Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Looks like we'll have to stop here for ship updates," Freide announced at the table as the crew was eating breakfast, and Roy instantly looked up, looking pretty sad. "Really?" He asked sadly and Friede just chuckled before taking Roy's hat off to ruffle his hair. I know you want to go out to look for the Black Rayqueza, but sometimes you have to take a break." Friede said with one of his laid back smiles, and Roy nodded before he started trying to grab his hat back because Friede decided to play keep away with him.  Liko laughed at their antics before she went to wash up the dishes with Murdock since they had just finished eating.

"Friede, didn't you go into town to see if there was anything for the kids at the post office?" Mollie asked before she took a sip from her coffee, and Friede faltered in his game of keep away with Roy just as Roy jumped for his hat. "I forgot about that," Friede said with a small smile, and Liko could feel Mollie's exasperation from across the room.  "Oh yeah, both of you got letters," Friede said as he fished around in his jacket pocket, still keeping Roy's hat out of his reach, much to the exasperation of Roy. "Liko, here's yours and Roy here's yours," Friede said as he handed each of them a slip of paper, and Roy looked up at him and with a mischievous smile, Friede put Roy's hat back on, covering his eyes much to Roy's fake annoyance and it got a laugh out of Liko and Murdock before Liko went toward her room to read her letter.

Dear Roy,

We do not know when this will reach you since you are traveling with Professor Friede of the Rising Volt Tacklers around the world. There is no easy way to say this, there never is when someone dear to someone dies. We are deeply sorry to inform you that your grandfather died late last night, he peacefully passed in his sleep from old age. We sent a letter to the last known address of your father to tell him of his father's passing. If you have any more questions, please send a letter to us, you don't even have to send a letter in response that you got this letter. We give you our condolences and wish you the best.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Best Regards, Officer Jenny from the Kantoian Police Force

Liko dropped the letter to the floor because she read it in just a few seconds, not meaning to intrude on Roy's business. She clamped a hand over her mouth in shock and a few tears slipped past her eyes for Roy and for his grandfather... Then she heard a knock on her door, and she grabbed the letter before she rushed to open it. When she did open the door there stood Roy with red-rimmed eyes and a letter in his shaking hands.  Liko quickly grabbed his hand and they disappeared into her room, and as soon as the door closed Roy gave her a hug... Liko did the same knowing what was in the letter at the front of her mind.

Why is he hugging me?? Why does it look like he's been crying???  I haven't shown him the letter... Didn't Friede say there was a letter for me?? Liko thought rapidly before Roy pulled away from the hug, and without speaking, he stuck the letter in his hands toward her, and in return, Liko handed the letter in her hands toward him.  They took the letters from each other at the same time and began to read them to themselves.

Dear Liko,

I'm sorry, I know this is a bad time to tell you this, but me and your father can't handle this.. You're. running around the world being chased by mad men putting yourself in danger, we know you won't come home, and we can't convince you to stop, but we can spare ourselves.... Liko as of now, you are no longer our daughter, as of now, you are no longer welcome back home, as of now, you are an orphan... Never contact us again, Liko. This is better for everyone, trust us.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Wishing you the best, Lucca and Alex

Liko dropped the letter and burst into tears, though she tried to quiet herself, and soon after she heard Roy sniffling beside her, and when she looked, he was sobbing too. Liko just moved over to him and hugged him as a pure reflex, but Roy turned around and held her too.  They were quiet and the only noises were their stifled cries of losing family each in their own way, but still a loss for both of them none the less.  They stood like that for a long time, a silent comfort for each other's pain, unable to form words to express what they were feeling. Eventually they sank to the floor, their feet were hurting, but they weren't ready to let go, so they just sat there still crying and holding each other because, yes individually they were in pain, but they knew their best friend was in pain, so they wanted to be there for them.

"Liko..." Roy sniffled after a while of sitting on the floor. "Yeah?" Liko sniffled as well. "What are we going to do.... Do we need to tell everyone else about this?" Roy asks, still not showing signs of wanting to leave the hug they were still in. "No, we don't have to, I don't think I could... I don't want to see how they react to it." Liko responded, and Roy nodded. "So we just pretended like nothing happened, right?" Roy asks his voice cracking. "Not always, just around the others because if we always act unbothered then it will only hurt us in the long run," Liko said, and Roy nodded. "Liko, if you need me, I'm just down the hall," Roy said after a few minutes of silence. "Same here, Roy, if you need me, I'm just down the hall," Liko said as some more tears slipped past her eyes.

Eventually, the two separated, and Roy smiled sadly before he went to his room down the hall, and Liko just flopped onto her bed with Sprigatito by her side.  Liko cried some more as she held Sprigatito because she always thought her parents would be by her side, but now they've abandoned her, disowned her, and told her to never return home. She knows Roy is probably doing something similar right now.... "Hey Liko, we're going to go out in the wild Area! Do you want to come with us?" Friede called through her door, and Liko sat up. "I'll be out soon!" Liko called and her voice cracked just a bit, and she panicked. "You alright in there, Liko?" Friede asked through the door. "Yeah, I'm fine, just need some water, my throat is just dry!" Liko called back, trying to keep her nervousness to herself.

"Ok, I'll ask Murdock to get some water for you and Roy!" Friede called back. Liko didn't let out her breath before she knew she heard the sound of his boots walking down the hall to Roy's room. Liko stood up and went to wash her face off in the sink to try to look less like she'd cried for about two hours. Liko grabbed her bag before she set off down the hall to see Roy, trailing after a smiling Friede with Cap perched on his shoulder and Liko fell in step with Roy as they headed to the upper deck.   Cap turned to look at them, and both of the kids at the same feeling that Cap was seeing right through them, and Friede turned to them.

"Cap what's going on with you with Liko and Roy today? He tried to take both of your letters and throw them in the river for some reason." Friede said with a smile as he turned to look back at both of the kids, who just smiled, though they felt uneasy and Friede looked at them for a moment like he was actively thinking about something. "Hey Friede, can you help me out here?" Murdock called, and Friede smiled. "Sure, think Murdock!" Friede said before he sped up to help Murdock who was trying to move a table off the deck by himself.  

"I think cap knows something." Roy whispered to Liko when he knew Friede was out of earshot. "How are we going to keep this between us if Cap seems to ALREADY know. " Liko asked and Roy shook his head unsure before they headed toward the others.

Chapter Text

Liko and Roy were wandering by a stream in silence neither knowing what to say in the moment, but not wanting to separate. Murdock insisted on having a picnic, and Liko and Roy were looking for berries to help Murdock out. Liko and Roy have widely different tastes in berries, and they often grow a ways away from each other so most of the time the pair would split up, but they were walking side by side, helping each other gather berries.  Friede was helping Murdock bring some more stuff from the kitchen, and he would look at the kids every so often, not wanting them to leave his sight for very long. When he went to set up the table with Murdock, it was obvious he was distracted.

" You alright there, Friede?" Murdock asked as he started placing plates down for them to use to make the sandwiches. "Yeah, I'm alright, Murdock. Why do you ask?" Friede asked as he looked away from the kids and put some more ingredients down, still seemingly a little distracted. "You just seem distracted, is all," Murdock responded, and Friede just chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I am, huh?" Friede said, a little embarrassed at himself. "You worried about the kid?" Murdock asked, and Friede jolted a little bit in surprise. "No, I know the kids are fine," Friede said with one of his laid-back smiles, and Murdock shook his head. "Friede, you're like the kid's dad, you're worried, and you aren't hiding it well," Murdock responded, and Friede just started shaking his head. "I'm not Murdock, that's just crazy." Friede insisted, and Murdock just laughed at his friend. "Sure, Friede, how about you go fetch the kids because it's about time to start making the sandwiches," Murdock said with a smile, and Friede nodded before he started heading toward the kids who were climbing about halfway up an Oran Berry tree with their Pokémon. 

"Grab that one!" Roy called from another branch up in the tree, pointing to a ripe Oran Berry not very far from Liko. "On it." She responded as she reached for it. "Hey you both ready for sandwiches?!" Friede called up to them, causing Liko and Sprigatito to stumble and fall out of the tree, and it felt like everything was moving in slow motion as Roy watched his friend tumble to the ground, and Friede's eyes grew in size before he dashed forward and barley caught her and Sprigatito before they crashed into the ground. "You alright Liko?" Friede asked as he put Liko on the ground, and she nodded, still a little stunned. Roy, in turn, scrambled down the tree and dropped right on the ground next to her, and Friede let out a breath he had been holding. 

"After all that, I say we deserve some sandwiches," Friede said with a smile to break the tension from that, and both of the kids nodded enthusiastically. "Race you!" Roy called out before running toward Murdock, and Liko stalled for a moment before chasing after him and Friede smiled at the two, though he still felt like something was off with the pair. I'm sure it's nothing...I hope it's nothing. Friede thought as he walked after the pair who were seated with the rest of the crew that came with them.  "We should do something for Dot and Ludlow too," Liko said after a while, and Friede stopped what he was doing and nodded. "What are we going to do? Dot and Ludlow don't want to come out here?" Roy wandered out loud.

"We could make them their own picnic... Indoors where they can enjoy it on their own terms." Liko said after a moment of thinking, and Murdock nodded. "That's a great idea, Liko, I'm sure they'll appreciate it," he said excitedly, and Roy jumped up to start helping Liko and Murdock set it up. Orla and Friede headed up to the bridge to check how the upgrades were doing... "That's weird the reboot bar hasn't moved at all since we left..." Orla said as she sat down and started fiddling with the controls  

Liko and Roy had set up the picnic with Murdock and now were just walking around outside in the silence since he had to be called away which seemed to accompany them a lot now since they had opened their letters... 

They were sitting, and Roy was eating a spare sandwich when out of nowhere a Wattrel blazed past him and stole it right in front of both of them. "Hey, that's ours!" Roy shouted before racing after the Wattrel with Liko chasing after him and Fuecoco, only to lose sight of him not long after that, allowing her to wander by herself. 

                                                                                                                                                                                       Liko's POV

I don't want to wander by myself I would like to go hide away from everyone... Mom and dad, they left me like it was nothing, like they hadn't raised and fretted over me for ten years... Does that mean Grandma doesn't want to be around me either, and if she wants the Pendant back??? I have so many questions that I can't ask and I don't know how I can find the answers. 

"Pika!" I heard from beside me, and when I looked down, I was met with Cap by my side looking into the foliage like he was searching for something, and I crouched down beside him. "Something wrong, Cap?" I asked, and he granted before he got into an attacking stance "Whoa, whoa, what is happening?" i asked as I backed up, but Cap just kept staring into the tree line. "Sprigatito, get ready!" I called because whatever was making Cap act like that was coming at us I hoped we could fend it off. "Magnoton!" i heard just as a Magnoton came into view, firing an Electroball at us to boot... I jumped out of the way alongside Sprigatito and Cap.

"That's not good..." I whispered softly just as Cap jumped at it with a Thunderpunch. "We need to help too!" I said, and Sprigatito nodded. "Sprigatito use Quick Attack!" I called as I got back to my feet from where I had fallen. "Nya!" Sprigatito meowed as she took off after it, hitting it dead on just as Cap charged up a Volt Tackle. "Pika-Pika-Chpi!" Cap called as he raced toward the Magnoton, making contact, sending it hurtling backward and a blue light to emit from it....

"Oh no..."Is all I could whisper as I watched before my very eyes as Magnoton evolved into Magnozone. "Pika." Cap cried, and just like the Magnozone rushed away... "What was that about?" I asked as I grabbed my Pendant for something to hold onto, and before I could dwell on it Cap was grabbing the back of my shoe and trying to pull me back in the direction of The Brave Olivine.  "Yeah, let's get back to the ship before Magnozone gets the idea to come back..." I said before I started running to catch Cap and to get away from this place as fast as possible.

When I made it back, Cap led me to outside Dot's door where Friede and Murdock where currently getting shouted at by Dot about it being too risky to fly... "Hey, um..." I whispered but was cut off by Murdock. "Liko, let's lighten the mood with a shopping trip." He said and I rushed to follow him, unsure of how to mention what just happened...

                                                                                                                                                                                   End of Liko's POV  

Chapter Text

                                                                                                                                                                                                Liko's POV
"Hey Murdock..." I said after a few moments of walking, Murdock stopped, and I stopped a little behind him. "Liko, thank you so much for the indoor Picnic for Dot, you brought that girl more joy than you will ever know," Murdock said with a bright smile as he rubbed his eyes, and I smiled at him. "It was no problem really, and a fan of Nidothing is already a friend of mine..." I said as I shook my head, trying to brush it off because really it was no big deal, I wanted to make Dot and Ludlow happy. "Do you think you can continue being her friend?" Murdock asked me as we resumed walking along the path we were on.  "Yes, of course!" I said as I smiled, and Murdock nodded. "Well, we came all this way, I think we deserve some Ice Cream," Murdock said as he fist pumped the air, and I nodded. "Yeah!" I responded, and just like that, Rockruff and Sprigatito sprinted on ahead of us toward the Ice cream stand ahead of us. I can't tell Murdock about Magnezone, not when he's so happy and excited for Dot. Besides, I can tell him later at dinner with everyone else. I need to go find Roy, I need to go find Roy, That's all i can think about and I feel a little restless because I can't see him... I thought as I bit into he ice cream bar Murdock got for me.

                                                                                                                                                                                         End of Liko's POV

                                                                                                                                                                                             Roy's POV

"Hey, that's ours!" I shouted after the Wattrel who stole our sandwich before taking off after him. We jumped over fallen trees, dived through bushes, and finally we arrived at the edge of a cliff along with the Wattrel. I looked around for Liko and Sprigatito to find them missing when they were just behind us...  Where's Liko?? She was just right here... My chest kinda hurts now that I can't see her. I'm sure I'll be fine when we get our sandwich back, and when we can backtrack and find her and Sprigatito.  I thought before I crouched down in front of the Wattrel.

I reached forward and I grabbed the sandwich, and just as I pulled it over to Fuecoco and myself, Wattrel started screeching. I threw my hand over my ears, and I saw Fuecoco do the same beside me, and Wattrel just kept on screaming. "Ok, Ok!! How about we share!" I shouted, trying to be able to heard above the noise, and just like that, Wattrel stopped and tilted his head. I sighed in relief before I broke the sandwich in half and handed Wattrel his half. Wattrel snatched it from my hand and scarfed it down before we could even start digging into ours. 

"You really must be hungry," I said as I watched Wattrel finish eating, and Wattrel just poked his head up, and the next thing I knew, he had ripped the sandwich out of my hands. "Hey!" I shouted after Wattrel took off and forced us to chase after him again. "Fuecoco!" Fuecoco called out frustratedly behind me as we chased after Wattrel. We stopped at the edge of a stream that kept us away from an old watch tower, and when I looked up there, I saw a flock of Wattrel... "When its wings catch the wind, their bones produce electricity. This Pokémon dives into the ocean, catching prey by electrocuting them." The Pokedex app on my phone said when I pointed my Rotom Phone at him,  "Why aren't you with the rest of your flock?" I asked as I crouched down in front of Wattrel.

Wattrel looked away from me and toward the tower and toward his friends, and just as I was about to say something else... "Fuecoco!" Fuecoco cried behind me, and when I turned around, a Vespiquen was chasing Fuecoco, and she looked mad... "Why are you so angry?!" I shouted as we started racing away from her, and Wattrel joined us in being chased... We were running in a rapid circle till Wattrel stopped at the edge of the river and Fuecoco and I didn't... We tripped on Wattrel and slipped into the river, but the Vespiquen stopped chasing us. "Never again," I said when I floated to the surface. "Fue-Fuecoco," Fuecoco said as he clambered onto the top of my head to get away from the water. "Wattrel, come on in, it's ok!" I called, and Wattrel looked down, and a look of fear covered his face before he rapidly backed away. 

"Wattrel, are you ok?" I asked as I scrambled back up onto land with Fuecoco. "Wattrel." He cried as he looked at the tower. "You can't fly... You're too scared to." I whispered as the thought crossed my mind, and Wattrel just lowered his head, and I smiled. "Well then, let's help you learn to fly! Like Gramps always says, "If you want to beat a fear, face it head on because you never know when the fear could come back and stop you from doing something." I said with a smile, but I trailed off and my eyes filled with tears. "That's what Gramps always said... Gramps was awesome in a way I can't describe, and now he's gone." I said as I looked down at the ground, and tears flowed out of my eyes freely, and I was unable to stop them.

"Fuecoco," Fuecoco said as I felt him hug my leg, and I smiled at him before I reached down and patted his head several times. "Thanks, buddy," I said with the best smile I could muster at the moment before I harshly wiped my tears away. "I can cry later, it's time to help Wattrel!" I said, and Wattrel looked up at me with these wide eyes before I started walking away, and he quickly, if a little cautiously, followed behind me and Fuecoco.

My chest won't stop feeling like someone is stepping on it... I need to find Liko. I thought as we walked toward a place I knew we could build up Wattrel's confidence. 

                                                                                                                                                              End of Roy's POV

Roy was jumping off a small slope into a patch of grass to build up Wattrel's confidence along with Fuecoco, even though he wanted to look for Liko so she could help with Wattrel and his chest could stop hurting... "Roy, is that you?" Liko asked, and Roy whipped his head in the direction of the path to be met with Liko and Murdock staring at him. "Yeah! Where have you guys been?" Roy asked as he stood up. "We've been out shopping. What are you doing, Roy?" Murdock asked as he gestured at Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel. "Oh yeah, this is Wattrel, and I'm helping him learn to fly since he doesn't seem that confident and kinda scared to fly," Roy responded as he went up the little slope and jumped off it again into the patch of grass. "Come on, Wattrel, you can do it!" Roy called out as Fuecoco also jumped onto the grass patch. Wattrel stood on the edge of the slope before he took the plunge and leaped off of it, and he looked around in amazement and started chirping happily. "Way to go!" Liko said as she clapped along with Murdock. "You took the first step, bud,"  Murdock said happily, and Roy fist pumped the sky.

"We should head back to the ship since it's getting dark and we don't want them to worry about us," Murdock said after a whole of the two kids, Wattrel, and their Pokémon jumping off the slope into the patch of grass.  "Ok, Murdock." The kids said before they started following him back to the airship. "Do you think Wattrel will be ok?" Roy asked, and Liko smiled at him. "I'm sure Wattrel will be ok, he seems pretty strong," Liko responded as she scooped up Sprigatito before she kept walking. Roy nodded as the two fell into their rhythm from earlier, walking side by side behind Murdock. 

"Glad to see you all back." Orla greeted them with a smile as she did some routine checkups on the ramp, and the group waved to her. I'm going to go make dinner; it should be ready in about an hour or so. You two can do anything you want until then. Murdock said with a smile as he readjusted the bag of supplies he and Liko had picked up on their outing.  Liko and Roy nodded before they headed up to the wing deck since the battlefield was down, and the two just lay down wordlessly in the middle of it and just started watching clouds and the setting sun. 

The two didn't talk, they didn't need to... They knew what the other was going through, and their respective anxieties were quelled since they were now back in one another's line of sight.  They pointed at the clouds and just enjoyed each other's company alongside their Pokémon, who were lying next to their trainers. Friede was checking up on Noctowl up in the lookout when he glanced out to the Wing deck to see the kids lying there side by side, and he watched them. Something is up with them, they've been acting off since they got their letters.... But what could be up with them? it's worrying me. I know they are strong, untrained, sure, but strong in their own ways, but I can't help but be worried for whatever reason.  Friede thought as he shook his head before turning back to the Pokémon to distract himself.

"Liko, Roy, it's time for dinner!" Murdock called as he poked his head out of the door that led to the Wing deck. The kids' heads snapped toward him, and that's when they realised how late it had gotten. The pair had spent the last afternoon taking silent comfort in each other, and now the sun had been down for about half an hour, making it nearly impossible to see the clouds above them. They had swapped to stargazing when they could no longer see the clouds without it clicking how late it had truly gotten.  "Sorry, Murdock!" Roy called out sheepishly as the pair made their way over to him, and Liko nodded, and Murdock just smiled at them before they started walking back to the meeting/dining room.  "It's good you two, just try to pay better attention to the time next time, ok?" Murdock said with his signature big bright smile.  "You got it." They responded as they entered the room before they went to grab their dishes. 

When they sat down, they started chatting about their days and Roy told everyone about Wattrel, Murdock, and Liko told them bout their shopping trip, and Orla updated them on the ship progress. "It's going to take all night, and only a little bit of tomorrow, and before afternoon, we'll be ready to launch," Orla said with a thumbs up, and everyone nodded, and Roy and Liko cheered, much to the enjoyment of everyone else. Not too much later, Liko and Roy headed off to get showered, changed, and head to bed since they wanted to be well rested for tomorrow... They were also wiped out and wanted to get space from the others;  it's of course, no fault of the others, but they still needed a bit of space. 

