Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 4

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'Why did I decide to do this?' the idol thought as she spun around, cupping her hands in front of her face as she tried to calm her labored breathing. It had seemed like such a good idea at first, all she needed to do was sing some songs and perform a choreographed routine, but she hadn't realized just how long she would have to keep it up. It didn't particularly help that the songs she had chosen were extremely taxing on her vocal cords and physical endurance. Maria really hadn't gone easy on her when she made those routines.

She nervously glanced down at her wrist, and her eyes went wide as she saw what song was up next. Why had she put it so late!? She knew that she'd be screaming at the end, so why did she schedule it almost two hours into the show?

'I apologize for my intrusion,' a familiar presence broadcast, 'but he is ready, Miss Nakagawa.'

'It certainly took him long enough,' Nakagawa Coda mentally groused. 'How long?'

'Forty minutes, fifty at the very most,' Duosion relayed, 'It seems you are in the home stretch.'

'All eyes on me, then,' Coda acknowledged as she turned to face one of the cameras her cell had set up. "I hope you all are having a great time today! I know I am!" she said in the overly cheerful voice she had been using for the idol. Suppressing a smirk, Coda pulled her shades and gingerly plopped them on her face. "After all, I'm the one in control."

She paused, long enough for her revelation to properly sink in, then continued "I'm sure you all know the drill by now: Beat the boss, stop the raid, and all that. But I daresay, you're not doing a very good job of it. I mean, look at me! I've not been particularly subtle about my location, yet I've managed to keep singing this whole time. I don't know about you, but my confidence in Cyllage's boys in blue has been well and truly shaken. But I think I'll throw you all a bone: if you can fight your way to my lieutenants and put up a good showing against them, maybe I'll give you an opportunity to fight me,"

Coda giggled childishly, "But that's all just a big if. So, in the meantime, let's have some more music."


"Hurry up Louise, we're almost there!" Elizabeth shouted back to the trailing rosecrown.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Louise cried out in reply, "How are you able to move so quickly in that thing!?"

'Gardevoirs wear dresses,' the Kirlia, Esprit, said, 'Maybe it's similar?'

The verdette chuckled, her eyes slowly bleeding green. It probably wasn't quite the same, but the mental image was amusing, nonetheless. Regardless, this wasn't the first time she'd fought in a dress. Cracking a smirk, Elizabeth—

No. No. No. That wasn't her! That wasn't her! Sure, the memories might be useful at times, but it wasn't her! It wasn't her!

I had a nightmare last night.

Ribbons of red slashed across Elizabeth's irises, covering up the green stain as she finally replied. "Adrenalin," she flippantly replied, "Come on, we're wasting time."

"I wouldn't quite say that," a woman's voice said, halting the two trainers in their tracks. "After all, you got my attention."

Elizabeth whirled around to face the interloper, her left hand reflexively drawing her longsword while idly noting Esprit had grabbed several nearby bits of rubble in her psychic grip. "Who are you?" the verdette demanded.

"Careful where you point that thing," the woman remarked, taking a drink from the large cup in her hand, "You can call me Atroe, by the way. Everyone else does."

The verdette quickly looked over the newcomer. Green hair, done up in a bob; green eyes; a slim, if top-heavy, build, nothing too suspicious there. Atroe's clothes didn't particularly scream 'Flare' either, being just a teal, denim salopette and a pair of nice-looking shoes. Then again, Erina had said the lieutenants she and Raven had run into weren't dressed like your standard Flare Grunt, so there was still the possibility—

"Why are you just standing there, then?" Louise asked, cutting off Elizabeth's train of thought, "Flare's leader is nearby. We can use all the help we can get."

"Louise…" Elizabeth began.

'I don't think she's—' Esprit tried to cut in.

"I think you misunderstand why I'm here, little girl," Atroe laughed, picking up a red jacket from a nearby bench and slipping it on, "As Coda's chief lieutenant, I can assure you that you won't get past me."

"So?" Louise shot back, quickly recovering from her blunder, "I've fought other Flare members before, you don't seem all that different!"

"To your untrained eyes, I guess," Atroe said darkly, "Well, I am feeling a little generous right now, so..." the lieutenant threw out a pair of Great Balls, revealing a spiny, powder-blue dome and a large, silver, crablike creature; a Toxapex and a Golisopod. "I challenge you to a double battle, six against four. I'm sure the both of you have at least three each."

"And if we don't want to play your game?" Elizabeth asked, eyeing the Brutal Star warily.

'Yeah! Why should we?' Esprit added, motioning her rocks threateningly.

Atroe laughed in amusement, "Well—"

"Rock Smash!" Louise shouted as an explosion bloomed directly in front of the Flare lieutenant, sending the surprised woman flying into a wall. "Come on Elizabeth, they're distracted!"

Elizabeth blinked in surprise as the younger girl ran past her and she belatedly began running to catch up, wondering what had just happened. Had Louise created that explosion? Was she always able to do that? Out of the corner of her eye, the verdette saw a flash of movement followed shortly by a horrific rending sound. Acting on instinct, she dove for Louise, tackling the smaller girl to the ground mere instants before Golisopod slammed two large chunks of road directly in front of them, blocking their path forward.

"As… I was saying… earlier," Atroe said as she extricated herself from the broken wall. Esprit launched her rocks at the lieutenant, not intending to let her finish. Golisopod leapt into the air and flew over to his trainer's side, reducing the barrage of debris to dust with a flurry of punches.

Atroe chuckled at the display, "I'm a lot tougher than I look, so don't expect something like that to even come close to incapacitating me."

'Then why would you have your overgrown shrimp protect you?' Esprit challenged, and the Flare Lieutenant shrugged.

"He worries too much," Atroe admitted as she calmly retrieved her cup and drained it before she turned to face the two younger women, a broad smile fixed on her face even as a black sludge dripped down her right arm.

"But you know what? I'm not even mad," she said, "In fact, my challenge is still open to you. Go on, pick your teams, I'll wait."

To further emphasize her challenge, Golisopod and Toxapex stepped back, allowing both Louise and Elizabeth breathing room. The rosecrown flinched her arm as though she was about to cast again, but then sighed and pocketed her wand. With a frown, Louise pulled out her Pokédex and tried to scan them.

"Uhh, Elizabeth?" Louise whispered hesitantly, "My Pokédex didn't have any entries for those Pokémon. Do you know what they are?"

