Chapter Text
“Hey, Do-oot! Have you seen Liko around?”
“No,” she called back, making sure her voice carried through the steel door. She didn't feel like getting up and opening it. Roy seemed fine with that, with his voice smushed as if he was pressing his lips against the doorframe. Bleh. “Haven't seen her all day.”
“Aw man! I was gonna ask if she wanted to do some training with Fuecoco, she seemed onboard with it at breakfast.” Roy’s voice unsmushed itself, and Dot could hear his footsteps retreating into the halls at breakneck pace, with Fuecoco’s waddling not too far behind. “Thanks, though!”
Dot huffed and spun around in her chair, the bright blue sky from her window alerting her that, Hey! It’s one o’clock in the afternoon! Breakfast passed hours ago—go eat something!!!
Weirdly, she didn’t really feel the urge to eat, despite having nothing that morning (if morning counted as noon, which she'd argue was a perfectly fine time to wake up).
It was significantly easier to forget about the outside world and all its regular schedules when nobody had come to check on her for the last few days—not out of neglect, of course: the rest of the crew knew perfectly well that Dot was laserfocused. She had spent the past week scouring every crevice of the internet for information on a black Rayquaza or teal pendant. It was proving a challenge, given she hardly even knew what she was supposed to be looking for. Both searches either led her to sketchy cryptid-hunting forums or clickbait jewelry shops, none of which she completely ruled out of her research.
Dot wouldn’t admit it, but hearing the telltale knocks of Liko and Roy looking for new battle strategies (Roy) and trying to break the ice (Liko) had become staples in her routine. And while facing the rest of the crew IRL for meals and meetings still felt unnecessary and intimidating, there was something refreshing about hearing a voice other than her own break up her thoughts.
Lately, Liko’s voice had been rather silent in her schedule. Dot thought that Liko might have needed a little more time to process the whole Nidothing situation, but after a week of radio silence, Dot’s own voice started to take up that empty space. Was Liko avoiding her? Sure, she had looked pretty frazzled that night, but did she take the confession as a bad thing? Or—oh jeez, what if Liko thought that Dot’s admission was a nod to stop bothering her? Crap, that sounded like something Liko would think.
“Don’t think of that right now. Focus on something else,” she mumbled, spamming her mouse to wake up her monitor. Last night’s livestream had done pretty well. Since the Iono collab, Nidothing’s channel had grown by a couple thousand, an outcome that hadn’t been the intended result of the covert “help my friend is missing please find her” operation, but one she definitely wasn’t complaining about. The stream was short and heavily edited on her end, mainly just a thank you message for her recent growth and promise to continue making videos. Quaxly’s natural enthusiasm had been the main factor for raking in views, and for that he had the day off.
“Kuwaa, Kuwassu!” Said Pokemon stuck his head through the flap in her door, announcing his presence as he pattered up to the spinning chair.
“Hey, dude. Didja get a good lunch?” Dot leaned down to brush away some stray crumbs from his beak. Quaxly crossed his eyes, shocked at how such a grave mishap in appearance could have been overlooked. Dot snickered.
“Kuwaasu! Kuwa kuwaa~ssu?” The duckling Pokemon flapped in response, as if to say, I did, but did you eat anything?
Dot groaned, blowing at her loose bangs despite Quaxly’s accusatory stance. She swiveled back in her seat, slouching back further. “Meh, I’ll eat later... don't worry about me.”
The thing about ignoring the ticking clock of self-imposed guilt was that it became a whole lot harder when a living spray bottle held you accountable. Dot shrieked as the telltale sound of Quaxly’s Water Gun move began to rear up.
“Okay, okay! Cut it out, I'm going! Look, I’ve got my vitamins right… Shoot.” An empty bottle greeted Dot. “You’re kidding.” Alright. Cool. Sneaking out to the kitchen to squirrel away whatever sustenance she could find would have to be in order. It wasn’t even as if real food was bad or anything, just wildly inconvenient to prepare, eat, and maintain for three times a day. The effort required to begin her trek heaved a huge sigh out of her.
Of course, Quaxly wasn't having any of it.
“Going!” Dot blurted as she stood up, putting her hands up in a placating gesture before Quaxly could throw another fit. She stepped away with her back towards the door, hands up in a surrender as she kept her eyes trained on the exasperated Duckling Pokémon.
“I’ll be quick, just in and out, so—uff!”
When Dot had turned the handle, she definitely did not expect to collide with a wall right in front of her. She also definitely did not expect that wall to yelp in shock with a very familiar octave.
“L-Liko?!”
The girl that stood in the doorway froze, trying to regain her balance after the stumble. Dot could see Liko’s shoulders visibly tense, and suddenly all her paranoid thoughts came back with a whoosh. Crap, what do I say? What’s SHE going to say? Is she really avoiding me? Holy shit, I almost hit her with the door, she probably hates me now, and—
“Dot…!”
Liko’s previous stupor was replaced by a panic-driven fidget as she deliberately avoided looking at the other in the eyes. Dot tried to follow her flitting gaze. Shoulder, doorframe, ground, sweater, shoulder again. Never at her face. So she was definitely avoiding her.
“W-what are you doing here?” Dot strained cautiously.
Liko looked away almost guiltily, as if it were her fault that Dot barged out while she was just likely passing by. “I—ehm… thought I’d…check on you? Just now? You’re probably super busy though, so I can just go ahead and go if you want!”
