Work Text:
Up waaay above the white fluffy clouds, there lay an airship that effortlessly glided through the ever grand blue sky. It was none other than The Brave Olivine! The magnificent airship soars beautifully, like it was made to rule the endless sky. No other thing, whether Pokemon or man mad, could stand up to its ever impressive might! At the helm of this astounding airship, it was being steered by a certain boy. A boy whose dreams used to fly higher than his own head. Though nowadays he himself flies quite high. The boy was Roy.
Roy stood at the helm of The Brave Olivine hands on the wheel, occasionally turning it ever so slightly to either the right or left. Wherever the wind was blowing, he turned the airship to match it. As usual his Pokemon were around him. Cap was on his right shoulder standing proudly, Crocalor and Kilowattrel were sleeping near the control panel, and Lucario was in the corner meditating. The aura dog was most likely training its, well, aura as it was always one to train even in relaxing time like this.
Currently Roy was piloting The Brave Olivine to their next destination, a random forest where Dot had picked up a Laquium sign. They had to get there as quickly as they could to calm down whatever Pokemon was rampaging. So Roy had The Brave Olivine going at its fastest speed. Even when going this speed, Roy still had the time to enjoy the beauty of the pure blue sky. Back then, a year ago Roy would stand with Friede and watched as he flew The Brave Olivine. He loved zooming, watching the clouds zoom past them, and how easily they cut through the sky. He loved it all.
Roy also wondered what it felt like to pilot The Brave Olivine. How did it feel to steer such a behemoth? He considered asking Friede if he could ever pilot the airship, but Friede would probably not reject that notion. Not that he blamed him. Roy wouldn't allow Ult to pilot if he ever asked.
But now he didn't have to wonder anything as now he was given the responsibility to finally take control of The Brave Olivine. Something he literally only dreamed of. It was both exciting but also very nerve-wracking. Like, he finally gets to fly the airship like he always wanted to, but now it was his duty to keep everything in check. If something happens while flying, and he doesn't execute the correct maneuvers then…he doesn't want to think what would happen. Roy wasn't sure if he was ready for a responsibility like that, but after Murdock taught him the ropes and now that he piloted for a while now, Roy was more than comfortable to just relax and enjoy the view. Y'know he can understand now how Friede was always in such a good mood. Constantly having a view like this could brighten up any one's day.
Roy was snapped out of his thoughts, when he began hearing footsteps behind him. He turned his head over his left shoulder. Once he found out who it was, he smiled brightly. "Hey Liko!" Roy greeted. "Wassup? Do you need something?"
"Hey Roy!" Liko greeted back, stepping inside the room. Beside her was her Meowscarada, and Pagogo was in her arms as always. "I just wanted to check up on you, see how you're doing."
Ahh classic Liko. Always wanting to check up on her friends and wanting to know if they're doing ok. Roy always liked how sweet she was. "I'm doing good. Just, y'know piloting The Brave Olivine to our next destination." Roy said, turning his head back towards the big open sky.
"I see. Well that's good." Liko walked up beside Roy, Pagogo still in her arms. Meowscarada meanwhile, went to go bother Lucario. Y'know those two have been hanging around each other a lot recently. Roy wonders if…nah it's probably nothing.
Anyways, Liko now stared out into the same beautiful sky that Roy was looking at as well. A comfortable silence formed between the two teens. They didn't say anything, they didn't need to. Even after a year apart their closely knit friendship still shines through. Them being aside with each other was more than enough. Though at the corner of his eye, Roy noticed that Liko had a pensive look on her face. That usually meant she was thinking about something, and in Roy-esque fashion curiosity got the better of him.
"What are you thinking about Liko?" Roy asked, turning to face Liko.
Liko perked up at Roy's question. "Hm? Oh uh well I was just thinking…" She trailed off a bit, before resuming. "Well how does it feel to steer The Brave Olivine? I know it was something you always wanted to do and I was just curious how you felt about it." Liko finally finished asking her question.
