Scions of Morality

This is AU to any account of BW/2: games, anime and Pokespe. Roughly the same time frame.

I'd say it's actually a couple of years earlier, because some unrelated events aren't happening and Iris isn't in the picture just yet.

I really like the idea of a cold open. It doesn't necessarily matter whose POV, but one of the twins.

We join them in something akin to a hospital room, though it's emphatically not one.

It's clean and neat enough, but it's also dark.
There are two fairly standard cots/beds in here, facing opposite one another, and either of them has been bound to one.

This isn't as cruel as it could be-- the restraints are actually medical equipment used to keep patients still, and aren't painful-- but it's certainly not what anyone wants.

Both are awake, and while they'd normally be talking to one another, for lack of anything else to do/as a measure of comfort, they're currently completely silent, trying to figure out what's going on.

The lights being out is a new developent, and there was a commotion a ways away. They're trying to figure out if there's an immediate danger-- and what they could possibly do about it.
As said commotion is growing louder/closer, the issue is increasingly pressing.
The door bursts open. The perpetrators are their Pokemon, which settles that much at least.

As one might expect, the aces default to their respective trainers' side and try to get them loose. While that's going on, further conflict suggests the ones who aren't in the room (or blocking the door) are fighting someone/thing off in the hallway.
The Pokemon are accompanied by Elesa (a childhood friend in this scenario) and her team.

Idk whether Chandelure or Eelektross would have had more luck helping. The former if we're allowing Psychic, the latter if not. Whichever is lagging gets a hand from Elesa, then the other.

She's quick to make sure they're both freed and neither is actively hurt*, and then instruct the Pokemon into a more defensive configuration.

*The answer is no, but both twins are... not totally with it, so more of a "...no?" than anything super concrete.

When she's content with what the Pokemon are doing, explains that they should be alright hunkering down in here; the uproar is being caused by the compound being raided.

The odds that anyone will come this way are low, what with the distraction caused by the main arm of this movement, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.

She's correct. No one hostile comes through. No one comes through at all, until things have quieted down and the Pokemon part for Drayden.

His primary concern at this point is making sure everyone's okay (again, the answer is positive, but not very convincing, and Elesa's in the background going 'nope'). He has clearly been involved in a number of battles in the time before getting here.

Elesa, too. We can gather that they probably split up; she went with the Pokemon to act as a defense, Drayden was more on the offense.

According to him, the majority/main sections of the building have been cleared. There are still officers sweeping through, but with two gym leaders and an entire herd of Pokemon, it should be safe enough to get outside.
(In the time since being freed, the twins grabbed their coats/hats from nearby and put them back on. Both are still carrying folded white fabric, but no one thinks much of that right now.)

(I intitially wasn't going to add this, but I like the idea that Elesa doesn't have the Pokemon's pokeballs-- Haxorus does. Galvantula webbed them to her in what amounts to a sticky sling.)

There aren't any problems getting out; we see a number of officers around, combing the building, but no one bothers them save for someone briefly talking to Drayden as they walk.

Both twins are slow moving, which is concerning, but will be followed up on when they're out.

Addition: since we're going with a grafting analogy, we could have symptoms matching infection, to kind of hint at something foreign being fought back. Feverish, achy, weak, etc.

In this kind of situation, I have to imagine there was an ambulance onsite, and that would be our end destination for this area, but tbh, I don't really know the specifics.

I think they're basically checked over-- belatedly, Elesa and Drayden realize that neither is wearing their work shirts (the cloth from earlier), but plain t shirts in their respective color-- and it's determined that nothing is immediately wrong, but it's probably a good idea to go to a hospital.
In spite of the claims of being alright earlier, there is absolutely no protest. Worrying.

That said, they definitely know they don't feel well (and that something happened) so there's no reason for them to refuse, logically.

We're not going to be covering that, though.

We have a brief interlude from Drayden's POV several days later.

He was more involved with law enforcement/the investigation than Elesa was, and has more insight into what was going on.

The people inhabiting that facility were essentially a cult of religious fanatics dedicated to the dragons. A number of them were caught/detained and interrogated.
They seem to be of the opinion that the twins were instrumental in bringing said dragons back.

Given lineage, personalities/values, color schemes etc, it's not the wildest theory it could be, but still pretty far out there.
It's not entirely clear what role, precisely, they were meant to play; the assumption is something akin to baid, since their family is descended from the heroes.

Yes, both lines. Generations after the fact, when there wasn't any recognizable relation, the two branches rejoined. It's not worth getting upset/worked up over; these things happen.
The assumption might be that they were sedated to make them comply and that things went wrong on that front, causing the physical illness.

The thing is, these people did something to the both of them; both have a new scar on their chest, too deliberate to be from any kind of attack. X-rays confirmed that nothing was amiss, but it's disturbing.

Could also be rationalized as a blood/offering kind of thing.

Basically, we're just establishing that Drayden knows a little about what's going on, but not enough.

