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It had been five days.
Five days since Ingo had fallen onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train and vanished. No blood, no horrific crack of bones from the train slamming into him. Nothing. Not even his hat had been left behind. Because the train hadn’t struck him. He’d disappeared before it had the chance to. That gave Emmet hope in a twisted sort of way. He’d replayed the security footage over and over until each millisecond–every little detail–had burned into his memory. His twin, by some miraculous feat, had gone to Arceus knows where. But he hadn’t come back.
Emmet turned to his side to stare at the tv, some documentary about trains drowning the silence. The absence of Ingo’s yelling, for he had no indoor voice, crushed Emmet. Ingo’s Chandelure floated by the ceiling; doing their best to give Emmet space. A few of his many Joltiks had snuggled against him, while his Eelektross leant over the couch to look at Emmet, nudging his arm in an attempt to move their trainer.
A knock sounded through the living room, and Emmet shot off the couch, Joltiks flung in every direction. His shirt, he realised too late, was terribly wrinkled, whomever the visitor was would tell in an instant he’d slept in it for days. He attempted to call out he’d be at the door in just a moment when keys jangled, then one slid into the lock.
Oh no.
“Emmet, are you in there? I just came to check on you, I’m going to let myself in!”
It was Elesa.
He bolted to his room and burrowed through the clothes until he found a comfy sweater bearing a cute Joltik on the front. He fixed his hair in the mirror while he was at it. He couldn’t have Elesa worry about him. He was fine. Ingo may not be there but there wasn’t any evidence he was dead.
There wasn’t any evidence he was alive either.
He shook his head. Ingo was alive, Emmet knew he was. Wherever he’d gone, he would figure it out. No matter how long it took nor the lengths he would have to go to, he would get his brother back.
“Emmet,” Elesa called out, “Are you home?”
“Everybody smile,” he said to himself, plastered a smile on his face, and marched from his room, “I am Emmet! Greetings Elesa! What brings you here?” he strode across the room and flung his arms out. This was how he normally acted, right? Ingo may be missing but he could still act the same as always. He needed to.
“I just wanted to check in on you, see how you’re doing,” she eyed him, “How are you holding up?”
“I am Emmet. I am okay.” He continued smiling, but he must’ve been off. The way Elesa looked at him… something was wrong. “You are looking at me weirdly.”
Elesa frowned, then sighed, “Emmet, you don’t need to pretend everything is fine. I know that Ingo’s… sudden disappearance is a lot, it’s okay to be upset.”
Emmet vibrated on the spot, wide eyes and manic grin taking over his expression, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Elesa. Everything’s fine. I’ll figure out how to get him back. I know I will.” He began pacing up and down the room. “I am Emmet. I am verrry certain I’ll find him. I will get him back on track and we will be together again. This separation is merely temporary.”
“Emmet.” Elesa tapped her foot and folded her arms, raising an eyebrow.
“Elesa.” Emmet stared at her, rooting himself where he stood.
She sighed, “I was also going to ask… would you like to have lunch with me today? Keep each other company for a while, maybe?”
“I am Emmet, and that is a good idea. What will we have?”
“Come to the park with me, I have sandwiches and snacks. We can have a picnic. I thought maybe you could use some fresh air, too,” she suggested. To her delight, Emmet accepted. He pulled on his shoes and accompanied Elesa outside.
Emmet felt people glance at them as they walked, more so to him than Elesa, despite her being a verrry famous supermodel. The news of Ingo’s disappearance spread quickly and most of Nimbasa City had heard of what happened within twenty-four hours. People stared at him as though Ingo was already dead. He wasn’t. He wasn’t he wasn’t he wasn’t. Emmet scolded himself; he had to pull himself together, otherwise the smile would slip off his face and that would give people a real reason to worry. Emmet’s the twin that always smiles, the physically expressive twin. Everyone knew that. He wouldn’t let them pity him, because there was no need for it, because Ingo was still alive.
