Just days later, the status quo finally shifted.

“--please move on toward an even greater goal!”

The challengers departed in fantastically high spirits, their victory a well earned one; the enthusiasm was immediately mirrored as the door to the battlefield swung shut and Ingo clapped his hands. He turned as swiftly as was reasonable, excitement reading clear in his body language.

“Two points of order!”

Emmet knew perfectly well what had riled him up-- had been able to predict the response it would garner the instant the combination hit home and his brother tensed in excitement-- but wasn’t about to nip his fun in the bud. They’d already made sure their opponents heard the praise; this commentary was just a way to dissipate pent up energy after a good battle.

“After You was far more effective than Follow Me in this application. Durant’s Rock Slide would have foiled Focus Punch immediately, had Munchlax not increased its priority.” He went on, and it was nice to see him so fired up over battle-- it had been far too long. There wasn’t a breath of complaint as Emmet nudged him toward the exit as well.

“It was verrrry well thought out. After You lacked the downside of making Munchlax into a scape-Gogoat in service to Golurk.”

Ingo swung his arms up into enthusiastic fists. The angle of it was a little wonky-- wider than usual to accommodate an extra-swollen, extra-sensitive chest, “Precisely. The measures taken to keep Munchlax up for a second turn were elegant in their simplicity, and I’d hesitate to say they could have made a better choice than Golurk’s Iron Fist. I’m eager to see if they’ll make a round trip once we return to work.”

Though he didn’t say as much, Emmet thought the odds were quite good; the challengers had coordinated well and clearly knew what they were doing as individuals. While he hadn’t met either through the Double Lines, he was relatively certain he’d seen them coming and going from multis for the past several days. Such a resounding success on the preliminary trains would only encourage repeat visits as they tried to climb the ladder that super multis represented. The only question was whether they were local enough to make a return trip so long after the fact.

“That’s your first point of interest.” He said, instead, shouldering open the door to their office, “What else has you so excited?”

The door swung shut, and while his hesitation was clearly a moment of miscommunication rather than making the most of the timing, Ingo still managed to sync it perfectly so the door latched and he immediately said, “Ah, that. I believe I’ve gone into labor.”

Emmet spent several long seconds considering that. “Were you so excited about After You that…?”

“That isn’t how it works.”

“How can you be certain?”

“You may have underestimated the amount of research I’ve done into inducing labor. If a battle was enough, we would be at home dealing with two infants right now.” He said, moving to his desk and flipping through the paperwork they’d been called away before he could complete.

“Do not even think about it.” Emmet said, slapping a hand down on the stack, “We’re going home.”

At the impact of gloved hand on paper, Ingo glanced back up at him, “Well, yes, but it’s only polite to mark this assessment as incomplete and file it so it can be dealt with in our absence.”

“You aren’t fighting me?”

“No. While I maintain that there’s been no harm in continuing to work up to this point, it’s unwise to continue any further.” With two pointed taps to Emmet’s wrist, Ingo successfully freed the documents and dug a notepad from his desk drawer as he went on, “That said, I would treat this like any other commute; it’s important to stay mobile as long as possible, and the walk home is a perfect starting point.”

“Okay.” Emmet said, watching what he was scribbling on the note as if this was some kind of trick, “But Haxorus is walking with us.”

Adhering that note to the top, Ingo ensured the entire stack was fastened properly before turning his back on it, “That’s perfectly fine.”

“I did not expect it to be this easy.” Emmet admitted, now that his twin was looking him in the face. “Sit down for a minute. I need to ensure affairs are in order before we depart.”

With a shallow nod, Ingo led a slow path to the couch sank gratefully down. It was… beyond time for this, but the prospect was simultaneously a frightening one. Their lives had already changed irreversibly in the months since they’d huddled up on this very couch and argued what was or wasn’t possible; very, very soon, their sons would be here, and everything would change again.

Torn somewhere in between the memory of miserably admitting to the circumstance and the grounding weight he had no choice but to carry with him, Ingo raised his hands from where they’d instinctively settled so he could sign to himself, if for no other reason than to close the circuit. “I’m in labor.”

He let his hands drop lightly back down to his middle and glanced across the room, where his twin was rooting around in a desk drawer for something or other. There was an urgency to his motions, but not in a frantic sense; it was the pace of someone trying to keep to a timetable well before they ran the risk of running late.

Letting his left wrist idle where it was propped up, Ingo angled his Xtransciever to start tapping out a text; Elesa would be incredibly cross if she didn’t hear sooner rather than later, but it seemed improper to break this particular news in a message. Instead, he left a missive asking her to get in contact during her lunch hour, preemptively working out how best to tell her.

Much as he loved Emmet, he didn’t trust him to convey the information without an agenda.

Talking to their mother and Drayden would come once they’d gotten home; it felt like a horribly inappropriate conversation to have at work-- even in the privacy of their office-- and if they waited a bit longer, it wouldn’t interrupt the latter in the middle of the workday.

Technically, the second concern also affected Elesa, but that was different. Elesa was not a worked up parental figure, and would react reasonably; her excitement would be tempered by her more practical side.

Throughout the entire process of sending the text, there wasn’t so much as a whisper of movement inside of him. It would have been eerie if he hadn’t known why it was happening, and their stillness had caused him to panic briefly earlier that morning, before regaining his wits and allowing nature the chance to chart its course.

He wondered if he’d miss their movements once they arrived, if desensitization could possibly go that far.

A pair of hands entered his field of vision and Ingo took them without a second thought, letting himself be pulled up; they lingered on his a second longer than usual, giving them a brief squeeze which was promptly followed by Emmet bonking their heads together.

