Chapter Text
“How has your week been?” Emmet asks, smiling over at the woman in front of him. Her excitement is so palpable that it could catch something on fire; his mood reading powers are hardly needed to tell that something is different about today’s counseling session than previous ones. “I noticed that you seem very happy!”.
Raleigh mirrors his expression and then some. “My brother surprised me over the weekend for my birthday!” She says, her hands smacking both thighs. “If it weren’t for his guide Lucario, I probably would have knocked him to the ground with my hug!”.
Emmet chuckles as he sees that particular memory flash to the forefront of her mind. The tall man is nearly toppled over like a Dynamaxed Copperajah by Raleigh rocketing through her apartment door to greet him, but he’s indeed saved from a potential fall by a reflexive grab from his Pokemon. “He has low vision, correct?” He clarifies, noting his white cane, and she nods. “I thought so. However, I did not forget being told how close you are with your older brother. I am glad the two of you were able to spend time together in person rather than over the phone.”
Raleigh is more than ready to recount how she celebrated her birthday for the next twenty minutes, and while Emmet could just quickly search through her memories all at once, it’s more enjoyable to watch them play out live. “We got a little too drunk during karaoke, but it was so funny hearing Peter sing some old jazz song!” She laughs, and he watches the scene in her mind like a comedy special. Her brother definitely belts out a tune in a verrrry non-sober fashion.
“I can only imagine,” Emmet smirks. “Are you feeling less homesick now?”.
The Hammerlocke University student thinks about it, but he already knows the answer. “Huh… Yeah!” Raleigh says, and his small smile turns into a satisfied grin. While the spring semester had been academically challenging for the freshman history major, it was the intense Galarian winter weather that had worn her down more considerably—seasonal affective disorder. Being so far away from home had not helped either; it was difficult being an international student all the way from Icirrus in Unova. Thankfully, the national parks of Galar put Raleigh at ease. Taking walks with her Pokemon in the idyllic landscapes had been one of Emmet’s suggestions for relaxing from stress.
“I know you have summer classes, but afterwards, perhaps you could plan a trip somewhere,” Emmet recommends, seizing this moment. Maybe she could explore beyond merely Lake Axewell. “I hear that the Crown Tundra is rich in Pokemon mythology.”
Raleigh’s interest is caught immediately, and Emmet is victorious. “Oh? I’ve heard a little about it,” she answers, but to his surprise, her attention switches tracks. Advocating her own idea? That’s incredible progress. “One of my classes this summer has been about the wars between the kingdoms of Galar and Kalos, so I’ve gotten super interested in visiting Geosenge or Camphrier lately.”
“That sounds verrrry fun! Kalos is a beautiful region, especially in the summer,” Emmet says, recalling his time spent there on a vacation with his friends—to celebrate their graduation from university. “Would you go with any of your classmates?”
The woman suddenly stares down at the floor, but if someone other than Emmet was her counselor, they would have assumed she was feeling anxious. Instead, he saw memories of a person with bright purple hair filling her thoughts like cotton candy.
“Maybe. There’s someone I really enjoy spending time with in my Dark Ages class. Her name is Janelle, and they’re really smart and funny,” Raleigh smiles, and Emmet grins.
“You should invite them along!” He says, and embarrassment floods her body.
“Well, I don’t know, she might be busy! What if she says no?” She stammers, and he specifically reaches out to find any memories about this person. Emmet discovers one where Janelle has explicitly texted Raleigh about wanting to hang out more, and he resists the urge to roll his eyes sympathetically.
“But what if she says yes? There is no way to know for sure unless you ask!” Emmet counters, and Raleigh’s thoughts immediately brighten with romantic daydreams. She is most definitely in love with this Janelle person. Maybe he can try something with this new information.
He leans forward in his chair to say this next part. “You were verrry brave to attend university in a country you have never been to, so I think you are verrry capable of asking your classmate if they would like to visit Kalos with you,” Emmet says, and Raleigh seems to consider this. Anxiety is difficult, but she is more than capable of successfully managing it. “It is black and white, as the saying goes in Unova, yes?”
