I'm Running Even If I Don't Want To.

Chapter 31

"Liko called us, she actually called us, she wants us to come get her, or at the very least get to her in Alola..." I whisper in shock, my eyes filling with tears, though I don't really know if it's shock, happiness, sadness, or all of them at once.

"No answer!" Dot shouted as she tugged at her hair in frustration. I looked at Friede to see if Dot's yell had woken him up, but all he did was move slightly, still not awake...

"We need to get to Alola," I said as I straightened my back, and Dot's head snapped at me as Friede's phone floated out of her hand and back to the console.

"How??!" Dot cried out as she pointed down at Friede who was still asleep despite the shouting.

"We can't just leave her there! She needs us!" I snapped, tears streaming down my face, Dot staggered a step back, and I reached toward to apologize, but Dot nodded.

"Don't you think I know that, Roy!? I want to go racing off to Alola just as much as you, but we can't wake anyone up; they've worked so hard and barely slept in days." Dot said, and I saw the tears slipping past her hair as her voice cracked, and I winced before I had an idea....

"They might not be able to fly, but we can!" I said as I pointed at the steering wheel with a smile.

"What if we crash or break something? " Dot said as she waved her hand around the Bridge, pointing at everything, and I just smiled since I already had a plan to counter that.

"You helped build the program that guides the steering, navigation, and a whole bunch of other things, so it makes sense for you to steer. I'm strong enough to shovel coal into the engine along with Charcoal and Slugma. Besides, we won't be making the whole twelve-hour journey; we might make it about eight hours before someone wakes up. When they do, they can take over flying." I reasoned, and Dot placed her hand under her chin and considered it for a moment.

"Ok, but what about Friede? We can't just leave him here all night, especially if we don't want to wake him, because he might only have one hour of sleep under his belt, but he will insist on flying." Dot said, and I looked at Friede, still asleep, slumped over in the captain's chair.

"We'll carry him to the living room as gently as possible," I said as I went to grab Friede's ankles, and Dot waited a second before she grabbed Friede's shoulders. We picked him and started walking toward the living room with Friede suspended between us like a hammock. Friede was still fast asleep as we started walking down the hall.

"Gah, Pawmi!" Dot whispered, yelled as she tripped over the orange mouse, stumbling and throwing me off balance. I had to throw my weight off to the side, barely slamming my shoulder into the wall, allowing Dot to stabilize herself, and all we got from Friede was a light snore.

"How is he still asleep?" I whispered as we began walking again, and Dot shook her head.

"Beats me." She whispered back as we kept on, going past Murdock's room as quietly as we could, before passing my room and finally entering the living room.

Guess he really was exhausted... I don't remember the last time Friede slept. He's made sure I go to sleep every night, but I'm not sure when he last went to sleep himself. Well, he gets to sleep tonight along with everyone else, while Dot and I get us to Alola or at least halfway there. I thought we could gently put Friede down on the couch as softly as possible to keep from waking him.

"Ok, I'll head back up to the bridge and get things set up while you go down to the engine room," Dot said quietly as we slipped back out into the hall. I nodded before I put my fist out, and Dot mirrored me as we did the Rising Volt Tackler Salute.

It was weird since it was the two of us, but it felt right because this is our mission to get as close to Alola as we can and make sure everyone needs their rest... They've kept it together this long for our sakes; the least we can do is start the final push in finding Liko... because Liko needs us and we need her just as much, even if she doesn't know it.

Once we find her and get the answers we've been looking for, we'll make sure she knows just how much we missed her... How much I've missed my sister... It's been so painful without her, but we're so close... Just hang on a little longer. I thought as I threw the first scoop of coal into the engine and watched the flames rise from Slugma and Carkol.

End of Roy's POV

Dot watched Roy for a moment as he descended the stairs toward the engine room before she took a deep breath and turned on her heel, heading back to the bridge. Dot had never thought about flying, always more content to leave it to the adults, and even to Roy, the time he convinced Friede to let him steer for a bit with his guidance. She wished she could let Roy take the wheel, but as Roy pointed out, she actually knew how the console and instruments worked, and he could actually manage shoveling coal for hours on end.

Despite this reasoning, looking at the steering wheel in front of he,r hearing the engines' hum as Roy shoveled in the coal made her feel like she was going to pass out...

"Come on, Dot, focus, Liko's counting on you. Mental switch on...."She whispered as she put in her headband, pulling her hair back, before she gripped the wheel like she'd seen Friede and Ludlow do dozens of times.

"PIka-Pik!" Dot heard a familiar deep cry behind her, making her spin around with a jolt to see Cap standing on his tail in the captain's chair, his ear twitching in a silent question.

"Please, Cap, don't tell anyone..." Dot pleaded, but Cap glanced at the elevator like he was considering it.

"Liko called us," Dot blurted out, and Cap froze before flicking his ears several times as though he was asking her to elaborate.

"Liko called us from Alola, specifically a hotel room at the Hano Grand Resort on Akla island, she said she needs us...Everyone is so tired, and Roy and I have the energy to spare to get us at least halfway there, so please, please don't wake anyone up." Dot pleaded, a brief flash of what looked like concern and hope at the same time filtered across Cap's normally stoic expression...

"Pikachu!" Cap called, and without warning, he leaped onto Dot's shoulder, throwing off her balance, causing her to flail her arms in a futile effort to regain her footing.

"I guess that's a yes, huh?" Dot said once she managed to balance again, and Cap nodded out of the corner of her eye.

"Pikachu!" Cap cried as he pointed his paw a bit above her left hand that was resting on the steering wheel. Dot looked at him with a raised eyebrow before slowly moving her hand to where he pointed...

"Pika, Pika!" Cap afrimed, giving her a thumbs up, and Dot busted out laughing, not at Cap's antics but at the fact he was helping her, at the fact they might have a chance to make good ground over night, and at the immense tidal wave of emotions finally catching up to her...

Dot took another deep breath when she felt like she was running out of oxygen before she hit the series of buttons, allowing the Brave Olivine to launch into the air from the beach where they were docked.

"Just hand tight, Liko, we're coming...." Dot whispered as she gripped the steering wheel in an iron grip.

Wahoo, Chapter 31 is completed!! This was a long one, that's for sure, but I hope you enjoyed it! We've got Dot and Roy flying the Brave Olivine toward Akala, where Liko is waiting anxiously. I hope you all look forward to the next chapter, where emotions will be running high on all sides... Will I elaborate on that?.... No...

I don't have much else to say I hope you have a good day and a good rest of your week, and see you next week.-k