Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 3
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Slowly, Louise blinked open her eyes to a grey, washed out ceiling. Her body ached from the toils and events of the day, and as she rose off the bed, she stretched out her arms and yawned deeply. Around her, the still-sleeping bodies of her Pokémon groaned and rolled to the side, not wanting to be roused just yet. Louise smacked her lips a few times, allowing for moisture to rejuvenate them, then began to lazily glance around the room. As with the ceiling, it too was varying shades of grey, with the carpet a uniform black and the wall composed of alternating stripes.
Louise sighed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Once again, she was reminded of her current condition, how her stupid pride and arrogance inflicted it upon her. She knew that Saito blamed himself, but she knew better. The fact that her vision would return to normal in roughly a month didn't do much to alleviate her stress.
She took a glance at the nightstand in between her and Saito's beds. Placed next to the alarm clock was a clear plastic bottle containing at least thirty white pills. Her name was printed on its side, and a glass of water was already sitting next to it. A note was leaning against the glass, and with a soft smile on her face, Louise grabbed it and began to read its contents.
'Remember to take your medicine today,' Saito wrote. 'The doctor said to take three pills a day with water.'
Louise nodded at the note, then uncapped the bottle, placed the appropriate number of pills in her hand, grabbed the glass of water, then downed the medicine. She shivered at the awkward sensation of the pills traveling down her throat, but quickly shook it off before swinging her legs to the side and resting her feet on the floor.
"So, you're finally awake?" Derflinger made his presence known, prompting Louise to turn her head to a nearby cushioned chair where the Honedge was sitting. Louise nodded at him but remained sitting, looking around to try and find Saito.
"Hello, Derflinger," Louise quietly greeted, trying not to wake her sleeping Pokémon. "Where's Saito?"
"Went out a while ago," Derflinger explained. "He got all paranoid about the Pokédexes in the hands of those fake nurses, rightly so in my opinion, then went out to get them checked after he didn't find anything."
"How long ago was that?" Louise asked, internally agreeing with Saito's logic. If the situation was flipped, even with her more limited grasp of modern Kalosian technology, she imagined she would've reacted the same way. Of course, she probably would've just thrown out the old and get replacements from Sycamore, not gotten them checked by someone else, but that was probably just her inexperience talking.
"About two hours ago," Derflinger replied, his voice sounding grim. "He hasn't come back yet, so that tells me either A, he got lost, B, something bad happened to him, or C, most likely, Saito was proven right and now he's pissed. Can't say I would blame him."
"Hmm," Louise hummed and nodded, a slight frown marring her face. She had been travelling with Saito for over two months now, and she liked to think that she'd gotten a pretty good grasp of his overall personality. If there was one thing she noticed about her best friend, it was that he was extremely protective of the people he truly cared about. Pokémon, too, but lately that protectiveness has been centered around her because of what Flare had done. That by itself wasn't a problem in Louise's eyes, but what was is how Saito tended to let his anger get the best of him during that state. He might do something dumb out of anger, and that could very well lead to problems.
Louise stood up off the bed, stretching out her legs to release the tension in her joints. She wondered what to do. Should she stay in the hotel room, trusting for Saito to work things out on his own, or should she go out and find him before he makes a potential mistake born from anger? It was hard to decide, but she then glanced out the window. The noon sun was begging to drip lower into the horizon, its rays partially blocked by columns of black smoke, and sirens could faintly be heard in the distance. Louise's expression settled, and with a nod she began to rouse her Pokémon.
"Come on, guys. Let's go find him," Louise said as her Pokémon grumpily awoke. Derflinger said nothing, merely raising his eyebrow towards the young noblewoman, then did an approximation of a shrug and rose out of the chair.
"Yeah, preferably before he does something stupid."
Saito stood across from Elizabeth on the sunken arena. A small crowd of spectators had formed around the two trainers, but neither of them truly cared. Their focus was entirely on their opponent, their eyes blazing with pure, unadulterated rage. For the longest time, they simply studied each other, trying to see if their bodies would expose anything of note. Finally, Saito pulled out a Pokéball.
"How many Pokémon do you have on hand?" Saito tersely asked.
"Four," Elizabeth answered, pulling out a Pokéball of her own. "How many do you have?"
"Five, but to keep it fair I'll use four as well."
"How gentlemanly."
"It's more than you deserve."