"Figures that they haven't pushed that update through yet," Elizabeth muttered, reaching for Machamp's Pokéball, "They're both from the Alola region. The big one is a Golisopod, a Bug/Water-type. They're strong, smart, and annoying to fight. Leave him to me. As for the spiny dome, that's a Toxapex, Poison/Water-type. There's a reason the neurotoxin symbol is designed to look like one, so try to avoid her spikes at all costs. Even the non-Poison-type barbs can deliver their toxins."

"I'll keep that in mind," Louise said, grabbing a Luxury Ball from her belt, "Go, Auspice!"

'What about me?' the Kirlia asked.

"Make sure she isn't trying anything," Elizabeth said as she released Machamp. The four-armed Pokémon sized up his challenge and smiled, flexing his muscles to issue a challenge. Golisopod responded in kind, and Atroe smirked.

"Glad to see you accepted my offer," Atroe smugly said, "Golisopod, Fury Cutter."

"Machamp, Dynamic Punch!" the verdette ordered.

With a nod, Machamp charged to meet the giant isopod head-on. With a yell of exertion, the Superpower Pokémon's fist struck Golisopod square in the jaw, but the Hard Scale Pokémon still managed to bring his claws up, slashing his adversary across the chest. Elizabeth grit her teeth as Louise gave an order to her Absol, but the verdette wasn't fully paying attention. She felt everything else fade away as Machamp and Golisopod came into sharp contrast. Quickly falling into a rhythm, Elizabeth shouted order after order to Machamp as he unleashed a flurry of punches, kicks, chops, and grapples on the giant isopod, but he endured. Golisopod wasn't just taking it, though, he fought back just as hard, slashing at his opponent again and again with Fury Cutter after Fury Cutter. Golisopod was biased towards physical attacks, but why was he bothering with such a weak—

Oh. Right.

The verdette felt something whistle past her ear as a girl screamed in pain. Golisopod staggered back as Machamp hit him in the chest with a Cross Chop. Machamp fell to his knees, worn out from the hail of increasingly powerful slashes he had endured, but Golisopod just stood there, breathing heavily. The Hard Scale Pokémon slowly staggered upright, faced his opponent, and shot him a jaunty salute before retreating. Seeing that he was in no condition to continue, Elizabeth recalled Machamp as well.

"I think you actually impressed him," Atroe remarked as Elizabeth felt the world bleed back into focus, "I'll even be nice and count that as a win for you, though your friend really isn't doing so well."

Shocked by the lieutenant's words, the verdette whirled around to face Louise, just in time to see her Absol faint from poison.

"Auspice… Return…" Louise ground out as she fell to one knee, clutching her side in pain.

"Esprit, what happened?!" Elizabeth asked in a panic, "What's wrong with her?!"

'That, that, that brute was throwing around her spines left and right. Louise took three to her chest before I could get her out of the way,' Esprit relayed in a panic, 'I tried to heal her, but nothing's working! If anything, her pain is only getting worse!'

Elizabeth bit down on her lower lip so hard it bled. Yet another person injured because of her. "We need to get her out of here. It's not healthy to have Toxapex venom in your system for too long," Elizabeth said at last, turning to address Atroe, "You're not going to try and stop us, are you?"

"Why would I?" Atroe calmly replied, "That would be needlessly cruel, and besides, I was only told to keep people out of the plaza, not mindlessly attack anyone who comes near."

"N-no," Louise groaned, struggling to her feet, "Y-you... nearly died last time you fought Flare… I'm not going to let a little poison stop me. Esprit, it's your turn."

'I won't let you down!' the Kirlia exclaimed.

"Ah, well," Atroe nonchalantly said, "I guess it was worth a shot. Milotic!"

Elizabeth growled. Machamp was the only well-trained member of her team, and with him out of commission, she'd need a lot of luck to pull off a victory. Well, might as well pin her hope on the unknown element. "Spettro!"

The Pokéball broke open mid-air, revealing nothing but its inner workings. Everyone stared at it in absolute bewilderment, none of them entirely sure what to make of it.

"What, is your Pokémon invisible?" Atroe asked, incredulous, "If it is, then that's pretty cool, but if it's a bluff, I really don't see what you could gain from this."

"Uhh… She's behind you," Elizabeth said, pointing at the Sewaddle as she slowly descended on a piece of string.

"I'm not falling for that trick," Atroe bluntly stated.

'She's not trying to trick you,' Esprit said, 'There really is a Sewaddle behind you. Also, she says: "You've already lost.""

"What? Is there?" the lieutenant asked Milotic, who nodded an affirmative, "Well, if you say so."

As soon as Atroe turned to face Spettro, the Sewaddle let out an ear-piercing shriek. Atroe reflexively covered her ears and took a few steps back, only to step on a lone piece of string, which broke under her weight. Freed from their prison of tension, several strings rushed upwards as their attached counterweights rushed downwards, stretching taught a net underneath Atroe and her Pokémon, launching them upwards, where they became entangled in the tangled mass of strings Spettro had apparently set up beforehand.

Satisfied with her job well done, Spettro leapt down and trotted over to Elizabeth, then squeaked.

'I think she wants you to praise her,' Esprit said, 'That's not just me guessing, she actually said "Praise me."' Esprit paused, then leaned down to pat the Sewaddle's head. 'Good job, Spettro!"

Spettro chittered at the praise, then looked expectantly towards her trainer.

"Uhh… Good job...?" Elizabeth hesitantly said, reaching out to pat the Sewaddle on the head. Spettro rubbed her head against Elizabeth's head while Esprit began trying to tend to Louise. The young noblewoman was hastily applying first aid to her wound. Elizabeth saw that it was an over-the-counter antidote and pursed her lips. The medicine would undoubtedly help her, no question, but it wasn't Toxapex-antivenom. She had to get her to the hospital, now, and with reluctance Elizabeth decided against attempting to continue trying to stop Coda and helped her up.

"Here," she said, and Louise looked at her in slight surprise. Then, the rosecrown took hold of Elizabeth's hand, and wobbled on her feet. "We need to get you to the hospital."

"But… What about your…?" Louise began, but Elizabeth shook her head.

"Right now, getting that venom out of you is more important. And… I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For wha-?"

Then, Atroe faceplanted to the ground, laughing uncontrollably. "That was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, even though it happened to me!" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet energetically, "Now get ready! You're on in sixty seconds!"

"Wait, what!?" Elizabeth exclaimed, then her world was consumed in a bright flash of light.