“Are you prepared for departure?”

“I am.” He said, and before he could move to retrieve his paperwork, his brother cut in front, scooping it up along with the rest of the files he’d set there.

They had one last order of business before departure, and that was to officially state that they would be off work for the coming weeks.

“Earlier than I’d usually see you two out here,” Cloud said at their arrival, leaning forward over the BP exchange desk, “Not up to anything crazy now, are you?”

“Technically no. But it feels like it. Verrrry sorry, but we are clocking out early. We will not be in tomorrow.” Emmet set the documents off to the side as he spoke, spinning them to face her, “The assessment forms require further attention. We’re unable to complete them at this time. Sorry about that also.”

Cloud’s brows jumped and her attention migrated up from the papers, “Boss Ingo?”

“Yes?” He asked, voice even, betraying none of his racing thoughts, “If you have any concerns, I’d encourage you to voice them now. Once we depart, we will be on paternity leave.”

A smile cracked her features, “It’s alright, that answers my question. Here’s hoping everything goes smoothly.”

“Thank you, and I hope that operations continue without issue on this end as well.”

“We’ll be fine,” She assured him, leaning back against her chair, then nodding to the entryway, “Go welcome your passengers home.”

He offered his best attempt at a smile, which he was reasonably confident landed well enough; Cloud languidly shook her head and waved them toward the doors, lips still gently quirked. His sharp, contrasting nod was mirrored next to him as Emmet closed the conversation out, “Give the rest of the staff our regards. Goodbye.”

It was only well clear of the main entrance, once they’d turned toward home, that Ingo withdrew the pokeball his fingers had been curling around to release Haxorus. Well behaved though she was, she also represented one extra body in a throng of foot traffic-- a body with axes on her face, no less-- and he adamantly refused to impede its flow.

She tilted her head at the unexpected environment, but didn’t put up a fuss when she realized she’d essentially been brought out for a walk, happily lumbering along a dragon’s pace behind her trainers.

They made it all but a block from the apartment when Ingo’s Xtransceiver went off.

Though other pedestrians were few and far between right now, it was only polite to veer off to the side of the walkway where they wouldn’t pose any obstacle, Haxorus awkwardly trying to emulate the behavior.

“Alright, what’s the latest, boys?” Elesa asked, shooing an Emolga away so she was able to get a proper look at her screen. Her eyes idled above them for a second, at the unimpeded view of the sky. “What, don’t tell me Emmet finally won your argument?”

Ingo glanced to his brother, who cocked his head, contemplating that.

“Only by technicality.” He finally decided, just the slightest bit bitter at the prospect of earning a victory by default, “I consider it a draw.”

“How do you tie in this scenario?”

“It’s quite simple: Emmet wanted me to take leave early and rest. We’re currently on leave, and as the passengers are set to arrive within the next seventy-two hours, one might call this preemptive, or they might only see it as staying on schedule”

Elesa took half a second to process that. “You’re in labor?”

“Early labor,” He corrected mildly.

Emmet lit back up. “He got too excited about a multi battle. That’s why.”

Transferring an unimpressed look from his twin to the screen, Ingo assured Elesa, “That’s not what happened.”

“’Two orders of business’ you said. The first was After You. Second was labor. Cause and effect.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling Quaxwell enough to harass each other, at least.” Elesa mused, not bothering to acknowledge that last statement, nor the face her pun incurred, “I can Volt Switch out if you need me right now, but you said you’ve got a ways to go, right?”

Ingo nodded, glad she’d followed that thread. “That’s correct, there’s no need to act in haste. However, if you wouldn’t mind making a detour after the gym closes, your company would be greatly appreciated.”

“If you want me over there, you’ve got me.” She said, emphatic and wholehearted, “I can pick something up on the way-- you’re supposed to eat during the first phase, right?”

“That won’t be necessary; your presence will be more than enough.”

She hummed and glanced over to the side, unconvinced, “Yeah, no, I’ll see what’s recommended and get something nice. The least I can do is grab some food.”

“Truly, that’s not--” Before he could argue the point, instinct took over and he reached to steady himself against his brother as the pressure in his abdomen peaked and then fell.

There was a muffled, “Emmet, you should focus on getting him home. We’ll talk later.”

By the time he realized he’d been the one in control of the Xtransceiver-- which was now pressed firmly to the fabric of Emmet’s coat-- and thought to pull it back to a speaking distance, the screen had already gone dormant.

Ingo hissed out a sigh, nudging a concerned Haxorus out of his face, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Your job right now is to inform me when you require help. The point got across.” Emmet half-turned at the waist, judging how much farther they had to go. “Are you steady enough to proceed?”

Theoretically, it shouldn’t have been a problem-- the sensation was already gone-- but it was better to verify than make any false statements; releasing his grasp on his brother’s shoulder without quite losing contact, Ingo stood up straight and tested his balance. “I believe I’ll be alright. We’re close enough to our destination that further derailment shouldn’t be a concern.”

Emmet hummed and shifted to link their arms together, and Haxorus all but leaned into his opposite shoulder as she kept pace. It was several feet before any further contribution to their conversation.

“...is it bad?”

“It’s not terrible.” Ingo said after a beat, “At the moment, it’s not dissimilar to menstrual cramps, albeit much… tighter and more expansive. I was surprised more than I was in any pain; the first one wasn’t so intense.”

That the cramps would only continue to worsen went unsaid, hanging uncomfortably in the air.

Emmet stepped closer, arm wrapping just a bit more securely around his twin’s and, like that, they made their way home.