#thank you Horizons for being the only series with Friede pokemon

[fluffs-n-stuffs]

eepy,,,,,,,, 🤲✨

[rising-volteccers]

So this is just a self indulgent piece exploring a silly idea I had, where Friede latches on to the closest warm object when he's out of it. Thanks to @gem-in-the-horizon for giving me the idea to write up a sort of 5+1 piece and for inspiration on some of the scenes written here! I decided to fully embrace the self indulgence by framing some parts from the perspective of polycule Volt Tacklers (a ship between Friede, Orla, Mollie and Murdock) + a bit of Friede being a dad towards Roy haha!

Oh and Amethio gets to suffer a little too. Anyway, hopefully it's an enjoyable read! Spoilers for HZ033-HZ034.

Series: Pokemon Horizons

Characters: Friede, Ludlow, Orla, Mollie, Murdock, Roy and Amethio

---

Ludlow was no stranger to how unpredictable the seas could be. Seeing a smattering of gray clouds in the distance, he knew it was time to leave. While it was a shame to cut their fishing trip short, Ludlow preferred to be on land when the storm inevitably hits.

“Huh? We're heading back already, Gramps?” Friede questioned once he stored away his fishing rod.

“Mmhmm. The weather's changing. No sailor wants to be out on stormy seas if they could help it,” Ludlow explained, shuffling his way past Friede towards the helm.

“It's going to storm? Doesn't look like it.”

“Hohoho. You best not underestimate nature.” Ludlow’s hands were on the wheel. He lifted his head, peering at the clouds slowly encroaching. After a beat of silence, he opted to release his trusty Quagsire.

“We might need your help soon, my friend,” Ludlow spoke to his Quagsire. The amphibious Pokemon waddled past Friede who joined Ludlow by the helm. 

“Is it really going to get that bad?” Ludlow caught the undercurrent of worry in his voice. He turned to look over his shoulder, his thick mustache lifting alongside the smile he flashed towards Friede.

“Don't worry. I'll make sure we get back to shore safely.”

True to Ludlow's claim earlier, they were met with rough, choppy waves once the storm fully rolled in. He masterfully steered the Asagi–with Quagsire’s aid in guiding through larger waves–back to Porto Marinada. 

Once he docked the Asagi by the main port, only then did Ludlow release his hands from the steering wheel. Shoulders slumped alongside his soft sigh, it took several seconds for him to recall Friede's presence.

Looking behind him, Ludlow spotted his young charge huddled by the corner, knees drawn to his chest with his arms wrapped around them. It didn't take much for Ludlow to realize that this was possibly a terrifying experience for him. They were never out on the seas with anything less than perfect weather before this after all. 

Feeling his heart twinge with concern, Ludlow shuffled his way towards Friede. He gently placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder.

“Friede… it’s alright. We're back–ough!?” Ludlow's eyes briefly flew open when Friede's arms suddenly wound up around his small frame. Pulled against his chest, Ludlow didn't even think about struggling once he noticed the light trembles.

Ludlow relaxed his body to make it a bit more comfortable for himself. He raised a hand to gently pat Friede's back, offering quiet assurances for however long it took for him to calm down.

–

When Orla poked her head into the meeting room, her gaze softened upon spotting Friede fast asleep on the spare couch. From the scattered pieces of paper all over the ground, it seemed that he really was studying hard to earn his pilot license.

On the days where Orla worked on turning a fool’s dream into reality, Friede busied himself in Rustboro’s flight school, clocking in his flight hours and doing tests every other week. He returned periodically, both to see her progress and let her know of his own, all beaming smiles and wild hand gestures that never failed to draw out Orla’s own smile. His excitement was infectious, while his genuine awe and gratitude at her handiwork caused warmth to blossom in her chest. 

Quietly closing the door behind her, Orla got to work in picking up the papers, stacking them on the table so she didn't accidentally step on it. After that, she grabbed a spare blanket from the pile of boxes tucked at a corner before making her way back to the couch.

Looking down at his slumbering form, she couldn't help but find him rather cute like this. Messy bangs covered one side of his face, lips parted slightly from the soft snores slipping out–she just about resisted the urge to reach out and brush back his bangs.

Orla briefly shook her head, then began the process of carefully draping the blanket over him.

When Friede shifted underneath it, she froze, hands still on the blanket. Orla looked at his face to see golden eyes slowly opening, blinking a couple of times before they flickered to her.

“Orla?” he mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

“Hey Friede, sorry for waking you up,” she began in a whispered voice. “I was just–”

Orla didn't get to finish her sentence. Faster than she could react, arms suddenly shot up from underneath the blanket, wrapping themselves around her back before pulling her down. 

She let out an undignified yelp, just about throwing her hands out to prevent a collision with Friede's chest. Orla’s heart rate picked up when she realized the position she was in; half sprawled over Friede, her cheek pressed against his torso. 

“F-Friede! What are you–!?” she squeaked, feeling her cheeks warm up. Orla tried to push herself up but Friede's arms trapped her in place. 

