Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 5

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Inside the museum, teams of Flare grunts loaded fossils and equipment into carefully marked boxes and pallets. The women had been working tirelessly for the past few hours, and so far, everything was going according to plan. Nedry, as promised, had disabled the security cameras around the loading bay entrance, allowing the group to load their trucks inside. There were a few more guards than originally expected, but again thanks to Nedry's information, they were able to adapt. Most of them had been put to sleep before any battle could be done, with the notable exception of the heads of security, Muldoon and Owen. The two of them had managed to protect themselves from the Sleep Powder vented into the building, but not even they could withstand an onslaught of over thirty teams baring down on them.

"Mmmph!" Muldoon, gagged and bound, growled against the barricaded closet door, Owen sitting on the ground behind him. The man was equally constricted but appeared to be much calmer than his direct superior.

"Be quiet," Carnegie spat as he paced in front of them.

Almost as if in spite, Muldoon banged his shoulder against the door, rattling it slightly but not budging it in the slightest.

Carnegie couldn't help but smile. "Try all you want. You're not getting out of there unless I want you out. So please, by all means. It won't change anything."

As the Flare cell leader walked away, fiddling with his clackers as he did, Muldoon banged on the door hard enough to rattle its hinges once again. CZ watched the man rage with a cold, calculating stare. Without saying a word, she twirled around and began walking towards a group of women inspecting an active machine. Without saying a word, the women noticed her presence and answered the unspoken question.

"Fossil revitalization," one of the grunts explained. Seeing CZ's raised eyebrow, she continued. "Was on when we got here. Can't make heads or tails of the readouts, but I do know that if we unplug the damn thing to take it with us, the creature inside will die from complications."

"How do you know that?" another asked.

"Saw it on TV once." Before the two could prattle on, CZ snapped her fingers and brought them both to heel. Knowing her next question, the second woman began to speak.

"Shouldn't take too long. Half an hour, maybe. Once it's done, we'll have a brand-new fossil Pokémon for our cause."

CZ nodded at their answer then walked back to Carnegie. The man continued to pace back and forth, only pausing for a moment when CZ stopped by his side.

"Everything's going to plan," he stated with pride. CZ remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "Finally, things are going right for us for a change. With this we can step up recruitment, increase our supplies. Finally get our funds into shape. The first step of many."

CZ nodded at this, and almost felt a hint of a smile form on her face, only for a dull thud to ring across the building. Everyone immediately fell silent, allowing the sound of the walls and equipment's vibrations to ring out for all to hear. Carnegie's eyes widened as he realized exactly what caused that sound. After all, he'd recognize that from anywhere.

It was the sound of an explosion. One from inside the building. None of his grunts would have done such a thing, lest they risk his (or rather, CZ's) wrath, so that only left one logical option. Someone, somehow, made it inside. The thoughts in his mind became frantic as he tried to understand exactly what could have caused this potential catastrophe. He saw the news about the Lumiose cell, how they had laid siege to the Kalos River Daycare and were defeated due to them being held up by a group of trainers who just so happened to be there. Maxwell, for as much as Carnegie disliked the man, had a much stronger cell than his own, and if even he failed, what chance did he have.

Seeing everyone looking at him, however, causing Carnegie to straighten himself. He was still his cell's leader, and so he must compose himself as one. At the same time, he began to think of this complication not just as a potential disaster, but also as a potential opportunity. Even now he could hear the whispers, telling him his position as leader was tenuous. Normally, a person stumbling across their operation would only make his position worse. But, if he could go out there and stop this intrusion before things get out of hand, put them back on schedule, it might be enough be enough to quiet those whispers.

"CZ, grab three of your best and follow me," he ordered. "Hurry up!"

CZ complied with the order immediately, pointing and snapping her fingers at three women at the far side of the room. They nodded at her then followed after Carnegie, leaving the others behind. As the others tentatively got back to work, CZ looked towards the door then back at the others. Nodding to them, they nodded back silently, then watched as the lieutenant walked after them.


