Chapter Text
Isis is not a brave hero.
She is not the ancient goddess she was named after. She wasn’t a child prodigy, nor was she born with supernatural powers, nor was she a fearless undefeatable warrior. She wasn’t a girl of endless beauty and purity, and she wasn’t a flawless or perfect human. Isis, to herself, was an average soul, meaning almost nothing in this world. And she was completely satisfied with this.
Isis enjoyed her simple, peaceful, and monotonous life, rescuing injured Pokemon in the wild, or taking in ill pokemon owned by trainers living in the village, and nursing them back to health. She was perfectly fine with doing simple little tasks - like helping her aunt feed the pokemon, or sweeping the floors of the sanctuary - for the rest of her life. She didn’t have those big dreams that all other kids her age had, because she didn’t need them. She was happy.
It’s a sad, bitter irony, the events which soon came to pass.
Knock-knock-knock!
Isis was sweeping the floor when she heard the knocking on the wooden door. The girl immediately dropped the broom, running over to open the door. She opened the door to a young man about her age, with ginger hair, hazel eyes, and a goofy grin - her best friend of 10 years.
“Isis!” the boy greeted with a wave. “What’s up?”
Isis crossed her arms. “No injured pokemon?”
“Nope! No need to worry, I was just stopping by to-”
Isis slammed the door in his face.
She watched his head pop out in front of the window, pouting.
“Gee, someone’s grumpy today.”
“What did I say about bothering me in the mornings, Ray?” she said with a glare. The icy blue color of her irises made her feel even more intimidating than usual. “I have a lot of work to do, go bother me later.”
“Yeah, yeah, I remember.” Ray pressed his gloves and face to the cold window. “But I found some cool stuff in Granddad’s old books, and you just gotta know about them!” He knocked on the window panes loudly. “Please? I can help you with your work later, if you really need to!”
Isis thought for a while, before opening the door. “Alright, get in here already. You must be freezing to death after standing out there for so long.”
“It’s really nothing,” he said as he stepped in. As soon as he stepped in, however, he felt the comforting embrace of the warm house, the source of the heat originating from the fireplace at the very back of the sanctuary. “...Oh, that feels good.”
Isis leaned on the reception desk which was at the front of the house. “Alright, spill. Also, you get sweeping duty.”
Ray grinned as he took a notebook from his messenger bag. He opened it, and showed off the contents to his friend. “So, there’s this place called the Dyna Tree Hill. Every few decades, these Legendary Birds migrate back to the tundra! Apparently, this year, they’ll be here, so maybe we’ll find one roaming about!”
“Wait, so you’re saying…”
“I wanna catch one! If I’m gonna take on the Gym Challenge, I need to be only the best of the best! With a legendary pokemon on my side, it’ll be a breeze, right?”
Isis rubbed her temples. “I doubt that’s even allowed. Anyways, taking on a legendary pokemon would be suicide for two kids with almost zero battling experience.”
“But we do have a Pokemon with amazing defenses, and is Supereffective against all of the legendary birds!”
On cue, Isis’ partner Carbink popped up from under the counter, levitating itself onto the top. It twitched its ears, happy to see Ray.
“And I have my Swinub too!” Ray added. “I think we have a chance!”
Isis stared at him with disbelief. “Ray. I believe in Swinub's potential as much as you do, but I need you to understand that it cannot defeat a legendary pokemon.”
Ray sighed. He turned to leave. “Alright, fine. I’ll find something else to do, then.”
Isis studied him with suspicion. “Not buying it.”
“Seriously?” groaned an exasperated Ray. “What do you mean, ‘not buying it ?’”
“You’re gonna go find the Legendary Birds yourself, aren’t you?” She crossed her arms. “And you’ll get yourself killed.”
“...Dang it.”
Isis stood up straight, placing Carbink back in its pokeball. Ray was a stubborn kid, he’s been like that for as long as Isis had known him. Which - by the way - was pretty much her entire life. So it was easy for her to assume that Ray wouldn’t give up so easily. Unfortunately, Ray knew her just as well. In fact, he anticipated her defeated response.
“...Fine, I'm not gonna let you rot in the middle of nowhere. Also, you’re taking shovelling duty too.”
“You’re the best, Isis! I knew I could count on you to not let me die a horrible and brutal death alone!”
“Just like always…”
The heat of the sunlight in the icy cold tundra created a feeling which was indescribable to those who had never experienced it themselves. Isis was used to cloudy, snowy skies, so seeing the sunlight shine on the fluffy white snow made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Still… she’d rather be enjoying the warmth of the hearth.
“Hey, birdies!” Ray called out. His yell was so loud that it echoed through the mountains. “Come on, you must be aching for a fight!”
“I get more and more concerned for you every day,” muttered Isis.
“I’m glad to have someone looking out for me!” His smile seemed genuine. If there was one thing Isis appreciated about him, it was his honesty. He was rarely ever sarcastic, as opposed to herself, who pretty much thrived on sarcasm.
“I feel like you didn’t think this through,” Isis remarked as they marched up Snowslide Slope. “How exactly do we plan on finding a legendary pokemon?”
Ray shrugged. “Well, the world works in mysterious ways, doesn’t it? Surely, we must be destined for a legendary encounter today!”
“Okay, what the hell?”
