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[attr="class","textbox"]He could, easily, for he was as the wind itself. But there was a time and a place for that, even in the competitive streak that pulsed through Suicune's blood. Right now, it was the time for the old fashioned way, stumbling through a thicket two sizes too small while hot on his little sister's heels.[break][break]

"Woah there, hold up!" He had to admit, even with the urge to indulge in the powers that had been stripped from him, this was nice. The winds granted unprecedented freedom, yet it was not their freedom he currently craved. Instead, it was the feeling of skin no longer pierced with poisoned chains, the sight of the horizon stretching endlessly before him, the dewy warmth of the woods he had fought so hard to reclaim.[break][break]

He'd done so in more ways than one. A year ago, before Elisabeth's curse and his ascent, he had tried bringing Eris here to grow a Gracedia bloom together. Shellshocked and scarred, she could barely muster up the urge to face the forest. Now she traipsed through, heart full of love and laughter. She'd made the woods a home, and he'd made them a home for her.[break][break]

Now that they were back from Ultra Space, they needed homes like this more than ever.[break][break]

These quiet days needed to be savored while they lasted. Developments around the once and former floristry were nearing completion. Soon, Isaac would be a lot busier. He'd be pursuing the dreams of long-lost friends and fondly-held foes, all while becoming the guide that Suicune knew he could be. Carefree days like this would go from the reality of his post-Rocket existence to precious rarities.[break][break]

Even if he didn't make the choice himself, the region would make it for him. The Triad had been suspiciously quiet. Kyurem's blight on the region had been cleansed. The Megalopians, if held to their word, would be away for a long while. What was left to distract Hoenn from the drums of war?[break][break]

In Isaac's left hand was the cleansing mists of peace. In his right hand was the jagged frosts of war. Yet for now, the only thing he had eyes for was the one he yearned to protect.

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[attr="class","textbox"]Despite one having a mouth and one having a muzzle, their smug grins were near identical. It was as if Eris' hadn't just doubled over from exhaustion. Even her words were another challenge, a dare she was too tired to keep but too excited to hold back.[break][break]

"I'm still a lot bigger than I was back then, y'know." A part of Isaac figured his body'd burn through all that legendary power sooner or later, and he'd return to his lithe and toned physique. Clearly, that wasn't the case. "Keep getting stuck in all those dang shortcuts you pick."[break][break]

As if re-buying his entire wardrobe hadn't been enough of a pain.[break][break]

He wondered if their old selves would even recognize them anymore. Hair of brown and hair of blue took the place of their old blonde. They were way less scraggly and underfed than they'd once been. The bags under their eyes, etched in deeper by every paranoid sweep of the horizon, were starting to lighten and thin out. Even their scars weren't quite so dark and jagged against their flushed, healthy skin.[break][break]

If they wouldn't recognize them, at least they'd be proud. Despite everything, they'd made it with their lives and their selves intact.[break][break]

Maybe that was why, despite being far less tired than Eris, Isaac was content to flop down to the ground. Through the gaps in the treeline, he had found just the right spot to watch the clouds go by. "The Icelands melting is the best thing to happen to this place, if you ask me. Never thought we'd see another day like this."[break][break]

And he'd fight every day to keep it that way.

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[attr="class","textbox"]"Reiner's a cat. He's, like, more limber than water." Isaac was pretty sure if Reiner put his mind to it, he could worm his way through the slot of a gumball machine. Then Eris would beg him to show her his technique so she could slip in there and have unlimited candy. Except because she is ridiculous, she'd get stuck in there and need Isaac's help to get her out.[break][break]

As Eris settled in next to him, he gave her hair a fond ruffle. "Oh, please. When I was your age I could barely put one foot in front of the other. You're gonna be running circles around me by the time you're in college." He sighed, a bit of worry shining in his eyes. "I . . . know it's because you kinda had to be better. But, damnit, sis. I'm proud of you. And I'm always gonna be."[break][break]

Sometimes, the most important things in life could come from the worst tragedies.[break][break]

He held a finger to the sky, as if making a show of feeling the trails of the winds. "Far as I can tell, yep. It's for the best, but. Kind of a shame." At this point, "cold" just meant snow, and snow was great. "Soon as I get used to it, poof. Just that Merlo luck again."[break][break]

" 'Course, who the heck's gonna tell us we can't have hot chocolate any day of the year?"

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[attr="class","textbox"]"Hey, c'mon. You know what the best feeling a big brother can have is?" He looked wistfully towards the clouds, imagining the heights at which Eris could soar. "Seeing just how far you can go without having to need me." Yet, as he said this, his hand wrapped softly around hers.[break][break]

"But that'll never change that I'm always here for you."[break][break]

It wasn't that Isaac would ever turn his back on Eris. Even when the world came to an end, he'd be by her side and she'd be on his mind. No, it was that Eris deserved better than being stuck relying on him for the rest of her days. He wanted her to go where he could never follow. He wanted her to know the peace that he could never experience. He wanted her to live the life that he could have only dreamed of.[break][break]

Right now, that life was spent being squimshed by a massive cat.[break][break]

"That is one impressive pancake," he said, letting out a whistle. As he did, he spun back up to his feet, giving Reiner a few gentle taps to the side. "C'mon, big guy. Up and at 'em. Or am I gonna have to give you pats 'til you roll off of your poor trainer?"[break][break]

Before he could fulfill the promised contract, his body stiffened. It wasn't due to Reiner's electric mane. No, it was a whisper along the winds, the faintest sound causing him to freeze up. He knew these woods like the back of his hand, and that meant when something wasn't right he was always the first to know.[break][break]

"You guys hear that?"

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[attr="class","textbox"]"We do."[break][break]

This wasn't their cheerful frolic, a mock race between two siblings savoring a day together. This was serious. So, too, did Isaac's pace take a turn for the serious. He took one step, two steps, three, and then he let the winds take him. His tailwind spurred Eris and Reiner onward, allowing them to follow in his wake no mater how quickly he ran.[break][break]

Perhaps, in a way, they were two of a kind. Both for fun and for emergencies, neither was willing to let the other lag behind. Long gone were the days where Isaac would suggest that Eris should stay back from danger. If anything, there were few in the region he would trust more to have his back. They were a team - no, a family, and that didn't stop when the going got tough.[break][break]

The deeper Isaac ran into the Petalburg Woods, the more uncomfortably quiet they'd become. This wasn't the comforting quiet of him and Navy's sacred spring. No, this was downright suffocating. Isaac looked to the treelines for answers, and yet no Pokemon came to greet him. "I don't like this . . ." he murmured, dispelling the winds so he could take a closer look.[break][break]

It was only when he did that he felt a presence at his side. A single Combee drone came buzzing out from the treeline. It fluttered around Isaac and Eris, its tone an urgent, stammering wail.