Liko lay down in her bed and was petting a curled-up Sprigatito as she stared up at the moonlight pouring into the window above her. I didn't tell the others about Magnozone... I'll tell them in the morning I don't think I can plaster a smile on my face right now to go tell them this... besides it was a wild Magneton that evolved due to the immense electricity from Cap's Volt tackle acting as a small scale electric burst that mimicked a thunderstone... I didn't see a trainer, so I doubt the Magnezone was there for us specifically. Liko thought to herself as she laid there trying to breath through the heavy feeling that had settled on her chest that had settled on her after she left Roy... 

"Tap, tap, tap." Liko heard from her door on the other side of the room, so she sat up, put on her slippers, and headed toward the door. "Hey Liko," Roy whispered as he stood there in his pajamas holding a tired Fuecoco, and Liko just smiled sadly at him... "Hey Roy," Liko whispered, letting the sadness she had kept at bay seep into her voice and her form, knowing she could express it, knowing Roy was in the same position as her. Roy just collapsed into Liko as she did the same, and the two held each other up, and they cried, doing their best to comfort one another. 

They did that for a while before they collected themselves and sat in the moonlight that pooled itself into the center of Liko's room, just sniffling. " I don't want to sleep by myself," Roy whispered not looking at Liko, but instead patting Sprigatito and Fuecoco, who were curled next to each other.  "I don't either," Liko said after a brief pause, and Roy nodded. "What if we go set up the living room and sleep in there?" Liko suggested after sitting in contemplative silence with Roy for a few minutes. "Yeah," Roy said as he stood up and offered his hand to Liko, who took it before they scooped up their respective Pokémon and headed to the living room.

"I've got plenty of Blankets in my room, I can't stand the cold, not with Paldea being so warm year round. " Liko said as she put Sprigatito on the couch. "can't stand it either since the island was so warm all the time, so I've got several blankets in there too so I'll grab some and bring a bunch of Pillows," Roy whispered, and the two nodded before going to grab their items. Liko grabbed eight blankets and five pillows before having to stagger down the hallway with her arms loaded up with all the stuff. She placed the stuff down in the center of the room, and Roy came back with his seven pillows and five blankets and put them down along with her stuff. The two started sorting through and making a nest-like structure with their items, coordinating with each other as quietly as possible.  

It took about twenty minutes, and that excluded them stopping for water. They grabbed their Pokémon and clambered into their pillows and blankets and got settled, and almost though it was instinct they reached an arm each and flung it over the other. "Sleep well, Roy," Liko whispered into the darkness, and she shut her eyes, preparing for sleep to overtake her. "You two, Liko," Roy murmured back before sleep claimed the pair at almost the exact same time.

Chapter Text

Murdock woke up to his alarm at the same time he does every morning, just as the sun is rising, along with Rockruff and Alcremie, to start making breakfast for the crew. Murdock walked into the living room only to trip on something. Murdock flailed around for a moment before he was able to steady himself without crashing into the ground. "A pillow?" Murdock whispered into the darkness after he got a good look at it as Rockruff started sniffing in front of him and pacing in a wide circle. It took a moment for Murdock's eyes to adjust to the darkness and another minute or so before he understood what he was seeing.

Liko and Roy are sleeping in the living room in a pile of blankets and pillows... As adorable as this is, why are they in here?  Murdock thought as he walked a little farther into the living room as softly as he could, not wanting to wake the pair. He walked to the side of their little pillow nest and saw the kids curled into each other's sides to the point he could hardly tell where Roy ended and Liko began.  Both Liko and Roy had an arm thrown over the other above their many blankets... The kids were pale as they clutched each other like they were afraid the other would disappear if they dared to let go. 

A small burst of adrenaline surged in Murdock as he saw how pale they both were so he crouched down and put his hand to both of their heads as softly as he could to keep them from waking.  No fever... Maybe I should go wake Mollie.  Murdock thought as he stood up from the kids. but just as he was about to turn back toward the hallway, he heard Liko groan before the sound of shifting blankets. Murdock froze before he turned toward Liko slowly, and he smiled softly at her. Liko's eyes were wide and dazed as she looked around, and she even glanced at Murdock, but her eyes must not have registered him because she kept looking around.

Liko looked like a lost little kid, and starkly, Murdock was reminded how young the kids are as Liko looked around before her eyes drifted down toward Roy. The shift in her expression was immediate, her eyes looked a little less lost, and she smiled, but the smile looked sad to Murdock before she laid back down into the blankets and threw her arm back over Roy. Roy, even though he was still asleep, turned, and his arm was once again over Liko like it had been when Murdock first walked into the room.  Murdock froze in confusion at the exchange he just witnessed, he was a chef; he watched people's actions instead of their words when they ate his food because actions don't lie and are worth a thousand words...

He had grown able to read people's emotions and thoughts to a pretty good degree through their actions, and what he just witnessed spoke volumes. Over the past two days, Liko and Roy have barely left each other's sides, and now this and the exchange from their barely conscious selves... They were close, really close, before they became best friends as soon as they saw each other after all, but something had caused them to grow a lot closer in the past 48 hours, something the rest of the crew wasn't there for. Both of them have been carrying something Murdock couldn't and still can't quite place, it's sadness shared sadness that's all he can think of, though it doesn't quite feel like the exact thing the pair is going through... Murdock didn't know what would cause it, even as he racked his brain for an explanation, as he started cooking breakfast.

Rockruff and Alcremie helped him cook as they always do, but they lingered near the door more than they usually did, and Murdock did too... he didn't turn on the light to keep Liko and Roy asleep because it looked like they needed it, but he would glance into the darkness like he could see them though he couldn't see a thing just like he couldn't see what was happening...

                                                                                                                                                                                      Friede's POV

I blinked my eyes open to the blaring of my alarm and to the familiar weight of a Pikachu on my chest. I smiled before I picked Cap up and placed him at the end of my bed before I got dressed like I do every morning, and by the time I got back to the room Cap was already sitting up. "You ready to tackle the day, bud?" I asked, and in response, Cap hopped on my shoulder before we started heading toward the dinning room.

Looks like we're the first ones up besides Murdock," I whispered to Cap as we entered the den to see the lights off, but the kitchen ones ahead of us on, and I could hear the sounds of Murdock humming. 

I was about to cross the den when Cap bit my ear, causing me to rear back before I was able to walk any farther. "Ow, Cap, what was that for?!" I whisper-yelled to Cap as he jumped off my shoulder and started sniffing the middle of the room where I was about to cross. I crouched down and let my eyes adjust to the darkness as I began to make out shapes on the ground in front of Cap. "Liko, Roy?" I whispered as I recognized the pair despite how covered in blankets and pillows they are and how pale they are...

"Friede." I heard someone whisper, and I jerked my head up to see Murdock and Rockruff leaning over the couch behind the kids. I motioned to the kids and their Pokémon to see if he knew what was happening, but Murdock just shook his head before he gestured for me to follow him into the kitchen. I cast one more long glance at the kids, who were clutching each other for dear life, before I softly started after Murdock with Cap at my heels.

" I know just about as much as you do. I found the kids like that about half an hour ago when I came into the kitchen to start making breakfast. " Murdock said as he turned to a bowl full of what I can only guess is batter that he started stirring as I leaned against the doorframe. I crossed my arms and stared into the den. I couldn't see the kids, especially since the couch blocked my view, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. As I did this, Murdock told me about what he saw this morning and the brief moment that Liko woke up.

The kids have been behaving strangely since they got their letters the other day. They've been really quiet and now this... I am all up for sleepovers, but Liko and Roy are so pale, and they are clutching each other like they're scared that if they let each other go, the other will disappear... The letters must have been the trigger for this, but I don't have a clue what was in them. After Cap tried to throw them in the river on the way back, I should have opened the letters before giving them to the kids... I thought as I stared into the den.

"You're thinking too hard again," Murdock said behind me, and I turned to look at him. Instead of a teasing smile like I expected, Murdock had a soft smile, and I did my best to give him one back. " I don't know what you're talking about," I said as I turned back to the den. "You're worried about them, and I am too, along with everyone else. When they wake up, we'll pretend we didn't see this, and hopefully they'll come to us when they are ready." Murdock said, and I nodded, despite the fact that I would rather just ask them, because I'm not sure why they would hide something that would cause that level of fear in the kids. It's something I would rather fix than let them suffer through it, though I know if I ask, I might scare them off especially since they already are hiding it... It's a lose-lose situation that I can't find a way around at the moment.

                                                                                                                                                                             End of Friede's POV

Liko and Roy woke up in their blanket and pillow nest, and each took a few minutes to wake up a little bit more before they made their way into the kitchen. Liko and Roy were rubbing their eyes when they sat down at the table, and it took all of Murdock's strength not to comment on how adorable they looked, but he just went about dishing out pancakes. Liko grabbed the small pieces of tomato berries even though she couldn't stand spicy food. Friede was about to point out what she had grabbed in case she was still half asleep, but before he could, Liko handed them to Roy.

"Thank you!" Roy said as he took the basket of little Tomato berry pieces and started applying them to his pancakes. Liko grabbed her usual Oran and Pecha berries, as Roy grabbed the bowl in the middle of the table that was full of whipped cream provided by Alcremie and handed it to her, and Liko smiled before she started making her pancakes. Friede and Murdock looked at one another for the briefest moment as a way to comment on the excellent non-verbal communication between the pair before they continued doing what they were doing before.  Liko and Roy started talking about their plans for the day. Roy chatted on about finding Wattrel, and  Liko said she would help him out as much as she could with Roy's plan on helping Wattrel fly. Friede sipped on his coffee with a smile as he chipped in on the conversation in case Roy's plan didn't work, while Murdock finished another round of Pancakes as Mollie, Orla, and Ludlow walked in. 

Once the kids finished up, they cleaned their plates before taking off toward where Roy saw Wattrel last, while everyone else was finishing up their plates and checking over the ship. "Wattrel!" Roy called out as the pair walked toward the stream where they saw Wattrel gazing up at his friends on the nearby tower while he was stuck on the ground. Wattrel turned toward Roy's voice and tilted his head when he saw the fishing pole, harness, and fake Wattrel. "It's to help you fly!" Rou shouted excitedly, and Wattrel looked at Liko and tilted his head again.

"Oh yeah, this is my best friend Liko and her partner Sprigatito, they're here to help you too," Roy said as he motioned to Liko and Sprigatito in her arms, and Wattrel nodded before they both stepped closer to him.  Wattrel looked at the fishing pole in Roy's hands with skepticism, and Roy's face lit up as he began explaining how this would help him learn to fly without the possibility of falling. Liko watched the pair before her phone dinged with an alert, and she pulled it out of her pocket.

 "Oh, that's the Spicey Herba Mystica Murdock was looking for yesterday. Hey Roy, I'm going to buy it for him, so I'll be gone shopping if anyone comes up and asks." Liko said as she looked at the ad that had popped up on her phone before putting it away. Roy perked his head up from where he was putting Wattrel in the little Harness, and he did look a little upset at Liko leaving, but he nodded a couple of times. "OK be back soon and be safe!" Roy shouted, and Liko nodded before she started walking away toward Levincia, following the directions of the ad. 

Just a quick trip, and we'll be back before the ship's ready to leave, and besides, I need to find a way to repay everyone for all they've done for me."   Liko thought as she looked down at the address on her phone, glancing at the buildings every so often to ensure she didn't pass the building.  Liko tried to shake the nervous feeling off that she's had since she separated from Roy, but it had only grown since she had walked into Levincia. Sprigatito was padding along behind her, though she appeared unbothered, so Liko tried her best to act like Sprigatito to ease her worries, but when she turned down an alley, her worries skyrocketed...

"That's weird, it says the store should be right here..." Liko whispered before she saw the Magnozone from earlier, which she could recognize due to the scratches Cap had inflicted on it, appear at the end of the alley just staring at her. Liko didn't have to think of the implications of that, she turned rapidly and tried to run off before she slammed into someone.  "Sorry about that, I'm just in a hurry," Liko said as she rubbed her head where she had slammed into the person, trying to ignore the hissing Sprigatito was doing... "Are you alright?" The person asked as he offered his hand to Liko, but before she could take it, lights danced in her vision....

"Amazing catch, Roy!" Murdock cheered as Roy picked the Pokeball up and smiled before he threw it into the air, releasing Wattrel into the air. "He bud," Roy said as Wattrel landed on the bill of his cap. Wattrel chirped happily, Fuecoco cheered on the ground next to them, and Roy bent down and picked him up.  "We should head back to the ship. Liko's probably beat us there," Murdock said, and Roy nodded, excited to go see his friend whom he hadn't seen for about an hour and was anxious to see again. 

"Liko didn't come back with you guys?" Orla asked as Murdock and Roy boarded the ship, and both of them looked at each other and shook their heads in confusion. "Liko still isn't back yet?" Friede asked as he stepped out onto the deck, and everyone shook their heads. "It isn't like Liko to just disappear without telling us," Murdock said after a moment of quiet. "Maybe her phone died," Mollie suggested. "Maybe... But we should go look for her to make sure she didn't get lost. The only towns within walking distance are Levincia and Artazon." Friede said as Cap hopped on his shoulder and started tugging his goggles like he had been doing since yesterday, like he was trying to tell them something...

"Bud, I wish I could understand you, but don't worry, we'll find Liko soon," Friede said as he patted Cap's head, and Cap just looked a little sad before staring off behind Friede toward where Roy and Murdock had walked from.  "I'd start with Artazon. I've been getting plenty of reports about a girl with a Sprigatito matching Liko's description," Dot said over the phone, and Friede nodded. "Ok then, to Artazon," Friede said as he pulled out Charizard's pokeball, and Roy hopped on.

As they were flying, Roy scanned the ground, feeling like he could hardly breathe, that maybe there was more to this than they were thinking...

Chapter Text

That was a lot easier than I thought, child's play, honestly, and Amethio still managed to fail so miserably. Spinel thought as he was crouched in front of the girl who had fallen for his trap quicker than one could snap their fingers... "Are you missing something important?" Spienl asked, and the girl shook her head as she looked at her Rotom phone, finding nothing but static and a cracked screen. Spinel smirked a little, and just before he got ready to leave he had a thought. If the Rising Volt Tacklers come looking for her and somehow find me with her pendant, I'll need some kind of leverage... The girl is clueless as to who I am, and she'll be the perfect bargaining chip, especially if what Amethio said about Professor Friede is true and how much he cares for the children...   Spinel thought before he offered his hand to the girl once again. 

                                                                                                                                                                           Liko's POV

What am I doing back in Paldea? I should be at the Indigo Academy in Kanto, I have class tomorrow!   I thought as I looked past the man in front of me to see the skyline of Levincia. "Are you missing something Important?" The man asked me, and I shook my head before I grabbed my Rotom Phone to try to contact my parents or maybe Ann... Why's my screen cracked, and why is it only showing static?  I thought as I turned it over to the screen, since it was face down on the ground.

"We should be getting to the ship back to Kanto, Liko." The man said as I saw his hand reaching out to me, and I looked at Sprigatito, only for her to scratch me when I tried to pet her, and I sighed. "Why are you always like this?" I asked before I just picked her up and took the man's hand. "Who are you, and what am I doing back in Paldea?" I asked as he helped me off the ground, and I dusted myself off the best I could with Sprigatito in my arms since she was trying to squirm out of them.

"My name is Spinel, and I'm volunteering as a classroom aide in your class. We were on a class field trip to Paldea, and you got separated from your group, and I was sent to find you a few hours ago. I guess that hit to your head was a bit harder than I expected and to your phone as well." He said as he gestured at my phone and offered me a smile, but the smile didn't feel friendly toward me, it felt like I was prey... That's nonsense, he's here to help, he knows who I am and seems to know where we're supposed to be, and I should do my best to trust him.  I thought as I lightly shook my head.  

"The class already left us since the ship had to leave while I was looking for you, but I have a friend who's about to leave on a voyage to Kanto in an hour or so, and we'll be journeying with him," Spinel said as he started walking, motioning me to follow which I did and I smiled a bit sheepishly since we're now forced to take a different ship and probably arrive late in the afternoon to Kanto then we'll have to drive back to the Academy and Spinel will have to drive home...  I really inconvenienced this man huh?  I thought as I followed him through the streets of Levinvia, still struggling with Sprigatito in my arms. Then Sprigatito jumped out of arms and started racing ahead of Spinel, and I was forced to follow her, and I heard Spinel racing after me, and I had to suppress a shiver as I heard his boots thudding after me because it felt like a threat...

I'm just being anxious and more than likely have a concussion. I probably interacted with him back at school, and I've just forgotten due to the head injury.  I thought as I raced after Sprigatito, where I eventually cut through another alley and cut her off, scooping her up in my arms, and raising her above my head.  "Look at those beans," I said as I squished her paws before she started again, causing me to drop her on her paws. When I reached for her again, I got this weird sense of Deja Vu, and by the looks of it, Sprigatito did too, with her wide, unblinking eyes. "We've had a moment like this before, haven't we?" I whispered as I heard Spinel catch up to us. 

"We should head toward a van my friend sent me, before Sprigatito decides to escape again," Spinel said as he placed a hand on my shoulder and started steering me through the crowds in the streets and I felt like I was going to be sick, because that sounded so much like a threat and he didn't call into question my safety, but a person who works for Indigo Academy wouldn't hurt me.... Right?

                                                                                                                                                                      End of Liko's POV

The sun was quickly setting, and the group still hadn't found Liko. The group had stopped at a little outlook area overlooking Artazon across from the Windmill. “Anyone else thinking something’s not right?” Friede asked the assembled group as he leaned against the railing.

“I’ve been thinking it,” Murdock responded, his eyes darting around the area as though Liko would appear before their eyes if he looked again. Roy nodded his head, patting Wattrel, who was on his shoulder, as Fuecoco hugged his leg.Roy was a bit away from the group, where he could still hear them, but after Friede mentioned that Liko might have been taken, he stopped listening. Roy's blood froze in his veins, and it became even harder to breathe than it had been when Liko had originally disappeared, and Fuecoco was clutching onto his legs even harder before Wattrel launched himself off Roy's shoulder and started flying away. 

"Wattrel wait up!" Roy called as he started chasing after Wattrel with Fuecoco close behind him, not even thinking to call out to the adults as he did so...

                                                                                                                                                                                     Friede's POV

How did I lose Liko? I promised her mother I would keep her safe, and now she's gone, and she could have been taken by Arceus knows who, and it's all my fault.   I thought bitterly as I surveyed the group, ready to grab Roy and head to Levincia since that was our next best shot at finding Liko, when I noticed it....

"Where's Roy?!" I asked as my eyes locked on the spot where I last saw him standing several minutes ago, for it now to be empty with no traces of the kid, like he'd never been there.

"Roy was right over there...." Orla said as she pointed to the spot, only to trail off when she noticed the lack of a kid. Her face grew pale as the realization dawned on her, and I wondered if I looked the same, and she started scanning the nearby area along with everyone else...

"Roy probably went along to Levincia when we realised she wasn't here, and with how fast that kid is, I'm not surprised if he's a good way that direction, anyone. He's worried about Liko, and with what we just learned from Friede about those Magnoton near the ship, we'd better head on to Levincia as quickly as we can to find both of them before they get in some serious trouble." Murdock said as he locked eyes with me, and I knew he's thinking of this morning and how pale and scared those kids looked to leave one another, and I nodded. 

I wanted to stay behind and look for Roy, but I know Murdock is right that Roy is on the way to Levincia and I need to head that way as quickly as I can to find the pair before something worse happens, especially if I'm not there for them...

"Hey Friede, can you come pick me up?" Dot asked over the phone as I was about halfway to Levincia and I looked down at Charizard, who turned toward the Brave Olivine. 

"Yeah, of course, we're on our way. I thought you said being around so many people was "too much."? " I asked smoothly, allowing Dot to choose if she wants to respond or not.

"That doesn't matter right now, Liko and Roy need as much help as they can get," Dot answered, and I smiled a bit at the kid coming out of her shell before signaling to Charizard to speed up.

                                                                                                                                                                           End of Friede's POV 

                                                                                                                                                                                  Liko's POV

Spinel and I walked along a street that wasn't that full of people, and we arrived at a dark blue van with blacked-out windows. I shifted my weight a bit as I looked at it, and Sprigatito turned to look at me, and I could tell she wasn't that convinced about this either. Spinel noticed because he turned to me with that same smile from earlier, which makes me feel uncomfortable...

"Yeah this van looks like a stereotypical kidnapper van, huh? The type your parents warn you not to get into, and I've told my friend this dozens of times, but he's had this van since we could drive, and I've even got stuff in there." Spinel said smoothly, and I nodded before he opened the door. I climbed in, he followed, and he shut the doors behind him.

The back of the van was pretty big, even Spinel could stand up a bit, but he had to crouch just a bit. He got into this pretty nice-looking office chair before turning to a few monitors and booting them up. I looked around and saw an Umbreon next to the chair which he reached down to pat, and I sat in a chair not too far away from him, but I could still see the monitors pretty well.  He set down this box next to him and I stared at almost feeling drawn to it, but I didn't want to ask any more questions, and instead I settled on watching the monitors as he started pulling up what looked like camera feeds...