When the smoke cleared, the two Flare grunts laid unconscious on the ground. Their orange suits were slightly singed along the chest, and their sunglasses – why they were wearing them at night Louise couldn't even begin to guess – were shattered in tiny pieces around their heads. Without taking her wand off them, Louise quickly poked one of their feet with the end. When they didn't move a muscle, Louise finally let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"…What the hell was that?!" Saito hissed, causing Louise to jump back slightly.

"I just…" she stammered as she defended herself, "they were about to attack us and—"

"So, you decided to blow them up?!"

"Yes! What would you have me do?!" Louise countered, distinctly remembering Saito's lack of protest when she had done the same during the Daycare Siege.

"Not blow them up! Hit them hard, maybe, but silently!" Saito paused when he noticed one of the grunts stirring, then took a deep sigh as he pulled out some cloth and rope. "Help me tie them up."

Tossing her some of the rope, the two quickly got to work on bounding the grunts tightly, their Pokémon standing watch over their surroundings. The two of them couldn't help but notice that, compared to the last group they encountered, the amount of supplies each of them had was greatly diminished in quantity but were of greater quality than what the other cell had used. She couldn't focus on that, however, as she and Saito could hear footsteps cascading towards them, but the two of them quickly finished their task and carried the unconscious women into the security room. As they closed the door behind them, a faint click sounded as the door was psychically locked.

"Aren't you two glad that you took me up on my offer?" Derflinger asked, his eye filled with mirth.

"Yes, Derflinger. Thank you for teaching us how to tie knots," Louise replied, careful to keep her voice low. Without turning to face him, Louise began to speak to Saito. "What do we do now?"

"Let me think," Saito said as he kept his ear to the wall. They were getting closer now, and as his eyes drifted towards the door with thoughts of escape, he glanced towards Louise and quickly discarded them. "Well, crap…"

"What?" Louise asked, her voice betraying her confusion.

"Against my better judgement," Saito began, "I think getting out of here isn't an option. I mean, we could. You could just blow up the wall and we run like hell."

"… I could do that," Louise admitted. "But something tells me you don't want to."

Saito nodded. "We can't let Team Flare get what they're after. You heard the tour guide. They have hundreds of fossils here, not to mention enough machines to revive them. Who knows what damage they could do with them."

Louise looked at Saito for a moment then nodded. "Agreed. Running away isn't an option, nor is it the honorable thing to do."

"Figured you'd say that," Saito chuckled. Louise chuckled back only to pause and raise her eyebrow inquisitively.

"What's with the sudden change of heart, by the way?" When Saito didn't answer, she stared at him with a blank expression. "Is this because your Tyrunt is inside?"

"No!" Saito quickly answered. When Louise stared at him blankly, he sighed. "Okay, kinda. But I also don't want them to succeed, and we're already here. We might as well."

Louise stared at him for a few moments longer before sighing and shaking her head. She moved to speak again, only for a door at the end of their corridor to burst open as another grunt ran through. The woman stared at them for but a moment then pulled out a Pokéball.

"I found-!" The grunt was hastily interrupted by another explosion courtesy of Louise, sending her back through the door and into the wall. In a daze, the woman tried to pick herself up only for Derflinger to lash out and strike the top of her head with his pommel, knocking her into unconsciousness.

"…again, with the explosions…"

"As soon as we get out of here, our first order of business is teaching Espirit and Maindo Hypnosis."


Calem was having a weird night, all things considered. It started off normally. Made some deliveries across town and towards some outlaying mountain cottages. His Gogoat was especially helpful in navigating the treacherous terrain, and his Mudsdale for the rocky roads leading up the mountains. He had thought that, once the sun had set, he would be able to retire to his room in the Pokémon center. A special late-night delivery out of town deprived him of that luxury.

"I swear, who orders pizza at midnight. For that matter, what pizza place is even open at midnight!" he grumbled as he walked along the road. His Pokémon were safely tucked away into their Pokéballs, so he was alone. Yellow streetlights basked the night in its hue, and despite his irritation, Calem found himself at peace in its tranquility.