Saito and his Pokémon ran through the city, a deep frown marring his face. A light sheen of sweat covered his skin, dirtied by the dust floating in the air. Sirens blared in the distance as emergency response tried to quell the damage, and Saito's frown deepened as he passed yet another ruined storefront. There was no one to be seen, telling Saito that this attack must have been a hit-and-run, but for what purpose? There was no purpose here. A quick check inside told him that they didn't even steal the money or any store items. They simply just broke the place and left. After seeing far too many examples to count of this exact same phenomenon, Saito was now convinced that the chaos gripping Cyllage was not a simple act of random violence.

This was a distraction. For what, he did not know, but a distraction was the only thing that truly made sense. Saito was reminded of a show he used to watch when he was a kid about a family of ancient Druddigons who defended Castelia City from evildoers under the cover of night. One of their main antagonists was a businessman who, even when he lost, managed to eek out a victory simply by planning for a possible failure. Could this attack on Cyllage City be a similar type of plan? If so, then what was their true objective? Was it inside the city, or not?

Saito was cut from his thoughts when a turned a corner, only to see a large squad of police officers. They were wearing riot gear, their heads covered by black helmets and wielding batons and riot shields. Beside them were their Pokémon. Not only were they joined by Manectrics, the traditional Pokémon of Kalosian police, they were also joined by Arcanines, Luxrays, Granbulls, Stoutlands, and even a few Swanna. The word 'RIOT' was emblazoned across their vests, telling Saito that this must be the Cyllage City Riot Squad. Sighing in relief, Saito prepared to move on, figuring that wherever they were going would be in safe hands. He moved to try and take out his Pokédex, only to hear that blasted song ring out through the loudspeakers, causing him to stop and groan.

"You know," Derflinger began, "this 'Coda' chick started out alright, but now her voice is scratchy. She should really stop, or she'll hurt herself and our eardrums."

"Mmhmm," Saito mumbled an agreement. The only consolation he could find in her constant audio bombardment was that she brazenly admitted that not only was she Flare; she was their leader. If he had to guess, the Cyllage Police Department's riot squad was being sent to take her down, and he couldn't but smile at that.

"Alright!" he heard a familiar voice say, catching his attention and causing Saito to turn around. "We're making a beeline straight to the arena. Any Flare Grunts get in our way, we put 'em down."

"Yes, sir!" the police responded as they began to move down the street, leaving their leader behind. Intrigued, Saito stayed to try and catch a glimpse of whomever was leading this force, and to his surprise he saw that it was Grant. The Cyllage City Gym Leader kept his eyes glued to the backs of his men, nodding at their dedication, until he sensed someone was looking at him. He turned to look at Saito, and his face, too, warped in surprise.

"Saito?" he asked, remembering his name. Saito nodded, then walked forward to shake his hand with a smile on his face as Grant did the same.

"Grant," Saito said. "Not surprised you're caught up in this."

"I should be saying the same thing to you, based off your recent experiences," Grant admitted, beckoning Saito to join him as he made to follow the riot squad. Saito thought about whether to do so, then decided that staying with Grant was the best course of action. They were heading towards Coda and stopping her would be the best chance to stop this madness.

"Yeah, thing's have been crazy," Saito replied as they caught up to the police officers, then frowned slightly. "This is a distraction."

"We figured that out a while ago," Grant stated in utter seriousness, any hint of pleasure gone. "An attack on this scale, for no apparent tangible benefit is completely out of Flare's character. Especially with how many cells are involved."

Saito nodded, having already figured that from his earlier interrogation of a captured Grunt.

"Do you have any idea what their real objective is?" Saito asked, but Grant shook his head.

"No, but I know who does," he replied, pointing towards the arena they were headed towards. Bright, multicolored lights danced across the sky along with fireworks, a sharp contrast to the chaos unfolding around it. Saito pursed his lips and nodded in agreement. Stopping Coda, whoever she was, seemed to be their best option, and with the assistance of the police, Saito felt confident in their ability to do so. Grant, recognizing the look on Saito's face, nodded as they continued moving down the street.

"If we're lucky," he continued, "we should be able to—"

Grant was suddenly halted mid-sentence when the police squadron turned a corner. They stopped and stared at a collection of Flare operatives busy ransacking the street. There were eighteen of them, a collection of men and women wearing Flare-versions of biker outfits. The cell's leader was easily scene from her darker and spikier outfit, and her eyes held a malice Saito had never seen. The criminals were, for a moment, surprised at the sudden intrusion, but the Flare leader snarled and pulled out a pair of Pokéballs.

"Don't just stand there! Attack!" she ordered, releasing a Roserade and Vileplume to her side. The Flare Grunts threw out Pokémon of their own as the police charged at them with their batons raised and Pokémon charging forward. The street descended into an all-out brawl as police fought criminal and Pokémon fought Pokémon.

Grant eyed the leader and released Onyx from his Pokéball. The Rock Snake Pokémon screeched into the heavens, causing many of the Pokémon to instinctually flinch, and it raced towards her. Rather than appear afraid, however, the cell leader merely smirked and pointed her arm at Onyx.

"Roserade, darling, use Razor Leaf!" she ordered. Rosarade smiled wickedly then waved swiped her arms towards Onyx. A hail of razor-sharp leaves shot towards him, cutting across Onyx' rocky hide. He screeched in pain, but continued forward, trying to run Roserade over. The Bouquet Pokémon leaped out of the way, firing another round of Razor Leaf at Onyx' side. He screeched again and turned to face Roserade, only for Vileplume to douse the Rock/Ground-type Pokémon in a cloud of purple powder.

"Oh, no! That's Poison Powder!" Saito yelled out, recognizing the attack. Knowing that Grant's Onyx was in trouble, Saito turned towards his Pokémon. They were fighting alongside the police against team Flare, but a whistle from their trainer quickly halted them in their tracks. Saito pointed them towards the still battling Onyx, and at once they understood.

'Allow me,' Maindo said as a faint purple sheen covered his body. Before Roserade could even react, her body was flung back by a powerful Confusion. Vileplume turned towards Maindo, intending to retaliate, only for Tanuki to slam into her with a Quick Attack. His momentum carried them forward, leaving the cell leader behind. Saito, with Ronin and Shogun by his side, ran up to face her, stopping a few feet from her.

"Hmm," the woman grunted as she coldly regarded him. "So, you're the squirt who intervened at the Daycare and Ambrette Town?"

"What's it to you?" Saito asked, stalling for time as he tried to come up with a strategy. The battle raged around them, both sides equally matched. He felt Onyx shift as he slithered behind him, Grant running up to his side.

