Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 2, Episode 1, Chapter 1
[~][~]
"This is concerning," Agent Smith softly spoke on the other end of the three-way call between himself, Professor Sycamore, and Louise and Saito.
"I think concerning is an understatement," Professor Sycamore agreed, his eyes narrowing as he scrunched up his face. "The mere idea of an interdimensional Team Rocket…I can't but shudder at the implications."
"Especially since the faces of Team Rainbow Rocket were us," Louise added, staring right into the phonebooth's monitor.
Saito nodded, then quipped, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
Louise briefly glanced up at Saito, not amused in the slightest, to which Saito merely grinned. She then rolled her eyes and looked back at the monitor as Professor Sycamore nodded.
"Yes, that must've been uncomfortable," Professor Sycamore replied, softly looking at Louise. "Are the two of you alright? Getting trapped in the Distortion World must've been a harrowing experience."
"That's one word for it," Saito admitted, then shrugged. "At least we got to see Giratina, though. That almost made up for everything."
Despite himself and the situation they were in, Professor Sycamore couldn't help but chuckle. He then said, "I suppose so. You should count yourself lucky. Not many people can claim to have met a Legendary Pokémon face to face."
"More importantly," Agent Smith cut in, giving the two trainers a hard stare from behind his opaque sunglasses, "why didn't you two inform us of this development last night?"
Louise frowned as she shifted her gaze towards the INTERPOL agent, then answered, "Well, between the criminal doppelgängers, the trip through another dimension, and coming face to face with a living god, we were just a little bit exhausted."
"Hmm," Agent Smith hummed, continuing to stare at Louise who stared right back. After a moment, he shrugged and admitted, "I suppose I see your point. Still, I would appreciate you notifying us immediately if something like this happens again."
"Trust me, we will," Louise declared, to which Agent Smith nodded.
"Were you guys able to find anything on Team Rainbow Rocket?" Saito asked, a hopeful yet worried tone in his voice.
"Unfortunately, no," Agent Smith answered while shaking his head. "If Team Rainbow Rocket did have any other activities besides the one you intercepted, they were indistinguishable from Team Rocket themselves. We're completely in the dark."
"But, at the very least we know they exist now," Professor Sycamore pointed out. "With this information, we can notify the reasons and take measures to counter anything they might be planning."
"Any idea on what that is?" Louise asked, and Professor Sycamore hummed while lightly rubbing his chin.
"Hmm, hard to say at the moment," he admitted. "We know so little about them, and there's so many potential avenues they could take. Anything from world conquest to simple black market enterprise are equally valid at this point."
"If it's all the same to you, I'm going to take the worst options and start from there," Agent Smith dryly replied. "I'm going to get off the line now and report this to my superiors. There might be a follow-up later on to ask for more details. Don't worry about being in a Pokémon Center. We'll contact you."
Before Louise or Saito even had a chance to reply, the INTERPOL agent hung up. His monitor shut off, allowing Sycamore's face to take up the entire screen.
"Well, I can tell that's going to be fun," Professor Sycamore quipped after a moment, causing Louise and Saito to say.
"No kidding. I swear, if I have to sit through another debriefing that lasts for hours, I'm going to lose it," Saito admitted. Louise patted his shoulder comfortingly while continuing to focus her attention on the monitor.
"In any case, thank you for taking us at such short notice, Professor," Louise said with a smile on her face. "Sorry it wasn't under better circumstances."
"It's not a big deal, don't worry. I'm just happy you two made it out alright," Sycamore admitted as he smiled back at the two young trainers. He then asked, "Anyway, how are things going for you? I take it you're in Shalour City for your third gym badge?"
"Yes, we plan on challenging Korrina tomorrow," Saito admitted. "Assuming, of course, something else doesn't get in our way. That tends to happen a lot. Kinda disconcerting, honestly."
"Well, all Pokémon journeys tend to not go exactly to plan. Yours just seems to be a bit more active than normal," Sycamore replied then chuckled. "In any case, Shalour is a beautiful city with wonderful people. The two of you should definitely take in the sights before you leave. Which reminds me. Louise, do you still have the Absolite the two of you found a few days ago?"
"Yeah, I have it in my backpack," Saito answered.
They had placed the gemstone in a specially designed case Professor Sycamore had developed for them. It would completely block the radiant energy emanating from Louise which could spontaneously spark an unwanted Mega Evolution, but that protection still wasn't enough to ease Louise's nerves. It was decided that, for the foreseeable future, Saito would be the one to carry any mega stones they came across. Part of Saito felt saddened by the fact that his best friend didn't trust herself enough to even touch a mega stone anymore, but the other part of him acknowledged the logic behind it.
