Outsiders (Pokémon/ZnT Reverse Summon)

Season 1, Episode 6, Chapter 6

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Allie stood beside herself in solace of her room. She was wearing the last good dress she had, although it was tightly snug around her body. Comes with it being a size too small. The discomfort was ignored, though. She had bigger concerns at the moment concerning a few pests. As she brooded, Allie heard a knock on her door, and she quickly walked over and opened it.

"Did you find them?" she immediately asked, not in the mood for pleasantries. In front of her, Rose awkwardly shuffled her dress and crossed her hands in front of her waist.

"My Lady, Swablu has returned and has spotted Mr. Hiraga and Ms. Valliere," she announced. Allie's face blossomed into a wicked smile.

"Excellent. Have my Pokémon ready shortly," Allie declared then turned around in a huff, leaving the door open. Snow sighed and turned to leave, but a cough from the Princess stopped her in her tracks. "And Rose?"

"… Yes, Princess?"

"You really need to work on who gets allowed into the palace. We'll be having a discussion after this is over." Allie waved her hand. "Off you go."

"Of course, Princess." Snow bowed and gently closed to door behind her. She walked away silently, leaving the mahogany doors of Allie's room behind her, fuming and ruffling a crumpled piece of paper in her pocket.

"There won't be a discussion after," she grumbled as she found her sister, holding an identical piece of paper in her hands.

"- And the sorcerer declared 'The Aristocrats'!" Derflinger finished. "That was Brimir's favorite dirty joke. Ah, gets me every time…"

A heavy silence hung over the group as everyone stared at the Honedge with blank expressions. Louise's eye was twitching relentlessly, and a thick vein was bulging on her forehead.

"You… You dirty…perverted…BLASPHEMER!" Louise shrieked. "How DARE you defile the Holy Founder like-!"

"Heh," she heard a faint chuckle and Louise turned her head sharply. The laugh had come from Saito, who was busy fighting back more chuckles. Soon, his control broke and he collapsed into a fit of uproarious laugher, followed by his Pokémon.

"STOP LAUGHING!" she demanded, only to be met with more laugher.

"Lighten up, lady," Derflinger laughed. "You wanted to know about Brimir, so I told you about him."

"I wanted to know about Brimir! His exploits, his personality, his life! Not what…that was!" Louise stomped on the ground. "No, I refuse to believe that the Founder would stoop to such depravity!"

"Well, he did." Derflinger quickly replied, causing Louise to sputter. "By the way, you keep calling him the Founder. What's up with that?"

"HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT?!" Louise shrieked even louder than before. Before she could continue to berate the confused Honedge, Saito finally calmed himself and grabbed her shoulder. "LET GO OF ME!"

"Okay, I think its time for someone to sit down for a bit and calm down, okay?" Saito soothed her and led her to a nearby fallen log. At first, she resisted and continued to glare at Derflinger, but she eventually relented and sat down with her arms crossed. "Sorry about that."

"Bit of a spitfire, ain't she?"

"Yeah, but she's not all bad," Saito shot Louise a smirk, only to be met by an angry glare. "Don't mind her. It's just…from what I can tell, this Brimir guy was very important back home. Still wrapping my head around it, to be honest."

"Eh, don't think too hard about it. Still confused about the whole 'Founder' thing. Mind explain that one to me?"

"Well," Saito looked to Louise, and judging by the huff and glare she gave off, she was in no mood to answer. "I'm not an expert, but from what Louise told me, Brimir was the guy who made Louise's home the way it was as well as protect them from…I think the elves? Did I get that right?" They looked back at Louise, who now had a glaring Brennaraki in her arms.

"…You skipped over the finer details," she finally spoke. "Brimir wasn't just the first Void mage. From him, everything in Halkegenia was born. He created magic, the royal families are all descended from him, liberated our home of the spirits that threatened us, and from him the magocracy was born. A true prophet of the gods and we owe everything to him."

"Magocracy?" Derflinger asked, confusion drenching his voice. Louise raised her eyebrow but continued on.

"As decreed by the gods, those who have magic are fit to rule, while those without serve. It's been that way for the past six thousand years, ever since Brimir-"

"That is the biggest load of bull-crap I've ever heard!" Honedge interrupted Louise's sermon. "Who told you that?"

"Wh… What?" Louise was dumbfounded.

"I may not remember much from back then, but I would certainly remember Brimir being told by the gods that a 'magocracy' was the way to go. Hell, the only time I remember meeting a god was when we met Arceus and that…" Derflinger went silent. "Okay, I don't exactly remember what happened, but it certainly didn't end with him telling Brimir to rule over the non-magical natives we found in Halkegenia."

"The commoners were natives?" Saito asked, intrigued by this information. "Louise made it sound like they were always there?"

