Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 2, Chapter 4


"Last chance to back out, lady," Saito confidently yelled from across the clearing.

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Louise retorted in a huff.

"Heh, I'm going to enjoy this. Come on out, Ronin!" Saito shouted, directing the Pokémon in question out onto the field. Deciding that she didn't want to go in blind, Louise pulled out her Pokédex, catching Saito's attention. "You have a Pokédex?" Saito's question went unanswered as the Pokédex sounded off.

"Oshawatt, the Sea Otter Pokémon. Oshawatts use their Scalchop for both offensive and defensive purposes, and are crucial in the species survival," the Pokédex informed Louise, who was looking at the basic species information.

"A Water type, huh? Explains the mud and water I found earlier... Wait, were those your tracks I was following?!" Louise shouted out in indignation.

"You were following my tracks?! What are you, a stalker?!" Saito remarked, both a little creeped out and intending to rile up the pinkette.

"What?! No! I was trying to-Aaagh! Aile, go!" Louise sputtered.

Aile cried out, flying onto the makeshift arena. This 'Ronin' might not be the Riolu that humiliated her, but she could at least take her anger out on him. To her and Louise's surprise, and Saito's exasperation, the Oshawatt proceeded to respectfully bow before readying himself for combat. In the meantime, the two trainers paused before shouting out their commands.

"Aile, Tailwind! /Ronin, Water Gun!" The two ordered to the awaiting ears of their Pokémon. Aile quickly began flapping, generating a constant gust of wind from behind, allowing her to quickly dodge the sudden burst of water Ronin released. The bursts of water kept coming, forcing Aile to constantly dodge the incoming attacks.

"Aile, dive down and use Peck!" Louise shouted just as another burst of water shot out, which Aile swiftly dived underneath, aiming to beam Ronin in the head. As more bursts of water shot out towards her, Aile began rolling, nimbly avoiding any water, before finally nearing her target at maximum speed.

"Block it!" Saito voice suddenly rang out. Ronin, to Aile's shock, quickly removed his scalchop from his chest and swung it upwards, redirecting Aile's momentum away from himself at the last moment and halting the bird in her tracks. Before Louise could respond, Saito voice rang out again. "Air Slash!" The upward scalchop swiftly came crashing down, sending a slice of compressed air directly into Aile at point blank range, sending her flying backwards into the dirt.

"Aile!" Louise shouted in worry as Aile rolled back across the ground. When Aile used the momentum to launch herself back into the air, Louise sighed in relief before issuing another order. "Okay, fly around back and use Peck again!"

Hearing her trainer's command, Aile boosted around in a wide bank, flying past any slices of air sent her way before initiating another dive bomb. As she neared her target, Ronin prepared his scalchop once again, only for Louise's voice to suddenly ring out.

"Fly just above then attack from its back!" Aile immediately complied, barely missing Ronin's head before quickly flipping in midair and speeding towards the exposed and defenseless back of the surprised otter. Caught off guard, Ronin was unable to react in time and received a direct hit, sending him to the floor as Aile swiftly flew back up into the air.

Saito gave a small smile that was matched by Ronin as Ronin flipped back onto his feet. "Not bad, but not good enough! Ronin, run and gun!" Saito shouted out, impressed with the rookie's performance so far. Ronin, also becoming impressed, began running, firing off bursts of water and slices of air in rapid succession towards the dodging bird, practically forming a cage of wind and water around her and preventing escape.

"Aile, get out of there!" Louise shouted, recognizing the danger she was in, only for her alarm to increase as the Tailwind died down. Without the added speed boost the Tailwind provided, Aile slowed down considerably, leaving her open to a double hit of water and compressed air. The force of the hits proved to be too much, sending her crashing into the ground once again. This time, she did not get up.

"Aile!" Louise yelled before pulling out her Luxury Ball, returning the knocked out bird to the safe confines of the ball. "How did-?"

"Tailwinds die down, eventually! Surely a 'skilled' trainer such as yourself would have realized that!" Saito mocked.

