Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 2, Episode 7, Chapter 2
[~][~]
Saito, Louise, and Henrietta luckily didn't have to wait too long before their group was given the go-ahead to start the tour. It wasn't just them. They had joined a group of around a dozen or so people, mostly families with small children who looked at everything around them with wonder in their eyes. The sight made Henrietta giggle to herself, but she had to force herself not to share the same expression as she took everything in as well. Although this was a much needed vacation away from being a princess, the last thing she wanted to do was to be compared with a child.
If nothing else, Saito and Louise would never let her hear the end of it.
"Although the Kalos Power Plant only came online just a few years ago," the tour guide continued as they passed by a window that allowed them to see the central tower, "it has already become a model for the world to follow. Designed by Lumiose's very own Gym Leader, Clemont Lem, the power plant works in conjunction with solar harvester satellites. Think of them as spaceborne solar panels. These harvesters gather and accumulate solar radiation and convert it into electricity. Then, as they pass over the power plant, they beam the power down via a laser. Combined with the ground-based solar panels, the Kalos Power Plant generates enough power not only for Lumiose City, but for much of the Kalos region as well."
"Oooh," the crowd mumbled, with many taking pictures of the tower. Saito was among them, focusing on the structure itself and the various workers and technicians running maintenance.
As the tour continued, with the guide pointing out and discussing many of the more interesting sights along the way, Henrietta tried to follow along the best she could. She had spent long enough in Kalos to understand the basics of what the guide was talking about, such as the fact that the people of Earth had learned to harness the power of the sun for power as well as the existence of laser, so she was able to follow along. But the finer, more intricate details still eluded her. Thankfully it appeared that applied to many of the tourists as well, so she wasn't completely alone.
Still, it amazed her most of all that Louise appeared able to follow along completely, nodding along and even taking notes on her Pokédex. It amazed Henrietta that she was able to comprehend it at all. Even if she had been on Kalos for far longer than Henrietta had, the fact that Louise had adjusted so well was a miracle in an of itself. Part of her wondered if, had Henrietta been in Louise's position and brought to Kalos first, would she have been able to adapt just as well? She didn't quite know the answer to that question.
At the same time, as they passed by a friendly security guard who smiled and waved at everyone, a new thought emerged. One that she had far more experience in whether she liked it or not. The thought made her frown slightly, then prompted her to raise her hand.
"Yes, do you have a question?" the tour guide asked after noticing Henrietta's outstretched arm.
"I do," Henrietta confirmed as she lowered her arm and folded them in front of her waist. "By all accounts, the Kalos Power Plant is one of the most important pieces of Kalos' infrastructure. How do you protect it, both against wild Pokémon and from criminals such as the resurgent Team Flare?"
The tour guide's eyes widened slightly at the question, and the jovial mood of the other tourists faltered as they nervously murmured among themselves. Henrietta didn't want to cut into the good mood everyone had, but it was at the same time a relevant question. Even if they weren't exactly the same, as the princess and de facto sovereign of an entire nation, she had to think about these sorts of things. It would be no different than concerns about protecting a critical harbor, trade route, or productive farmland in Tristain.
It was an especially important question to ask after what Saito and Louise had to deal with at the Daycare, Fossil Museum, and Cyllage City, all of which were conducted by the same criminal enterprise. Cyllage in particular was of the utmost concern, as an entire city fell under siege by Team Flare just so they could stage a break out. Or rather, Team Flare's remnants, Henrietta figured. The police had been hunting down the perpetrators ever since it happened, but so far they remained at large. No one knew what they were up to, Henrietta least of all, but if she knew anything, it was that the Power Plant would be a very attractive target.
The tour guide quickly regained her composure, then smiled and answered, "That is a very good question! Let me be clear, the Power Plant is entirely safe. We have dedicated trainers as part of our security team ready to react to anything that would threaten the plant or its workers. Most of the time, thankfully, they only have to deal with the occasional wild Pokémon that breached our perimeter fences and gotten into somewhere dangerous for them. They are also more than capable of apprehending or holding off any criminal foolish enough to attack the Power Plant until the authorities arrive. Does that answer your question?"