“Hear me out, okay? I’m an aspiring rising star, a future ace trainer, confined to the restraints of my home, like a caged bird who longs to touch the sun! You’re a simple, humble nurse-in-training, someone who wants her life to stay static forever, like a bear cub afraid to leave its den! It’s the perfect setup for the greatest story ever, right?”
“...And?”
“And just look at this world!” He spread his arms out, turning around, taking in the beauty of the tundra. “Amazing things happen every day! Everyone has their own story. Ours starts today!”
“You’re reading too many fantasy novels. I should tell Aunt Charmaine to stop lending you hers.”
Ray sighed. “You’re hopeless, you know?” He scratched his head. “I guess…we think in different ways, you know? We’re two of a kind, and yet, we couldn’t be any more different. “
Isis thought about this for a bit. Ray did have a point. She was quiet and reserved, he was loud and friendly. She liked to stay in the sanctuary and tend to the pokemon, and he preferred to go out into the tundra and explore. She was calm and analytical, he was energetic and emotional. The list went on and on. She wished she could be someone like him - someone who could put a smile on anyone’s face just by existing.
“Maybe you aren’t a dumbass all the time.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, then!”
A small smile formed on Isis’ face, followed by a chuckle. All of a sudden, a dark shadow flew overhead, stopping the two in their tracks.
“No way…” muttered Isis as she recognized the silhouette. Ray just gazed on in awe and excitement.
Moltres. The Malevolent Pokemon. A Dark and Flying type Pokemon. Its sinister, flame-like aura is said to consume the spirits of any creature it hits, rendering them as burnt-out shadows of their former selves. It was a chilling description, for sure. But Ray’s grandpa always told him to be brave, and to never give up when faced with danger or adversity. He took a deep breath, and threw his pokeball.
“Swinub, use Ice Shard!”
Swinub froze shards of ice from the water in the air around it, launching the sharp projectiles towards Moltres. Though the shards shattered immediately on impact, it was still enough to anger the pokemon.
“No way,” muttered Isis. “No way are we actually gonna fight this.”
“We are!” Ray said, shoving her out of the way of a Fire Blast. The scorching flames grazed Isis’ cheek, leaving a small burn. Ray looked over at her. “Whatever you do, don’t let yourself or Carbink get close to the flames surrounding Moltres! Alright, Swinub, use Powder Snow!”
Isis vigorously shook her head, snapping herself out of her daze. She quickly got up, took out a pokeball, and released Carbink.
“Carbink, Power Gem!” she commanded, though it wasn’t nearly as confident as Ray’s.
The attack managed to stagger Moltres, and the Powder Snow froze its beak shut.
“Yeah! Take that, ya overgrown Torchic!” exclaimed Ray.
But the battle wasn’t over yet. The Legendary bird quickly melted the ice, launching a powerful Overheat towards the two pokemon.
“Carbink, use Protect!” Isis said quickly. But it was too late. Carbink’s shields couldn’t come up in time, and the powerful volley of fire quickly knocked out the two pokemon, and knocked their trainers right off their feet and into the snow.
Moltres let out a powerful call, as it began to approach the two trainers and their fallen pokemon. Isis held her breath, her heart pounding. The legendary pokemon began to charge up a powerful point-blank Overheat, and in that moment, the two kids’ lives flashed before their very eyes.
And then, a miracle happened. Or, rather, came.
A barrier appeared in front of them in a blink of an eye, shielding them from the powerful attack. The pokemon who had created the barrier quickly drove the bird away with a single powerful attack which both of the kids were unfamiliar with.
Though, shortly after, the mysterious pokemon collapsed into the snow, having expended the last of its energy. Immediately, Isis’ instincts flared up, and she quickly rushed to the pokemon’s aid. As she began to check its vital signs, as well as search for possible injuries, Ray was still sitting in the snow, stunned.
“What. Was. That.”
“Get over here and help me already!” Isis snapped, already annoyed with her friend. She was tired, shocked, and frantic, and it was only the middle of the day! She took out her first aid kit as Ray scrambled over to her.
“It's suffering from severe injuries which we must tend to,” Isis said, examining the multiple scrapes, wounds, and burns on the pokemon’s body. “Pass me the bandages.”
Ray immediately complied, and the two worked in sync to help stabilize the pokemon’s condition. It was times like this where Isis was grateful for their experience in first aid. After a few minutes of work, the two got up and rushed back to the sanctuary.
Ray waited at the counter as Isis tended to the mysterious savior, as well as Carbink and Swinub. Although he’s been helping Isis with her rescue missions for a long time, he didn’t have the knowledge to go with his experience. From this point on, it was all up to Isis.
He took a peek at Isis and her Aunt Charmaine. Disinfecting, cleaning, bandaging… even stitching wounds. He looked away, still squirmish at the sight. He wondered how Isis could work with these pokemon, and how difficult it was to have to see pokemon in those conditions. Her mental fortitude… it must be amazing. Why couldn’t he be like her?
He walked out of the sanctuary, needing some fresh air. The cold air stung his cheeks, making them turn red. As his hand landed on the fence by the carrot fields, scraping the fluffy white snow off as he dragged it across the wood, he noticed an old stone statue in front of a field.
It was an old and eroded rendition of some ancient forgotten pokemon, the carved details beginning to fade. Still, he couldn’t help but take note of the crown-like bulb on its head, the orbs which surrounded its neck, and the cape on its back, which had the appearance of fairy wings.
He couldn’t ignore it, because its features matched the pokemon that had saved him and Isis.
…What, or who, is this mysterious savior?