"No, Brimir's tribe, the Markey, come from somewhere else. I think they were…fleeing somewhere, but I can't remember why." Derflinger tapped the top of his cross-guard with his sash. "What was it? Natural disaster? War? Famine? What ever it was, it was bad. First, they went to Idun, which was already home to the Elves—"

"You meant the Holy Land?" Louise finally spoke up, her curiosity overriding her indignation. "We were taught that Brimir and his people hailed from there until the Elves cruelly and forcibly expelled us with their Firstborne magic, with the First Crusade being done in an attempt to retake our homeland."

"Well, I wasn't there for whatever this 'Crusade' was, but I do remember that the Elves did kick Brimir and the Markey out."

"But you don't remember why?" Louise dryly finished the sword's sentence, her indignation coming back up.

"Again, six thousand years, give or take a few centuries. Don't sound so surprised." Derflinger shook his body.

"Didn't you want to hear stuff about Brimir's life, anyway?" Saito pointed out. "Sure, he has gaps in his memory, but its better than nothing, right?"

"What he's saying is heretical! Were someone to say this, they'd have Inquisitors at their door!"

"You keep talking about this 'church'," the Honedge butted back in. "Mind explaining that to me?"

"The Church was founded by Brimir to carry out his will and maintain the proper order in Halkegenia," Louise irritably explained. "How do you not know this!?"

"…Because Brimir didn't make any church?" Derflinger looked at Saito then back at a now flabbergasted Louise. "At least not when I was there. Certainly not one that declared him a prophet. Sure, he had a bit of an ego, but not to that extent. Now his apprentice, he was something else. Never liked him. Egomania and ambition never make good bedfellows."

"Maybe he made the church and raised Brimir up to be a prophet to secure power?" Saito suggested, earning an offended look from Louise while Derflinger's hilt bobbed up and down.

"Hmm, makes sense. He always did strike me as the type of guy who—"

"THAT'S IT!" Louise shot up to her feet. "I won't hear any of this anymore! Stop disrespecting the Founder, you stupid sword! Saito, stop encouraging it!" Before any of them could answer, Louise turned around and stomped off in a huff, leaving the two behind.

"…Well, I can tell she's a handful," Derflinger observed as Louise's pink hair disappeared into the foliage.

"Give her some slack. You basically just told her everything she's known was a lie." Saito shook his head. "She'll calm down in a bit. Probably after blowing up a tree or two."

"She does that? Seems kinda violent."

"Better than the alternative."

"So," Tanuki asked as he and the other Pokémon watched Saito and Derflinger continue to converse, "what do you think of him?"

'I think he's…nice?' Espirit suggested, trying to find the right words to describe the Honedge

"You do realize that we were kidnapped because of him, right?" Brennaraki dryly pointed out, causing Espirit to bashfully look down.

'I know but…he was genuine when he apologized for it. As were the Unown, so he's not all bad.' Espirit started. 'Besides, Derflinger even gave Louise some information about her home. That has to mean something.'

'Oh come on! You guys can't tell me that you actually believe any of this?' Maindo yelled drawing their attention to him, "You know that he's a ghost, right? He must have found out about her delusions and decided it be funny to mess with her."

Brennaraki narrowed her eyes at the outburst. "If that's the case, how did Derflinger find out about her story in the first place?"

'Easy, he was surrounded by Unown! They simply read her mind and passed the information on to him for laughs.'

"Well, how do you explain the explosions then? Those certainly aren't a 'figment' of her imagination."

'I don't know! Maybe she just keeps a load of grenades up her ass and throws them around whenever she's in a bad mood,' Maindo growled out, 'And as impossible as that sounds, it's still a better explanation than saying she gained the personal interest of Arceus Himself and He took her from another world and dropped her off here!'

After a short silence with Maindo and Brennaraki glaring at each other, Aile spoke up. "Regardless, I feel bad for Louise." Aile turned to look towards the direction Louise had stormed off. "First thing she's seen of home and it turns out to be…him." Everyone turned to look towards Saito and Derflinger once again, still engrossed in their conversation.

"So, Brimir had four Familiars?" Saito asked. The two of them had been talking about a variety of subjects related to Louise's home, with Derflinger answering whatever questions he could remember the answers to. "Louise told me mages in her country only had one?"

"Yep, he had four," Derflinger nodded. "The thing is, a Familiar is supposed to serve as the mage's protector of sorts. Help 'em out, keep enemies at bay, that sort of stuff. Most spells take only a few seconds to cast, at most maybe a minute. Void spells don't work like that. Most take minutes of chanting and intense concentration just to have one go off."

"Which leaves the mage open."

"Exactly. So, as Brimir was the first Void mage, he needed that much more protection. But, an animal wouldn't do. He needed a Familiar to be independent, smart, and capable of making its own decisions in order to better protect him while he casted. So, he chose to make his Familiars people."

"That seems…kind of skiffy."

"Eh, all the people he did it to were volunteers, but I could see how it could come across like that." Derflinger acquiesced.

"So, these Void Familiars… Did they have any special abilities or something? To make them stand out?"

"They did, but I can only remember the one I worked with."

"Gandalfr, right?" Saito remembered.

