Outsiders (Pokémon/ZnT Reverse Summon)

Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 3

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"I hope leaving Espirit with the babies was fine…" Louise looked back to hatchery from the field. "I should have stayed with her."

"You just wanted to stay with the babies," Saito accused with an amused glare. Louise raised her finger to retort, but the words caught in her throat and she sighed.

"…yes," she quietly got out, an embarrassed blush adorned on her face while Saito chuckled.

"Can't say I blame you. Those babies were adorable." Saito paused and tapped his chin. "I wonder how she's doing right now?"


'Alright, kids! Who wants another ride?' Espirit happily announced as she gently lifted a laughing Magby up and down.

"Me! Me!" the other freshly hatched Pokémon jumped up, trying to get her attention. Pichus, Elekids, Togepis, and many more were practically scrambling over each other before a quick look from Derflinger calmed them down. As they did, Espirit sighed contently to herself.

'This was a good decision.'


"Probably having the time of her life, to be honest." Louise shrugged. They ended up spending nearly an hour in the Hatchery just playing with the freshly hatched Pokémon. The two trainers barely managed to contain themselves from immediately joining in with their Pokémon as they played with the hatchlings just long enough to scan everything they saw. Then they joined in.

They tugged, pulled, and generally roughhoused with the baby creatures for the rest of their time there, with Joyce generously allowing it. Apparently, most visitors end up doing the exact same thing, and many nearby primary schools send children over on field trips to learn about Pokémon. As such, people playing with them was not only expected, but also encouraged. Saito got the faint sense that Joyce also found the sight to be adorable.

He didn't blame her. Had be been the one watching, it was likely that he would have felt the same thing. Still, all good things come to an end, and so Joyce had them bid adieu to the babies. That way, the two trainers could complete their tour before it got too late. Espirit, however, begged to remain behind, wanting to continue playing with the baby Pokémon. Louise and Saito chalked it up to her empathic abilities alerting her to their joy, which triggered a motherly instinct within her. At first, Louise tried to refuse, only for Espirit to give her the Ralts equivalent of a Growlith-stare. Louise stood no chance against that, and quickly capitulated. Derflinger offered to stay behind and watch over the Ralts, and so the trainers left with the rest of their Pokémon.

That was several hours ago. By now, the sun had fully set, and the moon was rising overhead, giving the ranch an eerie glow while floodlights illuminating the rest of the facility. The air was slightly warm and had a cool breeze blowing through it. Benefits of the summer air, he supposed, but that would only last another month at most. Pretty soon, he would have to replace his track suit with some lightly warmer clothing, especially once winter hit. Their experience in the Ice Box, an enclosure specifically made for Ice-type Pokémon, showed him and Louise exactly why they should move to winter clothes once the snow arrived. But, that was months away, so they had time.

Right now, Joyce was leading them through the Rocky Hills portion of the Daycare. Like the Ice Box and River, it was meant to house Rock and Ground-type Pokémon. The Pokémon had easily concealed themselves into the rocky terrain. A few times he and Louise almost stepped on a rock, only to find out it was an angry Geodude that Joyce had to calm subsequently calm down. Still, for the most part it was an otherwise enjoyable hike. They saw a wide variety of Pokémon from across all the different Regions, many of which Saito couldn't recognize without pulling out his Pokédex. Louise pulled hers out on every single new species, only to eventually stop trying due to poor reception.

"Joyce, quick question?" Louise suddenly asked, causing their guide to stop. Taking it as her cue, the rosecrown continued, "Why do those Geodudes look different than the others?"

"Hmm?" Joyce turned around and saw what Louise was talking about. Nestling alongside a magnetized rock was a Geodude. However, unlike the ones they had nearly stepped on, this one had a smoother, grey body with iron hairs sticking out of the top of its head.

"Oh, that Geodude is an Alolan variant," Joyce explained. Seeing how both trainers raised their eyebrows, Joyce continued. "Due to its remoteness from the other regions, several Pokémon common to other regions ended up developing unique variants to better survive in their environment. These variants ended up having completely different types than their counterparts because of these adaptations. The Alolan Geodude, for instance, is a duel Rock-Electric-type Pokémon, unlike the more common Rock-Ground-type."

"Really?" Saito raised his eyebrow. "Why'd it become an Electric-type?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Joyce smiled. "Alola is rich in several different types of minerals that have strong electromagnetic properties. As such, in addition to forming a large part of the Alolan economy, they produce a powerful electromagnetic field in certain areas. Alolan Geodudes ended up adapting to use those electromagnetic fields to their advantage, which caused their secondary typing to change from Ground to Electric."

"Fascinating," Louise hummed to herself. "What other—"

The lights suddenly gave out around the Daycare, plunging the world into darkness. At once, the Pokémon around them started in fright, not expecting the sudden change as did the people.

"What the Hell?!"

"Who turned off the lights?!"

"Everyone, calm down!" Joyce ordered, her voice rising into a shout for the first time since they've arrived. At once, the two trainers and their Pokémon went silent, although the daycared Pokémon were still bellowing in fright. Without missing a beat, Joyce pulled out a whistle and blew into it.

'Gaagh! My ears!' Maindo hissed as did the other Pokémon. Despite the pain, the Pokémon managed to calm down enough to allow for Joyce to hear herself think. As she did, Louise reached into her backpack and pulled out the headlamps she had purchased earlier that day.

"Good thinking," Saito thanked her as he strapped the device in place and flipped it on. Immediately a cone of light shone out from his forehead and another came from Louise's. The light seemed to soothe the Pokémon a little more before another light shone from Joyce's chest. The guide coughed, and the two trainers turned towards her, expressions of confusion on their faces.

"Joyce, what's going on?" Louise asked, confusion and fear seeping into her voice. Her Pokémon had already taken defensive postures around her, as did Saito's around him.

"I don't know." Joyce shook her head. "Power failure, maybe a blown fuse. It's odd, we had some guys do inspections last week…"

"Maybe they missed something?" Saito suggested, to which Joyce hummed and nodded her head.

"Possibly. Still, something doesn't seem right…" She trailed off and looked towards the main building, her eyes squinted. "We need to get back to the main building. Might be able to figure out what's going in in there."

The two trainers nodded in agreement and began to move towards the building, their Pokémon following behind. Aile flew out ahead of the others, making sure to move any scared Pokémon out of the way while Ronin and Brennaraki stayed near their trainers at all times. Taking up the rear of group was Tanuki and Maindo, a curious scowl on their faces.