"Perfect," Sycamore replied. "North of Shalour City is an ancient castle called the Tower of Mastery. There is no better place in the entire region, if not the entire world, to learn about Mega Evolution. I know the two of you haven't had the best experiences with Mega Evolution so far, but at the same time I know it'll do the two of you a lot of good to at least check it out. The Tower's guru, Gurkinn, is an expert in the field. Perhaps even more than myself. If anyone can help you master Mega Evolution, it would be him."
Louise and Saito looked at each other, then nervously gulped. It was clear to both that neither really wanted to mess with Mega Evolution, especially so soon after their last escapade with the phenomenon, yet at the time they couldn't deny the Professor's argument. If they mastered Mega Evolution, it would bring them one step closer to their mutual goal, not to mention it might prevent future mishaps from happening again. Slowly, they hardened their faces then turned back to Professor Sycamore and nodded.
"We'll check it out, Professor. Thank you," Louise said, giving her mentor a warm smile which he immediately returned.
"You're welcome, Louise," Professor Sycamore replied, then turned his head away as they heard a loud ringing coming from the background. "Ah, sorry about this but I'm going to have to step away. Good luck, you two."
"Goodbye, Professor, and thank you," both Louise and Saito said, then hung up the phone at the same time as the professor.
Letting out a long, tired sigh, Louise turned her head back up to Saito then asked, "Well, you ready to go get some shopping done?"
"Ready when you are," Saito replied, giving his friend a thumbs up. Louise rolled her eyes while smiling, then got up from the phone booth and walked right out of the Pokémon Center.
Clothes shopping wasn't something Saito was particularly excited about. Painful memories of his mother taking him to countless clothing stores when he was younger were enough to convince him to only do so when needed. Unfortunately, this was one of those times. While his and Louise's clothes had undergone quite the trials over the past few months, their recent trek through the Distortion World had been the final nail in the coffin. His jeans, already frayed, now sported fresh holes on the knees, with he bottoms beginning to crack and split. His hoodie was also growing thin in several places, and it felt like all it would take to punch a hole was a simple poke of his finger. Louise's outfit was in a similar boat, with a few tears in her leggings alongside some frayed edges of her skirt and blouse. Most importantly, though, there was this stench that just would not go away no matter how many times they washed it.
Besides the physical damage, though, there was also the simple fact that the days were growing shorter and the air was getting cooler. Summer was finally coming to an end, and with that came a slight problem. Their current clothing wasn't suited for the change in weather, so they had to accommodate. With that in mind, and since they wouldn't be leaving the city for at least a few days, Saito and Louise immediately headed towards the many clothing stores that Shalour City had to offer. Compared to Lumiose's eclectic offerings, it wasn't anything special or extravagant, but what they did have suited them just fine. Either way, it was obvious that they needed new clothes.
At least Louise seemed to be having fun.
"What about this one?" Louise asked, placing a yellow hat with floral embroidery on her head while turning towards Saito. He hummed for a moment as he looked her up and down, then shook his head.
"Nah, I'm not feeling it. Yellow's not really your color," Saito answered.
"Really?" Louise asked, sounding somewhat disappointed. When Saito nodded affirmatively, she sighed and took the hat off then dejectedly said, "Ah, I really liked that hat. It looked cute."
"Sorry," Saito replied, then pointed to a wall of hats further back in the store. "There's a bunch over there if you want to try on some more. Honestly, though, I don't think a hat suits you."
"Yes, but the sun keeps getting in my eyes and it's annoying," Louise declared, then began walking over to the hats. Saito watched her leave then scrunched up his face in thought, then nodded.
"Fair enough," he told himself, then followed after her.
The two trainers had been in the store for the past hour, picking out and trying on various clothes that they felt suited them. Already they had found some offerings that fit their preferred styles, and by now they were focused more on choosing accessories. For Saito, he found a pair of black fingerless gloves that he thought looked cool along with a blue watch with a built-in pedometer. Likewise, Louise found a red version, but both felt there was still a few more things they could get.
While Louise continued trying on new hats while standing in front of a mirror, Saito began checking some of them out himself. There was a wide variety to choose, from fedoras to beanies and baseball caps. He quickly decided that the baseball caps were more his style, especially since he played baseball when he was younger.
Grabbing a black outdoors cap, he turned towards Louise and said, "I'm going to go change."
