Chapter Text
Friede held onto Charizard as they dodged another round of Salt Cure.
The battle between him and Ceruledge had taken a lot out of Charizard, but he was still raring for round two with these new Explorers. They swerved around the castle’s courtyard, dodging shards of ice and chunks of rock. Friede ducked his head low, keeping a small target, waiting for the Explorers to forget about Cap.
After one last volley of Salt Cure, it was time. Their attention was fully on Friede and Charizard.
“Volt Tackle!” Friede shouted.
From across the yard, Cap growled. Charging into a ball of electricity, he slammed into the Garganacl and sent it flying into the castle wall, groaning as it fainted.
“Nice one, Cap!” he said, grinning. He glanced up to where Liko and Roy sat watching the battle on Metagross, intending to give them a thumbs-up, when the other Explorer's screaming made him startle.
The pink-haired girl was hissing at Cap in a hysterical voice, saying something about ending with a bang. Friede’s gut tingled with uneasiness. Her whole vibe was dangerously unhinged. He urged Charizard to swing around immediately. He had to get to Cap.
“GLALIE—USE SELF-DESTRUUUUCT!” the girl bellowed.
Friede’s eyes widened. What?!
She hopped off her Glalie, boosting it towards Cap. Glalie’s eyes opened with a fierce roar, glowing with white light.
“CAP!” Friede shouted, and for the first time today he felt true fear.
Several things happened at that moment. Friede nodded his goggles down and closed his eyes. Energy shot outward from Glalie’s body, the force nearly tearing Friede off of Charizard. The ground ruptured and shot up into the air. Rubble rained down, thudding against Friede’s back and shoulders, and still Charizard flew through the blast. His hands closed around a furry body—Cap!—and gripped him with all his might as Charizard soared out of the fire and smoke.
Cap squeaked at him in alarm. Friede held Cap closer to his chest, heart thundering in his ears, but his partner seemed just fine, miraculously. They’d made it out.
Charizard kept climbing. Once they were far away from the wreckage of the castle, Friede let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding. His body throbbed and shivered horribly from the Glalie, but everything was okay. Liko and Roy were cheering from the top of Orla’s Metagross. Below him were the defeated Explorers and above him were the rest of his crew.
They were in the clear yet again, and Friede let himself slump against Charizard’s neck, suddenly exhausted from the adrenaline rush of their adventure.
“Pika?” Cap grabbed his cheek and tugged it. Friede frowned. His captain’s hat was missing—that wasn’t so unusual, as Cap would always throw it to the floor before he battled, but it was weirder that he seemed so concerned for it. There was no reason for Cap to worry about it, Friede thought dumbly. They had nearly a box full of spares for him back home.
“We sure like cutting it close, don’t we?” he asked Cap, trying for his easygoing smile. It was taking an unusual amount of effort to do it.
“Pika,” Cap stressed, more worriedly.
“W-We’ll be home soon, don’t you wait,” Friede reassured him. He began to ruffle the fur on Cap’s head when suddenly his right side flared up in pain, protesting the movement. Friede hissed and lowered his arm. A mild wind blew past, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. He was never good with the cold, but even his jacket should’ve kept him warm in the skies. Was this Glalie capable of freezing the air long-term without Snow Warning? Worst of all, with his goggles on, it was getting difficult to see in front of him—the condensation was making everything hazy.
Charizard touched down on the court. His landings were usually a little bumpy after a battle, but Friede nearly toppled off the side of Charizard’s back. He gripped on harder and steadied himself, breathing heavily.
Whew. Close call, he thought dizzily.
Liko’s grandmother was already hopping off of her Arcanine and recalling it, turning to Friede with a smirk.
“How’s that for an adventure?” she asked him.
He opened his mouth to reply as he dismounted Charizard. As he touched the ground, however, something in his stomach twisted sharply like a knife. He cried out, trying to make sense of it, but his vision flickered. His knees buckled underneath his weight and sent him tumbling to the ground, smacking his goggles hard into the court. He groaned, shivering, as Cap shrieked in his ear.
Diana was at his side in an instant, yelling his name. Her voice was distant. He couldn’t hear it over the loud thumping of his heartbeat or the blood rushing through his ears. He felt hands grab his shoulder and begin to turn him over.
H-Hang on a second, he wanted to say, but his mouth couldn’t push the words out past his throat. The quick movement jostled something—his shirt, maybe—and a searing agony burst into his head. Friede tried to curl inwards to stop the pain, but someone was holding him still. Another pair of hands began to slide the goggles off his face, yet as it left his skin he found his vision was still blurry. His body slumped against his will, despite his ramping fear that he couldn’t fall asleep, not now, and he forced his mind to push past it, to grit his teeth and open his eyes as wide as he could.