"And you must be Grant Lino, Rock-type Gym Leader of Cyllage City?" the woman continued, not caring that she was surrounded.

"You know our names," Grant answered, hearing Onyx' labored breathing above him, "but I'm afraid we don't know yours."

"Oh," the woman laughed, "where are my manners? The name's Aki. I'm the cell leader – or, rather, former cell leader – of the Coumarine cell. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

The woman ended with a dramatic bow, causing Saito to frown. There was something off about her mannerisms, the way she seemed to simply not care. It was unnerving, and Saito clenched his fist.

"I'm going to give you one chance: give up and surrender. There's no need for further violence," Grant offered, holding a second Pokéball in his hand. Rather than take the offer, Aki merely laughed.

"Ohhoho, Grant. Poor, deluded Grant." Aki smiled wickedly, staring into both Saito's and Grant's eyes. "Why do you think I'm here?!"

At once, thick vines erupted out of the ground like geysers, slapping Saito's Pokémon away while wrapping themselves around Onyx. Saito and Grant dove out of the way, managing to avoid the vines' wrath, and quickly shot up to their feet. Emerging from a dark alleyway, they saw a Tangrowth walk towards them, staring out with blank, expressionless eyes. Beside it was a Victreebell, twirling its vine-arms in a circle above its mouth, along with a Lilligant emerging from behind its back. Finally, with a cruel smirk, Aki released her final Pokémon, a Whimsicott, and her entire team coalesced behind her.

Saito snarled as his and Grant's Pokémon recovered. Grant pulled out another Pokéball and opened it, revealing a pale-blue sauropod with two sails racing down its neck. Saito recognized it as an Aurorus, and he desperately wanted to scan the Tundra Pokémon, but refocused himself on the task at hand.

"Aurorus, Ice Beam! Onyx, Rock Slide!"

"Tanuki, Meteor Mash! Maindo, Shadow Ball! Ronin, Scald! Tengu, Bullet Seed! Shogun, Bite!"

"Hahaha! Go and play, my sweet little flowers!" Aki ordered, and at once the street between them became consumed in a flurry of ice, leaves, rocks and more. Bodies hurled themselves at their opponents, the Pokémon battle descended into an all-out brawl.

Shogun watched all of this while standing protectively in front of Saito. It wasn't that he didn't want to join the battle, for he genuinely did. However, he also knew that jumping in was not an option. He currently had no real options to engage Grass-types at range and trying to engage them up close would undoubtedly turn disastrous for him. So, he stayed protectively in front of Saito, snapping at any Pokémon that drew near.

When another Energy Ball soared past Saito's head, he ducked behind a car for cover, Shogun coming beside him. Saito glanced at the Pokémon egg, displeased at how he didn't have the time to keep it safe at the Pokémon center, and readjusted its casing. He could feel it moving ever so slightly, telling him that whatever laid inside was edging closer and closer to hatching. Saito just hoped that it wouldn't hatch at this very moment.

"Derf!" Saito called out as the Honedge in question swiped away at a Vine Whip.

"Yeah?" Derflinger replied, dodging another attack.

"Go help Onyx! He needs help!" Saito ordered, pointing at the Pokémon in question. True to his word, Onyx was indeed struggled against the army of Grass-types before him. Even with his massive bulk, it wasn't doing much against their Grass-type attacks, which easily cut through the Rock/Ground-type's defenses. Saito grinded his teeth, wishing that Louise was here with him. Her team would have been perfect against his current opponent, while he was at a slight disadvantage. Derflinger nodded then flew over to help his ally, and Saito poked his head out from behind his cover to see what was going on.

Grant had thrown out more of his Pokémon: a Golem, a Gigalith, an Aggron, and Rhyperior. They, too, were engaging the enemy, although they were having the same problem as Onyx. Against a team of Grass-type Pokémon, they were at an obvious disadvantage. Slowly, Saito turned his head towards Aki, who was cackling with mad glee as she ordered her team to inflict as much pain as possible. Various powders filled the air, coating the Pokémon, both ally and enemy, and inflicting debilitating effects. To his horror, the woman appeared to be purposefully slowing down her efforts, wanting to inflict as much pain as possible. Suddenly, her earlier statement made a lot more sense.

'She's a sociopath,' Saito realized with a grimace. 'Things just keep getting better and better…'

Saito was broken out of his thoughts then a Poochyena jumped out from the front of the car. Seeing Saito and Shogun, it growled and charged forward, only for Shogun to meet it head-on. Using his larger bulk, Shogun bit down on the Dark-type's back, causing the Bite Pokémon to scream in pain. Shogun then slammed its body repeatedly against the car, denting the aluminum frame with loud bangs. Finally, with its eyes rolling around, Shogun used Stomp to finish his opponent off, then turned to face Saito.

"Good job, boy," Saito congratulated his Pokémon, flinching as more attacks streamed over him. Frowning, he tried to rise out of cover, only to immediately duck as more attacks shot over him. "Damn!"

Shogun was startled by his trainer's near incident, but Saito waved him off. He tried again, dashing away from the car to duck behind a concrete planter, with more attacks chasing after him. One almost managed to hit him, only for Onyx' body to take the blow. Grant was running alongside his Pokémon, ordering them left and right to try and stop this madness. Aki was continuing to engage in the senseless violence with mad glee, her presence the only thing keeping her men from outright surrendering. Narrowing his eyes, Saito tried to think of a way to get to her but found none among the chaos.

He then heard a grunt from Shogun, who was protectively standing beside him, and an idea popped into Saito's head.

"Shogun, do you remember the museum?" Saito asked, and Shogun tilted his head in confusion. "The building you woke up in."

Shogun's eyes widened in realization and nodded frantically. He only spent a few minutes in that place, but he never quite liked it. It was too artificial in his opinion, trying to be something it wasn't. Saito nodded at his Pokémon's answer, then pointed straight towards Aki.

"Listen, I need you to sneak around and get her, okay? Just like you did with Carnegie," Saito ordered, and Shogun gasped. Why was his trainer ordering him to attack another person when, just hours before, told him to never do that again? Seeing his Pokémon's confusion, Saito sighed and rubbed the side of Shogun's head.

"I know what I'm saying goes against what I told you before," he began, "but this is an entirely different situation. Louise, Grant, and most of the trainers we battle against are friends and rivals at worst. They are not our enemies, but Team Flare is. Team Flare will not show mercy against us, so I'm giving you permission, okay?"