Elizabeth flashed a brief, toothy snarl, but quickly recomposed herself. Her mind raced over the possibilities, and to her chagrin, she began to see that she was at somewhat of a disadvantage. Saito knew exactly what Pokémon she had on hand: Eevee, Zorua, Spettro, and Machamp. But she only knew three of his: his Oshawatt, his Riolu, and his Ralts. She didn't know what the other two Pokémon were, or if any of his previous Pokémon had evolved. How was she going to put him in his place?
Her hand itched towards Machamp's Pokéball, but then she saw Saito's condescending eyes glance towards it. Elizabeth stopped herself and shook her head. In all honesty, Machamp probably was strong enough to solo Saito's entire team, but she had no guarantee that the Superpower Pokémon would find this fight honorable enough to actually listen to her given his competition. He certainly didn't during her 'rematch' against Louise back in Lumiose. More importantly, she knew that, even in the unlikely event he didn't say anything, Elizabeth wouldn't truly beat Saito by starting off with a Pokémon she had others train extensively for her beforehand. She wouldn't give him that moral victory, and quickly settled on her first Pokémon. Saito did the same, and they stared at each other for a few tense seconds. A heavy atmosphere hung over them, before finally both erupted into action.
"Go, Spettro!"
"Show her what you're made of, Shogun!"
Two Pokéballs were thrown from opposite sides of the arena, releasing two different Pokémon. The Sewaddle named Spettro and the Tyrunt named Shogun stared at each other, sizing their opponent up, and Elizabeth couldn't help but smirk. She recognized the Pokémon before her and knew that the Rock/Dragon-type was at a slight disadvantage against her Bug/Grass-type. She could exploit that.
"Alright, Spettro, let's get this over with!" Elizabeth began, thrusting out her hand in a wide, sweeping gesture. "Use Razor Leaf!"
"Dodge it, then use Stealth Rock!" Saito ordered. Shogun complied just as a cloud of razor-sharp leaves were fired towards him, and he sprinted to the side to avoid the attack. A few leaves managed to graze his tail and he winced in pain, but the Tyrunt fought through it and turned on his heels. The mane on his neck glowed as small rocks and rubble were lifted from the ground around him then scattered across the arena. They disappeared underground, and Elizabeth frowned. She knew what Stealth Rock did, and suddenly the idea of switching out her Pokémon suddenly became more dangerous. Saito obviously knew what he was doing, and that just motivated her to beat him even more.
"Spettro, web that Tyrunt up with String Shot!" Elizabeth ordered, hoping to immobilize her opponent and thus grant her an easy win. The Sewaddle did as instructed, forming a glob of silk inside of his mandibles before shooting it out as a thin, compressed stream. Shogun jumped over the attack, but Spettro followed his movements upwards and managed to hit his ankles. They were quickly bound in thick bands of silk, causing Shogun to lose his balance and fall to the ground on his side. He struggled to bite the silk off, and Elizabeth smirked once again. Saito, however, remained focused and didn't betray any emotion on his face.
"Now, use Ra—" Elizabeth began, hoping to end the battle against Shogun here and now, only for Saito to cut her off with a simple command.
"Roar."
Elizabeth's eyes widened as Shogun stopped tearing away at the silk and leveled his gaze towards Spettro. He opened his maw then unleashed a bone-rattling roar. Contrary to what she expected, it was less loud and thunderous and instead was much lower. So low, in fact, she could barely hear it. But she could feel it, feel the soundwaves vibrate against her body, shaking her very core. Spettro, the true target of the attack, was suddenly stuck by complete, all-consuming fear, and before Elizabeth could even say anything, the Sewaddle retreated into his Pokéball.
"What?!" Elizabeth shouted, shooting her head towards Spettro's Pokéball as Shogun went back to tearing away at his silky binds. Saito didn't deign to answer her, instead leveling an intense glare into her eyes.
"Grrgh," Elizabeth growled, reaching for another Pokéball strapped to her hip. She enlarged it then threw the Pokéball out onto the field, releasing Machamp just as Shogun finally freed himself. At the same time, the arena floor sprang to life as hundreds of tiny stones shot out and struck Machamp from all sides. Suddenly, an illusion broke, and Machamp revealed himself to actually be Zorua. The Tricky Fox Pokémon winced and staggered from the blows, and once it was all over, she couldn't help but let out a few labored breaths. Elizabeth glared daggers at Saito, who didn't respond in kind.
"Shogun, Stomp!" Saito ordered. Shogun, now freed from his binds, shrieked in acknowledgement as he ran at full speed towards Zorua.
