Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 2, Chapter 2
The next morning, her back sore after sleeping on the rough forest floor and after eating breakfast, Louise began the day's walking. To her relief, the trek was becoming slightly easier for her to handle, probably due to her having more realistic expectations now. As she continued along the path, Brennaraki walking alongside her, a loud chirp caught her attention. Looking around for the source of the chirp, Louise saw a small bird cleaning itself on a branch. It looked like a small bird, only orange and grey in color, with black and white tail feathers. Recognizing that this was a Pokémon, Louise pulled out her Pokédex and activated the Scan function.
"Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon. Fletchlings are known for their gentle demeanor and communicate via song." The Pokédex automated voice rang out. True enough, the Fletchling began to sing, giving the air the sweet chorus of its song.
"Wow…" Louise whispered in awe as she silently looked at the singing bird. She could have sworn that she saw the Fletchling perk up at that, but there was no way it heard her. Soon enough, more songs filled the air as other Fletchlings made their presence known. The songs combined into an orchestra, filling the air with a plethora of songs, each unique yet harmoniously merging.
"It's…beautiful…" Louise marveled at what she was hearing and judging by the silence of Brennaraki she too felt the scene was a wondrous sight to behold. Not wanting to further intrude, Louise and Brennaraki silently continued, allowing the songs of the Fletchlings to grow fainter and fainter as they walked away.
As the day dragged on, Louise eventually was forced to come to a rest as the day's trek finally caught up with her. Knowing that there was likely not going to be any more walking today, and with the day beginning to turn into twilight, Louise and Brennaraki began setting up camp. As Louise pulled out the tent container, she emptied its contents, only to reveal the tent in a tangled heap. Glaring at the tangled mess in front of her, Louise debated whether or not it would be worth untangling the mess and attempting to set it up again only to sigh in defeat and began the process of returning the tent to its container, deciding it was not worth the time nor hassle.
"Looks like I'm sleeping in a bag again…" Louise grumbled, before a buzzing noise became faintly heard as a creature entered the clearing. It looked like a flying honeycomb with faces, with three yellow hexagons, each with its own face, and a pair of wings on its sides. Remembering the last encounter with a Bug-type Pokémon, Louise and Brennaraki tensed for a confrontation, only to be surprised as the bug flew around them to some nearby flowers. Based on the loud sucking noise coming from the bees, they appeared to be sucking in nectar. As it continued to absorb nectar, Louise once again pulled out her Pokédex to see what this Pokémon was.
"Combee, the Tiny Bee Pokémon. Combee's take nectar from flowers and are able to quickly turn it into honey." The Pokédex spouted out as Louise continued to watch the Combee, now being joined by a few more. One Combee, the only one with a red patch on its center face instead of blue, came up to a flower near Louise's feet and eyed her inquisitively.
"Oh, you want this?" Louise, after a moment's hesitation, asked the diminutive creature. Seeing the smiling faces nod and happily buzz, Louise, realizing that the Combee meant her no harm, moved to sit down on a nearby rock, giving the Combee access to the sought-after flower. The Combee smiled, moving towards the flower, while Louise continued to watch with a peaceful smile on her face.
"Chirp!" A soft cry rang out across the clearing, making the Combee halt in their tracks while Louise began looking for the familiar cry's source. After a few moments, she found it, a Fletchling perched on a tree branch overlooking the clearing.
"Is that…the same Fletchling from before?" Louise asked herself, confused and eyeing the small robin while Brennaraki tilted her head in confusion. That confusion widened when another Fletchling made itself known. Then another, and another, until finally the clearing was surrounded by roughly twelve Fletchlings. At that point, Louise and Brennaraki's confusion turned into apprehension. The blue Combees had already formed a protective circle around the red Combee, the once smiling faces frowning.
"Chirp! Chirp!" The Fletchlings cried out to each other as they took to the sky, circling around the clearing overhead, their eyes never leaving the Combees.
"Oh no…" Louise whispered in silent horror, realization dawning as to the bird's intentions. "They're hunting." As the words left Louise's mouth, a sharp cry rang out from the flock, and the Fletchlings began to dive bomb.
"AAGH!" Louise screamed, dropping down to her knees and began to crawl as the Fletchlings dived down, attacking the Combees. Any birds that got too close to Louise's retreating form quickly got scared off via Brennaraki firing off warning shots.
