Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 2, Episode 1, Chapter 2
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It wasn't long after Skarmory was born that Saito gently picked her up and carried her to Nurse Joy. Weighing roughly ten pounds and the size of a chicken, it wasn't too difficult to carry the baby Pokémon. She was surprisingly soft and fluffy, despite the fact that she was covered by a down of metallic feathers that had a similar texture to that of aluminum foil. A quick glance at Saito's Pokédex told them that Skarmorys harden their feathers by getting them scratched by thorns during nesting, which was something they filed away for later.
While Skarmory certainly appeared to be healthy, neither of the trainers saw any reason not to at least get a quick check up done. Especially since they were already in a Pokémon Center to begin with. Nurse Joy immediately understood what had happened when Saito and Louise rushed into the front desk, and a moment later the nurse's Wigglytuff entered the room, pushing a cart with a carrying tray on top of it.
Skarmory squawked nervously as she was placed on to the tray. Recognizing her fear immediately, Saito gently placed his hand atop her head and said, "Don't worry, the nice lady's just going to check to see that you're good and healthy. We'll be right beside you the entire time."
The infant Pokémon squeaked slightly while looking into Saito's eyes, almost as though asking him, 'You promise?'
Smiling softly, Saito nodded and rubbed his hand across her head. After a moment, Skarmory rubbed her head back and cooed contently, which Nurse Joy took as confirmation to wheel the cart away. As promised, neither Saito nor Louise left Skarmory's side, especially since she was constantly looking for them with a nervous look on her fact to ensure that they were still with her. The nervousness didn't last very long, luckily, and once she was certain they weren't leaving her she went back to a cheerful demeanor.
"Hold her still, please," Nurse Joy asked as she pulled out a stethoscope. Skarmory was constantly checking out her surroundings, bouncing up and down while turning from side to side. Saito immediately grabbed hold of Skarmory, who chirped happily and took the opportunity to snuggle into his arms. Louise couldn't help but let out a short squeal at the sight, but she forced herself to maintain her composure.
"Hmm," Nurse Joy hummed as she held the stethoscope against Skarmory's chest, who didn't seem to notice in favor of staring up into Saito's face.
A moment later, Nurse Joy took the stethoscope away and jotted a note onto a notepad. She then pulled out a small mirror with a built-in flashlight and gently turned Skarmory's face towards her. Skarmory stared wide eyed at her in surprise and a slight amount of fear, but that went away at the sight of Nurse Joy's soft, warm smile. She squawked and flapped her wings excitedly, and Nurse Joy couldn't help but chuckle.
"My, she's very rambunctious," Nurse Joy noted, then gently placed her fingers along both halves of Skarmory's jaw. She then said, "Say 'aww.'"
Skarmory was confused at first, tilting her head as she visibly tried to figure out just what the strange yet kind lady was trying to do. It was only after Nurse Joy opened her mouth wide and pointed to herself that Skarmory finally understood, although it took a few more moments to do it. Slowly, Skarmory copied the nurse's movements, opening her beak as wide as she could. When Nurse Joy closed her mouth, Saito gently kept Skarmory's open, allowing the nurse ample opportunity to inspect the mouth.
After a few moments, with Nurse Joy humming throughout, the nurse put away the tool and allowed Saito to take away his hands. Skarmory popped her beak a few times, a confused look on her face as she alternated between looking at Saito and Nurse Joy. She let a short, questioning squawk towards her trainer, who smiled and held up a finger.
"We're just getting you checked out. Won't be too much longer, then we can go outside and play with the others," Saito declared.
Skarmory perked up at the word play and began vibrating in place, clearly wanting to do so. But Saito's grip on her smooth, metallic body increased slightly, subtly telling her that she needed to calm down just a bit in order to do so. She quickly obeyed, but let out a soft whine in protest.
Louise, Saito, and Skarmory waited as Nurse Joy continued her tests. She checked everything she could on Skarmory, focusing on general health. Whether her feathers were growing in properly, that none of her limbs were misshapen, even if her breathing was good, and more. One by one, she conducted each test, and to Saito and Louise's relief Skarmory passed each one.