Elesa set out a blanket on the grass once they’d arrived and pulled the sandwiches from her bag. They could see the Ferris wheel and Elesa’s gym from where they sat. It had been a while since he’d come here. Emmet and Ingo were always tied up with the subway in one way or another, they didn’t get much time off. Elesa didn’t either. Whatever she hoped to achieve by taking him outside for a picnic, he didn’t know. Perhaps to help him relax? Take his mind off what had happened? He scoffed; she should know him well enough to know that wasn’t possible. If anything, it made things worse. Things weren’t fun without Ingo there, and this picnic only made him overly aware of that, of the void to his left.
“Emmet,” Elesa snapped her fingers in front of his face, “Are you sure you’re alright? You zoned out pretty bad there, sweetie.”
“I am Emmet. I am alright.”
Elesa sighed, “What’s on your mind? You can talk to me. I’m here for you.”
“Ah, I am sorry, Elesa,” he stood, “I need to get back, I am verrry busy. Your sandwiches were good, perhaps we can do this again sometime.”
“Emmet, wait!” Elesa jumped to her feet, but he had already marched out of reach. She decided that no, she wouldn’t go after him. Perhaps forcing him to come outside was a bad idea. Of course it was, she’d just upset him further. She should’ve kept him company in the safety of his home, not in public. She packed away the blanket and returned to her gym, figuring it would be best to give him space for a few days before checking in on him again.
Emmet slammed the door shut and leant against it, holding back tears. He sunk to the floor and fisted his hair. The Pokémon stared at him, he curled in on himself more. Stop it stop it stop it. Don’t look at me. I am Emmet and I. Am. Fine. Stop staring at me. He needed to get to his room, wrap his train-print weighted blanket over his shoulders. Ingo would know what to do. He’d know how to help. They always helped each other, but now he was alone. All of Ingo’s Pokémon were left behind, but they weren’t him. Eelektross floated over and nuzzled at Emmet’s arm. He allowed his Pokémon to slide under his arms and Emmet pushed himself to stand. Eelektross cried out and supported Emmet to his room, floating away once his trainer was safely inside. Emmet stumbled to shut the door then grabbed the blanket, curling up in the small space between the end of his bed and the wall.
He wasn’t safe without Ingo.
He needed his brother. They’d never been separated before. Not like this. He squeezed his eyes shut and mumbled reassurances to himself. He repeated over and over that he should smile. He needs to smile. When he smiles, he’s happy, and things are okay. He is okay. If he’s okay, he can focus on finding Ingo. He imagined Ingo’s caring voice reassuring him and took some deep breaths, and while he remained curled up on the floor, he began feeling better.
The next morning, Emmet faked a smile before turning to check the time. He had to be at the subway in half an hour. The smile dropped from his face. He’d cried himself to sleep the night before and didn’t feel much better now, but he had to get out of bed. If he didn’t show up, people would worry. People would fuss over him. And he was a subway boss, one of two. With the other on a track which he had yet to find, the responsibility of looking after the subway came down to him.
Emmet pushed his blankets off and willed himself to sit up. He dragged himself into the bathroom and stared at his reflection. Once he processed just how dishevelled he looked, he chuckled. It would take a lot of work to put himself together for the long shift ahead. He searched for reasons to give him motivation, and after a certain one clicked into place, his body moved on its own.
Maintain the subway for Ingo’s return. Make him super bravo proud of you.
Emmet set to work and once fifteen minutes passed, the man in the mirror finally looked the way he should. Just one thing missing. Emmet readjusted his hat and strode from the bathroom. He turned to the Pokémon in the living room and beamed.
“Everybody smile, all aboard!” he put his Pokémon into their pokéballs and left the apartment, taking care that the regular bounce in his step wouldn’t appear forced to any commuters who stared for a moment too long.
He kept well away from the platform where Ingo fell until he was called to deal with an unruly commuter. Emmet strode over where a pair of junior staff stood, having given up trying to convince the man to do as he was told. He wasn’t following the rules, the staff told him, he wouldn’t listen to their instructions to keep away from the edge of the platform.
Emmet spotted the man standing in a verrry familiar spot. He strode over and tapped him on the shoulder. I am Emmet, I am okay, I can handle this in a friendly, calm manner. It’s what Ingo would want.
“Excuse me, sir. I am Emmet, you are standing in a verrry unsafe place, please stand behind the yellow line. It is there for the safety of our passengers, one of which is you.”