That peace was shattered when he heard the distinctive thump of an explosion off in the distance. He looked towards where he heard the sound come from and immediately took off towards it. As he did, he pulled out his Gogoat's Pokéball and released it, the Pokémon scooping him up from behind and allowing Calem to mount it. He rode his Pokémon down the road as fast as he could, only getting off once he saw where the sound had come from. To his shock, it appeared to have come from inside the fossil museum. He paused outside the front door, wondering whether to try and open it, only to hear some commotion from the back of the building. It sounded like the start of an engine, with narrowed eyes he and Gogoat crept around to the back. Calem half hoped to find workers trying to repair the damage, but instead he saw a group of orange clad women hastily loading boxes into a tractor trailer.

"Hurry up! The cops are on their way!" one of the women barked at another woman as they continued to load the trailer.

"Don't shout at me! I'm working as fast as I can!" the other countered. "Besides, I'm not the one who messed up!"

"I don't care! We're all in the hotseat now!"

Calem watched the two silently. He recognized their uniforms as those worn by Team Flare, telling him that this must be one of their surviving cells attempting to rob the museum blind. Someone must have stumbled upon their operation here, and now they were in a rush to try and escape before the police arrived. He couldn't let that happen, and so with a grim look he stepped out beyond the corner and called out to them.

"Hey!" he shouted. The criminals stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Calem, who was running towards them with Gogoat by his side.

"Oh, for Arceus' sake!" the lead Flare grunt complained as she angrily shoved a box into the trailer. "Listen boy, how about you just turn around and go back where you came from, forget you saw anything, and we might not hurt you."

"How about instead you guys stop what you're doing and turn yourselves in?" Calem suggested while stroking Gogoat's back. The Pokémon growled menacingly, but to the grunt's credit they didn't appear to be intimidated. Instead they merely scowled and stomped towards the young man, releasing a pair of Pokémon as they did. One was a Mienfoo while the other was a Meditite. "Or we can fight, that works too."

"I'm going to enjoy wiping that smirk off your face, whelp," the second grunt stated with a wicked smile, eyeing his Gogoat with a greedy eye. Seeing this, Calem frowned and pulled out a second Pokéball, releasing Mudsdale out onto the pavement. The brown and orange mule reared upwards in a challenge, its hooves cracking the concrete as it landed.

"You can try," Calem said with a confident smirk, and at once both sides shouted their commands.

"Bulldoze, Razor Leaf!"

"Confusion!"

"Force Palm!"

The three trainers called out. The Mienfoo and Meditite attached first, the yellow mustelid leaping forward with its hand reared back, a blazing aura encasing it while Meditite concentrated with its eyes tightly closed. A purple aura billowed from its head as it attacked Gogoat, the psychic assault causing her to wince in pain. However, she fought through it and retaliated with a flurry of razor-sharp leaves that ejected from her leafy mane. They shot forward at the two Fighting-types, Mienfoo gracefully dodging the projectiles while Meditite shielded itself with a psychic barrier. A few managed to cut into both Pokémon, but before they themselves could retaliate Mudsdale reared up and slammed his hooves down onto the pavement. It cracked then buckled under the force, creating a cascading wave that launched the surprised Pokémon into the air. Seeing an opening, Gogoat grabbed both with Vine Whip and slammed them repeatedly into the ground, each impact cracking the pavement before throwing both into their trainers. As the criminals laid sprawled on the ground, Calem laughed.

"Just to let you guys know, I used to be a League contestant. Gogoat and Mudsdale have been with me for years."

"Why should we care!?" they shouted as they got to their feet.

"Context, really. Seriously though, how about you two stand down before things get any worse for you?" Almost as if in challenge, the two merely threw out another pair of Pokémon, this time a Seviper and a Zangoose. Calem sighed and released two more his Pokémon in response, a Zebstrika and a Rhydon.

