wall where lava freely dripped down hardening into thick black stalactites. Ingo sighted the figures first: people. No. He grimaced. Bandits. He recognized the shoddy, ragged clothes that hung off of their lean, underfed frames and the crude weapons that were strapped to their sides. He glanced around for any sign of Akari but found none. Eyes narrowed, Ingo moved away from Emmet's touch and into the sweltering cavern, his tattered coat fluttering after him.

Ingo felt the eyes of the bandits on him almost instantaneously. But he wasn't in the mood for any conversation or understanding. He had entered the volcano for one reason and one reason only and if he had to clear out loitering miscreants who were preventing him from advancing along his tracks, then so be it. Ingo propped up the brim of his hat and sent a gauging glance at Haxorus who didn't so much as flinch.

The massive dragon-type exploded into the cave with a bone-rattling shriek before stooping low, digging their clawed hands into the cavern floor, dizzying cracks spinning along the ground. The bandits only had a moment to process what was happening as they were thrown bodily into the air and into the walls where Boxcar caught and detained each and every one of them, holding them up in the air by their wrists to dangle. Those that weren't captured by Boxcar were sent face-first into the ground by Pullman who stopped them in their tracks with an inescapable Gravity.

A wayward group of Walrein immediately stormed forward only for Cable to manifest outside of their pokéball and electrocute the water-types with little fuss. The more the bandits struggled, the more their captured pokémon would escape and attempt to resist. But Ingo had trained his pokémon well and well they performed indeed. Ingo wordlessly commanded Parlor to search the cavern from top-to-bottom for any evident trace of Akari and when the psychic-type had found nothing, Ingo was more than ready to accept any spare items that had most likely been pickpocketed from himself or other susceptible bodies; especially the spare pokéballs containing captured pokémon. Crates were taken. Bags were searched. Pockets were cleared out. Coach and Parlor methodically sorted everything into piles before dumping the contents at Ingo's feet as Pullman used the magnets entombed within their body to map out which direction they were facing.

Ingo picked out one pokéball in particular- shoddy and filthy- before using just his hands to snap the thing in two, releasing the Graveler that had been hiding inside. Ingo then cast the broken pokéball into a stream of magma and stared impassively at the hostile pokémon in front of him. But instead of attacking, Ingo simply stepped to the side and pointed at the cave he had come from. "You are free to depart from this station."

The Graveler paused, flinched, and then stook one shuffling step away from Ingo and around him, past Emmet and Mangrove, and down the drenched corridor without a word. Seconds passed and the myriad of caught pokémon who had been resisting Ingo's team quietly gave up the fight and fled. Not a single one had elected to stay behind with their captors.

"Mangrove! Forge new tracks forward, if you would! And any items either of you come across should be free for the taking! Onward we roll!" Ingo then had Parlor teleport the bandits to the shoreline where he knew it would be cold and windy and where he also knew they would be unable to escape Boxcar's remaining vine ropes.

"Brute force tactic." Emmet hummed the words gleefully as he passed Ingo but his arms and his bag were stuffed with the stolen items Coach had confiscated. He rolled his eyes. "Of course, you would choose Earthquake."

Ingo raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to imply, Emmet? Is it not a fantastic move? Or were you caught past the yellow line?"

"Neither. I am only remembering a habit of yours. That I thought had died out. Unfortunate. But. We are just having fun, are we not?" Emmet's eyes glinted. Behind him, Eelektross and Galvantula looked more than eager to participate. "I am Emmet. I call next."

Ingo heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching the cavern. He smiled. "We shall see about that."