"That's the one. The Gandalfr. 'The Left Hand of God'," Derflinger nodded once again. "The Gandalfr rune had a special Void enchantment embedded within that gave the Familiar instant mastery of any weapon. You could take a person with absolutely no combat experience, give 'em the Gandalfr rune and any weapon they pick up is like they've been practicing with it for a century."

"Wow," Saito breathed in amazement. He and Derflinger continued to converse between themselves while the Pokémon turned their attention away.

"He and Saito seem to be getting along," Ronin observed, his arms crossed as he sat Butterfree style.

'They are,' Maindo agreed. A heavy silence descended over the group as they continued to watch the two's conversation. 'I still don't trust him.'

"You don't trust anyone," Tanuki responded with a glare, ignoring how he concurred with the assessment.

'Oh, I trust a lot of Pokémon,' Maindo shot back. 'But I don't trust anyone who thinks it's funny to feed into the delusions of someone who should be locked up in a psychiatric ward.' He pointed towards Derflinger, 'Just watch. Sooner or later, he's going to trip up and when he does, I reserve the right to say I told you so.'

'But I don't think they're lies,' Espirit softly spoke. 'Not entirely. Much of it he actually doesn't remember. But others…it's like he wants to forget but can't.'

At Espirit's words, everyone turned back towards the Honedge, each wondering just what the Honedge was hiding and trying to forget.

"So, let me get this straight," Derflinger looked straight at Saito, his eye boring into Saito's, "you meet up with pinky in the middle of the woods, proceed to beat her up, feel bad, try to help her find this 'Gym Leader', she almost gets you killed, and you decide to keep helping her?"

"That's a very…," Saito paused, trying to find the right word, "…blunt way of putting it, but yes."

Derflinger stared silently at the boy, who was growing increasingly uncomfortable at the attention he was receiving. Finally, the Honedge spoke. "And you did this because…?"

"Because she needed the help," Saito stated without hesitation. Derflinger continued to stare.

"…And nothing else? Nothing at all?"

"…no?" Saito was now fully confused. His confusion increased when Derflinger began to chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, kid." Derflinger shook his body. "So, mind explaining to me just what this whole 'Pokémon League' thing is and why you two are so worked up about it?"

Saito smiled, happy to move the conversation to a more familiar topic. "It's this big tournament that's held every year in Kalos, and you—"

"I got that part," Derflinger interrupted. "What I'm asking is why do you two care so much about what is basically a fancy belt and cup?"

"I…well," Saito paused and cupped his chin. He hadn't really thought about it deeply before. After a few moments of silence, he began to speak. "For me, it's a chance to prove myself. To do something I didn't have the opportunity to do when I was younger. Most people do a Pokémon journey when they're ten. I missed that boat by seven years."

"They wouldn't let 'ya?" Derflinger guessed, but Saito shook his head.

"It wasn't that, we just kept moving. Didn't stay in one place long enough for me to actually start. I was born in Unova, and spent most of my life there, but due to my father's job, for the past seven years we've had to move constantly from one region to another. I've been to Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, then finally Unova again, all over the course of seven years. When we finally moved back to Unova, we thought I'd finally have my chance, so I took it, only to have to move again a month after I started." Saito grew silent. "At that point, I was just done and the first chance I got to continue where I left off, I took it."

"So, to you, the Pokémon League is a lost opportunity, a chance to experience something you missed out on while your peers left you behind." Derflinger summarized, and Saito nodded. "What about pinky? Why does she want the belt?"

"Because it's proof," a feminine voice rang out, causing Saito and Derflinger to swivel towards the sound. There they saw Louise standing with her arms crossed, her face flat and serious.

"Proof?" Derflinger's eyelid narrowed. "Proof of what?"

"That I'm not a failure." Everyone grew silent as Louise spoke. "Winning the League and becoming Champion is the ultimate proof that I'm worth my title. Worth my status as a mage. That is why I will win the Pokémon League."

Derflinger grew silent, continuing to stare at Louise. "I can understand that. Winning tournaments is always a good way to prove how strong you are." Louise smiled at Derflinger's words. "But who exactly are you trying to prove?"

Louise's smile disappeared. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Are you trying to prove yourself to others, like Arceus, your family, and your classmates who Saito described as jerks, or are you trying to prove something to yourself?"

Louise grew silent as everyone stared at her. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked off. As she walked away, Saito and Derflinger looked at each other.

"I should…probably go after her." Saito rubbed the back of his neck and began to walk after her, his and her Pokémon following him.

"I think I'll join you guys," Derflinger announced, floating up to Saito. He stared at the Honedge then shrugged, not minding his presence. Besides, he liked their little conversations.

"Stupid sword," Louise grumbled to herself as she stomped through the woods. She could hear the others behind her but paid them no heed. "Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? I need to prove something to myself? He needs to prove something to himself, that's what's actually going on."

"You know we can hear you, right?" she heard Derflinger shout from the back, and she groaned in response.

