Four years ago:
Inyssa whimpered and struggled to get away from the sharp, icy fingers pressing tightly against her shoulder.
"I-it hurts! Please...!"
Those words snapped the woman out of whatever state she'd slipped into. She retreated her hand from Inyssa's shoulder as though the touch had suddenly burned her and took a step back with wide, fearful eyes.
"N-Niss…"
They stood there for a few seconds that felt eternal, both unable to move. Inyssa tried to keep down the sob trying to claw itself out of her throat, tears forming in her eyes. The older woman opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of something to say.
Then, her expression changed. It was almost imperceptible. In the pain and panic she was in, Inyssa wouldn't have noticed if she wasn't already an expert at picking up the cues of danger in those eyes. If before her face had been a dark cloud, now it was the first flash of lightning before thunder fell. Even without words, she understood perfectly.
No one could know about this.
"I… I'll…" Inyssa swallowed with difficulty, feeling like she'd throw up any second. "I'll g-go back to bed."
"Yeah," said the woman, the green of her eyes so pale it could have passed for gray. "...Goodnight."
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Inyssa blinked again, her gaze so set on the wall's clock that she could visualize its gaudy floral pattern every time she closed her eyes. Her head lay on her arms, which were resting on top of her living room's table. Next to her was a medium-sized, finely crafted white backpack, full of everything she could possibly need for her journey: camping equipment, non-perishable food for both humans and Pokemon, a couple changes of clothes, a folding knife and a blister pack she'd filled with her prescriptions at the nearby pharmacy during her trek back.
The cold had subsided somewhat, and strong rays of sunlight filtered through the windows into the room, slowly warming up the place. It was almost twelve o' clock, which she constantly muttered to herself under her breath. She had finished packing by ten, foolishly hoping that for once her mother would wake up at a reasonable hour. But alas: Hope and experience, hats and weather, as her favorite writer Shauntal liked to say.
Usually she'd simply yell at her to get up, but considering the occasion she thought maybe that was too aggressive of an approach. Yeah, nothing like waking up to your daughter telling you she was going away on a dangerous journey. That'd go just swimmingly.
At twelve ten she heard her mother's grunts upstairs. Ten minutes later her footsteps echoed through the floorboards into the room below, and by twelve thirty the woman finally came down from her room, her dark hair messy and her eyes barely open and adorned with dark bags.
She spoke with a melodious and firm voice, with a hint of raspiness hidden in it. "Good morning, dear."
Inyssa grit her teeth, the dear coming from her mother piercing her ears like poison.
"I made coffee, though it must be cold by now." She pointed at the kitchen. "I need to talk to you, so it'd be great if you sobered up as soon as possible."
"Oh... that's lovely," she replied between yawns, weakly scratching her face, "but I think I'll just have water. Coffee can mess up your teeth you know."
Coming from someone who used to drink herself to sleep every night? she thought bitterly.
She bit her lip and tried to hide the venom in her eyes, "That's nice. But as I said, I need to talk to you about something."
"Can this wait, Niss? Please?" Her mother pleaded, almost falling asleep on her feet. "I had a rough night, and I need some peace and quiet right now. You don't mind, right honey?"
If Inyssa had something in her hand it would have snapped in half. Peace? Quiet? After everything she'd done, after...
"I'm serious. This is important," she repeated, reminding herself to breathe slowly. "Today I went with Barry to route 201 and..."
She was interrupted by her mother raising her hand. "I said not now," her honeyed voice was breaking up, letting out a hint of impatience. "You can tell me about you and Barry playing later, okay? Now, can you go to the pharmacy and get me a couple of aspirins? That would be wonderful."
Inyssa stood up so fast she almost toppled the table into the ground. She could feel the blood rushing to her face, along with the pain of her fingernails digging into her palms.
"I'm going away!" she spat at her. "Barry and I met Professor Rowan today and he gave us Pokemon. I'm going on a journey with him and we're going to challenge the Gym Leaders." She was out of breath by how fast she said all that. "That's all. Thanks for listening, I'm going now."
Her mother froze, as if not yet fully grasping what she had just heard. After a couple seconds her eyes went wide and she almost tripped to the ground trying to get to Inyssa.
"Wait, what!? What do you mean... a Pokemon journey? How did you...?"
"I'm not going to repeat myself," Inyssa said scathingly. "I came to say goodbye. Don't worry, I'll be back by summer or next autumn, it depends on how strong the Gym leaders are."