“Oh.” Dot felt her face warm. Liko had come to check on her, even after all the awkwardness she had caused? And she had the gall to accuse Liko of avoiding her! How self-centered could Dot get! Hurry, maybe she could still salvage this, she just needed to make a move. “Wait, I’m on my way to get some breakf—uhh, lunch.” Good save, Dot. “...You, uh…wanna come?”
Liko blinked in surprise. “R-really?! I—yeah! If you don’t mind, that is.”
“Mm-mm,” Dot slipped past and gestured to Quaxly to come along, Liko beside her as they walked. First step accomplished.
Her pair of Snorlax slippers flopped loudly against the wooden floor, only accentuated by the silence. Okay. Liko was here—good. Dot didn't exactly think farther ahead than that. What was she even supposed to say?
Dot glanced back at Liko and Sprigatito trailing behind. The taller girl was looking tersely at the ground with a strained polite smile, as if she was rehearsing words in her head. Probably looking for a way to tell Dot that actually, she had somewhere to be, and that Roy was definitely waiting for her and maybe they could talk another time! And then that cycle would continue, until they’d be complete strangers once again. Dot's thoughts were spinning out of control. That was the worst possible scenario, quick, say something!!
“So, are there any other people in the kitchen right now…?”
Alright. That was fine, and better to know if Dot would have to maneuver around her uncle for the time being. She loved Murdock, really, but one could only take so many instances of “look who decided to come out of her cave today!” It was well into the afternoon, the time of day when the sun’s presence made the sky a shade of bright cerulean that was absolutely blinding. Hopefully lunch had passed already and she could make this a quick trip with no interruptions.
“Umm,” Liko started, tapping her chin. “I don’t think so? The rest of the crew already ate, and I think Murdock’s helping Orla with something in the engine. If that’s what you were referring to.”
“It’s chill,” Dot said back. She opened the sliding door to the kitchen, foregoing the island countertop entirely to rush towards the large steel pantry. “I’ll be in and out anyways, just gotta grab some of these and be—”
“Wait, you’re not eating actual food?”
Dot looked at the container of (stale, but still edible) pecha-flavored doughnuts she held in her hands. “What do you mean?”
Liko looked around with an awkward smile. “Don’t you want something more…filling for lunch?”
Huh. The doughnuts were berry flavored, weren’t they? That sounded like plenty of nutrition, no matter what the packaging label insisted. “These are fine. I don’t see why—”
Liko cut in with a strange sense of urgency, “No! Sorry, but I can’t let you eat an improper meal!”
“W-what?!”
In a rush, Liko took the container from the shorter teen’s hands and placed them on a shelf that was out of her reach. Ugh, curse her height! The Trainer rummaged around the pantry until she emerged with a loaf of bread and canned meat, with Dot and Quaxly staring dumbly. With a call from Sprigatito, Liko plated the leaves of a few fresh vegetables. When she turned back, there was a certain spark in her eyes that made Dot shrink away and forget all urges to argue back.
“We’ll have sandwiches instead!” Liko declared, but not after softening for a moment. She looked back at Dot with warmth, but still refused to make eye contact. Dot’s heart squeezed with gratitude, but didn’t wash away that seed of doubt planted stubbornly in her brain. “You’re fine with that, right? I know we left some out for you last time, and you seemed to like it, so…”
Dot opened and closed her mouth a few times. “Um. Y-yeah. That’s cool.”
The other girl beamed and started putting out four slices of bread onto two metal plates. From across the island, Liko exuded a confident energy surrounding the way her hands deftly moved about the countertop and brow furrowed in concentration; but not without parting glances at Dot to make sure she was still following. It should have been more than easy, just slapping some form of protein between two slices of square white bread. But it seemed as if both Liko and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers took a certain pride in the quality of ingredients for what should have been the easiest meal ever.
Dot remembered the last time she had a sandwich, really not too long ago. Out of concern for her, Liko had set up a DIY sandwich station from the comfort of the ship for her to enjoy while the rest of the crew ate outside. Without even knowing her face, Liko had put in the extra effort to make the other feel included within the group experience. Dot didn’t need it, she would have been fine and content in her room with Quaxly. Really, she hadn’t even done much to earn such a heartfelt meal. And yet, Liko had done it anyway.
It was funny. Dot didn’t even know she liked sandwiches until that day.
“Sorry… If I had known you’d be coming out to eat, I’d have saved you a plate from lunch! Ludlow wanted us to try sashimi since he’s from Johto and all, and it went by super fast! I didn’t even realize it was gone.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Dot shrugged. She picked up a leaf of lettuce. When it came to assembling the meal, Liko concentrated on layering greens and spiced ham, pausing occasionally to let Dot copy her. “You don’t have to do all this for me, you know. I’d have been fine on my own.”
At her comment, Liko looked up. “I want to do it, really!” She seemed to catch herself at that, reeling herself back in with a nervous wave. “But if you’re um, uncomfortable with it or anything Icantotallyleaveyoualoneandstopbothering—”
Dot gripped the bread she was holding, creating large indents in edges.“Don’t!”
Liko blinked, freezing mid-action.
“I-I mean,” the streamer stammered, “you’re doing too—agh, no. You’re fine! I’m fine! You—you’re just… doing all this for me, and I’m not even doing anything for you in return!”
All I’ve done is fail you so far, she wanted to add. It was my fault you went missing for so long, and my fault everything went weird between us. It's selfish for me to want to be your friend when I can't even have a proper conversation with you. I shouldn't be the one accepting your sandwiches, or check-ins, or support—
“...Is it bad, though?”
Huh. Dot stopped her train of thought. “W-what do you mean?”