“Mmm… warm…” came his confusing response before his breaths evened out, falling back into slumber. 

Orla took a few deep breaths to calm down. Right, so it seemed that in his half awakened state, Friede decided to latch onto the closest warm object. She knew of his sensitivity to the cold, craving warmth even if he was struck by a simple breeze. That was why she wanted to cover him with the blanket, knowing full well that he'd whine about it later.

She knew that the best course of action was to pry herself loose from his arms. Orla still had a lot of work to do if she wanted to finish the airship on schedule.

Yet when an experimental wiggle prompted Friede to rest his cheek atop her head, mumbling cutely about passing his tests, she didn't have it in her to disturb his slumber.

Orla heaved out a deep, resigned sigh. Despite her feelings on the matter, a smile still curled her lips. Might as well get comfy if she had to play the part of an oversized Teddiursa bear.

(When his steady heartbeat eventually lulled her to sleep, Orla found herself dreaming of her childhood, to a time when they were two small kids with big dreams, where their whole worlds revolved around one another).

–

With a small paper bag tucked underneath her arm, Mollie exited the infirmary with her Chansey toddling behind her. She headed towards the living quarters located on the lower deck, passing by several of the wild Pokemon that opted to join them on their travels. Mollie flashed them a light smile before schooling her features once she spotted Orla standing outside.

“Hey, thanks for keeping watch,” Mollie said in lieu of greeting. “He didn't try to make an escape again, did he?”

“No problem! And nope, think he got the message last time. Or at least he’s finally exhausted himself enough to just stay in bed,” Orla replied, slightly shaking her head. “Honestly, he should have done that in the first place but…”

“You and I both know that he's incapable of staying still for long. Still, he needs plenty of rest if he wants to recover quickly.”

Mollie quickly learnt that Friede, when under the weather, became quite the menace of a patient. She wanted to believe that he wasn't intentionally crossing her orders but she could only take so much of his escape attempts before enough was enough. 

She had a responsibility for the health and safety of this ship's occupants, which included making sure the sick stay in bed even when they really didn't want to. Luckily they were docked for a few days while waiting for Friede to get better, so Mollie employed Orla's aid whenever she had to grab stuff from the infirmary. 

“It's pretty quiet in there so my guess is that he really did fall asleep. Means you'd have to wake him up.”

“Shouldn't be too hard,” Mollie uttered, passing by Orla to give gentle raps on the door. From the lack of a response, she slowly pushed it open and peeked her head inside. 

True to Orla's assumption, Friede was fast asleep on his bed. He had his back to the wall, giving Mollie easy access to his peaceful, dozing expression. 

Momentarily she felt guilty to wake him up but it was necessary that he took the medicine on time. Mollie switched on the light before crossing the short distance to his bed.

Looming over his form, Mollie placed a hand on Friede's shoulder, giving it a few light shakes. 

“Friede, wake up.”

“Mmm…?” It appeared that she roused him from his slumber. Friede raised a clumsy hand to swipe at his face, yawning.

“C’mon, it's time for–”

Mollie would deny that she made any sort of noise when Friede, faster than she could react, reached up to wrap his arms around her. She’d insist that she did not squeak upon realizing the precarious position of being on top of him flushed against this chest. It was just the surprise that increased her heart rate, the close proximity to his fevered skin that made her cheeks warm.

Mollie had little chance to free herself. Friede already had more (defined) muscle mass in the first place. His surprisingly strong grip with his (toned) arms reminded her of an Octillery that caught its prey (not that she'd see herself as one but–)

“Orla help!”

“Mollie? What happened–oh.” Orla had rushed in at the call but paused once she took in the sight. Much to Mollie's rising embarrassment, Orla stifled her giggles behind a gloved hand.

“It's Friede he just–grabbed me like this!”

“Yeah he does that sometimes. When he's out of it, he tends to grab the nearest warm object within arm's length. In this case, I'd say you were unfortunate. Or maybe fortunate…?”

Mollie didn't think it was possible for her cheeks to get any redder. In any case, Orla did eventually help her out (but not before snapping a photo). 

–

“Hey Murdock. Muuuurrdooock…”

Murdock paused in his task of drying off the plates. He mentally counted down from three in his head before looking over his shoulder, expression schooled into a light smile. 

“Yes Friede? What is it this time?”

“Nothing. Just wanna–wanna say you’re preeetttyyy….”

Arceus above please grant him strength. Murdock fought to keep his smile in place even as warmth crept up his cheeks. He nodded once in response, then went back to his task before any more distractions cropped up.

Who would've thought that Friede was such a lightweight? After the success of a rather lucrative mission, the crew decided to celebrate. Murdock had the chance to make some nice cocktails as a rare treat, though nothing too strong as per Mollie's request.

It became apparent after the first glass that Friede didn't hold his drink very well. He became a rather giggly sort of drunk, spouting off whatever that came to mind. So not too different from his usual self. 

Except he lacked even more of a filter, or maybe he was honestly revealing his true thoughts when he waxed tales of how beautiful Orla’s eyes were, how much he loved Mollie's hair and–oh boy, did Friede have some words to share about him.