"Alright, everything seems to check out," Nurse Joy declared as she finished up the last of her tests. "Your newborn Skarmory appears to be in perfect health."
"Oh, that's a relief," Saito breathed out, holding his Skarmory close who once again took the opportunity to snuggle close. Louise, sitting next to him, reached out and gently petted her head, which Skarmory happily squealed at.
"Yes, although I wouldn't recommend any serious training or battling for a few weeks," Nurse Joy added.
Both Saito and Louise recoiled, and Saito spurted out, "O-of course not! She's a newborn, for Arceus' sake! There's no way I'd have her battling now!"
"I figured," Nurse Joy admitted, a neutral expression on her face. "The two of you seem like you properly care for your Pokémon, like all trainers should. But you'd be surprised at the number of trainers who mistakenly believe that freshly hatched Pokémon are perfectly suitable for battle. There are exceptions, obviously, and those make the headlines, but the vast majority of baby Pokémon can't handle the strain. Their bodies are still growing, and if they were to start battling now it might lead to development problems down the line."
Saito and Louise frowned, with the boy holding his Skarmory closer instinctively. Not understanding the context of the conversation, Skarmory squealed happily and flapped her wings a bit before nestling up to Saito, closing her eyes and smiling. After a moment, she drifted off into sleep and began to snore.
"No need to worry about that," Louise said in an absolute tone. "We weren't planning on having her battle anyone until we get back to Lumiose at least, anyway."
"I'm glad to hear that," Nurse Joy replied, a smile returning to her face. She then stood back up and walked towards the door. Opening it, she added, "You're all free to go. There's a courtyard in the back where you can introduce your Skarmory to the rest of your team. I believe your Honedge already went there, actually."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Saito said, standing up as well. His Skarmory was rouse, and she blinked her eyes for a bit and let out a yawn. The others couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, especially at the confused reaction Skarmory gave them.
"Oh, she is precious," Nurse Joy chuckled and shook her head. She then snapped her fingers and asked, "By the way, have you decided on a name yet?"
Saito and Louise looked at each other. He then looked back at Nurse Joy and admitted, "Honestly, not really. We've talked about it before, yeah, but until today we didn't even know what my egg would hatch into. All we knew was that she was going to be a girl, not that she was going to be a Skarmory."
"That's understandable," Nurse Joy replied. "Why not try throwing some out there and see how she reacts to them?"
Saito slowly looked down at the still drowsy Skarmory held in his armors. Staring over her body, he took note of the metallic sheen covering her, the silver, grey, red color scheme, and her other physical characteristics.
"Hmm, how about…Tetsu?" Saito offered. "It means 'iron' back in Kanto, and she is a Steel-type."
"That sounds like a guy's name, Saito," Louise dryly retorted. Skarmory then scrunched up her face and shook her head, which Louise pointed to and added, "See? Even she agrees and she's only an hour old."
"True, true," Saito admitted, letting out a sigh. Rubbing the back of his head, he looked back down into his Skarmory's deep blue eyes with yellow sclera, then glanced to her wings. He then suggested, "How does Akai sound? It means red, like her wings."
"Hmm, better," Louise admitted, tapping her chin, "but it doesn't really sound like it fits a Skarmory. You can name any red Pokémon that."
Saito glanced down once again at Skarmory, who never once broke her loving gaze from Saito. Once again, he looked over her body, and his attention was drawn back to the wings. They looked like swords, and from what he remembered from the Pokédex when he scanned and officially caught her back when she hatched, he noted that those wings were sharper than any man-made blade. Slowly, he let out a smile as a name came to him.
"Ōdachi," Saito declared. "It's a type of Kantoese sword once used by samurai."
"Ōdachi…" Louise repeated, tasting the word on her tongue. Skarmory clearly pondered it as well, then happily squawked and flapped her wings in acceptance.
"Hah, I think she likes it!" Nurse Joy proclaimed as Skarmory continued to celebrate her new name.
"I think she does!" Saito replied, a big toothy grin on his face. Holding Skarmory up, he then said, "Well, welcome to the team, Ōdachi."