"Feint Attack!" Elizabeth commanded. A shimmering purple aura glowed off of Zorua as she rushed forward to face Shogun head on. Just as Shogun jumped into the air, Zorua moved to attack from the side, only to change position at the last second so that Shogun's attack hit nothing but the dirt. His flank exposed, she struck only to bounce off of the Tyrunt's scaly hide. Saito let out a ghost of a smirk as Shogun shot his head towards the bewildered Zorua, and before she could even react, Shogun sharply turned his body around and clamped his jaws tightly around Zorua's back.
Shogun thrashed his head from side to side, his dagger-like teeth digging into Zorua's flesh. The Tricky Fox Pokémon struggled to free herself, moving her paws to try and pry Shogun's jaws loose, but they wouldn't budge.
"Zorua!" Elizabeth shouted, urging her Pokémon to do something, anything, to get out of this mess. Zorua tried to swipe at Shogun's face with Pursuit, only for Shogun to suddenly slam her into the ground with enough force to knock the air out of her lungs. Disoriented, Shogun followed up his attack by releasing her from his jaws, only to then stomp on her gut. Once again what little air that was in Zorua's lungs was knocked out, and Zorua could only whimper as Shogun violently kicked her away. Her body bounced along the dirt repeatedly, coming to a rest just before the edge and forming a small trail behind her. Elizabeth said nothing, only able to stare in silent horror as her Pokémon struggled to get up. Slowly but surely, Zorua did so, and with a low, pained growl, she turned to face Shogun once again. Elizabeth gazed at her Pokémon appreciatively, then turned to face Saito once again.
"If you think that'll be enough to put us down, think again!" she declared earnestly, but Saito wasn't impressed by her bravado. He shook his head and rolled his eyes before looking back at Elizabeth once again.
"Wasn't planning on it," Saito simply said before pointing his finger at Zorua. "Shogun, finish her off with Bite."
Shogun immediately complied with the order, charging towards Zorua with his maw opened wide. Zorua looked up while swaying on her feet, and already knew that she didn't have the strength to dodge. So, she didn't try and instead focused as a purple aura enveloped her again. As Shogun grew close, she used Feint Attack once again, trying to catch the Tyrunt off-guard. But Shogun had expected the attack this time and sharply moved his body so that it was parallel to her attack. Everything seemed to go into slow motion for Zorua as her body's momentum carried her past Shogun's still open maw, and there wasn't much she could do before she felt them clamp down on her once again. Her world began to shake as Shogun shook her around from side to side, and with one final throw into a nearby wall, Zorua slumped to the ground, completely unconscious.
Elizabeth stared in shock at the defeated form of Zorua as Shogun proudly scraped his feet against the dirt. He roared a challenge at Elizabeth, daring her to choose her next Pokémon, and the verdette felt her anger bubble up from within her gut. Once again, her hand inched towards Machamp's Pokéball, but decided against it.
'No, not yet. Not unless I have to,' Elizabeth thought as she pulled out Spettro's Pokéball and released the Sewaddle once again. Almost immediately, Spettro was assaulted by the Stealth Rock and she winced in pain. At the same time, however, and to Elizabeth's surprise, Saito recalled Shogun and pulled out another Pokéball, releasing Tanuki onto the battlefield. The Riolu quickly oriented himself into a kata, raising one of his paws to face Spettro.
"Alright, then," Elizabeth muttered, mentally preparing herself. "Spettro, start off with String Shot!"
Immediately, Spettro shot a stream of webbing towards Riolu, who dodged to the right in a burst of blinding speed. Tanuki zoomed around the edge of the battlefield, keeping just ahead of the String Shot as he got closer and close to Spettro. Seeing her plan clearly wasn't working, and that Tanuki was getting extremely close now, Elizabeth ordered Spettro to halt her attack and use Bug Bite instead. Spettro's mandibles glowed as they opened wide and she reared herself back before biting deep into Tanuki's arm. The Riolu whelped in pain before quickly regaining his focus. His free paw began to blow with Aura, and he repeatedly used Force Palm on the Bug/Grass-type. Each blow knocked against the exoskeleton, rattling Spettro's insides and prompting the Sewaddle to bite down harder in an effort to keep hold.