 It looked like there were three separate camera feeds and they were following people??? My stomach grew really hollow as I looked at each person on the first feed. It was a group of two women and a man, and they felt so eerily familiar as I looked at their faces twisted in barely hidden concern as they walked along a dirt path... After several minutes of staring, I tore my eyes away to another monitor. When I looked at the other monitor, there was only one person and a Charizard, but when I really looked at the person, my vision faded away....

I was running along the indigo academy roof, feeling as though I needed to get away quickly with Sprigatito by my side, and when I turned, I saw a scowling boy standing there with a Ceruledge... Then, just above me, a white haired man on a Charizard burst from the clouds, diving straight toward me, shouting, "I found you!"

The colors were muted, more black and white than anything else, but when my vision turned back to normal, I could tell it was the same man on the Charizard... He feels so important, and like I know him really well... That was a memory, I know it was, but it doesn't make any sense... Who is he, and who are the people on the other monitor, and why do they all feel so familiar???  I thought as I stared at the white haired man with his Pikachu and his Charizard. I stared at him for several minutes to see if I could get any more memories to surface, but nothing... I turned to the last monitor and I felt like I was hit by a truck....

Dozens of memories of muted black and white flashed all at once through my mind..... Meeting the boy on the monitor on an island, becoming his friend as we fist bumped, releasing what looked like a black Rayquaza out of an old pokeball, watching the sunset with him and the White haired man's Pikachu and our Pokemon, meeting a giant Arboliva, crying together next to letters on the ground that I couldn't read... I nearly started crying as I gripped onto my shorts as hard as I could to keep my nails from digging into my skin, as my vision returned back to the present, I guess....

The boy was in an alley with a Fuecoco and a Wattrel walking along, and I heard him speak, though I could hardly hear him since the volume was so low... "Liko, where are you?!" I heard and felt my heart stop beating as the Boy's name was pushed to the front of my mind... Roy, that's Roy... My best friend, I thought, and I nearly recoiled because it felt like it wasn't me thinking that, because it startled me so bad, and I swear I hadn't known his name or who he was moments ago...

"Your eyeballs are MINE—caught in my Electroweb! Whosawhatsit? Iono!" I heard from a fourth monitor, and I perked up at the familiar catchphrase. I've watched Iono before, though I'm more of a fan of Nidothing, I still know who she is. Spinel wasn't paying that much attention to it, more focused on the camera feeds, though it was still playing off to the side.

"Nidothing and I are doing a fab collab right here on the Iono Zone!" Iono shouted as she waved her arms around, and up popped Nidothing, and I looked quickly at Nidothing, looking for a sense of familiarity in this sea of confusion threatening to take me with it.

"Yep, Yep, and we're playing a game with one of my subscribers!" Nidothing said, and I could hear cheering, and I smiled just a bit, wondering what the game was. "It's a game of Hide and seek! The lucky hider is SprigatitoLove! Now off and go seek and make sure to submit the clip on the Iono zone!" Iono shouted, a picture of me popped up... The same picture that I took with Sprigatito the day she became my partner, and I nearly fell out of the chair. Spinel quickly glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes, looking so much like a Skarmory about to pounce on prey...This lasted several minutes, long after Nidothing left the Livestream due to technical difficulties, and all I could do was sit there and resist the urge to bolt.

Spinel just chucked softly before he turned that Monitor off and resumed watching the other ones in favor of watching them, and I breathed a small sigh of relief, but it was only loud enough for me to hear it...

This has to be connected to the people on the monitors, including Roy... But how and why??  I thought as I glanced at the door, thinking of making a run for it, but I just shook my head.. I'm starting to doubt Spinel, after seeing those memories and how he's made me feel, but it's far too late and those doors are definitely locked....

                                                                                                                                                                                    End of Liko's POV

Chapter Text

Roy chased and chased Wattrel for a long time, unsure what he was chasing, but he didn't want to lose sight of Wattrel. It wasn't till the dirt terrain changed to concrete underneath his feet that Roy realised how far he had run, and when he finally caught Wattrel, he could see the glittering lights of Levincia against the setting sun…

                                                     Roy’s POV 

“How did I get all the way to Levincia??!” I shouted in shock as I glanced around to see if anyone had followed me, but nothing...   Oh, everyone is going to be so worried. I thought as I pulled my phone out of my pocket to try to contact everyone else. 

“ No signal…. Well, everyone else is going to be on their way here soon anyway, and there is no use sitting here…Come on, Fuecoco and Wattrel, we've got to find Liko.” I whispered as I shook my head to fix my running thoughts before charging into the city.

“Liko! Liko it's me, Roy, if you can hear me, follow my voice! Everyone’s really worried about you!” I kept shouting as I was trudging through multiple alleys and streets, ignoring the odd looks I got as I did so.

“Fuecoco, Fue!!” Fuecoco called along with me as Wattrel kept squawking, unable to fly much farther, and I was grateful for that because I didn't want to chase him all over Levincia.

“Liko, where are you?” I shouted, and just as I did so, Wattrel bolted up off my shoulders and fired off an Uproar much like he did when we first met him, and just as loud as before, if not louder. 

“Wattrel! I don't know what you're aiming for, but you have to stop!” I shouted as I pressed my hands over my ears to block out the familiar screeching, with Fuecoco doing much the same.

“Roy!” Someone shouted overhead just as Wattrel stopped using Uproar, and I let out a sigh of relief before my head shot upwards, registering the fact that someone had called out to me.

“Friede!” I shouted up at Friede, who was smiling and waving to me, and I waved my arms fanatically to signal him and Charizard to land. “I guess you saw Friede, huh? I wonder what you saw that led us here?” I asked Wattrel as he landed back on my shoulder and puffed out his chest in pride.

 “Who's she?” I asked when they landed, pointing to an unknown girl who was in Charizard's arms along with Quaxly from back on The Brave Olivine.

“This is Dot. Also, Roy, why did you run off?” Fried asked as he walked over to me and started looking me up and down like he was checking for injuries that he had missed from the air. I chuckled nervously as he kept looking me over, knowing I had worried everyone. 

“I didn't mean to, I was following Wattrel, and I thought maybe he saw something,” I answered as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

“I'm not mad, I was just worried about you and Liko,” Friede said as he placed one of his hands on my shoulders and squeezed it. 

I nodded because I was unable to speak due to the weight on my chest, which had increased, though it had started to hurt when Liko had disappeared from sight. 

Dot stood beside Friede, glancing at her phone as Fuecoco and Quaxly briefly chased each other around underfoot.

“Now let's find Liko! I'll be the eyes in the sky, you guys, and Mollie's group has got the ground. If you find ANYTHING, even something as small as a piece of Liko's jacket, you text us on the app and we'll head to you guys.” Friede said as he showed Dot and I  his screen pulled up to the Rising Volt Tacklers app for emphasis, and we looked at each other and nodded.

“One last thing,” Friede said as he hopped on Charizard. “Be safe, if something looks too dangerous, wait for us to come help you,” Friede said as he flicked his goggles down I don’t think I can promise that, because Liko and Sprigatito are in trouble and they need help…  I thought, but I didn’t say anything out loud.

“You be safe too!” Dot and I called after Friede as he and Charizard took to the air, and he gave us a salute with his laid-back smile before taking off.

“It's nice to finally meet you, Dot,” I said as he put my fist out in a fist bump and Dot stared at it before Quaxly nudged her leg, causing her to bump it back. I smiled, though Dot looked shocked and a bit nervous, kinda like Liko when I first met her.. 

“I-it's nice to meet you too.” Dot stuttered before she straightened herself out and pulled out her Rotom Phone. “There's a scavenger hunt looking for Liko throughout the city, and now all we have to do is follow the clues they leave behind,” Dot said as she started scrolling and swiping on her phone, and I nodded enthusiastically.

We've got a chance to find Liko… We need to find Liko, and once we do, I'll be able to breathe regularly again and stop feeling so nervous...  I thought as I started following Dot down an alley after she mentioned there was a potential sighting not too far away...

                           Liko's POV

I stared at the monitors again and at the back of Spinel's head, though I tried not to let my gaze linger there… I watched Roy chase after Wattrel, and I was hit with a memory of seeing the two together just the morning and I smiled because I guess his efforts to help Wattrel fly worked when I saw Wattrel fly off his shoulder and use Uproar.

Then I saw the white haired man on his Charizard once again, but now with a purple-haired girl, and she also felt familiar, but not as strongly as everyone else. The white haired man shouted down at Roy, who then shouted back at him.

“Friede!!” Roy shouted as he happily waved his arms all around, and I was struck with a stream of muted black and white memories...

Friede saving me from the person chasing me across my school roof, taking me to an airship, helping to save me again when I tried to give myself up, helping me save  Sprigatito from the same boy that had chased me, Friede saving me and Roy from a bunch of bug pokemon on Roy’s island, battling alongside us though he kept glancing back us begging us to run when we were attacked latter that day, multiple memories of Friede patting my head, helping with Roy and I’s homework, Friede delivering the letters after messing with Roy’s hat, and him saving me after I nearly falling out of of a tree...

All of the memories had feelings of happiness and safety, and they all felt warm, like being around my dad.

I thought as I tried to keep from crying as I saw Friede talk with the purple-haired girl and Roy, and being introduced to the purple-haired girl, whose name is Dot... I was struck with a few more muted memories of talking through a door and getting drawings via Quaxly because I was hesitant to tell my Dad I wanted to stay on The Brave Olivine...

Hey, I got the name of the airship... It’s nice to remember things, but it’s not like I can do much. Spinel is dangerous. I know that, though I haven't remembered anything to back it up... The doors are locked, and he at least has an Umbreon, a strong Pokémon on her own that I would struggle to win against, but if he has more, I will lose that fight. 

I can’t give up because then what will happen? I don’t have any other choices, though, because if I fight back, then I lose the upper hand that I have… I can’t even do anything with it, though, not until one of the people on the monitors gets close to us... All I want is to go back to Roy and everyone else, to remember everything.  I thought as I patted Sprigatito, trying to be quiet.

Spinel was watching the monitors and typing on another one with no real change in his demeanor, even as Roy and Dot separated from Friede and set out looking for me… He didn’t glance back at me or anything. I guess he thinks I’m not paying attention to the monitors or that my concussion is super bad...

I don’t remember hitting my head, though... If I didn't, why did some of my memories pack up and leave?  I thought as I shook my head just a bit, and I felt no pain, confirming I didn’t hit it…

“What exactly happened?” I whispered, and I froze when Spinel turned to face me quickly with that disturbing smile, and I wanted to just throw myself at the doors to try them because I didn't mean to say that aloud….

                                                        End of Liko’s POV

“Ughhh!! These so-called sightings are getting us nowhere!” Dot grumbled as she scratched her head out of frustration, and Roy couldn’t help but nod because, yeah, they were not getting anywhere.

Roy and Dot had stopped in an alley after yet another dead end, and Roy was crouched on the ground digging out some water bottles from his bag for himself and Dot. Dot begrudgingly took the bottle, and as Roy was sipping from his Fuecoco, was digging around in his bag along with Wattrel, who was perched on his head.

“What are you guys doing?” Roy asked as he put the lid back on his water before Fuecoco pulled out the Ancient Pokeball and placed it on the ground.  Roy’s eyebrows shot up as he grabbed it and rotated it in his hands, unsure of why Fuecoco would pull this out of his bag, especially now. 

“Hey, doesn't that Pokeball glow when you’re close to Liko’s Pendant?” Dot asked as she crouched down next to him, and Roy nodded. “Well then, that’s our best lead as much as I hate to say it, because all these leads are not getting us anywhere, and I’m afraid we might be getting tricked by the person who led us to Artazon,” Dot said as she stood up and straightened her jacket.

Roy nodded quickly as he put away their water bottles, and he stood up, clutching the Pokeball in a white knuckled grip. They took off, letting the pokeball guide them, ignoring Dot’s phone in case they were getting tricked again by whoever sent them to Artazone, who might be the same person who has Liko…

                                                                   Liko’s POV

“You were with your friend Ann trailing behind the group when your teacher called you guys to attention. You ended up wandering off as your teacher was explaining something, and Ann didn’t know where you went. Your teacher told me to go find you while he kept up with the rest of the class, and by the time I found you in that alley, you couldn’t remember anything, and everyone else was already on the plane back to Kanto.” Spinel answered calmly, though his eyes scanned me for suspicion, and I tried not to shrink in on myself to keep from arousing suspicion.  I had to apply just a bit of pressure to Sprigatito’s neck like a mother Meowscarada does to keep her Sprigatito kittens calm, but to keep her from hissing at him.

“Ah, I remember just a bit of that, but not much, so thank you for telling me,” I said as I did my best to keep eye contact, but not make it look like I’m challenging him because he seems a bit unstable with how he responded to me. Spinel nodded before he turned back to the monitors just in time to see Dot and Roy sprinting down an alley, and something in Roy’s hand was glowing a bright gold…

The box that was on the table that I was drawn to was glowing a bright teal at the same time as the object Roy was holding, and when I looked at my bag, there was also a golden glow exactly like the object Roy was holding... I opened it and peeked inside, and saw a similar object that was in Roy’s hand, also in my bag, glowing.

Spinel looked at the box and my bag, and just as he was about to say something, the van started driving rather quickly, almost knocking him off his feet since he had stood when he noticed my bag glowing.

 I felt sick, and the room started to spin even more than just the van speeding away from where we were parked for the past hour or so. I heard Spinel say something about getting to the port before the memories that had been trying to resurface for the past few moments drowned me in a sea of muted black and white images...

                                                         End of Liko’s POV 

Chapter Text

Roy and Dot were running in the direction that Roy’s Pokeball kept glowing brighter and brighter the more they kept running. The more the Pokeball glowed the more they ran because it was leading them toward Liko’s pendant, and if Liko’s pendant was there, Liko would be to… or at least that’s the hope anyway…

The Pokeball was incandescent as they started running after a van that was driving away from them, and they knew Liko and Sprigatito were in there so they refused to let it out of their sights They kept running keeping a good distance between them and the van even as their lungs burned, feet protested, and knees popped after jumping over yet another stack of boxes.

I am so not used to running this long, this is why I don't run and don’t do people, it's all too much, but I can't give up. Liko is in trouble, so I've got to keep going.  Dot thought as she started to struggle, but knowing Liko was in trouble and seeing how easily Roy was running after the van, it sparked a metaphorical fire under her feet. 

I’m going to try to call Friede, and the others, Dot thought as she grabbed her phone and punched in Friede’s number as they were running, remembering Friede’s words from earlier… “Nothing…” Dot muttered as they were running when Friede didn’t answer, and she dialed everyone else’s numbers, but still nothing.

“Roy!” Dot shouted as she raced to run alongside Roy, and Roy’s eyes snapped toward her. He didn’t say anything, but Dot knew he was telling her to speak without wasting time when he nodded. It’s definitely that trainer that was commanding the Magnets near the ship that Friede was talking about, I can’t get a signal, just like back in Arboliva’s forest, and earlier when the ship couldn’t update.” Dot said, just as they jumped over a sleeping Mareep, ignoring the embarrassed trainer as they kept going after the van.

 “So you’re saying… This person, whoever they are, has been following us for a while?!” Roy half shouted in shock, and Dot nodded, and just like that, Roy sped up and Dot followed along…

                                              Liko’s POV

I was on a beach watching as the same boy from back at school and from early on the same beach from one of the memories of Friede… “Amethio,” my mind supplies as the boy-no, Amethio charged at me on a Corviknight fully intent on taking me, he had said so in as few words when he taunted Friede to keep his eyes on the battlefield. 

Then a teal force field erupted from me, and a little creature covered in fur appeared before the force field disappeared, and it went along with it.  I gripped at something on my neck before the muted memory changed, and Roy and I were in front of a Giant Arboliva…

A teal glow erupted from me and the golden light exactly like the light from my bag near Arboliva’s neck, and I gripped the thing again, but I got a better look at it… It was a teal pendant that looked like a Terra den like the one I ran into with grandma on one of her visits…

Grandma’s pendant that’s what it is, that's what's on my neck, “That’s what I’m missing.” My mind muttered before I was launched back to the present. 

I erupted in a coughing fit to keep the fact that I was gasping for air from Spinel, who was staring at a Camera feed of Friede fighting a guy on a yacht/ cruise ship. Spinel looked at me, but I smiled despite the fact I was still coughing, and he just looked back at the monitor. It seemed like he wasn’t any of the other monitors, and I nearly breathed a sigh of relief at the fact because I could see Dot and Roy running along with the glowing object that I still can’t quite remember what it’s called, though it feels familiar.

Soon enough, I felt the tires driving over a ramp before we stopped moving, and I made a move to grip the pendant because I remembered it. There wasn’t anything there, and I coughed again in shock because it’s better that Spinel hears coughing rather than gasps for air, because that would be more suspicious…. At least that’s what I thought, but he looked dead at me, and my hand was grasping a piece of my hair instead of the missing pendant.

“Are you missing something?” Spinel asked, his voice measured and his eyes sweeping over me, and I nearly shivered, because that feels like a threat, like if I answer wrong, I’m dead. 

“N-no, just realizing how badly I need to trim my h-hair.” I stammered out a response, and I practically verbally berated myself inside my head as Spinel’s eyes lit up for a moment.. The light was a threat, but instead he just turned around when he heard a thunk on deck…

I looked at the monitor he was looking at as well, and my blood ran cold. Dot and Roy were on a deck… The deck of the ship we were on, and I had to bite my tongue so hard I thought I might just bite it off, to keep from crying at seeing my friends. 

“Magnezone use Electro Ball,” Spinel commanded calmly into a microphone, and just like that, an Electroball was hurtling toward Quaxly, who was just barely able to dodge it.  “Fuecoco use Ember!” Roy shouted as he pumped his fist in the air. Just like that a back-and-forth fight started, Roy and Dot demanding to know where I was, even as they struggled to fight…

I looked at Sprigatto, and she locked eyes with me before we looked at Spinel, who wasn’t paying attention, and neither was Umbreon, who in fact was sleeping. I grabbed Sprigatito’s paw and she didn’t scratch, so I discreetly as possible pointed to the door just a little behind us and a little off to our side.

Sprigatito nodded, and I took a deep breath that rattled my aching chest as I held up three shaking fingers in my lap and slowly put one down…

No change from Spinel and Umbreon, so another one went down… I looked at my trembling hand and Sprigitito and I put the final finger down…

                                               End of Liko’s pOV

                                                   Roy’s POV

“Fuecoco dodge it!” I shouted as Beheeyem used Psychic to speed up an Electro Ball, but it was useless, and Fuecoco was hit.. “Fuecoco!” I shouted as I rushed over to him.

“Where is Liko!” Dot shouted again, trying to get the man to respond to us, but instead, the Magnezone charged up a zap cannon aimed directly at me and Fuecoco. All I did was tense up and hold Fuecoco… I opened my eyes when a loud bag echoed across the ship, and the Magnezone was shocked too because it stopped charging up a Zap Cannon and glanced in the direction of the noise.

I saw a huge amount of Leafage blowing up a set of van doors, and I cheered when I saw Liko and Sprigatito charge out through the leaves and started rushing toward us… That hope was short-lived when a sleek black and yellow figure was shooting out of the van, charging up a move I didn’t recognize, and the figure slammed into Liko…

Liko screamed as she slammed into the deck right next to me, and I saw a snarling Umberon on her back. Instinctively, I reached out to grab Liko, whose face was quickly getting covered in blood from the impact on the metal deck. When I did so the Umbreon growled and bit down on my hand hard and started shaking my arms, and the shaking was so strong it shook my whole body, and I let go of Fuel Coco. 

I shouted as I raised my other arm, trying to pry the Umberon’s jaws off me, but the Umberon just bit down harder. Dot was shouting something, but she was cut off by an Electro Ball aimed squarely at her feet, knocking her off balance, causing her to grip onto the railing to avoid falling off.

“Pathetic, honestly, this display, but I shouldn’t be surprised after those letters I sent to the two of you…” Some guy said as he started walking toward us, and my whole world froze in that moment…

“Spinel, were those letters even real? Is Roy’s Grandfather still alive?!” Liko shouted her head barely above the deck, and her mouth filled with the blood pouring out of a gash on her forehead, and she spat it out despite the growl from Umbreon.

“Are Liko’s parents still back in Paldea, still caring about her?!” I shouted, no longer caring about the Umberon teeth digging into my hand.

“No, what those letters held was true, I just helped them along… Your Grandfather really did die, Roy, just no one thought to send you any type of news. They notified your father, and with Kanto’s views on ten-year-olds being responsible for themselves the moment Midnight Strikes on their tenth birthday.” Spinel said as he shook his head and walked closer to us, and I felt my world shatter again because, for just a moment, I thought he might still be alive…

“As for your parents, Liko, they packed up all their things the day after your visit to Arboliva’s forest. Their house is for sale, but they’re already gone. No one, not even your Grandmother Diana, knows where they are. They disappeared off the map in a matter of days, but they left no notice of their departure, and your grandmother hasn’t been able to find you; your mother didn’t even tell her about leaving you under Professor Friede's care.” Spinel said his face was calm, but he had this disturbingly calm smile…

“Guys, what is he talking about!? Dot shouted toward us, and I ducked my head due to the tone of worry and fear that Dot had.