Held above her trainer's head, Ōdachi squealed happily and held out her wings, prompting the others to smile at the warm sight.
"Over here," Derflinger called out, waving his sash at Saito and Louise as they walked out of the Pokémon Center. He was hovering over a wooden table next a large patch of grass in the courtyard. A few people were playing or training with their Pokémon, but nothing too high intensity. More importantly, there was plenty of space between them and anyone else, allowing the group to focus entirely on their newest addition to the team.
"Ready to meet everyone, Ōdachi?" Saito asked, looking down at the Skarmory he still held in his arms. Ōdachi happily squawked and flapped her wings once more. Saito chuckled, then gently placed her on top of the wooden table.
"So, this is the little girl we've been hauling around for the past few months?" Derflinger asked, lowering himself to look Ōdachi face to face. At first, the young Pokémon was scared, tilting her head back and whimpering slightly. Seeing this, Derflinger stopped and backed up a ways.
"Hey, it's okay, girl," Saito gently said, placing a comforting hand on Ōdachi's back as she leaned into his appendage while continuing to whimper. "That's Derflinger. He's a friend."
"A bit annoying, and takes a while to get used to," Louise dryly added, prompting Ōdachi to turn her head towards her, "not to mention more than a little sacrilegious, but he's a friend. He's a good guy."
"Aw, I knew you'd come around to my charming personality eventually!" Derflinger happily called out. When Louise gave him a flat stare in response, he chuckled once more and leaned in towards Ōdachi.
At first, the nervous Pokémon hung back. When Saito removed his hand from her, she quickly ran around and hid behind his arm. Ōdachi peaked out at Derflinger, shaking in place from fright. Saito couldn't help but wince. He had hoped that, based off first impressions when she hatched that it would be easy to introduce Ōdachi to the rest of his Pokémon. But clearly that was jumping to conclusions too soon.
"Do you think we're moving a bit too fast?" Saito asked, glancing up at Louise and Derflinger. "I don't want her to be all scared when she meets the others."
Louise frowned slightly and hummed, watching over Ōdachi who continued to use Saito's arm as a shield She then admitted, "Perhaps it would be best to ease her into it. Might get overwhelmed."
"Eh, you guys are being overprotective," Derflinger replied as he draped his sash along the top of the table. "I've been with plenty of baby Pokémon. Trust me, they're pretty adaptable, unlike human babies who are useless. Don't deny it; you know it's true."
"But—" Saito started, holding up a finger. He then stopped to think, then lowered his hand, sighed, and muttered, "Yeah…"
Even though Louise silently agreed with the ancient Honedge's statement, she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing about it and remained quiet, only giving him a flat stare in response. Derflinger chuckled knowingly, then he swayed his sash back and forth. Ōdachi's eyes began to follow it, her nervousness giving way for curiosity. Slowly, she peeked out more of her head and body from behind Saito's arm, then she began edging her way closer to the sash. Once she got close enough, she reached out to touch it with her beak. Just before she could make contact, however, Derflinger abruptly pulled the sash back, making Ōdachi squawk and fall back onto her tail in surprise.
"Heh-heh!" Derflinger laughed, then he began to sway the sash once again. "Come on and grab it."
Ōdachi watched the sash once again, then narrowed her eyes. She got back onto her feet, then began to stalk towards the soft material, her body leaned forward. Getting closer, she once again attempted to grab it, only for Derflinger to pull it away again. This time she remained on her feet, and she quickly went after the sash once more. Again and again, Ōdachi would attempt to grab or pounce onto the sash, but Derflinger pulled it away at the last moment each and every time. At first, Saito was worried that Derflinger was being mean to her and wanted to tell him to knock it off. From the angry look on Louise's face, she felt the same. Yet, just as he prepared to say something, he stopped himself to focus more on Ōdachi.
To his surprise, the newborn Skarmory was no longer afraid, or angry even. Instead, she was clearly having fun, happily chasing after the moving sash as though it was nothing more than a game. It was then that Saito realized exactly what Derflinger was trying to do: the Honedge wasn't bullying her, he was playing with her. Now that he could recognize the difference, it was a rather adorable sight. Saito quickly glanced over at Louise and saw a wistful smile grace her lips, telling him she recognized the difference as well.