Once Louise got far enough away, she jumped to her feet and began to run, only to stop as she heard the fearful buzzing of the Combees. She turned around and gazed at the Combees and Fletchlings. Although the number of Fletchlings had dropped, to about ten, the Combees were in a much worse position. The vast majority were knocked out, some with more serious wounds than others. There were only three left, the red Combee and two blue Combees acting as bodyguards, warding off any Fletchlings that got too close. Noticing Louise's presence, the red Combee turned around to look at her and Brennaraki with desperation, pleading for help, just as another Fletchling dive-bombed the distracted Combee. As the Fletchling neared, Louise came to a decision.
"Ember!" Louise shouted to Brennaraki, who fired a volley of fireballs at the dive-bombing bird, with most hitting their mark. Caught off guard and hurt from the unexpected attack, the Fletchling was momentarily grounded before quickly darting back into the air where they proceeded to circle along with the rest of the Fletchlings that had turned their attention away from the Combees to her. Before any of them could do anything, a large swarm of Combees rushed out of the forest, drawing their attention away from Louise and towards the incoming bugs. All broke away and attacked the swarm, except for the Fletchling who Louise attacked, who landed back on the ground, staring at Louise.
"Chirp!" The Fletchling called out, almost as if issuing a challenge. She narrowed her eyes and readied herself, as Brennaraki crouched down in anticipation. A silent pause broke out between the two, the sounds of Avian-Insect battle becoming faint in the background before the Fletchling cried out and took to the sky. As it rose, it began flapping its wings, causing a shift in the winds that coalesced behind the bird, and as it continued to fly Louise noticed a significant jump in its speed from before.
"Brennaraki! It's making itself faster!" Louise warned Brennaraki as the Fletchling dived down at Brennaraki like a missile. She dived to the right to dodge the bird as it swooped towards her, barely managing to avoid its beak.
"Keep using Ember! Dodge after each shot!" Louise yelled out, which Brennaraki dutifully obeyed.
The battle went on back and forth. For the most part, Brennaraki's skill in dodging allowed her to skillfully avoid damage, while the Fletchling's Tailwind allowed it to speed past the fireballs. However, as the winds calmed, the Fletchling slowed down, giving Brennaraki an opening to fire an Ember at the slowed bird, scoring a direct hit. Once again, the Fletchling crashed down, but before it could it could pick itself back up Brennaraki tackled it, pining it to the ground. As the bird struggled to remove the much larger fox, the Fletchling slowly ceased its efforts until stopping its struggle. It had lost.
"Yes!" Louise cheered out, before noticing Brennaraki giving her an expectant look.
"What?" She asked, confused as to what Brennaraki wanted her to do before realization dawned on her. Louise reached into her pocket and pulled out a collapsed Luxury Ball, priming and expanding it to full size.
"Welcome to the team, Fletchling," Louise stated, throwing the Luxury Ball towards the downed bird to capture it. Unfortunately, that did not happen, as the ball flew past the downed bird and hit a rock, bouncing back to beam Louise in the nose.
"Ow!" Louise held her nose, more irritated than in pain, glaring at the laughing Brennaraki. "Yes, ha-ha. Very funny." Louise grumbled before trying again, throwing the ball at the Fletchling. Again, she missed, as the ball hit the ground next to the Fletchling, who at this point was sporting an incredulous and annoyed expression on its face.
"Gagh!" Louise grunted, catching the ball with both hands as it bounced back to her. "Okay, this time…" Louise whispered to herself as she threw the ball again. Finally, she hit her mark as the Luxury Ball contacted the Fletchling, opening it and sucking the pleased looking Fletchling inside, with a small red light appearing on the ball.
"Come on. Work…" With baited breath, Louise and Brennaraki looked at the rocking Luxury Ball, hoping for a successful capture. After a few seconds, the ball stopped rocking and clicked shut, the red light disappearing. Tentatively, Louise walked to the ball, grasping it with both hands as she contemplated her actions.
"I caught a Pokémon!" Louise cheered, with her and Brennaraki jumping into the air in joy, only for her to finally take note of her surroundings once again upon noticing a distinct lack of battle going on around her.
Based on the distinct lack of Fletchlings, it appeared that the Combee Swarm had driven off the Fletchling Flock, and now the Swarm had surrounded her, neutral expressions on their faces. Sweat beginning to drip down, Louise took a step back before the space behind her was closed off, leaving her completely cut off from any escape routes.
