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Ingo isn’t quite sure how long it’s been since he found himself in Hisui with no memories of his past. It’s certainly been a while… a couple years perhaps? All that time, and still no proper recollections ever come to him, only the vaguest notions of familiarity.
Of course, all of that is shoved to the bottom of the priority list in light of the strange rifts and distortions that have started popping up in Hisui. The increasingly common space-time phenomena bring along unfamiliar pokemon and items clearly foreign to the land, and it makes Ingo wonder if he himself had arrived in Hisui in such a way.
It’s likely that the rest of the Pearl Clan think so as well with the increased looks of suspicion he’s been receiving lately. Ingo doesn’t pay it much mind, however, busy with his own responsibilities as a warden, and he’s glad that his fellow wardens and Clan Leader simply dismiss the rumours and treat him normally. He assumes they’re more concerned with the distortions themselves, what with the very apparent hole in the sky.
It’s a typical morning (in this bizarre normal that Hisui now exists in) when Ingo leaves his tent only to see a white plushie just innocently sitting in the entryway.
Ingo blinks down at it.
Is that a plushie of him?
He picks it up and is surprised by how soft it feels in his hands. It has a curious squeeziness as well. It’s such a small little thing, and upon closer inspection, Ingo finds that it really does have his likeness. Except the coat and hat are white instead of black. And it has a wide smile too.
The warden scans his surroundings and only sees the usual wilderness of the highlands. The soft toy currently in his hands certainly isn’t something that naturally belongs in Hisui. With how it was sitting just in front of his tent, it was probably deliberately placed by someone or something…
Could it have been the distortions? Many foreign items always appear from those things. In any case, Ingo is more willing to believe that rather than the “it’s a sign from almighty Sinnoh~” spiel.
Perhaps the reasonable course of action would be to leave the plushie be, or to keep it as far from him as possible. After all, it’s not exactly a good sign to suddenly find a toy with your features on your doorstep. With how superstitious the people of Hisui can be, such a thing is more ominous than curious.
Ingo stares down at the toy in consideration, lightly squeezing it in his hands.
…It really is unexpectedly soft.
…
He decides to take it with him into the tent. For further inspection, of course.
From the perspective of those in the Pearl Clan, Warden Ingo is not very approachable. Whether it’s due to his solemn demeanour, his unknown and questionable origins, or his peculiar mannerisms, the people typically keep a substantial space from the lone warden.
But recently, the people are keeping their distance for a different reason…
Warden Ingo has the image of a stern man with an unchanging frown who takes his responsibilities very seriously. But that image is comically offset by the little plushie he insists on carrying around as of late. Seriously, he takes it everywhere.
The people are completely at a loss as to why the man started bringing a soft toy with him wherever he goes. The fact that the thing shares his likeness only stirs up more questions and rumours. Such things could easily be answered by simply talking to Warden Ingo, but as unapproachable as he is, no one has yet been able to ask.
The curious case of a warden with a plushie obviously draws the interest of the children, but they’re quickly deterred from their nosy investigations by a surprisingly loud and somewhat frightening scolding from the man himself. Apparently, the children had tried to steal the toy away from him after he’d been stubborn in not letting them touch it. So… now the people are very aware that the warden is incredibly touchy when it comes to his mysterious plushie.
Strangely enough, the plushie itself is always in mint condition, never a tear or blemish on its soft body, despite being carried everywhere the warden goes. Of course, including when he visits the noble Lady Sneasler’s abode. It’s almost impressive how the toy hasn’t yet been ripped to shreds by the pokemon herself or her kits, ending up like the warden’s own ragged clothing. It only goes to show how much he cherishes the plushie.
…It’s either that or the thing is cursed.
Warden Ingo takes his little plushie everywhere. Even to warden meetings.
It’s somewhat amusing to see a grown man seated formally on a floor pillow with a plushie neatly seated on his lap. It’s even more amusing that it’s Ingo with his dour expression, creating a strange contrast with the smiling toy.