"You sensed it too, didn't you?" Tanuki said as the continued to run. Periodic, his eyes would flash a faint blue as he sent out pulses of Aura, trying to find glimpses of anything unusual.

'I did,' Maindo replied, a frown on his face. 'But only for a moment. Something's interfering with my psychic powers, making it hard for me to see clearly.'

"My Aura, as well. You don't think that 'something' is actually 'someone', do you?"

'Tanuki, I don't think. I know.'


"I don't like this…" Louise whispered as they neared the main building, the lights still out. She didn't like it one bit, and the others couldn't help but agree with her. With each passing second, Louise was placing more and more credence to the Absol connection Saito and Derflinger had espoused just a few hours before. "Where did you say the circuit breaker was again?"

"It's on the outside of the building, towards the north side," Joyce revealed, unease seeping into her voice. "Stay on your guard. Something's wrong."

Quietly, the group made their way around the building, the soft cries of Pokémon sounding in the distance. For a moment, Saito thought he could hear the sound of an engine running somewhere, but it quickly went away. Pursing his lips, he continued onward towards the circuit breaker, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

"There, found it," Joyce announced as they neared a small metal box attached to the building wall. A metal tube ran out from the bottom an into the ground, connecting to local power grid and distributing electricity across the entire facility.

"No sign of breaking in," Saito pointed out. Indeed, the lock on the circuit was still there, locked and untouched. Joyce hummed as she fiddled with the lock, testing it for any signs of breaks before fishing into her pocket for the key. As she did, a faint rustle was heard from behind them, causing Saito to whip around to try and find it. Instead, he found nothing, but he felt that to be more unsettling.

"Tanuki, Maindo, do you see anything?" Saito whispered, seeing that his two Pokémon were staring intently all around. Slowly, they shook their head while Maindo sent images into his brain. From what he could tell, they both thought something was off and that something was interfering with their senses. After the experience with the Unown, they couldn't' afford to be complacent, and Saito's guard grew.

"Got it!" Joyce said as she unlocked the metal box. "Let's… What in the world?"

Saito turned back towards the circuit breaker, a question forming only to die as he took in the state of the circuit breaker. It was completely fried, much more so than simply a blown fuse. He had seen blown fuses several times in his life, but this was no blown fuse. It was as if a small explosive went off in it, destroying the entire thing and leaving it irreparable.

"Did it…explode?" Louise gasped with wide eyes while Joyce's eyes narrowed. Her fingers gingerly touched the scorch marks, soot rubbing off as her hand went away. Her eyes widened when saw something stick out among the wrecked electronics, tiny fragments of what appeared to be a radio transceiver, and in that instant, she understood what had occurred.

"Sabotage…" she hissed and clenched those fists. "Those bastards…!"

"What? What happened?"

"Someone tampered with the circuit breaker! Put a remote explosive in there to blow the entire thing!" she shouted, utterly enraged.

"Who would have…" Louise trailed off as she remembered something Joyce had said earlier. "Didn't you say that you had someone come in last week to inspect it?"

"Yes," Joyce angrily hissed, cursing herself for trusting them.

"Thieves?" Saito suggested, his head whipping around as he tried to find anyone nearby.

"Probably." Joyce scowled before her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, Arceus… There here for the eggs!"

Louise's eyes widened, understanding Joyce's conclusion. Sycamore had explained it quite well to her, that Pokémon Eggs are among the most prized commodities in the world. Given how tightly regulated their trade is, however, this has given rise to a large black market from irreputable breeders, poachers, or even thieves. Each egg could go for thousands of Pokédollars each, and the Daycare had hundreds of them. It was immediately clear as to what the target would be.

"We have to get to the hatchery! Now!" Louise ordered. Without waiting for their approval, Louise shot up and prepared to move when a voice suddenly cut out in the darkness.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," the voice darkly said, amusement in his voice. Immediately the three and their Pokémon whipped around to the source to find a man standing before them, hands in his pocket and wearing a fine suited red uniform. Dark maroon sunglasses shielded his eyes from the blinding lights shining on him and he smirked once Saito and Joyce recognized the insignia on his suit jacket.

"Team Flare! But…you were all arrested!" Joyce yelled out, vividly recalling the last time she had seen Team Flare in action.

"Minor setbacks," another voice replied as a woman wearing a Flare uniform emerged from their flank, a confident smirk sending chills down their spines. From the other side, a third man appeared, also waring the Flare insignia, leaving the three trainers and their Pokémon surrounded. "I suggest that you surrender your Pokémon now. Before we're forced to dirty our hands."

Joyce was shaking in her boots. Regular poachers and thieves she could handle easily with much thought. But a rejuvenated Team Flare, the same terrorist group that had nearly destroyed Lumiose a year ago, trying to steal the Pokémon under her care? The thought enraged her.

"Go to Hell," she hissed as she unclipped two Pokéballs from her belt and released them. In a shine of light, two mouse-like Pokémon joined them. Louise recognized the two creatures as a Marill and a Pikachu as they took battle-ready stances. With a silent look to each other, Saito and Louise did the same thing with their Pokémon, all conveying their unwillingness to concede.

"I was hoping you'd all fight back," the woman laughed. "More enjoyable that way." At once, each Flare Grunt released three Pokémon in blasts of light. Each Grunt had released the same team of a Zubat, Houndour, and Skorupi, and his frown deepened. That lasted for only a moment, and before the Grunts before him could order an attack, he and Louise acted first.

"Tanuki, Quick Attack! Maindo, Shadow Ball! Ronin, Water Pulse!"

"Brennaraki, Psywave! Aile, Razor Wind!"

At once, their Pokémon attacked, their respective moves shooting towards the most applicable opponent. For Brennaraki, this meant that her Psywave shot down a nearby Zubat, who screeched in surprise as before landing with a thud. At once, the Fennekin was on it, turning into a flaming ball as she used Flame Charge against the downed bat. Before she could make contact, the Zubat turned its head and used Supersonic, sound making Brennaraki's head hurt and stopping her in her tracks. The world became fuzzy as the fox tried to retain her comprehension, only for the Zubat to latch onto her and bite down on her shoulder.

"Gagh!" she screamed in pain as the Zubat used Leech Life on her. She could feel her strength being leeched into the Zubat, and she wasn't about to let him continue. With a cry, she suddenly tipped herself over and slammed the Zubat into the ground, an action that tore its mouth off of her body. Seizing the initiative, Brennaraki used Flame Charge again to deliver a scorching headbutt to the creature, an action that hit with enough force to bounce the Zubat off of the ground. As it flew through the air, Brennaraki fired another Psywave, striking it in its head and sending it back down. She then shot a Fire Spin that consumed the Zubat, and as it shrieked in pain she finished it off with a final Psywave.