Murdock tried not to melt underneath the barrage of drunken compliments. It didn't help that Mollie and Orla joined him, being in various degrees of tipsiness themselves. Though not as nearly gone as Friede.

In the end, Murdock convinced his partners to get some rest before they partied too hard. After he made them drink some water first, that left him alone with Friede, who was far too sloshed to make it to his room safely. Murdock wouldn't put it past him to trip and break his leg or something in his drunken stumble.

Hearing him babble about anything and everything was rather endearing, albeit distracting. Especially when Friede felt the need to call for him, just to spout off a compliment about how pretty he was for the umpteenth time. 

It never failed to make Murdock feel a tad embarrassed, not used to such words given to him. He was still finding his place in this relationship, and while he didn't feel like he lacked anything in comparison skill wise, he just didn't think he was as physically attractive as his partners. 

So while Friede was influenced by alcohol in his system, Murdock didn't doubt the sincerity of his words. That was one of the reasons he fell for his captain in the first place after all.

Eventually, Murdock cleaned the kitchen enough to be satisfied. The only thing left to do was to bring Friede back to his room before retiring to his own quarters for the night.

Murdock approached his drunken partner, who by that point had fallen into a light doze. Friede rested his chin atop folded arms, a healthy flush coloring his cheeks. Maybe Murdock could see about having him drink water too later. 

For now, he gently placed a hand on Friede's shoulder, giving it a light shake. That appeared to rouse him, so Murdock got a nice view of Friede blinking sleepily, one hand clumsily swiping at his eyes.

“Hey, how about we get you to–woah!” Contrary to how he looked, Friede's reflexes didn't match his drunken state. Murdock suddenly had to offset the abrupt weight clinging to his front, his arms automatically wrapping themselves around Friede.

“Murdock! Murdooockk missed you!” Friede giggled, and Murdock just about short circuited when he felt the nuzzling against this chest. He didn't think it was possible to get any redder than he did earlier but clearly, he was mistaken.

After he took a few breaths to calm down, Murdock decided that it'd be a waste of effort to try and get Friede to let go. He heard stories of how strong his grip could be, and Murdock just didn't have the energy to deal with that right now.

So what he ended up doing was hooked his arms beneath Friede, pulling him up further so Murdock could carry him. At the shift in position, Friede wound up wrapping his arms around Murdock's neck, resting his cheek against the crook of it, still giggling softly.

“Murdock. Muuuurrdooock. Love you…”

While Friede might not remember this in the morning, Murdock still responded with, “Love you too.”

–

Crossing paths with the Rising Volt Tacklers meant an inevitable clash against their infuriating captain. Amethio wasted no time in issuing his challenge when he came across Friede, who foolishly parted from his crew upon realizing his approach.

“No need to drag anyone else in this. This shouldn't take too long,” came his simple reply, lips set in a challenging smirk.

Amethio’s left eye twitched from that taunt, though he kept himself composed to release Ceruledge. Friede mirrored him by bringing out his Charizard. For a moment, no one issued any commands, both Trainer and Pokemon staring down their respective opponents.

Friede broke the stalemate by ordering a Dragon Claw. Amethio ordered Ceruledge to block it, thus activating its Weak Armor. Now with the speed advantage, he had Ceruledge use Psycho Cut to create some distance.

Predictably, Friede ordered Charizard to pull back in order to dodge the psychic blade. 

“Night Slash!” Amethio took that brief moment by having Ceruledge press its advantage, dashing towards Charizard with its glowing arm blades. 

“Tch–Air Slash! Don't let it get close!” 

Charizard did as such, its wings briefly glowing white before a bevy of air slashes were fired off towards Ceruledge. 

“Now, use Phantom Force!” 

Ceruledge parried one of the air slashes with its blade before jumping back towards the formed portal. Both Charizard and Friede paused, eyes going this way and that to seek out where Ceruledge would pop out. 

“There! Spin tail before using Dragon Claw!” Just as Ceruledge emerged behind Charizard, the dual-type spun around, using its hefty tail to nail Ceruledge. Though before it could follow that up with Dragon Claw, Ceruledge's Weak Armor activated, granting it another speed boost to just barely avoid those glowing claws.

“Psycho Cut! Don't give it any breathing room!”

Ceruledge first jumped back to create distance once again. Then it fired off several blades of psychic energy towards Charizard.

What Amethio didn't take into account was the Pokemon’s distance from Friede. Charizard dodged or parried most of the Psycho Cuts but one did veer dangerously close to Friede. 

Amethio saw how the older Trainer dodged, causing the blade to hit the bush behind him instead. There was a miniature explosion from the impact, though nothing that would stop the pair from their battle. 

That was, until an angry looking Shiinotic popped out from the damaged bush. Amethio found himself calling out a warning instead when the Grass-type puffed up.

Friede turned around just in time to get a face full of glowing spores. Charizard and Ceruledge paused in their battle at the eruption of coughs, and Amethio felt a small chill trail down his spine when moments later, Friede just… collapsed. 