"Hmmm." Roy mulled over the question. What would be the best way to put this? "Well I was definitely nervous at first, but my excitement of piloting the ship definitely took over that feeling. It's kinda like Pokemon battling for the first y'know? Like you're extremely nervous and worried about what will happen, but at the same time you're so excited that you just forget how nerve-wracking it is! And overtime the more you do it and get used to it the more natural it becomes to you!" Roy stated with his iconic grin.
Liko smiled back. She liked the way Roy answered the question, especially how he put it. Comparing piloting a giant airship to Pokemon battling was such a Roy way of putting things, and she absolutely loved it. "I never thought about it like that before, but it makes sense!" She beamed at Roy, before turning back towards the sky.
Roy turned towards the sky as well. He liked having Liko by his side. She just made things super comfortable and very relaxing. It must be some random power she has. Liko always made things easy to do. Suddenly, a light bulb went off inside Roy's head interrupting his thoughts. He turned to face Liko again. "Do you wanna try steering?"
Liko's eyes widened in shock, as she turned to face Roy. "Huh? Steer?? As in steering the ship?!? ME?!?? ME STEERING THE BRAVE OLIVINE?!?!" Liko hysterically cried out . Roy wanted her to pilot The Brave Olivine??? Why?!?! There's NO way she could do that!
"Yeah! C'mon it'll be fun, just try it!" Roy tried to encourage her. He really wanted Liko to try to steer The Brave Olivine, he knows she'll love it and will find it fun!
"Roy its-I can't do it! What if I mess up and something goes wrong??" Liko's mind was already playing every scenario where she messes up and fails. She did not want that to happen at all.
"Liko." Roy called out to her. His voice is absent of his usual energetic and joyful tone. No, instead it was softer and carried a warmth. A warmth that Liko loved all too much. "You don't need to worry, it's easy. If I can do it, then you can too. Nothing will go wrong, and even if it does, I'm here. I'll fix everything." He said to her, flashing a warm and comforting smile that just oozed confidence.
And just like that all of Liko's worries were gone.
It was replaced by a newfound confidence, a fire that Roy lit in her. He always had the power to do that with anyone. It was this ability he just had. A small but confident smile formed on Liko's face as she looked Roy dead in his magenta eyes. "Ok. I'll do it."
Roy's smile grew wider. He didn't say anything else and instead just stepped back, gesturing towards the wheel. Pagogo jumped out of Liko's arms, as the teal haired girl stopped in front of the helm of The Brave Olivine. Liko took a long deep breath. She was nervous of course she was, who wouldn't be? Liko turned to glance back at Roy one last time.
"You got this Liko." Roy cheered her on.
"Pago!" "Pika!" Even Pagogo and Cap, who both were on the floor, cheered Liko on.
Liko nodded at them. "Right." With determination overtaking her face, Liko turned to face the wheel and gripped the sides of it. She then very clunkily and awkwardly tried tilting it from right to left, the same way she's seen how Roy and Friede do it. Unfortunately, the wheel wasn't really turning the way that Liko wanted it to, causing her to panic juuuust a little. "Uhm a-am I doing this c-correctly??" She asked out loud. Just as she was going to ask for help, Liko felt someone press up behind her. She already knew who it was.
Roy.
He stood behind Liko, and was so, so close to her. Close enough that Liko can feel his breath on her neck. Liko's heart was pounding but now it was no longer because of the nerves of flying and airship. Slowly and softly, Roy adjusted Liko's grip on the steering wheel with his rough but still somehow gentle hands. His touch sent a jolt throughout Liko's body, a slight blush grew on her face. The whole situation was starting to feel kinda...intimate now.