Henrietta was quiet at first, then nodded and answered, "It does, yes. Thank you."
The tour guide nodded back, then turned around and continued with the tour. Henrietta quickly shared a glance with Saito and Louise, who smiled at her before moving on with the rest of the group. The princess followed them, satisfied that the plant's operators were taking its security seriously. Hopefully, her worries would be for nothing, and if nothing else as they passed by yet another security guard, the plant seemed perfectly safe and sound.
[~]
A dull thud was heard as Solomon threw the unconscious body of yet another plant trainer into a supply closet. Inside were several others, all tied up and gagged while slumped against the floor and wall.
"That's the last of them," he reported, then snapped his fingers at some nearby Flare operatives and ordered, "Slip those uniforms on then get into position. Once we give the signal, you are to engage immediately. Concentrate on any trainers in the tour groups, understand?"
"Yes, Admin," the grunts replied as they changed into the copies of the security trainer uniforms they had acquired prior to the operation.
As Solomon nodded, the pressed his finger against the communicator in his ear and asked, "Minerva, what's the status on the plant's radio?"
"It is under our control," she immediately answered with a cool, collective voice. "As far as the outside world is concerned, everything at the power plant is normal."
"Perfect," Solomon said with a smile on his face.
So far, their plan has been working perfectly. Crafted by Maxwell Fletcher himself, the plan was simple. First, Team Flare's operatives, led by their Admins Solomon and Minerva, would infiltrate the power plant by posing as mere tourists, thereby bypassing security. Once inside, they would identify the plant's security team, eliminate them, then take their places among the plant's critical infrastructure. Then they would strike, decapitating its leadership and ability to defend itself in one fell swoop, allowing them to take what they needed and retreat before the authorities had any idea what was going on. Solomon would've preferred a more frontal siege like what they did in Cyllage, but this would do just nicely.
The only real hiccup was the presence of those two interlopers and their new friend. Solomon genuinely hoped they wouldn't be enough to thwart their plans, but just in case he was going to be one to deal with their group personally.
Reminded of them, he released a sigh and said, "You're certain that you need the girl?"
"Yes," Minerva confirmed. "The blood samples I stole from her in Cyllage had proven most interesting, but I need more to make any confirmations."
"Mind telling me as to what those confirmations would be?"
"Once I know for certain, I will tell you. Until then, just do as you are told."
"Grrgh," Solomon growled, but knew otherwise than to press forward. Shaking his head, he then said, "Moving into position now. Wait for my signal, then put the plant into lockdown."
"Of course," Minerva replied, then shut down the line.
Turning his attention back towards his men, Solomon snapped his fingers and ordered them to move. Giving their leader wicked grins, they complied then ran off deeper into the plant, slipping into cracks with none the wiser as to the danger they were now in.
[~]
"And this is one of the plant's many capacitors," the tour guide continued as they entered a large room which housed a gigantic cylinder in the center, connected to dozens of wires coming from the ceiling. "During the day, excess electrical power produced by the plant is stored in these capacitors. That way, during the night or strong storms when solar power unable to be generated, electricity can still be provided to the Kalos region."
"Wouldn't that run the risk of not producing enough?" Louise asked after politely raising her hand.
"That is an excellent question!" the tour guide admitted with a smile on her face. "Generally speaking, these batteries have more than enough capacity to fit Kalos' needs. In the odd event where demand is higher than what the plant can produce, smaller secondary plants scattered across the region are able to pick up the slack. We are very proud to point out that there hasn't been a widespread power outage in Kalos ever since the power plant was brought online."
"I see. Thank you," Louise said, quickly jotting the information down into her notes.
"I wonder if Ramos' Sunflora farm is one of the backup plants?" Henrietta muttered to herself, and Louise nodded.