Almost as soon as she did, she was struck by a Houndour, sending her skidding on the ground. Another Zubat raced down from above, shrieked at her with another Supersonic while the Houndour released a purple Smog from its mouth and shot towards the struggling Fennekin. Before the smoke could reach her, it was buffeted away by Aile's Razor Wind, a few striking the Houndour while she used Quick Attack on the second Zubat. The two Flying-types entered into a dogfight, a clash of feathers and beak against leathery wings and fangs. It quickly became apparent that Aile was the faster among them, and so the Zubat attempted a new tactic. It struck her with its wings, knocking her way as it then flapped them together, forming a single slice air as it used Air Cutter. The attack struck, sending Aile down and cutting a few of her feathers, but before she could crash she twirled and flew back up, using her downward angle to increase her velocity. This only increased the power of her Quick Attack, which blindsided the Zubat. The blow struck the Zubat's back and sending it groundward. Rather than fly away, Aile latched onto the descending bat and began pecking incessantly. She continued her assault even after the Zubat landed until it finally stopped trying to resist. She then flew out and reengaged the enemy, renewing her Tailwind in the process.

Brennaraki continued to engage the Houndour with bites and scratches, neither of them using their natural Fire-type abilities as they both recognized a fellow Fire-type. Still, for what Brennaraki had in speed and agility, the Houndour made up for it in sheer bulk and size. It was much larger than her and the Pokémon was using that to its advantage. Throwing its weight around, the Houndour knocked Brennaraki down to the ground before lifting her up with its jaws to slam her back down. She cried out in pain, but before she could counter, a blue blur rocketed into the large hound, knocking off of her.

"I had it handled," she grumbled as Tanuki helped her to her feet.

"Sure you did." Tanuki smiled before ducking under an Ember. "Go help Maindo with the Skorupi. I got the Houndour." Without waiting for her retort, Tanuki used Quick Attack on the Houndour, knocking it slightly back. Before it could recover, his paws glowed blue as he used a series of Force Palms on the Dark-type, each blow striking hard and fast. The Houndour was unable to recover nor counter, and with one final uppercut was sent hurling skyward. As it fell, he grabbed hold of it and spun, releasing the black hound and throwing it into another. As they tried to rise to their feet, Tanuki fell upon them with more Force Palms, knocking them unconscious.

Brennaraki watched this before moving to help Maindo deal with the Skorupi, although from what she saw it didn't appear as though he needed much help. The large scorpions had been attempting to grab hold of the small fairy the entire duration of their fight, to no success. Every time they would get close to pinch, sting, or bite, Maindo would either Teleport out of harm's way or would turn out to be an illusion instead. He would then counter with either Confusion or Shadow Ball, with Shadow Sneak being used on occasion. From what she could see, he knew that, and was growing more and more confident.

'Come on, you insects! How hard is it to hit little ol' me?' he taunted while waving his body back and forth. In anger, one of the Skorupi charged at him, only for the Ralts to teleport atop its head, a Shadow Ball already forming in his hand. The scorpion clicked in alarm as the Shadow Ball was launched from Maindo's hand and into its head, creating a small cloud of smoke and dust which obscured the other Skorupi's vision. Not waiting for the Ralts to emerge, the other two Skorupis launched Pin Missiles from their tails, peppering the cloud of dust. For several prolonged moments, the two Pokémon continued their fire before stopping.

'Missed me,' Maindo taunted from behind. Before they could react, Maindo grabbed one with his Psychic powers and began assaulting his mind, making the Skorupi thrash in pain. The other Skorupi, attempting to rescue its comrade, attacked with Pin Missile, only for Maindo to maneuver the captive Pokémon and intercept the flying pins. As the captive Skorupi took the blows for him, Maindo smirked and launched the held Pokémon towards the other, knocking them both down like bowling pins.

'Honestly, this is what you call an attempt?!' Maindo taunted as he slowly walked over, Shadow Balls forming above his raised hands. 'It's pathetic! Well, if you thought you could just waltz on in here and kidnap a bunch of children, you—"

Maindo was cut off as the third Skorupi, the one he had thought defeated earlier, launched a Pin Missile at his back. At the last second, he sensed the attack and moved to evade, only to open himself up to the other two Skorupis. Their combined assaults pummeled him, forcing him to his knees as he attempted to defend himself, only for the criminal Pokémon to circumvent his attempts.

"Hey, assholes!" Brennaraki called out as she ran towards them, attracting Maindo and the Skorupi's attention. The Bug-types immediately moved to fire Pin Missiles towards her, only for the barbs to be incinerated by Brennaraki's Ember. The fireball continued towards the Skorupi, one of which was unable to dodge and became consumed in flames. As it thrashed around in pain, Maindo grabbed one of the remaining Skorupis and slammed it into the other, which Brennaraki immediately pounced upon with Fire Spin. Maindo, seeing red, repeatedly slammed the Skorupi into the ground as hard as he could.

"Maindo!" He didn't hear her as he continued to pummel the creature. "Maindo! Stop!"

'What?!'

"It's done." Brennaraki finally calmed Maindo down, forcing him to look at the beaten Skorupi. With a sigh, Maindo dropped the Skorupi and walked away without saying a world. Brennaraki eyed him before looking down on the Skorupi. Seeing how it was unconscious, she walked back over to her trainer, who was now holding the female Flare Grunt by her coat.

"When did-?"

'The Pikachu paralyzed one of the Flare Grunts, Saito started pummeling one and Louise blew one up with a small explosion within the first few seconds of the fight,' Maindo revealed without breaking his stride.

"Huh… Guess when your opponents are outlaws, regular rules don't apply."

'Nope.'

The two Pokémon continued walked towards their trainers, the rest of the Pokémon already with the trainers. Joyce was hovering over the Grunts, their clipped belts being held by the daycare worker while Saito and Louise were interrogating the criminals. Idly, Brennaraki noted that one was covered in a thin layer of soot and was staring at Louise with fear-filled eyes. She liked that look.

"Now then," Louise calmly stated, holding her wand in her hand, "while don't we start from the beginning. I want to know your plans, your strategies, how many of your are there. Everything. If you lie," she pointed her empty finger at Tanuki and Maindo, "we have two Pokémon who will be able to tell if you are. So, for your sake, please don't."

