Jubilife Village is in a state of pure joy and bliss as it holds one of its largest festivals in Hisui in many years. The environment flourished with life and activity, from talking, to eating, to dancing to the beats of large, boisterous drums. The warm orange glow of the lanterns, shining onto the streets, and the shimmer of large, booming fireworks far up in the sky only bring more lustre and beauty to an already lively atmosphere. For one night, every human and Pokémon from all walks of life put aside all fears to celebrate the true values of companionship.
Yet, amongst the upbeat music and happy faces throughout the village lies a man, distanced and shut off from the festivities. He stares towards the ground, his mind too foggy to properly immerse himself in the otherwise joyful atmosphere.
All he could recall from his surroundings was the loud beats of the drum reverberating in his lungs. A loud, continuous noise rumbles within his mind, the pitch rapidly syncing to the beat of the drums. The sound felt reminiscent of a low, ominous thunder, yet something about it felt obscure and unnatural, as if it didn't belong in this world. What was even more peculiar was that he couldn't rub off the sentimental feeling as if he had heard it a long time ago, but couldn't recall what it was or when he had heard it. His mind was consumed just by the thought of this unwavering familiarity, unable to think about anything else, which irked him immensely.
As the minutes passed, the strange sound of thunder never settled down, only growing increasingly louder. He could feel his heart rate speed up, in sync with the drums, which were now so powerful that their reverberation pierced his lungs. He tried looking down at the ground and covering his ears to drown out the noise, only to have it intensify; his surroundings felt no more than a hazy mush. He felt desperate to cry out in agony to make the noises stop, but before he could even open his mouth to beg, a loud, imposing horn–
"Hey Ingo, everything okay?"
Hearing a voice call out to Ingo was enough for him to snap out of his trance. It was Irida. Her face was beaming with excitement, albeit slightly winded from moving around, yet Ingo could still sense some concern in her gaze towards him. Ingo let out a relieved sigh. "Oh! Apologies for my absent-mindedness, Irida. Everything is fine, I just have a lot on my mind. That's all."
"I mean, if you say so, but it makes me worried to see you shut off in a time like this," she replied. An awkward, drawn-out silence was between them, neither knowing how to respond next, when suddenly a thought sparked within Irida's mind. "Could it be that you're upset about not going to the Rift yourself?"
Ingos' eyes grew dreary as he turned his head towards Irida, "That's not entirely the case, it's more or less the opposite."
Ingos' eyes grew dreary as he turned his head towards Irida, "That's not entirely the case, it's more or less the opposite."
"Huh, how's that so?" asked Irida.
Ingo had to think for a moment about what he should say, "I… had a short meeting with the Trainer not long after the announcement of their departure. They invited me to come along, mentioning that I would benefit by coming with them into the Rift."
Irida's face lit up after hearing what Ingo said, "Wait, that's a good thing to happen, right? You finally get to discover your history!"
"Yes, that is the case. But… there's something I don't feel right about either." Ingo tugged at his shirt collar as he felt his throat tighten, struggling to know what he should even say. "Up to even this day, all that remains of my past life are vague bits that I can't comprehend. The only real memories I have are within Hisui; you, the Pearl clan, and even my Pokémon are the only connections I know of. If I were to go to the rift, that would also mean having to leave everything in this life behind, permanently."
After hearing Ingos' explanation, Irida's expression began to sink more solemnly. "I won't deny that this is a difficult choice for you, Ingo. Your circumstances for being in Hisui have always been a peculiar enigma. Yet, even under these strange circumstances, you have more than proven to be strong and reliable, both as a warden and in your innate knowledge of Pokémon." She tried to give a small reassuring smile towards Ingo. " You have made much more of a positive impact towards the relationship between humans and Pokémon in Hisui than even you might realise, but I also believe that now is the time for you to head towards the next chapter of your life, and discover where your true destiny lies."
"I can't just abandon my position as Warden, leaving both the Pokémon and their territory abandoned."
"You don't need to worry about that, Ingo. We can always find somebody to take over your position and ensure nothing happens to Sneazler and your other Pokémon."
Ingo slumped his head low and let out a stressed sigh as if he wasn't able to fully get his point across before looking back at Irida with a worried expression. "In all honesty, I am terrified to make that decision for myself. What if the truth of my history turns out to be worse than I expected, and I have no way of turning back, never to see you or my Pokémon ever again?"
"I unfortunately don't really have the answers for sure, nor can I determine the outcome of this either. This is ultimately something that you will decide for yourself, but whatever decision you make, the Pearl clan will be there to support you either way." Once Irida had finished her sentence, she reached over to hug Ingo, much to his surprise, stating, "And no matter what, we will never forget you."
Ingo struggled not to tear up as he heard Irida's words, significantly relaxing as he embraced the hug, "Thank you for everything you've done."
__________
After the hug, the two of them quickly said their departures as Irida had to attend more of the festival activities. With Ingo's head clearer, he is better able to seek the whereabouts of the people around him. Many of them were partnered up with their own Pokémon, whether it was to celebrate amongst each other, perform on stage, or help out at the vendors. He observed a tight-knit connection between the humans and Pokémon that would have been impossible to achieve in his first years of Hisui. No longer was there this fearful rivalry between man and beast, and now, a budding friendship that is soon able to blossom into something beautiful in time.
By then, he could feel the touch of cold claws up against his shoulders, which startled him at first, only to look up to find his Sneazler looking down at him with a cheery smirk. "I didn't expect you to come around here," Ingo said, surprised.
The Pokémon let out a cry of joy in response.
"Well, since you decided to come, how about we walk around the area together?"
Sneazler made a nod in agreement. Ingo took a moment to get himself situated, and once he was able to stand up, the two of them ventured their way into the crowd side by side.