The tour paused for a few minutes as their guide let everyone take pictures or ask a few questions. Their only restriction was that they couldn't touch any of the equipment as much of it was sensitive. Not to mention it could be dangerous to those who don't know what they're doing. After all, hundreds of thousands of volts of electricity run through these walls every second. There was no telling the damage it could cause if improperly handled. Louise herself felt no need to touch the monitors, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Henrietta gingerly tap her finger against one of them like a curious child. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight, which made Henrietta flinch and pull her hand back, trying to act as though she wasn't doing anything improper.
"Heh, you look like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar," Saito joked which made Louise and Derflinger laugh while Henrietta blushed in embarrassment.
"N-no I wasn't," Henrietta tried to claim, but that only made her traveling companions' smiles grow larger.
"Listen, Princess, it's fine. We're not judging you," Derflinger said. "Just so long you don't go putting strange things in your mouth. Then we'll have a problem."
Saito let out a loud laugh at the joke while Louise merely giggled. Henrietta's blush grew and she frowned in childish anger. She clenched her fist tightly, and looked as though she was about to make a rebuttal. Then, much to everyone's surprise, the lights inside the room suddenly shut off. A few people screamed in fright before the emergency lights turned on, casting the room in a red glow.
"What the-?" Saito asked himself as he stared up at the ceiling.
"What's going on?" Louise asked, echoing many others in the tour group who were asking the same question but in a far more terrified tone of voice.
"Everyone, remain calm," the tour guide said while raising her hands in a placating gesture. "We are just experiencing a minor power surge. This is not unheard of, and our engineering team will restore power momentarily."
Despite the reassurances, Louise couldn't help but narrow her eyes suspiciously. Looking at the rest of her friends, and much of the tour group, they were in agreement. The increasingly desperate tour guide continued her attempts to calm everyone down, but Louise decided to walk over to the door and tried to open it. Much to her disappointment, the door had sealed shut behind them.
"Why won't this stupid door open?" Louise asked as she tried in vain to pry the metal doors apart with her bare hands.
"Those are emergency bulkhead doors just in case there's a fire," the tour guide answered.
"Well there's no fire in here, so why are they down?" Saito pointed out, hoping their guide would have an answer. But although she opened her mouth, no words came out as she instead scrunched up her face in confusion.
"I'm…not actually sure," the tour guide admitted, then shook her head. "Must be a glitch. Our teams will get it open in no time at all, I assure you."
Louise was increasingly unconvinced, but seeing as how there wasn't anything she could do resigned herself to sitting against the wall. Descending into a blind panic wouldn't do anyone any good. Saito and Henrietta joined her, with Saito pulling out some granola bars and giving one to each of them. As they slowly ate their snack, Louise tried to figure out why this was happening. Had a wild Pokémon messed with the power grid? Did a simple mechanical error or glitch cause the power shortage? Or had something else, something far worse happened?
At this point, it was impossible to say for certain while trapped in a sealed room, with only a window to see outside. Glancing through it, everything seemed peaceful enough, and Louise was content to rest the back of her head against the wall.
That was when she thought she heard a dull bang coming through the wall.
"Hmm?" Louise muttered as she turned towards the door. Squinting her eyes slightly, she glanced at her friends who had heard the same thing. Pressing her ear against the wall, she waited a few moments to try and hear anything else. At first she heard nothing, but just as she was about to pull away she heard another thud along with a bang.
"What the…?" Louise muttered, then snapped her finger at Henrietta requested, "Henrietta, can you increase the sound?"
"Yes," Henrietta confirmed, then pulled out her wand, pressed it to the wall, and said, "Amplify."
A faint ringing could be heard from the wall as they pressed their ears against it. Moments later, much to their surprise and horror, the ringing was replaced by the sounds of shouts, screams, and explosions.
"Move it! Quit stalling and move!" someone shouted as they pushed a crying person forward down a hallway.
"Search that room, make sure no one's in it!" another yelled.
"Aaah!" a woman screamed, and broke down sobbing.
More and more sounds could be heard coming from the other side of the wall, with each one painting a more complete picture as to what was going on.
"Oh, no…," Saito muttered, then Louise stood up and turned towards the group who were now looking at them in concern.
"What's going on?" the tour guide asked as Louise pulled out her wand and Brennaraki's Pokéball. "What are you doing?"