"But... but you're not of age yet, are you?" She blinked fast, a look of confusion on her face. "You're... only seventeen, right? Are you sure about this? Don't you want to... wait a little bit? You're still young Niss, what if..."
Inyssa shot her an icy look. "Nothing's gonna happen to me."
"It's just... I..." Her mother put her hands on Inyssa's shoulders, and she allowed it for once. "I hadn't realized you grew up so much. I mean, you know what they say, time flies, right?" She smiled at her, but Inyssa did not smile back. "Are you... sure? I-I mean don't get me wrong, you've been getting better and... and the doctor said you probably could go once you got your license, but... are you... are you sure?"
"Yes, I am." She wanted to sound strong and secure, but her voice was wavering.
Her mother stared at her for a while, as if trying to determine something from her expression. Her hands strongly gripped Inyssa's shoulders, not wanting to let go, and she tried to pretend she didn't notice her tearing up.
Her voice came out wavering and slow. "I... guess I should've seen it coming. Shadi did the same thing when..." Her lips pressed into a pale line. "J-just... promise you won't follow in her footsteps. Please... You're the only one I have left."
As she heard her mother's words something sharp began to grow on the inside of her chest. "I'll be okay, don't worry about it." She shrugged dismissively. "I'll send you letters."
She grabbed her backpack and headed for the door, avoiding her mother's eyes. She was almost there when she heard her voice again.
"Inyssa..." she whispered, tone fearful. "Is it... is it because of me?".
Her mouth was dry, and her hand was grabbing the doorknob so strongly that it would've broken if it weren't made of metal. She opened her mouth and tried to think of something hurtful to say.
"It's not," was all she could muster. "Bye mom. I'll miss you."
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Before she knew it she'd arrived at the intersection of Route 201. Lost in thought, she'd almost walked right into the tall grass, until Barry stopped her. She hadn't even noticed him standing there; he stared at her with a puzzled look on his face.
"Hey there lady, don't you know it's dangerous to go alone around these places?" he smiled, and Inyssa tried to do the same. "Uh... hey Niss, are you okay? You didn't even see me."
Inyssa straightened herself up and moved a bang of hair that was obscuring her vision. "Sorry about that. Just thinking about something else, you know?"
She avoided Barry's eyes, but the boy immediately understood the problem. As dim as he was, he had been Inyssa's friend for years, and he knew that the only thing that could get her so down was a talk with her mother.
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"It's all cool, I'm not the type of guy that holds grudges." He placed both hands behind his head and smiled. "Besides, you gave me time to train Pedri. Starly and Bidoof are much easier to beat than I imagined."
Inyssa gave him a non verbal thanks for not pressing on the subject.
"Is that really all there is around here?" she asked, disheartened. "Well, I guess I have to start my team with something."
"Oh! Oh!" Barry started jumping in place with a gleam in his eyes. She knew exactly what that meant. "Niss, I have an idea! A really, really good one, even better than today's idea!"
"Now now, let's not push our luck. Even a broken clock is right twice a day."
"Just hear me out. See that path right there?" He pointed at the forked road that went away from Route 210 into a bunch of pine trees. "That way is Lake Verity. Now that we have Pokemon I bet we can go there!"
Inyssa narrowed her eyes. Lake Verity was a place that no one in the town was allowed to go to unless they had a Pokemon with them. Even then, most of the trainers in town seemed to avoid the place. She had once asked Shadi about it, and her sister's answer had been nothing short of cryptic.
That place is very... ancient, even more so than the route that surrounds it. I'd stay away if I were you.
"I don't think that's a good idea. We won't get different Pokemon there if it's so close to Route 201."
"Unless..." Barry paused for a moment, probably for dramatic timing, "the legendary Pokemon is there."
She narrowed her eyes, wondering if she'd heard him right. "That's... really dumb. If the pixie legendary really lives in there someone would've seen it by now."
"Unless..." He started doing the dramatic pause again, but Inyssa punched him in the arm softly. "Agh! Fine, but what if it only shows up when close to a great trainer or someone with a pure heart? I mean, we definitely don't have the second one, but we're so good with Pokemon that it should be good enough, right?"
She tried to argue that the legend of the pixie Pokemon was nothing but a bunch of bull, but Barry was having none of it. Inyssa sighed, defeated, and threw her arms into the air. It was impossible to argue with Barry.
She turned around towards the path and stomped the dirt beneath her as she walked. "Fine, let's hurry it up. I want to reach Sandgem before the sun goes down."