Virtually everyone in the room is looking at the odd sight, sneaking discreet or not-so-discreet glances at the soft toy during the meeting. All except Calaba who’s rather trained in her unimpressed resting face and has seen much stranger things in her long life.
Palina can’t seem to wipe the smile off her face, Lian is mostly confused, and Gaeric is just blatantly staring at the toy on Ingo’s lap, as if it would suddenly come to life. The Clan Leader herself tries her best to ignore it, but her eyes are drawn to the spot of white every time she looks in Ingo's general direction. It’s very much a distraction, albeit an admittedly adorable one.
When the meeting finally somehow reaches its end, Irida quickly calls out to Warden Ingo before he can make his departure with his plushie in hand.
“Please stay behind for a moment, warden. There’s something I would like to discuss with you.”
“He really takes that thing everywhere…” Lian remarks as he watches his fellow warden going about his day in the Pearl settlement. Naturally, the man carries his white plushie with him, hugging it close to his chest with one arm.
Calaba hums from her spot next to Lian. “I recall having something like that in my childhood… Not necessarily a soft toy like that, but rather a trinket that I would hold dearly.”
“But isn’t it strange? For him to carry a toy around, even more so a toy of himself?” the young warden asks.
Calaba shrugs. “Such things can be therapeutic. And you can easily tell that the item is very precious to Warden Ingo, toy or not. Wouldn’t a youngster such as yourself understand that more than anyone else?”
Lian pulls down on the brim of his hat, looking at his feet. “…As wardens of the Pearl Clan, we have an image to upkeep. I… Isn’t this unprofessional?”
“Warden Ingo can do as he pleases,” Irida answers from behind the two, having overheard their exchange, and Lian startles at the unexpected interjection. “Ah, excuse me for interrupting.”
“Not at all, Clan Leader!” Lian quickly replies and tries to hide his embarrassment under his hat.
“I’ve already spoken to Warden Ingo about his recent behaviour and we’ve come to an understanding,” Irida says. She looks over to the warden in question with a fond expression. “That plushie is important to him, enough that he feels like he should have it with him at all times.”
“Oh…” Lian utters.
“Lian,” Irida starts with a gentle seriousness. “Many would say that the two of us are rather young for the positions of responsibility that we hold. Ingo certainly thinks so, and he said something interesting to me earlier… “Don’t be afraid to be a child once in a while”.”
And with that phrase, Irida walks off towards the man, carrying a small bag in her hand.
Calaba places a hand on Lian’s shoulder. “Perhaps you should have a look at that mineral collection of yours again.”
Lian watches the exchange between Irida and Ingo. The Clan Leader hands the bag to Ingo who promptly pulls the strap over his shoulder and carefully places his plushie in the bag. It sits in there snugly and the warden pats it on the head, a warm look in his eyes.
Lian hums to himself. “…Perhaps I will.”
Occasionally, Warden Melli leaves his station by Lord Electrode’s domain, for the practical reason of gathering supplies and for the other reason of pestering his fellow warden of the highlands. As of recently, the most common topic of ridicule is the weird plushie that Warden Ingo always has with him.
“I pity the people of your clan, having a man who shamelessly carries a stuffed toy around as a warden. If only you would give such care and attention to your noble!” Melli scoffs with dramatic flair.
The discussion is one they’ve had many times and Ingo suppresses a sigh. A different response comes to his mind, however, and his frown curls up into a little smirk.
“There’s no fooling me, Warden Melli. I can tell that you desire a soft toy such as this yourself!” he exclaims, turning the plushie around so that it faces Melli and waving its little arms at him.
Melli scrunches up his face unconvincingly and pointedly looks away with an exaggerated humph.
“I wonder what you would think of a toy with the likeness of Electrode?” Ingo says with an amused tone.
“Lord Electrode,” Melli corrects on reflex. “Such a thing is… completely unnecessary! It’s an insult to attempt to imitate my Lord’s majesty in the form of a trivial thing like a toy!” Melli exclaims with emphasised derision, but Ingo can tell that he’s not being truthful.