So there's a storm-a-brewin, and while I don't have everything planned out yet, here's what I've got:

In the days after getting back home but before going back to work, both start hearing things.

These are kind of like intrusive thoughts, but more... focused? Emmet keeps dwelling on white lies, inaccuracies (needs to step away from PokeTwitter ^^;) etc. Ingo finds himself speculating as to what people's intentions may be, that kind of thing. Neither voices this fact.
Another thing that neither dares to bring up is that said intrusive thoughts also extend to one another. Unlike the rest, these are... not quite violent, but confrontational, and it's not clear why.

For fear that they might do something to hurt the other, they start steering clear. It's kind of a pattern-- neither wants to back off, but one will and the other will be relieved that he didn't have to be the one to do it.
There's a lot of guilt for avoiding the other and, paradoxically, this worry that they've done something to make their brother avoid them.
(Note: neither voice refers to the other brother by name. It's not something spoken around, more like they did say it and it's somehow been removed/replaced with white noise.

Things go back to normal for a bit, but their performance in multi battles is starting to suffer.

I think they're forced to acknowledge it one day after a particularly bad instance. Emmet's getting a little snippy, but isn't actually blaming Ingo.

Ingo's response, however, isn't directed at Emmet.

Whether or not he was paying any attention to what was said is up for debate. Eyes fixed firmly down at the floor/table/etc, he firmly says to stop it.

Again, this isn't being said to Emmet + it wouldn't make sense to be for any Pokemon.

Frustrated/flustered, he excuses himself and bids a hasty retreat.

The over-critical voice in the back of Emmet's head makes some kind of snide remark. Since there's no one around to hear, he automatically tells it to shut up, and that's what makes it click.

He doesn't go right away, trying to be courteous, but does approach Ingo before long.
Alludes to what's going on in his own head rn; asks if it isn't the same for Ingo.

Ingo is gutted to heaer that it's affecting Emmet, too.

It doesn't take long for the whole 'that's why I was being distant' thing to come to light.

While neither voice is happy about it, they make a point of sticking right next to one another for at least the rest of the evening, if not into the next day, too.

They may seek out help-- in the Pokemon world, this would probably involve a psychic type/psychic expert, but it would be a legitimate branch of psychology.
One thing I'm kind of torn on his how much they know. While I like the idea that they have some concept, based on what was said around them, it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't have reported that when it came time to give statements (which is to say it doesn't make sense that word wouldn't have made its way to Drayden.)

For now, I'm just going to say thata they know they were targeted as part of a plan to bring the dragons back, but the specifics were kept from them.

Our next major plot point is a bit after this.

I think Drayden and Elesa have noticed a shift in behaviors-- specifically that the twins are keeping a distance/seem to be going out of their way not to be in the same place at once, but neither is upset with the other. It might even be recognizable that they miss one another, in spite of living together. Anyway, that's not the point, just relevant in terms of timing. Our focus is another escalation.

While they don't want to stay apart from one another, things have gotten worse, and it's far easier to draw the other's/the voices' ire.
It's actually an absolutely innocuous thing that starts it-- like the dishwasher being loaded the way one dislikes or a mistake in what groceries were purchased-- but it comes at the tail end of his voice needling Emmet about something else, and he loses focus long enough for it to lash out.

It uses his body to rush at and pin Ingo to the nearest wall, hissing Zekrom's name.
Ingo has a second to realize what his voice has been trying to use in place of Emmet's all this time, and tries to ask 'Reshiram?', but halfway through it turns into something similarly accusatory as Zekrom retaliates.

Neither of them want this, but can't do anything to stop it.
Chandelure and Eelektross intervene/separate them. It might not be the focus in the moment, but both were channeling fire or electricity during the spat.

The Pokemon, reasonably, seem upset.

When either twin is back in control of himself, neither quite knows what to do. They can't just let this go on, though.

Whatever they've been trying to help mitigate the circumstance clearly didn't work and won't work if the voices are actually the presence of Reshiram and Zekrom
It's a bandaid, but for now, they agree that it's safest for them to stay in different places whenever possible. Doesn't matter which, but one calls Elesa/heads to her place for the night.

This really clues her in that something's wrong; may be what drives her to seek out Drayden.

Through this strategy, they manage to avoid any further incident for a bit longer.

Talking over Xtransceiver seems largely okay, so they keep in contact that way, coordinating their approach/how they might go about fixing this.

One looks into the police report re: the cult to see if there's anything they can access there.
The other focuses on the legends behind Reshiram and Zekrom/the Heroes. Both definitely know a lot ahead of time, but this is more niche research.

May specifically look into what happened to them, beyond 'their bodies were detroyed' to see if that leads anywhere. (Different venues/focuse than what comes up later.)

Crashing at Elesa's was a one time thing and, in hindsight, a really bad idea, because now she's asking questions. They trade off staying at a motel somewhere in the city.

I like the idea that it's in one of their names and they just pretend they're the same person when interacting with staff to avoid any complications.