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The path became narrower and darker the more they advanced, trees growing in size and casting a deeper shadow on top of them. Inyssa swore she could feel the temperature drop way more than it should have, and even strangest yet they didn't encounter a single Pokemon on their way. She walked with her arms crossed, trying to protect herself from the cold, while to her left Barry went at a much slower pace than usual. He seemed nervous as well, evidenced by the fact he wasn't talking her ear off for once.
"Keep your eyes open," she said, barely above a whisper.
"Oh, now you believe there's something in here?" Barry intended to sound playful, but he came off as scared.
"There's nothing here, but... just in case."
They arrived at the feet of the lake, after passing through an unusually dense patch of grass and trees. The dirt close to the water was almost frozen, and several banks of snow were piled up under the pine trees close to them. Despite the cold, the actual lake looked very inviting. The crystalline water was glistening in the light of the sun, almost blinding them, and for a second, Inyssa felt the strange need to jump in and start swimming.
"Jeez, this place's giving me the willies." Barry whispered, rubbing his arms vigorously.
She took a couple whiffs of the air, nose wrinkled. "Something feels wrong. It's not supposed to be this..."
Someone was there. They hadn't noticed him before due to the mist covering the entire lake, but only a few feet from the water stood a tall, slim man. He was dressed in a black and gray suit, hands behind his back. She gestured at Barry, who was as surprised as she was, and they both moved closer, trying not to make too much noise.
"I've missed this place... its stillness remains so calming..."
Both the kids froze. They shouldn't have been able to hear him from that distance, and yet it felt like they were standing next to him. His voice was sharp and cold and both of them felt a painful chill up their spines at the sound of it. Inyssa grabbed Barry's arm without thinking, arching her back like a scared Glameow.
"It's been a long time," he continued, not paying any mind to them. "Why do you continue to avoid me? I have forgiven you for what you did to me, so why? Are you that afraid? So much that you would abandon your home and your kin." He sounded so... odd, like he was trying to emote through his voice in a very forced manner. "Well, worry not, Mesprit. You and I shall see each other quite soon."
As he turned around the pale blue of his eyes cut through the mist, meeting with Inyssa's. Her heart dropped, and she felt her veins turning to ice. There were no words to describe the terrible cold and apathy behind his gaze.
They exchanged looks for a moment that felt like a whole minute, and then the man began to walk. He moved as quietly as a ghost, hands behind his back, and only stopped once he was inches away from the both of them. Inyssa could now see him clearly; his face was as pale as snow, with marked cheekbones and enormous bags under his eyes.
"Allow me to pass," he ordered.
Their bodies moved before they could reply. The man walked between them, not even glancing in their direction, and went up towards the path that they had just walked through. As soon as he was out of sight Inyssa breathed a sigh of relief and let go of Barry's hand.
"The heck was that about?" he asked, whispering. "Who was that freak?"
She tried to keep her voice from wavering. "No idea. And I don't want to find out, either."
"Did you hear what he said though?" Barry's eyes shone again, and he smiled for the first time since they'd arrived to the lake. "He mentioned the legendary Pokemon! He knew Mesprit's name!"
She crossed her arms, "Yes, but he also said it wasn't here anymore. Normally I wouldn't listen to a crazy guy's ramblings, but he seemed... dangerous. Maybe he's right, and Mesprit left a long time ago."
"Oh come on, it's obviously hiding in the lake," Barry pointed at the misty body of water, smiling. "It must be waiting for us."
Inyssa was too late to stop him as he headed for the lake, fast as a Jolteon. Luckily he stopped right before reaching the water, so he wasn't going to dive in. Unfortunately his idea wasn't much better.
"Hey Mesprit! It's me, the legendary trainer you've been waiting for!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Come and face me so I can catch you!"
His voice echoed all throughout the lake, fading a few seconds after and submerging the lake into silence once more. Both of them simply stood there, waiting for some kind of response; Barry expecting the legendary Pokemon to appear, and Inyssa fearing a bunch of Starly would come and attack her friend. They waited for almost a minute, until Inyssa's patience ran out.
She came down to where he was and grabbed his arm strongly, "I'm telling you, it's not here. Let's go, we don't want to keep the professor wait..."
She felt a sudden chill, and the rushing sound of a gust of wind hit the back of her head. A grumbling noise came from behind them, and both trainers turned around as quickly as possible, Pokeballs in hand. A few feet from then, the grass started rustling.