As much as Warden Melli denies it, he’s very much interested in an Electrode plushie. Of course, he’ll never admit that to Ingo.
“Good morning, children who came from the sky! Commander Kamado told me to let you two know he awaits your arrival in his office.”
The loud announcement comes from a man in black who stands just outside Akari and Rei’s shared living quarters. Before either of the kids can make a reply in their half-sleepy states, the man spins on his heel and marches off.
Akari and Rei share a glance.
The biggest impression would normally be the man’s clearly-not-of-this-time-period clothing, or maybe his abnormally loud speaking voice, but instead something else sticks out to the siblings.
“Was that guy just now carrying a plushie?” Rei says in confusion.
“Ugh, it’s too early for this… Imma go back to sleep…” Akari mumbles while retreating back into their home.
The children have tasks to do, however, so Rei drags his very reluctant sister to the commander’s office where they’re informed of their mission. It appears the next frenzied noble they have to deal with is the Diamond Clan’s Lord Electrode and they’ll be receiving some assistance from the Pearl Clan.
…In the form of that guy with the plushie from earlier.
The man introduces himself as Warden Ingo and he seems pretty enthusiastic to help Akari and Rei, despite the unfriendly impression he gives off with his very prominent frown. Then again, it might also just be the toy he’s carrying in his hand that makes him waaaay less intimidating. It’s kinda cute actually. The fact that the warden has a stuffed toy that looks like him. Sometimes he carries it in his hands and other times he deposits it in a little bag slung over a shoulder.
Akari is very tempted to outright address the Donphan in the room, but Rei stops her at every instance with the concern that the soft toy might be some kind of taboo they shouldn’t mention. After all, it’s weird how no one else seems to acknowledge it. Irida didn’t even look at the thing when she and Ingo were talking at the training grounds, waiting for the skyfallers’ arrival. That whiney Diamond Clan warden as well, he didn’t even bat an eye at Ingo’s plushie when he arrived to annoy them.
It’s only when Ingo is guiding the siblings through Wayward Cave that he himself mentions the plushie.
“I'm starting to recall a man who looked… like me. We'd battle and discuss pokemon, I think… The words “I like winning more than anything else” flashed through my mind just now…” he mutters out loud and then stops in his tracks. He looks down at the soft toy in his bag and gently pats it on the head. “That must be you… So that’s why I’ve been reluctant to part from this toy…”
“Umm… Mr. Ingo?” Akari asks awkwardly.
“Just Ingo is fine.”
“Well, uhh, why do you even have this stuffed toy in the first place?”
“I found it one morning just outside my living quarters, simply sitting there in pristine condition. I have no idea how it got there, though I suspect it’s from a distortion,” the warden answers and then shakes his head. “Anyhow, I apologise for the unscheduled stop. Let us proceed!” He snaps back up into a straight pose, one arm pointing directly in front of him, and he continues walking through the tunnels with the children following.
Akari cups a hand around her mouth to whisper into her brother’s ear. “Kinda sus, don’t you think? I bet someone placed the toy there on purpose.”
“What, like Arceus itself?” Rei whispers back.
“I mean… why not? Arceus gave us a god phone so I wouldn’t be surprised if it gave Ingo a plushie that resembles his probably-twin-brother,” Akari reasons with a shrug.
“…We should keep that suspicion to ourselves for now,” Rei suggests.
“And pester Arceus about it later?”
“Yep.”
“Young Rei, if you could please enlighten me as to what station we’re headed towards?” Ingo asks the boy who’s very enthusiastically pulling him along by the arm.
“Don’t worry about it! You’ll know when we get there,” Rei replies without further explanation.
“That’s not the least bit reassuring, I must say…”
Rei simply shrugs and continues to drag the warden through Jubilife Village towards a certain clothier on the main street.