"If that's how you want to handle—" Calem was interrupted by the back door being thrown open, unleashing several Team Flare grunts onto the back lot. They were all holding various boxes and prepared to load the truck, but when they saw Calem and his team they immediately dropped whatever they were holding and threw out Pokémon of their own. Calem soon had sixteen Pokémon angrily staring him down, and a bead of sweat trickled down his brow.

"Okay, Mr. 'League Contestant'. How's about you give up before we have to hurt you?" one of the first two grunts taunted him.

"Okay…now things are harder…" he muttered. The Flare grunts smiled wickedly towards him, and as they prepared to mass attack the young boy he began to hear approaching sirens, telling him that the police weren't too far away. Given the nervous looks on some of the criminals' faces, they knew this too. Some appeared to be ready to drop everything and make a break for it, and at once Calem knew exactly what he had to do. If outright defeating them wasn't a realistic option, perhaps stalling them long enough for the police to arrive would be.

"Alright, let's go!" Calem shouted as he threw out his last two Pokémon, a Dodrio and a Rapidash. A few grunts tried to run towards the driver's seat, only for Gogoat to shoot a flurry of leaves into the aluminum door, halting their progress. With a yell, both sides attacked the other with everything they had.


As another Flare Grunt was punted down the hall, Louise could hear the distinct sounds of battle coming from outside the building. It was dull, muffled by the many layers of concrete and drywall, but she recognized the sounds. It brought a smile to her face, but she and Saito couldn't afford to run over to assist.

Currently the two were racing towards the fossil lab, where they figured Team Flare would be most likely to be concentrated. Give how they've already run into two Grunts who were apparently chasing after them, one shortly after the other, told them they were on the right path. At the same time, it also confirmed her earlier suspicions. Each of the grunts they had come across carried limited amounts of high-grade supplies to heal their Pokémon. At the same time, their actual Pokémon were much better trained than the Pokémon they fought back at the daycare. It seemed to her that, for what this cell lacked in material funds they attempted to make up for it with better trained Pokémon and high-quality equipment. A wise strategy, she had to admit, but not enough to stop her nor Saito from stopping them.

"Say, what's the plan?" Derflinger asked as they rounded a corner.

"Simple. We go in, fight them, and stall until the police get here," Saito answered, carefully applying a potion to Ronin, currently held in his arms.

"That is simple." Derflinger paused. "You do know that leaves a lot of room for things to go wrong?"

"Then we'll improvise," Louise countered with a huff. She understood his concerns. Afterall, she held the same ones. A lot of things could go wrong. Trying to charge headfirst into an enemy stronghold, even as lightly defended as this one, always held the potential for catastrophe. But the alternative was worse, and so they pressed on.

When they rounded another corner, they were forced to stop as they came across yet another Flare Grunt. She was leaning on the wall, tossing a Pokéball up and down in her hand while looking down at her feet. Saito and Louise stared at her cautiously, and when the Grunt got off the wall the two of them tensed.

"You know," she began with a dark chuckle, "you two made it pretty far. I know for a fact that two of my sisters-in-arms went after you. They were no slouches, and you guys tore through them. That takes skill. I'm impressed."

"Glad to hear it," Louise growled, Aile angrily chirping from atop her shoulder.

The Grunt merely smiled at their continued defiance. "I take it you two are League trainers? You look like it, all haughty and full of yourselves. I used to be one, too, until they kicked me out and blacklisted me."

"Boo-hoo. Where's my violin?" Derflinger taunted as he stared her down. Saito and Louise glared at her as well, but the grunt merely looked at them back with a psychotic glint in her eye.

"They wouldn't have kicked you out without reason," Saito calmly noted, his fist clenched tightly. Idly, he wondered what exactly she did to get blacklisted, only to remember a large League scandal that hit Kalos the year before Team Flare's attack. The more he looked at the girl, the more began to recognize her.

"Wait a second, I know you. You're the one who was caught cheating in the Kalos League finals two years ago!"

"Oh, a fan, are you?" the grunt asked, but Saito merely snarled.