The vague image of Diana was staring down at him. She might’ve been shouting something—it was hard to hear her over the oncoming static. The last of his energy drained out of him, and Friede’s eyes fluttered shut.
Liko and Roy touched down on the Brave Olivine just in time to see Friede collapse.
Liko wasn’t sure if she or her grandma reacted first. By the time Friede was on the ground, they were both at his side, yelling his name. Cap was darting around Friede, tugging frantically on his jacket with his paw. Charizard bellowed at them approaching, which sounded more like a whimper, but it withdrew to give them space. Terapagos whined anxiously in her backpack.
Footsteps pounded past her. She looked up to see Roy running for the ship’s door, Fuecoco hot on his heels.
“I’m getting Mollie!” he called behind him.
“Liko, we’re turning him over,” Grandma said sternly. Liko snapped back to Friede. Together, they grabbed his legs and shoulders and rolled him onto his back; he was lighter than Liko imagined, even if they were both maneuvering him. His face contorted in anguish, eyes wild and far away. He was opening his mouth—either gasping for breath or trying to say something, Liko didn’t know. She had never seen him look so afraid.
Grandma pushed his shirt up and cursed. Liko choked. There, on the right side of his abdomen and nearly hidden by his jacket, was a nasty gash bleeding freely down his side, staining his shirt an even darker black. Their shock only lasted a second—her grandma’s hands were over the wound in an instant, applying pressure.
“Take his goggles off, dear,” Grandma ordered. Trembling, Liko hooked her fingers around the back of his head and slid the goggles off, ignoring the way dust and rubble filtered out of his hair. His forehead carried a sheen of sweat, but he was still shivering. His eyes were fighting to stay open.
The image of a Magikarp on land flashed into her mind, mouth agape and struggling to understand why it couldn’t breathe. Liko recoiled at the thought, feeling sick.
“Friede! Stay awake!” Grandma barked. “Do not fall asleep!”
No one ever dared to argue with her grandma when she was barking orders. This was a truth Liko knew. Against everything she knew, though, Friede’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head. He went slack.
“No! Grandma, what’s going on?” she asked, cursing how small her voice became. Next to her, Sprigatito mewled and licked her hand.
“The explosion must’ve got him bad,” she replied, clenching her jaw. She’d never seen this expression on her grandmother’s face. “That foolish girl…Those Explorers are a danger to everybody.”
“Pika!” Cap said urgently, pointing to the ship’s door. Mollie was sprinting towards them, flanked by Chansey with her medical bag at her hip. Roy and Fuecoco followed a second later, breathless and terrified.
Liko scrambled back to let Mollie kneel by Friede. Her expression was dark.
“Keep applying pressure,” Mollie told Grandma, rummaging in her bag. “Use this rag.”
“What’s wrong with Friede? Is he going to be okay?” Roy shouted.
The two women glanced at the kids and exchanged a look. Quickly, Mollie unhooked the Poké Balls from Friede’s belt and tossed it towards the kids.
“Liko, Roy,” Mollie said, “I need you to get all these Pokémon back inside. Leave Metagross. We’re getting out of here, no more mishaps.”
“But—we want to help,” Roy said, clenching his fists.
“You already did well,” Grandma said. “But you need to give us the space to help Friede, okay?”
Liko swallowed hard. Blood was already soaking through the white rag. Chansey’s eyes narrowed as it held its arms out, working its Heal Pulse. Cap and Charizard stared helplessly at their trainer’s still form. She made her decision and grabbed Roy’s hand. “Roy, let’s go.”
“Wh—”
“We have to go,” Liko said quietly. She reached for Charizard’s Poké Ball and held it up to the dragon. “Thank you for helping us today. We’re going to take care of him.”
Charizard stared at her, wide-eyed. He blew out some steam and closed his eyes. The Poké Ball opened up, recalling Charizard back into the ball. She turned to Cap.
Cap crossed his arms, shook his head, and pointed at Friede. The message was clear: I’m not leaving.
“Cap—” Roy began.
“Cap can stay,” Mollie said reluctantly, as if she knew there was no way she could win an argument with this Pokémon.
Liko sighed and nodded to her grandma and Mollie. “Good luck.” Then she grabbed Roy’s hand again and they hurried into the ship, the rest of their Pokémon following behind.
Her stomach churned. She prayed to Arceus that they would be able to help Friede. The image of a dying Magikarp wouldn't leave her mind.