“You didn’t tell them?” Spinel asked, but he didn’t sound like he was too upset. Instead, he sounded like Christmas came early, and I gagged, till Umberon bit down harder on my arm and I stopped. 

“ So naive pretending a problem doesn't exist, so you hope it goes away, so childish, just like Amethio,” Spinel said with a maniacal grin, and I heard a soft thunk beside me, and Liko was face down on the deck, and I saw Beheeyem floating closer to us, and it felt like a pit had replaced my stomach…

I looked at the case next to Spinel’s feet, and I could see the teal glow of Liko's pendant inside it, and I knew he couldn't have it and Liko at the same time. I looked a few feet in front of us and saw Liko’s bag with the ancient Pokeball still in it… Spinel was cackling, and I tugged on my arm and met no resistance from Umbreon …

I can’t leave Liko, just because I can get away… I know she won’t be able to because there is no way to get Umbreon off her and get away from Spinel quick enough, and I refuse to leave her. We will stick together for better or worse…  I thought as I turned out Spinel, who was going on a speech, Beheeyem floating almost directly above us, and I knew what was going to happen, and I made my choice without a second thought…

I yanked my arm free from Umbreon’s jaws, grabbed the case, and hurled it at Dot with everything I had, all within a matter of seconds before the world whited out…   

                                                           End of Roy’s POV

Chapter Text

                                                          Dot’s POV

I watched in horror, frozen against the railing in place as Roy and Liko were pinned down and attacked by an Umbreon and approached by a frankly terrifying man... He started talking and taunting them about letters he sent them…

Didn’t Liko and Roy just get letters a few days ago??  I thought as I stared at the man, and when Liko asked if the letters were real and if Roy’s grandfather was still alive, I felt myself blue screen from shock.

“Are Liko's parents back in Paldea, still caring about her?!” Roy shouted, and I doubled over in shock, and Quxly was quick to reassure me from the ground in front of me, where he had been struck down by a zap cannon from Magnezone.      

The edge of my vision was fuzzy as I tunnel-visioned onto my friends despite the Magnezone and Beheeyem that were keeping me in place away from them... Those are my friends, and this man, Spinel, is threatening them, and I can't protect them… I’m not enough to protect them, we can’t get help because of that Magnezone...

Spinel talked about how the letters were real and that Roy’s grandfather had died, and no one in Kanto had cared enough to tell him. I couldn’t be more glad I didn’t live in Kanto like Roy, Friede, and Orla. Orla mentioned how ten years would come into town and no one would bat an eye if they needed stitches or were just generally roughed up from their travels... Because that is how Kanto is, when you turn ten, they turn you loose and hope for the best, or at least that’s what I’ve heard.

I heard him say that Liko’s parents left Paldea and dropped off the face of the Earth, and her Grandmother doesn't even know that she’s with us. I felt sick as I listened to the vindictive glee in Spinel’s voice as he talked about, and all I could think to say was...

“Guys, what is he talking about?!” I shouted as I scooped up Quaxly, and I saw Roy duck his head down when I asked that. I wanted to run over and get answers, but I couldn’t. My stomach churned as I heard Spinel’s vindictive glee when he realised that they hadn’t told us what was in those letters...

I looked at Liko and I saw a pool of blood forming around her head, that was face planted into the deck. The logical part of my brain is telling me that Liko is fine, but the emotional part of my brain was in charge, and looking at her still body overrode every rational thought I had, and I screamed.

The next thing I knew, Magnezone was flying to Spinel’s side, and I could see both Roy and Liko, but before I could move toward them, Roy hurled a case at me. I caught it, but before I could move, before I could even blink, Roy, Liko, Spinel, and Spinel’s Pokémon were gone...

I fell to my knees in shock, not caring that the metal was scraping off my skin, and it felt like my knees were on fire. Tears were flowing out of my eyes as I stared at the place where they were standing just a moment ago, and I screamed again...

The scream was blood-curdling, full of my devastation, anger, fear, worry, and everything else between.

 I don’t know how long I screamed for before I came back to reality with two strong arms wrapped around me to bring me back down to reality. When I turned, I didn't know what I expected to see, but I was surprised when I saw Uncle Murdock holding me and crying alongside me.

I turned again when I heard the sound of boots slamming into the ground, and I saw Friede throwing himself out of the van. Friede has always been unreadable because he always looks so relaxed and unbothered, but now I could see the worry and undertones of anger etched into his face.

Cap was in front of him sniffing around, and when he shook his head, Friede’s face darkened, and I cried even harder. I know he’s looking for Liko and Roy, and I feel so guilty because I couldn’t protect them, and Friede is basically Liko and Roy's dad, so I can't imagine how he feels right now...

Murdock squeezed a little harder, and then I broke down again, but instead of going back to screaming till my voice was raw, I just sobbed harder. 

“He took them.” I sobbed through gasping breaths and sobs wracking my body, and Friede immediately knelt down in front of me.

 “Who took them?” Friede asked, and I felt Murdock jerk his head up, probably to scold Friede for his bluntness, but I appreciated it because at least he wasn’t treating me like glass, even though I felt like it.

“His name was Spinel, he had a Magnezone, an Umbreon, and a Beheeyem… He took Liko, and we followed him here, and we couldn’t use our phones due to the Magnezone's EMP waves... Liko and Sprigatito freed themselves from the van, but Liko was tackled into the ship by the Umberon, and the Umbreon bit Roy when he tried to help... Spinel was taunting them about letters he sent them...” I said before, my tears rushed back to me, and I was rendered unable to talk arpund the lump in my throat.

“You don’t have to tell us what he said about the letters right now, because Murdock and I are going to do a sweep around the ship to see if we can get anything. Orla is going to check out the ship logs to see where the ship was headed, while you and Mollie go back to the ship... You need the rest and a medical evaluation.” Friede said as he clamped a hand over my shoulder and squeezed it. 

I nodded, unable to say anything else, and Murdock helped me to my feet, and I saw Metagross fly in with Orla and Mollie on his back. Both of them had wide eyes, but Mollie put on her usual stoic face when she leaped off Metagross, still a few feet in the air, to check on me.

“We’ll need to get you back to the ship where I can put in a few stitches in your knees, and give you a shock blanket, because I do not like what I am seeing,” Mollie said as she put her hand on my back and guided me over to Metagross. I just nodded my head and  just like that we were heading straight toward The Brave Olivine without Liko and Roy, and it felt so wrong...

                                                 End of Dot’s POV

Oww, everything hurts , Roy thought as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head, only to hear a clunking noise behind him. Roy turned around to only see a pitch black metal pillar. Then he looked down at his wrists and clamped down on them were steel cuffs attached to a chain that wound around the pillar he was propped up against.  

  “Oh no...” Roy whispered when the memories came flooding back to him, and as soon as he realized what he had done that led him here, he started scanning around him for Like. That weight was back on his chest now that he couldn’t see her, so he was a bit frantic to where he almost missed Liko.

Liko was curled up against a pillar just a few feet in front of him, still unconscious, but he could see her breathing, so he was able to breathe a sigh of relief at that. Liko was curled into a ball, her hair cascading out behind her, flecked with dry blood that looked more like mud due to the amount of time that had passed...

“How long have we been out?” Roy whispered into the darkened room before he stood, and he smiled when he realized he could stand, but he couldn’t walk more than five steps forward and five steps to either side. Roy eventually sat back down due to the soreness, but the concrete floor was only marginally better than standing.

“You're finally awake, that's good.” Roy heard someone say, and his head snapped toward the sound of the voice, and out stepped Spinel, slowly clapping his hands in mock praise. Roy tensed and stood trying to walk in front of Liko, but the chains prevented him from doing so, and Spinel just laughed.

“I’m not aiming to hurt either of you, you’re just convenient barging chips with how much the professor in particular cares for both of you. It’s too bad both of you were hurt it might hurt discussions of a hand off, but remember, I am capable of it if you get any ideas. You both will be out of here in a matter of days once I send out my demands for the pendant for both of your returns.” Spinel said his eyes were dancing with light that made him look twice as crazy as he sounded, as he smirked down at Roy, who felt sick to his stomach.

Spinel left the room after that, and Roy glanced down at Liko, whose eyes were fluttering open, and he immediately tried to hug her to discover the chains were too short... Roy cried, unable to hold it in any longer because all he had wanted to do since Liko disappeared was to hug her due to the crushing weight on his chest, and now he’s so close yet so far…

 Liko stood up and tried to rush over to him, not seeing the chains on her own wrists, so when she ran out of chain, she fell flat onto her chest, her chin hitting the floor on the way down. “Owww.” Liko hissed as she sat up and rubbed her chin, and finally noticed the chain on her wrist...

“Oh Arceus no,” Liko whispered when she saw the chain wrapped around the pillar and that Roy was bound very similarly to her...Liko started to cry herself, and Roy tried to reach toward her again, but nothing had changed, not like he expected it to, but it still hurt when his arm was stopped by the chain.

“This is all my fault, if I had just asked for someone to be with me when I went to go get the Herba Mystica, or if I had asked Dot to check the ad, or just ignored it entirely.” Liko sobbed, rubbing at her eyes frantically as tears poured out of them like waterfalls. 

“This isn’t your fault, Liko Spinel knows how nice you are and he used it against you,” Roy said as he stared at Liko, clenching his fists around the chains attached to his wrist.

“Even if this somehow wasn’t my fault, you’re stuck here too, and THAT is definitely my fault!” Liko shouted as she squeezed her eyes shut, and Roy kept crying, but he was trying to smile through it for his sister… Yeah, that’s something he can panic about later. Right now, trying to get Liko calm is the most important thing. 

“Liko, I chose this! I knew what I was getting into, but I didn’t care.  I could have gotten away, but I wasn't going to let you go through this alone, because we’re best friends and best friends don’t leave each other high and dry. “ Roy said, and Liko’s gaze snapped toward him, and again she tried to reach toward him, but she got that soul-crushed look in her eyes when they were both reminded they couldn’t move any farther. 

After a while, both of them laid down on the cold concrete floor as close as they could get together to offer comfort and an anchor for the other as they drifted off to sleep, praying rescue would come sooner rather than later. 

Mollie had applied local anesthetic to both of Dot’s knees and was in the process of sterilizing the needle. Mollie kept her phone close to her, glancing at the screen every so often to see if anyone had messaged the Rising Volt Tacklers app while she got ready to apply the stitching.

Once they got to the ship, Mollie had wrapped a shock blanket around Dot, and that blanket was still wrapped around Dot as Mollie started stitching her up.

“Mollie,” Dot mumbled, and Mollie glanced up at her to see that her eyes were more focused than they were when they had arrived at the ship. Sprigatito and Fuecoco were in a cuddle pile next to her, and Quaxly was holding onto her arm, and Mollie couldn’t help but smile softly at the scene, even though it hurt to see it.

“Spinel was talking about the letter Liko and Roy got in the mail a few days ago, he said he sent them,” Dot said as Mollie stitched along her gashes and Mollie nodded, deciding to keep her comments and concerns to herself in case she sent Dot back into shock with a wrong response.

“What he said and with what Roy and Liko asked... I think Roy’s grandfather is dead, and Liko’s parents abandoned her.”  Dot said her voice was blunt and tired, her emotions shattering her already barely functional verbal filter. In response, Mollie dropped the needle onto the floor in shock, and her eyes snapped toward Dot, her eyes wide, asking her to elaborate before she grabbed another suture needle.

Dot was able to tell her everything, though Mollie had to get her to stop so she could breathe properly when her panic and tears threatened to overwhelm her… Mollie felt like she had been dumped in ice water, and as soon as she had wrapped Dot’s knees in Ace bandages, she went into Liko’s and Roy’s rooms.

She felt awful for doing so because she knows the kids need privacy, but she needs to get confirmation that the letters exist. She found them within twenty minutes of looking for them and sent pictures on the Rising Volt Tacklers app along with what Dot had told her. 

                                                       Adults only Chat

Friedad: I knew the letters were the trigger, but I could have never guessed this… We need to find Liko and Roy as soon as possible.

Best Uncle: We haven't found any signs of the kids being there other than Liko and Roy’s blood on the deck from when Umbreon attacked them, Liko and Roy's bags, and, of course, the van that was damaged by Sprigatito’s Leafeage. So, no hints on where they could be on our end. 

MechanicQueen: The ship's logs say that the ship was heading to Galar, specifically Hulberry, so we should start looking around there. @Friedad, let’s go get your kids! 

Friedad: First off, not my kids, we've been over this. Second off, who changed my name, and how do I change it back? Third off, we’ll be heading straight to Galar when we make it back to the ship. 

Mollie smiled down at her phone, though her smile was shaky and her breath was coming in short breaths, when she realized Dot was asleep, cradling Quaxly, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco against her chest.

Eventually, Mollie dialed an old number that she hadn’t contacted since she left home several years ago.

“I need you to draw up some emergency paperwork on the behalf of one of my friends...” Mollie said when the person finally picked up the phone on the final ring.

Chapter Text

Liko woke up to someone prodding her ribs so she curled further into herself thinking it might just be Roy waking her up for breakfast, but she did not want to get up quiet yet. The prodding kept on for a moment before a sharp pain flared in Liko’s ribs, causing her to cough, gag, and scrunch into a ball to protect herself as she faced the threat.

Upon opening her eyes she was met with jet black boots that had kicked he,r and her brain stalled for half a minute. Liko groaned, remembering everything from last night, curling in on herself even farther because she didn’t want another kick to the ribs.

“You’re finally awake. Here’s your breakfast,” Spinel said above her with no emotion other then his smirk before he dropped a plastic bag in front of Liko. When he left, Liko sat up and opened the bag she was met with several oranges, crackers, and a few bottles of water.

“Roy…Roy...Roy!” Liko said as she banged the chains on the ground since she couldn’t shake him, and it took a few minutes of this before Roy blearily blinked his eyes open.

“Liko?” Roy asked with a yawn, and when he saw her and the bag he remembered what had happened because his eyes darkened with sadness and fear. “What’s in the bag?” Roy asked with a small forced smile, and Liko gave him a sad smile back before she opened it again.

“It’s breakfast, and a few water bottles, which I suggest we save in case he brings more food, but no water next time.” Liko said as she handed him the bag after taking out some oranges, crackers, and a bottle of water. Roy nodded as he grabbed some himself, and they ate in silence jumping at every slight noise they heard, even if it was just the chains attached to themselves brushing against the floor.

“Do you think they’re looking for us, Li?” Roy asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper as he finished up his breakfast Liko was about to respond, but she faltered for a moment.

“Why’d you call me Li?” Liko asked, confused because he’d never called her that before.

“You’re my best friend, and besides, it’ll give us something positive to focus on.” Roy said as he flashed Liko his best cheery smile he could muster and Liko nodded giving her own smile in return.

Maybe I should give him a nickname, too, but what would I call him? There isn’t a real way to shorten Roy without it sounding weird. Liko thought as she spaced out just a bit and Roy clanged the chains on the floor to catch her attention and when she blinked back to reality Roy laughed. Liko laughed alongside him at herself and the fact they could find humor in a time like this, and it was like they could forget their circumstances even if it was for a moment.

“To answer your question, I doubt they would leave us here, even if they got a ransom demand, which they hadn't yet. Spinel said he would send it out soon enough.” Liko whispered, her voice threatening to break if she spoke any louder.

“What do you think he’ll ask in exchange for our returns?” Roy asked and Liko sighed grabbing the now empty space on her neck out of habitat.

“The Pendant, especially since that seems to be what he was originally after.” Liko said as she stared at the shackles and chains binding her, not daring to look at Roy’s bindings because she knows she would cry because she still believes this is all her fault.

“If that is what he was originally after, then why did he take you as well the first time?” Roy asked, putting his hand under his chin and closing his eyes to think.

Liko opened her mouth, but she didn’t have an answer so she closed it and started looking around the room to distract herself from the growing pit in her stomach. This went on for about half an hour and Liko started tracing patterns on the floor since Roy wasn’t talking still lost in thought.

Then Roy gasped out of the blue startling Liko who sat back up abruptly from where she was laying down tracing.

“He isn’t planning on giving YOU back.” Roy said in a hushed whisper and his hand flew up to his mouth and he rocked back and forth as Liko stared at him with wild eyes.

“You don’t know that.” Liko said softly trying not to rattle Roy any more than he already was and to hopefully give him peace of mind, but Roy just shook his head harshly.

“It makes sense, Liko, he took you and the Pendant originally, and he was going to take just you and the pendant before I derailed that… Li, he might just say he’ll return us in exchange for the Pendant and when they make the swap he’ll only give me back…” Roy said despair welling up in his voice as he gripped his cap in a white knuckled grip.

“Hermano, the Rising Volt Tacklers won’t let that happen,” Liko said as determined as she could before she internally panicked.

I shouldn’t have said that! Why did that slip out of my mouth??? There is no way he doesn't know what that means, right??? Liko screamed internally at herself as she stared down at the floor, trying to hide the incoming tears.

“Li, was that Paldean?! That’s so cool, I wish I could understand it, I only know Kantoneese like everyone back on the island… I wonder if anyone back on the ship knows any other languages? I bet Friede does since he’s a Pokémon Professor and all!” Roy said rapidly excitement replacing his fear and Liko nearly breathed a sigh of relief when he said he couldn’t understand her.

Hermano means brother in Paldean. I am so lucky he doesn't know what that means… I wouldn’t want to explain to Roy that he is like my brother, ever, but especially not now. Liko thought before she took a sip of her water.

“If what I think is true, I refuse to sit here and wait for everything to go wrong,” Roy said after a few moments of silence. Liko looked at him with wide eyes before she shook her head softly.

“You’re proposing we escape? How are we going to do that? There is nothing in this room, and we’re bound with metal chains we can’t just break.” Liko said as she clanged the chain on the floor for emphasis.

“I don’t know quite yet, but I’ve got you and you’ve got me and together we make the perfect team. If anyone could figure out how to get out of this place, it’ll be you and me.” Roy said chanting like his song with Fuecoco and Liko smiled her first real smile since she found Spinel in that alley.

“Then let’s get planning then Hermano.” Liko said with a smile and Roy beamed at her and shot her a thumbs up.

“You’re the boss, Li-Li!” He said as he tried his best to give her a high five despite the fact neither could reach the other, but for now till they found a way out it was close enough…

Dot was sitting on the wing Deck staring at the clouds alongside Quaxly, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco since there wasn’t anything else she could… They had no approximate location for Liko and Roy other than maybe in Galar… That maybe felt like a slap to the face more than a comfort because for all they know Liko and Roy could be across the globe…

                                                                      Dot’s POV

“I haven't seen anyone since late last night, it’s almost dinner time… I’m worried, guys.” I whispered as I watched the clouds glide by. Quxley hugged Dot’s leg being careful of her wrapped up knees and Sprigatito flicked her tail not meeting my eyes, Fuecoco nudged Sprigatito, and Wattrel squawked at nothing, his gaze never leaving the clouds.

I sighed it had been like that all day since the night before Sprigatito was despondent and refusing to eat till I had threatened her with a trip to Mollie. While Fuecoco has been in a constant state of needing reassurance, constantly hugging all of the ship’s Pokémon and me looking like he’s about to cry. Wattrel has been constantly trying to pick a fight with everyone that crossed his path and I’ve been on the receiving end of his ire a few times hence the peck marks on my fingers.

I don’t even blame him, Wattrel just got his trainer and just like that Roy was stolen away before Wattrel even had a chance to properly meet the rest of us… I can’t imagine how he must feel he was thrust into a new environment all on his own when Roy should have been by his side the whole time, but instead Roy was kidnapped and Wattrel has been left all alone.

Wattrel had screamed all last night using Uproar at my ceiling, not hard enough to break it, but it was certainly loud enough to ensure I didn’t sleep til he ran out of stamina at around six this morning.

“How are you holding up?” Someone asked from behind me, and I jumped before I threw my head around to see Mollie…

“Whoa, Do,t it’s me, Mollie,” Mollied said slowly, putting her hands in front of her. I breathed a sigh of relief when I remembered that I wasn’t in danger, and that Spinel guy wasn’t here.

“You answered my question for me.” Mollie said as she sat down next to me and I just nodded trying to calm my still racing heart.

“We’ll be arriving in Galar early in the morning, and we’ll start searching right after breakfast,” Mollie said as she reached over to pat Sprigatito, who was still despondent and refusing to acknowledge Mollie.

“Mollie… I heard you talking to someone about paperwork when I was falling asleep… What was that about?” I asked as I smoothed out Quaxly’s feathers, a nervous habit I developed not long after I first arrived on the ship.

