Nurse Isabelle and the Kanto Pokédex: the Diary of a Travelling Nurse

#146 Moltres for PrincessLostSoul

Moltres, the Flame Pokémon. Moltres sheds embers with every flap of its wings, creating a brilliant flash of flames as it flies. By dipping itself into the magma of an active volcano, this Pokémon can heal itself. It's been seen migrating to the south with the coming of spring, and is said to bring an early springtime to cold lands. Moltres is rarely seen, however. – Nurse Evergreen

Because it was so important to Nurse Isabelle that these elemental birds – Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres – were treated with the respect they deserved, she not only wrote a lot about it for a while but also visited places of worship. The Joy of Snow Peak, where Isabelle had spotted the Articuno, supported her in this endeavour. That Joy had also built a little shrine in her centre as a sign of respect and gratitude to the guardian of the mountain range her centre was in.

Isabelle made another visit, this time to a more southern region, where supposedly a temple had been built to honour Moltres. It was on an island near Cinnabar Island so the climate would be similarly hot. Leaning against the railing of the ferry, Isabelle watched parents with small kids enjoy their time off until September would come and schools started again. Izzy wore her pair of shorts again with a tank-top to give her milky shoulders some sun. Whenever the sun kissed her skin, she merely grew more freckles, however.

Hefting her backpack up her shoulders, Izzy was one of the first to disembark, wary of the long road ahead. She'd ride Ponyta, but her attire wasn't suited for it. The leather of the saddle would chafe her legs raw, so she settled for walking. With a slight breeze, it was really pleasant out. Not being one for the cold, Isabelle enjoyed her walk in the sunlight and shade from the trees as she marched up the volcano.

True enough, there were buildings visible against the volcano. There were on a smaller mountain, almost a hill. At first it was unclear how to get up there but, walking the path up the volcano, it soon became clear. A rope bridge was suspended between the volcano and the temple, where lava would not be able to reach it.

Not often had Izzy feared for her life, but the rope bridge was terrifying. To hover hundreds of meters above the ground on a wooden bridge made her clutch the Pokéball containing Pidgeot. If she fell, she'd toss it and hopefully be saved before she fell to her death. Slightly comforted, Izzy walked on until, after what felt like a lifetime, she made it to the opposite side.

At the temple, a woman awaited her. She wore a dress with the pattern of flames on it, which hid her hands and feet from view. Her hair was blond and curly, like Izzy's, but cut much shorter to frame her face and give her a playful look. A Flareon sat at her feet.

"Welcome to the Moltres Shrine, Nurse Isabella," she said with a slightly dreamy tone.

"Isabelle," Izzy corrected, but the priestess paid no heed.

"We're honoured to have you here. The Joy from Cinnabar reads your articles and suggested we invite you for some publicity. Your ideology is noble and fits our cause."

It sometimes bothered Izzy how much rested on publicity and money. Temples for the sake of faith were almost unheard of. But she kept silent as she followed the girl into the temple. There was a brief tour, but Isabelle didn't pay much attention after the first few rooms. Most chambers looked absolutely the same; either bare in which the priestesses lived, or with a brazier of Moltres' flames.

Eventually, she excused herself to stand in front of the biggest brazier of all, which stood on some sort of patio-balcony overlooking the rest of the island and the sea. Specks of islands could be seen at the horizon. It was one of the most gorgeous things Izzy had ever seen.

A cry had all the priests and priestesses in a flurry of activity as they robed and assembled at the patio Isabelle was standing at. A figure moved in the distance, coming closer and closer. The first thing that came into focus were the flames, which caused the younger ones behind her to go into a frenzy.

When Moltres neared the temple and spread her wings to land, Isabelle noticed something even more interesting than the mythical bird of flame. A tiny bird flew with her, one the size of a Pidgeotto. Moltres had a young! This was truly unique.

The fiery bird did not stay long. It stood protectively near its young as the priests and priestesses bowed in reverence. However, as Moltres and the baby prepared to leave again, having accepted some food, Pidgeot released himself from his Pokéball. Stunned, Isabelle was too late to stop him as the medical bird, which was as tall as Mamma Moltres, hopped over and puffed out his chest. As Pidgeot showed off his powerful wings and cooed excitedly, probably bragging of his job as a hero, baby Moltres looked up in awe. When Mamma Moltres rubbed her beak against Pidgeot's, Izzy's heart sank.

Slowly, she approached the tall bird, stroking his plumage. "You planned this, didn't you? Was being a medical bird part of the plan, to make yourself special enough for her? She seems to like you. Will you be okay, though?" Pidgeot cooed and rubbed his beak against Izzy's hair, preening. His face was hot from Moltres' flames. "All right, then. Go ahead, big buddy. Be happy." She chuckled and added: "give this little one here a brother or sister."

As Pidgeot and the two Moltres flew away, Isabelle had a heavy heart. She'd vowed to help the birds of legends regain their numbers, but she had not expected to lose a friend so soon because of that vow. It was for the best, Izzy told herself, despite the fact she only had three filled Pokéballs left.