Tanuki grit his teeth in response while continuing to rain blow after blow, and it wasn't long before he began to feel a slack in the pressure on his arm. He let out a small smirk, then edged his fingers between the small gap. He forcibly pried the Sewaddle off of his arm, and her beady black eyes widened slightly before Tanuki threw her as far as he could across the field. She squealed in fright before grunting in pain as her body bounced along the dirt, skidding to a stop along her side. Before she could even think about getting up, she heard Saito yell for Tanuki to use Quick Attack, and almost immediately she felt a massive impact slam against her body. She went flying, only to be violently rebounded as Tanuki used another Quick Attack to reposition himself before her body, followed by a Force Palm to her head. This time she flew back in the opposite direction, and the sudden impact proved to be too much for the Sewaddle to take as she slipped into blissful unconsciousness.
"Spettro!" Elizabeth shouted in alarm before grunting frustratingly. She shot a glare towards Saito, who held Tanuki's Pokéball in hand as he prepared to recall the Riolu. Once again, Elizabeth was down a Pokémon while Saito hadn't even lost one. She was getting destroyed, and both of them knew it. Her eyes shot towards her Pokéballs once again, then she snarled and shook her head.
"Forget this," she muttered to herself, pulling out Machamp's Pokéball. Giving him a moral victory or not, she was going to win this thing just to wipe that stupid look off his face. Saito immediately noticed which Pokéball Elizabeth had grabbed and grabbed one of his own.
"Destroy him, Machamp!" Elizabeth shouted as she sent the Superpower Pokémon onto the battlefield. At the same time, Saito wordlessly sent out his own, and Elizabeth briefly wondered which Pokémon it would be. If she had to guess, Saito would most likely use that Ralts of his. Even if it was only a first-stage evolution, its Psychic-typing would be his best bet. She doubted Saito would send out Tanuki again after already recalling him, but that was another distinct possibility along with his Oshawatt starter, if she remembered correctly.
So, it was to her great surprise when Saito, instead of releasing his Ralts, brought back out Shogun. What was he thinking? Machamp was already the most powerful Pokémon either of them had and sending a Rock/Dragon-type was only adding to his inherent disadvantage. This was proven as the Stealth Rock once again activated, pelting Machamp with hundreds of tiny rocks, only for the four-armed Pokémon to barely even flinch. She doubted he even registered it, to be honest.
Machamp, meanwhile, studied Shogun for a moment, who was clawing at the ground to issue a challenge. Compared to the Fennekin he was ordered to fight before, this certainly was a more interesting and unique challenge. But even at a glance he could see clearly the massive power gap between them. This wouldn't be a challenge, at best it'd be a slaughter. He looked back at Elizabeth with an annoyed glance, only to see her eyes widen in realization.
"Machamp, stop them now!" she ordered, much to his surprise. He wondered why she was suddenly so panicked, only to hear Saito given Shogun his command.
"Shogun, use Roar!"
Machamp's eyes widened as he shot around towards the diminutive Tyrunt. The Roar was already building in Shogun's throat, and Machamp barely had time to take a few steps before a low rumble was once again unleashed. Inexplicable, inescapable fear struck Machamp, and all he wanted to do was get away. He retreated into his Pokéball, while Elizabeth could only stare in silent shock. A heavy silence hung over the battlefield, and slowly Elizabeth leveled her gaze towards Saito.
"That was your plan the entire time," she realized and spoke aloud. "Had I started with Machamp to begin with, you would've just used Roar to send him away. Until he was the only one left."
Saito looked back at her, then nodded. "Yep. I knew Machamp was your strongest Pokémon and trying to take him on one v. one was a fool's game. But if I could get him down to a four v. one…"
Elizabeth clenched her fists and growled, both at the boy before her and at herself. How could she be so stupid? She sabotaged herself unnecessarily, and now the boy before her was much closer to clinching out a victory. A heavy pause filled the air, both trainers glaring at the other, and it was only broken by Elizabeth pulling out Eevee's Pokéball and releasing her starter onto the battle field.
"Let's go, Eevee!" Elizabeth declared. Now released from the Pokéball, Eevee stretched out her limbs and looked around the battlefield lazily. That changed as soon as the Stealth Rock kicked in, bombarding her from all sides with sharp rocks. She fell to her knees in pain, breathing heavily once the bombardment ceased. She then raised her head up to face Shogun, and her eyes widened as the Tyrunt was already charging at her with his mouth opened wide. She barely leapt to the side, avoiding the snapping jaws, and landed on all four feet before growling at Shogun. Shogun swiveled his head to level a glare at her in turn, lowly growling as he turned his body to face her.
"Please listen, just this once," Elizabeth whispered to herself as she shot her arm forward. "Eevee, start off with Swift!"
"Shogun, use Bite!" Saito ordered at the same time. Shogun roared in response as he charged towards Eevee, but instead of his opponent bombarding him with Swift, she instead disobeyed her trainer and charged forward as well.
