Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 3

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Janet was starting to get frustrated. Everyone she had called so far had either been out of town, 'too busy' to even bother to consider helping, or already booked up. At this point, she was even considering offering a job to that idol she saw earlier. The girl had at least seemed somewhat competent, if her reactions were anything to go by, and might appreciate the extra work if her situation was as bad as she implied it to be. Still, Janet knew next to nothing about the girl, so that would have to be a last resort.

With a sigh, Janet set down her phone and looked around her office for anything that might distract her from the seemingly endless string of crises her day had become. Inevitably, her eyes fell on her closet. But she hesitated. She had put that part of her life behind her, true, but what harm was there in indulging in nostalgia a little?

Finally making up her mind, Janet stood up and walked toward the closet, the last remnant of hesitance within her eroding away with each step she took. Then, the door was right in front of her, and she threw it open.

Janet hadn't really had the heart to get rid of her old costume when she retired and, if you strip away the pragmatic reasons for keeping around a bunch of Poison types when you run a large, busy arena, she supposed that she kept her old team around for a similar reason. She couldn't help but smile as she saw the old thing hanging there. It had been nearly a decade since her last match, yet her costume still looked the same it had all those years ago.

A lighthearted laugh broke free of her lips as Janet pulled the garment out, moving with the grace of a woman fifteen years younger. The costume most definitely would not fit over her current dress, so off it went. Sure, the coattails might get bent, or the sleeves wrinkled, or the frills in her petticoat might get crushed, but in this moment, she found she couldn't care less. That conductor's dress might have served as the foundation of her image for the past few years, but it had felt constraining for too often for her liking. She could begrudge herself a few hours of freedom, Elizabeth's match wasn't for another four hours after all.

A corset of tattered cloth and fractured Wailord bones slipped over an artfully stained silk bodice; a skirt of rusted chainmail fell over a set of torn and rotten-looking leather tights. The delicate heels Janet had grown so used to found themselves replaced with far sturdier boots wrought from corroded iron, while her metal-phalange gloves gave way, in turn, to ones made of courser cloth and tipped with claws or metal. Her hair might not have been as stringy as it had been during her youth, but it didn't conflict with Scarecrow's image, so it was fine. All that remained, beyond the makeup and moss she usually needed to truly become the Revenant of the Swamps, were her contact lenses…

...which were nowhere to be found. Annoying.

Well, she was also missing her original gas mask, but it had corroded beyond usability a long time ago, so that at least had an excuse. After all, it would only take a minute to put her new mask back on.

Her costume finally in place – well, mostly in place (stupid contact lenses) – Janet couldn't help but feel the urge to just dance around. In some ways, it was almost like she was a child again: begging her parents to purchase costumes for her, not because it was Halloween or one of her friends was having a costume party, but so that she could just spend hours dancing around in it, acting out scenes in her head or just spouting off one-liners. She missed those days.

It was almost surprising how easy it was for her to just slip back into her old persona. Despite not having worn it in years, her old costume still fit like a glove, and not just the gloves, at that. In fact—

A loud bang rang throughout the arena followed shortly by a low rumbling that was almost deafening.

Instinctively crouching low, Janet's eyes nervously flitted around the room as tears began clouding her vision. She could hear someone running down the hall as her gaze finally fell on the pair of Premier Balls still clipped on to her hastily-discarded dress. Mentally cursing herself for leaving it in such an inconvenient spot, she began to slowly crawl over to her dress when the footsteps stopped right outside her door.

Throwing caution to the wind, Janet dove toward the Premier Balls and quickly rolled behind her desk. She remembered storing a brace of smoke canisters in one of the drawers after she ordered more than she could store, but she would need some time to find them.

"Trevenant! Lampent!" she cried, throwing the balls over the wooden barrier, "Give form to my malice!"

"Easy! Easy!" Raven cried out in surprise, "It's me! It's me!"

"Raven!?" Janet screamed back, peaking over her desk, "Why did you kick down my door!?"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Raven shot back, nervously fiddling with the leather straps on her costume, "Everything's gone mad outside and I didn't know if you had locked your door or not."

Janet sighed, glancing quickly at Trevenant and Lampent, both of whom showed no signs of discomfort, then hesitantly moved out from behind the desk. "Go find everyone you can and tell them to meet up in the arena in about ten minutes," she ordered, "running around like headless chickens isn't going to help anyone."

"Got it, ma'am!" Raven replied, running off into the building.

Janet barely suppressed a sigh as she followed suit. It seemed her endless string of crises wasn't over quite yet.


"Merde!" Louise continued to curse as the chaos unfolded. Saito couldn't help but have his attention divided between the city currently under attack and his suddenly foul-mouthed partner. At least he assumed her to be foul-mouthed. She had switched to her native language a few minutes prior but, given how foul her speech was in Unovan-style Galarian, he assumed she continued to curse to her hearts content.

"Geez, Pinky. You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Derflinger asked, confirming Saito's suspicions. Louise turned and glared at the Honedge, who wisely floated back with his sash raised upward. She took a few more deep breaths before finally calming herself.

"Why is Flare attacking?" she asked.

"I have no idea," Saito responded while he pulled out his Pokéballs, Louise doing the same. "There's nothing here except for mines, quarries, and fish."

"Then what's the target?" Louise asked again. None of this made sense to the young noblewoman. Before, even if she hated it, she could understand why Team Flare would attack their previous targets. The Kalos River Daycare Center had hundreds of eggs from just as many species of Pokémon. They would have made great additions to any criminal army, whether for funds or simple reinforcements. The same could be said for the Ambrette Fossil Museum. Revived Fossil Pokémon, as proven by Shogun just earlier today, were very powerful. Cyllage City had neither of those. The primary attraction, besides the Gym, was its internationally acclaimed bicycle racing track, and she doubted Flare wanted to invest in that.

Even then, their current tactic was entirely out of character. Both the Daycare Siege and the Fossil Heist were, to different extents, covert affairs operating under the dead of night. Both cells did everything they could to keep attention off them during their attacks. Shutting down communications, disabling security systems, overwhelming the guards. Everything they did spoke of a group of nefarious individuals who, ultimately, wanted to get in and out before the law could hammer down on them. Attacking a major metropolitan area was certainly not covert.