"Grrrh, go Brennaraki!" Louise grunted out, send Brennaraki onto the field. This was not a good situation at all for her. Taking Brennaraki, a Fire type, up against Ronin, a Water type, put her at a severe disadvantage, but she was determined to see this through to the end. To her and Brennaraki's shock, a red beam shot out and impacted Ronin, returning him to his Pokéball. At Louise's confused look, Saito grinned.

"What? I said switching was allowed. Come on out, Tanuki!" Saito taunted, directing the canine into the clearing. Rather than run out, Tanuki jumped from Saito's shoulder in a flip, twirling in the air before landing on his feet, eyes closed shut. At the sight of the Riolu, Louise's eyes narrowed.

"You…Brennaraki, use Ember!" Louise ordered in a rage. Brennaraki, itching for some payback, began firing salvo after salvo of fireballs at the canine. As the fireballs neared Tanuki, he suddenly leaned far back, making the fireballs shoot wide above him. After they passed, he once again stood upright, a smirk adorning his face as he finally opened his eyes.

"You said that Tanuki isn't well trained? Well, we're about to prove you wrong!" Saito shouted, his arms crossed.

"As if that mangy dog could be properly trained! Brennaraki, get in close and fire an Ember!" At Louise's command, Brennaraki began charging towards Tanuki, firing off fireballs as she did so.

"Tanuki, charge!" Tanuki, to Louise's surprise, actually began running towards the charging fox. As each fireball neared Tanuki, he gracefully dodged each one in rapid succession with a rapid series of jumps, slides and spins, before the two finally met and quickly descended to a melee brawl.

Brennaraki, using her fangs and claws, began relentlessly attacking the canine, getting some good hits in. Tanuki, however, deflected most of the blows with his arms and legs, not to mention getting some rapid punches and kicks in for good measure. Seeing the battle starting to go against her, Louise desperately wracked her brain for a plan.

"Brennaraki- Umm Tackle him!" Louise shouted, desperate. Brennaraki quickly complied, kicking a punch away from Tanuki before tackling him to the ground, with her on top. "Ember!" As the fireball formed in the fox's mouth, Tanuki's eyes shrunk as he struggled to get her off, but was unable to successfully do so as his head became engulfed in fire.

"Tanuki!" Saito shouted out in concern. "Quick, use-!" Before Saito could manage to finish his order, Tanuki managed to rear his legs and violently kicked the fox off of his body, while he rolled backwards onto his feet. As she struggled to push herself back up, Tanuki, rather than wait for Saito's orders, rapidly sped towards the downed fox, faster than Louise could track. Tanuki, moving with such high speed, hit Brennaraki with tremendous force, slamming her into the ground hard enough for her to bounce. Before she could reach the top of her bounce, Tanuki performed a sideways spin jump, his paw outstretched and glowing, before delivering a brutal punch directly into Brennaraki's gut, slamming her back onto the ground. This time, she did not even attempt to get back up.

"Brennaraki!" Louise yelled out in alarm, running onto the field to check on her downed starter as Tanuki ran back to his beaming trainer.

"Tanuki, what did I say about doing things on your own?" Saito slightly scolded the small, who only gave a small shrug in response. Saito then smirked at his Pokémon's antics, and knelt down. "Well, can't argue with the results. Good job, Tanuki," Saito congratulated his Pokémon before standing up straight once more.

"So, I think we can assume that I'm not a bad trainer, aren't I?" Saito asked with expectation. When he didn't receive a response, he turned to look at Louise, only to see her pathetically holding the knocked out form of her beloved Pokémon. Concern began to form in the pit of Saito's stomach as he looked upon her, which only amplified when Tanuki began tugging at his pant leg while pointing at her, directing him to offer help. Deciding to heed the advice of his Pokémon, he quietly walked over to her.

"Hey, you okay?" Saito asked in clear concern, kneeling down to get a closer look.

"Why do you care?" Louise barked back, humiliated over the loss.

"Because I do, that's why. Let's patch your Pokémon up, okay?" Saito replied, holding out his hand to help Louise up to her feet. After a moment's hesitation, Louise slowly offered her hand in kind, allowing Saito to help her to her feet. Saito carefully took hold of Brennaraki and laid her down on the ground before pulling out some small packets of powder. Opening up Brennaraki's mouth, he gently poured the powder inside.