Both trainers watched as Derflinger continued to play with Ōdachi. Time flew by, yet the Skarmory never once showed any signs of tiring. In fact, Ōdachi seemed to be a boundless source of youthful energy, one that they couldn't help but laugh at. Finally, after having enough, Derflinger allowed Ōdachi to pounce onto the sash, where she quickly grabbed hold of it with her beak and wrapped herself in the linen. Chirping happily, she looked up at Derflinger, her eyes full of joy.
"Did you have fun, kid?" Derflinger asked. Ōdachi quickly nodded, and Derflinger chuckled before adding, "Well, guess what? There's a bunch more Pokémon who really want to meet you, and you can have just as much fun with them. Maybe even more."
Ōdachi's eyes widened as though his words were some grand revelation. If he had a mouth, Derflinger would be smiling widely. He then asked, "Would you like to meet them?"
Ōdachi couldn't have let go of the sash and nodded fervently fast enough. To the point where she almost tripped on her own feet. Letting out another laugh, Saito and Louise pulled out their Pokéballs then threw them up into the air.
"Come on out and meet Ōdachi, everyone!" both Saito and Louise proclaimed. The balls opened in mid-air, releasing the Pokémon onto the grassy courtyard.
At first, they looked around, thinking they were about to train. Then Esprit gasped as she spotted Ōdachi, who was looking at them all with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Soon the others noticed her as well, and warm smiles broke out across everyone's faces. Seeing this, Ōdachi's nervousness fell away, and she let out a happy squeak while flapping her wings.
From his perch atop a tree branch, Maindo watched as Ōdachi happily played with the other Pokémon. Saito and Louise had decided now was a perfectly opportunity to have lunch, and had laid out several bowls of Pokémon food, berries, and even little chunks of meat for the carnivores among them. Only Maindo was actually eating, though. The others had decided that playing with the kid was more important, which was something he had no desire to be a part of.
Nibbling on a pellet, he watched as Esprit hoisted Ōdachi up with her telekinesis, giving the Skarmory her first taste of flight in her life. From the happy squeaks and flapping of her wings, Ōdachi was clearly enjoying it. Once she was done and gently placed back on the ground, she was immediately greeted by Brennaraki and Aile giving her a show. The Fennekin was generating vortexes of fire that Aile was deftly flying around and through, giving her a display of aerial acrobatics. Ōdachi laughed and flapped her wings together like the clapping of hands, and both Brennaraki and Aile beamed.
Her attention was then shifted towards Tanuki, who had begun to juggle some rubber balls he had procured from the around the area. His eyes were closed, yet he was effortlessly able to perform the act without fail. Clearly the Riolu was tapping into his aura sight, but Ōdachi stared in utter amazement and wonder. Maindo simply chewed and shrugged. It wasn't all that impressive in his opinion, and he suspected that the only reason why Ōdachi felt otherwise was simply because she was so young. At that age, anything was impressive.
The juggling went on for a few more minutes, with Tanuki slowly adding more and more objects. Sticks, stones, even Tengu who impassively allowed herself to be juggled into the air. Before long, the pile of juggled objects was bigger than Tanuki himself. Ōdachi began laughing at that, kicking her feet in the air while flapping her wings. Even Maindo had to bite back a laugh, as Tengu's characteristically blank face contrasted nicely against the act. Finally, with a flourish, Tanuki caught the juggled items including Tengu in his paws, finishing with a bow towards a jubilant Ōdachi.
On and on the games went, their food remaining untouched in favor of playing with Ōdachi. Saito and Louise watched on with smiles on their faces like proud parents as Ronin start surfing on his scalchop atop a thin wave of water with Ōdachi standing on his shoulders. She was crying out gleefully, her wings outstretched and her eyes closed. The Dewott was mostly focused on keeping them upright as he gently turned back and forth while occasionally glancing up at Ōdachi, a soft smile on his face. When that was done, Auspice gently offered herself as a mount, which Ōdachi happily accepted as she hopped onto her back. A moment later, Auspice began bounding across the courtyard, making sure to keep the newborn balanced while having as much fun as possible.