“I don’t see why I should. The train ain’t gonna kill me ‘ere now, is it?” he folded his arms.
Red blinded Emmet. He grabbed the back of the man’s shirt and pulled him away. Rush hour commuters stared as he pinned the man to the wall. He struggled against Emmet but quickly saw his efforts to be futile.
“Sir.” Emmet vibrated with increasing intensity; hands gripped tighter on the man’s collar than he’d dare to admit. Intimidation was always a good tactic, so he leant close to ensure his next words would be well understood by this man, “If you do not stand behind the yellow line, you will die. Whether it be from the train or something else, I’d rather you not find out. Am I clear?”
He stared at the spot where the man had been standing. Where Ingo had stood. He released the man and left the platform. He would never, ever, let anyone else fall. The safety protocols were meant to stop that happening, yet during a particularly busy day they’d failed Ingo. Perhaps it would be best to rewrite the protocol and add more to it? Yes, that was a good idea. Perfect.
Emmet had spent the remainder of his shift in his office. The silence drowned his mind, the loneliness derailing his focus. Yes, he’d been alone in the office before, but he’d always known Ingo was out in the tunnels doing his job. He shook his head, there was work to be done, he mustn’t fall behind schedule! Ingo wouldn’t want him getting off track, and Elesa would worry. He let Galvantula run about the office, that’ll provide some noise.
He refused to check the time until after he’d finished rewriting. The next day was a properly scheduled day off, so working late now would be fine, he told himself. Not a good idea, it turned out, as Elesa kicked open the door to the office and marched in.
“It’s almost eleven, what are you still doing here!?” she said, “You need to eat and get some sleep. I heard rumours floating around my gym that you threatened a commuter in the middle of rush hour. Emmet, I’m getting-”
“I am Emmet, and there is no need to worry. Everything is on track,” he turned to her but remained seated, “Elesa, I am fine.”
Elesa sighed, “Emmet, sweetie, please, go home.” He jumped out his seat. “Emmet-”
“Very well, Elesa. Galvantula, let’s go!” his electric spider Pokémon returned to their pokéballs and Emmet hurried past Elesa, who matched his stride and wouldn’t let him run off again. She’d told herself yesterday to give him space for a few days, but after hearing of the incident from a trainer who claimed they witnessed it, she couldn’t leave him alone.
“Emmet!”
“I am Emmet.”
“Emmet, wait up. Just- just let me walk you home, okay?”
“That will not be necessary, Elesa. Oh, but I should walk you home! Safety is my top priority, and it would be verrry bad if something happened this late at night.”
Elesa stopped walking, “I’ll… I’ll leave you alone now.” Emmet turned to her, then took a step forward. She fought to avoid jumping back. “Just… know that I’m here for you, okay? And- and I’d like to meet up with you at least once a week so I can check in on you. Good night, Emmet.” She smiled but Emmet frowned. She knew he could tell the difference between a genuine and fake smile, right? She turned and ran. Emmet let her go. He and Ingo weren’t just Elesa’s friends, she’d become an honorary sister to them, of course she’d be upset with his disappearance too. He kept up his lively appearance the whole way home.
The moment Emmet closed the door to the apartment his façade crumbled. His jelly legs barely carried him to the couch. Chandelure approached, though remained near the ceiling. Even the many Joltik didn’t run up and tackle him like always. He fumbled to unhook the pokéballs then let his Pokémon out. The immediate need to sleep took over.
Elesa slammed the door to her penthouse shut and stormed to the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror, makeup smudged and nose snotty. She grabbed a handful of makeup wipes and cleaned herself up as best as she could, holding back tears until she’d finished.
Why hadn’t she just listened to herself!? Emmet needed space after what had happened at the park, and yet she showed up the next day demanding Emmet go home. But unlike Elesa, the twins had no support system apart from themselves. If something went wrong, the other would be there to help. The twins had rules and protocols for every possible situation one could think of; them being separated wasn’t one of them.