"Have fun," Louise replied, not looking back as she tried out a boater hat with a red band running around the center. From the smile on her face, Saito felt she liked the way it looked on her. He had to admit, it did compliment her pretty well.
Stepping inside one of the changing room, Saito slipped out of his worn attire and began to try on the new clothes he and Louise had picked out. Admittedly, it was similar to what he had worn before, with a blue and white color scheme for his top while wearing a pair of jeans. Instead of a pull up, turtlenecked hoodie, however, Saito had opted for a zip up jacket with no hoodie and in a much darker shade of blue than what he wore before. Underneath the jacket was a black V-neck, serving as a nice backdrop. His jeans, in contrast, were much lighter in color instead of the navy blue he previously used. Placing the cap atop his head, he then slipped on the black hiking boots with dark-blue laces before finishing off with hoisting the aqua-colored two-tone bag he had picked out. While he had a special place in his heart for the backpack he had caried thus far, it was proving difficult to quickly pull out everything he needed at a moment's notice. While he'll still carry the heavier items in it, like the tent, food, and cooking gear, the bag would be a great place to store his Pokéballs, medicine, and other field items.
Now fully dressed, Saito checked himself out in the mirror. Twisting his body around to see himself at all angles, he finally gave himself an approving nod. Not bothering to change out into his old clothes, he collected the tags when walked up to the register in order to pay. The boy couldn't help but wince at the price tag, which was several hundred Pokédollars in total without including whatever Louise decided to get, but in the end he knew it was worth it.
Rather than head outside, Saito sat down on one of the chairs to wait on Louise, who had stepped into a changing room of her own. To pass the time he pulled out his Pokédex in order to start planning for the next leg of their journey, starting with the Rumble Badge. From what he could tell, Korrina was a Fighting-type specialist with a keen interest in sports. That interest extended to her pre-battle challenge, which apparently involved testing the trainer's relationship with their Pokémon by having them compete together in sporting events hosted at and around her gym. Some of the things she had people do, from games of soccer to even roller derby, honestly sounded pretty fun.
Regarding his team's current makeup, none of them were really well-suited to taking on Fighting-types. Maindo normally would've been his best bet, but that boat had long since passed. The Kirlia was no longer his Pokémon, after all, merely hitching a ride with them until they could return to Lumiose. That left him four Pokémon to choose from, of which Shogun was at the biggest disadvantage. He was a Rock-type, and a Fighting-type would demolish him almost instantly. That left Ronin, Tanuki, and Tengu to do the heavy lifting for his team. It wasn't much, but it would have to make do.
Louise, on the other hand, was in a much better situation than he was. In many ways, it was almost a complete reversal when compared to their battle against Grant. While Auspice and Gène were weak against Fighting-types, Aile and Esprit were strong against them. Even Brennaraki knew a few Psychic-type moves, which would undoubtedly be a huge asset for her. He honestly thought that she would probably have an easier time than he would, especially since she had a larger team to pull from.
He couldn't help but frown at that thought, then he sighed. Despite how the situation had unraveled, Saito still felt somewhat guilty for how things turned out with Maindo. As a trainer, it was his biggest blunder. Things should've never escalated to this degree. At the same time, though, he knew it was mostly, if not entirely, Maindo's fault. He let his stupid pride blind and lead him down the path he took. Saito only wished that things hadn't turned out this way, but it had so he'd have to live with it and carry on. Once Maindo was returned to his family, he'd think about filling the empty spot he'd leave. Not including the Pokémon Egg, of course. Saito hoped that would it hatch soon, and he wondered what it would be.
His thoughts were broken as he spotted movement coming out of the changing rooms. Looking up, he saw Louise walk towards him. She, too, was now dressed in entirely new attire. The red-strapped boater rested atop her head, with red-rimmed sunglasses placed along the rim for easy access. No longer wearing a skirt, Louise had opted for a pair of blue jeans. A plain white shirt was underneath a bright red jacket with long sleeves, but unlike Saito, she left her hands bare. She had also exchanged her hiking boots for a pair of black riding boots that went up well past her ankles and had the ends of the blue jeans stretching down into them. Strapped across her shoulder was a red tote bag, completing the set.
"Well, how do I look?" Louise asked, giving Saito a little twirl as he looked at her intensely. After a moment, he nodded and gave a thumbs up.
"You look great!" Saito declared with a smile, which Louise happily returned.
"Then it's decided. Wait here, I'm going to go pay for this," Louise said, then walked off towards the cashier. A few moments later, she returned with her old clothes stuffed into a bag.
