Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 8, Chapter 2

[~][~]

It had been a few days since Saito and Louise had left Camphrier Town. During that time, things had descended into a modicum of normality for the two, with no life-threatening events coming their way. They simply woke up at dawn and traveled, conversing between the two of them as they did, stopping every so often to eat and train, before finally setting up camp for the night. A few times they would battle a wild Pokémon, but none that truly caught their eye.

"Hmm," Louise hummed to herself as she read her Pokédex, details on her Pokémon brought on screen. Saito had filled her in on what Gym awaited them in Cyllage City, and truth be told it worried her tremendously. As it turned out, the Gym there specialized in Rock-type Pokémon, owing to the mountainous terrain it presided in as well as a deep history of stonemasons hailing from the province. Although that information was indeed fascinating, it did nothing to obscure the fact that Louise was severely outmatched. As it currently stood, Louise only had three Pokémon, with Brennaraki and Aile weak to Rock-types and not many moves to counteract them. Espirit, especially after her evolution, might have a better chance against them, but Louise would have to be a fool to believe that she could solo a Gym with only one Pokémon. Viola in Santalune beat that out of her quickly, and then she had two Pokémon that were both super effective against that Gym's specialty.

That left her with very few options if she wanted to succeed, but she did have a few ideas. Preferably she could catch a Water or Grass-type Pokémon, but only if she found one that really spoke to her. The last thing she wanted to do was simply catch a Pokémon for the express purposes of beating one gym. There was also the fact that she simply might not find one. That left training the Pokémon she currently had.

"Okay, I think I know what we're going to do." Louise smiled and stood upright, moving away from the tree she had been using for shade. Idly, she noticed how her skin was becoming much more tanned recently, but ignored it to focus on her Pokémon. Seeing how she was now standing up, they stood in attention and awaited her words like the loyal Pokémon they were, and Louise couldn't help but smile.

"I won't lie and say that this Gym will not be difficult," she began with a slight frown, an expression her Pokémon grimly nodded at, "but I know we can pull this off. We just have to play to our strengths. Right now, our biggest strength is speed and maneuverability. We can exploit that, especially since Rock-types are slow and cumbersome. It won't matter if Grant's Pokémon are stronger than us if they can't hit us."

Louise started to walk back and forth like she'd seen in a few war documentaries, acting like a general addressing her troops.

"At the same time, we can't focus entirely on avoiding enemy attacks. For as slow as Rock-types are, they are also able to both take a hit and dish one out. As such, we have to be able to strike fast and hard. Brennaraki, Aile, you two are especially weak in this area, with hardly any moves available that can actually hurt a Rock-type. But, I have a solution to that." Louise held up a circular disk and began waving it around. "What we have here is a Technical Machine, which through methods I will not even pretend to understand, can teach you moves that you otherwise might not be able to. In my incredible foresight—"

'Didn't you say that they scammed you?' Espirit politely asked, causing Louise to sputter and blush slightly. She quickly recovered and continued on.

"In my incredible foresight," Louise insisted, "I happen to have in possession all TMs available for the Kalos League. We can use these TMs to narrow the gap between us and the Rock-type Pokémon we will be facing. They will be our best bet to actually surmounting what lies before us." She clapped her hand together then pointed at Brennaraki.

"Brennaraki, you will be learning TM11 and TM22, which is Sunny Day and Solar Beam, respectively. Sunny Day will boost your Fire-type attacks strength as well as weaken Water-type attacks, while Solar Beam is the strongest Grass-type attack you can learn. While Solar Beam normally takes a while to charge, when combined with Sunny Day it can be fired instantaneously." Brennaraki excitedly nodded as Louise pointed to Aile.

"Aile, you will be learning TM51, which is Steel Wing. I can't emphasize how important that move is for you, and without it our chances of victory diminish." Aile chirped in response, a determined look to her eye.

'What about me?' Espirit asked while raising her hand, and Louise nodded.

"Espirit, you will be learning TM33 and TM86, Reflect and Grass Knot. Rock-types attack physically, and as such the reflective barriers will reduce the damage they can inflict on us. At the same time, Rock-types are typically heavy, so Grass Knot will be a tremendous help against them. Mastering both will be crucial to our victory."

