Pokémon Horizons has finally caught up with one of the crew aboard the airship, revealing the fate of the ship's doctor, Mollie, and giving Liko and Roy a new goal to achieve in the process. The episode also revealed just how the Rising Volt Tacklers were disbanded, and revived hopes that the airship may yet fly again.

The Rising Volt Tacklers are the group who worked with Friede aboard the Brave Olivine. The team included Friede, Murdock, Mollie, Orla, and Landau, eventually adding Liko, Roy, and Dot. Mollie, a member of the extensive Nurse Joy family, serves as the group's healer, using the opportunity to travel around the world to aid wild Pokémon in trouble wherever they may be. However, after the loss of Friede and the one-year timeskip that took place before Mega Voltage kicked off, their fates were left largely unknown. Now, fans finally know what happened with the crew.

The Rising Volt Tacklers Had No Choice But to Disband

The Group Was Left Ruined and Without a Leader

The episode features a flashback to shortly after Friede's disappearance aboard the airship, as the adults discuss their inability to find him and being forced to leave the area. It's revealed that the airship's daring maneuver to reach up to the altitude of Laqua damaged the ship substantially, and repairing it just wasn't a realistic option at the time, especially without Friede. With the airship broken, their leader gone, and their reputation in tatters due to the Explorers' slander, it just didn't make sense any more for the group to stay together. The kids objected, naturally, but had no choice.

Mollie is reintroduced, working as a nurse at her family's Pokémon Center alongside many Nurse Joys. As soon as she's off work, Mollie goes to the wilderness nearby and helps wild Pokémon, who have been afflicted with a nasty poison. That's when Liko and Roy run into her by surprise, and the three begin catching up. They eventually track down the source of the poison to a Laquium-enhanced Vileplume, and manage to defeat it and rush it to a Pokémon Center for treatment. Mollie isn't ready to travel with Liko and Roy just yet, but she promises if the airship is fixed, she'd be willing to re.

Mollie Returning Home is a Big Step for Her

Mollie Had Been at Odds With Her Family

It's notable that Mollie would choose to return home, as she had previously suggested that she left on rather poor with her family, but it seems they were happy to welcome her back. Mollie has always said that the Pokémon Center life just isn't for her, so seeing her working at the Pokémon Center was somewhat of a surprise. She makes the best of the situation, noting that she's still learning a lot by being there, but it's pretty clear that Mollie isn't particularly happy with this life compared to the freedom she had aboard the Brave Olivine.

The episode also took the time to introduce Mollie's mother, an older Nurse Joy who chides her about overworking. It's a taste of the apparently overbearing personality which initially drove Mollie away, but it seems like Mollie has matured enough to deal with it now. Despite the difficulties, Mollie's mother seems clearly proud of her daughter, holding her in high regard when she heads out to save the wild Pokémon. Perhaps more of Mollie's family dynamic will be revealed when she next returns to the series.

Meeting with Mollie has restored the confidence of Liko and Roy, pushing them to begin a new quest to reunite the old Rising Volt Tacklers crew and get back out there as a team. With the Laquium situation still not resolved, Liko and Roy are going to need all the help they can get, and Pokémon Horizons has shown how they're planning to find that help.