“Liko and Roy have no legal guardians at the moment, and they do need adults responsible for them or they will be placed in the system, and I doubt they’ll want that… As for the paperwork, it’s emergency Foster paperwork along with an emergency Foster license.” Mollie said and I sat there stunned and I blurted out.

“You’re going to foster Liko and Roy?!” I immediately covered my mouth and was about to apologize for sounding so rude, but Mollie burst out laughing before I could do so.

“No, as much as I care about them ,the Foster paperwork isn't for me, it’s for Friede.” Mollie said with a wicked gri,n and I smiled and laughed feeling a little lighter.

“He doesn't know about the Paperwor,k does he?” I asked,d and Mollie just shook her head, getting that disappointed look on her face.

“He doesn't because he’d just get that Stantler in headlights look he gets every time we tease him about the fact he’s such a dad. I’m getting information from the time I’ve known him, and stuff that pertains to before I knew him, I’ve been asking Orla.” Mollie said, and I laughed, and laughed because at least when we find Liko and Roy, they’ll have some good news to come back to.

“What about Liko’s grandmother?” I asked since I wondered if Mollie had told her about the plan.

“I talked with Liko’s Grandmother last night after telling her everything that has happened, and she agrees it would do Liko good to have Friede be her foster parent since Liko will be continuing to adventure with us, and if Diana were to apply for guardianship she would have to settle down somewhere more permanent. As for why Friede wouldn’t have the same struggle, The Brave Olivine. It does move around much like Diana does, but it’s a more permanent residence that just moves so a court would be more likely to agree to giving Friede the Foster placement. Diana does want to discuss things further with Friede when we meet up with her in Galar so I’ll tell Friede about the paperwork and license soon just not yet.” Mollie said and I nodded understanding her reasoning and looking forward to meeting Diana.

“Don’t go off telling the others, because it’s a secret to everyone besides you, me, and Orla,” Mollie said as she placed her finger to her lips in a shushing signal, and I nodded.

“Dinner should be ready soon, and Dot,” Mollie said as she started walking away, and I perked up. “If your knees start to hurt or even begin to look infected, come find m,e ok? Also if you need me I’m always in the infirmary. “ Mollie said, and I nodded before I realised she couldn’t see me.

“Of course, Mollie!” I called out to her before she walked into the elevator. I glanced up to the bridge and sure I couldn’t see Friede and Cap, but I could vividly imagine them steering the ship and it gave me a bit of peace. I smiled while trying to picture Friede’s face when Mollie gives him the Foster paperwork and the license.

“We’ve got a job to do before dinner. We need to go start looking for Liko and Roy even without a precise location we can’t just sit here and be scared and upset. Liko and Roy need us to be strong… They need me to be strong, and I refuse to be weak when they need me the most.”

                                                                 End of Dot’s POV

Chapter Text

“There has to be a way out, there’s always some type of back exit,” Liko muttered as she glanced around the room, trying to see all the angles like he Grandmother taught her through her stories of adventure. “It’s hard to find that when there isn’t even a front entrance since Spinel uses Beehyam to get in and out of here,” Liko muttered a little discouraged as she glanced at all four blank concrete walls with no sign of a window or even a door.

“We also have to find a way to break the chains because finding a way out won’t do us any good if we’re still stuck to these pillars.” Roy said as he clanged the chains against the floor and the pillar, causing Liko to shake her head because saying all of that aloud really makes this seem impossible...

“The ransom note is going out tomorrow night, so I hope you two haven't gotten too comfortable.” A mocking voice echoed from the opposite wall, causing Liko and Roy to jerk toward the voice. Spinel was waltzing up to them with another plastic bag, probably full of their dinner.

He didn’t show up to give us Lunch. I wonder where he was and what he’s planning? Liko thought as she did her best to keep eye contact with the madman, even though every fiber of her being was screaming to duck and hide from him. 

“Why did you take us?” Roy piped up, feeling a surge of bravery that seemingly came out of nowhere, and Liko’s eyes snapped over to him in shock. Roy’s chest was puffed up, trying to make himself look bigger, and his eyes were full of determination instead of the subdued sadness that had been present since back on the cargo ship.  

“You were both convenient with your placement and how much The Rising Volt Tacklers care for both of you. Simply, they would give up anything to have either of you back in case they came looking.  Within the next 72 hours, I’ll have the pendant and you'll both be back with your precious crew.” Spinel said mockingly, his face never changing from his calculating eyes to his smirk that was firmly rooted on his face. 

Roy deflated a little, losing his confidence, but he was still trying to keep his determination and a bit of defiance to look brave for Liko and for himself.  Spinel dropped the shopping bag between them, and he was turning toward Beehyam when Liko took a deep breath and gathered her courage.

“Where are we?!” Liko shouted because if she had asked at any lower level of volume, her voice would have cracked or refused to come out at all.  Spinel turned rapidly on his heel, a vindictive gleam lighting his eyes as he strode his way back over to Liko and crouched down to just be a bit above her, but close enough to be even more threatening than he was when he was standing. 

“I wouldn’t recommend asking any more questions, because someone might just be begging to have their memories erased again,” Spinel said, his voice calm and calculating, but the vindictive glee was evident. Liko shivered at it, suppressing the urge to back away from him as far as she could go, but she did close her eyes in fear of Beehyam’s abilities.

“I won’t let you do that to Li-Li!” Roy shouted as he lunged forward, unable to touch either of them, but Liko appreciated the gesture nonetheless.   

“You may be my guests, but I can and will do whatever I please whenever you cause trouble,” Spinel said with forced politeness as he glared at Roy for several long moments before he stood back up and dusted himself off.

“Umbreon watch over our visitors for a while,” Spinel said as he snapped his fingers and his Umbreon strode over from where she was sitting by Beehyam. Spinel didn’t spare another glance at the pair before Beehyam teleported him away, and Umbreon sat between them, not outwardly hostile, but definitely not friendly either.

Roy tucked his hands to his sides out of instinct, and Liko pressed herself against the pillar. Umbreon just glanced between the two before lying down with her ears perked for any signs of trouble. Getting out of here just got a whole lot harder...

                                                               Dot’s POV

“I’m getting nowhere!” I shouted, scratching my head rapidly in frustration as I stared at the screen, scanning yet another camera feed around the time Liko and Roy would have arrived on mainland Galar. 

“It’s like finding a needle in a haystack that’s also time sensitive!” I shouted, banging my head on the desk in utter frustration. “I could be looking at the right Camera, but not at the right time, or this could all be for nothing because Beehyam could have just teleported them out of any camera’s line of sight.” I groaned.

Quaxly jumped onto my desk and started patting my head, and I just couldn’t bring myself to focus on that. Then Sprigatito jumped into my lap and started purring. Fuecoco hugged one of my legs, but when Wattrel started tugging on my hair, I finally sat up. I looked at all of them, and they looked at me, giving me their own support despite almost all of them being in the same situation as me.

“Yeah, you guys are right, I can’t discourage this easily, I can do this till I pass out easily…They need us, and we need every advantage we can get to find them.” I said a few stray tears falling into my lap as I gripped my desk in a white knuckled grip.

“I’m going to refill my water bottle and get you guys some more water too,” I said as I pushed my chair back before I dumped Sprigatito onto my bed, much to her displeasure. I walked toward the kitchen with their bowls and my water bottle when I heard voices drifting from the living room. I peeked around the corner, doing my best to keep out of sight, but still far enough to where I could tell who was in there. 

Orla and Uncle Murdock... What’s up with them? I thought as I ducked my head back around the corner and did my best to listen to them…

“We’ll be in Galar in the morning and Hulberry soon afterward. Daina has a meeting with Mollie and Friede first thing in the morning while we begin to ask the locals for any clues.” Orla whispered, and I heard the clink of a glass as someone put theirs down on the coffee table. 

“Ludlow will be staying on the ship to keep Dot and the Pokémon safe while we’re gone. We failed Liko and Roy, we won't fail her too.” Uncle Murdock whispered, and I cringed at the hitch in his voice… He’d been crying, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from shouting that they didn’t fail Liko and Roy, that I don’t need protecting, and all I wanted to do was help.

I heard them walk farther into the living room, so I took the chance and rushed to the kitchen and got all the water I needed. I went back to my room and dropped the water off before I left my room again.

I need some fresh air before I get back to work...   I thought, shaking my head as I walked out onto the deck. I braced myself against the railing overlooking the mast and the clouds below.

“Fine night for a stroll.” I heard a voice say behind me, and I threw my head around and was met with Ludlow walking toward me with his fishing pole, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I relaxed. 

“Please don’t sneak up on me again, please,” I said as I banged my fist on my chest to try to knock some sense into my panicking heart. Ludlow just walked over to the mast, sat down, and threw his line into the clouds. I shook my head, but I smiled at him regardless because at least Ludlow is acting the same. I can always count on that sense of familiarity at the very least.

“Trainers have to train their eyes to look for what is there instead of what isn’t,” Ludlow said out of the blue, unprompted as he stared out into the clouds.  I was startled a bit, but I quickly regained myself because that’s just how Ludlow is, and I’m just used to it. 

Ludlow often gives strange pieces of random wisdom, but he doesn't ever explain the wisdom he gives. It’s for you to figure it out and how you choose to apply it, or at least that’s how Friede has described it, and well, Ludlow helped Friede become who he is now, so the wisdom does work...

“You confuse me sometimes, Ludlow, but thank you for that piece of advice. I’ll be heading back to my room,” I said as I pushed away from the railing and waved over my shoulder. I got back to my room with no problems and I sank back into my chair, spinning it toward my monitors as I did so.

“Look for what is there instead of what isn’t... What on earth can I look for when I might not even be looking in the right place?” I whispered into the darkness like it would answer me, and I just shook my head when I was met with silence...

                                                     End of Dot’s POV

Roy and Liko had eventually got their dinner out of the bag Spinel had left them before getting as far away from Umbreon as they could get. The room had been silent since Spinel had left both of them too afraid to speak due to the hostile Pokémon they were now trapped with...

                                                       Liko’s POV

I’ve got to think outside the box, so we can stand a chance at getting out here in one piece...  I thought as I slowly ate the cold curry Spinel left us, as Roy did the same across from me. Umbreon was lying between us with her eyes closed, but I know she isn’t asleep. Her breathing pattern doesn't line up with being asleep, nor do her twitching ears. 

I finished the curry and drank some water before I resumed staring at Umbreon to see if I could spot any inconsistencies, but no luck... I moved my wrist to put down the bowl, and the chain scraped against the floor as I did so. Umbreon’s eyes opened lazily, and she stared at me, and I stared back for several long moments, and eventually she closed her eyes again.

Ok, I’ve got a theory, but now I’ve got to test it.”  I thought before I took a deep breath to steel my nerves as I yanked my arm as hard as I could in the opposite direction causing the chain to scrape against the floor, creating a loud grating noise as it did so… Umbreon now looked more alert, her ears standing on point, and her eyes narrowed as she looked at the chains and at me, daring me to keep going…

Umbreon definitely reacts to the chains and my movement, which makes sense, she’s here to prevent us from escaping... How much would it take for Umbreon to consider attacking?? How much damage would she do before she considers us a non-threat for escaping?    I thought about trying to keep the fear out of my thoughts and to try focusing on the interesting aspects of training that would allow Umbreon to do this without a command... If I didn’t focus on that stuff, my fear and paranoia would win, and I would be able to do what I was about to do next...

I stood up and slowly my chains shaking against the floor and each other, and Umbreon rose to match me just like I thought she would...

“Li-Li, what are you doing?” Roy whispered his eyes wide as he stared at me, and I gave him my best apologetic smile because I know how much I’m scaring him, and I can’t explain what I'm planning. If I explain, Umbreon might catch on and she won’t take the bait…

I started stomping on the floor, banging on the pillar, my chains rattling and clunking. Umbreon got down in a crouch, her hackles raised, and she started growling, baring her fangs and her claws. I maintained eye contact to assert I know what I am doing and the warning would do nothing, even though I would rather be heading it than challenging it...

I can’t play it safe because playing it safe will only get you so far.  Even though I feel like throwing up from fear, I have to keep going... I thought as I kept making the most noise I could, and I threw my own voice into the mix, shouting as loud as I could.

“Come get me!! Don’t be a scaredy Skitty and come get me!!” I shouted, and I saw Umbreon’s tail started to thrash side to side... A countdown...

“If you’re so strong-”

3

“You wouldn’t be warning me, so-”

2

“Come get me!”                                                                                                                                                                             

1

Umbreon launched herself at me using foul play, I sat there, not frozen, just waiting... I waited for just a second after counting down to one to give myself the best possible chance of this plan working before  I threw myself off to the side as hard and as fast as I could. I felt my body being stopped midair due to the chains running out of length and catching me before a loud snapping sound echoed across the room...

Chapter Text

                                                       Liko’s POV

I slammed into the floor straight onto my chest, knocking the wind out of my lungs, but that doesn't matter, at least not right now, because... IT WORKED, IT WORKED!!!! I screamed inside my mind before I threw myself off to the side, just barely avoiding having Umbreon’s paws slam into my back. 

“LI!!!” Roy shouted behind me as I quickly got to my feet, forgetting the pain in my chest and the returning pain in my head. I grimaced, but it made sense; my head had connected with the floor, aggravating where I had originally hit it on the deck of the ship. 

“ Hermano, do you trust me?!” I shouted as I pushed myself backward just out of reach of Umbreon’s Foul Play by mere inches. Umbreon looked up at me with such hatred in her eyes before she sprang for me again using Quick Attack this time, so there was no dodging it this time...

 I curled in on myself when she struck me and kept as close to a ball as I could as she slammed into me. I moved with the direction of the strike despite a flash of white hot pain searing where Umbreon had it...I rolled again when it felt like we were about to stop moving, and I kicked out, striking Umbreon square in the stomach. Umbreon was launched a couple of inches into the air as she yowled before he landed, maybe half a foot away, straight on her back.

“I trust you, Li-Li!!” Roy shouted for what was probably the second time because I had heard his voice when I was trying to roll Umbreon off me, but I didn't know what he had said.   I struggled to my feet and rushed to stand in front of Roy, trying not to stubble on what was left of the chains that were still attached to me.

“When I shout now, dodge,” I whispered as Umbreon shook herself and got back up right again. Umbreon was growling again, and I had every muscle tensed despite how much they ached.  My eyes never left Umbreon, and Roy didn’t confirm verbally, so I hoped he had nodded, because Umbreon was charging up a Snarl...

Time seemed to slow as I saw Umbreon coming straight toward us, fangs bared, eyes fixed in hatred.

3

I took the best deep breath I could.

2

I steeled my resolve watching her grow closer

1

“NOW!!!” I shouted right before I dove out of Umbreon’s way, and for a split second, I was scared...

Scared that Roy hadn’t heard what I first said, scared I was too early, or I was too late in my shout... Before I could spiral much further, a resounding snapping noise sounded, and I nearly cried in joy and relief. 

I looked at Umbreon, who was spitting out the now bitten part of the chains, and I saw Roy diagonally across from me picking himself up, and he flashed me a thumbs up. I stood up quickly when Umbreon growled again, reminding me of the danger we were still in, and when I looked around, I was also reminded we still had no way out...

I better think of a new plan quickly. I thought as Umbreon’s eyes glanced between Roy and me, like she couldn’t think of who to attack first...

                                               End of Liko’s POV

                                                 Friede’s POV

“Mollie, where are we going? I should be taking to the skies to start looking for the kids,” I said as I tried to tug my wrist out of her iron grip, but with no luck, not like I expected to have any.

“We’re having a meeting with Diana because we have things to discuss with her about Liko,” Mollie said as she kept dragging me through the wooded path we were on. I froze when I heard Diana being mentioned.

I failed her granddaughter. Now she’s been kidnapped, and I don’t know where she is. Diana lost her daughter if what Spinel said is true, Lucca took off, and now she’s lost her granddaughter because I couldn’t protect her...  I thought as I slowed for a moment before Mollie was back to dragging me down the street.

“Don’t start blaming yourself now, Friede, we’ve got stuff to do,” Mollie said, not turning to face me, and that snapped me out of it so I matched her stride straight to a little restaurant where she tugged me over to a table occupied by an older-looking Lucca.

“It’s good to finally meet you, Friede, though I wish it was under better circumstances,”  Diana said with a strained smile as we sat down across from her and her Arcanine.

“About a week ago, not long after Liko left with you all. At least according to Mollie, I went to go check in on Lucca and Alex, but when I arrived at their home was for sale... No phone calls or emails saying anything about this... I called over a dozen times, sending me to voicemail before I finally got a person saying that the number was no longer in use... Alex and Lucca knew I was trying to call them and just deactivated their phones without a word... ”  Diana said her voice trailing off, mentioning her daughter, and most people would think she was only sad about Lucca, but when you looked in her eyes, there was this burning fire within them.

I rubbed the back of my neck and nodded because, honestly, I felt the same when I would think of my old teacher. One minute I’m thinking of the Lucca I knew when she was my teacher and when she first approached me about the body guard job, the kind and gentle woman whose faith and drive for the truth seemed as unshakable as her care for others... Then the next minute, I’m shaking in anger, thinking of how she left Liko without any indication and without leaving anything behind, just like Liko was a stranger instead of her child.

“I didn’t know where Liko was because Lucca never told me that she sent you all to go protect her. When I tried Indigo Academy, all they said was that she wasn’t with her parents, but they wouldn't tell me where she was due to safety concerns regarding where she was... I begged and pleaded with them that I’m Liko’s grandmother, but they refused to budge, and I was back to square one...” Diana said as she gritted her teeth, her voice growing angrier and angrier as she spoke, her eyes narrowing… 

I nodded, grateful for the new information, though it honestly just increased my motivation to find Lucca and Alex and make them tell us why they did all of this... Though no answer will ever make me understand them because no reason in the world could excuse this... Liko is their daughter who loves them unconditionally, yet they just left her and didn’t bother to tell her as if she were an afterthought... My hands shook with anger, but I took a deep breath in and reminded myself that being angry won’t help. 

“Mollie called me the night Liko and her friend Roy were taken, and she gave me an interesting proposition,” Diana said, and I looked at Mollie, raising an eyebrow, but Mollie just smiled at me.

“What was this proposition?” I asked, intrigued because I’d never heard of any of this, and I thought I was being brought here for Diana to rake me over the coals like I deserved. Diana just smiled before she looked over to Mollie and back at me.

“I didn’t tell you?” Mollie asked, and I sighed and shook my head. “Very funny, Mollie, but seriously, what is it?” I asked again. 

“For you to become Liko’s foster parent,” Diana said with a straight face and I blinked her and I blinked at her again before I just shook my head rapidly, trying to make sense of what she just said. 

“What?! I can’t be Liko’s Foster Parent. I don't have the necessary paperwork or license... Also, why would anyone trust me with a child to look after and raise??” I asked incredulously as I pointed to myself, as I looked between the two, trying to understand the leaps in logic that led them here. Mollie then pulled some papers out of her bag and deposited them in front of me.

 “Mollie, this is an emergency foster license. Where did you get this and what information did you forge to get this??” I asked as my head shot up, and I stared at Mollie, and she just started laughing. She was laughing so hard she had to grip the table to keep herself upright.

“Read the rest of the paperwork while Mollie recovers,” Diana said, and when I looked at her, she had a smile on her face and a mischievous look in her eye that reminded me too much of when Roy convinced Liko to stay on the ship while we went shopping...

“This is foster paperwork for Liko and Roy... Mollie, you can’t be serious. I can’t raise kids, there’s no way.” I whispered, shell-shocked as I flipped through the papers in front of me, feeling my eyes grow wider and wider as I read.

“Friede, you're already like their Dad, you're just the only one who hasn’t seen it.’ Mollie said as she wheezed, and I glared at her for a moment before I turned toward Diana to see if that was some kind of joke. 

“What about you, don't you want to have custody of Liko?” I asked as I carefully placed the paperwork down, and Diana just shook her head with a fond look in her eyes.

“I’m far too old and too busy to take care of her for the court's standards, and it doesn't help that I don’t have a permanent residence. Besides what I’ve heard from Mollie, you’re like a dad to both Liko and Roy, and you’re a good one, even though you don’t realize it.  Besides, I’ll still be Liko’s grandmother, so yes, Friede, I want you to be Liko’s foster parent.” Diana said with a fond smile, and I just stared at her. 

“Besides, you won’t be all alone, you’ll have all of us back at the Brave Olivine, and it’s not like much is changing, it’s just all going to be legalized now,” Mollie said, after she collected herself, I still stared at the papers in front of me. 

I’ll find both of you, I promise, and we’ll talk about all of this.  I thought as I again picked up the papers and tucked them into my jacket.  

“Let’s go find the kids,” Diana said as she stood up and hopped on Arcanine’s back, and I snapped out of the daze I was in as I threw out Charizard’s Pokeball.

 “Let’s take to the skies, Charizard!” I shouted as we took off into the air, and as I flicked my goggles down. I can think about all of that later in more detail because now I have to give everything I have to find Liko and Roy . I thought as we soared over Hulberry, scanning for the kids, having a terrible sense of Deja Vu all the while.  