Liko tilted her head (in a manner that very much reminded Dot of a lost Lillipup, not that she would ever say that to her). “Do you not like…this?”
Dislike this? Dot paused. Did overthinking every little thing about Liko stretch her brain far too wide? Yes. Did it feel like both of them were walking on eggshells around each other? Yeah, a little. But did she hate walking with Liko, talking for the first time in days, and making food with her?
“No, it’s…it’s good.” Dot felt her face flush in confession. “I, um, don’t…not enjoy it, I guess.”
It was as if Dot had told her some kind of marvelous secret. Liko’s eyes widened, sparkling like a sapphire glinting in the sun. The taller girl beamed. “Then that’s all I need!”
“W-wha..?”
Liko shook her head, clarifying, “I want to do this for you! You’re someone who’s done so much for me and you don’t even know it! It’s just—I can’t believe you’re the person who inspired me to learn more about Pokémon! I-I want to be able to show that, you know? How much that means to me.”
Somebody who inspired her? Dot was hardly inspirational, she must have been—oh.
The answer popped into her head, clear as day. Liko had been talking about Nidothing. An ugly voice reared inside her mind, had she been talking about Nidothing this entire time? No, that couldn’t be right. They were friends, right? Liko had called them friends herself that night.
That was before I told her the truth, Dot thought. Does she still think that now?
The sandwich in her hands felt colder than expected.
“T-thanks, Liko. You really didn’t have to do it,” she mumbled.
Liko looked at her with an odd expression on her face, not that Dot was paying much attention. She placed her sandwich back together with her fingertips, thumbing the crust of the bread absentmindedly.
“Kuwaassu! Wa~su!”
“Sorry, Quaxly!” Liko shook Dot out of her stupor. Quaxly tapped his foot impatiently. Sprigatito, on the other hand, had found herself on a nearby stool to sleep on. “Let’s eat!”
Dot’s first nibble was slow, too shallow to get any of the actual fillings. But even just the taste of wheat was enough to set her hunger back into overdrive—it had been her first meal of the day. The canned meat wasn’t exactly anything to write home about, especially compared to the smorgasbord just a few weeks ago, but to Dot the meal was heavenly.
“I’m glad you like it!” Liko smiled, splitting her own sandwich to save for later. She sounded so genuine, her eyes creasing up in the corners. Dot couldn’t help but hope that smile was for all of her.
It wasn’t as if Dot wasn’t affected by her words. Knowing just how much her streams had helped people personally—well, it was a good feeling, obviously. And somehow, it felt different when someone was complimenting her IRL rather than over a live chat. Hearing Liko’s voice through the door, and now in person, made her act flustered and sheepish, whereas she’d normally take the praise in stride while on camera. She supposed that was just another difference between her and Nidothing. Dot was the quiet, sheltered kid who couldn't leave her room, whereas Nidothing could be as free as she wanted to be, the person who took the whole world in stride.
In between bites, Dot observed Liko. Nothing weird, mind you, just sneaking glances between the gaps in her hair. Liko was eating slowly, her blue eyes gazed upon the meticulously-kept pots and pans off to the side. She didn’t look uncomfortable, per say, but more so lost in thought. The way she kept her shoulders drawn in close to herself and her knee bouncing up and down gave the impression that there was something gnawing at her conscience.
“You’re thinking about something,” Dot said, muffled.
Liko fidgeted, her unoccupied hand twiddling with her pendant. “S-sorry!” Her cheeks went pink. “I’m really trying not to be weird or anything, I swear! But just knowing that my favorite streamer of all time is actually a kid like me and is right here, oh my gosh, that’s unreal! Ah, jeez, I’m sorry, you probably think I’m weird!”
Something in Dot’s heart panged in sympathy. Maybe she did need more time to process everything, is all. Dot couldn’t really blame her, the past few weeks had certainly been uprooting for Liko. “S’that why I haven’t seen you in a while?”
Liko somehow managed to look even guiltier. “Um! Maybe? Kind of? That, and I wouldn’t want to interrupt you doing something important, I guess.”
“I—” Dot started, ready to refute that, before realizing that she was wholly unprepared for this. She wanted to tell Liko that no, she wanted her to barge into her room, that they could talk outside of Nidothing, that they could learn how to be friends together. But with the two of them scarcely being able to manage basic eye-contact, it seemed impossible. The overhead lights were far too warm and bright, and the slight echo in the kitchen area felt way too exposed.
“Thanks for lunch,” was what she settled on instead. Blunt and somewhat impulsive, but Dot didn't know how else to set the plan that was slowly forming in her head into action.
“No problem! I know it’s not anything fancy, but—oh, were you leaving?”
Did Dot feel a tiny bit bad for leaving so abruptly after Liko had given her an admittedly much more sustaining meal than doughnuts? Yeah. But Dot didn’t think she could get through another conversation without both of them being on the same page, stammering through each sentence. Something needed to change, and Dot was going to set it right. “Mm-hm. See you, Liko.”
She motioned for Quaxly to come along, placing her plate in the nearby sink. Dot just remembered to give a tiny wave as she exited the sliding doors, unable to see Liko’s reaction.
“See you…Dot,” came Liko’s voice reverberating around the kitchen. It was oh-so soft, almost a belated afterthought, so much so that she thought she was imagining it.
Dot was a scary creature when focused on a goal. It was the way she had gotten when first creating all the elements of her first Nidothing video, when working for Friede on the Volt Tackler’s app, and how she had been when searching for traces of a missing Liko. Her eyes seldom left the screen, fingers typing a mile a minute with little regard to external stimuli.