She splashed water onto her face and finally left the bathroom. Her Zebstrika trotted over and nuzzled against her. She patted them then sat at the kitchen counter. Emolga flew over to find the gym leader slumped in the stool, head down. Thoughts swarmed her mind, particularly wondering if Emmet had caught the last thing she’d said before running away. She should let him make the move to contact her about meeting up once a week. Perhaps she should call up Skyla and have a chat at some point. There’s no way the high-flying girl would be awake at this time. Well, she might, but it was still late, and she needed to get some sleep.
She dragged herself to the bedroom and changed to her comfiest pyjamas, before burying herself in a nest of blankets in the middle of her big soft bed. She couldn’t let herself cry. It wasn’t fair for her to cry over Ingo’s disappearance if his own twin wouldn’t.
Emmet spent the entirety of his day off pacing about the apartment, mumbling to himself to try and work out what had happened when Ingo vanished. By lunchtime, he’d concluded his brother vanished via teleportation, and by late afternoon he’d figured the most logical explanation behind it, out of the many possibilities he’d spent hours considering, was that a Psychic or Ghost type Pokémon were to blame.
So, Emmet stopped in his tracks, what if he replicated what had happened? He would be teleported to wherever Ingo was, and together they could find their way home! Emmet ran to his room and pulled out a notebook. Really, it was supposed to be a diary, but the twins had nothing to hide from each other, and so there had been no need for one. This plan, however, he wanted to write down.
Was the plan reckless? It would seem that way to outsiders, but Emmet knew it would turn out fine. Ingo had been teleported out of the way of the train, why shouldn’t the same happen to him? They were twins, close as could be. It would work. He would wait a year, wait for the exact day, the exact minute that Ingo fell. Then he would fall too. And he would be with his brother once more.
He shut the door to his room and scribbled everything down. He couldn’t have anyone find out, not even the Pokémon. They’d think it was dangerous, nobody would let him do it. Not a single soul could know of the plan. Not even Elesa. Especially not Elesa.
And so, the year passed. Emmet struggled to function as an individual, and without Ingo’s help running the subway, he ran the risk of burnout several times and Elesa had to rescue him. They’d settled for meeting up once a week, in a private place so Emmet wouldn’t feel exposed, and the pair could talk about harder topics if they needed to. He checked the calendar for the hundredth time, their next meetup scheduled for the day after his plan executed.
Elesa made it verrry clear to Emmet that while she had work on the anniversary of Ingo’s disappearance, she’d check her phone at least every hour and if he wanted to message or call, she’d try to make time. She made him promise to take breaks if he got overwhelmed, throwing on that it would be for everyone’s safety. Safety reasons always worked with the twins. It never failed.
Emmet’s heart thudded and he bit back an apology when she said it. He already had his plans, but guilt almost overwhelmed him at the thought of compromising safety. No! He shook his head, he would disappear like Ingo, nobody on the platform or on the train would get injured. Everything would go according to schedule.
It had to.
Emmet checked the time obsessively throughout the day. Fellow subway staff frequently checked on him in passing, and he insisted he was fine. All he had to do was ensure he was at that platform for when rush hour started and wait for the fifth train to barrel into the station. He had to jump in front of that one, at the exact same place along the platform.
Finally, rush hour started. Emmet vibrated constantly as he stood in the spot, working just enough that nearby staff suspected nothing. His notebook detailed not just the plan, but every thought and feeling he had on it. He’d gotten used to using it in the past year, it wasn’t a substitute for his brother, but that didn’t matter. Within the hour, they would be together again. And then it wouldn’t matter if someone read the notebook and discovered what his plan was, it’d be too late for them to stop him.
Emmet perked up at the sounds of a train speeding towards the station. It’d be slowing down to stop and pick up passengers, as did the one Ingo fell before a year ago, but it was still verrry fast. The countdown began, the months of timing practice ingrained to his memory. Start from five. Fall at zero.
Five.
I am Emmet.
Four.
I am a subway boss.
Three.
I have been alone for far too long.
Two.
I am Emmet.
One.
And I am coming, Ingo.
Zero.
He stepped off the platform.
Commuters screamed and shouted. The subway staff panicked. The emergency brakes functioned too late. The great boss of the subway, the one remaining, falling (literally) to the same demise as the other. As his brother.
Only this time…
Blood painted the railway, Emmet’s lifeless body under the train.