As much as he wanted to beat him, Amethio didn't want Friede to actually get hurt. His steps carried him towards Friede's fallen form while Charizard angrily chased after the Shiinotic, furious at its attack on its Trainer.

Amethio fell to his knees, eyes immediately roving over still body. At least Friede seemed to be breathing based on the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He couldn't tell how badly affected Friede was from the spore so Amethio took off a glove, intending to check for his pulse.

That proved to be a huge mistake on his end. The moment Amethio leaned in and had two fingers to the side of Friede's neck, an arm suddenly shot up to wrap around his waist. Moments later, Amethio collided against Friede's chest when the guy abruptly pulled him close. 

That moment knocked the breath out of Amethio but it didn't take long before he started struggling.

“What are you–let me go!” he snarled, any hints of concern evaporating once he heard the soft snores. This guy was just fast asleep! How dare he grab him like this?

Amethio didn't expect such strength from Friede's lanky arms. No matter how much he struggled, the guy held on like a Grapploct. Even Ceruledge just sort of stood nearby, uncharacteristically hesitant in the face of its Trainer’s desperation.

Briefly Amethio considered ordering Ceruledge to Bitter Blade Friede's butt into next Sunday but his pesky morals kept buzzing at the back of his mind. He released an aggravated sigh, then redoubled his efforts into freeing himself from the Vice Grip. 

At some point, Amethio thought that getting into a different position would give him enough wiggle room to slip out. His plan of rolling on their side backfired horribly when Friede (who remained infuriatingly asleep) lazily rolled half on top of Amethio instead, one leg now pinning both of Amethio's in place.

As if to add insult to injury, Friede lightly nuzzled the top of Amethio's head, messing up his hair.

Only Ceruledge saw how apoplectic with rage he became. If Amethio elbowed the guy in the stomach or kneed him at a spot where the sun didn't shine, well, it was entirely deserved.

Maybe if he got lucky, Amethio could get out of this mess before anyone saw him. 

(He was not lucky. Amethio very nearly considered asking for Spinel’s expertise in erasing a snapped picture that now existed in one of the RVTs Rotom Phones but he wasn't that desperate. Yet).

–

After his talk with Diana, Friede quietly left the observation deck, mind filled with various thoughts. Today had been more action packed than usual, filled with danger that they narrowly avoided.

Had Terapagos not… shifted like it did, Friede wasn't keen on their chances of getting past Rayquaza unscathed. He already had his hands full in keeping Roy back, and after the Legendary became enraged at Amethio's abrupt challenge, he didn't think even Charizard and Cap could stop its rampage. 

Speaking of Roy, he recalled the surge of fear when he saw the shockwave heading towards the boy. Roy might not have gotten badly hurt but Friede didn't want to risk it, his body surging forward to cover Roy in a protective embrace. 

He remembered the growing frustration of his insistence in fighting Rayquaza. Roy did have a one track mind when it came to the Legendary but he didn't realize it was to the extent of not recognising the danger they were in. While Friede typically supported his goal, that wasn't a moment to let Roy do what he wanted. 

Friede promised his grandfather to keep Roy safe after all.

Above all, Friede couldn't shake off the mild concern at Roy's despondent mood throughout dinner time. Sure it wasn't as lively as usual (unsurprising considering the day they had) but seeing Roy eat only two servings as opposed to his usual three was rather surprising. 

Roy waved off Murdock's worried question, citing his exhaustion for the lack of appetite. No one pushed him about it, so dinner ended with everyone choosing to retire early for the night. 

Well, mostly everyone.

Sighing softly, Friede raised his hand to gently scratch Cap underneath his chin.

“Guess we should get some sleep too, eh Cap?”

At the nod, Friede made his way to the lower deck. Just as he rounded the corner towards the living quarters, he paused in his steps.

There, sitting right outside of his room was Roy. He was hugging Fuecoco to his chest, chin resting atop the Fire-type’s head. Even from where he stood, Friede could tell that the boy was fast asleep.

Now the question was why did he come here? 

Friede quietly approached the boy, glancing down at his half slumped form against the door. He crouched down till he was eye level with Roy before placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a few light shakes.

“Hey Roy, wake up. It's more comfy to sleep in your room–huh?”

Friede barely had time to react when one of Roy’s arms suddenly shot up, hooking itself behind Friede's neck, his other one still holding on to Fuecoco. Roy then pulled himself close to Friede, tucking himself against his torso.

On Friede's end, he just about kept his balance from the sudden added weight. He remained crouched, one arm going around Roy’s body to keep him secured, an instinctive gesture for the most part.

“Pika?”

“Ah… guess I'm in a bit of a pickle,” he murmured, eyes flickering to Cap. Then it went to Roy, who remained blissfully unaware of the predicament he placed himself in. 

Briefly Friede considered his options. In the end, he decided that it was easier to just bring him back to his room instead of waking him up. With that plan in mind, Friede hooked one arm underneath Roy’s knees. Using the wall for balance, he slowly rose to his feet, carefully adjusting his grip on Roy until he was standing upright.