Having spent the day brainstorming and frustratedly blowing off crumpled papers, her body was laserfocused on her new goal: coming up with a plan to officially befriend Liko. The purple-haired programmer must have gone through at least 14 different documents of possible scripts, logistics, and analyses of every interaction she had with Liko. Finally, Dot had a plan. And unlike the buggy RVT app that seemed to need updating every few weeks, or her botched attempt at saving Liko, this time was going to go exactly as planned.
First, a setup had to be in order. And if there was anything Dot was good at, it was strategizing.
That, and of course, streaming.
HoshinoStaryu: New vid when??
electricalforecast39: guys wwake up new stream 🩵🩵🩵
☆Ninalovesquaxly: I Love quaxly!!!he is So Cute ^v^
RhydonsMuscles: ILOEV YOU NIDOTHING LETS GOOO
Bbydolleyes224: two surprise streams in a row? ts has to be planned
Dot squinted at the last comment, willing it to disappear faster. Yes, technically, this livestream was planned, but not for any nefarious reasons! Today was just gonna be a chill Q&A session, purportedly to continue off of the previous thank-you stream. She'd just answer some questions from fans (and hopefully, Liko), and tease her next video. Nothing complicated, just her costume and ringlight.
“Kuwaa! Kuwa, kuwa!” Quaxly climbed onto Dot’s lap, nestling himself in the inflated fabric. He was a star in the spotlight, and apparently internet fame only boosted his affinity for an audience. Dot herself couldn't relate, but Nidothing’s persona definitely helped her understand the appeal.
“Yos~su, all you Pokémon Trainers!” Dot didn't bother putting the same level of intense enthusiasm in her voice as normal. Today was meant to have a more relaxing vibe.
“So glad to see you all today! I wanna spend some time chilling and hanging out with you guys after such a big milestone a few days ago! You guys have all told me all about your lives with Pokémon, and I’m so glad me and Quaxly can be a part of that. But now it’s your turn to get to know me! Drop your awesome questions in the chat, and I’ll try to answer as many as I can!”
The chat was relatively small, which Dot couldn’t blame, given it was an unannounced event. It was here that Dot thanked every star in the sky for such a supportive fanbase. As she went on about trivial things to fill the time, (thankfully normal) questions came rolling in.
Mellomelloid: Hi um idk if this is a goodquestipn but whats yuor favorite food ?
“First question, awesome!” Dot beamed, hoping it would be visible through the suit. Given she really only had a few options to go off of, the answer was easy. “My favorite food, huh? I'd say picnic-style sandwiches, but you can never go wrong with a special pastry for a sweet treat. Next up is…”
xXluckyeggXx: whats your favorite starter from your region?
“Uhh,” Nidothing stalled. Dot squinted her eyes, unseen by the camera. Explaining her own history—from Alola to Galar to Alola back, and now on an airship—wasn’t something she needed the whole internet to know. Saying Kanto would be too misleading, though, so Dot simply went vague.
“Well, the Nido-family can be found in tons of different places, huh? So wherever you are, I’m probably there!” Man, Dot needed an award for this streaming stuff. “As for my favorite starter, it's Quaxly all the way, no matter the region—”
“Kuwaasuu!”
“—but honestly, the Trainers I've met with Paldean first partners have been…pretty cool so far. So, shoutout to Sprigatito and Fuecoco, too!”
Dot didn't think too hard about the last comment. That part of the question was opinions-based though, right? No reason to deflect that, she thought.
LittenSmitten: Hi Nidothing!!! Do u plan on making merch :3
Yikes. If she was back in her mom’s house, that might have been viable. But shipping from a constantly-changing address in the sky? There was a reason Nidothing didn't do fanmail! “Sorry, dude! No plans for merch anytime soon! Make sure to take pics of y'all's handmade merch in the meantime! Woah, tons of new questions, let’s try to get through as many as we can!”
The livestream went on for a good hour at a similar pace—and honestly? Dot felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. Not having to worry about multiple takes, or edits, or exaggerating her movements made for just a simple conversation between Nidothing and her fans. This was probably the most honest about herself she had been on stream, allowing her fans to see just a bit more of the “real Dot” than the sliver of Nidothing she kept strictly reserved for videos.
Dot smiled. Now was as good a time as any to close things up, and say what she really planned this stream for. Quaxly, who had been eating up all the questions directed at him, sat sleepily in her arms, doing his best to stay awake.
“Hey, guys,” Nidothing said. “Thank you all for coming onto today’s stream! Even if it’s a surprise one, you all pulled up for an amazing time with us! Me and Quaxly can’t thank you guys enough for all the recent support, it really helps a ton.”
Dot prayed that somewhere, Liko was watching. Her voice dropped, just close enough to her normal speaking voice without raising suspicion.
“Even though I've been doing this streaming thing for a while now,” she averted her eyes for a moment, “...you being here makes me see this world in a whole new way. And that alone makes me so excited to see everything it has to offer! I just—I can't wait to see it all. With you. Your… friendship, if you wanna call it that, has changed so much of my life in such a short amount of time, and so… I really want to be friends for as long as possible.”
The room suddenly felt hot, a lot more than usual under her suit. As much as she hoped that her intended recipient was watching, hundreds of others were right beside her. “Um! Yeah. Thanks for being here. All of you! See you guys next time, Nidothing out!”