"Yes! Don't blow us up again!"


"Somethings wrong," Jason whispered as he and Elizabeth crept through the darkened hallways of the daycare. By now, they should have come across either Kurt or Wayne, the security guards, patrolling the hallways with flashlights in hand. They might have even seen Charlotte working at the IT desk to try and fix the problem.

No one was there. That unnerved Elizabeth and Jason tremendously as they followed Growlithe and Machamp. A million theories zipped through Elizabeth's head. They could be on an inopportune dinner break. They could be trying to contain panicking Pokémon outside. Maybe they are just being lazy and dozing off. None truly made the pit in Elizabeth's stomach go away. She couldn't help but feel a gnawing fear in the back of her mind that something far worse was going on.

"Maybe…they're trying to fix the power?" she halfheartedly suggested, to which Jason shook his head.

"Not likely. Charlotte, maybe, but we have procedures in case of a power outage. Kurt or Wayne is supposed to guard the eggs while the other patrols the hallways," Jason revealed. "We haven't seen either of them and it's been ten minutes. We aren't that far from the guard station."

"Then…" Elizabeth paused, trying to collect her thoughts. "Why aren't they here?"

"Ain't that the million-dollar question." Jason shook his head. "Let's get to the guard station. There, we might be able to get some answers."

The two continued their way through the darkened halls, coming across nothing. In the distance, muffled through walls, Elizabeth thought she could hear thuds coming from outside, but dismissed them as a few daycare Pokémon having a spat. Odds are, with the power out, they would be more agitated than normal. At least, that's what she told herself.

"Okay," Jason whispered as they rounded a corner, "the guard post should be just beyond…. Oh my God."

The guard post was an absolute mess. Scorch mark and burnt holes littered the ground, ceiling, and walls, with chunks of debris covering the floor. The work desk was smashed, caved in from a heavy blow, as were the broken chunks of computer in the corner. At once, Elizabeth and Jason understood exactly what had happened and their worst fears had been realized. A fight had broken out inside the guard post and judging by how Kurt nor Wayne were anywhere to be seen, they must have lost.

"Jason, look," Elizabeth pointed to a nearby door, slightly ajar. Seeing the door, Machamp and Growlith nodded to each other before silently making their way towards it. Taking positions on opposite sides, Machamp motioned for the trainers to make their way over, which they silently proceeded to do. Once there, Elizabeth took position behind Machamp and allowed herself to peek inside. What she saw made her blood run cold.

"I'll ask again," the Flare Grunt said before socking Kurt across his jawline, "what are the codes for the Hatchery."

"Go…" Kurt spat out a red glob onto the grunt's jacket, "… Go to Hell…"

The grunt smiled and cracked his knuckles. "Wrong answer." He then proceeded to punch Kurt again and again. As he continued to wail on the large man tied to a chair, Elizabeth stared wide eyed into the storage closet the grunt was using as an impromptu interrogation room. Lying against the wall was the slumped forms of a Dragonite and an Arcanine, their bodies heavily bruised and battered. She saw an equally large man strapped to the wall, equally bruised as Kurt, and recognized him as Wayne. Behind him she saw the crimsonette Charlotte, the daycare's computer intern, cowering in the corner as a second grunt leered over her intimidatingly.

"I told you! I don't know the code!" she cried and whimpered. "I've only been here for a few weeks!"

"Shut up!" the second grunt, a woman judging by the voice, snarled. "I've had enough of your whimpering! Now, be quiet or you'll join your friend in the chair."

"Please, no."

Elizabeth scowled at what she was seeing, both at the brutality shown as well as the mere sight of the Flare grunts. She was in Lumiose when Flare attacked the year before. It nearly killed her, and for a while the mere sight of the color red enraged her. While that went away after a month, the same couldn't be said for the presence of a Flare grunt. Those terrorists nearly destroyed the world out of some horrific attempt at purification and not only were they still around, they were here, trying to break into the Hatchery. This, Elizabeth immediately decided, would not stand. Judging by the look on Machamp's face, he felt the same way, and with a nod she allowed Machamp to proceed with whatever plan he had already cooked up. He nodded back and silently took a few steps back from the door, hunching himself forward.

"My hand's getting tired. Tell me the codes and—" Whatever he was about to say was cut off as Machamp rammed through the door, launching it into the surprised grunt's head. He didn't even have time to turn around before the wooden door bowled into him and sent him careening into the wall, where he stayed for a few moments before falling onto the ground. The other grunt was equally surprised and twisted to face the intruders, his hands already going for a clipped Pokéball, only for Growlith to jump through the open threshold and fire an Ember at the man, setting him slightly ablaze. As he flailed, Elizabeth ran into the storage room, ripped a fire extinguisher off the wall, hit the grunt with it before unhooking the nozzle and using it on him, extinguishing the flames.

"Jason, get Kurt out of the chair," she ordered as she finished dousing the flames. As they died down, she dropped the cylinder onto the unconscious grunt before calmly walking over to Wayne.

"…Okay," Jason said with wide eyes before tentatively stepping into the room. "That went by quick."

"Wasn't about to let terrorists fight back," Elizabeth replied while she continued to untie Wayne. Jason nodded then walked over to Kurt and knelt down behind the chair.

"…Heh, took you long enough…" Kurt coughed as Jason began untying the binds around his hands.

"Sorry, we didn't know what was going on," Jason apologized as he finished untying the ropes, allowing a sore Kurt to stand upright. "What happened?"

"We…ugh… When the power went out, Kurt and I were sitting at the guard station," Wayne answered, Elizabeth having freed him "Charlotte was with us, but she went to try and get the power on while we went to the hatchery."

"They were already inside the storage room," Charlotte revealed, her voice quivering and her body shaking, "downloading the databases on all Pokémon inside the Daycare. When I walked in, they quickly cornered me and took me hostage, and took Raticate's Pokéball from me."

"Why didn't the servers go out with the power?" Elizabeth asked the intern.

"Separate independent power system that's entirely focused on the data center. Keeps the computers on while also protecting it from outside hacking attempts, even if the power for the rest of the facility went out." Charlotte rubbed her shoulders. "By the time I arrived, they were about a quarter of the way through. One stayed behind while the other two took me to try and get into the hatchery. When I didn't know the codes, they tried to get Kurt and Wayne to tell them under threat of hurting me."

"We weren't about to let that happen, so we tried to stop 'em," Kurt spoke up. "With my Dragonite and Wayne's Arcanine, we made quick work of their Pokémon."