"This isn't a power outage," Louise revealed, releasing Brennaraki from her ball. "The power plant's under attack."
"WHAT?!" the tour guide shouted in surprise. "That's impossible! There's no-!"
The tour guide was interrupted by a loud explosion that everyone could hear, cutting her off completely and causing the other tourists to scream in fright.
"Louise, we got people coming this way!" Saito claimed as he released Ronin from his Pokéball, with Henrietta releasing Fleur.
"We gotta get these people out of here," Derflinger declared, then turned towards the rest of the group. "Are any of you trainers?"
All of them shook their heads, and Derflinger cursed before looking at the window. Louise, quickly figuring out what he was thinking, snapped her fingers at Brennaraki then ordered, "Melt the window down with Flamethrower!"
The shiny Braixen nodded, then ran over to the large window and fired a Flamethrower into its center. As the flames spread across the glass, Louise hoped and prayed it would melt through. But after a few moments, it became clear that wasn't going to work.
"The windows are heat treated!" the tour guide pointed out, causing Saito to curse. As he prepared to order Ronin to hit the window with his scalchops, the guide added, "It's shock resistant, too! You can wail on it for half an hour and it wouldn't even get a dent!"
"Damn it! Is there an emergency exit?!" Saito asked, and the tour guide nodded before pointing at a ladder heading up to a hatch on the ceiling. "Good! Everyone, start climbing!"
Without needing to be told twice, the tour guide began ushering everyone to the emergency exit. At the same time, Louise's eyes darted around the room as she tried to figure out any other options. After a few moments, she remembered the other Pokéballs on her belt, and she nearly slapped herself at the obvious solution.
"Saito, we can teleport these people out!" she shouted as she released Esprit from her Pokéball. Saito immediately complied and released Maindo, who seemed confused and annoyed before his eyes widened once he sensed what was going on.
But as the first person began climbing up the ladder and the two trainers prepared to give their orders, they saw the hatch open, followed by a large figure peering through it.
"Hello, there," the man said with a wicked grin, then jumped down through the hatch.
At the same time, the door behind them suddenly opened, allowing several people to enter with their Pokémon already out. Louise was about to order Esprit to teleport them and as many people out of there as possible, but before the words could leave her lips, the two Kirlia were suddenly hit by dual Block moves. Their bodies pulsed red briefly, and despite their best efforts, neither Esprit nor Maindo could teleport away.
"Yeah, that's not gonna work. Feel free to keep trying, though, if it makes you feel better," the man joked and chuckled ominously, relishing in the terrified stares he was getting from the tourists as well as the hateful glares Saito and Louise were giving him.
Louise and her friends quickly glanced at the intruders, and her grimace deepened as she recognized the trademark orange suits they were all wearing. The large, muscular man who had jumped down the ladder was wearing a sleeveless variation, but it was obvious to everyone who these people were.
"I regret to interrupt your little tour," the man said, "but I'm afraid it's been cut short. As of a few moments ago, the Kalos Power Plant is under the direct control of Team Flare."
As the tourists whimpered, the man chuckled then pressed his massive hands against his broad chest and continued, "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Solomon Anhalt, one of Team Flare's illustrious Admins and the power plant's new manager. Please follow me to where everyone else is being held for the time being. If you comply, you will not be harmed."
Solomon then looked directly at Saito, Louise, and Henrietta with a predatory grin and added, "Or don't. It'll be more fun for me that way."
Louise desperately wanted to order Brennaraki to engage, and judging by how harshly the Braixen was growling it was clear she wanted to as well. But they were completely surrounded at all sides, and there was considerable crossfire with the rest of the tourists. Glancing at Saito and Henrietta, it was clear they recognized the situation as well.
Solomon then laughed, saying, "You three get it, don't you? That's right, there's nothing you can do. Not unless you want to get to get these people hurt, too. So do yourselves a favor, recall your Pokémon, and surrender. This isn't going to be like the Daycare, or Ambrette, or even Cyllage."