"Uhh…hello?" Louise shakily greeted the swarm in a placating tone, to which the only response she received was blank stares. "Okay…I mean you all no harm. I was here before… all of this so if you can just let me go I'll-" Louise started before the swarm suddenly parted in front of her, leaving only one Combee in front of her. She recognized this Combee, as it had the red marking on its face. Unlike the others, it floated towards her, stopping in front of her face and smiled, before turning around and floating towards the forest. After going a few feet, the Combee stopped and turned around, motioning for Louise to follow it.
"Oh. OH, you want me to follow you?" Louise asked the bee, to which it nodded in reply. Looking at Brennaraki for guidance, the answer she received was a smile and began to walk after the Combee. Deciding to follow her starter's lead, Louise began walking after the fox, with the rest of the Combees following her, keeping a close eye at all times.
For several minutes, Louise and Brennaraki followed the Combee through the forest. Thankfully, the Combee had given Louise a chance to scan the freshly caught Fletchling. According to the scan, that the Fletchling was female and knew the moves Tailwind and Peck, with its Ability being Gale Wings. As they continued their trek through the woods, Louise began thinking of names for the small bird.
More Combee had joined them at this point, filling the forest air with their buzzing, before entering another clearing, one with a large oak tree in the center. That was not the main point of interest for Louise, though. That distinction belonged to the largest beehive she had ever seen. It was massive, taking up nearly half the tree itself to the point where it looked less like a hive and more an extension of the tree. A large gap was at its base and the red Combee stopped at it and smiled at Louise. Before Louise could inquire as to what was going on, a large and majestic creature emerged from inside the hive. It looked like a regal, humanoid bee, with a crown atop its head and a beehive dress. Two pairs of wings fluttered from its back, keeping it aloft. As it flew towards Louise, she pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the creature.
"Vespiqueen, the Beehive Pokémon. Vespiqueens only evolve from female Combees and their dress serves as a hatchery for baby Combee," the Pokédex stated aloud. With this new information, Louise finally realized what the importance of the red Combee was.
"I get it now. You're a female, the next Queen," Louise stated, with the red Combee nodding. The Vespiqueen, now in front of Louise, floated in place, the ruby red compound eyes staring into her soul, before motioning for some Combees to reach into her backpack.
"Hey! What are you-!" Louise yelled out in surprise. Before she could do anything, the Combees stopped what they were doing and pulled out several empty glass jars that Louise had stored in her backpack, giving them to the Vespiqueen. The Vespiqueen buzzed and ordered the other Combees to swarm them, which they did. Louise could not see what they were doing, but after a few minutes, the swarm cleared the jars and revealed their contents. No longer where they empty, but instead they were filled with rich, golden Honey. The Combees carefully lifted them and placed the jars back inside Louise's bag where they got them out from, as Louise stared at the Vespiqueen.
"I…I can't…thank you," Louise whispered in appreciation to the Vespiqueen, who nodded in approval before flying back inside the hive. The other Combees followed her inside, leaving the clearing devoid of all creatures except for Louise, her Pokémon, and the female Combee, who waved goodbye with its wing before heading back inside.
"Wow…" Louise whispered in wonder before noticing that the sky was beginning to darken. Deciding to head back to camp, Louise turned around and began the walk back. When they arrived, Louise decided to release the freshly caught Fletchling, intending to heal its wounds and get to know it better.
"Chirp!" The Fletchling cried out happily as it came out of the Luxury Ball, to which Louise smiled before turning around back to her backpack. To get the Full Restores, she had to pull out the honey jars. After grabbing the appropriate medicine, she turned around to apply it, only to notice the Fletchling trying to break inside the honey jars.
"Hey! Stop it!" She scolded, making the Fletchling stop what she was doing. The Fletchling slightly glared at Louise, but nevertheless complied. Louise sighed and looked at the Fletchling with exasperated mirth.
"You were after the honey the entire time, weren't you, Aile?" At the mention of the word Aile, the Fletchling looked up at her in slight confusion, along with Brennaraki. "Aile. Where I come from, it means 'Wing'. Like I told Brennaraki, I can't keep calling you 'Fletchling' now can I?" Louise smiled at the bird, who gained a look of contemplation before happily chirping its approval.
"Well, welcome to the team, Aile. Come on, let's get back to camp. We still have a few more days to go before we get to Santalune." With that, Louise, Brennaraki, and the Fletchling, now properly named Aile, made their way back to camp.