"A fan?! You boosted your Pokémon with illegal steroids while spiking your opponents' Pokémon food with drugs to win matches!"

"Please. Anything's fair game in battle. I just took the next step the League was too stupid to recognize."

"By cheating?!" Louise proclaimed with a scowl, but rather than appear angered or ashamed, the cheater merely laughed.

"Yes!" The grunt was laughing hysterically now. "That's what I love about Team Flare so much! None of that pretentious, holier-than-thou attitudes that held the League back! Just a desire to do whatever it takes to win."

"You're crazy," Louise declared, and the grunt chuckled darkly.

"Possibly, but who are you to judge? I mean, you're the one pointing a stick at me," the grunt pointed out. Then, out of nowhere, a yellow and black blur slammed into Louise and Saito, knocking them onto their backs and ripping Louise's wand out of her hand, sending it skidding across the tile floor.

"Oof!" Louise grunted. Seeing her wand, she quickly scampered over to it, only for the yellow and black blur to swoop in and retrieve it before she could even make it five feet. Louise followed the blur as it rested on the grunt's outstretched arm, and she could see it for what it really was. The Pokémon was a bulkier than usual Ninjask, a Flying and Bug-type Pokémon native to the Hoenn region. It was noted as being among the fastest of all Pokémon species in the entire world, something that the criminal before her clearly emphasized in their training. Given her earlier bragging, Louise guessed that the excess bulk came from those very same illegal substances.

"So, this must be important, I take it?" the grunt asked while twirling the wand in her fingers. She paused to point it at Louise and Saito, but neither of them reacted. They had no reason to. It only worked for someone capable of magic, of which only Louise could do so. The grunt seemed to realize this and scoffed before tossing it to the side as if it were but a piece of trash. Louise frowned at the action, and her Pokémon stepped out in front of her defensively. Saito's Pokémon did the same.

"Let's have some fun!" the Flare grunt announced and released another pair of Pokémon, a Growlithe and a Scyther, who took positions near their trainer. Each of her Pokémon showed signs of substance abuse, with bulkier frames, labored breathing, and bloodshot eyes that made them look quite intimidating. Louise and Saito were both horrified at the sight but remained focused on the task at hand. Both sides stared at each other for a long pause, then at once both sides charged. Streams of fire shot forth from both Brennaraki and the Growlithe, colliding against each other and forming a wall of flame that scorched both the floor and ceiling. Aile used Flame Charge to pass safely through it, briefly parting it as she attempted to strike the Ninjask. The insect briskly dodged her attack, flying above her and slicing at her back with its pincers. Aile shrieked in pain but stayed righted, then banked sharply to retaliate.

Scyther leaped through the fire with its arms crossed just as Maindo and Espirit attacked it with a Shadow Ball and Magical Leaf. The insect broke them apart with its scythes then quickly parried attacks from Ronin and Tanuki with ease. The larger Pokémon was showing itself to be much more skilled that the two melee fighters on Saito's team, and when Tanuki overextended with an outstretched force palm, the Scyther kicked him violently to the side, sending the Riolu flying into an unsuspecting Brennaraki. Her Flamethrower ceased at once, allowing Growlithe's to continue unabated. Espirit and Maindo hastily teleported to safety, reappearing in the rafters above where they continued to rain down attacks at their enemies. Most of their attacks missed, however. Ninjask sped away from them with ease, Aile hot on its tail as they engaged in a fierce firefight, while Growlithe jumped away at the lost moment. Scyther, meanwhile, continued to parry away their attacks while at the same time preventing Ronin and Tanuki from getting in too close.

"Dammit!" Saito cursed under his breath as he watched the battle unfold. Despite Louise's and his own orders, the Team Flare grunt was quickly countering them with her own. Regardless of her reasons, they had to put her down if they had any hope of proceeding.

"Gagh!" Louise seethed as her wand once again got kicked away in the ensuing brawl. She briefly looked up at the battle to give an order to her Pokémon, who followed it without question then continued back to her previous task. When yet another stray blast knocked it away, she angrily pounded against the ground then made her way back to Saito.