The other major point of interest is that, even separated, sometimes a dragon is the one in control of what their bodies are doing. When there's nothing to be up in arms about, they're a lot less aggressive.

Behaviors aren't inhuman but can seem odd, and oftentimes, they'll have to wrest control away and mitigate whatever faux pas happened.
Yes, this definitely happens around both Drayden and Elesa at least once.

Things come to a head when either Reshiram or Zekrom, in their spate of control, purposefully seeks the other out. We'll say Zekrom this time, to keep the balance.

This isn't a public scene, so it has to be after work. Maybe Zekrom's going home instead of the motel.

This entire time, Ingo has realized what it's intending and is doing everything in his power to dissuade it, but there's... not a lot to be done at this point. Can speak out loud, and that's about it.

And he is audibly speaking. While on the way home, it's through clenched teeth/not totally intelligible to passerby, but he's clearly saying something. On the way up to their apartment, he drops the pretense and is still trying to convince it as it steps inside.

Grows more panicked at that point and, upon realizing where Emmet is specifically/heading that way, shouts for it to leave his brother alone.

Zekrom pauses, repeats 'brother' questioningly.

For his part, Emmet thought something was very wrong for Ingo to have come home on an off night, and while he was right, that concern was somewhat misaimed.

When Reshiram recognized the hostility, it geared up to retaliate, and doesn't halt when Zekrom stops short/questions.
Since that seemed to have an effect, and he doesn't know what else might avoid this conflict on such short notice, he confirms.
While it's for Zekrom to hear, he's 100% speaking to Ingo (not that it's news to him.)

Says something to the effect of 'That's correct. You're my brother. You're my big brother.'

There's a tense ceasefire. Reshiram breaks the silence; I don't know the exact words it would use yet, but it's acting curious and almost hopeful. Asks something to the effect of 'Honorable Eldest?'

Taken aback by the fact that that worked/they actually stopped, Ingo's at something of a loss. He doesn't want to say the wrong thing and start it back up, but Reshiram is clearly waiting for a response. Hopes to buy time-- and maybe get some more information out of it. Says, 'Reshiram?'
It's looking back at him, not displeased. He feels his body go through a similar motion. Zekrom poses a similar question, 'Inspired Youngest?'; its name is similarly parroted in response.
The dragons regard one another for a long moment.
Back to raised voices.

'How dare you? He came to me, he is mine.' a reasonable argument/response to that.
But... while they are arguing, neither is attacking. Either dragon's internal voice suggests that they can't attack their counterpart because it's in their champion's body/it refuses to hurt him.

I... just realized something stupid, and I can't say what just yet, but we'll get there.

Anyway, once things have simmered down to 'vocal combat only' it's easier to intervene.

We finally establish that no, neither is going to attack the other again, but both want the other out of their hero's vessel.

That much, at least, everyone can agree on.

At confirmation that it's safe now, the twins all but collapse against one another in an overwhelming mix of fear, confusion and sustained loneliness.

Either dragon grumbles at the contact with the other, but allows it for their human.
At one point, Emmet catches Ingo's eye and signs 'Inspired Youngest?', trying to gauge if he has any idea what to do about that. He doesn't, but also, it seems like a bad idea to try to tell the dragons they aren't the heroes of truth/ideals right this moment.

While they're busy decompressing, Zekrom notices something and (mentall) poses a question, specifically to its host. He was worried for his brother. He was afraid it might hurt him. They... aren't opposing one another anymore?

Since he has to play dumb re: not being the hero of truth for now, he avoids acknowledging the 'anymore', but confirms that he and Emmet aren't enemies. Rivals, maybe, but they're also each other's most trusted partner.
For half a second, he wonders if that wasn't the wrong thing to say to Zekrom, all things considered, but its silence is a thoughtful one, and it remarks that that's interesting.

I kind of like the idea that some of the Pokemon saw this go down-- idk which, but the teams would have been separated in preparation for whatever lines were running the next day-- and are only just realizing what's been wrong this whole time. And they're pissed about it.

I don't think either twin can understand whatever verbal smackdown the dragons are getting-- they're human after all, regardless of hosting a dragon's consciousness-- but it's possible to interpret the dragons' responses or thoughts.

From an outside perspective, the next day is...bizarre. Like the past X weeks never happened. No comment on what caused the bosses to avoid one another in the first place, nor what happened to get them past it.

Their multi battling is still a bit off kilter, but orders better than it had been recently.

(This was less because they couldn't cooperate, and more because both were infinitely more focused on not letting their respective dragon throttle their brother.)

This also completely blindsides Drayden and Elesa. The former's still trying to figure out how the experience with the cult caused the behavior. The latter is just trying to figure out what the fuck.

While I would say that they've talked to one another on this matter, Drayden has been keeping his cards close to his chest. I'll have to figure out how much they've been collaborating and what it's accomplished later.

The next development is somewhat quieter.

In addition to refusing to hurt their hero, the dragons have gradually been getting more possessive.