She nods, and confidence radiates from the woman like sunlight. “Yeah! I think, I think I’ll ask her!” Raleigh smiles, and Emmet grins at yet another victory. For the remainder of the session, she discusses her experiences with Janelle as easily as a history lecture. This, along with the accompanying memories paralleling her words, gives him various ideas of new strategies to implement in future meetings.
Raleigh is his last client of the afternoon, so when she leaves, Emmet is able to close up his office and walk to the nearby train station. Hammerlocke is a massive, sprawling city, so the public transportation is verrrry ideal. Truth be told, riding the tube home is actually his favorite part of the day. There’s something amazing about trains that he can’t quite put his finger on.
While Emmet enjoys relaxing in his seat to gaze out the window at the urban scenery, he likes to observe his fellow passengers as well. It’s early summer, so most are commuters like himself, going home after a long day at work. However, there are also teenagers journeying across the city with their friends under their newfound freedom from school. One particular trio is giggling amongst themselves as they discuss their evening plans, and it makes Emmet wonder what it would have been like to grow up mortal. Hell had a number of similarities to the living world, but when your peers could read minds and turn into fanged beasts that rival a Garchomp, it’s a verrrrry different experience. Is he missing out on things by not being truly human? How would things have turned out if he had never died?
This intense longing for something he could never have surprises him greatly, so Emmet tries to refocus his attention to the window. There’s no need to get caught up in existential thinking when he’s verrry happy with how things currently are. He has a career that he thoroughly enjoys, friends to spend time with, Pokemon to nurture and command in recreational battle, and a loving father. His life seems picturesque, so where is this sudden desire for something missing originating from? Is this the mid-life crisis Emmet has heard so much about?
Perhaps he should seek guidance on this, then. He does not want to falter in his work. Thankfully, he knows exactly who he should see about this.
The rest of his commute goes by uneventfully, but instead of leaving the station when Emmet arrives at his stop, he waits until the crowds thin around the turnstiles before swiping in with a particular travelcard that no ordinary passenger would ever possess. In an instant, the population of the station goes from dozens to hundreds. It seems that he isn’t the only demon rushing back to hell for the evening.
Emmet lets his mask fall with a relieved sigh. He sheds the appearance of a forty-five year old man and returns back to his more youthful age of twenty-nine. Both forms look nothing alike, so that his true face will always be hidden from the living world. The less of a trace demons can leave, the better—they live forever, after all. How many different faces will Emmet have to wear over the next several lifetimes? The next thousand years, even? It’s a verrry daunting concept beyond his comprehension, so he shakes his head and boards the train.
All the seats are taken, but Emmet is fine with standing since he sits in a chair all day for work. He expects this ride to go just as smoothly, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Out of the corner of his eyes, right before he could glance at his phone, Emmet spots a man at one end of the car flanked by a pair of women. Panic and pleasure intermingle from the trio in a concerningly high amount, so he extends the range of his hearing to investigate.
“Oh, wow! We almost didn’t catch up with you in time,” one of the ladies huffs, tossing navy hair over her shoulder.
“Yeah! I never would have expected a scrawny thing like you to be able to run so fast—even if you are a Wrath type,” the other says, her manicured hand grabbing the man’s shoulder in a way that makes his brain flare up with discomfort. The two women enjoy this reaction, and Emmet frowns.
“Well, uh, I enjoy going for jogs,” he answers, trying to lean out of the physical contact. His glasses are askew, so he aligns them into their proper position. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I, I need to make a phone call…”
The man tries to escape, but they block his path. “Oh, you should give us your number then! We definitely need to talk again some time,” the first suggests, her eyes probably undressing the man with her x-ray vision. “Maybe we could get to know each other beyond just first names.”
Emmet does not give the woman a chance to grab the man’s waist. It’s a verrry high offense for a demon to use their powers to harm others. “Excuse me! I believe they are uncomfortable with your advances,” he says, practically marching forward with swinging arms across the train toward the three of them. The terror in the man’s eyes immediately turns to relief, but the women scowl at Emmet.