Stopping at the entrance, Rei shouts out, “Special delivery! I kidnapped the guy and his plushie!”
The door slides open, revealing Akari with a rather mischievous grin on her face, and she immediately yanks Ingo into the store while Rei pushes him from behind.
“Glad to see ya, Ingo! Right this way~!” Akari says, pulling the warden further into the store towards Anthe who has measuring tape at the ready.
“It’s good to see you too, young Akari, but could you please tell me what’s happening?” Ingo asks, still very much confused while his coat gets stripped off of him and Akari snatches the bag carrying his plushie. He automatically reaches out for it.
“Don’t fret, warden! I’ve got the cutie in my small safe hands and this shouldn’t take that long anyway,” Akari assures while hugging the bag to her chest. Ingo just sighs, knowing that there isn’t much point arguing with these wilful children.
Anthe proceeds to take his measurements impressively quickly, and Ingo’s frown deepens in realisation. “Are you intending to provide me with some garments? As I’ve already said I don’t want–”
“Oh, it’s not gonna be clothes,” Rei answers as he walks up to them. “It’s a–”
Akari practically pounces onto her brother to interrupt him. “Shh! Don’t ruin the surprise, Rei!” she whisper-shouts.
“Alright, alright! Just get off of me!” Rei weakly shoves her off and she hops back with a giggle. The girl then spins around to face the owner of the store. “You got the measurements, Anthe?”
“Yes, I’ve got it,” Anthe replies and then turns to Ingo and hands him back his coat. “Thank you for your patience, sir.”
Ingo mutters his thanks as he puts the coat back on and Akari promptly gives his bag back with an innocent smile that still somehow comes off as mischievous.
“This request shouldn’t take too long, so please come back tomorrow to test the product,” Anthe says, and the two kids nod in response.
“Okay~!” they both reply.
“Will I ever get an explanation for any of this…?” Ingo asks in exasperation.
“Nope!” Akari exclaims while Rei answers, “Maybe you will tomorrow.”
“Anyway, I’m hungry! Let’s go to the Wallflower!” Akari suggests and her brother nods in agreement. They both grab each of the warden’s arms and drag him out of the clothier to their next destination.
The next day, Warden Ingo finds himself ‘kidnapped’ yet again by the skyfallers, though at least this time he’s aware that their destination is the clothier.
“Tada~!” Akari shouts as she holds up the finished product with a flourish. It’s a set of woven straps that look vaguely like a harness of some kind.
“What is that?” Ingo asks, scrutinising the thing.
“Basically a baby carrier! Like Sneasler’s basket, but in front,” Akari answers proudly.
“With how you bring that plushie around with you everywhere, we thought this would make things easier,” Rei explains, “After all, the bag sometimes gets in the way, right?”
“Oh… that’s very thoughtful of you two,” the warden says in surprise.
“No need for any thanks!” Akari replies. “Now, let’s put this thing on you first…”
A few minutes of struggling later…
“Look at that! He fits so snugly~” Akari says adoringly at the soft toy that’s now strapped to Ingo’s chest.
“Oh, this is SO cute!” Rei squeals and eagerly whips out his Arc phone to take pictures.
Ingo just stands there with his usual stone frown and stares down at the toy harness. “You two are really…”
“A handful?” Rei finishes. He and Akari share a glance and they both shrug. “We know,” they say at the same time.
“Hey Ingo, does the little guy have a name?” Akari tilts her head in question.
“I… I’ve never thought about it…” the warden answers.
Akari hums in thought. “Well then how about–”
Rei slaps a hand over her mouth before she’s able to make her suggestion. “Never get Akari to name things,” he says with sudden seriousness. “It'll always be something stupid, like Dr. Larry the 5th.”
“Hey!” Akari’s shout is muffled behind her brother’s hand and she forcefully shoves it away before thoughtfully saying, “I might actually use that name later…”
Rei rolls his eyes. “Let’s just call him mini Ingo for now.”