It's hard to get them to back down on it, and isn't ideal for a line of work in which people are always around/they split off from one another. It's also... kind of uncomfortable/unnerving.
Emmet's the one to confront the problem. Tells Reshiram okay, Ingo may be its hero. Fine. He was his brother first, and that trumps the hero/dragon thing. Back off.

Reshiram's kind of in a tiff for a bit, but eventually comes back with a compromise. Theirs.

...okay. That works. But it has to modify its behavior. Emmet doesn't want anything to happen to him any more than it does, so it can trust him re: what is or isn't a threat.

Conveying this to their counterpart yields mixed results. Ingo isn't sure that's a great idea. Zekrom is all for it. Ingo concedes in order to keep the peace.

Not sure how this comes up, but a conversation between one of the twins and the dragon they aren't stuck to establishes that said dragons are well aware that they aren't the same people they'd fought with/for before. (Idk who to pick yet, so I'm leaving it open.)

They've been cohabitating for X months at this point, the dragons have heard their names over and over and the two only look exactly like each other. While there's a resemblance to the twin princes, the distinction is obvious.
Zekrom/Reshiram is well aware that Emmet/Ingo isn't Alvarez/Engin. That doesn't mean he isn't the Hero of Ideals/Truth.

'Alvarez' meaning 'deep', 'Engin' meaning 'vast'. I didn't want to go with color naming, it seemed to... well, too black and white. ~~I'm definitely using that second one again.~~

Last point of interest here, for now, is that having come to something of an understanding, the dragons start to chill out a little. While they'd never been hostile towad the brother hosting them, not being at the other's throat or being territorial gives them a chance to socialize more.

Said dragons are actually very surprised at how much their attitudes/philosophies align.

It occurs to anyone involved that seeking truth or ideals implies that it wasn't a virtue that came naturally to that person. They came to value it as a conscious effort.

As part of chilling out, the dragons seem content to go quiet and let the twins do what they want without intervening or commentary a lot more than they've grown used to.

Still not sure the exact rate at which this comes to light, but we're checking in w/ Drayden.

(Some of this has been shared w/ Elesa, I just don't know how much and when. Mostly, she's picking up the slack re: staying in contact with/keeping an eye on the twins, since they live in the same city.)
Part of what he's been looking into is the claim that the cult got a hold of the light and dark stones.

It was thought they'd been lost centuries prior and the dragons with them, but over the past X weeks/months, records have surfaced indicating:

That/where they'd been found, and that the discovery was covered up
That they were no longer in whatever private collection
That they had, in fact, landed in the hands of someone involved w/ the cult.

Already troubling, but the problem is that officers scoured the facility/property and anyone detained at the time of the raid was searched prior to arrest/interview. Neither stone turned up.

It is possible that someone who'd gotten away thought to grab them in the escape.

I was thinking about maybe having Drayden and Clay as friends in this, so Clay could easily be the person who helped dig that info up (no pun intended.)

While most members were on the order of Plasma Grunts and released with minor penalties, there are still those who were higher up in the ranks, complicit in greater crimes, or masterminding things.

One in particular-- pretty high up from what they've been able to gather-- definitely knows something, but has been meticulous in not confirming anything that isn't established in front of him.
Drayden's not usually involved w/ interacting with these people, but he does get the chance to question this guy for whatever reason I'll need to justify later.

The man's tight lipped as ever, save for a few sardonic remarks or answering questions with information that's already long established. Or possible answering questions with questions.
When the plans for the twins come up, he says the same as before-- they were there to bring Reshiram and Zekrom back.
There had to be more to it than that; they were acting like completely different people. What did his people do to them?

(On top of being at odds to suddenly not, they've been... distant lately, and it's incredibly worrisome in conjunction with everything else.

This person already knew/had been questioned about the light and dark stones, thus confirming to him that the possession of them was well known, so when he replies that the stones were what became of the dragons after their bodies were destroyed, that's nothing remarkable.

The continued thought is the first time he surrenders any new information: the dragons' bodies were destroyed, so they needed new ones. What better candidates than a pair of perfectly balanced twins from the heroes' lines?
Sounds like the graft took.

We're going to swap back over and let Drayden come to terms with that. I like the idea of telling this next bit from Elesa's POV (she wouldn't know it, but this is X minutes after the interview concluded.)

She gets a call from Drayden. While I hesitate to call his tone 'panicked' there's a dose of trepidation/fear in there as he asks if she knows where the twins are right now.

She doesn't get it. They're where they always are at this point in the week: [whichever line(s)].

He asks her to make sure they don't go anywhere; he'll be in the city as soon as he's able.

While she doesn't know the specifics, she's probably able to put enough together to figure out that he's found something in regards to their recent shifts in attitude.

So she swings by before any of them are technically off work, around the time the current line(s) are shutting down for the day and hangs out/monitors them until Drayden arrives.,

That clearly sets off alarm bells, and Ingo isn't as quiet as he means to be when he tells a bristling Emmet that it's alright, their (her and Drayden's) intention is to help.

That said, neither is particularly happy about the situation as they're forced to head home early.