Which, again, begged the question: What was Flare doing?

More explosions went off in the distance, far enough away so that neither trainer felt the need to dive for cover. As black smoke rose high into the air, Louise's face became a stoic calm.

"We have to stop them," Louise replied, clutching Brennaraki's Luxury Ball tightly in her hand. She half expected Saito to try and argue against it, given their earlier conversation about this very topic, but instead Saito nodded.

"Agreed," he said. "We can't just sit back and do nothing."

Louise looked at him and nodded back. Then, the two trainers released their Pokémon from their Pokéballs. The Pokémon took one look at the chaos before immediately understanding. Brennaraki, with a mixture of annoyance and exasperation, looked as Auspice questioningly.

"And why didn't you pick this up?" she asked, and Auspice looked at her.

"It appears I was unable to detect this from inside my Luxury Ball," Auspice stoically admitted. "I will work on that to ensure this doesn't happen again."

"Yeah, you be sure to do that."

Another explosion, this time joined by several screams, prompted Louise and Saito to start running. Around them, they could see civilians running for cover while police and Pokémon Trainers were beginning to mount a defense of the city.

"Move, move, move!" one policeman ordered, waving his arms around in a wide, repeating circle as he ushered people into a nearby Pokémon Center. Beside him was Cyllage City's Officer Jenny, rallying a group of trainers around her. She saw Saito and Louise and immediately ushered them over as well.

"Alright, listen up!" she yelled, catching everyone's attention. "This city is on full lockdown! Team Flare is attacking the city, and they're about to learn just why that was the biggest mistake they've ever made! Am I right?!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the trainers shouted their reply. Saito and Louise couldn't help but join in, and together they ran out into the city among their peers. Police officers, ones that weren't helping to evacuate the populace, were joining them with their Manectrics by their side. The herd they found themselves in was quickly thinning, until before long Louise and Saito once again found themselves alone with Officer Jenny.

"You two been through this before?" she asked, apparently recognizing them.

"Yes," Saito replied. "But this doesn't make sense! Why would they be so brazen right now and attack Cyllage?"

"Your guess is as good as mine!" Jenny admitted. "But right now, our only concern is kicking them out."

"Agreed," Louise replied as they turned a corner. There, they got their first glimpse of Team Flare since the previous night. It was a trio of two men and one woman, telling Louise that they were not the same cell as Ambrette. She still wondered just why that cell was entirely composed of women, outside of its leader, and she felt that the answer would only cause revulsion.

The Grunts, instead of their previous professional demeanor, or what passed as professor for a bunch of terrorists, were simply causing random acts of destruction. They trashed parked cars, destroyed storefronts with Pokémon attacks, and generally acted more like rioters than thieves. When they finally noticed the trainers, the Flare Grunts quickly shifted their attention and ordered their Pokémon to attack.

"Houndour, use Flamethrower!"

"Poocheyena, Dark Pulse!"

"Sneasel, Ice Beam!"

The Grunts ordered their Pokémon to attack, only for them to be met by Louise, Saito, and Jenny's retaliation. The Ice Beam was met by a Brennaraki's Psybeam, the Flamethrower broken apart by Ronin's Water Pulse, and Poocheyena's Dark Pulse was sliced in half by Auspice's Night Slash. The group was soon engulfed in a frantic melee among each other. Pokémon attacks flew wild, the Flare Grunts attempting to maintain their momentum, but they quickly found themselves outmatched.

The Poocheyena attempted to attack Auspice from behind, opening its maw to bite down on her hind leg, only for a glint to appear in the Absol's eye just before the Bite hit. Auspice leaped over the Pokémon, surprising it and leaving it oven to a Slash attack. It struck against the Poocheyena's back, plowing it into the concrete with enough force to form a slight crater. Brennaraki, meanwhile, continued to attack the Sneasel. Having recognized the Dark-type for what it was, Brennaraki switched to her Fire-type attacks. Embers and Fire Spins scorched the ground and nearby walls, which the Sneasel dodged with a confident smirk across its face. It retaliated with a Quick Attack, closing the distance between it and Brennaraki in almost no time at all. Its claw swiped across Brennaraki's face, causing the firefox to recoil back.

"Why you little-!" Brennaraki scowled as she fired an Ember at the Sneasel. It ducked underneath by leaning backward, its back becoming parallel with the ground, before coming back up with a taunting look. It moved to attack once again, only for Aile to suddenly make her appearance by plowing into the Sharp Claw Pokémon with a Flame Charge. The Sneasel, totally off guard, bounced across the street several times before coming to a stop. It tried to raise itself off the ground, only for Brennaraki to engulf it in a massive Fire Spin. It howled in pain as it flailed out of the fiery vortex, only to be put out of its misery by a single Ember from Brennaraki. As it fell, the Fennekin looked at Aile with a slightly annoyed glare.

"What?" Aile asked.

"… I had it handled," Brennaraki declared with a huff, but the Fletchinder merely rolled her eyes.

"Sure you did. All I did was loosen Sneasel up for you."

"Yes, that's exactly what you did."

On the other side of the street, Ronin engaged in battle against the Houndour. Here, the Water-type Pokémon was in his element. Each attack from the Houndour, from a hot Flamethrower to an unnaturally cold Dark Pulse, Ronin broke it apart with ease. Fire met Water, Dark met scalchop. The Oshawatt was so pleased with his performance that he couldn't help but smirk. The Houndour saw this and roared angrily as it charged. Ronin met the charge head-on, sliding underneath the Houndour's belly while slicing it with a Razor Shell. The Fire/Dark-type roared in pain as it crashed, but Ronin refused to allow it a chance to recover. He rocketed forward with an Aqua Jet, his body enveloped in a cone of water, and slammed into the recovering Pokémon. The momentum carried it across the street and the two of them slammed into a parked car, denting the door and shattering glass. The Houndour, having taken the brunt of the impact, slumped to the ground in defeat while Ronin holstered his scalchop triumphantly.

"The villain had no chance," he declared just as he turned to see Officer Jenny directing her Manectric to envelop the trio of criminals in a Thunder Wave. Their bodies spasmed and fell to the ground, completely paralyzed, but the police officer was upon them immediately.