"Then how did you lose?" Jason asked, administering medicine to the broken Pokémon before him.

"They…" Kurt sighed shamefully, "They overwhelmed us. As soon as one went down, they simply sent out another Pokémon, healed the first one, and repeated the process until our Pokémon went down."

"Death by a thousand paper-cuts…" Elizabeth whispered, realizing what their plan was. It was quite ingenious, actually. These guys must have known that they could never have beaten them in a straight fight, so they didn't bother. "Glad we got them first, then."

"Same here. Thanks, missy." Kurt smiled before wincing. "We…we need to get to the hatchery. We didn't give them the code, but they could still be trying to get in."

"None of that matters if they get the servers!" Charlotte protested. "There is data on every Pokémon we have in there, past and present! They get that data, they get access to our complete network and the Daycare's Pokémon would be under the complete mercy of Team Flare. Not to mention data on every trainer who's ever kept Pokémon here."

"Meaning they could steal the Daycare's Pokémon for ransom. And they'd know exactly who to extort and how to do it," Jason finished.

"Exactly! Not to mention the server room's the only place with power in the whole compound. It's the only place we can call for help!"

"But they're here for the eggs," Wayne protested. "Data can be recovered, but not those eggs. We lose those eggs, we ain't getting them back." The two continued to argue, making Elizabeth increasingly frustrated.

"Both of you, shut up!" she yelled. The room went quiet as everyone stared at her, and she rubbed the bridged of her nose. "Here's what we are going to do. Jason and I will head to the hatchery and make sure the eggs are safe. Charlotte, you, Kurt, and Wayne will head over to the server room and stop them from hijacking the data. Then you will get the phones working and call the police. Got it?"

The others all stared at her silently, mulling her suggestion over before nodding. Without saying another word, they all ran out the door and split apart, each going to their separate destinations. With any luck, they'd get there in time. But, despite this, Elizabeth couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to go from bad to worse.


As soon as the power went out across the entire facility, plunging the world into darkness, a shadow crept across the field. Fences, doors, and walls didn't stop it's advance. As it moved, shadowy tendrils shattered security measures and locks, allowing a team of grunts to enter the facility while it continued on. It's goal was in the center of the facility, where the most valuable targets were stored: the Hatchery. Only when it neared the metal door to the hatchery did the shadow cease and allow itself to reform into the shape of zippered puppet.

Banette was smiling to itself. Despite the additions of two extras, the plan was going off without a hitch. Already the daycared Pokémon were being contained for future ransom while the server was being downloaded. Now, all it had to do was simply open a portal inside the hatchery for its masters, allowing them to enter unimpeded and steal the eggs and hatchlings. They'd be out well before any police could arrive.

The Banette slinked back into a shadowy form and began to phase underneath the metal door. From the other side, one could have seen a dark pool form under the metal door, slowly extending outward until the entirety of it was amassed on the other side. Once fully phased through, the pool reformed back into a Banette, a wicked smile emblazoned on its face. This smile widened once it saw the frightened faces of the hatchlings staring at it from across the hatchery, their faces betraying their terror. One Machop stood in front of them in a combat stance, likely trying to protect its fellow hatchlings. Banette thought it was cute, and as it came closer, the Machop took a step back in fear.

"Hehheheh," it cruelly laughed, causing the hatchlings to shiver. Banette knew it was supposed to open a portal but couldn't help but want to mess with the hatchings for just a little bit. They could wait five minutes.

'Excuse me,' a feminine voice suddenly spoke, causing the Banette to go upright and its smile to disappear, 'I think you are in the wrong room.'

Banette turned to see a Ralts glaring at him from the side. It quickly formed a Shadow Ball, only to be blasted by a Disarming Voice. The Fairy-type boosted soundwaves sent the Banette flying through a wall, only for it to soar back in, enraged at the interloper. It could only assume that one of the trainers left this Ralts behind in the Hatchery, but the answer to 'why' escaped it. Banette didn't really care, all that mattered was putting the interloper down for the transgression of interfering.

The Ralts launched another Disarming Voice, but Banette flew around it while using Shadow Sneak. The shadow extended towards the Ralts and delivered and uppercut, launching her into the air. Banette attempted to follow with a Shadow Ball, only for the Ralts to teleport away from view and reappear behind it. She shouted with another Disarming Voice, crashing the Banette into the ground with a loud thud.

'Leave. Now,' she demanded, to which Banette responded by gritting its teeth. With a snarl, Banette glowed with a Dark Aura that quickly spread to the Ralts, enveloping her in its dark cloud before dissipating. Seeing how she wasn't harmed, she used Disarming Voice again, only to clutch her throat at the sudden pain.

'Spite,' she realized through the tears. Banette quickly followed with another Shadow Ball, forcing her to teleport away yet again. Upon reappearing, she formed and launched Magical Leaf towards the Ghost-type, the leaves cutting into it. Undeterred, it suddenly disappeared into a purple void. For a moment, the Ralts remained on guard, scanning for any sign of the Ghost-type, only for it to suddenly reappear in front of her from a purple portal. She didn't have time to react before it slammed into her, the Ghost-type attack wracking her small body and sending her flying away in pain.

"How did you think this was going to end?" the Banette asked as it walked towards her, the Ralts feebly attempting to pick itself off the ground. "I'm a Ghost-type, you're a Psychic-type. This was only ever going to go one way."

'Eh… Oh, I knew how it would end…,' Ralts revealed as she looked up at Banette, a confident smirk on her face. 'I was just the distraction.'

"Distraction? From what?"

"From me." Before Banette could react, a metal blade swung through the air and impacted against Banette's side, hurtling it to the ground. It didn't have the chance to get up before the Honedge repeatedly struck with Aerial Ace, the swings too fast for the Banette to even attempt at dodging. After several moments of uninterrupted wailing upon its body, the blows let up and the Banette let out an involuntary sigh of relief, only for the Ralts to rejoint the assault by forming another Magical Leaf and launching it towards the Ghost-type. Now afraid, the Banette got up and attempted to flee, seeing that the battle was quickly turning against its favor. As it did, a dark energy enveloped the Honedge as it used Pursuit, its power boosted by the Banette's very own retreat. The final attack launched it through the Hatchery walls, and this time it didn't return.


"And stay out, you demented puppet!" Derflinger yelled as the hatchlings cheered at their saviors. Nodding to himself, he turned to look at a panting Espirit, noticing that she was clutching her side tightly. "You alright?"

'I'll be fine,' she shook her head. 'Right now, the only thing that matters is keeping the babies and eggs safe."