Shogun contemplated Saito's words. Louise, Saito's mate he assumed, was someone he knew he couldn't ever attack during a spar. He knew that now. Grant was a little surprising, but when he viewed their challenge against him to be a rite of passage or another spar, it made sense. Fighting Grant wasn't a true fight, more a contest of strength. But Team Flare, with their different and foul odors, were simply enemies. Enemies that threatened his pack, his alpha, and the egg he held in his back pouch. The thought angered him, and he nodded his head at Saito in understanding.

He couldn't attack Saito's friends or rivals, but his enemies were fair game. Hunching low to the ground, Shogun stalked his prey, keeping out of sight from the attacks. He saw the massive Aurorus firing a beam of ice into the Tangrowth, the Pokémon counterattacking with a Solar Beam. Tengu was using Bide against the Victreebell's attacks while Tanuki and Maindo tag-teamed the Vileplume. Shogun ignored all of his as he crept closer and closer to Aki's position. He saw that Grant had engaged her in a battle of his own, the two trading blows. Nestled between two chunks of fallen debris, Shogun waited for his opening, aiming for her legs. He considered trying to jump towards her, but knew his legs weren't strong enough yet for him to even try.

"Hahaha!" Aki cackled as she dodged a punch from Grant, retaliating with a punch of her own. Grant blocked it with a raised arm and moved to kick her, but Aki gracefully wheeled backwards, her foot kicking Grant in the chin. He stumbled back, rubbing the sore spot on his face where her boot struck, and she laughed.

"Oh, did I do that?" she mocked, and Grant snarled. More chaos unfolded around her, and instead of showing any semblance of remorse, she only showed unabashed glee.

"Don't you understand what you're doing?! Stop this, before more people get hurt!" Grant begged, trying to appeal to her inner humanity, but Aki shook her head.

"Grant, Grant, Grant. Why should I bother stopping? After all, once our plans finally come to fruition, these people won't matter anyway!" Aki revealed, causing Grant's eyes to widen. She wasn't considering-

The next thing Grant knew, a small orange and brown blur shot out from a nook, slamming into Aki's leg and knocking her off balance. She fell back with a shout, and Grant immediately seized his opportunity. Dashing forward, he tackled her and pinned the crazed woman to the ground. She thrashed and kicked, only for Shogun to latch onto her legs with his jaws, hard enough to immobilize them but not enough to cause any harm. With their leader pinned, her cell began to panic, their attacks becoming wider and wider. The police's, Grant's, and Saito's Pokémon, however, remained calm and focused, a renewed vigor adding to their attacks. One by one, Team Flare's Pokémon and operatives fell until there were only a handful. One tried to run for it, only for a web of electricity to shoot out and envelop him, causing the spasming body to fall to the ground like a brick. Getting the message, the remaining members threw their hands into the air and surrendered.

"No, no NO!" Aki screeched as a policeman handcuffed her and gathered her cell up. From the sidelines, Grant tended to his injured Pokémon alongside Saito, administering medicine to alleviate their pain.

"Thank you, Saito, for helping out back there," Grant finally said as he gave Onyx an antidote.

"No problem," Saito replied as he, too, checked on his Pokémon. Once both trainers were satisfied with their Pokémon's condition, they looked towards the police squadron. Some were staying behind to watch over the captured criminals, ignoring the cell leader's crazed shouts, while the rest continued on towards the arena. Grant ushered Saito to join him, and together they raced towards the location of the Flare leader. Once again, Saito tried to reach Louise, but to his shock found that his Pokédex wasn't even there. Had he dropped it somehow? Frowning, he forced himself to move on, knowing that there were more important things to worry about, and hoping that his best friend was alright.


It was loud. Everything was so, so loud.

Louise curled up tightly as the pain continued to spread across her body. It hadn't been so bad at first, she had even thought that Elizabeth was exaggerating the danger when she had first gotten hit by the spines. What even was a neurotoxin anyway? She hadn't come across the term before, but it must be dangerous if someone felt the need to create a warning symbol for it. Whatever it was, the antidote she took didn't seem to affect it in any way.

"Think two one and hardly- 'Who are we?' 'You aren't me!'" the young girl belted out as she continued her song.

Gritting her teeth in an attempt to mask her agony, the rosecrown slowly raised her head to glare at the cell leader. While Esprit might have been adamant that the young idol was a member of Flare, it had still surprised Louise to learn that she was the one calling the shots. How could someone so young just sit by and gleefully sing while hundreds of people under her command caused mayhem all over the city?

"Hey, Louise," Elizabeth quietly said, "are you sure you want to go through with this? Esprit has told me that she can get you out of here without much trouble."

"I-I'm n-not… leaving," Louise forced out, wincing at how weak her voice sounded, "I-I've al-ready made… that c-clear."

The verdette looked conflicted for a second, then, with a sigh, pulled Louise into an embrace. "Don't worry, Little Rose," she softly murmured, rubbing the younger girl's shoulders in an attempt to calm her, "You'll be okay."

"Thank you," Louise hummed, resting her head on Elizabeth's shoulder. The verdette blushed, but then refocused herself as she helped the intoxicated Louise further into the open-air arena, closer to the Flare admin. The young girl was still singing, the sounds ringing in Louise's ears to the point where it physically hurt. Each boom of the base made her wince, which Elizabeth couldn't help but note.

"Again, Esprit can get you—" she began, but Louise shot her a look.

"Don't finish that…sentence," Louise struggled to say. Elizabeth pursed her lips, part of her wanting to refuse but ultimately knew that it would be pointless to even try. So, she didn't, and prayed that everything that turn out alright.

Finally, the song began to die down, and Louise sighed in relief as the painful noise subsided. With her ears no longer pounding, she was able to stand on her own two feet now, and so Elizabeth let go of her. Almost as soon as she did, Louise began to sway, but was able to balance herself.

"Oh my, she doesn't look too good! I think she should get to a hospital," the Flare admin stated in a mocking tone. Louise wanted to protest, but sudden found that the world's color scheme flipped. The steel-grey on the admin's outfit suddenly became purple while Elizabeth's entire body turned green.

'Oh, that's not good,' Louise realized, swaying again. Esprit frowned and psychically helped her stay up, then began to use Heal Pulse on Louise's body. Esprit prepared to notify Elizabeth of her trainer's worsening condition, but a quick look on the verdette's face told her Louise was unfortunately no longer at the top of her mind. Esprit scanned Elizabeth's mind, then recoiled at the rage she was exhibiting. She was angry at a lot of things, actually. There was general anger towards the chaos Flare was inflicted upon the city and its inhabitants, as well as Louise's condition. But most of the anger stemmed from a more personal source, and it wasn't hard for Esprit to figure out why.