"You are under arrest!" she declared as she handcuffed them to a nearby pole. The criminals didn't speak, because of their bodies not responding, but Louise figured it was probably for the best. They likely didn't have much to say anyway.

"What do you want us to do?" Louise asked, hoping to help however she could.

"Keep going!" Jenny ordered. "Find as many members of Team Flare as you can and stop them. I'm going to make sure these guys don't try to take off!"

Louise and Saito nodded at the officer's command then immediately turned around to run down the street. Around them, they could hear the battle for the city ensue, and they could tell it was in complete chaos.

"This is like the Daycare, only ten time worse," Saito muttered. Louise wasn't sure if she quite agreed with the number, but she did with his general sentiment. Still, she remained quiet as she focused on the task at hand before they finally came across an intersection to a single street. The road here split, going in opposite directions, and they wondered which way to go. They heard an explosion coming from the east-bound side and turned to run towards it, only to hear another coming from the west. For a moment, the trainers stood still as they wondered which direction to go before Saito steeled his face and turned towards Louise.

"You take east, I'll take west," he said, and Louise nodded. The two trainers then split apart, running towards their respective dangers, hoping that they could help in any way they could.


Elizabeth was getting antsy. She had just finished getting her stage makeup applied when a shockwave rolled its way through the building. She was more than a little irritated when her attempt to figure out what had happened was met with little more than a command to go to the arena and wait for Janet. Well, she had been waiting for almost fifteen minutes now and if she had to wait any longer, she might just take off on her own. A few of the others looked like they wanted to do the same thing. Before she could act on those feelings, however, the verdette's musings were cut off when the very woman she had been grousing about ran into the room, Diego following close behind her.

"Any luck?" she shouted at a group of techs as she skidded to an awkward stop.

"None, really," one replied, looking up from the radios he was messing with, "Every standard station I can tune in to is garbled beyond meaning, and I'm sure our attempts at catching the news on TV are pretty self-evident." He motioned to one of the jumbotrons as it cycled through channel after channel of stuttering, pixelated imaged and indecipherable sound.

"No luck with the phones, either," another tech spoke up, "The landline didn't even have a dial tone and none of my calls or texts are going through."

Elizabeth growled. This was the exact same tactic Team Flare had used back at the Daycare, only now applied to an entire city, and the fact that she had to live through it again, on the night of her big debut, infuriated her to no end.

"You know," Raven pointed out with an extended finger, "for a group that's supposedly in its death throes, the local Flare cell seems scarily competent."

"What do you mean by that?" Elizabeth cut in, "Didn't you say they were just attacking things randomly?"

"Well, if you call targeting the police stations first 'attacking randomly' then I guess you're right," the radio operator quipped.

"Wait, what?" Elizabeth queried in surprise, "I thought you said you weren't having any luck figuring out what's going on."

"Well, I did say that, but before the amateur frequencies all got jammed I noticed they were playing host to a whole lot of police-related chatter."

"And your point is...?" Elizabeth shot back, growing more irritated by the second.

"Well—"

"Hey! Hey! I think I've got a clear signal!" one of the techs shouted as the image on the jumbotron resolved itself into a nervous-looking girl standing on a stage.

"Uhhh… S-sorry for the interruption, we should be able to continue in a moment," she said, nervously glancing at something off-screen, "Are we ready? Okay, let's start!"

"This isn't helpful," Janet said as the idol fumbled her entrance and hurriedly motioned for her band to start over, "What else can we get?"

"Uhh…. Nothing...?" the tech sheepishly replied, "She's on every channel somehow."

"She's on the radio frequencies as well," the radio operator added, "You think this is Flare's doing?"

Elizabeth turned and walked out of the room, red slowly shifting to green. She didn't need to hear the rest, after all. Janet would want everyone to hunker down while Cyllage's police force dealt with Flare, but the verdette wasn't going to just sit idle. Sure, that kind of thinking had bitten her in the past and nearly gotten her killed twice, as far as she remembered.

"I had a nightmare last night."

The verdette clutched her head in pain as red slowly bled back into her eyes and darkened to their normal shade of maroon. She winced, wiping blood from her lips as her tongue ran over the prosthesis attached to her canines. Those things were supposed to be just for show, why were they so sharp?

"Hey…" a voice said, pulling Elizabeth out of her thoughts, "Where are you going?"

Surprised, the verdette turned to face the newcomer. "Erina?" she said in shock, "That's your costume?"

"First off, yes," Erina calmly replied, tipping her bycocket in a mock salute, "second, you didn't really answer the question."

"You look like you just stepped out of one of those Galarian Fletchling Hood stories," Elizabeth continued, seemingly ignoring the second part of Erina's statement.

"Yes, I get that, but where are you going?" Erina asked again, "Janet wants us all to stay in the arena."

"Fine," Elizabeth said, "I'm going to beat up that Flare girl who's pretending to be some idol."

"Are you sure about that, Elizabeth?" Raven asked as she walked down the hallway towards them. Elizabeth was surprised by Raven's look of confusion. It seemed like Raven believed the girl was innocent.

"What do you mean by that?" Elizabeth pressed, hoping Raven would see through the facade.

"All I'm saying is that I don't think that girl's Flare," Raven confidently stated, "Either that or she's a damn good actor."

"Are you serious? It's obvious that she's with Flare," Elizabeth growled, splotches of green slowly spreading across her eyes.

"I'm not saying that Flare isn't using her as a distraction, but I don't think she's continuing to sing of her free will," Raven clarified, "She looked like she was legitimately scared for her life, is all I'm saying."

Elizabeth stared at her for a moment before sighing and pinching her brow. She didn't have time for this.

"That doesn't change anything, apart from not punching her," the verdette said, the patches of green fading back into red, "I'm still going to stop that broadcast."

"Count me in, then," Raven declared, putting on her helmet.

"I'm coming too," Erina said in turn.

"W-well, okay then," Elizabeth stuttered out, somewhat shocked by the positive response, "Let's go!"


"Water Pulse! Force Palm! Shadow Ball! Bullet Seed!" Saito ordered his Pokémon to attack a lone Grunt he had come across. The criminal had just beaten a pair of trainers senseless and were preparing to rob them blind when Saito and his team caught them completely off guard. The attacks slammed into his Pokémon, knocking them out almost instantly while Derflinger whipped out and stuck them with this sheath. With the Flare Grunt incapacitated, Saito quickly tied them up with some of his climbing rope while handing the defeated trainers some medicine.