"…I'm sorry," Louise whispered, embarrassed beyond belief at the turn of events.

"For what?" Saito replied as he continued to check on Brennaraki, who was now beginning to stir.

"…for saying you were a bad trainer."

"It's fine, really. In hindsight…you were obviously venting. Rough week?"

"Something like that," Louise admitted. When Brennaraki's eyes slowly revealed themselves, she excitedly pushed Saito aside, receiving a "Hey!" that she paid no heed as she hugged the revived fox, while at the same time pulling out a Full Restore. "Brennaraki! Are you okay?."

"Okay, just push me aside, no big deal-wait. You're a rookie. Why do you have Full Restores? And for that matter, how did you get a Pokédex?" Saito inquired, prepping another packet for Aile.

"I got my Pokédex from Professor Sycamore. As for the Full Restores, I bought them. I only get the best, after all," Louise admitted, releasing Aile from her Luxury Ball, allowing Saito to administer what she assumed to be a Revive. She made a mental note to bring some along next time.

"…then why did you get Luxury Balls and not Ultra Balls?"

"What do you mean? Luxury Balls are best type of Pokéball there are, that's what the Poké-Mart Supercenter in Lumiose said."

"Luxury Balls are the most expensive type of Pokéball there are but their only benefit is that they are more comfortable than other ball types. Besides that, they are about as useful as standard Pokéballs. If you really wanted the best type of ball, you should have gotten Ultra Balls. Who told you that Luxury Balls were the best?" Saito inquired, confused as to Louise's spending habits. At this point, Aile had woken up and had a Full Restore already administered. At the reveal of this new information, Louise grew silent.

"It was the store attendant. I got separated from Professor Sycamore and… That lying red-haired… She lied to me, didn't she!? So I would spend more money!?" Louise angrily shouted out.

"It appears so. Sorry," Saito apologized as Louise continued to rage, slightly amused before continuing on. "So, what exactly are you doing out here, anyway?" Saito asked, giving Louise a chance to calm herself down before she answered.

"I'm on an errand for Professor Sycamore."

"I assume that's where you got the Pokédex and the Fen-Brennaraki, from?"

"You would be correct. I…fell into his care a few weeks back and became his assistant. A week ago he asked me to deliver something to a person in Santalune. When I got here, she had apparently gone into the forest, and rather than wait for her to return decided to come in myself. Clearly a smart decision…" Louise grumbled out the last part.

"Doesn't it take only three days to go south down Parterre Way?" At seeing Louise's annoyed look, Saito wisely decided to move on. "So, what are you delivering and who is it for?" After a few seconds, Louise pulled took her knapsack off and opened it before pulling out a spherical gem.

"Is that a Mega Stone?" Saito asked, amazed at the sight. He had never actually seen one this close before, but he knew what they did.

"According to the Professor, it's a Beedrillite. I'm supposed to deliver it to a person named Viola, who apparently is some sort of photographer."

"Wait…Viola, as in the Gym Leader of Santalune? That's who you're delivering the Beedrillite to?"

"…what's a Gym Leader?" Louise asked, confused.

"You're kidding, right?" Seeing Louise shake her head, Saito sighed before answering. "A Gym Leader is a League certified trainer who runs and operates a city's Pokémon Gym. You go in, challenge the Gym Leader and have a battle. If you win, they give you a Gym Badge, certifying that they felt you were qualified enough to earn it. Most of the time. Sometimes they hand them out for other reasons, but those are rare nowadays. Viola is the Gym Leader of Santalune City, specializing in Bug types. She also has a job as a photographer for the Lumiose Press."

"Why didn't anyone tell me that?"

"My guess is that they assumed you knew, it's common knowledge."

"Ugh, that's…great to hear."

"Frankly I'm surprised you didn't know," Saito admitted, rubbing the top of his head. At this point, the two of them stood up, their Pokémon following suit. "Is that why you were chasing after Tanuki?"

"Yes, the little… I asked him if he knew where I could find Viola and he said he did. Then, he dumped a basket of berries all over me, which lead to…this." Louise admitted, glaring at the canine. "Apparently, your Riolu likes to lie to people."