Roy merely nuzzled his cheek against Friede's chest. Once he got to Roy’s room, getting the boy to let go had been quite the challenge but he managed it in the end. Just as Friede tucked Roy and Fuecoco in, he just about caught faint mumbles that sounded suspiciously like thank you.

Friede didn't know if Roy was even awake but it sparked something warm within his chest, a feeling that he carried with him all the way back to his own room much later.

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 19 Review - Bitter And Sweet Memories

Not all backstories can and will be as majestic and well-animated like Friede’s. Sometimes, they can just be brought up to resolve long conflicts and to put a character in the spotlight. That was what this episode was about. It brought Murdock into the spotlight, brought his backstory, and then resolved it towards the end of the episode. I did like how it revolves around Murdock’s Alcremie that rarely gets focus in past episodes.

The Rising Volt Tacklers arrive in Galar, but decide to park the airship into the Wild Area as they don’t want to stick out too much as the Explorers might spot them on their way to see Liko’s grandmother. The trains are out of service for today, so Liko, Roy and Murdock go explore Motostoke City for shopping and visiting the Battle Cafe at the request of Dot who wants to use their famous Swirlix Cotton Candy as a prop for her next video. It turns out that the owner of the Battle Cafe is none other than Mitchell, an old friend and former business partner of Murdock whom he parted with on bad terms. They used to work together in a small sweets shop where their sweets were super popular thanks to Milcery’s milk. One day, Milcery played with a strawberry and spun around, causing her to evolve into the Ruby Swirl Alcremie that is with Murdock in the present. While she enhances Murdock’s strawberry sweets, she does not fit well with Mitchell’s matcha sweets; this caused them to have a falling out after Mitchell lashed out against Alcremie and Murdock. Their tension continues in the present.

Right off the bat, why does it seem like Murdock’s backstory with Mitchell and Alcremie seem like divorced dads in a way? Is it just me who thinks this way? The way it was executed seem like two dads having a falling out after their daughter went through puberty and changed in a way that Mitchell didn’t want her to be. I’m sorry if I made things fruity, but that was how I saw their interactions with each other. I’m glad that they managed to resolve their issues in the end. I think the best part of these RVT backstories is that there are still more about them yet to be revealed. Murdock’s backstory only showed a portion of his life and I hope that more about him will be revealed.

About Murdock, I really like that, despite being an adult, he’s still emotional and sensitive. Adults are still people at the end of the day, so it’s normal for them to cry or feel angry in certain situations. I’m glad that children like Liko understand that; it will be a good lesson for kids to learn if they were watch this episode. I really like Kenta Miyake’s voice acting in this episode; he knows how to nail Murdock’s sensitivity to show how the issue still bothers him.

Mitchell, the character of the day, is quite the character. I do like how flawed he is because he’s still human at the end of the day. He knew it was wrong to hurt Alcremie but he couldn’t help but to feel envious of Murdock’s talents. The food industry is a competitive field, after all; it makes sense if there are tensions and rivalries. I do like that he might be the anime counterpart of the Cafe Master in SwSh with how he owns a Slurpuff and runs the Battle Cafe as the owner; I like how all of his Pokemon are based on desserts in a way. I’m actually surprised he is voiced by the one and only Hikaru Midorikawa. If you’re not familiar with Midorikawa, he voices N in Pokemon Masters, Damian and Mandi in the original series. His non-Pokemon roles includes Sakamoto from Haven’t You Heard, I’m Sakamoto, Zelgadis from Slayers and Garou from One Punch Man. He’s a seriously famous veteran voice actor, so hearing him as a sudden COTD for this episode was a welcoming surprise from me.

The battle between Mitchell, Liko and Murdock ended up being a silly one. It was nice seeing what Alcremie could do and seeing Appletun using Apple Acid on screen. My favorite part was Alcremie using her cream to make a terastal-like headpiece on Sprigatito’s head. I didn’t mind the battle transitioning into a sweets battle, but I did want to see them actually bring out a table and start making the sweets and not do slideshows. All of the sweets they make look delicious, however; this is perfect for people who love sweets—I love matcha sweets!

I love how this episode ended, however. Roy was looking around for clues about the black Rayquaza and one lead he got was asking Kabu, the Motostoke City’s Gym Leader, since he’s from Hoenn. The episode ended just as Kabu got introduced. I think it’s a good way to end off the episode as Kabu will be the star of next week’s episode. What are your thoughts about this episode? Did it make you crave for sweets like how I did?

[rising-volteccers]

I've been wanting to try my hand at writing Friede and the others so I decided to give it a shot by writing out a sort of in between scene from the end of episode 2 to the start of episode 3! I may write more of these in between scenes in the future as more episodes come out. The way I write him and the others might also change considering I'm working on from four episodes worth of potential characterization thus far. Still, I hope this is decent!

Series: Pokemon Horizons (Episode 2-3)

Characters involved: Friede, Cap, Orla

--

As unbelievable as the power of that Leafage was (not to mention, how decisive its route was in hitting Amethio directly if not for his Ceruledge blocking it), the ship’s barrier had taken far too much damage. The moment it fell, heavy rain pelted down upon everyone once the strong winds blew away the last of Sprigatito’s Leafage.