Louise paused to take a breath. "That is what we will be focusing on over the next few weeks. Do you all understand?"

'Aye-aye!' Espirit cutely saluted while Brennaraki and Aile yipped and chirped in agreement. Louise smiled and clapped her hands together, proceeding to rub them in glee.

"Well then, let's get started." Pointing towards a nearby field, Louise and her Pokémon began to march away. Idly, she wondered how Saito's training was going, but the sound of an explosion told her things were going fine.


Saito coughed as smoke filled the air around him and his Pokémon, obscuring his vision at the same time. As the smoke cleared, he smiled as he saw that that target, a large boulder, had been completely shattered, and he pumped his fist in the air.

"Good job, Maindo," he said at the Ralts, who was twirling a Shadow Ball above his hand and a determined expression on his face. That expression had been near constant since the Daycare Siege, as the media had begun calling it. It wasn't hard to determine why. Out of all of them, Maindo was the most shaken up by what Flare had done. It still enraged him that anyone, human or Pokémon, would be willing to hurt someone else like that, but whatever he felt was nothing compared to how Maindo undoubtedly felt about the experience. Before, Maindo have barely half-assed his attempts at training, content to merely stay isolated from the others and belittle their efforts, he assumed. But after that Gallade and seeing Espirit evolve before him, it finally seemed that a fire had been ignited under his feet. If he had to guess, Maindo simply refused to let something like that ever happen again, something he himself readily agreed with.

"See if you can do it while Teleporting in and around the battlefield," Saito commanded as he popped open a can of lemonade, and Maindo grunted in response before proceeding to do as instructed. For a brief moment, Saito thought he was finally getting to the diminutive fairy, only to be reminded that was not fully the case when he heard a pop to the side of him, followed by a small psychic push that spilled his drink. Another pop was heard as Maindo teleported away, and Saito sighed in reluctant acceptance.

"You know, I'm starting to think that it's deliberate," he mused before turning towards his other Pokémon. Ronin was away from the rest of them, practicing on turn his streams of water into a narrow jet and cutting through rock while Tanuki stood across from him, body poised for combat. Rolling his shoulders, Saito readied himself and faced the cane then nodded. Tanuki ran at him and began throwing punches and kicks at his trainer, careful to not put as much force as he normally would. Saito, reacting to his Pokémon's blows, attempted to dodge and deflect them while occasionally throwing a few jabs of his own. They didn't hit and Tanuki's blows did occasionally slip through his defenses and lightly hit him, but he took comfort in knowing that is own personal training was shaping up. Just like how Maindo was refusing to let what happened to him happen again, so was Saito.

"Oof," Saito grunted as Tanuki accidentally kicked him in the chest a little harder than he had intended, knocking his trainer to the ground. Immediately, Ronin stopped what he was doing and ran over to his trainer, checking to see if he was alright.

"I'm fine, guys. Don't worry," Saito said as he picked himself off the ground. Sighting to himself, Ronin briefly glared at an apologetic Tanuki, only for Saito to rub his starter's head. "It's fine, Ronin. It was just an accident. Still, I think that's a sign that I've had enough for today. You guys keep going, I'll be over there."

Saito turned and began to walk away to a nearby tree, only to hear the sound of softly crunching grass beside him. Looking down, he saw Ronin walking alongside him, and Saito couldn't help but smile. He always was the most serious and protective of his Pokémon, especially over the past few days. There was hardly a moment when Ronin let him out of his sight. Seeing a large enough tree, Saito continued onward and sat against its thick trunk, Ronin plopping down beside him.

"I'm fine, Ronin. Really," Saito soothed his starter while crossing his arms behind his head. He only received a bark in response, and the two sat in silence. The silence allowed Saito time to think about his upcoming match with Grant. Just because two of his Pokémon were strong against Rock-types did not mean he was going to rest on his laurels. Gym Leaders were eight of the best trainers in the region, and Grant would make him work for it like all the others.