Nodding towards her, Saito stood up and together they walked out of the store.
"Wanna go grab our Pokémon to get some more training in?" Saito asked, and Louise nodded.
"Might as well," she replied while giving a shrug then held up the bag in her hands. "Still need to figure out what to do with these, though."
"Eh, I'm just gonna donate mine to charity," Saito declared. After a moment, Louise nodded.
"That works for me," she admitted.
The two trainers continued walking back to the Pokémon Center, idly chatting about various training strategies they could employ. They continued their conversation all the way up to their room, where they saw their Pokémon crowded around the TV watching as what looked like a giant Tyranitar do battle against an oversized Slaking, destroying the city around them in the process.
"Ooh, I love this one," Saito noted as he placed the bag carrying his old clothes on the ground.
"It's certainly entertaining," Derflinger admitted, then did an approximation of a shrug. "But it's also really, really stupid."
"That's why it's fun, though," Saito happily pointed out, to which Derflinger shrugged again.
"Fair enough," he said, then turned his eye towards them. "You about to go train some more?"
"It's only around noon, so we should have plenty of time," Louise answered, and Derflinger nodded.
"Mind if I come with? Just sitting around in a hostel is kinda boring," Derflinger noted, and Saito nodded.
Returning all their Pokémon to their Pokéballs, Louise prepared to head out. Saito turned to follow her, only to stop himself as he remembered one crucial item.
"Wait, let me grab the egg," Saito called out. Turning around, Saito walked over to the table where he had placed the Pokémon Egg and took it into his hands. He prepared to place it into his bag when, to his surprise, it started to glow.
"What the-?!" Saito shouted in surprise, almost dropping the egg but managing to stop himself. Mesmerized by what he was seeing, Saito stared into the glowing egg. Faintly, he heard Louise rush over and gasp, but he didn't dare turn away. In fact, he didn't even dare to blink. He didn't want to miss any of this.
After a few moments, the eggshell began to crack. First it was small, then it grew larger and larger with each subsequent crack until the entire shell broke away. The light became almost blinding, and Saito was forced to squint. It didn't last long, however, and the light ebbed away. In its place was a small, yet heavy, bird that barely fit into the palms of his hands. Rather than being covered in feathers, its entire body was encased in silvery-grey metal, with dark grey rings around its neck, tail, and claws. The Pokémon's wings were more like blades, with the bottom three blood-red. A crested horn sat atop the back of its head, and its eyes were closed at first.
"By the Founder…" Louise muttered, a warm smile spreading across her face as the newborn Pokémon began to stir.
"It's a Skarmory," Saito whispered.
The Skarmory, still drowsy, blinked its eyes a bit while snapping its beak. It began to look around at its surroundings, its eyes squinted as though it was hard to see clearly, before quickly resting its gaze on Saito. The trainer and Pokémon stared right into the other's eyes, and Saito smiled warmly.
"Hey there, little girl," Saito greeted. At first, the Skarmory said nothing, then it smiled and squawked happily while flapping her wings.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Here's the latest chapter of Outsiders, and the start of the second season! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate and Yuri Vampire for their help in bringing this chapter to life.
What better way to start the second season than both a change in wardrobe as well as the hatching of Saito's Pokémon Egg. As many of you hoped, she was a Skarmory! Now, do note that the newborn Skarmory is small enough to be held in Saito's hands, which is a change from the games where Skarmory and other Pokémon are full size right out of the egg. This was a deliberate change because that is unrealistic. Same with having the Skarmory do battle right out the gate. She'll definitely grow fast, mind you, but she's not battle ready right out the gate.
Now, while I still won't be doing a Q&A session anymore, due to time constraints, I will be answering big recurring questions that I see in the reviews for the chapters, with some exceptions. That'll be a nice compromise.
Celestia, you are correct that R-Derf's Brimir is modeled after Fanon!Brimir a bit, whereas O-Derf's Brimir is based more around the canon incarnation. That was deliberate.
I'm glad you guys all liked the ending of Season 1. I know that it was a long time coming, but I feel it came at the right time. Not to mention the multiverse served as a fitting conclusion. Expect the next season to go by a bit quicker, though, as much of Season 1 was devoted towards character development of the cast itself. Season 2 is much more focused on progressing the plot while following up on the lessons and experiences the cast learned during Season isn't to say that the characters won't grow. Far from it. Honestly, depicting the character growth of Saito and Louise is some of my favorite things to do in this story and depicting their growing relationship is what I'm proud of most with this story.
We hope you guys enjoy and let us know what you think!