Dot quickly signaled to her Rotom Phone to end the stream before releasing herself from her costume. The monitors with the receding livechat stared back at her. Her face was warm for various reasons as she sat down to process.
“Aughh, that was so embarrassing, Quaxly!”
Quaxly squirmed in her arms, escaping the blow as Dot flopped on her bed to stare at the ceiling. “Kuwaa, kuwassu waa~”
“Yeah, yeah, it had to be done,” Dot waved. With a switch in headgear, Nidothing was put promptly back in the repressed part of her brain labelled ‘desire to interact with people and Pokémon’ as her bangs fell in front of her eyes once more.
“Did the ending come off too weird though? Like, to the average viewer? Or—crap, what if I wasn't direct enough and it goes completely over her head?” She groaned, the heels of her palms pressed against her face. “How am I supposed to know how she feels?”
As it turned out, the duckling Pokémon was having none of that again.
“Ow!”
“Kuwaaa~ssu!”
“Quaxly! Ow, jeez, no one taught you Peck! What do you want me to do?!”
Quaxly stood, filling Dot’s entire (limited) vision with a stern expression. With a sharp wing, he pointed towards the door. “Kuwaa-kuwa!”
The door? Like, to leave? After she had just done a whole stream? “Wait… you don't expect me to go and actually talk to her, do you? Come on, man.”
Quaxly remained unmoving.
“Look, if she still wants to be real friends, she'll say it. I already did my plan: make a stream with an open invite so she knows I care about her. That was it. Step two is just…”
If Quaxly had the anatomy for eyebrows, he'd surely be raising them right now.
“...was just waiting for her to respond, I guess. Alright, I get it. I'll make the first move.” Dot huffed, swinging her legs up to sit upright. "No one told me this friendship thing was gonna be so hard! You know, I wouldn't even be going this far for anybody in the first place.”
She rubbed her face one last time, scrubbing herself of that mindset. Right. Thinking those thoughts couldn’t exactly fit anymore, because they didn't consider the full picture. They didn't consider Liko, who probably deserved the whole world and more, and she didn't even know it. Who Dot wanted so badly for her to take a look at the person behind Nidothing’s mask and still decide that they could maybe try being friends.
And if bridging that gap via a familiar livestream was step one, the next had to be a direct conversation that was… a little less familiar. It would be new, sure, and probably uncomfortable, but if this was her one shot at sealing her friendship with Liko, Dot would do it…
“...In a little bit, ‘kay?” Dot flopped backwards unceremoniously. She had just done a full interactive stream after a sleepless night of fruitless planning. Just a short break would make sure that she'd be able to talk to Liko in top form.
She gave Quaxly a mollifying pat before yawning. “I j’st need a quick…nap, that's all…”
What was supposed to be a quick nap was actually six hours. So Dot’s sleep schedule was completely broken, sue her. The next time she woke up was at around 8 PM, the color of the portholes a dusty purple as night settled in.
She rose with a start.
“Quaxly! What time is it?!”
A resounding silence met the bedheaded teen. Snatching her phone to fumble for the camera (and timecheck), she quickly began running her fingers through her choppy hair and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
First things first, find Quaxly. Dot didn't like to admit it, but having the duckling Pokémon around was probably what kept her sane the past year she'd spent on the ship. She was doing a hell of a lot better than she had been alone in her house, that was for sure, and the state of her room reflected that. While it was by no means squeaky clean, no longer did empty chip bags and dirty laundry litter the floors of a depressingly lit gamer cave. Dot was pretty proud of that particular improvement, and Quaxly’s insistence on a tidy living space more than likely had a hand in that.
“Quaxly?” Dot called into the hallway. The halls were permeated by the same shade of cloudy purple, broken by the warm yellow lighting of the ship’s LEDs. The normal buzz of eight people plus a half-dozen wild Pokémon roaming the ship was ever present in the late evening.
Quaxly had likely just left for dinner, that was no big worry. He could do what he wanted, it wasn’t as if Dot’s partnership really changed much in their mutually independent dynamic. He was probably eating with the other Pokémon right now.
…Or he’s literally anywhere else on this massive airship, Dot thought bitterly as she poked her head into the empty kitchen space.
“Hey, Dottie! Haven't seen you in a while!”
Well, completely empty minus her overzealous uncle, who spent so much time in the kitchen he probably also slept there, too.
“Hi, Murdock.” Dot tried to keep herself from sounding impatient. He meant well, she knew.
The burly chef set down his knife from the sharpening block to examine her. “Have you eaten dinner yet? Or, gosh, have you eaten at all today? You probably haven't—sit down and I’ll get you a bowl of soup from earlier!”
Dot tried to protest, “No, Murdock, it's fine, really, I had my nutrients today and—” Unfortunately, her stomach decided it was the best time to betray her. “That was a false alarm.”
“Take a spot, Polka Dot.” Murdock grabbed a ladle to spoon soup from a large pot sitting on the stove. Dot sighed in defeat, sitting in the same island chair as she did with Liko. Two “real” meals in one week, that had to be a new record. She watched as her uncle did…something with it. “Strained tomato soup with nothing in it, just how you like it,” he said proudly.
“Thanks.” The sentiment warmed Dot, and the broth did the same. She hadn’t even realized how cold it was until the soup moved in waves to soothe the insides of her bones. In her rush to find Quaxly, she had forgotten to grab her favorite oversized cardigan. She pressed her elbows closer to her sides, willing the outside chill to go away. It felt weird to have her arms exposed.