"Th-Thank you!" one of them said, a young boy no older than ten. Saito frowned deeply, knowing that this kid was far too young to even attempt trying to interfere with this.

"Take your Pokémon and get to the Pokémon Center," he gently ordered.

"But we want to help!" a young girl with red hair insisted, but Saito shook his head.

"You can by protecting the Pokémon Center from the bad guys, alright?" Saito suggested. "We need big, strong trainers like you guys to keep everyone hiding in there safe while us big trainers take the fight to Flare."

"We're big, too!" the boy proclaimed.

"I know, which is why I want you guys to protect the others. I can only trust the biggest people I can think of for such a task."

The two young trainers took a moment to acknowledge Saito's words, and when they finally registered they began to beam jubilantly. Excitedly, they ran off towards the nearest Pokémon Center, leaving Saito behind. The seventeen-year-old couldn't help but smile at their dedication to keeping their city safe, only to hear a groan come from his feet. Looking down, he frowned once again at the stirring Flare Grunt. He, and the rest of his squad, was tied up to a lamppost tightly, the tick ropes constricting him from any moment. It would be impossible for him or the others to escape on their own.

Saito kicked him in the gut before moving on.

"Bunch of kids…" he growled as he continued to search the city for signs of battle. Derflinger said nothing but floated behind him, internally agreeing with Saito's action. He, himself, had made sure to hit them extra hard for their audacity. Still, although the Honedge admired the kids for their bravery, he couldn't help but note it was highly misplaced. They should not have been out here, facing off against criminals who were more than willing to cause them harm.

Another trainer, cradling her injured Growlith in her arms, ran past the group, prompting them to turn sharply and face a pair of Grunts confidently marching towards them.

"Well, well, well! What do we-?" one of them began, but Saito wasn't having it.

"Shadow Ball."

Maindo's Ghost-type attack immediately launched towards the Grunt, causing her to dive to the ground. The ball soared past where her head was just moments ago, and she felt a trickle of sweat go down her brow.

"What the heck, you psychopath?!" her partner admonished an unfazed Saito. "You could've hurt her!"

"Coming from the guy who has plunged an entire city into chaos. For no reason at all," Saito shot back while slowly striding forward. The Grunts tentatively stepped back, recognizing that this trainer wasn't like the others they had easily beaten back so far.

"You want to know something? I've dealt with you guys three times now. First, the Daycare. Then, the Fossil Museum. And now, this." Saito gestured around himself while the Grunts' faces paled. They recognized those cities, or more specifically the failed missions that had occurred there. Each one was foiled by a pair of trainers. If what this teenager was telling the truth, they suddenly had a very big problem on their hands.

"We-Well, that doesn't matter!" the female Grunt declared defiantly. "We have united dozens of cells just for this operation! We outnumber you ten to one!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes! Cells from all over the Kalos Region, all combining to reform Flare into an even stronger team! One not burdened by failure!"

"Uh-uh. How's that working out for you?"

Rather than respond to Saito's obvious sarcasm, the Flare Grunt shouted and directed her Skorupi to attack. Her partner responded in kind, ordering his Houndour to attack with Flamethrower. Ronin immediately countered the Fire-type attack with a Water Pulse, dousing the flame and turning the water into steam. Tanuki shot forward, striking the Houndour's snout with a Force Palm and sending it flying back into a nearby shop's wall.

"Houndour!" the Grunt shouted, then angrily turned to face Saito. He pulled out another Pokéball and released the Zubat held within. The Bat Pokémon screeched wildly, flapping around as it emitted a high-pitched sonic wave. The Super Sonic rattled Tanuki's head, causing him to clutch it in pain and he began to wobble and sway on his feet.

"Grr…" Saito frowned then pointed at the Zubat. "Maindo, use Confusion on Zubat!"

Maindo grinned wickedly as he psychically assaulted the Zubat's mind. It screeched in pain, its movements become more erratic as it struggled to stay in the air. Taking advantage of its current state, Tengu fired a barrage of Bullet Seeds into its body. The Grass-type attack didn't do much, but it was enough to keep it distracted long enough for Tanuki to regain control of his senses. Now angered, he thrust his hands in front of him and charged up a Meteor Mash, sending the Steel-type attack hurtling into the Zubat and knocking it into the ground with a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, the Pokémon was out for the count.

Meanwhile, Shogun brawled with the Skorupi. The Bug and Poison-type Pokémon was having an issue dealing with the larger Rock-type, but it attempted to use its venomous fangs to debilitate its opponent. Shogun wasn't having it, recognizing the fangs for what they were, and always made sure to keep them away from him. He used Bite on its tail, using it as leverage to twirl the Pokémon around in a large circle before hurling it away. The Skorupi crashed into the ground, which Shogun followed up with a Tackle. He bowled over his enemy, causing the Skorupi to roll like a ragdoll before it managed to find its footing.

Annoyed, the Skorupi fired a Pin Missile from its tail, a few managing to strike against Shogun's scaly hide. The Tyrunt grunted in slight pain before strafing around them, the projectiles following his every movement. When another struck him in the snout, he roared angrily before changing course and charging at Skorupi. It began to panic, backing way while continuing to fire the Pin Missile, but Shogun merely charged through them. He then jumped high above Skorupi, descending to deliver a painful Stomp to its back. Its breath was quickly ejected from its tiny lungs. Skorupi, in a daze, looked up at Shogun, who himself was staring deep into its eyes. He then Roared with such ferocity that Skorupi felt very afraid, and before its trainer could even blink, it had promptly returned itself to its Pokéball.

"Wha?" the Grunt wondered, looking at the ball clipped to his belt and leaving himself open to a sucker punch from Saito. He spun around in a daze before falling onto his back, while his partner shouted in anger. She moved to attack him, only for Tengu to trip her with a Grass Knot. More grass grew from the concrete to envelop her and her partner, and she futilely struggled to escape her bonds.

"Let me go!" she demanded, but Saito merely shook his head.

"I don't think so. In fact," he kneeled next to her head, "you're going to answer a few questions from me. And don't lie to me, Tanuki and Maindo will tell if you do."