Putting away those thoughts for a moment, he looked to the far end of the grove they were in to see Derflinger dutifully watching over the Pokémon Egg. Espirit maintained that it was nowhere close to hatching, and by her estimates wouldn't have for nearly a month. That meant that, whatever it turned out to be, he could not use it in his upcoming gym battle. That wasn't to say he would have anyway, as sending out a freshly hatched Pokémon was stupid in so many ways, but he was allowed to speculate. He wondered what it was. If he had to guess by the egg's coloration, it was a Steel-type, but what exactly he wouldn't know until it finally hatched. Still, he was more than happy to wait and see.

Suddenly, a yawn escaped Saito's lips, after which he couldn't help but chuckle. Looking around, he felt how nice it actually was underneath the tree. The branches provided ample shade, which meant the sun wasn't going into his eyes, and a cool breeze brush past his skin. His eyes began to droop, and a thought that he could rest a bit started gaining more and more appeal.

Soon after, he closed his eyes completely, and drifted off into a deep sleep. By the time he woke up, he noticed a few things right away. For one, Ronin and Tanuki had snuggled under his arms and were now using him as a bed, snoring softly into him. Maindo was sleeping as well, albeit merely against the same tree he and the others were against rather than on him. Derflinger and the egg were nowhere to be found, and if he had to guess the two had simply gone back to Louise.

"Hmm, must have overslept," he grumbled as he took in the sight of the noon sun. He wasn't angry at the face he overslept, more that he knew Louise was not going to be happy about it. They were supposed to train for an hour or so then head off to Connecting Cave, and she would not appreciate a sleep induced delay.

"Oh well, she'll have to—" Saito started to convince himself before getting the wind knocked out of his chest as something landed on his chest. The impact woke Ronin and Tanuki from their naps, and the three of them looked down on Saito's chest to see a sleeping acorn-shaped Pokémon using it as a bed. The two prepared to attack, only for Saito to quickly wave them down and pull out his Pokédex as quietly as he could, turning down its volume and activating its scanning feature.

"Seedot, the Acorn Pokémon,," it read. "Through the stems on its caps, Seedots can absorb moisture and nutrients from trees. The more hydrated a Seedot is, the glossier the outer shell."

Reading the information presented to him, Saito briefly looked up to see a shriveled up tree branch, answering the question as to where it came from. It must have absorbed all of the nutrients it could from the tree branch while it was sleeping, and the breeze then knocked it off. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the Seedot only to see a single eye now opened and staring right at him. For a moment, neither of them moved. Given how the other party to the silent conversation was a wild Pokémon, Saito took this as a positive.

"Hello there," he tentatively began, not quite sure of what to make of this. Seeing how the fully awake Seedot wasn't doing anything more than stare at him, beside getting fully upright on its feet, Saito took this as a sign and continued. "Listen, uh…you're kind of standing on my chest."

The Seedot looked down and then back up at Saito, then nodded in understanding. It made no effort to move, making Saito sigh. "Can you move, please?"

Seedot stared at him for a moment then tilted its body-head to the side, an approximation of a shrug if Saito had ever seen one. Only then did it hop off, but rather than continue going, it continued to stare at the boy as he stood up. His other Pokémon moved to his side, but Saito again waved them down. The Seedot's actions were beginning to intrigue him, and he was curious as to where things would go.

"So, little guy," Saito began, only for the Seedot to look offended, furrowing its brow and narrowing its eyes. Realizing his mistake, Saito hastily corrected himself. "Girl, little girl. Sorry." Seedot stared at him for a moment then nodded in acceptance, allowing Saito to continue. Kneeling down, Saito took out a bottle of mineral water and held it out. "You want something to drink? We have a lot."

Seedot looked at the offered bottle then shrugged again in acceptance. She then waddled up to the bottle, allowing Saito to stick it on her cap and begin to suck it dry. She appeared to enjoy it, eating it with slightly more gusto than she had previously been displaying and allowing Saito the chance to observe her more closely. He got the impression that this Pokémon either had a very laid back personality, or simply didn't really care about a lot of things. Probably both, but at the very least her personality was agreeable.

"You know," he began as the Seedot finished drinking and stared back at him with indifferent eyes, "I get the feeling that you've been in this forest your entire life, seen everything that it has to offer." Seedot stared for a moment then nodded.