"It's here!" Barry screamed, ecstatic.
"No fucking way," she whispered.
The grass kept rustling in their direction. They both prepared for battle, but Inyssa knew that if that was a legendary Pokemon they would have zero chance to beat it. The only reason she agreed to go with Barry was to get him off her back. If Mesprit really was there...
A dark shape jumped at them. They were about to throw their Pokeballs, when they saw what emerged from the grass. Contrary to what they imagined, it was just a small rodent, fuzzy and brown, with long buck teeth.
"Oh," Barry's expression changed in an instant, his smile vanishing, "it was just a Bidoof."
Inyssa couldn't help but laugh at her friend's heartbreak. She patted him on the back and stepped in front of him, Pokeball still in hand.
"Maybe next time buddy," she teased him. "Let me take care of this one, I need to start catching Pokemon if I'm hoping to get stronger."
She opened the Pokeball, releasing Enma through a flash of light.
"Are you sure you want that thing?" Barry asked, raising an eyebrow.
She shrugged. "I need to start somewhere. Besides, every Pokemon can be powerful with the right trainer." She headed next to her starter. "Now Enma, use..."
The Chimchar dissipated in a flash, running at full speed towards the poor Bidoof. Before anyone could react, the rodent went flying towards the grass, landing with a resounding hit, the same way Pedri had done before. She seemed barely conscious by the time Inyssa got to her.
"Jeez, that thing is savage!" Barry laughed nervously. "Sure you don't want to trade, Niss?"
She stomped her feet and curled her fingers into fists. "What do you think you're doing, Enma? You have to wait for my command, if that attack was just a bit stronger you could've seriously hurt her!"
Enma shrugged, clearly not caring for her desire to catch such a weak Pokemon.
"I'm gonna have to teach you manners later." She put him back in his Pokeball. "As for this girl..." She barely had to aim to get the Bidoof, she wasn't even moving. With a couple wiggles, the Pokeball closed itself, confirming her first catch. "Great, your name is going to be Bertha."
"Yikes, I'm glad I'm not one of your Pokemon," Barry whispered to himself. "Now that you took care of that dangerous beast, we should get the heck out of this lake. I'm freezing my butt out here."
"Yeah, we need to get to Sandgem quickly." She saved the Pokeball in her belt. "I want to get my Pokedex as soon as possible."
"Let's get going then!" he yelled as he lowered his knees and pointed west with his finger.
He put himself in running position once again, but this time Inyssa was fast enough to grab him before he began sprinting.
"Wait a second!" She grabbed her backpack with her free hand, and started looking for something inside. "Before you go, your mom told me to give you this."
She handed him a big paper parcel, folded three times and with a small drawing of a green heart. Inside there was what appeared to be a very detailed map of the region.
"She said you forgot this because you ran off so quickly," she explained. "She also gave one to me, because she's great and you're like... the worst son of all time."
He grabbed the parcel and stared at it excitedly. "Aw, that's so considerate! Thanks Niss, I don't know what I'd do without you guys."
"That's what I'm here for, to get you out of trouble." She smiled, and then remembered something. "Oh... right. There's something else I have to give you."
"Huh? Did my mom pack something else for us? Is it food? Please let it be food!"
Inyssa tried not to let herself be too embarrassed by it, while looking for Barry's gift. After a couple seconds she found it, and took it out of the backpack. It had the shape of a rectangle, and was as big as a tea box. It was made out of finely crafted ceramic, and was painted with oils in a sharp yellow color.
"Here, I made it for you," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "It's a badge case, for when you get through the Gym Leaders."
Barry grabbed the case, and stared at it for a couple seconds. His expression was unreadable.
"Wow... thanks, Niss." he looked at her and smiled brightly, and Inyssa felt something jump inside her. "It's awesome, I'll use it all the time!"
"I mean, hopefully you'll only need to use it eight times," she smiled back. "I knew you would probably lose the badges once you got them without a case, and I couldn't have that. We still have to face each other for the title of Champion, remember?"
He gave her a thumbs up. "We'll get there Niss, trust me. And once we beat the Champion, we'll decide once and for all who's the best."
"Just don't feel bad once I kick your ass on top of Victory Road."
"Yeah yeah, keep yapping," he turned around again, ready to leave. "We'll see about that once we reach Oreburgh. Until then, see you in Sandgem! And don't keep me waiting!"
He ran away as fast as usual, once again leaving her alone there. She was starting to notice a pattern.