The Riolu and the Ralts smiled and nodded, confirming Saito's threat, and the woman snarled while continuing to try and free herself. Finally, she recognized the situation she was in, and sighed.

"What do you want to know?"

"Just one thing: Why? Why are you attacking Cyllage? There's nothing here."

"I don't know. They didn't tell us," she admitted. "All I know was that my cell was taken over a few days ago by some guy calling himself Maxwell Fletcher. Then, after he kicked my admin's butt, he's having us pack up, leave our base, and hightail it over here to cause some mayhem. He called it 'Operation Flash Mob.' Tsk, guy didn't even come with us…"

Saito and Derflinger looked at each other with a sideways glance. They then looked at Tanuki and Maindo, who nodded. Saito looked back down at the Flare Grunt, slightly surprised that she was telling the truth. At the same time, he was a little disappointed that she couldn't answer anything else. Still, he got what he wanted.

"Alright, let's go," he ordered, his Pokémon following behind him. The Flare Grunt shouted indignantly at him leaving her in such a compromising position, but Saito honestly didn't care. What he did care about, however, was what this 'Operation Flash Mob' really entailed. There were many criminal organizations around the world, most defunct but a few still kicking. Team Rocket chief among them, and he could see those gangsters holding a city hostage for ransom. But this didn't feel like they were aiming to hold the city hostage. This was just mindless chaos. He might have simply dismissed it as that, but the fact that Team Flare had the audacity to call this an actual operation mean that this chaos had a point to it.

He just couldn't figure out what it was.


"Hey, Ghiaccio, was there a Ren Faire today that I didn't know about?" Mista smirked as he stared down the new arrivals.

"Not that I know of," Ghiaccio snidely replied.

"Hey, at least we're not a bunch of fashion disasters like you are!" the armored woman shouted at them.

"Yeah!" the silver-haired one cut in, "I thought all Flare grunts wore red, not blue!"

"At least we have some fashion sense, harlequin!" Ghiaccio shouted.

"Finally, someone gets it!" the silver-haired woman exclaimed, much to the Flare grunts' confusion.

""What?"" Mista and the armored woman said in unison.

"I'll explain later, Raven," the other replied with an annoyed sigh.

"I'll be holding you to that, Erina," the newly-identified Raven said, "Now, would you kindly step aside so we can spare you the trouble of getting beat up, or…"

"Not a chance!" Ghiaccio declared.

"Well, don't say we didn't warn you," Erina said ominously as the pair reached behind themselves and each pulled out a white cape with a red, stylized 'R' in its center from literally nowhere.

Ghiaccio immediately began reaching for one of his Pokéballs, but Mista held out a hand to stop him. "I want to see how this plays out," he said.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Erina cried, striking a dramatic pose.

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" Raven shouted in response, doing the same.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Erina!"

"Raven!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" Raven and Erina finished with a dramatic flush, moving their arms and legs around to form an R. For the life of them, neither Flare grunt could quite wrap their heads around why these two trainers would take the time to do such a 'motto', or why anyone would for that matter. They did find it humorous, however.

"You know, now I see why you made me wait," Ghiaccio muttered, a poleaxed expression spread across his continence.

"Aegislash! Show them oblivion!" Raven cried.

"Hawlucha! Soar above all!" Erina declared.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be… Come on out, Numbers!" Mista shouted, throwing out all six of his Pokéballs at once. They broke open, revealing six Clawitzers.

"Cryogonal!" Ghiaccio shouted, bringing out one of his own Pokémon.

"All six at once, eh?" Raven quipped, "Your friend might be an ice guy, but it seems you have confidence issues."

"At least we don't get beat up by children half our age on a regular basis," Mista countered.

"Talk is cheap," Erina growled, Ghiaccio's comment obviously having gotten under her skin, "Hawlucha, Hone Claws, Sky Drop!"

"Aegislash!" Raven cried, "Swords Dance, Sacred Sword! Hit the rest!"

""Avoid it!"" Ghiaccio and Mista shouted in unison.

Hawlucha made a beeline for Cryogonal, who was just a hair too slow to avoid the attack and was dragged upwards by the Wrestling Pokémon. Mista's Clawitzers fared better, as all but one of them was able to avoid Aegislash's wide sweep.

"Numbers! Water Pulse! Don't let up!" Mista shouted.

On cue, all six Clawitzers began gathering energy in their oversized claws and fired. Immediately sensing the danger it was in, Aegislash retreated behind her shield and quickly erected a barrier with King's Shield, just in time to block the first volley. Mista grit his teeth as his team's attack splashed off harmlessly. He hated fighting Pokémon with moves like that, but at least it wasn't Spiky Shield.

"A little help would be nice, Ghiaccio," he muttered.

"Right, right," his partner said as he reluctantly looked away from the increasingly-distant speck Cryogonal and Hawlucha had become, "Glaceon, Froslass, let's show them what they get for messing with us!"

"Bringing out more already?" Erina asked, "Guess I'll do the same! Empoleon! Xatu!"

"A Xatu? Really?" Ghiaccio heckled.

The Mystic Pokémon slowly turned to face the blue-haired man, his eyes glowing pink as he did so. 'I have already foreseen your failure. This battle is a foregone conclusion,' he ominously stated.

"Fat chance, weirdo," Mista shouted, "Numbers 3, 6, 7! Dark Pulse!"

Xatu only looked insufferably smug as Empoleon stepped in front of it, eating the damage as she charged up a Bide. Seeing an opening, Aegislash fired off a trio of Shock Waves, targeting the three Clawitzers still focused on her. Unprepared for the sudden attack, the Clawitzers all winced in pain as the wave of electricity washed over them.

"Just what I was waiting for!" Ghiaccio declared, motioning for his team to attack. Glaceon and Froslass struck Aegislash with Ice Beams and, much to Raven's horror, froze the Royal Sword solid. Grinning evilly, Froslass followed up with a Hex powerful enough to send the frozen Pokémon flying backwards.

"Aegislash!" Raven cried out.

"Just like I thought," Mista smirked, "All talk, no real strength to back it up."

Growling in anger, Raven recalled Aegislash and pulled out another pair of balls. "Bisharp! Scizor! Avenge her!"