“What are you up to this late in the day? I know you didn’t just come in here to eat,” Murdock smiled, moving back to his sharpening block. A few rags were thrown over his shoulder, clearly in the middle of closing up shop.
Dot kept her head down, trying to finish her bowl as fast as possible. “Not much, I guess,” she said between sips. “Looking for Quaxly.”
“Bonding with your new partner? That’s a sign of a good Trainer.”
“He’s not new, you know. I only officially caught him to help find Liko.”
Murdock looked up wistfully. “I know, but still! Your mother and I never really thought you’d be big on Training, especially after your 10th birthday passed, but look at you now! My niece, catching her first partner Pokémon, isn’t that exciti—Oh!” He paused, snapping out of his sentimental tirade. “Liko! That reminds me, she was looking for you earlier!”
Dot nearly choked on her spoon. “W-what?! She was?”
“Mm-hm,” Murdock said with a curious tilt of his head. “She was with Quaxly when she walked by, actually. Not too long ago, I think.”
“Oh, great,” she spluttered, still coughing. Her uncle gave her a hearty pound on the back to stop her, which only made Dot cough harder. Murdock winced a bit, but Dot waved him off. There were more pressing matters to think about.
Crap. Quaxly and Liko together? That couldn’t be good. Dot loved Quaxly to pieces (even if she would never say something like that aloud), but the flamboyant fowl took matters into his tiny wings a little more than she’d like. Dot could only think of all the ways that Quaxly was probably urging Liko to stop by Dot’s room, or deliver some embarrassing message, or start up some interpretive dance. Oh man, Quaxly would totally do that. Dot needed to intervene, before Liko could do something crazy like talk to her.
(Which would be exactly what Dot had wanted, but the fear still stood. Her plan couldn’t be taken out of her hands so early into fruition!)
“Thanks, Murdock,” she said, wiping her face. Murdock looked surprised at her standing up, but thankfully didn’t press further. “I gotta go now.”
“Come back if you want more!” he called out. Silently, Dot thanked him for the soup’s energy boost, because she really didn’t think she could have sprinted across the halls without it. It was a miracle Orla had designed an airship so large yet aerodynamic, but right now, Dot desperately wished the ship wasn’t built with massive corridors that required frequent pit stops to traverse. Dot wheezed. Running was no joke, and one she wasn’t used to laughing at. Her face was flushed with exertion (though she had a pace that Fuecoco could probably outdo) by the time she made it to the main deck.
Finally, she threw herself back in the elevator, letting the minute of silence calm her asthmatic lungs. Dot sank into the metal railing behind her and breathed a sigh of relief at the feeling of cold metal bringing some feeling back into her arms. She rubbed them profusely after a moment, suddenly made aware that yes, there was still skin on her arms and not the second layer of fleece like she was used to.
When the doors opened, Dot’s heart rate spiked once more. Liko was sitting on the indoor couch, looking mildly confused as Quaxly hopped up and down to some kind of…interpretive dance.
Dot felt like someone had dropped a ball of lead in her stomach, leaving her rooted in place. Shoot. All her notes and step-by-step plans she had written for herself suddenly vanished from her mind. A million different half-baked conversation starters floated through her head, each one screaming at her to say something, though she made no effort to catch any of them.
“Kuwassu!”
“Dot!” Liko noticed Dot as the elevator gave its arrival ding, staring at her with a mix of surprise and relief.
“...L-Liko.” In comparison, Dot barely managed to choke out Liko’s name. She forced herself to let go of her white-knuckle grip on the handrails and take a shaky step forward, standing half-in and half-out of the opening.
Dot stood frozen, unsure of how to proceed from there. The seconds pressed on, both Trainers firmly planted as they stared at each other in the elevator entrance. Oh gosh, now what? Was it too awkward to say hi and chat? Or should she just pick up Quaxly and run back to her room to start her plan all over again?
Luckily, Dot didn’t have to make that decision. Liko darted forward with a sudden speed that could put a Greninja to shame, barreling towards Dot with a panic-stricken look in her eyes and an outstretched hand.
“Careful, Dot!”
“Liko, what are you—” Dot’s wrist was snatched by the other girl, causing a jolt of electricity up Dot’s arm. With a start, her brain woke up again. Liko dragged her through the doorway, just as the steel doors snapped shut once more.
Liko gripped her bare shoulder to steady her, a gesture that made Dot’s heart go from double time to haywire. Right. She still didn’t have her cardigan. There was nothing separating her from Liko’s cool touch, a fact that almost sent an imperceptible shiver up Dot’s spine.
“Um,” Dot said intelligently. “Thanks.” She didn't dare move, processing a hundred new sensations at once.
“I–! No problem,” Liko responded, staring at the place where her hand met Dot’s shoulder. Her hand was soft and secure, but stilted. Dot could tell Liko was pressing her fingers together to minimize contact, but before she could say anything, the hand jumped back as if Liko realized she was doing something she shouldn't have. Dot looked back at her from the exact same spot. She really wished she had her cardigan to occupy her hands with something. Instead, she resorted to wringing them at her sides.
“Kuwaa, kuwassu!” Quaxly chirped, flapping his wings in excitement.
“Hi, Quaxly,” Dot greeted warmly, releasing some of the tension in her posture. “He… wasn’t bothering you too much, right?”
Liko looked between them with a hand fiddling with her pendant. “No, not at all! I think he just wanted to show off his new dance, is all?”
The duckling smiled, tapping his webbed feet in a practiced beat. “Was~su!”