"Why are you still here?" she demanded, not ceasing her stride.

"'Cuz I want to, that's why," Derflinger replied. Once again, Louise could practically see the smirk he would be giving off, and she groaned again.

"That's not a reason," she retorted. "Why are you actually here? Really? We woke you up after, what six thousand years? By all accounts, you should want to simply leave and see the world you've missed. So why stick around and annoy me?"

Derflinger rolled his eye. "Well, excuse me for finding the first thing from home in roughly six millennia and wanting to stick close to it. I'm a sword, not a golem. I have a feelings, you know, and I get homesick."

At this, Louise stopped, her back still turned towards the Honedge. She could understand that sentiment. Deep down, she felt the same way, but didn't want to admit it.

"…Aren't swords usually not alive at all?" Saito quietly pointed out, causing Derflinger to chuckle.

"I'm a very special sword." Derflinger's declaration got a chuckle out of Saito and a roll of the eyes from Louise.

"Well, seeing how we can't get rid of you," she said as she turned around towards them, "what's our next move?"

Derflinger stared at Louise, his eye unblinking. "…I'm not sure I follow…?" Louise groaned and grabbed her face.

"I mean, what—" she stopped mid-sentence. Off in the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of white and blue among a sea of green.

"Louise? Louise, what's wrong?" Saito asked, coming up towards her.

"I thought I saw something," she answered, her eyes trained on the spot where she saw it. "Something white and blue. Small."

"A Pokémon?"

"Maybe." Saito stared towards the trees. "Maindo, Tanuki, you guys see anything?" He looked towards his Pokémon, who's eyes were scrunched in concentration. After a while, Tanuki looked up, his eyes wide in surprise, and nodded. "How many?" Images flashed through his head, and after a moment realized they came from Maindo.

"What'd they say?" she asked, and Saito groaned.

"Perfect, just perfect."

"What? What is it?"

"It's the Princess." As soon as the words lift his mouth, the blue and white Pokémon came back into view. It was a small blue bird with while fluffy wings. To Louise, they looked like clouds. Curious, and feeling as though she would need the information, she pulled out her Pokédex.

"What the heck is that?" Derflinger asked, eyeing the strange device.

"Swablu, the Cotton Bird Pokémon. Using its cottony wings, Swablus routinely clean themselves and their surroundings from dirt and grime. When its wings get dirty themselves, it will wash them in a stream of freshwater."

"Oh, well that's neat. Mind scanning me next time? I'm curious as to what it says about me."

"A Swablu," Louise muttered, ignoring the sword's request. A Flying/Normal-type, one that was owned. "If I were a spoiled princess..."

"Then I'd go for the fanciest Pokémon around," Saito finished her sentence, glaring at the three Pokémon who likely caused their upcoming predicament. Derflinger noticed this and turned towards the three pranksters.

"Just what did you three do?" he asked. Aile let out a mumbled chirp alongside Tanuki's mumbled bark. "Ha! That sounds hysterical! Really, really stupid, but hysterical."

"Wait, you can understand them?" Louise asked, and Derflinger looked at her as though she suddenly sprouted a second head.

"Of course, I can understand them. I'm a Honedge, remember?" He rolled his eye while Louise sputtered, then turned towards the Swablu, who was flying away. "Something tells me that she'll be back with friends. Now, we can do one of two things. One, we can have the Ralts teleport us out, but that would, in effect, be letting her win. Two, we roll out the welcome mat. Is that still a phrase now?"

"It is, and I agree." Saito nodded. "We'll try to defuse the situation first, but if she escalates, its better to be prepared. Louise?" The others all turned towards Louise, who was silently glaring at her Pokémon for her ill-conceived notion from before. After a moment, she sighed and nodded.

"Okay." Louise declared, knowing how this was going to end.

The two trainers sat on a nearby log with the three perpetrators for several minutes in silence. They all knew what was coming, that the Princess was likely not the type to accept an apology for their actions, but it didn't hurt to try. Finally, they began to hear the sound of footsteps coming towards them and the bushes were parted by the two maid sisters, allowing the Princess to pass through without a single leaf touching her body. Silently, she glared at the two trainers, with them silently standing up in opposition.

"You...two…ingrates!" Allie growled at Saito and Louise. "I let you into my home, and you reward my generosity by having your Pokémon torment me?!"

"Princess Allie," Louise calmly stated, forcing herself to remain polite, "that was not our doing. Maindo, here, stayed behind for some reason and we sent Tanuki and Aile to get him back. For some reason I cannot possibly fathom," she glared at the three Pokémon in question, with Aile and Tanuki looking sheepish while Maindo looked unrepentant, "they decided to torment you. I wish to formally extend our sincerest apologies for their actions. They were inexcusable, and recent, subsequent events have convinced them to never do so again."

"Trust us, they have every reason not to anymore." Saito nodded, crossing his hands in front of his waist.

"Does it look like I care if you sent them or if they are sorry?!" Allie spat back, her face warped into a smile. "You all crossed me, and that demands retribution! I am here to collect." Louise and Saito remained silent before sighing in resignation.