Once the ride was finished, Auspice gently laid back down to allow Ōdachi to get off. At first, the Skarmory looked down at the ground nervously, whimpering at the apparent height. Chuckling, Auspice gently coaxed her down with a few nudges of her head, using her horn as a safety bar. Once Ōdachi was on the ground, she let out a happy squawk and turned to smile at Auspice, who smiled warmly back. She was then greeted by a bounding Gène, who was crouched while raising his rear into the air above his head. The Eevee's entire body was shaking excitedly, and after a moment the Skarmory caught on to the game that was being played.
Jumping up to her feet, Ōdachi pounced after Gène, who quickly jumped away a short distance. Ōdachi followed him, only for the process to be repeated again and again. Soon, the two Pokémon were completely caught up in their game, seemingly oblivious to nearly everything and everyone else around them. Maindo rolled his eyes at the sight, then glanced over at Shogun who was reared up atop a wooden bench, keeping an eye out for any threats. There weren't any in this courtyard, but the Tyrunt's hard-coded instincts were hard to overcome. He did allow Ōdachi to play with his tail, though, as he gently wagged it back and forth while Ōdachi attempted to bite into it.
"Alright guys, come eat your food," Saito called out. The others immediately looked over towards their trainers who were standing over the laid out bowls. They then glanced towards Ōdachi, who was squinting her eyes towards her trainer before sniffing the air. Her eyes widened as she smelled food, then she began walking towards the nearest bowl, signaling that playtime, for the moment, was over.
Only now did the other Pokémon decide to dig in, going to their specially marked bowls to begin eating. Those with hands daintily grabbed chunks of food to hold them up to their mouths and bite down, while those without just buried their faces into the bowls. Tengu merely had a bottle of mineral water attached to the stem atop her head as she slowly absorbed its nutrients, which Ōdachi momentarily glanced at in confusion before returning to her own food.
Maindo turned his attention away from the boring sight in favor of focusing on eating. Leaning back against the tree, he floated another pellet up into his mouth, his eyes closed and his senses deadened to the outside world. He had no desire to watch them just eat; at least playing with the kid was somewhat entertaining, if only for the novelty of it all.
The Kirlia quickly lost track of time, idly chewing on his food away from the others. Part of him felt it was kind of lonely, but he quickly dismissed that errant thought. This was what he wanted, after all. Besides, once he returned to Lumiose he'd never see them again. There was no point in trying to get close to them now. Not that they wanted anything to do with him. Practically as soon as Saito let him out of his Pokéball was he assaulted by harsh glares and low growls from the other Pokémon, telling him to leave. Maindo happily obliged. Besides, it got him out of putting up with the kid, which wasn't something he was particularly keen on doing.
Maindo was broken from his thoughts as he heard a high squawk coming from below. At first, he kept his eyes shut and tried to ignore it, but the sound repeated. He turned his head way, but when he heard the sound for a third time he finally opened his eyes and looked down. To his surprise, he saw that Ōdachi had somehow wandered away from the other Pokémon and was now happily looking up at him with squinted yet expectant eyes. It took a moment for her to notice that he was looking down, and she chirped happily while flapping her wings.
'Go away,' Maindo called down, refusing to get off his perch. Ōdachi didn't like that answer, and she narrowed her eyes and squawked again. Maindo replied, 'No, I'm not playing with you. Go bug the others.'
Ōdachi squawked sharply in response, clearly not taking no for an answer and completely determined to get Maindo to play with her. Rather than indulge the infant, Maindo turned away, his back facing her. She let out a surprised gasp at the action, then began to whimper slightly. Part of Maindo wanted to glance back to look at the sad state Ōdachi was apparently in, but he forced himself not to. He'd been in this situation before with his younger brothers and sisters. You had to put your foot down, otherwise they'd walk all over you.