Friede’s priority immediately went to Liko and Sprigatito; the pair were in danger of getting blown right off. He swiftly went for Liko but he wasn’t quick enough to catch her Pokemon. For a split second, Friede wondered if they were going to witness a tragedy once Sprigatito skidded right off–

Amethio’s quick release of his Corviknight ensured that Sprigatito was saved but at the expense of it now being in the Explorers’ grasp as they flew away. Friede could only watched helplessly while Liko cried out for her Sprigatito until the group disappeared from sight.

Much as he wanted to chase after them, Friede had to ensure his crew’s safety first and foremost. Without the barrier, it was far too dangerous to keep flying in this storm.

“Liko, I’m sorry about what happened but I need help in checking up on the Pokemon while I go check on the ship,” Friede spoke, gentle yet firm to the obviously distraught teen. The light squeeze he gave to her shoulders seemed to snap her out of it.

“R-Right. I can–I can do that.” 

Friede helped her to her feet and together, they braved through the short walk towards the cockpit under the storm’s whipping winds. The pair were dripping wet by the time they entered but this was no time to worry about tracking water inside.

“I’ll leave it to you, Liko!”

“Y-Yes!”

While Liko went to where Mollie and the other Pokemon were at, Friede and Cap went back to the wheel. Murdock had been keeping the ship steady but he could tell that this storm had him struggling.

“Thanks Murdock! We can take it from here. Go help Mollie and Liko in checking up on the Pokemon.” Friede gently placed a hand on the cook’s shoulder, nodding once. 

“Alright. Man, things sounded crazy out there, let me tell you that…” Murdock briefly shook his head before slipping past him to head where everyone else was. In that brief moment, Friede had taken out his Rotom Phone to instruct Orla with using Charizard for more firepower in the engine room again. They were going to need all the speed they could muster to battle against the winds.

With Cap in his seat, Friede grabbed hold of the wheel. Time to get out of here.

–

Friede only relaxed the moment Brave Asagi entered calmer waters. He released an exasperated breath, shoulders slumping.

“Man, that was sure something, eh Cap?” he asked, glancing back at his Pikachu.

Cap gave an empathetic nod in agreement. After the excitement from earlier, he sat back heavily against the chair. 

Friede flashed a faint grin before his expression settled into something heavier. Now that they were out of danger, he couldn’t help but think back on the fact that he was unable to save Sprigatito from falling into the Explorers’ clutches. They could easily use it as a bargaining chip against them for Liko’s pendant.

Then again, with their explicit interest in grabbing both Liko and the pendant, he wondered if they would even do so in the first place. Why bother exchange one when they wanted both? Still, this all hinged on the fact if they could find Sprigatito in the first place. 

Fingers ran through damp hair. Gah, there were a lot of stuff to think about now. They weren’t being very good bodyguards at the moment but Friede was determined to rectify that mistake. Once he made sure of the crew’s safety, he was going to find where the Explorers headed off to. Given the storm and the fact that they had Sprigatito, logically they wouldn’t venture too far out if they wanted to use it as a bargaining chip. 

“Come on Cap. Let’s go check up on everyone.”

Once Cap climbed onto his shoulder, Friede set the auto pilot on for the time being before leaving the cockpit. First thing was to check up on the Pokemon. That last Psycho Cut veered dangerously close to where most of them were hiding at.

Stepping out into the now clear night, Friede shivered briefly from the blast of cool air. Right, he was still in damp clothes. Not much time to change during the heat of the moment.

“Ah Friede, there you are,” Orla called out. He turned out to see her walking towards him with Fuecoco and Charizard in tow. “Things calmed down enough that I can leave the engine to Slugma and Coalossal for now.” She crossed her arms. “You really had us pushing it.”

“Ah, sorry about that,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. “I was hoping we could shake the Explorers off our tail but…”

“Mm, I heard what happened from Mollie. The Pokemon are all fine by the way cause I know you'd be worried about that,” Orla picked up from where he trailed off. “They got her Sprigatito, huh?”

“Yeah but we’ll get it back.” Friede gestured for Charizard to come closer. With Orla's confirmation, he could set out immediately. “We’ll go and see if we can find any leads on their whereabouts.”

“Now hold up. I get that it’s important but you can spare a bit of time in changing into some dry clothes.” Orla eyed him critically. “Mollie had Liko change into her spare clothes while her uniform gets dried. You mister were out in the storm and haven’t changed since. You better do that before you catch a cold and Mollie gets on your case for it.”

Whatever protest he might have lost credibility the moment he turned his head away to sneeze, shivering after. 

“Alright, you have a point,” he grumbled, rubbing his nose with a finger. “I’ll go change. After that, I’ll head out with Charizard and Cap to see if we can find anything.”

