Emmet had no earthly idea what was going on with his brother’s Gliscor, and, at this point, he was a little scared to ask. Not afraid of Ingo, of course, just… of what the answer might have been.

There hadn’t been much to note at first, it had just been a Gliscor– a bit smaller than the average specimen, but nothing to sneeze at. It was a perfect size for perching on a shoulder and harmlessly mantling. Who didn’t like mantling? Certainly not Archeops. The little Gliscor would be a perfect friend for him.

But now Emmet was beginning to wonder if he, too, had managed to hit his head somewhere in the Icelands– because that Gliscor? Was far, far too large. The both of them could ride on its back without impacting its ability to fly. How in the world could he have mistaken it for a smaller member of the species?

Yes, Dynamax was a known phenomena capable of altering Pokemon’s size, but its scope was limited to Galar– and even then, only trainers with access to very specific equipment and battle spaces– and, from Emmet’s admittedly limited knowledge, it did more than add a few extra feet to a Pokemon.

Ingo must have read something in his expression, because, without prompting, he told him, “They’re a bit intimidating, aren’t they? I promise, they’re very gentle.”

“I’m not afraid of your Gliscor.” Emmet [?], a little insulted. As quickly as it at came on, though, he reminded himself that it wasn’t meant as an insult, but a reassurance; the people here just didn’t understand anything when it came to Pokemon, so of course Ingo had to use the kid gloves. “It took me by surprise. That’s all.”

The Pokemon inclined its massive head as his twin reached up to ruffle its ears.

“Pokemon don’t grow to this size at our station, do they? I remember being taken off-guard, too.” / “Gliscor was the Alpha of the Primeval Grotto, that’s why she’s so large.”

Feeling ridiculous for even humoring the question, Emmet bit the bullet and asked, “She’s always been this size, correct?”

Ingo hummed and indulged Gliscor as she nipped at his cap, “As long as I’ve known her. I’m not aware of any way for a Pokemon to become an Alpha if they weren’t hatched as one, so, while she must have been smaller as a Gligar, she still would have been large for her kind.”

Not what Emmet had meant, but it still answered the question well enough. He was simply losing his mind.

“Is something the matter? You didn’t seem bothered, before.” There was a hesitation and, slowly, comprehension bloomed over his features. He pivoted, pawing through the satchel on his belt; on his opposite side, the tasseled cords anchoring his team in place swayed, briefly, into view. After a moment, he handed Emmet a pokeball.

Emmet looked at it, and then to his brother. What was he meant to do with this? Gliscor had already been captured, and this wasn’t the pokeball she’d been released from earlier. There were only so many options to choose from, and none of them made sense.

When it seemed he’d spent too long trying to figure out what his brother wanted from him, Ingo carefully reached over and undid the latch at its front.

Oh.

There were two Gliscor.

That made much more sense.

The second– the small one Emmet had first been introduced to– gave a full body shake and flapped its wings twice, boosting itself into the Alpha’s space. Contrary to everything he’d been told about Alpha Pokemon, she humored its intrusion, clicking at it good-naturedly.

“He’s her brother.” Ingo said, before Emmet could ask the offending question, “Initially, it was only my intention to catch him temporarily; as a Gligar, he ran afoul the Golem in Bolderoll Ravine and suffered substantial damage, so this seemed the best way to transport him without incurring further injury. However, his sister caught wind of it when I released him for repairs and was… displeased with my conduct.”

There was no sign of that animosity, now, Emmet couldn’t help but notice. Now that he’d gotten past utter confusion, it was plain to see that Ingo’s platitudes had actually been true; both Gliscor were incredibly well mannered. He wondered how much of that was their innate personalities versus the trainer who’d guided them.

“That isn’t actually his original pokeball. After he quelled her anger, I released him properly, but he kept straying close after the fact. I wasn’t sure what to do when he indicated that he did want to be my partner– I couldn’t take them away from one another,” Eyes straying to the larger of the pair, [?], “Gliscor settled the matter for all of us. She challenged us to a battle and, though we couldn’t best her that day, she seemed satisfied with our combination. Oftentimes, she stays in the Highlands to assist Sneasler in my absence while Gliscor and I travel between stations, but she’s really taken to battling at the training grounds.”

When he was finished, Emmet took several seconds to observe the Gliscor’s interaction– the smaller had moved on to clinging to the Alpha’s tail as she half-heartedly tried to swing him off– and then let his forehead thump against his twin’s shoulder.

“That is not fair. Don’t make me cry over your bats.”

A hand found its way between his shoulder blades and, haltingly, patted his back. “What is there to cry about? It’s not sad; they’re still together.”

“You were sympathetic to them.” He said, giving up on any semblance of [???] and wrapping his arms around his brother; something hot built behind his closed eyes as he felt an answering arm curl around his waist, “They were lucky. We were not.”

There was a long pause and, finally, Ingo hummed, resting his chin against Emmet’s shoulder, “There’s a reason the Pearl Clan venerates space, you realize. It’s incredibly vast; the odds of any two tracks intersecting are quite small and, though I couldn’t tell you the Diamond Clan’s precise beliefs, the same must hold true for time. Luck was never going to favor the situation, yet you’re here right now.”

Emmet scoffed into the worn fabric, “That wasn’t luck. That was brute force.”

“Exactly. Gliscor and I were unable to defeat Gliscor–” There was a second scoff, and he could only imagine how Ingo must have rolled his eyes, “–you know perfectly well what I mean. Gliscor’s approval wasn’t earned through triumph, it was a demonstration of respect and loyalty. You showed Sinnoh– Arceus– precisely that, and found your way here, independent of its [intervention]. That’s an incredible victory, and I hope you’re as proud of it as I am of you.”

The response was nearly automatic, and Emmet stifled a wet-sounding laugh into his twin’s collar, “More than almost anything.”