Seeing Louise's eyes widened, Solomon's grin deepened and he admitted, "That's right, we know who you are. My friend and fellow Admin is very interested in you specifically, so she'd rather you come to her unharmed. But if I have to bring you in with a few bruises, well…that's fine by me. Especially after how troublesome you've been so far."
Louise's breathing turned harsh and quick, and around her she could see the other Team Flare grunts and their teams drawing ever closer. This forced Saito, Louise, Henrietta, and their Pokémon to draw closer, their backs pressed against one another. She tried to figure out a way out of this mess, but from what she could see there was no way to run.
At least, not physically, a fact she was reminded of as she looked at her wand and remembered the spell she had just learned.
Before anyone could react, she linked her arms together with Saito and Henrietta, raised her wand skyward, and yelled, "Teleport!"
With a loud pop, the trio and their Pokémon blinked out of existence, leaving only a blank space where they previously stood. Everyone else in the room stared blankly in surprise, most of all Solomon himself.
"WHAT?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, then grabbed chunks of his thick, brown hair and nearly pulled them out of his scalp as he raged. After a moment, he pressed his finger to his communicator and shouted, "Everyone, we have three escapees! Find them, now!"
[~]
When Louise and the others blinked back into existence, they emerged within the chain-link fence surrounding the power plant. Since she was limited to line of sight, she had simply looked out the window and teleported them as far as they possibly could, not unlike the first time she had practiced the Teleport spell. But unlike it and all the other times she had practiced it before, it wasn't just her. Louise had taken all of her friends with her, and that difference made her collapse onto her knees and pant heavily.
"Louise!" Saito yelled as he kneeled next to her, with Henrietta drawing water from a water bottle she had refilled and using her magic to heal her.
"I'm…I'm fine," she claimed as she stayed on the ground. "Just a little…tuckered out…."
"That was some smart thinking, kid," Derflinger admitted, and Louise nodded as she drank from a water bottle that Saito gave her.
"…Thank you," she said between heavy breaths.
Looking around, Saito saw that they were completely out in the open. Frowning, he quickly saw a large rock outcropping and said, "Come on, let's hide behind that."
Helping his friend up to her feed, the trio and their Pokémon ran to the rocks, hiding behind it and away from any prying eyes. Pressing his back against the wall, Saito peeked out from behind the rock to make sure no one spotted them. So far, they appeared to be in the clear.
'Just my luck!' Maindo complained. "I'm only a few days from leaving you idiots, then these assholes show up again!'
"Who was that?" Henrietta asked in a near panic. "Was that actually Team Flare?"
"It has to be. Damn it," Saito cursed. "I thought we were done with them. What are the freaking odds we'd run into them a fourth time?"
"Pretty high, apparently," Derflinger remarked as he narrowed his eye and peeked out behind the rock alongside Saito who pulled out his Pokédex and brought up its phone app.
"Crap, I can't get a signal," he declared. "No phone, no internet, nothing. Team Flare must be jamming everything in the area."
"So much for calling the police," Derflinger remarked. "Any chance they'll quickly realize what's going on?"
"If we're lucky, but it felt like they took complete control of the power plant," Saito pointed out. "By the time anyone realizes what's going on, it'll be too late. Damn it."
With wide eyes, Henrietta asked, "What are we going to do?"
Everyone was silent for a moment, then Louise, with a steel-like gaze, stared right up at Henrietta.
"We're leaving. That's what we're going to do," Louise revealed, much to Henrietta's surprise.
'Finally, you start making sense!' Maindo cheered, but Louise and the others ignored him.
"We're just going to leave? What about all those people?" she pointed out, and Louise frowned and shook her head.
"We are not in a position to do anything right now, Henrietta," Louise countered. "We barely got out as it is. Right now, they don't know where we are."
"We can't just leave them!" Henrietta declared, but Louise shook her head.
"We're not. As soon as we get a signal, we'll call the police," Louise said. "They will handle it."
Not believing what she was hearing, Henrietta frowned and asked, "What about all the other times you've dealt with Team Flare by yourself? What makes this any different?"