"I take it that gets pretty boring. Well, me and my friends back there," he thrust his thumb back towards his Pokémon, with Tanuki excitedly waving at her indifferent face, Ronin staying on guard, and Maindo turning his back on them in his sleep, "we'll be seeing a lot of really interesting places, filled with People and Pokémon you simply won't be able to find here. If you want, you can come with us and see it all. What do you say?"

Seedot stared at him for a moment then shrugged. While Saito might not be able to speak Pokémon, he could understand when someone was saying 'sure, why not'. Pulling out a Pokéball, he held it out one last time to give Seedot an out, and when she nodded in approval he lightly tapped her in the forehead. Showing her lack of resistance, the ball didn't even shake before it clicked shut and beeped, indicating a successful capture.

"Well, that was a surreal capture if I've ever seen one," he mused to himself as he walked over to wake up Maindo. His and the others' bewildered expressions made him wonder how Louise was going to take the news that he caught a Pokémon while napping.

'Probably not very well.'


"Really?" Louise asked with a bewildered expression, alternating between looking at Saito and looking at the Seedot currently in his arms. "Really?"

"Yeah, it was certainly bizarre," Saito admitted with a sheepish grin.

"She fell on you?"

"Yes."

"And decided to come with you because, and I quote, she figured why not?"

"Espirit?"

'That is what she told me when I asked her last time,' Espirit confirmed while she and the other Pokémon stared at the nonchalant Seedot. For a moment, Louise looked flabbergasted only to sigh and rub her forehead.

"You know what, it doesn't really matter how you caught her," Louise stated, then turned to Saito and smiled. "Congratulations on the capture."

A brief look of confusion crossed Saito's face then was replaced with a faint smile. "Thank you."

"You know, you are taking this rather—" Derflinger began, only to be silenced by a glare from both Saito and Louise. "Shutting up now."

"Good answer." Louise nodded then turned to look at the rest of their camp, checking to make sure that everything was packed away. Seeing that it was, she nodded to Saito and began to walk westward. Saito nodded then put Seedot back on the ground and picked up the egg before proceeding to follow.

"So, any thoughts as to what you're going to name her?" Derflinger asked after a few minutes of walking.

"Not sure yet," Saito admitted with a shrug. Angling the egg into one arm, he pulled out his Pokédex to look at Seedot's evolutionary line, hoping to see a theme in them. "Huh, they kinda look like tengus…"

"What's a tengu?" Louise asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Kantoan spirits that guarded nature," Saito answered while thumbing through his Pokédex.

"Ah, thank you." Louise then turned her head to look at Saito while they continued to walk. "Well?"

Saito hummed to himself then smiled as he pocketed his Pokédex. Turning to Seedot, he briefly stopped to face her directly, prompting the others to do so as well. "You know, Tengu's not a bad name. How about it? How does Tengu sound?"

Seedot stared at him blankly for a moment then nonchalantly shrugged.

"She says fine… I think," Derflinger spoke for her, prompting Saito and Louise to look at him, their faces asking the same question. "Seedots like her communicate via pheromones released from their caps, which I can't actually understand. I can read body language, though."

"Ah," Saito and Louise said at the same time. Nodding at Derflinger, they returned their Pokémon and set off again. Looking at her map, Louise hummed as she monitored their progress. From what she could tell, they would reach Connecting Cave by nightfall, but she wasn't stupid enough to try spelunking at night. Not yet, at least. Luckily, there appeared to be a mansion of sorts about an hour from the cave entrance, a place called the Battle Chateau. Judging by the name, it was obviously a place for trainers, which meant they could probably stay there for the night. Or, at the very least, check it out before setting up camp.


It was late in the afternoon when the Battle Chateau finally came into view for the travelling trainers. True to its name, it was a large stone chateau extending over the Kalos River. Stone archways allowed the water to flow underneath, and blue tiles topped the roof and spires. Separate from the building itself was a large stone circle with a red outer edge, likely an arena.

"Okay, this is it," Louise stated as she, Saito, and Derflinger stopped in front of the structure. "Are you sure you're okay with us staying here before going into the cave?"

"Let's see. We can either sleep on actual beds in an insulated room, or we can sleep outside in tents." Saito dryly looked at Louise then chuckled. "Trust me, Louise. I'm fine with it. I'm not in any rush to try nighttime cave diving, either."