"You don't stand a chance!" Ghiaccio screamed, "Avalanche! Bury them!"

"Empoleon!" Erina shouted at the same time.

Leaping into action, Empoleon shoved Raven's team out of the way, bearing the brunt of both attacks before releasing the Bide she had been charging at Glaceon, only for a pink barrier to spring up in front of the Fresh Snow Pokémon. Undeterred, Empoleon smashed through the obstruction and struck her target, but the Barrier had done its job. Ghiaccio grimaced as he watched Glaceon slowly struggle to his feet, and his expression only deepened when Hawlucha finally came back down. The Wrestling Pokémon slammed Cryogonal into the ground and had the audacity to smirk as he threw it at the blue-haired man. Fortunately, Cryogonal managed to correct its flight, but Ghiaccio was still angry.

"Mista," he ground out, "Take care of the wannabe knight. The harlequin is mine."

Mista only nodded in response as his team moved to focus on the Steel types, but Erina was far more talkative.

"Oh? You're taking me on alone?" the silver-haired woman sneered, "Didn't you see how badly I was beating you with Raven as a handicap?"

"A little frost on the wings will stop any bird," Ghiaccio quipped back, "Besides, I can't beat you up very well if Mista's just going to steal my thunder, can I?"

"Very well," Erina said, stifling a chuckle, "Make your move."

Ghiaccio allowed himself to smile as he narrowed his eyes. Unlike Mista, he didn't put much stock in superstitions, but he had fought enough physics in the past to know that their abilities were no joke. Sure, that Xatu might have foreseen his defeat, but those predictions were far from immutable, his fight against a physic calling himself "Vinegar" had taught him that much. Still, his position wasn't the best. Two members of his team were already exhausted from all the fighting they had done today, and the terrain was ill-suited for White Album. Still, it didn't look like Erina had any Ice types on her team. The blue-haired man barely suppressed a chuckle as a plan formed in his mind.

"Cryogonal, Hail! Glaceon, Aurora Veil!" Ghiaccio ordered with a smirk. That should help whittle down these Team Rocket screwups while mitigating the effects it would have on Mista, but might as well make it easier on himself. "Froslass, use Captivate on Xatu!"

Erina just smirked. Even as dark clouds gathered overhead, and her opponents shrouded themselves in iridescent light, she just smirked.

"You just made a big mistake," she said and snapped her fingers.

Froslass recoiled in pain as something hit her from out of nowhere as Empoleon cloaked herself in water and launched forwards.

"Froslass, Glaceon! Avoid it!" Ghiaccio yelled.

"I never said I was aiming for you," Erina smirked.

Ghiaccio's eyes widened in realization as Empoleon swerved into Mista's team, throwing them into disarray.

"Well, I'd say it was fun, but—" Erina began, quickly recalling Hawlucha and Empoleon.

"Froslass! Freeze them solid!" Ghiaccio cut in. They weren't going to get away if he had anything to say about it.

Erina yelped in shock and immediately dove towards Raven as Xatu hurriedly covered the area in a black Haze. Froslass dove in after them. Seconds later, the Haze cleared, revealing Raven, frozen solid, but Erina was nowhere to be found.

"DAMMIT, WHERE'D SHE GO!?" Ghiaccio yelled.

"Teleported, most likely," Mista stated, "But we have her friend. She'll be back."

"Ergh… Back to waiting, I guess," Ghiaccio grumbled.

"I guess," Mista concurred, "Would you mind helping me move her?"


Louise ran through the Cyllage streets, her Pokémon matching her step for step. The riot had been going on for at least an hour, and already she had dealt with nearly a dozen Flare grunts.

"Fireball!" she casted at a Flare grunt she spotted in the corner of her eye, knocking him back into unconsciousness. She added him to her mental tally, now reaching a dozen Grunts, but continued along. Aile was flying overhead, directing the group towards any criminals she could see while keeping an eye for anyone that looked to be the leader of the group. If there was anything Louise had learned from her past endeavors against Team Flare, it was that an operation hinged on its leader. If she or another trainer managed to take him or her out, the entire cell would fall apart. As such, her focus was on finding whomever this leader was.

Her secondary objective was finding out who was blasting that Founder-damned music all over the radios and intercoms across the city. No matter where she went, the music kept playing, and it was driving her insane.

"I swear, when I find her…" Louise growled as she rounded another corner. Espirit, perched on her shoulder, gently patted the side of Louise's head.

'There, there,' the Kirlia soothed her trainer. 'Maybe if we're lucky, the singer works for Flare and we can justify our discussion with her.'

"Are you seriously suggesting beating her up?" Brennaraki asked, not expected that response from the kind Espirit.

"Only if she's Flare," Espirit clarified, tilting her head and smiling gently. "Otherwise, I say we have a long and due discussion with her on the time and place for musical entertainment."

"I'm down for that," Aile responded from high above. "Also, found another group! Two blocks ahead!"

Espirit quickly translated Aile's message to Louise, and the noblewoman nodded before directing both Aile and Auspice to run ahead. The two Pokémon acted accordingly, racing down the street towards their objective. Louise, Brennaraki, and Espirit followed along at a quick pace.

The three heard the battle before they saw it. When they finally arrived at the battle site, they saw Aile and Auspice expertly dueling against a trio of orange-clad Flare Grunts. Their outfit, like so many of the other Grunts she had come across, was not like the ones she had met before. These outfits appeared to be rougher, with obvious stitches and patches splotching the suits. Even their glasses were slightly cracked, and she didn't think those came over the course of the current battle. The damage looked too old for that. These three obviously came from a different cell, one that wasn't as well-equipped as the other ones.

The fact that most of the Grunts she had come across had different uniforms told her that there were many cells coordinating on this one endeavor, a thought that troubled her greatly. Still, she couldn't focus on that as one of the Grunts spotted her.

"There's the trainer!" the Grunt, a woman with green hair, shouted and pointed towards Louise. "Golbat, use Poison Fang!"

The Golbat screeched and broke away from the battle, flying towards Louise as its maw opened wide. Its fangs pulsed purple as Poison-type energy coursed through them, but before it could even attempt to sink them into Louise, Espirit launched it out of the way with Psychic. Golbat crashed into the pavement, only for Espirit to blast it with Disarming Voice. The Bat Pokémon screeched as it hastily tried to cover its ears, meanwhile Espirit hopped off Louise's shoulder and calmly marched towards her opponent.