                                             End of Friede’s POV

Roy had pressed himself against a wall, trying to keep an equal amount of attention on Liko and Umbreon, and trying to figure out the next move that could get them out of here.  Umbreon had her hackles raised, glancing between the two of them before she launched herself at Roy using Foul Play...

                                                         Roy’s POV

I couldn’t move out of the way in time, and Umbreon hit me directly in the stomach, causing me to hit the wall. 

“Hey!” Liko shouted, and when I looked at her, she was throwing something... The object hit Umbreon’s ears pretty hard, causing her to cry out and back away from me in pain. I looked down at what Liko had thrown, and it was a chain link that Umbreon had bitten through. I took my chance and I stood up as best as I could and I went to the opposite side of the room and my eyes flickered over to the wall... When Umbreon had hit me, it left a pretty big dent in the wall...

“Bingo,” I whispered, smiling just a bit because I might have just found us a ticket out of here... I ran over close to where I had been hit because hoping my plan would work, because we don't know when Spinel is coming back, and I don't want to know what will happen if he sees this...

                                                 End of Roy’s POV

Chapter Text

                                                   Liko’s POV

I watched Roy just barely avoid getting tackled again by Umbreon, causing her to hit the wall again. It didn’t do much because Umbreon was getting back on her feet again in no time.

I don’t think Roy's aiming to get Umbreon to knock herself out, but what’s his plan? I know he has one and I trust him, but I also want to do my best to help him.  I thought as Umbreon lunged toward me, her teeth bared, and I wasn’t able to get out of the way in time, so Umbreon latched onto a lock of my hair that was hanging in front of my face...

“AHHHH!!!” I screamed as my hair took all of Umbreon’s weight and all of the force of the lunge. Umbreon dangled from where she latched my hair for a moment before it was ripped out, and she dropped to the floor. My lock of hair was still clutched in an iron grip inside her jaws, blood where the roots once were...

There was a searing pain where that lock of hair used to be, and when I fully opened my eyes, I couldn’t see properly; blood was coating my left eye. I skirted around Umbreon, frantically scrubbing at the blood with my sleeves, and I nearly crashed into the wall. My breathing was erratic, as was my scrubbing of the blood, as I braced myself against the wall. I was dimly aware of Roy shouting and Umbreon growling, but it didn’t matter, at least in the moment, as I frantically tried to get the blood out of my eye. 

“Li-Li  dodge!!!” Roy screamed, and that snapped me out of the panic, and I instantly tucked myself into a ball and rolled forward, and less than a second later, I heard a sickening crack from where I had just stood.  I looked behind me, relying on my right eye since blood was still pouring onto the left side of my face, but I could see the huge crack in the wall...

“Umbre!” Umbreon cried as she limped to stand on all four paws, shaking her head, growling at me, but I was too focused on the crack.

That’s his plan, to have Umbreon break open the wall for us and then make our escape. I thought as I took a few steps back, still trying to wipe the blood away.  Game on then, we might just have a way out of here...

                                                End of Liko’s POV

                                                 Roy’s POV

I saw the blood covering Liko’s face due to a lock of her hair being ripped out and her head injury reopening from when she hit her head back on the ship. I could see her struggling to see properly. Umbreon is also staring at her with so much anger, I know she’s going after Liko first...

I can’t let Li-Li keep getting hurt. I thought as I clenched my hands into fists before I ran to draw Umbreon’s attention because in the state Li-Li is in, she might not be able to take another hit right now...

 “Hey come catch me if you can!” I shouted, waving my arms around, running over to where the crack in the wall ended, hearing the pawsteps right behind me. I leaped forward and  I put all of my weight down on my foot that was halfway on the wall and halfway still on the floor... I took a deep breath in, pictured what I wanted to do, and I jumped...

I threw myself backwards and I felt the rush of wind from Umbreon’s attack below me, and I heard the crash she made when she connected with the wall. I’ve never done a backflip before... I don’t know how to land... I thought midair upon realizing that maybe this wasn’t the best idea.   I flailed in mid-air, trying to right myself before my head made contact with the concrete floor below.

I was able to turn in the air just a bit, but not nearly enough for me to land on my feet... Instead, I landed on my shoulder, and I heard a loud  POP!  “AHHHH!!” I screamed as my vision whited out in pain. I rolled, clutching at my shoulder as I sat up on my knees, my vision blurry with tears, but I wasn’t hit by Umbreon again, at least.

“ Hermano!! ” Liko shouted as she ran over, skidding to a stop on her knees, her hands hovering above mine where I was still clutching my shoulder. I tried to smile, but I flinched in pain instead. Liko gently pried my hands off, and she gasped and her free hand flew to her mouth as she stared at my shoulder, so I took a look too... I wish I didn’t. 

I could see the bone sticking out underneath my skin, and I felt like I was going to vomit the longer I stared at it. I tried to move my arm, but I just couldn’t move it. Before I could focus on the pain, Liko was gently guiding me to my feet.

“Come on, we’ve got to go. I know it hurts, but hold your arm as best as you can, and when we get out of here, we’ll find a hospital. I think you dislocated your shoulder.” Liko whispered as she started guiding me. I could see that when Umbreon had hit the wall, she made a hole not big enough where we could use it as an exit, but Umbreon also fainted, so we couldn’t get her to make it bigger.

Liko crouched down and started tearing at the hole, knocking loose bricks out. I tried to help, but my arm felt like Cap used Thunderbolt on it, causing me to flinch back and breathe deeply to keep from shouting since now we’ll definitely be heard if we aren't careful...

                                               End of Roy’s POV

Liko was using just about every ounce of strength she could muster to tear and claw away bricks. She kept going even as she tore nails out, even when the skin on her fingertips started to break away, and even as her hands started to bleed. This went on for several minutes on end before Liko stopped and she signalled Roy to crouch down despite his pain, and once he was through, Liko went next...

The hole led them to a dimly lit hallway, and they both looked left to right, but they didn’t see anything on either side that could count as an exit. They stared there for just a few moments before Liko started down the left hall, deciding they couldn’t keep standing there trying to figure out the way that could lead to an exit. 

The pair tiptoed down the hall, blanketed in uneasy silence, the air so tense both of them were scared to breathe too deeply. It was several long minutes of this before they heard a loud slamming of a door behind them, making them sprint down the hall.

They didn’t know if they had been seen, but they didn’t want to risk it, hence why they are sprinting down the hall as quietly as they can despite both of them feeling like they went through a blender... They kept running and running till Liko slammed into someone, sending her sprawling backwards. She was barely able to throw her hands behind her to keep from hitting the floor. Liko’s eyes snapped up and stared at who she ran into, though she knew she wasn’t going to like who.

 She was right because a pair of all too familiar Purple eyes stared back at her and Roy...

“What are you two doing here?” 

                                                   Dot’s POV

I was scouring cameras again, resisting the urge to bite through my lip in frustration as another camera turned up nothing. “Let’s go get some air… We all need some.” I said as I slowly pushed my chair out from under the desk. Sprigatito and Fuecoco walked behind me as Quaxly walked ahead, and Wattrel stood on top of my head.

I smiled just a bit at Wattrel, though it hurt because he’s missing Roy just as much as Fuecoco is, but he’s not comfortable with the rest of us like Fuecoco is… I’m the only one who’s been able to get close to him. Wattrel actually dive-bombed Mollie this morning when she was leaving for her talk with Diana and Friede.  

I was just standing on the deck when Wattrel started screaming using Uproar. 

“Wattrel, stop please!! My ears are going to bleed!” I shouted as I craned my eyes to look up at Wattrel struggling to stay in the air, but still putting everything he had into his Uproar.  I looked ahead of Wattrel to see if I could figure out if he was just lashing out or if he had a reason, and I saw a Magnezone floating near the lookout...

It’s the Magnezone from back on the ship....Spinel’s Magnezone... He’s somewhere nearby, he has to be, but what can I do to Magnezone? I was defeated so easily back when I faced Magnezone in a head-to-head battle back on the ship...  I thought as I slowly edged closer and closer to the Magnezone, keeping as close to the walls as I could 

Ok, it’s a four against one, but if I get Ludlow, we could get some more firepower, but Magnezone is here for a reason. It has to be something with Liko and Roy because Spinel probably knows by now we’re looking for them, and our presence here confirms it… If we fight Magnezone, we could scare Spinel off and lose this chance to potentially learn something about Liko and Roy. I thought rapidly, but my train of thought was derailed when I heard HIS voice. 

“I’ve come to offer your crew an exchange for what you lost the other night.” Spinel’s voice rang out over the deck, and I tensed like he was going to appear from behind any corner within hearing range.

He’s not going to do that, Dot, he’s a coward that sends orders out remotely with a microphone...   A microphone, that's it! I thought as I got closer, looking at every inch of Magnezone looking for the communication device that Friede believed was attached to the Magneton and the Beheeyem back in Paldea, like the one he used back on the ship.

“I’m offering Roy and Liko in exchange for the pendant... Meet me at the northernmost end of the Lake of Outrage, only send one member of your crew, and if you try anything, there will be a price to pay. You have twenty-four hours to decide before I get tired of my guests.” Spinel said, and I could hear the smug smirk in his voice as he threatened Liko and Roy...

I took a deep breath as I started signaling Wattrel, praying he would listen to me because I needed him to get this plan to work.  Wattrel looked down at me before coming to land on my shoulder while I quickly set up my phone, and I tried to keep my fingers from shaking as I pressed buttons as quickly as I could. 

“I can’t see the Microphone, but I know it’s there. I can’t get close enough to use my phone to do what needs to be done, so Wattrel, can you please fly as close as you can to Magnezone and try to approach from every angle?” I asked as I held my phone out to Wattrel, and he stared at it, tilting his head, like he was trying to figure out if he was going to do what I asked.

Wattrel took the phone into his talons and did as I instructed, flapping around Magnezone, diving and ducking as Magnezone started to lash out,

I held my breath, and after about five minutes that felt more like five hours, Magnezone left... I smiled despite knowing it probably wasn’t due to my efforts, but more than likely it was because Spinel was done with what he had to say.

Wattrel dove down to me, and I took my phone just as I heard the clunking of Ludlow's sandals on the deck above heading towards us. I didn’t stick around because I was running to my room. My phone clutched in my hand as tightly as I could hold it even as I hooked it up to my computer and started typing away.

I didn’t register Wattrel and Sprigatito jumping on the back of my chair, nor Fuecoco hugging my leg like it was the only thing keeping him here, or even Quaxly hopping up on my desk. I was too focused on going through the code and tracing the faint signal Wattrel had picked up with my phone. I didn’t tear my eyes away from the screen even as I heard knocking on my door because it felt like this faint glimmer of hope would disappear before my eyes.

I worked following the thread the signal made, the thread Spinel so cleverly tried to hide to keep us from finding him.  Too bad for him because he didn’t account for me refusing to do much till I found Liko and Roy.  I thought as I kept following the signal before I finally found the area around where the signal originated from...

I jumped so hard and fast out of my chair, Sprigatito was sent flying onto my bed, and Wattrel was forced to fly before he fell backwards. I threw open my door hard and fast, and I almost ran out of my door, but I noticed Ludlow just in time before I ran right into him.

“Ludlow, I’ve got a location on Liko and Roy!!” I shouted as I showed him my phone screen. The rough location mapped out, Ludlow peered at it for a few moments before he nodded, and he got his phone out.

“I’ll alert the others as to what you found, but it might be a bit before they can get there since it’s pretty far out,” Ludlow said, and I nodded as I side-stepped him, heading straight toward the ramp, planning to honestly set out on foot to get there myself. Before I could do that, though, Ludlow grabbed my arm and shook his head.

“ I can't just sit around here and do nothing! Liko an d Roy are my friends, and with what you said, we’re the closest to them.” I gritted out as I tugged on my arm.

“Your Uncle and everyone else just want you to be safe. You are still a child after all, and it’s our job to protect you.” Ludlow reassured as he shook his head, and I just gritted my teeth as I again tugged on my arm.

“I don’t want to be wrapped in bubble wrap and kept locked away where I can’t do anything! I was there when they were taken, and all I did was stand there and helplessly watch… All I could do was stand there, so I refuse to stand on the sidelines again!” I snapped, not proud of the tone I took, but Ludlow let go of my arm and sighed.

“We'll head there, only if you agree to the terms I set,” Ludlow said as he motioned for me to follow him, which I did, slowly, unsure of what I was about to agree to. Ludlow hummed to himself as we went below deck, one of his hands skimming over everything we passed, and I walked behind him, waiting for him to explain further.

“If we see anything suspicious, we head straight back to the boat, no ifs or buts. If we get attacked, we are to head back to the boat, but if I’m not back to the boat in time, you have to leave me and wait for help.” Ludlow said as he yanked an old cloth that was draped over something away to reveal an old little speedboat...

“I can’t leave you to the Mightyenas Ludlow,” I said as I circled the boat, taking everything in that Ludlow had said.

“You must if the need arises, for I have more experience in battling, and I’m the one in charge of your protection and safety,” Ludlow responded as I helped him get the boat above deck. I was silent as I watched Ludlow fill the boat up with fuel.

“How long have you had this little speedboat?” I asked, changing the subject, letting what Ludlow said hang in the air between us. Ludlow took a minute to reply, letting the silence hang there for just a moment.

“I’ve had it longer than even your uncle had been alive. I mainly used it when I wanted to get somewhere the Brave Olivine couldn’t fit.” Ludlow said as we slowly lowered the boat into the water and I watched it, wondering if it would even stay afloat with how old and rickety it looked...

To my surprise, it kept afloat as good as it must have back in the old days when the Brave Olivine was just a fishing boat.  I looked at Ludlow and nodded. He didn’t ask why because he knew I was agreeing to his conditions, and that’s why he stepped aside, letting me and the Pokémon go inside first.

Me, Ludlow, Quaxly, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Wattrel clambered inside the boat, doing our best to keep it from tipping. Within minutes, Ludlow turned on the engine and we were off, following the map on my phone heading to the area where the signal is coming from, where Spinel is hiding, and where he’s keeping Liko and Roy...

                                                        End of Dot’s POV

Chapter Text

                                                     Amethio’s POV

I stared down at the Liko and Roy in front of me, unmoving like statues, none of us knowing what to make of the other. Roy looks to have bruised, if not broken, ribs with how he’s clutching his stomach, and he’s got some heavy bleeding on his arm and hand, and a dislocated shoulder. Liko has a concussion the way her eyes aren't dilating with the light,  along with extensive lacerations along her skull, and she appears to have broken ribs as well. Easy to take out, but where’s the pendant?  I thought as I eyed the pair up and down, still rooted to the spot where I was standing, unsure as to why I couldn’t make myself move.

What caused these injuries, and what are they doing here?? They should be out in the rest of Galar. I thought as I clenched my hands into fists in frustration. We stared at one another for what felt like minutes, though it was probably for a few moments before they made their move.

I couldn’t move like I was frozen to the spot by Ice Beam as Liko staggered haphazardly to her feet that seemed to spur Roy on, and the two ran past me, shoving me ever so slightly as they did… I was frozen in a mixture of shock and pity…  I can’t pity them, grandfather has given me a mission to bring the pendant and the Liko to him… Even if I was taken off the mission.  I thought to myself with venom as I finally snapped out of it, turning on my heel and running after them.

I followed them through winding corridors, unable to bring myself to shout for backup for whatever reason. When I tried to call out to anyone, it felt like there was a lump in my throat, like I didn’t swallow something all the way. 

I chased after them a little surprised at their speed despite their injuries, when I saw a branching hallway up ahead, one continues on while the other leads toward an in-use meeting room… I should do everything I can to lure them toward the hallway and into the active meeting room, but my feet wouldn’t move in the direction to cut them off, and they went down the wrong hall away from the meeting room that I know is in use…

Why am I struggling with this?! They’re just two ten-year-olds, and they’re in the base already been captured. All I have to do is get them to the others… I thought as I kept chasing them down, but somehow they had managed to gain quite a bit of ground.

A door just ahead of me slammed open, causing me to be cut off from Liko and Roy, and when I turned to chew the person out, I was met with Spinel standing there with a bag full of what appeared to be snacks…

“Ah, Amethio, I’ve got something to show you,” Spinel said as he flashed me a smug smirk before he closed the door, not bothering to look behind him as he started down the hall in the opposite direction of Liko and Roy. I tried to speak to say something, anything about the pair I could still briefly see running down the hall…

“Amethio, I don’t have all day.” Spinel chided ahead of me as I kept staring down the hall, and instead of trying to say something again, I just turned toward Spinel and walked away from Liko and Roy.  I’m leading him away to keep him from getting the acknowledgment for succeeding in his mission and to give me the chance to complete the mission myself… I thought as I followed Spinel back down the hall, despite my conviction feeling hollow. 

                                                 End of Amethio’s POV  

Liko and Roy were racing down the hall, barely aware of when they could no longer hear Amethio’s footsteps behind them. Their bodies hurt, their minds were foggy, but they needed to get out, so they kept running, doing their best to try to keep an eye out for anyone, friend and foe alike. 

                                                    Dot’s POV

I sat on the end of the boat, my knee propped up on the railing, watching the shore’s cliff face rise ahead of us, and I took a deep breath, though that didn’t help that much. Sprigatito was balancing perilously on the tip of the boat, staring at the cliff face, flexing her claws in and out. Fuecoco and Wattrel were next to my leg with determination and anger in their expression, respectfully, and Quaxly was sitting on my other side, patting my knee with his wing. 

“Remember we have to be careful when we get there,” Ludlow said behind me and all I could do was nod in response because my mounting fear wouldn’t allow me to speak in case somehow I was heard. I heard the motor cut off abruptly behind me, causing me to snap my head back to look at Ludlow to see if somehow we were under attack, but nothing was there…

“To keep us from being heard,” Ludlow explained as he pulled out a Pokeball from his pocket and tossed it softly toward the water. When the Pokeball opened, it was a Quagsire who smiled up at us before tilting his head a bit. “Quagsire, we need to be as quiet as possible. Can you push the boat to shore?” Ludlow asked as he pointed over to the shore, and without making a sound, Quagsire started to steadily push the boat.

The boat bumped against the sand on the shore, and I stumbled out, almost tripping over my own two feet and the Pokémon who fanned out in front of us. Ludlow nodded toward me as he held up a rope, signaling he was going to loosely secure the boat so it wouldn't float away. I pushed on ahead of him and into the forest bordering the shoreline line feeling uneasy as the thick foliage blocked out the sunlight, and it felt like the trees were closing in…

“Come on, Dot Liko and Roy could be going through who knows what they need you… Mental switch on.” I murmured as I put my headband on, allowing me to see better and further ahead. I kept walking through the woods, doing my best to crouch down and keep out of sight despite not hearing or seeing anyone. 

The forest was quiet, too quiet, not even the buzzing of a Combee, that’s never a good sign… When the forest goes quiet, that means there is something or someone nearby that is so dangerous that Pokémon fall silent to avoid being found…

                                                    End of Dot’s POV

Amethio watched as Spinel’s smile on his face grew deranged when they arrived at the room Amethio assumed Liko and Roy were being held in… Chains snapped on the ground, Umbreon fainted near a hole in the wall that had let the two escape…

“They escaped; they couldn’t have gone far. Find them,” Spinel said into his phone before he turned to Amnethio, who felt the blood in his veins freeze. The only thing keeping him from stepping back was his own pride and stubbornness.

“Amethio, you’re with me.” Spinel ordered as he briskly walked past Amethio with Beheeyem, floating diligently behind him, though not without looking back at Amethio. Beheeyem's hands flashed for a moment, and Amethio got the message… They know somehow, some way, they know what he did, or more accurately, what he couldn’t make himself do… There was no other explanation, and he had better help find the two if he didn’t want what happened to them to happen to him. 

                                                          Liko’s POV 

Just keep running, Just keep running, keep running till you find the exit…  I thought as black dots danced along the edges of my vision. The halls seemed to stretch on forever, and it felt like we were getting nowhere fast, and we’d already been chased by Amethio, so we lost the element of surprise. 

I was still too scared to speak, but I did look over my shoulder to check in on Roy, and he looked how I felt…terrible. His face was pale, there was dried blood on him, and his arm was hanging limp at his side, forcing him to hold it so it wouldn't flop around, hurting him further. He gave me a weak smile when he noticed I was looking, and I tried to return one before I was focused on the hall in front of us again.

We rounded a corner and I noticed several things in rapid succession despite the throbbing pain in my head… number one, the hall was branching off into multiple different pathways, number two, there were two unknown explorers in our path, three, they had a Galile and a Garganacl respectively… 

I considered stopping, especially when I saw the stone edge heading straight for us, but I kept running past them by mere inches and down another hallway. I heard screaming and crashing behind us, but I didn't dare stop. We just kept running, unknowing where we were going, where we were, but knowing we had to get out.  I saw a door ahead of us after a while of running. there were no other halls or doors, so this was either the exit or a dead-end room, and we would be stuck with people behind us. 