"Just making sure." Louise nodded then began walking across the bridge, Saito and Derflinger following after her. He knew why she was making sure he was okay with it. She still felt guilty over how it was her desire that lead to him getting hurt, and so now she was trying to overcompensate for something he had already assured her of. Slightly frowning, Saito figured he would have to talk to her again later, but now was not the time.

The two continued walking across the bridge, taking note of the beautiful landscape they found themselves in. The stone chateau seemed to blend effortlessly into the river, and Louise couldn't help but remember the mansions of the nobility back home in Halkegenia. Before she could ruminate in her thoughts more, she and Saito arrived at the large wooden doors into the chateau. Politely, she gently knocked on the door and crossed her hands in front of her, nudging Saito to make sure did the same. A few moments later, the doors opened to reveal a sharply dressed man with a thin moustache welcoming them.

"Good afternoon, monsieur and mademoiselle," he said with a small bow. "Welcome to the Battle Chateau. Please, come in."

"Thank you, monsieur." Louise nodded and walked inside, Saito and Derflinger following in after her. "Pardon us for the intrusion, but we were hoping we could stay the night before heading on to Connecting Cave."

"Ah, I see." The butler nodded in understanding. "I imagine cave diving at night is a dangerous affair, and it would be wise to wait until morning. I see no problem with it."

"Thank you, sir," Saito thanked the man and bowed.

"Please follow me and I will show you to your rooms for the evening." The butler threw his arm to the side towards the main staircase and escorted the trainers up it towards one of the main hallways. As they walked, Saito and Louise inspected the structure more closely, with Louise humming in approval.

"I take it you are enjoying what you're seeing so far?" the butler asked with a confident smile, to which Louise nodded back. "Thank you. The staff and I take great pride in maintaining the facility for any and all guests."

"I take it you have a lot of visitors?" Saito asked.

"Of course. Mostly trainers, but we do occasionally get sightseers and tourists who are simply curious about the place. The frequency of visitations is why we have a policy of keeping rooms available for any and all guests." Saito nodded at his answer while Louise simply looked curious.

"I figured that this place was an attraction for trainers," she began, "but can you explain to me the difference between this facility and a regular Gym?"

"Certainly. Unlike the Gyms, we are an independently owned and operated battle institution that actually predates the Kalos League itself. Our origins stretch back to the battle traditions of the Kalosian nobility, and although the nobility has fallen out of favor in Kalosian society, we still carry on those traditions proudly. Trainers from every corner of Kalos can enter into one of our many battle sessions, with each victory furthering their progression and rank."

"Rank?"

"Here at the Battle Chateau," the butler explained, "trainers are denoted ranks based off of their standing. The ranks are inspired by the very noble ranks that once ruled this land. In order, a trainer starts as a Baron or Baroness and, through victory in battles, advance to Viscount or Vistountess, Earl or Countess, Marquis or Marchioness, Duke or Duchess, and finally a Grand Duke or Duchess."

"Wait." Louise stopped and stared at the butler, prompting the others to turn and face her. "You just…give out ranks of nobility?" Saito sighed at her question, knowing exactly where it was coming from, but the butler continued on without knowing what he was going towards.

"Only in regards to this facility. Outside of the Battle Chateau, the ranks mean nothing." The butler shrugged and turned away, not seeing the furious look on Louise's face nor Saito's desperate actions to calm her down. She moved to counter, but the look on Saito's face demanded she calm down, and so she did. The group continued down the hall before the butler finally stopped in front of a room and opened its door, revealing two twin-size beds with canopies.

"Here is your room." He beckoned them inside with an outstretched arm. As the two entered, he bowed to them. "In case any of you are interested, there will be another battle session later this evening. You two are more than welcome to attend. Please see me in the foyer if you decide to do so."

"Thank you, sir," Saito replied with a smile. The butler smiled back then closed the door. Once he was sure the man was out of earshot, he turned to a steaming Louise and put his hands on his hips. "Well?"

"Well what?" Louise shot back, attempting to play ignorant. Saito didn't buy it for a second.

"Well, you were about to shout that guy's ear off about the ranking. So, what gives?"

"What gives?" Louise put her back pack on the ground and began to march back and forth. "What gives is that they're just giving out titles of nobility like they are nothing! Nobility is a mark of honor and prestige, something you are born into! Simply giving it away completely devalues it!"