“Anyways! I’m glad you’re here, Dot!” Liko rubbed the back of her neck nervously, looking at the window past Dot. The sky was a lot more navy than purple now, made only more visible by the slowly dimming lights. Dot wanted to curse whoever set up this situation, but she knew she'd only have herself to blame. (The dimming lights were even her doing. She had coded the ship’s light timer to darken embarrassingly early out of respect for Ludlow's old-man sleep schedule.)
“There was, um, something I wanted to talk to you about…”
Dot held her breath again, hoping to come off casual and nonchalant, and totally not a wide-eyed mess. “R-really? What a coincidence, so was I.”
“O-oh! Well, in that case, you go first! You came all the way up here to see me, after all.” Liko waved her hands in an attempt to dissipate the odd energy in the air.
Shifting her weight, Dot weighed her options. She could tell Liko the truth and potentially cause another awkward rift between the two for Mew-knows-how-long. Or, she could let Liko say what she needed to tell her first, and worry about any mishaps later.
The second course of action definitely seemed like the most favorable here—whatever would allow Dot to spend just a few more hours with her maybe-friend. She shook her head. “Don't sweat it, Liko. You don't have to be all polite like that. My thing can wait. I came here since Murdock told me you were looking for me anyways.”
Liko opened her mouth as if she wanted to protest, but closed it all the same. “If you insist then…” Her blue, blue eyes avoided contact with Dot's. And look, Dot was never one for eye contact at all, her overgrown bangs made sure of that. But in that moment, the purple-haired trainer wanted nothing more than to be able to get a glimpse of her eyes.
“It's, uh, a question, sort of? More like a request, I guess. So you're free to say no, though I'd really like you to say yes…” she added shyly.
Dot pretended to check a watch that wasn't there. “No need to rush.” Liko giggled at that, which sent a warm glow of satisfaction down Dot’s chest.
“Okay! Well, um…” Liko shifted her place on the couch to face the other, running her fingers through her hair. Dot held her breath. “Gosh, I'm really blowing this out of proportion, am I? It's just, I know you don't come out of your room very often, and you're totally busy, so I get it! I mean, catching up with school takes up, like, half my day. But, um, I really like spending time with you! Really! And I want to get to know you better for real, since we're on the same ship and all, s-so maybe we could find more times to hang out more?”
Liko kept talking after that, but Dot didn’t hear her over the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears.
“I know you've got a ton going on with your livestreams and coding and all, but it's been really fun hanging out with you so far. And Roy! He won't stop talking about that triple battle with the Explorers the other day, so I'm sure he'd really—”
“Do you want to be friends?”
Liko snapped her mouth shut to look at Dot. For a hard second, the two stared at each other in the receding light. Dot blinked, her words catching up to her. Did she say that aloud?! Holy Magikarp, judging by Liko's quizzical expression, she totally did. Dot resisted the urge to cradle her head in defeat, since her master plan at this point was as good as ruined. There was a terrifying beat where Liko’s silent processing virtually short-circuited Dot with equal parts anticipation and embarrassment. If she looked closely, Dot could probably see her own soul leaving her body.
Before Dot could amend her outburst, Liko found her words again. To her surprise, it wasn’t nearly as judgemental or pitiful as she'd been dreading.
“Dot… I thought we were already friends?”
…
Hold on, what?!
“What do you— I-I mean—whuh—w-weren’t we…I don’t remember that???”
The incoherent stammering coming out of Dot's mouth did nothing to alleviate her situation. Dot couldn’t recall an official reinstatement of friendship with Liko after their big talk. Sure, they might have been considered acquaintances before then, but Dot knew that her confession had put whatever dynamic they had in a shredder. They’d have to start from scratch, and Dot didn’t think there was a moment when they had called each other a friend afterwards. Unless… there was? Oh no. Bewilderment quickly morphed into shame as she buried her head in her hands to cover her flushed face. “You mean to tell me,” Dot groaned pathetically, “that somewhere in the few times we’ve talked, we agreed to be friends and I just forgot?”
Now it was Liko’s turn to have her expression turn into one of guilt. “Oh my gosh…” She lifted a hand to her mouth, eyes wide. “I’ve misconstrued this, haven’t I? I-I’m so sorry, I just—I mean, I assumed we were friends since I kept knocking at your door and you kept responding, and even though I’ve totally been acting weird since that night, I guess I still thought…” Liko put her hands together, squeezing her eyes shut. If Dot had peeked from behind her own wall of bangs and fingers, the sight might have been cute in an adorable, Skitty type of way. “I should have checked with you to make sure we were still friends, I’m sorry!”
What?
That was Dot’s first thought as she removed her hands from her face, looking directly at Liko to make sure she could glean every detail. Her second thought was, This girl apologizes way too much.
“Wait, so…” Dot drew out slowly, to make sure there was absolutely no room for misunderstanding. Finally, they’d be on the same page for once. “Are we friends or not?”
“Yes..? Ehm, I think? I-I’d like to be!”
“Cool.” Dot pressed her hands together to try and keep her voice steady. “Same. I wanna be…friends, too.”
For the blue haired girl across from her, that was all the confirmation she needed. Liko’s nervous demeanor melted into one of sunbeams and sparkles. She took Dot’s conjoined hands and lifted them between the two.
“Oh, Dot, that’s amazing! We’re friends for real now!” Liko grinned, the pale blue light of the ship making her smile ever more radiant. Dot squirmed in response, looking over her shoulder before her heart could do something traitorous.