"I can't get the wand!" she told him.

"I noticed!" Saito replied.

"What do we do?"

"Working on it!"

As the two trainers thought on how to best proceed, the Pokémon battle continued to rage. Aile and Ninjask were neck and neck. They bobbed and weave through various exhibits, Aile occasionally attacking with a Razor Wind while being careful to avoid the museum pieces. The Ninjask, recognizing this, stayed as close to the exhibits as possible without hitting them. It was aiming to get Aile to purposefully throw off her aim, and presently the plan was working. Aile may not quite understand why, but she knew that the people here wouldn't appreciate those items being damaged in away way.

So when Louise ordered her to Flame Charge through the assembled skeleton of an Aerodactyl to cut off the Ninjask, Aile was greatly confused.

'What?!' she squawked, which is all Louise could hear. Her trainer, however, understood exactly what Aile was saying and nodded. 'Alright. But don't get mad at me!'

Aile's body was enveloped in a ball of flame and flew as fast as she could towards the Ninjask. The insect, apparently not believing the Fletchling would go through with it, flew behind the skeleton. It let out a surprised chirp when Aile continued, charging straight through the skeleton and shattering it. Her flame-covered body slammed into Ninjask's, scorching the part of the exoskeleton she impacted and sending it hurtling towards the ground. Louise let out a smile at this. Although Ninjasks were very fast and agile Pokémon, they weren't built to take a lot of hits. Especially ones that were super-effective against them, which Fire-type attacks certainly were.

"Quickly, follow up with Quick Attack!" Louise ordered. Aile let out a cry and raced towards the recovering Ninjask. It tried to make a break for it, but Aile forced herself to go fast and faster until finally it seemingly disappeared, only to reappear behind the Bug-type and slam her wing into its side. The Ninjask cried out in pain as it flew over-head, slamming into the ceiling where Espirit and Maindo immediately assault it with their own attacks. When it finally to the ground, it was thoroughly knocked unconscious.

"…that wasn't Quick Attack…" Louise noted. The attack was far too quick for it to have been, and she looked towards Saito try and ascertain what the move was from him. The boy himself was too busy directing his Pokémon in their assault on the Scyther, and so she turned to face Derflinger. The Honedge was presently dueling against the Scyther. Seeing how it wasn't available, she quickly pulled out her Pokédex and rescanned her Pokémon, specifically highlighting her move set. Reading through it, her eyes focused on the newest item on the list.

"Aerial Ace, a Flying-type attack where the Pokémon moves so quickly that it becomes nearly impossible to dodge… Where was that five minutes ago!?" Aile cheeped sheepishly and shrugged, causing Louise to sigh and pinch the bridge of her brow. "Never mind, it's not worth it. Use it on Scyther!"

Aile chirped in response the disappeared as she raced towards the larger insect. Just as she prepared to strike, however, Scyther parried her blow and attacked her with a swipe of its forelimbs, sending her flying back.

"Oh, come on!"

Undeterred, Aile stuck again and again with Aerial Ace, each time the Scyther blocking it with its forelimbs. As it did so, Saito noticed that more and more of his Pokémon's attacks were starting to get through. Given how the Growlithe was still preoccupied with Brennaraki, Maindo, and Espirit, this gave him an idea.

"Maindo, Ronin, swap targets!" he ordered. At once his two Pokémon obeyed, Ronin leaping towards the enemy Growlithe with his scalchop raised high and Maindo teleporting onto the Scyther's face, only to instantly release a Shadow Ball at point-blank range. The attack caused the Bug-type to stumble backwards a bit, allowing Aile to hit it with a Aerial Ace into its elbow. A loud crack followed, and then its left arm hung limply. It growled at Aile and retaliated with a powerful Slash. Aile let out a cry of pain as she slammed into the ground, and when the Scyther moved to continue its assault Tanuki leapt in with a powerful Meteor Mash from the left side. It tried to block with its still functional arm, but Maindo psychically locked onto it and held it in place, allowing Tanuki to slam repeated blows onto its chest. It gasped out in pain and tried to block the attacks, only for Aile to suddenly latch onto its head and repeatedly peck it as fast as she could. Maindo, meanwhile, assaulted Scyther's mind with a bout of Confusion. It flailed back and forth, trying to shake its attackers off, but their repeated assaults eventually brought it to its knees. The Pokémon continued to attack the Scyther relentlessly, and before long it fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