Once the door is properly shut, Drayden claps a hand on either twin's shoulder and says, "Get out of them. These forms don't belong to you."

Notably, this isn't said in anger. There's something distinctly sad about it-- maybe even a little bit fearful-- but none of that takes away from his commanding tone.

They stare at him for a second, look to one another. One of them asks if he can be more specific.

Elesa, behind him, (bc he made himself a wall) definitely reacted to the first statement.
The only way Drayden can interpret the question is the second half-- so that's what he elaborates on.

He understand that they didn't have any choice, but they've stolen his nephews' bodies. If they don't know how to leave, they'll figure it out, but he won't let this go on.

"You knew about Reshiram and Zekrom."

Which is a simple, yet loaded statement in that it implies it isn't either of the dragons speaking.
'Emmet...?'/'I am Emmet. You knew and you never said anything. Why?'

He actually just found out this afternoon; he got here as quickly as he could.

It takes a second, but Emmet relaxes at that.

Elesa cuts in, says something like 'Hey?? What the fuck?? Can we get some context here?'

Before anyone can launch directly into a massive explanation/discussion, Ingo starts herding everyone away from the door and into actual seating. Takes the time to hang his hat up and release his Pokemon-- both of which Emmet mirrors, and it encourages Drayden and Elesa to ease up a little.

The Pokemon are a little curious what's going on/why Drayden and Elesa are here, but take a few minutes to investigate and then go about their business. Haxorus stays near Drayden, begging for attention, but that's not a bother. The Emolga probably come out to visit, too.)

I don't know how to ease into the topic as of rn, so I'm just going to lay out the flow and see where it takes us.

It had since been established that the cult was trying to use both of them to bring back the dragons. That's not new information. What Drayden had just found that afternoon was that it wasn't a 'use the heroes' descendants as a lure' thing, but a matter of making them the dragons-- giving the dragons new bodies since theirs were destroyed.

And, from the way Emmet had reacted before, the twins knew something was up re: Reshiram and Zekrom. Why didn't they ever say/ask for help?
Irritated at the suggestion that he was being dishonest, Emmet says that they had no reason to believe Drayden had any further involvement. He never mentioned working with law enforcement after the fact, or having access to the case in any capacity.

They were a bit busy, besides, trying not to let the dragons tear each other apart.

As one might expect, that doesn't go over well. Ingo cuts in the assure that it's past, now, and they came to an agreement.

So that was why they were avoiding each other [x] months ago. And the dragons... are there, but they're both in control of themselves now? How did that change?
It's specifically Ingo who answers this one, for reasons we the audience might be able to infer. Is still fairly general/light on details when he says that they were able to appeal to Reshiram and Zekrom's ties to the twin heroes, and that made them calm down.

It's a relief that they're not trapped in their own bodies or being overtaken by the dragons, but it's still not a great situation. There has to be a way to separate them.

Records indicate that the light and dark stones were on the premises, and while no sign of them ever surfaced, the man Drayden interviewed today strongly implied that it was because the stones had been introduced like a plant, grafted onto a heartier trunk.

The connection between that and the incision scars is obvious, but, as noted earlier on, nothing else unusual turned up upon being checked over.

At the specific example, the twins glance at one another and seem to have some kind of nonverbal exchange (in the completely mundane 'significant look' way).

I think it makes sense for Ingo to take the lead on this, because it would be more immediately apparent w/ him.
A graft seems like an apt description. He undoes his tie and the first two buttons of his shirt, revealing a black patch in the hollow of his throat (where Zekrom has an extra dark part on its neck/chest). It's clearly some kind of scale or plating rather than skin.

Despite the names, the dark and light stones aren't stone, but the dormant cores of the dragons. When either of them woke up after being abducted, they'd already had surgical scars.

It's entirely possible that, by the time the raid happened, the stones had already integrated.
While this is being said, Emmet follows suit, showing that there's a pair of white ring-like marks developed around the same place as what Ingo demonstrated.

And... more to the point, even if there was an element of physicality that could be removed, it's probably not possible to separate them from the dragons anymore.

(At this point, the twins are trading off speaking. Again, in a mundane, 'I'll pick up here' way)
The dragons have been quiet for weeks now, and then those changes started happening.
They'd never considered the possibility Drayden presented-- that the dragons were meant to take them over-- but if that's true, it seems likely the... opposite happened. They're here. Reshiram and Zekrom aren't.

Not even unwillingly, if the way the two calmed down was any indication.

So... what, they're Reshiram and Zekrom now, and are actively turning into the dragons?

Seems like.

This is the stupid thing I realized before: I generally don't go for 'they're the twin heroes reincarnated', but in this setup, that would be three for three. They're descended from the heroes, they're the reincarnation of the heroes and now they're the dragons. It's ridiculous and I can't not do it.
Before this scene starts to wrap up, Elesa notices something. It's not just those marks, is it? They took their hats off at the door, but not their coats.