"Okay, I can see why you feel that way. But," Saito held up a finger, "keep this in mind: all of this is just for fun. There is no reason to throw a fit over it."

"But-!"

"Listen, Louise." Saito sternly looked at her, halting her retort. He then sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I get it. You value nobility very highly. Our time with the Princess proved that very much. But, you have to understand. For everyone else, nobility doesn't mean much anymore. Hell, before I met you, I thought nobles were just people who sat in big mansions, drinking tea and doing pretty much nothing."

"Hey!"

"The point is," Saito continued, ignoring her outburst, "you're getting yourself worked up over nothing. Just relax and let people have their fun, okay. Besides, outside of these walls, it means nothing. Okay?"

"I…" Louise looked at Saito again then closed her eyes, releasing a sigh as she did. "Okay."

"Thank you."

"…You're going to participate, aren't you?"

"Yes, actually. You?"

"Not a chance and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise."

"Fair enough."


Inside the chateau's study, a large burly man sat on a leather seat, reading a book. He was clad in steel armor, befitting of a knight, yet he gingerly moved the pages unimpeded. The man was reading an autobiography, a soldier's account of the Great War and the destruction of Parfum Palace. Real life stories such as these always intrigued him, and any chance he could take to read more was a chance he leapt onto.

A knock on the door then caught his attention, prompting him to close his book and put it away.

"Come in," he called out. As he did, the study's doors were opened, revealing one of the staff who bowed towards him.

"Grand Duke Wikstrom," she declared, "the afternoon session is about to begin. Do you wish to attend?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me." Wikstrom got out of his seat and placed the book back where he found it. He would have to finish reading it later, but now was not the time for reading. For if there was one thing an Elite Four trainer like himself enjoyed more than reading war stories, it was partaking in honorable battle.

"Please, lead the way."

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Outsiders! We got a new capture, as well as the beginnings of the Battle Chateau. It will be a Saito focused chapter, which is something that has been needed for a while, but what will come of it? You guys will have to wait and see to find out.

Onto the Q&A:

torbenefb: Actually, Halkegenia has faint traces of Nordic roots to it. Brimir and his people, the Markey, were people who worshiped multiple gods based off of the Norse pantheon, used runes for language, and their names were Nordic. Although nowadays Halkegenia is more French, English, German, Italian, and Belgian, Norse is still an influence on Halkegenia. As Louise is a highly educated noblewoman, she would be in a position to know about those influences which in turn influenced her nickname. Brennaraki is our approximation of "fire fox" in Norse, taking the word for fire, "Brenn", and combining it with the word for fox, "araki". Is it an exact match? Probably not, but it was a nickname we all enjoyed and felt fit Louise.

Drewd00d: Don't worry about it, man. I enjoy these long reviews, so by all means keep it up.

Oh trust me, I understand the feeling regarding many promising stories never getting a satisfactory ending. We aim to make sure that we finish our story, at the very least til the end of Kalos and a little bit into Halkegenia. And this story will be a long haul, but one that we will try to speed up a bit. Not every route will have a dedicated chapter to it, and we'll be doing less filler chapters as time goes on. Expect things to pick up shortly.

Louise was just listening to classical music from Earth's history, not anything in particular. If you want it to be a variation on the Camphrier theme, then by all means go for it. She just as well could be listening to a classical version of Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce. Point is, it's open to interpretation. And yes, Louise and Saito were both having to heal from that event. Louise is a person who would blame herself if someone she cared about got injured because of her, and so we've expressed that.

As for the Gym, that is something that, as seen here, Louise is fully aware of and is already working to counter. She won't let what happened to Viola happen again. But, as also shown, Louise bought all of the TMs back in Episode 1, she just didn't think to use them until now. So, she does have options. Also, Louise took the egg with her as she didn't want to leave it alone with Derflinger.

fangs of death: Thank you! I'm glade that you're enjoying the story so far. Yes, the Pokémon that they both catch are based off of their personalities. Each of them focus on a specific trait that they possess in some way. We have them all planned out and so you guys will have to wait and see what they all will be.

That's it for this week. See you all next time!