As Louise had predicted, a few days later the group finally arrived in Santalune City. A trip that was supposed to take two days but had instead taken a week. As Louise made her way into the Pokémon Center, people cleared out of her way as they took in the sight of a person who had slept outside in the wilderness for a week, with all the accompanying effects. Louise had never been so dirty in her life. Dirt and grime covered her body, staining her once pristine Academy shirt to the point where it would probably have to be washed if she had any hope for it to be saved. Her hair was frizzed and frayed after not having been cleaned in a week. But the worst was the smell. Louise reeked, to the point where one could swear stink lines and clouds were coming off her. But Louise ignored all of that, walking into the Pokémon Center right up to the head nurse, who visibly gagged at Louise's stench.
"Showers are over there, along with the washing machines," the nurse, whose name according to the nametag was Joy, pointed to the back.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Louise grumbled out before handing over the Luxury Balls containing Brennaraki and Aile. "If you could heal them, I would very much appreciate it. I'm going to take a shower now. Thank you." With that, Louise lumbered towards the back, disappearing from view until the sounds of running water erupted out, coupled with the sounds of the washer. As Louise took in the hot water, she thought about the events of that week, her trek through Route 3, and the encounters she had. She, at that moment, was more concerned about finally being cleaned thoroughly scrubbed herself, washing away all the dirt and grime that once coated her body. Even after she was done with the shower, she continued to clean herself and her hair, turning it back into its rightful pristine condition. By the time she was done, the washer and dryer had fully cleaned her clothes, allowing her to feel whole again.
"Aah, thank you, Nurse Joy. Sorry for taking so long…" Louise thanked Nurse Joy, who merely smiled at her.
"Don't worry about it. Here at the Pokémon Center, we help those who are most in need. And, frankly… you needed it," Nurse Joy replied in a teasing tone.
"Don't remind me…" Louise whispered under her breath before moving on. "How are Brennaraki and Aile?"
"Your Fennekin and Fletchling are fine and at 100 percent. You take very good care of them," Nurse Joy congratulated Louise, handing over their Luxury Balls. As Louise attached the collapsed balls onto her belt, she looked back up at Nurse Joy with another question.
"I was hoping you could help me with something?" Louise tentatively asked Nurse Joy, who smiled at her and nodded. "I'm here to deliver something to a woman named Viola from Professor Sycamore. Do you know where I might find her?"
"Viola? Oh, you mean…Yes, I know where she is. You might not like the answer, though…"
"…just tell me," Louise sighed, closing her eyes in resignation.
As Louise stood at the edge of town, her eye twitched as she took in the scene in front of her. Apparently, Viola worked as a freelance photographer and liked to take pictures of Bug Pokémon and would frequently take trips into the nearby Santalune Forest to take such photographs. Apparently, she only left while Louise was taking her shower, and had walked into the Pokémon Center to give Nurse Joy her schedule for the day Had she not taken so long, she might have caught her in town. But alas, that was not meant to be.
"Okay, let's get this over with," Louise bit back a scream of rage as she begrudgingly entered the forest, with Brennaraki and Aile following behind her.
On the other side of Santalune Forest, where Route 2 went into the dark forest, a young boy stood at the threshold, his two Pokémon by his side. He was wearing a blue hoodie, a pair of worn jeans and black hiking boots, with a large, green hiking backpack atop his back.
"Okay. Ronin, Tanuki, you guys ready for this?" The boy asked his Pokémon, looking down at their blue, diminutive forms.
The two barked in reply before Tanuki hopped onto his shoulder, to which the boy only laughed. Ronin stoically remained on the ground, visibly having to hold itself back.
"Ha-ha! Well, the Kalos League might not be Unova, but we're still going to win it!" The boy yelled out with confidence as he walked into the forest.
Hello, everyone! Here's the next chapter of Outsiders! Once again, we appreciate all of the support. Now, onto answers.
PokemonFan93: The Pokédex thing was admittedly an oversight, however Louise had been with Sycamore for three weeks and had not seen the Pokédex since.
ian25rebel: Had Arceus not had Dialga do the time dilation, time would have operated on a 1:1 scale between the two universes. 1 day on Earth would have been 1 day on Terre, the name of the planet we are using that Louise originally came from.
D'reakmus: Louise's team, along with Saito's, all follow a theme. As more Pokémon get caught, this theme will become more and more apparent.
MAJORMATT1234: Saito is from Earth, which in this story is the Pokémon world. He is a native, and not from a third world.