“Hey Ingo, I think you’ve started a plushie craze in Hisui,” Rei says to the warden one day in the midst of idle chatter. The siblings have recently been exploring the highlands for their surveying work and they sometimes cross paths with the man.
Ingo frowns deeper at the boy’s comment and looks at the soft toy he himself is holding. “A plushie craze?”
“Yeah!” Akari affirms. “Watching you carry around a cute plushie like that made me want one… So I sent a request by Anthe and…” The girl reaches into her larger-than-usual bag and pulls something out, exclaiming, “Behold!”
“She got a custom made Piplup plushie,” Rei says and lightly pokes the soft toy on the beak.
“One of a kind! Her name is Dr. Larry the 5th!” Akari introduces with a little flourish, shoving the plush in the warden’s direction.
“She really used that name…” Ingo utters.
“She really did,” Rei confirms. “Anyway, Akari started showing off her new plush to the villagers, and then only a few days later I see these things popping up everywhere,” he explains with a tone of amused disbelief. “There’s been toys of Cleffa, Happiny, Cherubi, Buneary, Pichu…”
“Eevee and all its Eevee-lutions too,” Akari adds.
“Goodness, that’s quite a lot!” Ingo comments.
“Oh, you have no idea. The clothier has a new business now, thanks to you.” Rei lightly elbows the warden with a grin.
“And like, I feel as though people’s distant outlook on pokemon will change because of these cuties rolling around,” Akari thoughtfully says while absently tossing her Piplup plushie into the air.
The warden shakes his head. “I doubt that I’m the true cause of this ‘craze’…”
“What are you saying?! You’re a trendsetter, Ingo! An influencer!” Akari shouts up to the sky while holding her soft toy above her head.
“Changing the Hisui region, one plushie at a time~” Rei adds teasingly.
Ingo huffs amusedly. “If anything, I’d say that you're the main influencers here…”
When the sky turns red and the space-time rift above Mount Coronet begins ripping wider and wider, Warden Ingo doesn’t expect the sudden intense pain in his head. As if the confusion of the current chaos isn’t enough, he needs to be further disoriented with an overwhelming headache.
He really shouldn’t be walking around in the open, let alone travel the highlands in such a state, but with the sky above him bleeding red, he needs to know if Lady Sneasler is alright. He continues stumbling forward, stubbornly dedicated to his responsibilities, which serve as more of a detriment to himself as the pain gets worse and worse with every passing second.
Inevitably, it ends up being too much and the warden is unable to keep himself upright, falling forward. He doesn’t have the clarity to brace his arms and lessen the fall, heading straight for a faceplant with the ground. The rough textures of dirt and grass should be meeting his face in his sudden collapse, and yet he instead feels something soft cushioning his fall. White fills his vision before fading to black as he completely passes out.
Under the unconscious man’s face lies a white plushie. Its soft body lays there, inert. Simply supporting the man’s head.
Then… it moves.
A small arm taps on the warden’s head, a concerned question in the action, but there’s no response. The plushie shifts and wriggles, eventually pulling itself out from under the man’s heavy head and it stands up on the ground. It briefly dusts itself off and looks up at the sky.
The sky really is red. How strange…
The soft toy pats the man’s head and still doesn’t receive any response. Hm. Not good. The little thing walks around the unconscious man towards the torso and pulls on his black coat with its nubby hands. Freeing some of the fabric, the toy then dives under the coat in search of something near the man’s belt. After a bit of awkward ruffling, it eventually finds what it’s looking for. The warden’s pokeballs.
It’s difficult to flick the latch without the dexterity of fingers, but the plushie somehow manages to release the pokemon inside. A bright flash of light fades into a Gliscor which shakes itself out and then sees its unconscious trainer. It calls out to him in alarm and looks around the area warily, finally noticing the little white plushie who’s trying its best to open another pokeball. The Gliscor tilts its head and chitters curiously at the thing.