The grunt was beginning to panic at this point. She was down to her last Pokémon, she doubted that Growlithe could stand against all of theirs at once. It'd be over in an instant. She had to get out of there, but increasingly her avenues of escape were being cut off. Frantically, she looked around to spot an opening, only to find none.

Then her eyes settled on the pink-haired girl, who had gone to pick up that stick of hers. Why she was so attached to it, the grunt couldn't begin to guess, but at that moment it left her distracted. An idea quickly formed in her head, and without the time to really think it through, she acted on it.

"Growlithe, use Heat Wave!" she ordered. Growlithe's body began to steam as thermal energy was quickly built up in its small body. Ronin, his eyes widened, attempted to cool it down with a water gun, only the water to evaporate into steam before it could even touch its orange fur. Its body began to glow bright red, and Saito turned to Louise.

"Get down!" he ordered as he and his Pokémon threw themselves to the ground, Louise and her Pokémon following suit. As soon as they did, Growlithe released the Heat Wave from its body, sending a wide swath of flame that scorched everything in sight. Maindo teleported away instantly, allowing him to escape mostly intact, but Espirit was too close to the epicenter to escape in time. The diminutive Kirlia was thrown back with a scream, the flame washing over her and leaving a noticeable burn on her body. Brennaraki, being a Fire-type, allowed the fire to wash over her to little effect, but Espirit's pained cries distracted her long enough for Growlithe to quickly perform a Take Down on her back, sending her flying into the similarly unaffected yet distracted Ronin and stunning both. Aile had managed to fly above the swath of flame, yet a cloud of smoke generated by a suddenly burning gallery clouded her vision and caused her to cough.

"Ronin, put the fire out!" Saito ordered through deep coughs. The Oshawatt began to comply, spewing out a jet of water that doused the fires around them. As his starter completed his task, Saito took a moment to look around to see the status of their Pokémon. Derflinger was currently propping himself up with his sash, the Fire-type attack having proved to be quite effective against him. Tanuki was in a slightly better shape, a slight burn on his arms from trying to block the attack. Espirit, however, was badly burned across much of her body, and it was hard for her to move without a jolt of pain shooting through her body. To his surprise, Maindo was hovering over her, trying to figure out what to do. Louise was picking herself off the ground as well, her clothes slightly singed and smoking, but Saito's eyes drifted over to a slight burn on her left arm and shoulder. It was slightly exposed to the fire, and it looked like it hurt.

Louise noticed Saito's gaze, and with a wince she shook her head. "I'm fine, don't worry. Where is she?"

"What?" Saito asked before turning around to where the Flare grunt previously stood. She was gone, having escaped during the confusion. Louise noticed the status of Espirit and quickly moved over to her, but Saito stopped her.

"No, I got this! Go after her!" he declared, causing her to look at him in confusion.

"What? I'm not going to-!"

"She's getting away! Go!" he again ordered. Louise looked at him for a moment then back through the now swinging door the grunt had fled through. Louise then felt Aile land on her shoulder, and the two nodded at each other then back at Saito. Louise then ran as fast as she could down the hall, Aile flying after her.

Saito watched her go and felt a sense of relief wash over him. That relief turned into surprise when he heard a surprised yip come from his side. Looking down, he saw Brennaraki still next to her wounded teammate, and Saito realized to his horror that, in her haste, Louise had accidentally left her starter behind.

"Ah, crap…" he grunted. "Louise, wait!"