“This is none of your business, fag,” the woman with fake nails says, apparently making an assumption on his sexuality by the mere presence of his ear piercings. Interesting. How a shallow-minded person like this ended up here and not in heaven, he’ll never understand, but that’s no problem. Emmet knows how this will end. It’s only a matter of time.
“Don’t you know who he is?” A person standing nearby hisses. Ah, that was fast. Equally terse whispers echo around the car, so he waits for the reaction of the duo in front of him.
“No, I’ve never seen this faggot in my life,” the other woman says, emphasizing her scorn with an upturned chin and defiant eyes. Neither of them show any remorse for making this man uncomfortable. It had been merely a game to them. Well, if they have never seen Emmet before, they are about to not be able to see. At that moment, he stops holding back his aura and the effects are immediate as everyone in the train shields their eyes.
While angels have halos, their divine light bound and restricted, demons do not have such limitations. Theirs are free, and as a result, can be verrry bright depending on one’s rank in hell. In Emmet’s case, it is truly blinding and second in radiance to only one person.
When he suppresses this light once more, the two women are no longer angry—quite the opposite. “Mr. Morningstar, I’m… I’m so sorry!” One gasps, but he grins. They will not do something like this ever again after seeing such a display, such an obvious threat of potential, righteous hellfire. He could burn their shadows into the walls in an instant.
“Please, Mr. Morningstar is my father. I am Emmet,” he says, offering his hand to the young lad behind them. They take it, and Emmet swiftly makes for a less-crowded train car. As the two of them pass by other passengers, people clap their approval, but he doesn’t stop until the women are no longer in sight.
“How are you feeling right now?” Emmet eventually asks, and the man freezes up even more so than before.
“You… you could just check,” they stammer, running a hand through their bright red hair, and while Emmet indeed could, he will always seek to confirm.
“How are you feeling right now?” He repeats, and the man sighs.
“Fine, or, uh, better now. Thank you for that, Mr. Mornin—I mean, Emmet,” they say, and he smiles.
“It was no trouble… Hm, what is your name?” Emmet continues. It would be verrry rude not to ask.
“Oh, it’s Valérie! Valérie Conrad!” He says, grabbing onto the handrail as the train goes around a curve. After ensuring that he’s no longer in need of assistance, Emmet steps aside to prepare for the end of the ride—the trains that go to hell are verrrry fast—and when the doors open, he’s ready to walk onto a station platform in the city of Inferno.
Emmet has not been back home in three months or so, but the urban scenery remains unchanged. The evening skies are a beautiful shade of orange with a wide assortment of cumulus clouds, the glass of the plant-covered buildings reflecting the light in a breathtaking way, and he feels himself relax even further. The shadow cast by the largest structure in the city, a repurposed warehouse known as ‘The Gates’, reminds him of his final destination. It’s only a ten minute walk from the station to his father’s workplace, and Emmet has no issue reaching it.
Streams of people are exiting the front entrances for the day, and quite a number of them call out in greeting—it’d be hard to forget the face of your boss’ son, after all. He manages to find an empty elevator and takes it to the 66th floor.
“Oh, Emmet! It’s so good to see you!” Berith calls out from behind his receptionist desk after the elevator doors open.
“Likewise! Is my father still here? I was hoping to catch him by surprise,” Emmet smiles, stepping out into the lobby, and the secretary nods.
“He should be finishing up his last meeting of the day any minute now. Why don’t you take a seat? We just got those chairs the other day!” Berith suggests, and Emmet chooses the nearest red leather armchair. It’s incredibly comfortable, but he’s just barely sat down when the door to the office slams open.
“Are my ears mistaken, or has my son returned home for a visit?” Father says, his blue eyes locking onto Emmet in an instant.
“Will I ever be able to surprise you?” Emmet asks, grinning as he steps over to Father for a hug.