Elesa scarfed down some food during her quick break. Emmet hadn’t messaged or called all day. Why hadn’t he contacted her? There was no way he’d make it through such a tough day alive without talking about it to someone. She whipped out her phone as she sipped her coffee.
A message marked as urgent from a subway staff member popped up. She tapped on it.
Her heart stopped.
The mug shattered.
One of her co-workers ran in, gasping at the mess, “Ele-”
She sprinted from her gym. Tears blurred her vision. She prayed the message wasn’t real, that her worry for Emmet was making her hallucinate. But her mind would never trick her like that. She kept running, legs and lungs burning. But she couldn’t stop.
Though she did upon seeing the mess on the tracks.
Several staff pulled his body from under the train, his torso almost severed.
“Emmet!” she shrieked. Her knees trembled and she could only stare as they tried retrieving the body.
“I think his coat is stuck,” one of them said. Two of them held her back as those on the rails pulled on his body. She fought against them. She had to hold him. They wouldn’t let go of her no matter how much she yelled at them to let her go. His coat tore in one last effort to get him free, then someone nodded to the two holding Elesa.
They released her. She leapt onto the tracks, then took Emmet’s body from them. She pressed a hand to his chest. Nothing. He’s really gone. Tears streamed down her face. The staff removed their hats, then after a minute several got to work redirecting the would-be passengers to another line, shielding Emmet’s near-bisected body and the supermodel breaking down with him in her arms.
“Why? Why did you do this, Emmet?” she choked on her words. She already knew. He just wanted to be with his brother. It was the same time and place Ingo had fallen, wasn’t it? She pulled him close enough it seemed their bodies could’ve fused together. Blood seeped into her coat, but she couldn’t give a shit about it. Not when Emmet had just killed himself. Via one of the things he loved most. Elesa rocked back and forth with him in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. She stared at Emmet’s mangled body, trying to block out the blood splattered everywhere. Once she’d finally stopped crying, she took a deep breath and worked up the courage to look at his face.
He’d died smiling.
Elesa screamed and broke down once more. Her fingers turned white from the force with which she clutched him, as she mumbled apologies and pleas to come back over and over and over until her voice cracked. The second round of crying stopped at some point, Elesa too dehydrated and drained to continue. She was close to passing out when a member of staff knelt before her and gently pried his body away.
“No… please…,” she strained to be heard, reaching out to Emmet’s body. Don’t take him away, I need him. Her voice didn’t work anymore, they couldn’t hear her begging to keep holding him. She couldn’t even whisper ‘please’.
Another person held out a water bottle, their hand on her back. She drank the water, then everything blurred together and her head pounded as several staff members got her off the tracks. Both of them were gone. The exact same time. The exact same day. A year apart.
And it was her fault.
They sat her down against the wall, just next to the stairs. Police questioned the subway staff while a pair of paramedics laid a tarp over Emmet’s body. His corpse. His arm was uncovered. Elesa wanted to summon the strength to crawl over and hold his hand. She needed to be near him. Her legs wouldn’t move. They couldn’t move.
This was her fault. It was the one-year anniversary of Ingo’s disappearance, of course he’d struggle with it. It didn’t matter that she had work, that wasn’t an excuse. Nothing was. She should’ve called in sick, should’ve rescheduled plans, should’ve cancelled everything. Anything. Anything to keep Emmet company for the day. he shouldn’t have been left alone. She shouldn’t have left him alone. She was his only support, and she wasn’t there.
How badly had he been doing to think the only option left was suicide? Her trembling hand brought the bottle to her lips. She knew how close the twins were, they’d been friends as long as she could remember. She knew exactly how much Emmet had looked up to Ingo, of course he just wanted to be with his other half again. But… she should’ve been there for him. She’d noticed his smiles had never reached his eyes anymore, and how they were more and more forced and pained every week when they met up. But the smile he’d died with… that was genuine. She’d made a mistake. She’d fucked up. And that cost her her best friend’s life. She should’ve done more, and she should’ve known just how badly he was doing.
And now Emmet was gone.
Thrown himself in front of a train so he could be with Ingo again, like they were meant to be.
And now she was alone. The final member of the Nimbasa trio.
And it was all her fault.