I was reaching toward the door, my right arm outstretched, ready to grab it and open it, when I felt it… The static in the air became unbearable, I saw the hair on my arm raise up, before I felt white hot, unbearable pain slam into me directly into my back… An Electro ball… Don’t pass out, don’t pass out, don’t pass out, you might not wake up. I thought because all I could do was plead with myself as I hit the ground, though I barely registered it. 

I picked my head weekly off the ground to try to discourage myself from passing out. I could hardly see, but I could make out Roy crouched in front of me, and I could hardly process my relief that he wasn't hit before I realized he was shouting down the hall, but I couldn’t hear him… All I could hear was ringing all around me, probably just a side effect of the repeated blows to the head. I tried to look around, still struggling to see, but I could see green, yellow, and red lights not too far away…

                                                     End of Liko’s POV

Friede urged Charizard to go faster, though he logically knew Charizard couldn’t, but logic had been thrown out the window when he got that text from Ludlow that Dot had found where Liko and Roy are. He’s the furthest from the spot, but he’s the fastest, even with Diana and her Arcanine running there, he knows he’ll be the first person there ready to take on anyone who gets in his way of getting to his kids , the kids…

                                                             Dot’s POV

I was running, running toward the sound of the explosion with all of the Pokémon behind me, no thoughts in my mind, but I kept running, crunching leaves, vines, and thorns underfoot. I burst through the tree line so hard and fast that my hands scraped along the ground to push myself back up frantically because I nearly slammed into the ground while I kept running.

I barely registered the small clearing I now found myself in because I tunnel-visioned on the windowless building in front of me, but specifically the door. I ran forward with no thoughts other than the possibility of Liko and Roy being beyond the door. Just as I slammed the door open, one foot already inside the building, a brief thought rang clear as a bell in my mind...

I lost Ludlow quite a ways back...

                                                            End of Dot’s POV

Chapter Text

                                               Dot’s POV

I didn’t have long to register the fact that I didn’t have Ludlow behind me before I was met with a scene straight out of my nightmares… Liko was on the floor, barely conscious, and she looked like she had been hit by a bus. When I glanced just a bit ahead of her, Roy looked much the same, like he could barely stand. Then I saw him... Spinel just a few feet away with his Beheeyem, and Amethio was just a bit behind him, a hand resting on a pokeball, both of them staring me down...

I should have listened to Ludlow.  I thought as I stood frozen in front of the open door staring down a scene familiar yet different to all of my nightmares, I’ve had since Liko and Roy were taken a few days ago. 

“Ah, I see one of your friends has decided to join us. Well, it won’t take too long to fix this mess,” Spinel said, his tone condescending, like I was just a little more than a newly hatched Wurmple in his way. I stepped forward instead of back this time, despite the fact that I was unsure what to do. 

He won’t win, he can’t win, I won’t let him... I thought as I gritted my teeth, every muscle in my body was tense as I stared down the madman who has no issues harming everyone and anyone to get what he wants.  

I don’t have to defeat him and Amethio myself; I just need to stall them long enough for help to get here.  I thought as the Pokémon got into fighting positions in front of me, still staring down Spinel and Amethio, neither of whom had made a definite move toward us yet…

“Magnezone use Flash Cannon,” Spinel said as he snapped his fingers, and I felt my pulse skyrocket 

“Sprigatito use Leafeage to block it, and Wattrel use Uproar to help her out!” I shouted since Liko and Roy were far too distracted and hurt to give their Pokémon commands, and it was the best shot to stop the Flash Cannon in its tracks. Sprigatito and Wattrel sprang into action, and luckily, it was enough to neutralize the Flash Cannon, rendering both attacks null and void.

“Ceruledge, let’s finish this!” Amethio called out as he threw out the pokeball he’d been gripping in a white knuckled grip since I got here. Ceruledge appeared next to Magnezone with Beheeyem still floating behind Spinel. The fight is just getting started… Please, someone, anyone, get here as fast as you can because I don’t know how long I can hold out...   I thought with a shiver. I quickly glanced behind them at the darkened hallway, and I wondered absent-mindedly if anyone else deeper in the base was aware of this fight and if they were coming at this very moment...

                                                           End of Dot’s POV

 Friede urged Charizard to go as fast as he could, wind whipping at his hair and his face, but that’s what his flight goggles are for, so it didn’t bother him all that much. All he could think was that Liko and Roy were in danger and that they needed him as fast as possible. 

Ludlow had only texted everyone about twenty minutes ago, but Friede was pretty far away, and now he’s mentally kicking himself for it because he’s still quite a ways away. Just hang on a little longer, kids.  Friede thought as Charizard soared as fast as he could, hoping and praying that they wouldn’t be too late again...

                                                        Dot’s POV

“Ceruledge use Bitter Blade!” Amethio shouted.

“Magnezone use Flash Cannon,” Spinel said, sounding bored of all of this as he looked at me like I was some sort of failed science project.

“Fuecoco use Stomping Tantrum and Quaxly use Water Gun to help him out against Ceruledge! Sprigatito and Wattrel use Leafeage  and Uproar once more to stop that Electro Ball in its tracks!” I shouted as the attacks came toward us head-on, and I held my breath as the Pokémon sprang into action. Just like the time before the Electro Ball was nullified, but Ceruledge’s bitter blade was not so easily stopped...

The piece of the ground that Fuecoco’s stomping tantrums and Quaxly's water gun were knocked aside like they were feathers, and Ceruledge was heading straight for Roy...

I moved without thinking, shoving Roy back as far as I could with my left arm, placing myself right where Roy was, right where Ceruledge’s Bitter Blade was going...

“Ceruledge!” Amethio barked out, and if I didn’t know any better, it sounded like he was panicked. Ceruledge’s eyes widened just a bit, and he stopped in his tracks, his arm blade just a few inches away from my chest, and I breathed a small sigh of relief as I took a hesitant step back.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

“I always knew you were weak,” Spinel said, and I looked up just in time for him to snap his fingers, and before I knew it Magnezone turned on Amethio with a Flash cannon aimed directly at him. Ceruledge threw himself between Amethio and the Flash Cannon, deflecting it straight into the wall, causing the hallway to shake the walls and the lights to flicker overhead. 

“I’m not the one justifying attempted murder and kidnapping!” Amethio snapped back, and I stood frozen to the spot, confused whether Amethio was actually helping us or just fighting Spinel. Amethio had to dodge a Zap cannon that would have struck him in the knees, and he now stood between us and Spinel, though he was facing us.

“We don’t need her and the boy; we need Liko and the pendant. It’s your grandfather’s orders.” Spinel shot back as he snapped his fingers, and I saw Beheeyem teleport straight in front of Amethio just inches from his face. I saw Amethio’s eyes widen, I heard Liko scream, I heard Roy shout, and I moved without thinking, and I reached my hand toward him...

It was the least I could do. He'd saved my life, and he might be a bad guy, but he shouldn’t go through whatever Spinel has planned for him, and by the looks of that deranged smile, it can’t be good...

To my shock, Amethio actually reached his hand back toward me, his eyes were wide in shock as he did so,  and I stretched my arm as far as it could go… Beheeyem was faster than I was because the next thing I knew, Amerthio and Ceruledge were gone in the blink of an eye, just like Liko and Roy the night Spinel took them...

“Magnezone, with the traitor out of the way, let's get rid of this pest,” Spinel said, and it felt like I was dunked in ice-cold water, unable to move from where I was standing as Spinel grinned down at me maniacally with Liko and Roy shouting just behind me.

Magnezone was in front of me within a matter of seconds, and all I could do was flinch back in shock as Magnezone was charging up a point-blank Zap Cannon. I closed my eyes, waiting for the blow, but it never came. Instead, I felt an intense wave of heat pass by my face, causing me to open my eyes in confusion to see flames slamming into Magnezone.

 I collapsed backward, barely able to catch myself with my hands as I stared up at the flames attempting to engulf Magnezone. A distant part of my mind wondered if maybe Fuecoco had learned Flamethrower under the stress of the situation, but another part of my mind rationalized that it didn’t make much sense. 

I heard the sound of boots slamming into the ground behind me, and I turned around with a smile, and I nearly cried seeing Friede and Charizard standing there...  I did it, I held out long enough, now I’m going to get Lilo and Roy out of here because I want to give Friede enough room to go all out and pummel Spinel into the ground.  I thought to myself with a small smile. 

                                                      End of Dot’s POV

Chapter Text

“Professor Friede of the Rising Volt Tacklers, I should have known to expect you sooner or later because, after all, you are a sentimental fool,” Spinel said, and Friede’s jaw tightened as he stared him down, his arms crossed, and his eyes dark with anger.

“Charizard use Flame Thrower!” Friede shouted and Charizard hit Beheeyem that had just teleported back, adding more power behind the Flame Thrower than maybe necessary in response to the state of the kids and to his trainer’s tone. 

Beheeyem was knocked back away from the kids, but not out...

He’s holding back because we could get hurt... Dot thought as she watched on as Spinel ordered Magnezone to use Zap Cannon again, but it was obvious he wasn’t aiming for Friede or even Charizard, he’s still aiming for them, putting Friede on the defensive rather than the offensive as he once more had Charizard knock it back.

Dot motioned as covertly as she could for Roy to get ready to stand and to grab Liko. Roy looked at her for a moment before he grabbed one of Liko’s arms with his one good arm. Dot took one deep breath in and another out, mentally preparing herself, because as soon as they moved, all of Spinel’s focus would be on them, but they have to even if that means leaving Friede and heading outside back toward the boat...

Dot grabbed both of Lliko’s legs, and Wattrel grabbed the sleeve of Liko’s arm that Roy wasn’t holding, and Dot stomped her foot three times, and the next thing everyone knew was that she and Roy were running to get to the door Liko suspended between them like a hammock.

                                                    Dot’s POV 

“Beheeyem, you know what to do,” Spinel said with a chuckle, and I gritted my teeth as I saw Beheeyem appear just above Liko, trying to close the gap… 

“Quaxly, use Wing Attack!” I shouted, and I felt Quaxly jump on my shoulder, launching himself straight at Beheeyem, and I saw an ember fly from behind Roy, striking Beheeyem in the back at the same time as Quaxly connected with Wing Attack to Beheeyem's face. 

Beheeyem was stunned from the double hit, and I used that to our advantage and kept running after Roy, doing my best to keep pace with him even as I winced in sympathy at Liko as she hissed in pain. We kept going even as we cleared the building and as we kept running through the woods...

“Where are we going?!” Roy called out as we kept running.

“To a boat, Ludlow and I used to get here, we docked it at the shore, I’ll tell you if we’re going the wrong way!” I shouted back before I quickly shot a glance over my shoulder, seeing a burst of fire just beyond the open door of the building before the brush obscured my view. 

                                              End of Dot’s POV

“Carizard use Flame Thrower!” Friede shouted as soon as the kids left the building, just barely missing the Magnezone, and Friede’s eyes narrowed in anger...

Friede isn’t an angry person; overall, he’s pretty outgoing and friendly, but he was seeing red as he called out more moves to Charizard.  He hadn't gotten a good look at Liko and Roy, but from what he saw,  he kinda wants Charizard to barbecue Spinel and maybe the rest of the building...

Spinel looked past him at the open door, and Friede nearly snarled at the implication that Spinel would go after the kids the moment he saw an opening...Well, Spinel would have to step over his cold, dead body if he wanted to get out the door and to the kids.

“Charizard use Dragon Claw!” Friede shouted as he saw a Magnoton appear from behind Spinel, and once Charizard knocked out the Magnoton in one hit, four more appeared from the hall. making the fight a six on one, well...Not quiet.

“Cap use Volt Tackle!” Friede shouted, and Cap, who had been waiting in the shadows for the right moment, dashed past Friede’s leg and straight into Magnezone that had been trying to get back into the fight. 

Magnezone was launched back, narrowly missing slamming into Spinel, before slamming into the wall behind him. Spinel’s smile stretched wider, his eyes looking even crazier than before, and he cackled.

“You’ll fail these kids, and I’ll take the girl and her pendant in the end; your efforts will be futile.” Spinel cackled, and Friede clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth, as he wondered if he could close the gap and sock Spinel in the face.

“Beheeyem use Psychic," Spinel said, snapping his fingers, freezing Cap in his place, and before Friede could call out, another move, Cap was hit with an electro ball, knocking him back. Cap skidded on his paws before righting himself and standing back up.

“You alright, Cap?” Friede asked, and Cap gave him a thumbs up, and Friede took a deep breath in.  I can’t let my anger blind me, it won’t do any good, all it will do is make me make stupid mistakes...” Friede thought as he flicked his goggles down and reached into his pocket.

“Charizard, it's time to go beyond!” Friede shouted as he felt the familiar feeling of his terra orb shaking in his grasp….

“Garganacl use Stone Edge!” A man shouted from the shadows of the trees, and Roy barely stopped short of the stone now jutting out of the ground, causing him to slip on the dew-soaked grass.

Dot lurched forward to try to catch him while trying to protect Liko’s head from hitting the ground, but in reality, all three of them were sent tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs. 

Roy’s head shot up, and he saw the same man and woman that he and Liko had barely avoided back in the building, and he hissed in pain as his arm throbbed in time with his thundering heart.  

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Dot asked, exacerbated as she got to her feet and braced herself for yet another fight that she didn’t know a way out of. 

“Pack it up, kiddies, the blue one’s ours!” The pink-haired woman said as she pointed her finger right at Liko while throwing her other hand on her hip.

“Coral.” The man sighed as he shook his head.

“Sidian,” Coral said in a mocking tone as she turned toward him, and Dot raised her eyebrows as the attention was shifted off of them, even if slightly, since Sidian was still staring at them...

“ Quagsire use Hydro Pump!” A familiar voice called from behind the kids, who whipped their heads around to see Ludlow and Quagsire just behind them.

“Go, I’ll hold them off!” Ludlow called, and Dot hesitated for a second, not wanting to leave Ludlow behind, but she remembered what Ludlow had told her before they got in the boat, that he was an adult, that was in charge of his own choices, and could handle himself. 

In the next moment, Dot and Roy were picking up Liko and running off to the side and toward the shore. ..

 The woods were as silent as they were before when Ludlow and Dot first arrived, and that didn’t ease Dot’s nerves, but she kept pushing herself even as her lungs burned from all the running.

They broke through the tree line, and the boat was just a foot or so away from the shore, tied to a nearby tree just like Ludlow had said. Dot quickly helped Roy put Liko in the boat as gently as they could, before helping him inside, not without a lot of splashing and nearly falling into the shin-high water. Dot then pulled on the rope as hard as she could, and the force sent her tumbling back-first into the water.

“I guess he really did tie that pretty loosely," Dot said as she used the rest of her strength to shove the boat to get as much distance from the shore, to allow the boat’s rudder to spin without worry of hitting the ground and potentially breaking. 

“Don't grab my hand!” Roy shouted, Dot gripped onto his hand, and he helped haul her into the boat despite only being able to use one hand himself

Roy yelped in pain since he stumbled back and hit his arm on the edge of the boat, and Dot's hands hovered over him, unsure of what to do to help ease his pain now that they were out of the direct line of fire. 

“It’ll be ok, I’ll get you guys back to the ship and to Mollie as quickly as possible,” Dot said as she sat down by the mother and pulled the cord, cranking it to life. Dot kicked it into full throttle, and Roy’s cheer was so loud that not even the wind whipping past their faces could drown it out.

“Charizard use Tera Blast!” Friede shouted as soon as the crystals solidified around his partner after throwing his Tera Orb. 

“Charizard!” Charizard roared as he fired off a Dark-type Terra Blast aimed at Beheeyem, and Beheeyem couldn’t move out of the way in time, and Beheeyem was knocked out cold at Spinel’s feet. 

“Why do you keep fighting?” Spinel asked as he snapped his fingers, and all of the Magnotons around Charizard fired off an Electroball right at Charizard. Friede called out for Cap to help Charizard out by deflecting the Electroballs with Thunder Punch. 

“I keep fighting to protect my kids!” Friede shouted, not realizing what he had said, but Spinel’s eyebrows raised at that statement, and a cold-hearted smirk settled on his face.

“Interesting...” Spinel murmured, his eyes lighting up with vindictive glee.

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Friede shouted as he took a step forward, his fists shaking in anger at Spinel’s smug and vindictive expression.

“It’s time for me to take my leave,” Spinel responded as he called back his Pokémon, and before Friede could even attempt to give chase, Spinel turned on his heel and ran over to a Xatu who used teleport as soon as he was close enough...

Friede was left standing there along with Cap and Charizard with no answers, but with the kids out of Spinel’s hands...

“We need to find the kids.” Friede said as he climbed onto Charizard’s back, and Cap followed suit and climbed onto Charizard’s head. Charizard launched himself into the sky as Friede and Cap watched the ground below, looking for any signs of Ludlow or the kids… After days of living a nightmare it’s finally coming to an end for everyone.

Chapter Text

“Why can’t we just head over there?!” Orla asked as she threw her hands into the air in frustration. Mollie, Orla, and Murdock were on the deck of the Brave Olivine just standing there while the kids were in danger, and Orla couldn’t take it.

“Becuase, Ludlow had Dot take the boat they brought with them to get away from the Exploers, and he knows she’ll be heading back this way with Liko and Roy. If we move, she won’t be able to find us, and we run the risk of not being able to find them on our way there.” Mollie explained as she quickly threw a glance out toward the open water, looking for any sign of the boat.

“Any news from Diana or Friede?” Murdock asked hopefully as he paced back and forth in front of the woman, and Orla looked hopefully at Mollie, who just shook her head. 

“Come on, Dot...” Murdock muttered, wringing his hands a little too roughly, an old nervous habit that he’d been trying to kick since Dot learned to walk. Diana and Friede had taken off as soon as they got the message from Ludlow, while the rest of them headed back to the ship as fast as possible to launch, but they had gotten a message from Ludlow telling them the kids were on their way here… It still didn't feel good to just stand here despite the logic behind why. Liko and Roy had been missing for days, kidnapped by a madman, then Dot and Ludlow went racing to help them, and now Dot is in danger, separated from Ludlow and Friede with Liko and Roy… 

Orla was just about to go into the engine room and start cranking it when she heard the revving of an engine just off to the side of this ship. She and Murdock practically flung themselves at the railing, and just like Ludlow said, Dot, Roy, and Liko were in a little engine-powered wooden boat heading straight for them.

Orla gasped, and a hand flew to her mouth when the kids got closer, tears coming to her eyes as she bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming. The closer and closer the kids got...

“Mollie!” Murdock shouted, his voice strangled, unable to say anything more as he got a better look at Liko and Roy...

Mollie had her first aid bag because she knew that Liko and Roy had at least some lacerations, and Liko might have a mild concussion from what Dot saw back on the ship, but upon seeing the boat, she knew the kids would have to go to a hospital after getting some first aid while waiting for Friede.

“Orla, help Dot get Roy out of the boat, Murdock lift Liko up and lay her down on these blankets!” Mollie ordered her medic training overruling the maelstrom of emotions inside of her. Luckily, Mollie’s shout seemed to knock Murdock and Orla out of their shocked states because they quickly set about what Mollie said as she laid some blankets down on the deck and a few pillows for Liko to rest on. 

Mollie started looking at Liko first, shining a light in her eyes with no signs of dilation in her pupils, much to Mollie’s chagrin.   

“Mollie-we- home?” Liko said her speech slurred, and Mollie just nodded, noting the slurred words as more symptoms of a severe concussion. Mollie then gently prodded her ribs, causing Liko to hiss in pain and Mollie to bite the inside of her cheek, shocked at the extensive amount of damage on just Liko alone. Luckily, the bone didn’t move, so she didn’t believe they were broken, but it was possible for them to just be cracked or bruised.

Mollie did similar tests on Roy and discovered that he actually had broken ribs when the bones shifted beneath her fingers when she prodded him gently. He didn’t have a concussion, but his hand wound looked a bit infected, and of course, his dislocated shoulder and the fact that he couldn’t move the arm...

“Murdock, try calling Friede. We need to get them to a hospital!” Mollie shouted as she helped Roy sit down next to Liko and watched him latch onto her as gently as he could. Her heart broke a little at the interaction, watching Roy with glassy eyes just cling onto Liko, and Liko clinging back just as hard as she could. 

“On it!” Murdock shouted back as he dialed Friede’s number and waited for him to answer, tapping his foot in a frantic rhythm as he listened to the ringing. 

“Murdock?” Friede asked over the wind as he answered his phone, not taking his eyes off the ground, looking for Ludlow and the kids, especially because he had missed a call from the old man just a few minutes prior. 

“The kids are back on the ship, but we need you here as soon as possible... They’re bad Friede... They need to get to a hospital soon.” Murdock said his voice was shaking from the strain of keeping it together the best he could.

Friede felt his blood turn cold and his heart drop to his stomach... HIS kids were still in danger, and he NEEDED to get back to them NOW.