"Well, we tried." She shook her head and steeled herself, as did Saito and the Pokémon next to them. From the trees around them, the other Pokémon and Derflinger made themselves known, all staring at Allie with an intense glare. With an animalistic growl, Allie pulled out Luxury Balls of her own and began to toss them out in quick succession.

"Furfrou! Swablu! Milotic! Arcanine! Honedge! Dratini" Allie yelled as the Pokémon were released from their balls, and Louise and Saito's eyes narrowed. The Furfrou and Swablu were familiar to them, having already seen the poodle and cottony bird, but the others they had not. The Arcanine was a large orange and black dog, the largest they had ever seen. Smoke billowed out of its mouthing, telling Louise that this was a Fire-type. She would have to leave it to Ronin. The Milotic was a long, slender serpent, covered in radiant scales. It was majestic and beautiful, but now was not the time to marvel at its beauty. She remembered seeing it lounging in the fountain back at the palace, telling her it was a Water-type. Brennaraki could not fight it. Too much of a disadvantage. Like the Milotic, the Dratini was a serpent like creature, only much shorter and covered in blue and white scales, horn like appendages on the sides of its head. They reminded her of a crown, of sorts. She didn't need to guess what type it was. Back at Sycamore's lab, the Dratini line was the poster child of Dragon-types. What was most fascinating to her was the Princess' Honedge. It looked much different than the one she and Saito had met not an hour before. Whereas Derflinger looked like a standard short sword in a sheath, the Princess' looked like a rapier. Saito had noticed it as well and glanced towards Derflinger.

"Hey, Derf?" He asked, not taking his eyes off of Allie and her Pokémon. "Why does that Honedge look different than you?"

"Honedges can make themselves look like any sword they want, given that they have a strong connection to the form. You can only do it once, though, and it takes a lot of effort," Derflinger said, causing Allie, the maids, and their Pokémon to recoil and shock. His eye then lidded as he looked at the other Honedge and spoke once again, his voice now much deeper. "I must say, though, I can appreciate the form." Silence descended on the group as they all stared at Derflinger.

"…Did you just…?" Saito began to say, completely flabbergasted. A faint giggle was then heard, and everyone's eyes shot towards the other Honedge, who continued to giggle. Saito then looked back at a surprised Derflinger.

"I, uh…I didn't think this through. I didn't think I'd get this far."

"You think?" Louise asked with a bewildered expression. Before Derflinger could respond, Allie began to stomp her feet repeatedly.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" she flailed and threw a tantrum. "I did not come here just to have my family's Honedge get flirted on by some talking piece of rust! Milotic, Water Sport!" At once, Milotic cooed and released a fine mist of water from her body, enveloping everyone in droplets of water. Soon after, both sides rocket towards each other as the battle commenced. Shadow Balls, Air Slashes, and Water Pulses shot forward from the trainer's Pokémon towards the Princess', many finding their mark. Brennaraki attempted to fire off an Ember towards the enemy Honedge, only for the fireball to rapidly diminish in strength as it zoomed towards the Steel/Ghost-type, eventually dissipating entirely before it even had the chance to strike.

"Damn this water!" she cursed as she realized what the going on. The mist secreted from Milotic was making her Fire-type attacks much weaker. She leapt out of the way from the Milotic's Water Pulse as it bared down on her, and she narrowed her eyes. "Okay, time to try something different." Brennaraki concentrated and shot off a Psybeam towards the Milotic, striking her in the head. The serpent recoiled then glared back at the fox before whipping its tail at her, enveloped in a sheath of water. She leapt over it and fired another Psybeam at the Milotic, who shrieked and charged her.

Above them, Aile and the Swablu engaged in an aerial duel of beaks and wings. They clashed against one another, pecking and slamming their bodies into one another whenever and wherever they could. As they were doing this, Aile was steadily releasing a Tailwind to help her teammates while at the same using Agility to boost her speed even more. Already as fast as she was comfortable going, she turned into a blur as she raced towards the Swablu with Quick Attack. Her body slammed into Swablu beak first, causing the cottony bird to cry out in pain and flutter away. Glaring at the Fletchling, Swablu sang out with Round, creating a shockwave that assaulted Aile's ears. As Aile writhed in pain, Swablu charged and slammed its body into Aile's with Take Down, sending her crashing into the floor with a gasp of pain. She struggled to pick herself off her feet, only for Swablu to race back down towards her. Thinking fast, Aile flapped her wings towards the Swablu, creating razors of wind that rocketed towards the surprised Swablu like swords, buffeting its body and sending it crashing to the forest floor.

"Oh, sweet! Finally got Razor Wind working!" Aile congratulated herself before releasing yet another barrage towards the downed Swablu. The bird cried out in pain as the Razor Wind struck its body before it managed to flutter away once more. Aile narrowed her eyes as it departed into the canopy.

"Oh, you aren't getting away that easily," she said as she sped towards the retreating Swablu.