"Still, you're hurt. I think you should stay put until we get you patched up."

'I said I'm fine!' she shouted this time, sending Derflinger slightly aback.

"Okay, okay. Geez. Just being a concerned elder and all," he grumbled before turning back towards the door. "See anything?"

'Louise and Saito have finished their battle against the criminals, and Elizabeth has recused the security guards and the intern,' Espirit rattled through, her breathing growing more labored as she covered her body with a sputtering glow. 'The guards and the intern are currently retaking the server room and halting the… And the intern hit the grunt with a chair, knocking him out. Server room is retaken and now she is trying to fix the phones.'

"Reestablish communications first. Smart move," he hummed in approval. "Louise and the others?"

'They're almost here. Elizabeth and the boy with her, the receptionist I believe, are as well.'

Almost as soon as she said that, one of the metal flew open and Louise ran into the room, Brennaraki hot on her heels. Upon seeing the Ralts, Louise ran towards her and embraced her Pokémon, who quickly embraced her back.

"Espirit, thank the Founder your alright!" she cried out and hugged slightly tighter, causing Espirit to slightly wince. "Your hurt!" Louise exclaimed as she quickly pulled a Full Restore from her pack.

"What happened in here?!" Saito asked as he ran into the room, Joyce following behind him.

"A Banette came in here to try and steal the eggs and hatchlings, likely for the criminals currently sieging the daycare," Derflinger revealed. "We fought it off, don't worry. I think it was trying to open a portal."

"Bypassing our security. Dammit!" Joyce cursed. "We need to call the police, the League, anyone! Hell, I'd settle for Rancher Bob!"

"Charlotte's already on it," Elizabeth revealed as Jason opened the other metal door. "Kurt and Wayne are currently keeping her safe while he fixes the phones, once they retake the server room."

"Already happened and they are working on the phones right now."

"How do you—" Jason paused once he saw Espirit, currently having her wounds tended to by Louise. "Oh, right. Psychic-type."

"Obviously," Elizabeth rolled her eyes before turning to Louise, pointedly ignoring the Honedge floating near her. "Now then, can someone explain to me exactly what is going on? Why is Team Flare back, and why are they attacking the daycare?"


"So, to recap," Joyce droned as the others all looked at her, "we have roughly twenty to thirty Team Flare operatives, each with six Pokémon and likely utilizing the swarm strategy that took down Kurt and Wayne, and we won't have the phone's fixed for at least an hour."

"Six of those operatives have already been taken down, so that helps us out at least," Saito pointed out, but even then, he could see the odds were stacked against them. "Now, I normally wouldn't be the one to suggest this, but taking out their trainers seems to be the best plan of attack. Otherwise, they'll just keep healing their Pokémon."

"They're criminals. Normal battle rules don't apply," Louise darkly muttered, directing a pointed glare at Elizabeth. She ignored it.

"I agree. Take out the trainers and their Pokémon will be easier to handle," Elizabeth said. "Kurt and Wayne currently have the server room protected, which means we can focus our attention here."

"What about the rest of the Pokémon?" Joyce pointed out in worry.

"Without that data, the other Pokémon are useless," Elizabeth pointed out. "They wouldn't know who to ransom the Pokémon to, and you can't tame an already owned Pokémon. Right now, I imagine they're only trying to make sure that the other Pokémon don't interfere."

"Doing a good job of it, too," Jason muttered. "What exactly are we going to do. We can't just all stay in here. We'd be Magikarp in a barrel."

"We'll split up," Louise suggested. "We have one person stay here while the rest take defensive positions outside and in the halls. Block all entry points."

Elizabeth thought it over then nodded to herself. "I'll stay here, watch over the eggs."

"What, so you can steal them, too?" Louise snarled, sending the others slightly aback.

"Listen, you little brat!" Elizabeth shouted back. "I am not a thief! The last thing I want is for Team Flare of all people to get these eggs! So please, for five minutes, stop being such a—"

"Okay, calm down! Both of you!" Saito intervened. Louise moved to protest, but a hard glare from Saito told her she had crossed a line, causing her to go quiet. "Elizabeth, thank you. Your Machamp is probably the strongest Pokémon we have on hand right now, and your Zorua can handle any other Ghost or Psychic-types, so you looking after the eggs is for the best."

"My thoughts exactly," Elizabeth nodded gratefully. It appeared to her that he wasn't entirely useless.

"Joyce, Jason, you two take the hallways leading into the hatchery. Louise and I will take the outside walls."

"Sounds good to me," Jason nodded, Growlith barking next to him.

"Same with me," Joyce nodded. "These people will pay for trying to steal the Pokémon under my care."

Their plan set, the others stood up and, with the exception of Elizabeth and her Pokémon, ran out of the hatchery. Joyce and Jason ran out the north entrance while Saito and Louise ran out the south, with Elizabeth sealing the room behind them with loud, mechanical clanks.

"Listen," Saito said as they continued to run down the hallway, "I know you don't like Elizabeth. Hell, I don't like her that much, either. But you need to stop letting your personal feelings override your better judgement. She is trying to help, so let her."

"But-!" she moved to protest, only for Saito to stop and wheel around to face her, his face warped in anger.

"No, Louise! You crossed a line back there! You don't get to hold grudges when lives are on the line!" Saito barked while pointing at her, sending Louise aback with wide eyes. Seeing her expression, he sighed and shook his head. "We'll talk about this later. Right now, the only thing that matters is making sure we get through this in one piece. Alright?"

"…alright," Louise quietly replied. With a slow nod, Saito continued on, with Louise following behind. She knew he was right, but her hurt pride refused to let her voice the admission. Besides, he was also correct that right now, any apologies didn't matter. Right now, the only thing that did was protecting the hatchery.

As they finally exited the building and entered the cool night air's embrace, the two companions looked at each other. With a mutual nod, the two split apart and ran to opposite sides of the building, out of each other's sight.

"You gonna handle that afterwards?" Derflinger asked as they raced towards the outer wall, his mind thinking back to the rosette.

"Later. Right now we have other things to worry about," Saito replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. As they neared the outer wall, they heard some muffled sounds and slowed their pace. Hiding behind a rounded corner and turning off his headlight, they poked their heads around and spotted another trio of Flare grunts at the wall, their Pokémon out of their Pokéballs and, from the looks of it, preparing to break in the old-fashioned way. Saito scowled at the criminals and looked to his Pokémon, their faces scrunched in silent glares.