"You uncouth villain!" Elizabeth dramatically proclaimed with a dramatic flurry of her hand. Esprit, Brennaraki, Auspice and Aile starred flabbergasted at what Elizabeth was doing, while the Flare admin only began to laugh hysterically.

"Ohhoho, that is adorable!" she mocked and grinned, then pulled up her microphone once more. "Sadly, as much as I would like to play dress up, the show must go on!"

The Flare Admin began to sing once again, only for Elizabeth, still playing character for some odd reason, to release Machamp and point towards her.

"Machamp, remove this annoyance," Elizabeth ordered. Machamp took one look at his surroundings and nodded, then leaped towards the Flare Admin with his four fists raised high. Before he could make contact, however, Machamp was hit by an unexpected Sucker Punch courtesy of a Mawile, which sent him back to the stage floor. He landed on the balls of his feet, digging his hands into the ground to slow his movement, and once he stopped, he glared at his opponent.

"How impatient," the Admin smirked towards Elizabeth, who herself was grinding her teeth in fury. The Admin then looked over to a worsening Louise, and a wicked gleam entered her eye.

"Ninetails, Gothorita, be dears and entertain our little friend, please?" she asked. Behind her, the aforementioned Pokémon snarled and crept forward, only for Louise's Pokémon to step forward protectively. Despite her mind reeling from the effects of the toxin, Louise was still cognizant of what was going on around her. Right now, there were two Pokémon baring down on her from high in the stands, with Machamp squaring off against a Mawile. The Pokémon was a Steel/Fairy-type, which by itself gave Machamp a slight disadvantage, but what concerned Louise the most was the small, green, blob-like Pokémon currently floating towards him from above.

"Esprit…what's that…Pokémon?" Louise asked, shakily pointing towards the floating creature. Esprit shot it a look, then psychically relayed what information she knew about it.

'It's a Duosion. Psychic-type,' Esprit replied, and Louise frowned. She swayed once again, her vision getting blurrier, but a quick application of Heal Pulse managed to set her straight. Louise shook her head, then turned to face Auspice.

"Auspice, help out Machamp. Keep that Duosion away from him," she ordered. Auspice nodded at her trainer, then ran off to the side. Her attention was focused squarely on the Duosion, and then her horn began to glow before she fired a Razor Wind at it. Surprised, the Pokémon was buffeted by the attack, but after twirling in mid-air for a bit, Duosion was able to right itself. It then glared at Auspice, who glared right back.

"Oh my! It seems as though she still has some fight in her after all!" the admin called out with a wide smile. Louise swayed again, and the smile grew wider. "But for how much longer, I wonder? Tell you what, let's make this interesting, shall we? Ninetails, Gothorita, hang back for now. But if she tries to leave before the show's over, or if another of her little darlings interferes…"

The Admin snapped her fingers, and at once a spotlight shown onto a large pole located at the back of the stage. To Louise's and Elizabeth's alarm, they saw an unconscious Janet tied to it, her head slumped down.

"Unhand her, now!" Elizabeth demanded with a snarl, but the Admin haughtily wagged her finger.

"Uh-uh-uh! Not unless you beat me!" she bowed. "Flare Admin Nakagawa Coda!"

Elizabeth glared at Coda, took another glace at Janet, then placed her hand on her hip. "Say, Coda. I notice you're not wearing red. Allow me to correct that."

With as much venom filling her voice as she possibly could, Elizabeth ordered Machamp to charge. At the same time, Louise mumbled an order to Auspice to assist her just as she felt her legs give way. She fell to her bottom, her head spinning and again prompting Esprit to use Heal Pulse on her.

'Louise, we need to get you out of here!' Esprit proclaimed, but Louise shook her head.

"If we do…that girl will get hurt…and I refuse to let someone get hurt because of me," Louise stated with absolute resolve. Esprit was taken aback for a minute, then nodded. The Kirlia then turned to face their opponent, noticing how Aile and Brennaraki were still placing themselves protectively near Louise.

'Brennaraki, what should be do?' Esprit asked, deferring to Louise's starter. The shiny Fennekin glanced over at the battle happening near them, then back at Esprit.

"Right now, we protect Louise. Auspice can handle herself, but if things start to go south for her, I don't care what that psychopath says. We'll jump in regardless."

"That's what I'm talking about," Aile stated as she hovered in midair, eying the tied-up girl. Judging by the costume she was wearing, she must have been one of those wrestlers she'd heard so much about. Regardless, Aile knew that should the three of them jump in, priority one was getting Louise to safety. Priority two was getting the captured girl out, and Aile was confident that she could get over to her fast enough to avoid any harm coming to either of them. That being said, she did begin to stealthily use Agility on herself over and over again, just in case.

"Hey, Absol! You suck!" Ninetails heckled Auspice from the stands, smirking to herself. Gothorita was right next to her, doing the exact same thing to Machamp. Occasionally the two would swap targets for their mockery, but so far neither showed a willingness to intercede in the battle below. Auspice, meanwhile, kept her head up high and ignored them, focusing instead on assisting Machamp in their four-way bout. Her attention was directed towards the Duosion, intending to keep the Psychic-type away from Machamp while he himself kept the Mawile away from them. Overall the two were making a good team, although Auspice couldn't help but feel worried.

At the same time, the fact that Coda was still singing was beginning to get on her nerves, the song itself about love for some odd reason, but she refused to let the Flare admin know that. That and the Ninetails and Gothorita were now beginning to heckle her, which she also hated but refused to show.

"Auspice use…ugh…use Night Slash!" Louise stumbled out an order. With a frown marring her face, Auspice did as instructed, leaping towards Duosion with her horn glowing dark-purple. She swiped her horn at the Psychic-type, who was rocketed back from the super-effective blow. Duosion managed to recover, however, then its body glowed bright white as it used Recover. The accumulated wounds healed themselves before Auspice's very eyes, and Absol shook her head before launching a Razor Wind towards it. A Light Screen blocked it, the slice of compressed air shattering across it, then the Duosion retaliated with Hidden Power. The move glowed red, filling with Fire-type energy, then shot towards Auspice. The Absol leaped to the side, managing to dodge it completely, then to her horror saw Duosion fire an attack towards Louise. Surprised, Louise flinched as her body flashed white, but found that otherwise nothing had happened to her. She prepared to shout towards Coda, only to sway again from the toxin's influence. Esprit was on her immediately, trying to use Heal Pulse once again, but to everyone's alarm nothing happened.