"Ok. Just hold it like that, and don't try to force it to turn. Do so gently and calmly." Roy whispered right into Liko's ear. Liko listened to what he said, and turned the wheel slowly. With her new adjusted grip, the helm easily followed and turned the way that Liko wanted it to. "Good. Now just keep it like that, and remember to stay calm and relax." Roy whispered to her again. Y'know it was hard to stay calm when someone was pressed right up beside and whispering right into your ear. Thankfully much to her relief, Roy eventually backed up away from Liko. Her heart no longer hammered in her chest, and now she was actually able to put all her focus on piloting The Brave Olivine.
And wow, was it fun!
Flying through the ever massive sky, and cutting through the fluffy white clouds was something to behold. A big goofy grin formed onto Liko's face. She understands why Roy wanted her to do this now! It was just so…AWESOME!! Being able to control such a behemoth of an airship while also getting to experience such a gorgeous view of the sky was a feeling that Liko couldn't describe. She hasn't felt this way ever since…well the first time came aboard The Brave Olivine! It was all so magical for her.
Off from the side of Liko, Roy stood watching. A similar giant grin took over his face. However, he was not watching the sky or the clouds. Instead his gaze fell upon a view that he considered better and more beautiful. Obviously it was Liko herself. Roy knew that Liko stressed about a lot of things. She hid it well, because she didn't want anyone to worry about her. Liko always has the habit of doing that. But Roy knew. He knew that Liko was stressed ever since the Rising Volt Tacklers reformed. Stressed about Laquium, about the Six Heroes, about Exceed, and just everything in general. So it made him happy to just see Liko let loose and have fun. It was just nice to finally see her so care free for once.
Eventually, after controlling the airship for about ten minutes Liko decided that she had her fill of excitement for one day. She took a step back from the steering wheel and allowed Roy to take control again.
"So did you like it?" Roy asked, as he took hold of the helm once again.
"I LOVED it!" Liko beamed, as she scooped up Pagogo into her arms. "Piloting The Brave Olivine like that felt amazing, and the view was even better! It felt like I was flying through the air. Thank you for encouraging me to do that Roy!"
"You're welcome, Liko!" Roy beamed right back at her. The two stared at each other, both brightly smiling. Comfortable silence fell upon the two once again. Neither had felt this lively in a long while. It made them both forget the challenges and roadblocks they are going to face in the future. It made them feel like they were…kids again. "Y'know…" Roy broke up the comfortable silence. "If you ever want to…you're more than welcome to come back and try piloting again."
"Hmm…" Liko mulled over the invitation. Getting some more alone time with Roy would be quite nice…oh and piloting The Brave Olivine again is also cool. "Well…whenever I have the time, I might just take you up on that offer."
"Ok! The door is always open Liko. Just walk in whenever you want to." Roy cheerfully told her. Clearly happy that Liko accepted his invitation.
Liko walked towards the door. "Ok well see you later Roy. I'll call you when dinner is ready." Liko walked out the room as she waved behind her.
"See ya!" Roy waved back, watching as she walked away. Man did he miss hanging out with Liko like that, just the two of them. It's not like he didn't like having either Dot or Ult around, no obviously not. It just felt nicer when it was just him and Liko and nobody else. He didn't really know how to describe this feeling and he wasn't sure if he even could. Eh. He'll figure it out later. For now he has more important things to focus on, like steering the ship. As he turned to face the helm he was, instead, met with his Pokemon. All of them had a smug look on their face, including Lucario and Cap. Which is surprising since those two usually are pretty stoic.
"What?" Roy tilted his head in confusion. "What's with those faces? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
Oh if only he knew.
In the hallways, Liko was walking with Meowscarada beside her and Pagogo in her arms. There was a bit of pep in her step. She was just so happy that she got to have some quality time with Roy. Liko really liked hanging out with Roy, especially when it was just the two of them. Liko knows why she feels this way, she's known for a while now.
"Mrreow." Meowscarada muttered at Liko. The grass cat had a deadpan look on her face, as she watched her trainer skip across the hallway.
"Yeah, yeah I know." Liko uttered back towards her Pokemon, still having that bright warm smile plastered on her face. "I'm hopeless."
And she wouldn't have it any other way.