'Any bright ideas?' Maindo asked to the others, sending images into Saito's head to communicate with him. Without saying a word, Saito relayed his hastily thought up plan of attack, one that would hopefully end this group quickly.

'Alright. I'll teleport up top and attack first. You guys swoop in afterwards,' Maindo relayed the plan to the others, his telepathy masking their group discussion from the criminals in front of them. As they all nodded, Maindo teleported away with a faint pop, one that the criminals thankfully didn't hear. For a moment, the boy strained his eye to try and see his Pokémon until he felt Tanuki poke his leg. Looking down, he saw the Riolu pointed towards the top of the nearby building. Following the outstretched limb, Saito saw the diminutive Ralts looking down on the criminals, a Will-O-Wisp already forming in his hands.

"Go," he whispered as quietly as he could. Despite the distance, he knew Maindo could hear him. He was rewarded by a faint-blue fireball zooming towards the nearest Pokémon, a Zubat judging by the cries. The wisp impacted the blue bat and heavily burned it. Loud shrieks rang out across the field, alarming the other Pokémon and criminals and forcing them to stop trying to break down the walls. At the same time, the rest of Saito's Pokémon moved from their hiding spot and launched themselves towards the criminals. Taken by surprise, they quickly overpowered their opponents and moved on to the next, only this time having to dodge incoming attacks of their own.

"Stop those Pokémon!" a grunt yelled out as he tended to the wounded Zubat. Saito recognized the spray bottle as a Burn Heal as he shoulder-checked the brightly suited man and knocked him into the ground. Rather than let up, Saito jumped on top of the grunt and began to throw punches onto the criminal, only for another one to grab him and throw him off.

"Ooof!" he grunted as he landed. Without pause, he rolled away as another grunt tried to stomp on his head. As the grunt came for another hit, Saito kicked upwards into the man's groin, causing the criminal to bend over in agony. Another kick to the chest knocked the criminal down, allowing Saito to rise to his feet just as the second criminal charged him. Saito met him and in the ensuing brawl the criminal brought the Unovan boy back onto the ground where he began to rain punches onto him. Saito could only defend himself as he tried to find a way out of this mess. Finally, he grabbed the arm of one of the thrown punches and pulled down while he raised his head up into the descending grunt's nose, breaking it.

"Gaagh! You bastard!" the criminal wailed as he clutched his bleeding nose and backed away.

"I'm not the one trying to rob the place!" Saito barked back as another grunt charged at him from the side. Saito shoulder checked the grunt and followed up with a swift kick to the face. The other grunts wearily kept their distance, allowing Saito the chance to check on his Pokémon to see that they were again winning the fight. Yet, he could also see several discarded medicine bottles lying around, causing him to frown.

"Oooh," the grunt on the ground groaned as he tried to get up. Saito responded by picking the man up and throwing him a few feet away. The grunt landed with a thud and then tried to rise to his feet, the other grunts rushing to help up their fallen comrade.

"I'm going to say this once. Leave. Now." In the back of his mind, Saito felt that giving the grunts a moment to plan might not work out so well for him, but at the same time he felt giving them a chance at surrender would be the right thing to do. For good measure, he cracked his knuckles to get his point across just as the last of the Flare Pokémon were defeated.

"Grrgh!" one of the grunts growled as he returned his defeated Pokémon, as did the others. As soon as they did, they turned and ran off, leaving Saito and his Pokémon behind.

"You know they're going to heal their Pokémon, right?" Derflinger noted as the backs of the grunts disappeared into the night.

"I know," Saito replied as he pulled out one of the many Full Restores Louise had given him. "But so are we."


On a hill overlooking the facility, illuminated only by moonlight, Maxwell and a few of his grunts watched over the operation and tended to injured Pokémon. While they might not be directly participating in the assault, they were just as vital for the mission's success. They worked diligently and silently, entirely focused on their assigned tasks.

"What a beautiful night. Chew."

'Did you seriously just say 'chew' out loud?'

At least some of them were.

"So what if I did?" the first replied, "It's not like anyone can hear me."

'True,' the second sarcastically conceded, 'but we both know you only did that to annoy me.'

"What? Sue me, I'm bored. Chew."

'Please stop, Lucario. I will hurt you if you don't.'

"Okay, Gallade, message received."

Gallade rolled his eyes at the flippant response, not believing his partner in the slightest. 'Now, if you will at least try to remain professional, we might just get the capital we need to keep this operation running.'

"If I remain professional?" Lucario huffed, "This part of the heist is a cakewalk!"

'Have you already forgotten about that pair of complications?' Gallade retorted.

The Aura Pokémon shrugged. "In hindsight, it was probably unrealistic to assume that there wouldn't be any visitors there when we cut the power, but two trainers aren't going to be enough to turn the tide at this stage. 'Sides, I'm not the one who lets his tendencies jeopardize the mission."

Gallade's expression darkened. 'I thought we agreed to forget about that.'

"Lighten up, buddy! It was just a joke," Lucario said, laughing. "But, I can assure you that I'll be taking this seriously, even if I do think that the doofus could probably do this on his own."

'The doofus also managed to lose his Banette,' Gallade shot back, causing their companion to flinch. Behind them, they could still hear the cries of the man tending to his wounded Ghost-type. The sounds made them roll their eyes in disgust and annoyance.

"True, true. However, I still hold that this is going to be a picnic compared to what we've done in the past," Lucario paused for a moment, then turned to look Gallade in the eyes. "Chew."

'Why you!' Gallade cried, tackling his companion to the ground. Maxwell rolled his eyes as they began to fight among themselves, the Alolan having gotten used to their antics by now. He continued to look through his night-vision goggles across the daycare, and what he saw made him scowl. Things weren't going to plan. Sure, the daycare's Pokémon were being contained, but the infiltrators hadn't returned. Given how the Banette had been forced back violently, he could only guess that someone was inside the Hatchery, which meant that people were inside the facility. That indicated that his men were likely captured, causing the admin to purse his lips.

"All units," he calmly said into his radio, "abandon the extortion attempts. Refocus all efforts on taking the Hatchery."

"Yes, sir!" his lieutenants quickly responded.

"Leader Maxwell?" one of the grunts beside him spoke up in confusion. "Why are we-?"

"The infiltration team has likely been captured. At this point, they must be working on bringing the phones back online. Once they do, we will have a very short time to fall back before the police arrive, and tying to round up Pokémon for ransom will only slow us down. Better to grab the eggs and bug out while we can."

"Of course, sir. If I may?"