She hones in on/poses the question specifically to Emmet, having figured the 'truth' thing out.

There's a difference between not highlighting an issue and not answering point blank.
At this point, though, there isn't any reason to try to avoid the question. She's right.
It's different for either of them, but there are. Wings growing in. It's very uncomfortable right now, and not great to look at, either.

That doesn't dissuade Elesa or Drayden from wanting to ensure nothing's going wrong, though.

Emmet can get away with unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up the sleeves, which shows the distinctive bumpiness of pinfeathers that have yet to emerge.

While nobody makes a move to touch, he does seem particularly sensitive about this. Fair. He said it was uncomfortable, and it looks uncomfortable.
It's also possible to observe white fur growing in on his arms.

Ingo, on the other hand, would have to remove his shirt entirely, which he's reluctant to do.

Relents. The scar is briefly made visible, along with another dark patch on his chest.
His back is kind of a mess at the moment, developing one pair of wings right behind the shoulders, and a secondary pair mid-back.

(I know this isn't canon to Zekrom's design, I just love seeing it in fanart.)
It's mostly just a cartilaginous disaster at the moment, without any muscle/control. The affected area is noticeably darker than the skin around it.

Experience with Archeops's molts suggests Emmet's situation is alright-- if unheard of-- and they've looked into care of Crobat (a Pokemon with a similar wing arrangement/numbers) trying to confirm that Ingo's are doing alright, too.
It's... fine. Neither of them particularly like what's going on, but there isn't anything that can be done to stop or reverse it.

So I really, really like the idea of things taking a 'family secrets' turn as these changes worsen, where Drayden and Elesa are helping to cover/explain any oddities people might pick up on.

That said, it wasn't in my original plan, and I don't have anything in particular to say about how it might progress at this point in time.

I hadn't thought about this earlier, but new wrinkle: there's a particular investigator/detective/officer involved re: the cult case that Drayden's been working with. Might be the person who got him clearance to interrogate the high ranking member.

I'm really torn as to whether or not this character started as well intentioned and was corrupted, or if he was a plant from the beginning.

While he helped Drayden out, he, like the higher up, never actually provided information Drayden didn't indicate that he'd already found.
In return, he may have gotten updates as to odd behaviors/things Drayden was concerned about as he looked for leads.

There's nothing happening with him yet, but I'm not going back to integrate him earlier in the outline.

Inevitably, things reach the point where there's not really any hiding anymore.

Their uniforms are fantastic in terms of coverage, but short of adding face masks-- which would only be a temporary solution, anyway-- they can't hold the line forever.

Even the coats' bulk is starting to fail. Emmet's having to deal with feathers being compressed/bend in an uncomfortable way throughout the day, and Ingo gets to wear a jury rigged wing harness.

In terms of physical comfort, both are miserable

While this isn't the slowest process, there's been a certain amount of time to track it and make preparations; they're already scheduled to take vacation time, and their family unit has collectively rented a remote cabin in northern Unova.

Since they only left right before the tipping point, there are visibly nonhuman features by that same evening, and combined with the fact that there's no need to keep wings bound, etc, that means things seem to change pretty immediately.
No one really knows what to expect, or if there's going to be a way to reverse this. The most likely scenario here-- given that the dragons were meant to take them over-- seems to be that they'll be stuck as Reshiram and Zekrom unless something specifically changes that fact.

While Elesa tries to visit frequently, and Drayden is able to make it out basically every day, neither is a constant present out here.

Okay. So full disclosure: the ending on this changed literally overnight. I had some thoughts I wanted to follow up on and make into a vague sequel, so if this part isn't the most thoroughly thought out, that's because I'm making it work as we go.

It's a dedicated effort, but given:

A) There are still a number of cult-goers who were released.
B) There's a turncoat detective who's more or less incharge of a higher up cultist
C) They found a way to overpower the twins before

(I had a snippet written implying that this was done through a lot of monitoring and careful tweaking of available Pokemon)

I don't think it's a stretch to say that something similar could reoccur, particularly in such a vulnerable state.

While I mentioned that they've been able to use fire/electricity in the past, that was while Reshiram/Zekrom was the one in control (and also pissed off).
Plus, now both of them count as 'Pokemon enough' to understand Pokemon, which leads into a whole host of type/status weaknesses for them, specifically.

For this to go the way I want it to, long term, they hav eto be separated. It may become obvious, mid confrontation, that the winning strategy is to divide and conquer.

However this goes down, it culminates in the two being split up. Initially, I was going to say 'for whatever reason, they have to cut their losses,' but I've decided that actually, it's just a matter of safe transport to separate the two and move them individually.

I'm open to either twin being the focus of this segment, but can only figure out how to justify it with Ingo at the moment, so I'm going to say we're following him. Any power/electricity present could be leeched off of to regain enough strength to escape.

I don't have any details for this segment, but I do have a vision. That's good enough, right? Right??
I have to imagine this new place isn't anywhere near the old one, bc it's been compromised.

That means there's no way of knowing where the end destination is re: prior info.