Luckily for him, Louise hadn't made it too far down the hall so that she could still hear him. Realizing her error, she ran back and held open the door, beckoning Brennaraki to chase after her. Brennaraki did so, intending to reach her trainer.

What happened next happened so fast that it was hard for Saito or Louise to keep track of it all.

First, a single metal ball, covered in a sickly blue aura, shot out of the air and slammed into Louise's wrist, knocking her wand out of her grip and sending it skidding across the room. A second ball then slammed into her chest, knocking the air out of her lungs and sending her flying down the hall. Brennaraki yipped in surprise and turned towards the source, only for eight more glowing balls to explode out of the nearby wall and cascade like a fast-moving wave towards her. She leapt out of the way, back towards Saito, and they both watched in horror as the balls moved faster and faster to the point where none of them could track exactly where they were. They could also hear deep gouges being carved into the tile floor, which cast up small clouds of debris that forced them further back. They had been completely cut them off from Louise and Aile. Angered, Brennaraki fired a Flamethrower into the sea of metal balls, only it to be completely ineffective.

"Save your breath," a man quietly said. Saito turned around, trying to find the source but finding nothing. His Pokémon gathered around him, Brennaraki with them, while he himself held a whimpering Espirit in his arms.

"You know," the voice continued, "I've led this cell for quite some time now. I've learned many things during that time. Managed to teach some of it to others. I think I'm going to pass some of that to you, if you don't mind."

Having located the source of the taunting, Saito turned to glare at a silhouette standing near the now open employee door. The boy found it hard to do so, as the man was shrouded not by shadow but instead by intense light given off by the Rapidash and Zebstrika flanking him. A sickly blue aura covered his arms, stemming from his chest. He could make out that the man was wearing a large pair of goggles as well as a sunhat, but nothing else about his attire.

"Lesson one," Joshua Carnegie said as he stepped forward, "always stay aware of your surroundings."

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Outsiders! Things are pressing onward, and the Museum Heist is well underway. Exciting things are ongoing, and we hope you all enjoy.

Now, onto the Q&A:

Tiamatio: I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so much! As for the PWE, yes a lot of the characters over there are JoJo references. More just the names, really.

Drewd00d: Don't worry about it. And thank you for the congratulations. Yes, the pace may have slowed down a fair bit, but we are committed to seeing it through.

And yes, we felt that given Ambrette was famous for its beaches in-universe, a beach episode was fitting. But, we wanted to give our own spin on it. It was less of harem hijinks like the actual FoZ beach episode/OVA (which, by the way, we are committed to removing entirely) and more just funny moments, character interactions, and focusing on characters who haven't had much focus as of late. As for how they got those mirrors? Its a mystery... (*cue Twilight Zone theme*)

And yes, you were correct that an explosion caught everyone's attention. But, now she knows to make sure something like that won't happen again and will be teaching Espirit and Maindo Hypnosis in order to keep any stealth in check.

As for the Elizabeth sections, that criticism is valid. Firebird is in charge of those segments, and we have come to an agreement that her segments are too far removed. So we'll be working on bringing her in line with the overall story pretty soon. As for the descriptions, that can be chalked up to a difference in writing style that we're working on reconciling.

And I'm glad that you're happy about the extinction bit. Funnily enough, over on Spacebattles someone also pointing out the whole extinction thing. I couldn't just go back and edit it out, so I figured I might as well go with it and create a little joke at my expense from it. Now, as for positive additions, note that for any serious things we will not be deviating from our present plan, however if you or anyone else suggest a meaningful moment that we agree with, we might consider it.

Note that this is not a call for OCs. We will not be doing that. Any and all OCs have been made for the story already and we will not be expanding on that list.

And don't worry about my recommendations. While I would love for you or anyone else to read both of them, I understand that not everyone has the same interests. Still, if you ever do want to check them out, I would greatly appreciate it and I feel that everyone would be able to follow along pretty well.

That's it for this update. See you all next time, and let us know what you feel about the chapter!