"Proceed." If there was one thing Maxwell prided himself on, it was his ability to listen to his subordinates. Just because a person was lower on the totem pole didn't mean they inherently had bad ideas. He just had to sift through the bad ones.

"I think it would be best if we focus all of our attention on a single point. So far, we've been trying to attack everywhere at once. But, if we instead focus on a single point…"

"We can punch a hole in their defenses. Or force them to reconvene at that point and open up their flanks." Maxwell smiled at the suggestion. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. He began to scan the facility, trying to find a weakness to exploit, when he saw a trio of grunts running across the field. One of them clutched his nose, likely broken, while the other was hastily throwing discarded spray bottles on the ground.

"Lieutenant," Maxwell said, starting the grunt at the impromptu promotion, "please see to it that those three are disciplined properly. They're leaving evidence behind."

"Of course, sir," the lieutenant nodded with a scowl, his hands rubbing over one of his Pokéballs. Maxwell followed their path towards the facility wall and found they were running away from a boy wearing a blue tracksuit. He recognized him as one of the trainers he saw in the field when the power was cut, and he had four Pokémon with him. All of them were being tended to, but even from here he could see the wounds on their bodies. An obvious weak point if he ever saw one.

A muffled yelp of pain drew the Alolan from his thoughts and he turned to try and find the source of the noise. He saw that Gallade had Lucario pinned face down, the Aura user's arms held securely against his back.

Maxwell sighed. "If you two would stop fooling around, I think we have an opportunity." At this, both Pokémon perked up, wicked grins forming on their faces.

'I guess the wait is over,' Gallade said, helping Lucario to his feet.

"Point me at 'em, and I'll knock 'em dead!" Lucario cried.

"Glad to see that you two are eager," he smiled and pulled his radio to his lips. "All forces, reconvene on the southwest wall."

"Yes, sir!"


"Why did I volunteer for this?" Elizabeth muttered, "Absolutely nothing is happening!" Machamp gave her a look at her outburst, almost concerned by her words. Upon seeing this, she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Urgh. It's not that I have a problem with the fact that the others have managed to keep the Flare grunts away from here, but I just feel kinda useless," the verdette retorted. "Even Charlotte is helping out, and she just doesn't function when under any kind of pressure!"

For a moment there was silence, then Eevee loudly sneezed, making her displeasure known. Machamp sighed and turned back towards the hall, knowing what was about to happen.

"Really, Eevee?" Elizabeth choked out, hurt by her partner's cold indifference. "Do you not care that this place is literally under attack?"

Eevee just snorted in reply. Elizabeth made a strangled, choking sound before regaining control of herself and storming across the room. Machamp glared at the unrepentant Eevee for a moment before focusing back on what was happening on the outside of the wall.

"That was really mean of you, Eevee!" Zorua growled. "Couldn't you see she was at the verge of tears?"

"Elizabeth doesn't cry," Eevee sneered back, "Especially not over something as trivial as that."

"Even still!"

"A kit like you couldn't understand, even if you spent your entire life with her."

"Hey!"

"Ladies, this isn't the time to be bickering amongst ourselves," Machamp said, harboring some vain hope that they'd actually listen to him. As they snapped towards him, he saw that hope was misplaced.

"I told you I don't need your help!" Zorua snapped.

"The kit's right, you shouldn't keep smothering her," Eevee snidely added.

Machamp sighed and turned towards Elizabeth. She was currently tending to one of the hatchlings, escorting it back into the internal saferoom along with all the other eggs and closing the door behind it. He allowed himself to faintly smile at how tender she was being. The other two would just keep fighting until something threatened them, but maybe he could help his nominal trainer. Especially when she's actually doing something noble for once. However, something made him pause. There was a sound, almost too faint to pick out, but it was there, and something about it niggled at the back of his mind. Against his better judgement, he pressed his ear to the wall and listened. It took a while, but he finally managed to pick out the sound, and what he heard froze him cold. The sound of clashing steel could be plainly heard now, and he could have sworn he heard someone chanting "Hey, hey, hey, come on!" over and over. There were a lot of muffled explosions sounding outside, causing the wall to faintly shake with each blast, causing him to back away from the wall.

"Machamp, what are you doing?" Elizabeth said, walking up to him. The Superpower Pokémon began to reply, only to be interrupted by a loud crack as Derflinger's thrown body carved a clean hole in the wall and embedded himself in the floor across the room, dents and scorch marks marring the ancient sword's body. Elizabeth gasped in shock and began to back away from the downed Honedge, only to feel her back touch the wall. The ancient blade roused himself and, lacking the power to make himself levitate, began to scan the room from his position on the floor, only to freeze when he saw Elizabeth and his eyes widen in sudden panic.

"Get away from the—!" he tried to shout out a warning, only to be cut off by another voice.

"Ayayayaya!" it cried, then its owner blew the wall inwards. For Elizabeth, time seemed to slow as she flew across the room, bringing her arms up to shield her face before she hit the ground. Small chunks of debris pelted her arms, creating shallow cuts and some bruises while also sending the other Pokémon flying back with yelps of pain and surprise. As the dust settled, Machamp slowly rose to his feet and caught sight of the culprit while taking a protective stance in front of Elizabeth. Silhouetted by the light of the full moon, the tall Pokémon cracked his knuckles and straightened his neck before letting out a sigh that almost dripped with contempt.

"Ayyyyyyyy," Lucario breathed out with a cruel smirk.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Outsiders, and it's a doozy! At 10k words, its our longest chapter yet, and our heroes have their greatest challenge yet!

This brings me to an announcement we have. Due to outside commitments, mainly school and work, we can no longer keep to our weekly update schedule. As such, we are moving to a semi-weekly update schedule. Instead of a new chapter every week, we will now be updating once every two weeks. We hope you all understand and continue to enjoy our story.

Now, onto the Q&A:

Pacer287: I understand. We posted that chapter last week because this one wasn't quite ready and we didn't want to leave you guys hanging. We do, however, plan on doing more Sidestories, not necessarily on the same characters as the last one. But, from now on, they will be posted in between episodes and not chapters.

Guest: That is because Louise right now is focusing on becoming a great Pokémon trainer, not on improving her magic. This is, in part, due to the lack of anyone to really teach her. But, as this chapter shows, she will be using it should the situation call for it.

Tsukiko K: Saito will not be Louise's familiar. In fact, she won't be getting a familiar in this story, as instead she'll be getting six Pokémon. There's no need, after all. As for Elizabeth and Maindo, their arcs are very important to the story and we hope you and others will enjoy them.

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