Another thought crossed her mind. “A-and just so you know,” Dot cut in, “if we’re friends, then you’re friends with all of me. That includes—”
“Ahh, don’t say it..!” Liko looked sheepish. “I know, with everything here and all. I can’t avoid it, especially on this ship. Thing is, I love being a Nidothing fan so, so much. Even now, it’s honestly still kind of surreal to me. But…” She steeled her gaze, drawing in a breath of confidence. “I guess Nidothing’s gonna have to take a backseat, ‘cause I’m a Dot fan first and foremost!”
Dot paused in incredulity. After a beat, she let out an uncharacteristic giggle, shaking her head in amusement. “You know what, Liko? Whatever helps you from exploding,” she eventually said.
“Dot!” The other girl weakly shook their intertwined hands in protest. “I’m trying here..!”
The sight was enough to make Dot’s shoulders shake with laughter, and eventually spread to Liko herself. Her mouth contorted into a smile she fought to hold back. “It’s not—It’s not funny!”
“Liko.” Dot swept her hair out of her eyes to meet her gaze once she got a hold of herself. With her vision unblurred, she could finally make contact with Liko. At the sound of her name, Liko’s eyes widened as clear blue met unbridled purple. There had to be something in the indigo haze of twilight, because Dot didn’t think there would be any other circumstance where she could admit something so candid without a trace of fear. “Do you know I had that whole livestream earlier today for you?”
“W-what?!” Liko yelped, breaking their interwoven hands to clutch her own face. Sprigatito, who Dot nearly forgot was there, meowed in concern from her spot on the inner deck couch. “You mean the surprise Q&A stream everyone was going crazy about?! For…me?”
Said streamer nodded. Rubbing her hands together (now a lot warmer thanks to Liko’s touch), she looked a little self-conscious, yet Dot refused to break eye contact. “I…wanted to let you know that I wanted to be friends with you, so I had that whole speech at the end.”
Liko’s gaze on Dot should have felt pinning and cloying, enough to make Dot sweep her bangs back in front of her eyes and shut off verbally. But the safety of the dark room (it had to be that, and definitely not the serene calm Dot felt from looking at Liko’s cool blue eyes) said otherwise. “Guess I’m a bit of a Liko fan myself.”
The shock on Liko’s face erupting into a surprised chuff of laughter made the cheese of the last line all worth it, the taller girl’s cheeks darkening. “Y-you..! C’mon, Dot! Don’t look at me like that!”
“Huh?” Maybe the chronic lack of a sleep schedule was catching up to her. “Wh’d’ya mean?”
“Your…eyes…” Liko admitted, fiddling with her pendant. “They’re all—Well, I guess I just haven’t seen them properly, since you always cover them up…”
“Oh. Sorry.” This time, Dot nearly did reach up to mess with her bangs again, hands reaching to the crown of her head before she was stopped. Liko caught her wrists, warmth blooming amidst the cool dusk air.
“They’re pretty,” Liko smiled encouragingly. Dot thought maybe now was a good time for a speeding Dragonite to crash into the ship. She wasn’t used to her friends calling any part of her ‘pretty,’ but then again, Dot wasn’t very used to having friends in general. She supposed it was part of the package, and if it was, it was a part she had no clue what to do with.
Because ‘pretty’? When Liko’s own eyes shone like the bright, open sky, sparkling with clarity even in the darkening night? Whose eyes held Dot’s with every emotion she felt, warm and reverent and a little bit nervous in the hopes of a true friendship. It sent an imperceptible shiver up Dot’s spine. She fought valiantly between continuing to let cerulean skies envelop her vision, or wrenching her sight away from Liko to let her heart take a breather. In the end, neither side won as she shut her eyelids close. Even then, Dot swore she could see the ghost of blue behind them.
With her eyes shut, Dot could feel the pressure on her wrists loosen as Liko drew back. Her arms felt strangely cold at the lack of warmth.
“Too much?” She heard Liko say. “I probably reacted a little too much back then, too. Making friends is still something I’m working on, so I’m learning as I go. You, Roy, Friede, and everyone else here… I couldn’t be more thankful for the chance to explore the world and make new friends. I don’t know where my pendant is going to take us, but I’m certain that discovering it is going to be exciting.”
When Dot’s eyes fluttered open again, she saw Liko staring out the window wistfully. It had grown just dark enough for the first stars to start twinkling, peppering the sky with a backlit glow. At this altitude, the new moon seemed closer than ever, and Dot wondered for a split second if it was really possible to reach out and touch it.
“You know, I never really realized how cool the view is from up here,” Dot said in a low voice. “I didn’t really stop to look at it before, even when we were out here last time.”
Liko sighed peacefully, resting her head on her forearms. It was a nice sight to see, the blue-eyed girl next to her with a relaxed slump in her shoulders. Even if Liko was smiling, Dot could feel the nerves emanating from her in waves, trying so hard to make the others around her happy. Here, with lidded eyes and a peaceful rise and fall of her back, she looked at ease. Dot let her gaze linger on her for just a second before turning back to the equally beautiful sky.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Dot heard Liko say in a hushed tone.
Dot swallowed before responding, a resolute “yeah.”
Maybe it was the lingering effects of Sprigatito’s sweet aroma, or the dim ship lighting, but Dot breathed an internal sigh of contentment. Her spinning thoughts surrounding Liko, friendship, and making sure things turned out perfect slowed to a halt. The glassy reflection in the window of stars upon stars lulled her into a haze.
Her eyes began to close for real this time as Dot allowed herself another much-needed sleep. And right before she lost consciousness, she almost thought she saw an afterimage of a clear blue sky.