"One, Saito and I nearly got killed fighting Team Flare. I got poisoned by a Toxapex last time and went colorblind for weeks," Louise pointed out, frustration leaking into her voice. "Two, and more importantly, you are here."
Henrietta's eyes widened, and Louise continued while pointing her finger at her, "I know this is a vacation for you, and one I completely support. But whether you like it or not, you are still Tristain's Princess. You are to be our kingdom's next Queen, and I cannot, in good conscience, put you in danger."
"But-!" Henrietta tried to protest, but this time Louise interrupted her with a shout.
"That is final, Henrietta! We! Are! Leaving!" Louise yelled at her oldest friend into submission. She glared into Henrietta's hurt eyes, after she was satisfied that the Princess had relented, she turned away to look at Saito.
"Saito, can you have Ōdachi fly up and scout us a way out of here?" Louise asked, and Saito nodded.
"With her new goggles, yeah," he admitted. "But can you just teleport us out of here?"
"Teleporting all of us took a lot out of me," Louise answered while shaking her head, wiping away a sheen of sweat from her forehead. "I don't think I can do another one for a while. Esprit, Maindo, what about you two?"
Both Kirlias scrunched up their faces in concentration, but after a moment they released a sigh and shook their heads. Esprit then explained, 'No, I'm sorry. It looks like we're still under the effects of Block. Neither of us are teleporting anyone any time soon.'
"Drat. Any idea how long it'll take to wear off?" Derflinger asked, and Maindo tapped his fingers to help him think.
'Well, based off the last few times this happened to me… I'd wager about an hour,' he suggested.
"Well, there goes that option," Saito muttered while rubbing his hand over his chin, unwilling to bet his luck that they'd be able to elude capture for that long by staying put.
'This happened to you before?' Esprit asked, and Maindo nodded while raising an eyebrow as though the answer was obvious.
'Yeah. Trainers use Block all the time to try and prevent wild Pokémon from running away,' Maindo answered. 'I think this is…the seventh time? Yeah, seven sounds about right. Have you seriously never had to deal with it?'
'No, I haven't.'
'Huh. Well, first time for everything,' he joked, trying to add some levity to the situation.
Shaking his head after a moment, Saito continued, "In any case, Flare doesn't seem to know where we are now, so as long as we keep our heads down and avoid any of their men, we should be able to get out of here with them none the wiser."
"Then, once we get a signal, we'll call the police and have them stop these terrorists," Louise declared as she clenched her fist. She then said, "Alright. Henrietta, get ready to move. We're going to stay behind the rocks for as long as possible, got it?"
The princess didn't answer, prompting Louise to ask, "Henrietta, did you get that? Henrietta?"
A pang of annoyance shot through Louise's mind, and she turned around to yell at her friend again. But before any words could leave her lips, she noticed that Henrietta was gone. Her eyes widened as did Saito and the others who quickly looked out from behind the rock.
"Ah, crap," Saito muttered, prompting Louise to look out and see for herself.
There, running across the field and using the solar panels as cover, was Henrietta making her way to the power plant by herself.
'Oh, great. The one time Pinky tries doing the smart thing, her friend does something stupid in her place,' Maindo angrily muttered, chastising himself for not paying enough attention. 'Tristain's future queen, everybody.'
"…Henrietta, you impulsive idiot," Louise growled as she clenched the rock, already planning to tongue-lashing she was going to give the princess for forcing their hand.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Outsiders! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate and Yuri Vampire for their help in bringing this chapter to life.
Team Flare has officially attacked the Kalos Power Plant, forcing our heroes into yet another harrowing battle that they'd honestly rather not be a part of. But this time, Team Flare knows who they are, making this a much more difficult battle.
Now, I want to make an announcement. Due to the threat of burnout for Outsiders, I am adjusting my writing schedule. Previously, Outsiders came between the chapters of my other stories. Now it will enter the normal story rotation. This will result in longer stretches of time between chapters, but I hope to make up for it by having the chapters themselves be somewhat longer and more impactful.
That's it for this time. Let us know what you guys think. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, any assistance in updating the TV Tropes page would be greatly appreciated. We hope you enjoy!