'I'm sorry, did you just try to hurt my trainer?' Espirit politely asked in a sickeningly sweet tone, her voice barely masking the venom it held. Growling angrily, the Golbat flew up over her and screeched out a Supersonic attack, which Espirit deftly teleported away from with a loud pop. Golbat circled around, trying to find her, only to hear Espirit's voice echo in its mind.

'That wasn't very nice…' Espirit warned before blasting it with Psychic once again. As she dueled with the Flying/Poison-type Pokémon, Aile engaged in a brawl against small vulture-like Pokémon. Aile was attacking it from the air, while the vulture was retaliating from the ground. Not recognizing it, Louise quickly pulled out her Pokédex and scanned it as Auspice blocked a strike from a Houndoom aimed at her.

"Vullaby, the Diapered Pokémon. A monogendered female species, Vullaby's wings are too small to allow for flight, leaving it grounded. They are known to chase after weaker creatures, and their distinctive diaper is made of bones gathered by their Mandibuzz parent. Once they are nearing their evolution, they will shed their diaper entirely," the Pokédex revealed just as the Vullaby jumped and attacked a passing Aile with Feint Attack. Aile grunted, momentarily wobbling, but the Fletchinder was able to retain her composure and banked away. Louise eyed the Pokémon and quickly came up with a strategy to take it down as quickly as possible.

"Aile, keep attacking it from range!" Louise ordered, knowing that the Vullaby had no way to strike back. Nodding her head, Aile flew up high out of Vullaby's reach, then began to bombard it with a barrage of Razor Winds. The Vullaby scampered away, trying to dodge Aile's attacks, but its short legs didn't get it far before the first attack struck. It was blasted away numerous times with the successive slices of compressed air, each attack bouncing it away only to hit another. A cloud of brown dust formed around the impact site, and only when Louise sharply raised her hand did Aile cease. They waited for the smoke to clear, and once it did they saw it laying sprawled across the ground.

Smiling to herself, Louise ordered Aile to assist Brennaraki, who was fighting off two Skorupis at once. The Fennekin wasn't having much issue against the Bug-type Pokémon, easily keeping them at bay with her Fire-type attacks, but Louise did want to risk her getting poisoned again. Wrapping her body in fire, Aile descended with a Flame Charge, slamming into a surprised Skorupi and sending it flying into an aluminum trashcan. It crumpled under the impact, and as the Skorupi tried to push itself off the ground, Brennaraki set it alight with an Ember. The Skorupi flailed before finally going still. Moments later, the other Skorupi joined it as Brennaraki attacked it with a Flame Charge, the Fennekin finishing it off easily.

"You're welcome," Aile mentioned, and Brennaraki huffed before moving on to their last opponents. Aile chirped happily before moving on as well. The two Fire-types saw Espirit thrashing around a frantic Golbat. It was a completely one-sided battle in favor of the Kirlia, who always kept her serene smile. Both Pokémon found it to be unnerving, and so they moved their attention towards Auspice.

Auspice was currently facing off against a Houndoom, the Fire/Dark-type attacking Auspice with a brutal display of might. In a testament to her skill, however, Auspice was dancing around the Houndoom easily, using generous amounts of Detect to dodge her opponents attacks at the last second. As she dodged a Fire Fang attack, Auspice retaliated with a Slash into Houndoom's back, sending it crashing onto the pavement. As it picked itself up, Auspice used Slash again, this time hitting Houndoom's face. The Dark Pokémon growled as it faced a stoic Auspice and tried to bite her, only for Auspice to gracefully leap backwards away from the crushing maw. As she landed, she fired a Razor Wind towards the Houndoom, the blow making it flinch upon contact.

Now thoroughly enraged, the Houndoom roared as it charged at Auspice, firing a Flamethrower at the same time. Auspice ran to the side, the jet of flame following her and setting the ground alight. When she reached a light pole, Auspice jumped towards it with her paws outstretched, rebounded, and lunged at a still turning Houndoom. The two collapsed a heap before quickly engaging in a brutal brawl. It was here that Auspice was at her prime, easily dominating the smaller Houndoom with repeated slashes of her head-blade. Each blow sent the Houndoom reeling, and it tried to pry her off with its front paws while charging up a Flamethrower. Just as the attack prepared to fire, Auspice sent a Razor Wind into it, creating a small blowback that scorched the inside of Houndoom's throat. It coughed and sputtered, leaving itself open for Auspice to finish it off with a Swords Dance-boosted Slash.

The Houndoom collapsed in a heap, thoroughly unconscious. A moment later, an unconscious Golbat was hurled into its body by a satisfied Espirit, and Louise smiled at herself. She then turned to face the trio of Flare Grunts, who were being held at bay by a smoking and growling Brennaraki.

"Espirit, if you please?" Louise asked, and Espirit nodded before concentrating at the Grunts. A moment later, she emitted a Hypnosis onto each of them, lulling the criminals into a deep sleep. With them now incapacitated, Louise pulled out a few feet of rope and began tying them up, thankful for Derflinger's instruction on how to tie a proper knot. She then felt an ache enter her legs, and a quick look among her Pokémon told her they felt the same thing.

"Alright everyone, lets take a short rest," she said, and her Pokémon sighed as they sat down. Rather than join them, Louise continued to rummage through the Flare Grunts' belongings, hoping to find evidence towards what their objective was. Unfortunately, she found nothing more than an assortment of cheap medicine and nothing more.

"Damn," Louise spat as she stood up and walked away. She was trying to wrap her head around just why Flare would attack. These Grunts were lightly equipped, likely indicating that this was akin to a smash-and-grab. They weren't expected to be here for very long. But what objective could there be found in causing a riot in a major city? That Team Flare, despite recent setbacks, was still alive and well? Such a subjective message did not resonate with her, given their previous concrete goals.

"What are they planning?" she wondered, pacing back and forth, only to hear rapid footsteps heading her way. Tensing, Louise turned to face the sound's source, her Pokémon bracing themselves as well, only for the strangest looking woman to run in. The woman paused upon seeing Louise, allowing the noblewoman to get a good look at her.