Back on the ground, Espirit and Maindo were tag teaming against the Dratini, their Fairy-types making its Dragon-type attacks useless and Espirit's Misty Terrain prevent paralysis from its Thunder Wave. Maindo cackled evilly as the blue flames of Dragon Rage washed harmlessly over his small body, charging up a Shadow Ball in the process and launching it towards the Dragon Pokémon. Dratini twisted its body around the sphere, allowing it to pass harmlessly through before she launched her body towards Maindo and wrapped him into a tight coil.

'Get off of me!" he yelled in indignation, beginning to assault her mind with Confusion. Dratini squealed in pain but fought through it, tightening her body around Maindo's, making him yell in pained alarm and halting the psychic assault. Dratini cooed in relief and continued to squeeze, only for another Confusion to strike her, making her recoil. As she did, Espirit psychically grabbed nearby leaves off the trees, imbuing them with energy, and launched the Magical Leaf towards her. The leaves cut into the Dratini's body and make her loosen her grip slightly. It was enough for Maindo to finally concentrate enough to Teleport away with a loud pop, reappearing right next to Espirit and joining in on the assault with a Confusion of his own. The Dratini wailed as Espirit teleported atop her head and gently kissed the dragon's forehead. Pink veins appeared at the point of contact and made it flail even more before she whipped her tail at Espirit, launching her away with a yelp. Maindo helped her up to her feet before attacking the Dratini again, Maindo shooting a Shadow Ball and Espirit releasing a Disarming Voice.

Ronin was currently occupying himself with taking down Arcanine. It appeared that it evolved far to early in its life, as it wasn't as strong as it should have been. Arcanines, after all, were a strong species, yet this one wasn't able to launch more than Embers and other simple attacks. If Ronin had to guess, Allie must have gotten the Growlith then immediately used a Fire Stone on it. Coupled with Milotic's Water Sport from earlier weakening its attacks, the battle was going remarkably well. That wasn't to say it was going perfectly, as Ronin was quickly reminded as a large paw struck him and sent him flying. He landed on his back then rolled onto his feet, grabbed his scalchop mid-roll, then launched a Razor Wind towards the Arcanine. It struck, making the creature wince briefly before growling. It launched towards Ronin, who dodged while forming a Water Pulse and shooting it into the Arcanine's body. The water caused it to cry out in pain before it snarled and tried to bite Ronin. Using his scalchop, he kept the snapping jaws away from him and, using it as a wedge, prevented the jaws from closing. He then shot a jet of water into the Fire-type's mouth, and the Arcanine's eyes bulged as the Water Gun filled his insides. He roiled and sputtered, gushes of water spewing from his mouth with each hack, until Ronin struck him again with a Razor Shell, sending him to the ground.

Tanuki had launched himself towards Furfou almost immediately, attacking the poodle with a glowing paws of steel and Aura. Each strike hit true against the Normal-type, rocking her body back in forth. Furfrou jumped back and kicked dirt into the Riolu's eyes, forcing him to stop his assault as he attempted to remove the obstruction. Seeing its chance, Furfrou tackled Tanuki to the ground, biting him in the arm and hoisting him into the air, intending to slam him back onto the ground. Instead, Tanuki twisted himself as Furfrou swung downward, landing on his feet, his arm still held in Furfrou's jaws. Surprised, Furfrou bit down again, only for Tanuki to glow red just as the jaws clamped down. Furfrou was suddenly launched back as it received the force of the bite instead of Tanuki. Taking advantage of this respite, Tanuki sped towards the poodle with Quick Attack, striking his opponent then immediately moving to a series of punches and kicks, ending with one final Meteor Mash that launched Furfrou into a nearby tree, cracking it. The poodle slumped and did not get back up. He smirked then moved to join Brennaraki against the Milotic, intercepting a Water Pulse and allowing the fire fox to launch another Psybeam.

"Furfrou!" Allie shouted in alarm as she saw her Pokémon get defeated. She then glared at Saito and Louise, who were busy issuing commands to their various Pokémon. She grit her teeth as she realized similar events were playing around the battlefield. Her Pokémon were all being beaten back, Saito and Louise's Pokémon being much better trained. She turned towards Rose and Snow with a snarl.

"Don't just stand there!" she shouted. "Attack them!"

"Actually, I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, and now's a good a time as any." Snow smiled and pulled out a piece of paper, as did Rose. "We quit."

"WHAT!?" Allie shouted indignantly as the two maids bowed one final time and walked away.

"Have fun getting your ass kicked!" Snow called out as she walked away, Rose silently extending a middle finger towards the Princess as they disappeared into the underbrush.

"Why those little-!" Allie sputtered.

"That's why you treat the help nice," Louise called out, a confident smirk on her face. "Otherwise, that happens, and good help is hard to come by."

"Shut up!" Allie shouted back, her face flushed with rage and embarrassment. Things were not going to plan at all. A clash of metal on metal then attracted her attention. She turned towards the sound and saw the two Honedges dueling, and she smirked.