“Okay. I’ll look after Liko and the rest. I’ll take stock on what sort of repairs we’re going to have to do later. Also get Liko settled in my room for tonight. Poor girl could probably use the sleep after everything that happened today.” Orla extended her hand, smiling. “You be careful out there, okay Friede?”

“Thanks Orla. I’ll trust you with that.” Friede too extended his hand and together, they did their signature gesture. “And don’t worry, I will.”

The Explorers might have a head start on them but Friede knew they’d be able to find them sooner or later. He won’t stop until Sprigatito returned safely to Liko’s side.

[rising-volteccers]

Maybe “ if you don’t take your butt back to bed, i will carry you there myself” from the prompt for Friede and Orla?

Oooh yes this is a fun one! Thank you very much for sending this prompt!

Series: Pokemon Horizons

Characters involved: Friede, Cap, Orla

--

"Pikapi..."

"Oh, it's fine Cap. I'm feeling loads better than before." That assurance might have been more convincing if he didn't have a thick blanket draped over his shoulders right now. It was the one he usually pulled out whenever they flew through colder regions like Sinnoh. Probably a bit out of place given how warm the night was but that didn't exactly apply to his currently not-at-100% self.

Really, Friede might be sporting a bit of a cold but it wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be! There was only so much soup Murdock could ply into him before he wanted something heartier, or getting the rest Mollie advised him to take before restless energy had him sneaking out of his room during the night. Most of the crew should have went to bed by now so he had uninterrupted access to the cockpit.

Well, mostly uninterrupted. Cap wasn't exactly too keen with this little stunt. He was of the opinion that Friede should be joining everyone else in slumber. Sick humans needed plenty of rest, not staying up past his bedtime. Cap made his thoughts well known as he walked behind him, uncaring of Friede's half hearted attempts of shushing him.

Within the cockpit, Cap had taken his usual spot while Friede took the ship off of auto pilot. He recalled Murdock mentioning their next destination when he swung by earlier in the day to bring him his special all curing soup. Using Nosepass to find where North was, he nimbly turn the wheel to guide them there.

Friede pulled a corner of his blanket up to muffle the light fit of coughs that slipped out. He gave an airy wave to Cap's questioning noise, looking over to flash his partner a slight grin. Tugging the blanket tighter around his frame, his faintly rheumy eyes settled on the vast expanse of a clear night sky.

Despite his current state, Friede genuinely felt at ease steering the ship like this. Guiding the Brave Asagi safely towards their next adventure was a task he took seriously; irrespective of the stunts he pulled on occasion, of course. As the Captain of their motley crew, he wanted to ensure that the trust everyone entrusted to him was well deserved.

One hand remained on the wheel while the other muffled another fit of coughs. Cap sounded a little worried now judging from his incessant chattering.

"Really Cap, it's fine. I'll be fine--"

"By Arceus, I should've known you'd try something like this."

Friede couldn't help but flinch minutely from the familiar voice that rang out. The sudden wash of light made him close his eyes for a moment before he blinked rapidly to adjust. Orla's hands on her hip figure came into startling view.

"Oh, uh, hey Orla. Fancy seeing you here?"

Orla didn't look amused. From how she looked, it seemed that she came here straight from the engine room.

"Yeah, real fancy. I thought I'd come into the cockpit to see no one sans Nosepass, not someone who should still be resting."

"You see I was but I figured a little fresh air could help with the whole recovery process?"

"See, that might sound convincing if you weren't questioning it yourself. If you don't take your butt back to bed, I will carry you there myself. Don't think I will," Orla challenged, arms now crossed in front of her chest.

Friede shot a hopeful glance towards Cap but his partner obviously took Orla's side. He was mimicking her posture, nodding along to everything she said.

He resisted the urge to pout. Friede knew that Orla will carry out that threat and he didn't fancy himself being thrown over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Alright, I'll go back to bed," he conceded at the end. Friede set the ship back on auto pilot before pulling away from the wheel. He wrapped the blanket tighter around his frame as if it could shield him from her ire.

"Really Friede, you just focus on getting better. We can handle things in your absence." Orla's tone softened upon spotting his sullen look. "I know you want nothing more than to get back into the thick of things but only after you're back to 100%. We worry about you, you know."

If his hands were not holding the blanket, he might have rubbed the back of his neck in the face of her earnest words. When she put it that way, he supposed getting better should be his priority.

"You trust us, don't you?"

"Absolutely."

"Then trust us to take care of things. Take care of you, alright?" She wore a kind, gentle smile. "Now if you get back to bed, I won't tell Mollie about this. Unless you want to get her look of quiet disappointment, do you?"

Just thinking about it made him shiver, this time not from the cold. "Yeah, uh, no I don't. I'll go ahead and do that..." Friede didn't have to call for Cap as his partner scampered up his back to settle on his shoulder.

"Make sure he actually gets to bed Cap. If not, you can come and find me."

"Pi-Pikachu!" Cap agreed with much enthusiasm, giving her a small thumbs up.

Friede grumbled something underneath his breath that earned him a light smack at the back of his head from Cap. He shuffled past Orla towards the door.