'It's not working!' Esprit shouted out, and Coda laughed at the outraged look Auspice shot towards her.

"It's called Heal Block," she explained, bringing her song to a momentary pause even as Mawile was thrown back by Machamp. "It blocks any attempts at healing for a few minutes. After all, where's the fun in just healing the damage as it comes?"

Auspice looked at Coda in astonishment, then a feeling of pure rage coursed through her body. How dare she play with her trainer's life as though it were a toy?! Even if Auspice had only been with Louise for a short time, she had already observed her long enough to understand who she was. Louise was prideful, stubborn to a fault young girl who dreamed big, yet at the same time held a sense of dignity and true nobility to her. Auspice refused to let this be the end of it, and with a snarl she ran towards Coda with her horn glowing.

"Oh, we can't have that~!" Coda sang, signaling Duosion to fire another Hidden Power at Auspice. The attack stopped her advance cold, but Auspice no longer cared. The events of the day were beginning to wear down on her. She was an Absol, predictors of disasters both natural and manmade. She should have foreseen this, but instead it happened under her watch. People and Pokémon were hurt under her watch, her trainer was hurt under her watch. A mixture of rage and shame was coursing through her veins, and right now she felt as though she was about to snap.

Louise, meanwhile, suddenly began to feel the full effects of the toxin. Without Esprit's Heal Pulses to alleviate them, Louise's health began to take a turn for the worse. Her vision began to blur, her ears rang and throbbed with each move used by the Pokémon, and colors shifted wildly. One moment, the stage was brown, then it turned red, then green, then back to brown again. Sometimes it even turned blue, and that wasn't even considering the Pokémon and humans themselves. At one point she thought the Alolan Ninetails had turned reddish-orange, but just as quickly it turned jet black.

"Hehe, the colors are weird…" Louise chuckled, growing more and more delirious by the second. Pokémon she knew weren't there we beginning to show up all around her, including a small green fairy and a floating pink cat with a long thin tail. Both of them looked surprisingly alarmed, but Louise didn't care anymore. If anything, she thought they looked kinda cute, and then waved.

"Hello!" she greeted the hallucinations, and slowly the green fairy waved back. The pink cat, on the other hand, was much more joyful in its waving, looking positively giddy. Louise chuckled, then felt Aile pecking the top of her head in alarm.

"Huh?" Louise said as she turned her attention back towards her Pokémon. Slowly, the situation she was presently in began to come back into her mind, and Louise forced herself to snap out of it. "Right, right…"

Brennaraki nudged Louise's boot, and she couldn't help but smile at the concern her starter was showing. Right now, however, she had to think of a way to get out of this, and fast.

"Esprit…" Louise struggled to get out, "where are…?" She couldn't even finish the words, but luckily Esprit already knew where she was going with it.

'Saito and Grant are almost here, along with a whole lot of police officers,' Esprit explained. 'Also, Maindo says that Saito's pissed.'

Louise nodded, then looked back at the fight before her. With the toxin ravaging her body and mind, Louise knew that she didn't have much longer before her mind completely snapped, so she had to decide fast. The battle was still evenly matched, but that was partially because of the concern towards the hostage. If she was removed from play, then the Pokémon could focus entirely on stopping Coda. But, if they tried to free her, then Coda would simply end her here and now. Then, before she could even think of a way out of this mess, her mind flipped once again.

"Hey, Absol! Your mother was a Dedenne, and your father smelt of coba berries!" Louise swore that she heard the Ninetails shout towards Auspice, but before she could even enquire as to what the Ninetails meant by that, something in Auspice snapped. The Absol roared, much to the surprise of all of the combatants, and she pounced onto the Duosion. She struck with Night Slash again and again and again, pounding the Duosion into the dirt until it was only seeing stars. Then, no longer caring about keeping up her normal calm and aloof appearance, she picked up Duosion in her mouth and sped into a nearby wall with Quick Attack. The green blob-like Pokémon took the full brunt of both the impact and the attack itself, forming a small crater in the wall that it stuck to like glue. Auspice then spliced at it again with Night Slash, sending it sprawling into the dirt deep into unconsciousness.

Coda stared slack jawed at the surprisingly brutal display, while Elizabeth began to laugh.

"Haha! You unjust fool! You were mistaken to believe we'd fall so easily!" Elizabeth proclaimed, then pointed her finger at Machamp. "Machamp, finish this bout with a Superpower!"

Machamp grinned, then felt his muscles bulge as a blue glow surrounded his body. Mawile began to panic, using Iron Defense in a last-ditch effort to protect herself, but Machamp was already on her. He slammed all four of his fists into her small body, each one feeling as through Mawile was being hit by a truck. The impacts lifted her off the ground, and soon her vision became filled with the sight of a rapidly approaching wall. Mawile struck it with enough force to travel through it, embedding herself into the wall behind it. For a while it appeared as though the Fairy/Steel-type was done for, but even as its body screamed in agony the Mawile managed to pick itself off the wall and make its way back to the battlefield.

Coda frowned but continued to sing. The situation was getting worse by the second, but she still had confidence that she'd manage to carry through this. Besides, Duosion and Mawile weren't even her strongest Pokémon, and these were only newbie trainers.

"Alright, give it up for the opening act~!" Coda sang as she returned Duosion, twirling out of the way of a leaping Auspice. She prepared to signal for Ninetails and Gothorita to jump in and finish these interlopers off, only to pause as a voice entered her head.

"What, no! We're still-!" she protested to seemingly no one, much to Elizabeth's confusion – at this point, Louise was fully delirious, striking up a conversation with the pink cat she insisted to her incredulous Pokémon was totally there – then sighed.

"He could have at least waited until the song finished," Coda said with a frown. "Ah well. A plan's a plan."

She signaled for Ninetails to jump down, the Ice/Fairy-type jumping off the back of a still enraged Auspice while Gothorita began to float upwards. Coda then looked towards Elizabeth and Louise and smiled.

"Now, for the grand finale!" Coda proclaimed, but Elizabeth wasn't having it.

"Not now, not ever you foul cur!" Elizabeth shouted, motioning for Machamp to race forward, but Coda continued unabated.

"Shine on, beat of my heart," she intoned, the pink gem clutched to her chest in an almost penitent pose. In a single, fluid movement, she thrust the gem heavenward. "Pierce the heavens!" Pink auras erupted from the cell leader and Mawile as the latter, with a sudden burst of newfound energy, leapt into the air, a sea of stars trailing behind her.