There is, however, a tie between Zekrom and the Hero of Ideals.

Ingo's able to hunt/track, and his path is a combiantion of using Zekrom's size/flight capabilities to cross distance or obstacles and-- unknowingly-- using his human form to get through populated areas without fuss.

He has no idea he's shifting between forms or how he's doing it. It's pure instinct while he's focused on what he's trying to accomplish.
While this would be incredibly unsubtle, there's kind of a masquerade thing going on, where people don't process/recognize what they see and don't remember it happened after a minute.

He's being targeted in return, though, so this is a real double edged sword.

In these people's case, they know they're looking for Zekrom and that he, specifically, is Zekrom, so it's not that they can see through things; it's just that they know what to look for in either form. If he swapped in front of them, they wouldn't notice the action, just the end result.

We said that the cabin had been in northern Unova, and I was kind of thinking near enough to Opelucid that Drayden was able to visit regularly, so odds are that this trip is going to cut through the city.

Drayden is clued into this-- and the fact that something's gone very awry-- during a confrontation in the city. Ingo doesn't have any of his Pokemon and doesn't know how to use moves, himself, so he's trying to get away/keep moving. (His plan for what happens after he gets there is... unclear.)

The fact that Ingo is clearly himself is very noteworthy, but not as important as fighting these guys off. Drayden probably lends one of his dragons to help defend.

Ingo doesn't really slow down once their opponents have been dealt with; would give a cursory explanation without stopping, still heading determinedly wherever. Maybe south, toward Entralink?

It has to be near enough to civilization that human form was necessary.

Drayden would try to rein him in a little, but that doesn't really work. The next best option is to be there to help with whatever happens.

As they're going, he notices that Ingo has something in his hand; after further observation (or just asking him what) it turns out to be the dark stone. He can't drop it or put it in a pocket for safe keeping, but he can reabsorb it, which puts him back in hybrid form.
That doesn't really matter in terms of greater plot, but it is how he managed to get a handle on switching forms so quickly.

So the thing about breaking into this new place is that it's not hard.

A) The manpower was low to begin with, since not everyone from before rejoined.
B) They decided to split their resources, so only about half are here dealing w/ Reshiram.
C) Any Pokemon on their side are worn down from the altercation earlier, and little help.
D) Emmet's throwing an absolute fit, and is on the verge of struggling his way... not exactly to freedom, but causing enough damage that it would be a hell of a lot harder to contain him long term.

The real struggle is keeping people contained long enough to be dealt with, particularly since the twins get distracted by one another pretty much immediately. They do eventually snap back to it and help, though.

Part of it is definitely relief at seeing the other safe; part of it is 'how are you doing that' re: being humanoid again.

There isn't really any hope of keeping everyone onsite long enough for the authorities to get there, but a substantial number are detained.

The twins are back in their proper forms when backup comes, but have no choice but to keep one hand each hidden in a pocket, since they can't let go of the light/dark stones.

(Eventually, they'll figure out how to switch between forms without forcing the matter w/ this method, but that's not something we're going into right now.)

While the turncoat officer probably wasn't present during the initial conflict at the cabin, they'd be discovered here, if not physically present, then via paper trail or grunt confessing to it.
I don't really want an elaborate/long winded wrap up on this one. The main action's over, they've got an idea how to overcome the next greatest hurdle (read: they aren't trapped as dragons).
From here on out, things are definitely going to be different from what they'd been, but there's a very real possibility that it's going to be a state that's far more normal than the past X months.

Vague sequel:

I'm just jotting this second bit down before I forget. Our follow up starts in the Alabaster Icelands, though Ingo has no idea where he is. As per canon, he's without any memory of who he is or where he's from. Unlike canon, he's not alone.

Unfortunately, the entity with him is Kyurem.

While instinct tells him to steer clear, it's the only thing around for miles, and is clearly an ice type. He knows for a fact he won't last very long without help. This is the only help available to him.

We don't go too far into Black Kyurem or Hisui as a whole. Just that this is different from canon.

In modern day-- maybe a week after Ingo disappeared-- an artifact of some sort is discovered in Sinnoh.

Experts over there would have been aware of the Adamant/Lustrous/Griseous Orbs (or Globes) and that they're related to the region's legendary Pokemon, so they're pretty sure this is something similar.
Lo and behold, that is definitely the dark stone. Kind of.

This is... not great news, but workable. Probably.

The question of how Ingo got to Sinnoh is up in the air.

Also the unstated fact that the dark stone is what Zekrom became after dying.
This is different than how the dark stone was originally purported to look (has a band of silver twining through), but the twins as Reshiram/Zekrom are also slightly different than the originals. (Halfway to shiny; eyes and fire/electricity differ, main colors don't.)

There's also the fact that, while he's probably alright/asleep like the dragons were, the only reliable way to help him is something he would never be comfortable with, and it's not something any of them would try to perpetuate onto someone else.

Unlike before, Emmet acts alone. Doesn't know what happened, doesn't really care. Just knows that that's not where the dark stone is supposed to be, and is going to get it back.