"I…don't think he actually lied to you. Tanuki likes to pull pranks, but he's never actually lied before. Tanuki, you know where Viola is?" Saito asked his Pokémon, who quickly nodded before pointed out towards the forest. "Ahh, so Tanuki saw her over there, somewhere…that's not much to go on, bud."

"It's better than what I had before. Thank you, really. Sorry about that whole-…thing. You didn't deserve that. We're going to head that way. I guess I'll…see you later," Louise thanked Saito, walking off in the direction Tanuki pointed towards. As she walked away, Saito felt another pull at his pant leg. Looking down, he saw Ronin, who had apparently released himself from his Pokéball, and Tanuki looking upwards at him, expectedly.

"What?" Saito asked, confused.

The two of them barked an answer, pointing after Louise's form.

"Go after her? Look, guys, I know you mean well, but this isn't our concern. Our concern is getting to Lumiose for our next Gym Badge. We were lucky enough to have our Unova badge get accepted here and I don't-" Saito replied before hearing a small crash towards the edge of the forest. Turning towards it, he saw that Louise had tripped over an exposed tree root, and judging by her reaction this was not the first time. Looking back down at his Pokémon, the two of them stared, each sporting an up ticked eyebrow before nodding their heads towards Louise's form. "Arceus…" Saito sighed, jogging up to Louise, who was picking herself back up and speaking in some foreign language of some sort.

"Hey, listen. For all we know, Viola might not be in the same spot as before. Tanuki here, though, can sense Aura. How about I come along and help you find her?" Saito offered.

"…why?"

"Frankly, you look like you'll get lost and there's only a few hours left of daylight," Saito responded with brutal honesty, only to receive a silent, enraged glare back. "…I could have worded that batter, couldn't I?"

"I'm not even going to respond to that. Thanks, but no thanks," Louise barked back before walking off, grumbling.

"Wait, wait, hold up," Saito hastily called out, running in front of an annoyed Louise. "That came out wrong. Seriously, let me help. This will go a lot faster with two people and four Pokémon, don't you think?" At this, Louise stared back at him in slight annoyance. Before she could retort, Brennaraki yipped at her, barking a command.

"What?" Louise whispered to her starter. After receiving another yip and walking over to Saito's feet, Louise got the message. "No, absolutely not. I can do this on my own! We don't need his help!" She angrily stated, only to receive another yip in response, coupled with a chirp from Aile.

"Aaagh, fine! My Pokémon seem convinced that we need your help, so…I graciously accept your offer of assistance," Louise reluctantly accepted.

"Okay then, let's-" Saito started, preparing to follow Tanuki into the woods before being stopped by Louise stepping in front of him.

"This is only a temporarily thing, understand? We are not suddenly 'travelling partners' or some other nonsense. You help me find Viola, then we can go on our separate ways. Okay?" Louise demanded, finality in her voice.

"Fine by me. Come on, let's follow Tanuki. He'll lead the way," Saito affirmed, slightly peeved at her behavior. The status of their temporary partnership confirmed, the two followed the diminutive form of Tanuki deeper into the forest, determined to find Viola and finally put an end to this leg of the journey.


Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Outsiders! Louise has had her first proper battle, and it went about as well as one might expect in that she lost. Their first meeting still isn't going entirely for the best, but then again neither did canon. Now, onto review answers:

D'reakmus: Your analysis for why we chose their Pokémon is spot on. While the Pokémon that they will get are set in stone, each of them were chosen because they fit a certain aspect of Louise and Saito's canon personalities or roles. As for Louise being a tsundere, that is a core part of her personality so it will stay. Just not the 'exploding or whipping' kind. No such physical actions will occur. It will only be via words and body language. As for Saito, that desire to see a relationship between them that was not defined by master and servant was one of the reasons why we included him. We felt it would be unique to show. As for the weekly update schedule, we will try to keep to it as much as possible, but sometimes it will not happen, unfortunately. If that does happen, we do plan on showing something, such as an omake.

Well, we hope you guys enjoy the chapter and a taste as to how battles will work in the future. They are an important part of Pokémon after all.