"NOVA BURST!" Coda cried, swinging her arm down as the starscape twisted into a single point, Mawile driving it down.

"Move!" Elizabeth shouted, finally stepped away from character as she ran for cover. Aile and Esprit had already taken the opportunity to get Janet to safety while Brennaraki dragged a delirious Louise away, then the star contacted the ground.

At first, everything was silent, and only a white, bright light indicated that anything was happening. Then, the air was filled with a cacophonous roar as a massive explosion rippled from the middle of the stage. As though in tandem, fireworks and pyrotechnics exploded everywhere, filling the stage with light, sound, and smoke. The trainers and Pokémon dived to the ground in a futile attempt for cover, feeling the heat wash over them as they covered their ears and screamed. Louise felt her body fly back then tumble across the ground, screaming as more and more explosions rang out. Soon, however, she was able to rise to her feet, and in a blind panic she ran off, not caring where she went so long as it got her away from here.

The others, meanwhile, continued to cower on the ground, protecting their heads with wings, paws, or hands. Dust and debris began to rain down upon them, but soon the noise began to subside. When it finally stopped, the group tentatively began to pick themselves off the ground. They starred in amazement at the now destroyed stage. What once was a grand wooden platform covered in expensive stage lights and speakers was now nothing more than a charred, smoldering wreck. Elizabeth was silent, then noticed that Louise's Pokémon had indeed managed to get Janet to safety in time.

"Janet!" Elizabeth yelled, running over to her coworker. She quickly checked for any injuries, but luckily outside of a few bruises she was alright. She appeared to be under a deep Hypnosis, which would probably explain why she was still asleep even after all that racket. Then she heard a flurry of footsteps, and with a start she turned around in anticipation of another fight, only to see Saito and a tall, dark skinned man next to him. Behind them were several police officers, and Elizabeth sighed in relief.

"Oh, thank Arceus you're—" she began, but an angry Saito cut her off.

"Where's Louise?" he demanded. Elizabeth was taken back, but with a frown she pointed to where she last saw the pinkette.

"She's right over there, you…" Elizabeth stopped, for now she noticed that the space where she was pointing to was tellingly empty. There was no sign of Louise anywhere, not even Brennaraki. She shot up in alarm, ignoring the infuriated look on Saito's face, and began to call out her name.


Louise stumbled through the now empty Cyllage City streets, holding herself against the wall of a nearby building. The sound of the battle was far behind her, and to her relief no other sounds were coming out at her. Finally, some peace and quiet, enough for her ears to stop ringing at least. Beside her was Brennaraki, who herself was trying to drag Louise back towards the plaza, but Louise wasn't having it. There was no way she was going back there, not after what just happened.

She took another step, then felt her legs give out from under her. She fell to the ground, her arms barely stopping her head from impacting the concrete. As she tried to push herself up, she felt bile shoot up her throat, and despite her attempts to stop herself, Louise threw up everything she had in her stomach. She continued to do so, Brennaraki yipping around to try and find help, then both of them heard a pair of footsteps come towards her. Louise looked up, and to her immense surprise, saw her mother looking down on her in stoic silence.

"Mo…mother?" Louise called out in disbelief. The woman said nothing, then knelt down to pick her up.

"Come on, let's get you to the Pokémon Center," she said, holding Louise close. Louise numbly nodded, then felt consciousness leave her.

[~][~]

Hello everyone. We deeply sorry for the long wait. Real life got in the way of this story, but rest assured we are not giving it up. We intend to finish Outsiders and Louise's journey across the Kalos Region.

Now, onto the Q&A:

mathdump: Yes, actually. The ultimate pairing of Outsiders is Saito/Louise, same as in FoZ canon. Our method is to showcase them going from friends to more than friends to final lovers, a nice, healthy progression.

Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros: You will see what's up with Maindo eventually. Rest assured that he does have a personal reason as to why he does what he does. And I'm glad you liked the heartwarming moment between Louise and Sycamore. The relationship between them is something specially, especially for Louise as Augustine, even more than Colbert, is perhaps the first professor who was 100% supportive of her and her dreams/goals. She looks up to him tremendously, if you couldn't tell.

Vein Bloodborne: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the story. And it's nice to see some of my readers from Hunters of Justice coming over to Outsiders as well.

Guester: Louise's next two Pokemon are currently set in stone, but rest assured they do fulfill some pretty big roles in her sandbox. You are correct that Louise's Pokemon reflect her nature, so the Pokemon she gets will reflect that in turn.

Chronos0305: No, actually. Same with Saito.

guest: I love writing both stories, it's just that Hunters of Justice got a lot more attention recently for a few reasons. One, I write them with different teams, and the Outsiders team got hit with a whole bunch of real life, and obviously real life takes precedence. At the same time, Hunters of Justice at the time was getting to the end of a major arc so my focus was going to that, which didn't help with the schedule. Rest assured, I fully plan on finishing both stories, and we do not want another multi-month break between chapters.

Shogun lord poke burst: No, actually. Louise herself, thanks to the Ultra Energy flowing from her body and her Void Magic caused the Mega Stone to view her as a keystone, which thereby caused the Mega Evolution. The keystone she now has is specially modified in order to prevent this from occurring in the future.

keybladelight: Oh trust us, we plan on utilizing Galar in some way. But, given this is anime continuity, we're waiting until the next anime series comes out before we make any decisions. On a side note, Ash finally won the Pokemon League! Also, we're getting two protagonists in the next series, Ash and a guy named Gao, whom I'm guessing is based off Pokemon Go as his goal is to actually Catch Em All.

berrus-same: Yep, Poke-Speech, even if it's a major part of the anime, it does not look good in written form in my opinion. Better to just have them make realistic animal noises instead. Besides, Pokemon are fully sapient, so I can easily use a different form of Poke-Speech to have them converse between each other with complete understanding.

Celestia's Paladin: No, you misunderstood that. Poke-Earth French is Kalosian, while Galar is home to the original form of Unovan. What that difference is, exactly, is unknown to most people, but the two regions insist that they're completely different languages that just so happen to have a lot in common.

No, this is not me trying to cover for our original English equivalent being determined before actual Poke-Britain was revealed, why do you ask?

guest (2): My apologies, I'll update the list on my profile whenever I get the chance.

That's it for this update. Once again, we are deeply sorry for the long wait, but we are finally back and we don't intend to stop writing Outsiders until the story is complete! See you all next time!