"Wait a second… Elizabeth?" Louise asked, and the woman sighed and nodded.

"Yes…" Elizabeth confirmed.

"What in the Founder's name are you wearing?"

"It's my uniform," Elizabeth admitted with a soft glare. "I was already changed when Flare attacked, and I didn't have time to change back."

"I don't think I've ever seen you wearing something not frilly and high class before. And what's with the swords?"

"Considering how you carry yourself, I thought you'd be into this kind of thing, Li- Louise," Elizabeth caught herself, casually resting her palm on the hilt of her longsword. "Besides, I like the swords, they're kinda familiar."

"Seriously, you look like you came out of a Gothic horror novel."

"That was the point! Can we please not talk about my costume right now? It's annoying enough to run around in this as it is, and I don't need your mocking on top of it!"

Louise winced and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry…"

Elizabeth stared at Louise for a moment, then sighed. "It's alright. I take it both you and Saito got caught up in this?"

"Literally ten minutes after we arrived. Not to mention less than a day after we already foiled a Flare heist in Ambrette Town."

"That was you? It was all over the news this morning."

Louise nodded. "Yes. They tried to steal some fossils and rejuvenation equipment from the Fossil Museum. We were roped in because Saito found a fossilized jawbone of a Tyrunt capable of being revived, and that night we saw Auspice here hanging out in the city."

Louise pointed to the Absol. "Speaking of which, meet Auspice. She's the Absol Saito and Derflinger saw at the Daycare."

Elizabeth winced at the memory. The injuries she had obtained during that terrorist attack were extensive, and she nearly died for the second time in her life. Apparently, Louise had even donated some of her blood to keep her alive, and she didn't quite know what to make of that. Still, that Absol appearing when it did saved her life, so she might as well kill two Flying-types with one stone.

"Speaking of which, thank you both for—"

"Don't mention it. I only did what a noblewoman is expected to do," Louise interrupted Elizabeth, surprising the heiress with her conviction. She wanted to press on, but another explosion caught both of their attentions.

"They just don't stop…" Elizabeth whispered, and Louise's expression steeled.

"Alright, rest breaks over!" Louise ordered. At once, her Pokémon jumped to her feet, surprising Elizabeth on just how responsive they were. She could never get her Pokémon to answer to her as quickly as Louise just did. They began to move towards the explosion, only for Elizabeth to snap herself out of her stupor and run in front of them.

"Wait, wait!" she began, halting Louise's advance. An annoyed expression crossed the noblewoman's face, and Louise stared Elizabeth down.

"What is it?" Louise asked. "I don't have time to just stand around and do nothing."

"I need your help!" Elizabeth revealed. Louise arched an eyebrow at her but allowed Elizabeth to continue. "It's my coworkers, Raven and Erina. At my suggestion, we went to go and stop that stupid broadcast—"

"A noble goal."

"Thank you. Anyway, Raven and Erina thought that the singer was being coerced by Flare into keeping up her concert, which is so false I can't even fully describe."

"Are you saying that the singer is working for Flare?" Louise asked, and Elizabeth nodded.

'Yes!' Espirit cheered, causing both trainers to look at her strangely. Espirit coughed, then smiled cutely. 'Sorry, got carried away…'

Louise and Elizabeth stared at Espirit for a moment, then turned their attentions back towards each other. Another explosion sounded off, causing Louise to clench her fists.

"Get to the point, please. We're wasting time," Louise demanded, and Elizabeth nodded.

"I ended up getting lost from the two of them, and they kept going to the open-air plaza. Only Erina came back, and her Pokémon were too injured to continue fighting. Right now, I'm fearing the worst for Raven and I think she's been captured."

Louise her lip and winced. She didn't want to think about what would happen to one of Flare's captives, but at the same time she focused on Elizabeth's words. She said that they went to stop the broadcast at her suggestion. Suddenly, Louise saw a new look on Elizabeth's face. Beyond the anger and the fear, it was something she hadn't seen yet in her: guilt. Elizabeth was feeling a tremendous amount of guilt over someone she knew possibly getting captured because of her.

Louise made up her mind in an instant, pulling out her Pokédex and flipping to its map function.

"The quickest route to the plaza is this way," Louise declared as she began fast walking away. Surprised at how quickly Louise came to a decision, Elizabeth caught up to her.

"Are your Pokémon injured?" Louise asked, fishing out a few Full Restores and handing them to Elizabeth.

"A little, but too bad. Thank you," Elizabeth replied, refusing the offered medicine. Nodding at her response, Louise pocketed the medicine and the two continued making their way towards the plaza. Around them, they continued to hear explosions but forced themselves to keep pressing forward. They had a more urgent matter to attend to.

"Louise… Thank you."

"Thank me after we rescue your friend. Then, you and I are going to have a nice conversation on appropriate battle attire."

"Oh, will you just-!"

[~][~]

Hello, everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Outsiders! Things are progressing, and now we have a team up between Louise and Elizabeth to rescue her coworkers. What will happen next, you'll have to wait and see.

Now, onto the Q&A:

fractalman: Yeah, we thought it could make for a good joke.

Guest (1): I have a list of all of Louise and Saito's Pokemon over on the Spacebattles version of this story. If you guys think it would be useful, I'll add a version of it on my profile page.

keybladelight: As you can see, Louise and Saito have already battled a Gym Leader. For Saito, it was Cheren in Unova, before he and his family had to move to Kalos. For Louise, it was Viola in Santalune City. We haven't had a Gym Battle since, due to the infamous length between Gyms 1 and 2 in Kalos, which we used to fill out the teams and the bonds between each other. After Grant's battle is done, expect to see a lot more Gym Battles in quick succession.

Princess Asuna: You'll have to wait and see what happens to Louise after the Kalos saga is over with. We have plans, though.

fangs of death: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapters.

KiroZen: I think it's because Team Rocket was the first, and largely the most successful in terms of accomplishing their goals (aka, getting power and money), so the other criminal teams take inspiration from it, if subconciously. Either that or it's just a quirk of the Pokemon world.

That's it for today. Let us know what you guys think. Also, we have a TV Tropes page that is in dire need of content. If any of you guys have a TV Tropes account and decide to drop a few things in there, I would greatly appreciate it.

See you all next time!