"I hope your Honedge can stand up to mine," she laughed. "She's been in our family for generations! Nothing has been able to beat her!"

"Oh, is that so?" Derflinger asked as she parried the rapier's stab. "Well, I can certainly see her skill and grace in her movements. They are a sight to behold."

"Oh, monsieur Derflinger, you are too kind," Honedge giggled as she slashed towards him yet again. "I must say, though, it has been quite some time since I've had such a good fight. Not since my bout with my former master, Jean Pierre, have I witness such skill. Still, it is no match for moi."

"He must have been skilled," Derflinger responded as he swung downward at the other Honedge, who nimbly dodged. "He taught you well."

"He was a great fencer, and a great friend." She sighed in remembrance as her body began to glow and chime. "Come on!" she cried as she began to move once again, her movements much faster than before, yet at the same time less weighty.

"Automatize," Derflinger mused to himself as he parried another stab. His eye narrowed as the other Honedge launched into a series of rapid strikes, forcing him on the backfoot and forcing him back. He couldn't help but internally smile, though. This battle was enjoyable, and he could see why the kids liked it so much. Really got the blood pumping.

"I see you're a speed fighter," he said as he took another hit, slashing at her as he did. "Personally, I'm a heavy hitter." He slashed once more at his opponent, her lowered mass making the strike hit much harder than before. She flew back before readjusting, her eye staring into his.

"Well then, allow me to even the scales." She flew into a Swords Dance, her blade sharpening as she went. Derflinger narrowed his eyes before doing the same, bits of rust flaking off of him as he did. As they finished, they launched back towards one another, metal striking metal and sending off sparks with each strike. Derflinger winced with each blow, but a quick look told him that his strikes were affecting his opponent much more than hers was to him. He was winning.

"Well, Honedge, I must say that I've enjoyed our fight," parried another blow and struck her handle, spinning her in space, "but I'm afraid it must now end." He then cleaved downward, sending her crashing into the ground with a small crater and a cloud of dust. As the dust settled and cleared, Derflinger saw her eye had closed. She was done.

"No, NO!" Allie screeched and grabbed tufts of her hair. All around her, her Pokémon began to fall one by one. Swablu crashed into the ground as Aile fluttered overhead, Milotic slumped down as Tanuki and Brennaraki tag-teamed her, Dratini being sent flying into a tree from the two Fairy-types' assault. A final Water Pulse knocked Arcanine onto his side and he did not get back up. With that, she done, and her Pokémon were all defeated.

"Yes!" Louise and Saito cheered and congratulated their Pokémon at a job well done.

"You…you…" she sputtered, tears building in her eyes. "WAAGH!" she collapsed onto her legs and began to wail, tears running down her cheeks as she cried and stopping the other's jubilation. They looked at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to do and growing increasingly uncomfortable with her cries. Finally, Louise stood straighter and marched over.

"Hey," she began, halting Allie's wails. "Is that any way for a Princess to act? Your supposed to be dignified and regal, not acting like a spoiled child."

"But—"

"No," Louise interrupted, continuing to lecture. "A Princess is regal. She does not lower herself to acting like this. She is supposed to be above national standards, not so far below them that she debases the entire institution of nobility. You are a noble, so start acting like it."

Without saying another word, she turned and walked back to her Pokémon. "Espirit, before we leave, please heal all of her Pokémon."

"You sure about that?" Saito asked with a raised eyebrow. "She did attack us."

"I know. But this is how nobility is supposed to act." She looked back down onto Espirit, not noticing Derflinger's approving nod.

"Well, I suppose she's not entirely helpless," he murmured to himself before noticing the other Honedge slowly begin to rise into the air. "Need some help there?"

"No thank you, monsieur. I am more than capable of floating on my own power," she relied and steadily rose before stopping, noticeably lower than before. "I must say, I haven't had a fight like that in eighty years. Not since I helped the king in the Great War."

"I'm glad to have provided you with a challenge, then," Derflinger said. "Now that we aren't trying to beat each other up, I have to ask. I don't think I caught your name. Ms.?"

"Requiem," the Honedge responded. "It was the name of Monsieur Pierre's sword long ago. I took it after…after he died a hundred and sixty years ago, now."

"I'm sorry. It always hurts to lose a partner."

"You know that feeling well, don't you?" Requiem looked at him, seeing the pain in his eye. "Still, he went out as a hero, as he always was. Stopped a group of people from controlling Groudon. They were trying to expand the landmass of their kingdom, not caring or knowing about the destruction they would have wrought. We stopped them, but he died in the process of saving countless lives, both human and Pokémon."

"A life is the most precious thing in the world. At least he gave his in the defense of others." Derflinger grew silent again as he looked upon the two trainers heal their Pokémon, while Espirit continued to heal their opponents. Requiem gazed upon them as well.

"You sense it too, don't you? The feeling that important events will swirl around them?"

"…Yes. Yes I do."