“Charizard we need to head back to the Brave Olivine!” Friede shouted, blood roaring in his ears, and Charizard roared as he started racing back to the ship. Charizard knows that the tone in his trainer’s voice meant danger and urgency, so he sped up his pace, pushing past his exhaustion from the fight. 

Charizard got back to the Brave Olivine in record time, and Friede didn’t even wait for him to land before leaping off Charizard’s back, already rushing to the kids’ sides the moment his boots slammed into the deck. 

“Liko, Roy!” Friede shouted as he crouched down next to the kids, and the way Liko’s head lulled to the side to meet his gaze with a smile hurt his heart.

"H-hey, Friede." Liko stuttered as she smiled at him, and Friede did his best to offer his signature grin back, but it hurt to even try looking at the multitude of injuries he could see on her. Before he could focus on that so much, to wear he spiraled, he felt a weight on his arm. 

When Friede glanced down, it was Roy hugging his arm with his only mobile one, since Friede could see the bone sticking out of his skin now. He’s a lot closer to the kid without a battle raging around them...

Friede quickly hugged the boy back as gently as possible since Roy hissed in pain the moment he touched him. For a moment, Friede wished he had, in fact, closed that gap and knocked Spinel’s lights out, but he was quickly thrown out of that thought when he heard Liko groan in pain, snapping him back to reality. 

“Let’s get the two of you on Charizard and to a hospital,” Friede said with the best grin he could muster, though it felt even worse than before it like he was swallowing glass. Mollie helped Roy to his feet as Friede gently scooped Liko up princess style before he handed her to Charizard for him to hold while flying. 

Roy was placed in front of Friede since Roy couldn’t hold on by himself. That’s another reason Friede held onto Roy as tight as he could without causing the boy pain, despite his quiet fear that if he let either one out of his sights, they would disappear...

Liko could hardly believe it; she and Roy had gotten out of Spinel’s clutches and back to everyone else... It didn’t feel real that they were free, that they had gotten out of there, but here she was nestled securely in Charizard’s arms with Friede holding Roy in place just behind her, heading toward a hospital.

Liko watched the stone pathways of Hulberry give way to the wilderness once again, and she panicked briefly, not knowing what was happening, and in response, she thrashed in Charizard’s grip despite knowing Friede had her now that he would keep her safe. 

“Whoa, Liko, it’s ok! Remember, the hospital is out in Hammerlock. You’re ok, I promise.” Friede said as Charizard stopped mid-air to adjust his hold, and Liko faltered. She didn’t remember Mollie saying anything about that, but with the worry seeping into Friede’s voice, she knows Mollie did, but she just doesn't remember.

 Friede urged Charizard to go even faster after Liko’s lapse in memory, worrying that her concussion might be worse than Mollie thought.

“Hey, I need some help over here!”   Friede shouted as loudly as he could to draw as much attention as he could once Charizard landed outside the hospital. A nurse whipped her head toward the sound of his voice, and when she saw Friede holding Roy and Charizard holding Liko, her face paled several shades before she snapped out of it and yelled something over her shoulder. Four other nurses followed the first nurse’s lead and ran toward Friede and the kids with two stretchers.

“Sir, it’s ok, your son and daughter will be alright.” The first nurse said her eyes were kind and sincere as she gently lifted Roy from his arms and placed him on a stretcher, as another nurse did the same to Liko. Three of them rushed the kids inside, and Friede started to chase after him, but the first nurse grabbed the back of his jacket and yanked him back.

“I’m sorry, sir, but your children need to go for X-rays, and your son has to have surgery for his shoulder, so you’ll need to file some paperwork for that, and if your daughter needs surgery, you’ll have some more paperwork as well.” The nurse said as she gave Friede a gentle smile, and despite her honey-sweet voice, her tone left no room for arguments as she guided Friede to an empty hospital room.

 “I’m not Liko and Roy’s Dad, I don’t even know if I'm technically their guardian,” Friede said as he sat down and pulled out the paperwork and foster license he’d gotten from Diana and Mollie earlier that morning, and that felt like a lifetime ago now..

“Ah, well, since you are applying for guardianship and none of their family is available at the moment, you’ll be able to make the decisions, but do try to fill that out soon... It’s a loophole I had to use myself when I applied to be my nephew's guardian, but he had to have an appendix surgery before I had all the paperwork filled out...” The nurse said as she handed Friede back the papers and scurried off to get some forms he needed to sign.

Friede messaged the rising Volt tacklers that they had arrived and told them about Roy and Liko going off for X-rays and Roy needing surgery. He put his phone down and stared at the foster paper in his hands, feeling the weight of everything hit him...

“I’m going to need a pen,” Friede whispered with a small smile as he kept looking at the paperwork in his lap, and Cap crossed his arms in the chair next to him, nodding, knowing that his trainer was finally admitting at least to himself that these are his kids... Cap was about to shock him if he didn’t soon.

Chapter Text

“Here are some forms, Liko doesn't have to have any surgeries, luckily, but she does have to have several stitches on her forehead, so I brought you some forms for that… Along with the forms for Roy’s surgery for his shoulder. I also brought copies of their medical documentation I pulled from Kanto and Paldea’s databases since I figured you didn’t have a copy of either of theirs.” The nurse said when she came back about twenty minutes after Friede started slowly filling in the foster paperwork, and Friede perked his head up to see a mountain of paperwork that the nurse rested on the other empty chair beside him. 

“I never did ask you your name to put it in the system, did I? My name’s Violet, and I’ll be the primary nurse in charge of your children's recovery.” Violet said with a smile.

“My name’s Friede, and thank you so much for helping me out... If you see any of these people, please point them in this direction. They're on the way, but all of them are pretty far out, so it might be a while.” Friede said as he showed Violet a picture of the Rising Volt Tacklers and one of Diana.

“I’m going to get you some more details before Roy’s surgery. I'll also get you a spare lap desk, you look like you’ll need it,” Violet said with a laugh as she indicated at the mountain of paperwork that Cap was trying to balance on top of, like it was a surfboard. 

“Thank you again,” Friede said, and  Violet just nodded before rushing off to converse with the doctors and get the lap desk. Friede threw his head back and stared at the ceiling the moment Violet left, finally able to think about the whole fostering the kids thing...

                                                     Friede’s POV

I can’t believe Mollie and Dianna thought it was a good idea to let me foster Liko and Roy. I don’t know how to be a parent, I never had an example after all... I also failed them, I failed at the most important job of being a parent... I failed to protect them. They were taken out from under my nose, hurt over and over again, and they freed themselves all before I showed up, only giving them a distraction to get to the boat... Then Spinel still got away. He's out there waiting, I know he is. What if next time I’m not enough to keep them safe?  I thought as I stared at the ceiling above me.

“You look pretty lost in thought there.” Someone said off to my side, and I jumped a hand already on Charizard’s pokeball and halfway in front of the door before I realized who was there.

“Sorry, Diana, I...” I said, but I trailed off and rubbed the back of my neck.

“ None of that nonsense, I get it. You’re still full of adrenaline, and your children are hurt... I know the feeling.” Diana said as she waved her hand dismissively as I tried to explain myself.  

“ About that... I don’t know how to be a parent, Diana. I failed them in the worst way possible; they were taken, and I wasn’t able to do anything to stop it.” I said as I clenched my fist in frustration.  Diana sat down and patted the seat beside her with a small smile, and I reluctantly sat down.

“No one knows how to be a parent when they first start out, Arceus knows I didn’t when my husband and I had Lucca. I wasn’t the best parent to her… When she was around six years old, her father’s job took a hit and he started earning less, so I had to start adventuring and taking jobs across the globe to keep us afloat because that’s what I had experience in. I was gone for huge parts of the year, and I even had to miss a few holidays while I was gone...” Diana said, her voice trailing off as her eyes got misty.

“I feel like it’s my fault that she left her daughter due to the way I raised her... With me leaving, she had no mother figure to look up to, only showing her that moms leave...” Diana said, her voice trembling with emotion as tears slipped past her eyes that she quickly dabbed away with her handkerchief.

“It’s not your fault, Lucca did what she did, it’s no one's fault but her own and Alex’s. She and Alex choose to leave their daughter without a word to ANYONE.” I gritted out the last part, because in a way I felt responsible for at least not noticing anything they were planning when I was supposed to drop Liko off at their home, they were probably in the process of selling...

What would have happened if I had left Liko there like they intended? Would they have just left her in Paldea with no one? What would have happened if the Explorers had found her, without any of us to help her? They would have still been after her, they still are, her “parents” would have left her all on her own to face the world, and we would have never known...  I thought to myself, feeling cold all over at the realization that without Dot intervening with her drawings and notes that pushed Liko to say she wanted to stay, this could have been so much worse...

“You can be a parent, Friede, you already are one to them. It's just legalized; you have the paperwork to fill out, you’re the one signing stuff, you’re their legal parent, but you already were long before all of this. You encourage them to grow, you protect them with everything you have, you teach them things with patience and kindness, and they trust you... That’s some rock-solid foundations for being a parent, and that’s without you actively trying to be one. You CAN be a parent Friede, you just need to believe in yourself.”  Diana said, and before I could argue, she was shoving a piece of paper in my hands.

“It’s a copy of Liko’s birth certificate,” I whispered as I stared down at it, and Diana nodded like she hadn’t just given me a copy of one of the most important documents pertaining to her granddaughter’s life.

“You’ll be needing it, along with Roy's, when you have the opportunity to go to a courthouse and pick it up. Having copies is a good thing in case you need them for other such paperwork… You have a lot of paperwork when you have kids, so you’ll need to get used to it.” Dina joked, and I laughed just a bit.

“I hated doing paperwork back at Exceed, but I’m starting to think maybe it’s not so bad,” I said as I tucked Liko’s birth certificate into my jacket with a small smile.

“Here’s the lap desk I told you about, and I got some more information about Roy’s surgery and some stuff about Liko, though not as much on her,” Violet said as she walked back into the room wearing the same kind smile as before. I smiled as I took it, thanking her as she sat down across from us, her face taking on a much more serious tone, and I tensed up just a bit, knowing she still had news on the kids...

“The ligaments in Roy’s shoulder were severely torn, hence the need for surgery. The doctors are preparing him as we speak. It should take about two or so hours to fix his shoulder, and while a surgeon works on his shoulder, another doctor will be cleaning the infection out of his hand. Doctors will discuss the antibiotics they plan to give him, along with how to help his broken ribs heal properly.” Violet said as she slid some X-rays across the table that I gingerly picked up, and I felt sick…

Roy had three broken ribs, three cracked ribs, and five other ones were heavily bruised… Then I looked at the other X-ray that was actually a CT scan showing the torn ligaments and where it was supposed to connect the shoulder bone to the socket… I put the X-rays down face first, unable to stomach looking at them much longer, gritting my teeth just imagining what could have led to that kind of damage, what Spinel did to him and Liko...

“They’re about to give Liko stitches before she goes to get an X-ray to survey the damage done to her ribs, and a brain scan to ease worries about a potential brain bleed, though it is highly unlikely it’s just for peace of mind. She’ll be ready for visitors long before Roy, so once all of that is done, I’ll come fetch you so you can wait with her for Roy to get out of surgery. “ Violet said as she collected the papers I’d filled out before rushing away to file them. 

“Looks like you’ll be seeing Liko soon.” Diana noted, and I leaned as far back as I could in my chair with a sigh.

“How am I going to explain all of this? What if she and Roy don't want me to be their foster dad?” I asked as I indicated the paperwork scattered everywhere.

“It’s obvious they view you as a dad with what Mollie has told me,”  Diana said with a chuckle, and I jerked my head in her direction, which caused Diana to laugh harder.

“Too soon, too soon,” Diana said, and before I could ask what she was talking about, Violet came whipping back into the room like a hurricane with papers even swirling behind her. 

“So sorry to interrupt, but Liko needs you,” Violet said in a rush, and I was already throwing myself out of the chair.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice coming out strangled from worry, unable to keep my mind from running with the worst-case scenarios.

What if Spinel is back? What if she's hurt worse than they thought? Did her memory lapse again?  Does she still think she's in danger? I thought, and before I could keep thinking of the worst, Violet's voice cut through my fear-driven thoughts.

“Liko’s fighting the nurses trying to give her stitches… She’s scared and needs someone by her side, someone she knows is safe.” Violet explained as we rushed back to where Violet had come from, and in response, I picked up the pace, practically sprinting down the hall.

                                                      End of Friede’s POV

Chapter Text

                                                    Friede’s POV

Violet threw open a door about halfway down the hall, and I practically launched myself into the room upon hearing Liko’s screams and scuffling. Liko was off the hospital bed, backed into the furthest corner, blood flowing from her hands, her eyes wild as she screamed. 

“Please make it stop!” She shouted as she gripped the sides of her head, covering her ears while getting blood in her hair, and in the next moment, I was crouching in front of her.

“Shh, Liko, it’s ok, the nurses are here to help, it’ll be ok, you’re safe,” I said gently as I gingerly grabbed her wrist, trying to remove her hands, but she fought me to keep them there.

“Friede! Please, please make it stop!” Liko sobbed as she shook her head harshly, and I was quick to apply just a bit more pressure to keep her from shaking it more in case it made her concussion worse.

“Make what stop?” I asked gently, and Liko’s eyes widened before they filled with tears.

“You can’t hear it?” She asked, her voice small and wobbly like a little kid, and I felt my pulse uptick, but I gave her a gentle smile. 

“Hear what?” I asked as I tried to pull her hands away from her ears, and this time I succeeded, so I gently held them in front of her as I waited for her to answer.

“The ringing,” Liko responded in a barely audible whisper, and I squeezed her hands just a bit tighter, and I lightly shook my head. 

“Oh my-” I heard one of the nurses whisper just off to the side, and I jerked my head in her direction. She quickly rushed out of the room, and I took a deep breath to calm myself, because Liko needs me to be calm; I'm the adult she's looking to for an example.

“Let’s get you patched up, then we’ll figure out the ringing," I said as I gently picked her up before I placed her down on the hospital bed. I was about to step aside to let the nurses work, but Liko grabbed the sleeve of my jacket in a vice-like grip.

“Please don’t leave.” Liko pleaded, and I obliged, walking to her side and putting my hand on her shoulder. I rubbed circles into her shoulder as she hissed when Violet was cleaning up her hands, trying to do my best to offer her the most comfort I could.

“We’ll have to find some different veins to place the IVs; you’re going to have gnarly bruises in about an hour or so,” Violet said as she gingerly wrapped Liko’s hands in gauze before she cleaned the gash in her forehead.

“Friede, I’m scared,” Liko whispered as she saw Violet cleaning the needle for the local anesthetic. I bit the inside of my cheek because words wouldn’t be enough here, so I took my hand off her shoulder, took off my jacket, and wrapped it around her.  My jacket practically swallowed her whole, and Liko looked confused before she buried her face into the fur, melting into it like a Salandit in a sun patch.

I smiled down at her and sat down just a bit behind her, rubbing circles into her back to soothe her as best as I could. Violet applied the anesthetic and cleaned off a suture needle before she started stitching up the large gash in Liko’s head.

Liko flinched, and I was quick to reassure her before she gave into the panic again.

“Let’s go get those X-rays and brain scans done,” Violet said with a light smile as she offered her hand to Liko, who turned away and gripped my arm in an iron grip. 

“I get it, I’m the mean nurse who had to give you stitches and IVs, so you want your dad,” Violet said as she held up her hands in mock surrender, and I lightly glared at her because I hadn't brought that up yet. I felt Liko tense before she looked up at me, her eyes wide and unblinking like a Hoothoot with her mouth slightly agape. 

“Liko-” I said, but I was cut off when Liko grabbed my arm in a vice grip, and Violet just shot me a knowing look. I tried my best to glare at her, but when a child is trying to fuse to your side, it’s kind of impossible to. 

I helped Liko stand up and walk down to the X-ray room. I felt awful when I had to take my arm back to go stand behind the glass with Violet as she fired up the X-ray machine. It took about 20 minutes before I was guiding Liko down the hall, following Violet to get her brain scanned, but before we could get her laid down on the CT Scanner, Liko went rigid.

“It’s ringing again," Liko whispered as she clutched my arm, digging her nails into my skin. I looked at Violet, and she shook her head with a light shrug.

“We have a doctor waiting for us back in the room to check that out,” Violet said, and I tried to put my own worry aside as I gently tried to pry Liko’s nails out of my skin.

“It’ll be ok, Liko, we’ll figure out what's wrong and help you,” I whispered as I crouched down to her level, and Liko just nodded slowly as she laid down on the CT Scanner, and I was forced to go stand by Violet.  

“Roy should be out of Surgery within the next hour, but he’ll be out of it for a while,” Violet explained as we watched Liko go through the CT Scanner, and I nodded as I checked the clock just across from us. It would be about 1:45 when Roy gets done with surgery, a fact I stored away for later. Soon enough, we were back in Liko’s hospital room, and Violet, alongside another nurse, was putting IVs in the crooks of her elbows. 

“Hey there, Liko, I’m Doctor Palmer. I heard that you’ve been hearing ringing that no one else can.” Doctor Palmer said, and Liko nodded her head just a bit. 

“Well, is it ringing right now?” Doctor Palmer asked as he clicked open a pen, and Liko shook her head no.

“Did the ringing happen at any point before you were taken?” Doctor Palmer asked, and Liko tensed just a bit before shaking her head no, and he made a note on his clipboard. 

“How many times did you hit your head during the whole ordeal?” Doctor Palmer asked after a few minutes of silence as he wrote down what Diana said.

Liko paused, her brows scrunched, biting her lip, slightly lost in thought. 

“About four times, I don’t know if Umbreon ripping out a lock of my hair counts, but I counted it, or when I was sent sliding across the floor, if that one does count,  makes it five...” Liko said as she started to scratch at the IV, and I had to gently grab her hand back to get her to stop.

“Don’t scratch at it, it’ll hurt worse,” I said with a small smile as my thoughts raced at the fact that Liko had her head hit so many times…

“That’ll do it...” Doctor Palmer sighed as he wrote down what Liko said. 

“I’m afraid you’ve gotten Tinnitus from the repeated blows to your head, due to the damage to your inner ear canal, and I’m afraid it might be permanent…The only way to know is to wait and see if the ringing is still present in a few weeks. If that’s the case, then we’ll have to set up sound therapy to get you used to the noise and maybe do some more research.” Doctor Palmer said as he put down his clipboard, grabbing the results of the X-rays and brain scans...

“What is Tinnitus exactly?” I asked as Liko turned toward me and buried her face in my arm again. I patted her back when I heard her cries start up again, probably out of fear of the ringing she seemed so scared of being permanent.

“Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears without an external source. Liko seems to have intermittent Tinnitus, where it isn’t constantly ringing, that about 15 to 20% of the population has either from aging, an underlying medical condition, or a few like in Liko’s case, stemming from injuries such as repeated head injuries. It shouldn’t have a huge overall effect on her quality of life; she'll have to spend time getting used to it, and during the days when it’s worse, she might have to lean on someone to help her hear conversations properly. ” Doctor Palmer responded as he placed the X-rays and Brain Scans down on the bed. 

“You have a cracked rib and five bruised ribs, but no other damage, luckily." Doctor Palmer said as he pointed to each rib, and I felt my stomach churn once more, looking at them, wondering how exactly Liko was hurt that badly.

“You do have a pretty severe concussion, but no brain bleeds and only a bit of swelling that can be treated with medication and being watched over here at the hospital. “ Doctor Palmer explained as he pointed out the swelling and where her inner ear cables were damaged. I nodded as he handed me copies of Liko’s brain scan and her and Roy’s X-rays, and I added them to the paperwork stack. Doctor Palmer left the room soon after saying he would be back when Roy was out of surgery. 

“I guess I’m really broken, huh? No wonder they didn’t want me... I doubt you’ll want to keep me either.” Liko said with a hollow, self-deprecating laugh that felt like a slap. 

“You’re not broken, Liko, I promise you’re not broken, you never were, and you’ll never be. Alex and Lucca are awful people, and made the biggest mistake of their lives when they decided they didn’t want you. You’re a good kid, Liko, with a big, sweet heart that they don’t deserve. We want you, Liko. Everyone’s been out of their minds with worry since you and Roy were taken. You’re stuck with us, kid.” I said as I leaned down to meet her eyes, a serious look on my face to get my point across. Liko’s eyes widened ever so slightly, and it hurt that she would be shocked that we would want her, that we care, and that she isn’t broken...

“I’m so sorry, Liko, I really, really am. If I even had an idea of what Lucca and Alex were planning, I would have made sure they regretted it in person,” Diana said, her voice cracking as tears slipped past her eyes. Liko turned toward her grandmother and gripped her hand like another lifeline, more tears falling from her eyes.

“It’ll be ok, Liko, we're here now, and we’re never leaving,” I whispered as Liko’s cries quieted down to stifling hiccups. 

I’ll tell her about the paperwork later, when she isn’t about to burst back into tears.  I thought as I smiled softly down at Liko. I just hope that when I tell her, she doesn't freak out again. 

                                             End of Friede’s POV