“My clairvoyance has no rival,” Father counters, and the blasphemous joke makes them both laugh as they wrap their arms around another.
“You have a new hairstyle,” Emmet adds, noticing how the feathery blonde hair extends past his shoulders.
“Your attention to detail is appreciated as always, starlight,” Father says, ruffling Emmet’s own hair to his immediate annoyance and causing them to laugh again.
“We should have dinner tonight,” Emmet says, and Father smiles with anticipation.
“A new Unovan style pizza place has opened in town. Shall I order one of our favorites for take out?” Father suggests, and Emmet nods eagerly. The two of them love Unovan cuisine—especially pizza.
They then leave The Gates together, and after Father shocks and awes the restaurant owners with his demonic presence, they pick up their half-Alolan half-cheese and olives pizza.
“Oh, you used to love this place as a child,” Father says, and Emmet turns his head to see Paradise Park across the street.
“I see some picnic tables. I think it would be a great spot to eat our pizza,” Emmet suggests, and his father agrees.
The picnic tables in question are next to a playground, so as they take up slices of their respective halves, they can watch as children race all around a climbable replica of a Giratina.
“How long do you think it has been since you took me here as a kid?” Emmet asks, watching as a sibling duo chase each other over the legendary Pokemon.
“A very long time, but it feels like just yesterday that I first brought you here,” Father muses, staring off into the distance, his blue eyes catching the dying sunlight. As they get lost in their memories, Emmet finishes his cheese and olives slice of pizza quietly. He doesn’t really remember his childhood here in hell that clearly. It was anything but an awful one, but it feels like something is missing from it.
“What are you thinking about, starlight?” Father asks. “You seem troubled.”
Emmet smiles. “How do you know me so well?” He asks.
His father chuckles. “I raised you after all. I can read you even without my clairvoyance.”
The implicit reminder that he is not Emmet’s biological father makes him curious in a way that he never has before. He never cared to learn more about his previous family, because surely they must not have wanted him, right? That was what Emmet had always believed growing up, even if he knew now that adoptions were not always so black and white.
“Emmet?” Father presses, and he sighs.
“What happened to my biological parents? Was I abandoned and left for dead? Is that why I was condemned to hell? Because of their sins?” Emmet says, the words spilling out of his mouth before he can stop himself.
From across the table, Father casts a very serious but kind gaze. “Oh, my child. You were very much loved,” he says, his eyes shining with sadness. “Have you really believed for all these years that you were simply cast aside? Thankfully, that is not the truth.”
He sighs. “You were a stillbirth, and while you passed away, your identical twin brother did not,” Father continues, and the phrase ‘twin brother’ hits him like a freight train. He has a twin?
“So, why did I end up here alone? Why did my brother live and I did not?” Emmet asks, and his father looks uncomfortable.
“Heaven had plans for your brother, and they involved making him as subservient to their will as possible. Your existence as his twin was apparently a rogue variable to these plans,” Father says, and he sighs again. “However, that is all that I know on the matter. It took a great deal of effort to learn even that much on why an infant was condemned to die for some fool’s grand design.”
Father absentmindedly rubs at the large scar on their forearm that Emmet has wondered about since childhood—it is clearly from being harmed by an angel’s heavenly light—but never dared ask its origins.
“I have a twin brother…” Emmet says aloud, staring at the wooden grain of the table, and it feels utterly natural to say. Has this been the missing piece in his life?
“You could meet him, starlight,” Father suggests. “He lives in the Unova region.”
The thought of meeting them fills Emmet with a mixture of excitement and dread. What if they do not like him? He tries to steel his resolve with a deep breath. “How will I find my brother? Where should I start my search?” He asks, and his father smiles.
”I have no doubt that angels will seek to stop the two of you from meeting…” Father starts, but Emmet scoffs.
“They cannot stop me. Let them try,” he says, and now his father laughs.
”Oh, how you remind me of myself. Now then, I think your first step should be to obtain a train pass for the Battle Subway in Nimbasa.”