"Night Orla. Make sure that you get sleep too, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will. Good night Friede, Cap."

With that, the pair ambled back to their room. Cap made sure that Friede stayed in bed by settling on his stomach after he wriggled himself underneath the blankets. It didn't take long before both captain and Pikachu fell into slumber.

[rising-volteccers]

Ah hi! If you’re still taking prompts, I’d love to see ya do the “you’re my family too” prompt from that one list you reblogged with any of the Volteccers! Maybe Friede? And if not I just wanna say I love ur writing it’s super cute!!!! Have a good night!

Yes I'm still taking them! Thank you very much for this lovely prompt! Just sprinkling in some of my personal headcanons here and there. Hopefully it's a nice little read!

Series: Pokemon Horizons

Characters: Friede, Cap

--

On a peaceful night, one soul laid awake while everyone else slumbered.

Laying on his bed, Friede stared at the ceiling like it had the solution for his awaken state. Just one of those nights where his thoughts mimicked that of bells in his head; an incessant chime that left him unable to fall asleep. Nothing that a mug of Murdock's special nighttime blend couldn't fix but after the day they had, he didn't want to bother his friend more than necessary.

The Rising Volt Tacklers had lofty goals. Wanting to solve the mysteries of the world meant that danger remained a constant presence in their adventures. While they had plenty of peaceful days, the ones that left them all a little bruised at the end of the day acted as a reminder of this path they took.

Being their leader, the responsibility of the crew's safety rested heavily on his shoulders. None of them blamed him for whatever mishaps they came across but such encounters still repeat itself in his head once they had some breathing room. Friede's role in scouting with his Charizard factored heavily on how well informed they'd be. Anything lacking could spell the difference between a good trip or a bad one.

Today was one where things could've tipped into dangerous territories had they not make their escape. Friede had to push Orla and the Fire-types in the engine room so they had the speed to get away in time. Cap and him were focused on navigating through the storm they flew into, being the only route they could take.

At the end, they managed to dock the ship at an uninhabited island for the night. Friede and Orla will properly take stock on the ship's damages tomorrow but for tonight, they unanimously agreed to take it easy and get some much needed rest.

Friede wanted to sleep; once the adrenaline wore off, he remained on his feet solely from his need to present a strong front for his crew. He thought he'd be out like a light once he crashed onto bed but his brain just wouldn't turn off.

He heaved out a deep sigh--stirring Cap that curled into a ball on his stomach. His partner stretched, then rubbed one beady eye with his paw.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to wake you up," he murmured. Friede reached to Cap so he could lightly scratch the Pikachu between his ears. "You can go back to sleep."

"Pikapi?"

"Me? I'll be heading to sleep in a bit. Just got stuff on my mind, you know that."

Instead of curling himself back into a tight ball, Cap instead crawled his way up Friede's stomach to settle himself by the crook of his neck. His partner turned his head so Friede could see his quizzical expression.

"Pika Pi-Pika?"

"You wanna know? Well..." Yellow eyes became downcast. "Guess just 'bout what happened today. 's a lot. Things could've been a lot worse than it did."

Cap tilted his head, deep in thought before he perked up in acknowledgement. He gave a single nod. "Pika." Another head tilt, this time with questioning look on his face. "Pika?"

"Yeah, I get that it didn't but... I guess the what ifs just settled into this ol' noggin. Hard to shake them off."

Cap's expression remained puzzled, as if to say 'and why's that?'

A small huff of laughter, empty of its usual warmth. "Cause the crew's safety is my responsibility. I can't fail that. If I do... I don't wanna put them into unnecessary danger. They're like family to me." Friede's voice dropped into a whisper. "You're my family too, y'know that Cap?"

Cap pushed himself up till he sat on Friede's torso. His eyes seemingly bore into the other's soul with how intense they got. Then Cap thwacked him on the nose with his paw.

The surprise snapped Friede out of the black mood he was slowly falling into. One hand immediately went to his aching nose.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Cap's paws settled onto his hip. What proceeded was a long string of Pikachu noises that Friede could interpret as a lecture. The more Cap went at it complete with animated paw gestures, he found tendrils of amusement creeping in.

"Alright, alright I get it," Friede conceded at last once there was a pause in Cap's spiel. Lips curled into a fond smile, he said, "You're saying that I should put more trust in the crew and not shoulder everything myself, yeah?"

It spoke volumes of the bond they have that he understood his partner on this level. To others, they would hear the chattering of an excited, slightly agitated Pikachu.

To Friede, he understood the intent. Once Cap nodded his head with a self satisfied smirk, warmth blossomed in his chest. He reached out once more to settle a gentle hand on Cap's head.

"I heard it loud and clear. Thanks Cap. Guess I needed the reminder."

"Pi-Pikachu!"

Friede found himself cracking a yawn. After working out the gunk in his head, he finally felt sleepy. He turned on his side, which had Cap repositioning himself to tuck himself by Friede's chest.

"Night Cap. We have a busy day ahead of us."

Soon, two sets of deep breathing filled the cabin, both human and Pokemon finally getting the sleep they deserved.