The whimpering slowly subsided, and Maindo believed that was the end of it. Then, to his surprise, he heard a slight, dull thud as something struck the tree. Maindo looked down and saw that a newly determined Ōdachi had started climbing the tree up to him, daggering her claws into the bark and using her beak to hold herself up.
'Hey, get down from there. It's not safe!' Maindo ordered, leaning over the side of the tree branch.
Ōdachi refused to listen, and continued trying to climb up to him. She didn't make it very far, however, before her feet slipped. Her beak ripped off a piece of bark as she fell, and the infant Skarmory let out a surprised cry as she fell back. Immediately Maindo reached down and telekinetically grabbed her just before he could hit the ground. Slowly, he lowered her onto the grass, then teleported down where he stood over her.
'What were you thinking?!' Maindo chastised, shoving his face into Ōdachi's. 'I don't care if you're a Steel-type or not, you are far too young to be doing that kind of stuff! It is dangerous, and you could get hurt you stupid—'
Maindo stopped himself as he noticed Ōdachi's scared, tear-filled eyes staring into his own. She was whimpering now, both from the fall as well as Maindo yelling at her. A pang of regret flash through his heart, one that reminded him of the looks his younger siblings gave him when they got in trouble, then Maindo let out a sigh, closes his eyes, and shook his head.
'Look, kid, I'm…sorry,' Maindo sincerely apologized. Ōdachi's whimpers slowly subsided, although the tears didn't quite go away. Seeing this, Maindo tried to think of what he could do to cheer her up. After a moment, he glanced up at the bowl of food he had left on his branch, and had an idea.
He reached out and grabbed a few pieces from the top. Lowering them down towards the pair, Ōdachi sniffed the air in recognition. Once the food got literally right before her face, Ōdachi's eyes zeroed in on it, then she glanced up at Maindo who curtly nodded. The Skarmory let out a smile and happily bit down onto the food, then began chewing loudly. Once she was done, she smiled up at him and waved her wings, which Maindo couldn't help but chuckle at.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" he heard a voice shout, drawing both his and Ōdachi's attention. Looking up, he saw Brennaraki running towards them, steam coming out of her ears.
Maindo stood up and backed away, his hands raised as he replied, 'Relax. The kid almost fell out of a tree, and I was making sure she was alright.'
"She fell out of a tree?!" Brennaraki repeated, incensed at the declaration.
'I said almost,' Maindo clarified as he crossed his arms and huffed. 'She wanted to play with me and wouldn't take no for an answer. So she tried to climb up, fell, and I caught her.'
Brennaraki scrunched up her eyes and growled slightly, then glanced between the happy yet confused Ōdachi and the irritated Maindo. After a moment, she huffed, then nudged her head against Ōdachi's.
"Come on, Ōdachi," Brennaraki said as she turned around. "You shouldn't be around Maindo. He's a bad influence."
Maindo shot his head back, feeling insulted by the remarks. Before he could retort, however, he noticed Ōdachi looking up at him, her head tilted slightly to the side. Maindo stared into her wide, innocent eyes, then he let out a sigh and turned around.
'Whatever. Don't want to be around you, anyway,' he declared, then teleported back towards his branch.
Glancing down, he noticed both Brennaraki and Ōdachi stare up at him, the former harshly while the other was far more confused. Brennaraki then nudged Ōdachi's head a few more times, insisting that they leave to rejoin the others. Ōdachi didn't remove her gave from Maindo, who couldn't help but stare right back. After a few moments, she finally let out a happy squawk then stood up and turned back around to walk away. She stayed close to Brennaraki the entire time, practically hugging her from the side, who was more than happy to oblige.
As the two Pokémon returned to their trainers and fellow teammates, Maindo watched with a flat frown on his face. He then huffed and turned away, going back towards eating his food and trying his best to ignore the empty feeling building up inside him.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Here's the latest chapter of Outsiders! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate and Yuri Vampire for their help in bringing this chapter to life.
I hope you all enjoyed Odachi's introduction! She was a blast to write and super adorable. While she won't be battling anytime soon, expect her to be a treat in the team dynamic.
Let us know what you guys think, and I hope you enjoy!