"You know that many such events are likely to be dangerous? Life threatening, in some cases?"

"I know."

"Is that why you are going to stay with them, rather than rejoin the royal family you served alongside all those years ago?" Derflinger looked at her, puzzled, and she giggled. "I recognized you from the paintings on the palace walls. You have a very distinct look and aura about you. Very regal."

"Thank you. You yourself as poised as ever," he flirted back, making her giggle. "But, I'm sure that the Kalos family is more than protected behind your capable eye and blade."

"I suppose you are right," she admitted then flew back over to Allie. "I appreciate getting to know you, Monsieur Derflinger. May we meet again, under more pleasant circumstances."

"Likewise," he nodded back towards her then flew to Louise and Saito. They all looked at each other then left, leaving Allie behind with her Pokémon without saying a word.

"So, I've been giving it some thought," Derflinger began as they all walked towards Camphrier, "and I've decided that sticking around you guys is the best bet. After all, I do want to see the region I've missed out on for the past six thousand years, and since you guys seem intent on doing just that, I might as well join in."

"Sure!" Saito smiled. "We'd be happy to have you!"

"Ugggh," Louise groaned. "Fine. If you two are insistent in him staying, you two can be on the same team. I'm not wasting one of my slots on him."

"Well, aren't you just cheery." Derflinger laughed. "Besides, I wasn't going to ask you, anyway."

"WHAT?!"

"I served the Gandalfr, not the Void Mage. The partner to the Void mage, if you will. Since it is obvious that you aren't going to have a familiar, lest you risk Arceus' wrath, that means that I have to do the next best thing. Saito, you are that next best thing."

"…Thank you?"

"You are welcome. Now, tell me, how does this work exactly?"

Elsewhere, the sun was setting on a very different scene. Elizabeth slowly strode into a clearing a short distance off of Route 5 and collapsed against a tree, exhausted. She had risen before the dawn to pack the food for the next few days and to say goodbye to the few people who would actually care; then she was off, moving at a brisk clip that she would hold for most of the eight hours it took for her to get here.

"Well, I certainly picked the wrong outfit this morning," Elizabeth said to no one in particular as she observed her sweat-soaked attire. That the teal shift and white skirt were ill-suited to the current weather was obvious, and the fact that every single one of the outfits Elizabeth had packed was just as poorly suited–if not worse–only made it clearer how rushed the whole affair was. And all that was without mentioning the sad condition her hair and makeup were in.

With a sigh, Elizabeth pulled her rucksack off her back and reached inside, quickly withdrawing a trio of Pokéballs and opened them. Try as she might, she couldn't help but grin at the sight of her team, plus one, materializing in front of her. Whatever else she might have done, Elizabeth hadn't lied to Saito when she had said that journeys were best experienced with friends, and she couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't brought them out earlier in her trip. Eevee's flat gaze and subsequent sneeze of disapproval reminded the verdette exactly why she had refrained until now.

Refusing to let the dismissal get to her, Elizabeth stood up and began speaking in the most jovial tone she could manage. "Machamp, why don't you go collect some firewood? Eevee, you can help me set up the tent, just like we did when we were both younger." Eevee huffed and turned away.

"Well, fine! I can just teach Zorua how we used to do it!" Elizabeth huffed, clearly hurt by the rejection. Eevee didn't bother replying.

While the tent was little more than a canvas sheet draped over a rope, the two only barely managed to set it up by the time Machamp returned. With his help, they quickly built a campfire and a tripod, and Elizabeth went to work making their dinner. While it had been years since she had last cooked, the verdette had made a point of memorizing several easy campfire recipes when she was nine, mainly because she thought she would be venturing out into the world on her next birthday. The smell of cooking soup eventually drew Eevee over, and the four shared a meal in quiet contentment.

Elizabeth set her bowl aside and sighed wistfully. "It wasn't my best work, but I guess it was pretty good for being the first thing I cooked in nearly eight years. I guess there are just some things you never… quite… forget…" she trailed off, staring at her left hand.

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur for Elizabeth, until she found herself sitting alone by the dying campfire, heating spindles in the embers before wrapping her locks around them. Everyone else had already gone to bed by that point, so she kicked some dirt into the firepit and just sat there for a while, taking in the stars as they passed overhead and wondering just what the future would bring.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Outsiders! A lot of things happened here, most importantly Derflinger having joined the main cast. To help emphasize this, he is now a part of the character tags for this story, as he is a very important character in this story.

Now, onto the Q&A:

ian25rebel: Yep, Derflinger is now a Honedge. He's our favorite talking sword, after all, and given how Honedges are a thing, we felt it was appropriate.

Pacer287: That was one of the reasons why we wanted to include him. A lot of times in stories, he either isn't really shown or literally copied/pasted from canon. We wanted to expand on him and use him to expand on the FoZ world. For example, we came up with a name for the Holy Land: Idun, after the Norse Goddess of Spring.

That's it for this chapter. We hope you all enjoy!