When someone catches up to him (I think it would be easier for Elesa, given Drayden's also a mayor) he's got the dark stone, but doesn't really know what he's doing with it, now.

She keeps him from doing anything extreme as long as she can, but that only lasts so long.

I haven't gotten to that point in the main outline as of writing this, but the twins are capable of manifesting the light/dark stone in an empty hand, though it can't leave their person. Emmet tries that in reverse.

It works. But not in the way one might have expected (going by what happened last time).

Instead of a cohabitation situation, they straight-up fuse.

The original original dragon was called Novarum*, which the region was named after. This version will decide he's Keshrom**, different after being broken/put back together. (We've got a real 'ship of Theseus' situation going on w/ Reshiram and Zekrom. Doubly so on the latter.)

*Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyurem all have names ending in "r_m" and moving the "u" worked.
**I wanted to keep it as even as I could. Split the difference, start w/ "K", "sh" from Reshiram, "o" from Zekrom.

I considered dragon/fairy typing, but actually like dragon/steel. It seems more thematically appropriate + relevant to the individual dragons (fire/fording, electricity/technology, ice/cold).

Not sure that will actually come up, but worth jotting down.

What-- what the hell? What did Emmet just do?

Keshrom isn't exactly sure. Also, he's not not Emmet, but he isn't completely either?
Any further input from Elesa isn't really getting through. There's a fair amount of internal conflict going on here. Plus, as with Reshiram/Zekrom, some memories are leaking through weirdly.

Emmet has a wide array of thoughts on his own:

Is happy this sort of worked
Realized Kyurem was involved/is part of why this was the result
Got a first-and-a-half-hand perspective on however Ingo basically died
Is made abruptly aware of the amnesia

Ingo, meanwhile, is mostly dealing with confusion and (censorted) 'oh fuck'

The amnesia is like... still a barrier, but in this state, can be pierced

So there's an element of 'suddenly I understand everything' on top of... events

He recognizes by feel more than fact what's happened. He's not happy Emmet did that.

Also, the fact that he's conscious at all is notable.

Has to adjust to being somewhere/when radically different than before.
Also, whatever Kyurem did to him, Emmet basically just invited.

Kyurem isn't enough of an independent entity to have specific thoughts, anymore.

Keshrom as a whole is dealing with all of that, plus suddenly being one person, plus his own memories of being the original dragon/the fact that he's different/won't ever be the same.

Which is to say he doesn't really have the extra attention to field Elesa's questions.
I may alternate between 'he' and 'it' for Keshrom, but I'm not sure yet.

I don't think it's worth trying to outline this internal debate; it's something that would be much more fun to just feel out and let evolve as it's written. It would stick to the main points above, anyway.

It takes time-- a fair amount of time, actually-- but, eventually, he's ready and able to respond to Elesa. (Who, by this point, is freaked out by the unresponsiveness, and called Drayden for backup.)

Says sorry, he didn't mean to worry her, he just needed to figure himself out.
He's Keshrom, formerly Novarum, the Dragon of Perfection.

B/W seems to interpret 'ideals' as being synonymous with ambition, and truth is, fittingly, self explanatory. I think the midground between those viewpoints-- the boundary, if you will-- is perfection. The state of having a best case scenario and making it true.

While I don't think anyone would have known what the original dragon stood for, 'Novarum' wouldn't be niche information since the region was named after it. She would see the implication.

Idk where else to put this, but Unova's beta name was Alleos, and I want that to be what it was called before the war, too.

I'm getting distracted again. Broad strokes, not fine detail.

Keshrom would stay as he is for awhile, but, in the end, decide that it's best he doesn't linger.

The whole 'well someone's body was destroyed again' thing would be an issue, were it not for his domain. He's able to make the optimal solution into reality, and when he splits apart, both twins are themselves again.

Mostly. Separate from Emmet/being Keshrom, Ingo's memory isn't faring the best. He remembers some big things, but not a lot. Also, he's dressed exactly as he was in Hisui.

Age-wise, he matches Emmet again, in spite of the fact that it's only been a couple of weeks here, and he probably lived in Hisui for decades.
(I just realized this makes them identical twice over)

This is something I've already written about in the past, and apart from the fact that there seems to be a semi-reliable way to help overcome the amnesia, it's not worth delving into here.

I'm amused by the idea that, once un-fusing proves possible/safe, and it's established that Ingo's memory isn't the greatest in his un-fused form, they immediately try again.

Like. They know Kehsrom doesn't have any intention to stay in their places, but inquiring minds want to understand how this works.

While I'd love to get into fusion hijinks from here-- and, as a matter of fact, have a story with that basic premise that writing this helped further along, just a little bit-- that's counter productive right now.
For now, we're wrapping up, which consists mostly of asking the two of them what the hell they were thinking, and establishing one of those 'big things' Ingo remembers now.

It's been a long time, and he's so grateful to see them all again. Fade out on implied explanation.