The plushie ends up rolling backwards when it finally flicks open the latch, releasing an Alakazam which immediately zeroes in on the white oddity. Using its psychic ability, the Alakazam picks up the moving plushie from the ground and blinks in surprise, seeming to sense something.
Having the attention of both pokemon, the plushie emphatically points at the warden lying face down on the ground, then points towards the direction of the highlands. The Alakazam apparently understands since it uses its abilities again, levitating its trainer off the ground before suddenly teleporting them all away. All except for the Gliscor which is still confused, but quickly catches on to the situation and flies off towards the highlands.
When Ingo finally wakes up – fortunately without a headache plaguing him – he quickly concludes that he’s in Sneasler’s abode from all the chittering and chirping he hears. Going by how noisy she’s being and how entertained her calls are, the warden wonders if she’s playing with something. One of her lively kits, most likely.
Once he opens his eyes and slowly sits up, however, Ingo sees something peculiar in the semi-darkness of the cave.
There’s a small white plushie – his plushie – hopping and running around, and Lady Sneasler is closely watching the little thing. Suddenly, she pounces on it, holding the collar of its white coat in her mouth as she lifts it off the ground. The plushie wiggles its little arms and legs around in a struggle as the pokemon carries it like a misbehaving kit.
While seeing Lady Sneasler handling his plushie would normally elicit a very alarmed reaction from Ingo, he’s more confused by the phenomena that is a moving soft toy.
“Sneasler?” Ingo utters softly and both pokemon and plushie suddenly freeze in their movements.
Lady Sneasler slowly turns her head in his direction and then lets out a grunt, the plushie’s collar still held in her jaws. The plushie itself slowly lifts both arms and then waves them at Ingo energetically. Crawling over with the plushie still in her mouth, Lady Sneasler plops it down on Ingo’s lap, gives him an affectionate lick, and then promptly moves off elsewhere.
Ingo stares down at the soft toy who shakes itself off a little before standing up on his lap and stepping closer. Then, with its very small and limited arm span, the plushie tries to hug him, pushing its soft body against his. Its head tilts up to look at Ingo from where it was just smooshed into his belly, and Ingo sees its static expression and unchanging wide smile. Despite this, he can somehow tell that the plushie is very happy.
Ingo brings up a hand to gently pat the plushie’s back. “Well, I’ve certainly witnessed stranger things…” he remarks in amusement.
With no voice to speak, the plushie just flaps its arms, little squeaky sounds being produced whenever an arm hits Ingo’s torso. The warden can’t help but chuckle at the adorable sight.
“Alright, alright, settle down…” He carefully holds the soft toy under the arms and lifts it up so that it’s closer to his face. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, little one. I suppose we’ll need a proper name for you…”
“I’ve been having dreams, Elesa. Interesting ones.”
“Oh? Do tell!”
“They’re dreams with Ingo in them. Good dreams. But also verrry weird!”
“So, what are they about? Come on, don’t leave me hanging, Emmet!”
“I am there. Ingo is there. We’re in some place I have never seen before with people I don’t know. He takes me places and we have fun together.”
“That sounds nice. Sooo… what exactly is the weird part here?”
“I am a plushie.”
“…Well, that’s not the weirdest thing I’ve heard, but really?”
“Yup! I am a small plushie. With soft hands. And no fingers. Verrry inconvenient!”
“I bet! Guess being a stuffed toy is not as fun as you’d think.”
“Mm-hmm. One time, I almost got lost. Luckily, Ingo caught me in time. He takes good care of me. So does his pokemon.”
“Sounds like you’ve been having pleasant dreams… and good sleep too! I’m glad.”
“I am glad too… It’s strange, Elesa… Even though they’re only dreams, it always feels verrrry real…”
It’s a typical morning in Nimbasa City when Emmet wakes up to a surprise at the front entrance of his apartment.
A plushie innocently sitting on the floor.
The clothes are ragged, there’s a strange pink sweater and there’s a small patch of facial hair… but it’s undoubtedly Ingo.
A small plushie of Ingo.