"Eevee, no!" Elizabeth protested, but her starter had no intention of listening to her trainer. Using her small body, she jumped over his head and landed on his back before using Bite on the base of his neck. Her teeth barely sank into his hard, rock-like scales, and Shogun began to shake his body from side to side in a bid to get her off. Eevee merely dug her paws into his flanks, trying to keep a grip as the shaking got worse and worse.
Then, after several moments, Shogun managed to catch the edge of her forelimb in his jaws, and with a powerful yank, he pulled her off of his body and threw her to the side.
"Yes!" Saito yelled, pumping his fist in victory. "Shogun, follow up with Tackle!"
Shogun was already charging by the time Eevee managed to pick herself off the ground, and by then it was too late. The larger Tyrunt slammed into her, sending her skidding back. Before she could get too far, Saito ordered his Pokémon to use Bite, and Eevee felt her back be clenched by powerful jaws and sharp fangs. Now holding firmly onto her, Shogun shook Eevee back and forth violently, using his teeth as saws. She thrashed and clawed at Shogun's face, trying to pry herself loose, but he didn't budge. Finally, he slammed her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her lungs.
"Eevee, get up!" Elizabeth demanded, watching helplessly as Eevee tried to recover. Her opponent, however, had on intention of having that happen.
"Shogun, finish her off with Stomp," Saito calmly ordered. Shogun immediately proceeded to so do, raising up his foot above Eevee's body and slamming it down hard. He did so repeatedly, preventing Eevee from even thinking of retaliating, and he only stopped when Eevee no longer tried. She was unconscious now, and Shogun nodded at his trainer before stepping away.
"No…" Elizabeth muttered, looking towards her starter regretfully. She leveled an angered glare towards Saito as she returned her Pokémon, but Saito didn't do so with his. His face still had that insufferable confidence on it, and Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to wipe it off.
"Alright," she began. "You wanted a four-on-one, now you got it. Machamp, finish them!" Elizabeth called out as she released Machamp once again onto the battlefield. As before, Machamp ignored the Stealth Rock bombarding his body as he instead leveled a glare towards the diminutive Tyrunt before him. No longer was he looking at his opponent as a waste of his skill. This Tyrunt had forced him to flee like a coward, and that wouldn't stand at all. So, even if he still didn't fully respect Elizabeth as his trainer, he'd listen to her for this battle as it was clearly worth his time and effort. Elizabeth recognized this and let out a confident grin, then shot her arm forward towards Tyrunt.
"Alright, Machamp! Put that Tyrunt in place with Vital Throw!" Elizabeth ordered. Machamp spread his four arms wide and charged towards his opponent, and Saito knew Shogun wouldn't be able to get away in time.
"Shogun, use Ancient Power!" Saito ordered, hoping to at least damage the Machamp somewhat. Knowing where his trainer was going, Shogun stayed rooted in place and concentrated. He felt the rocks and rubble around him swirl and coalesce into large rocks, forming patterns vaguely shaped like ancient fossils on their faces as he let his heritage run through them. Once they were large enough, he shot the rocks forward as hard as he could and watched as they shattered against Machamp's muscular body. The only indication that they did anything was seeing the Superpower Pokémon grunt slightly from the pain, and that was enough for Shogun. He did his part to serve the pack, and so when Machamp picked him up, twirled him around, and hurled him into the wall, it was with a smile on his face.
Shogun struck the wall with enough force to embed him into it, and he was knocked out instantly. Saito, despite knowing this was the likely outcome, sighed regretfully and returned his Pokémon.
"Sorry, Shogun. I'll make it up to you, I promise," Saito said as he shrunk Shogun's Pokéball and pulled out another. "Let's go, Tanuki!"
The energetic Riolu was released onto the battlefield, and he bounced in place before Machamp. Part of Machamp wanted to dismiss the Riolu, but he wasn't going to make that mistake again. Especially with what he knew of a Riolu's inherent strength. As before, he readied himself, waiting for Elizabeth's command, which she eagerly gave.
"Machamp, use Superpower!" Elizabeth ordered. Machamp charged forward, his fists beginning to glow with intense energy, but Tanuki merely paused and closed his eyes. Just as Machamp got close, however, Tanuki shot away in a quick burst of speed, causing the four glowing fists to crater the ground instead.
"Yes!" Saito cheered. "Good job, Tanuki! Now, strike fast and hard with Quick Attack and Force Palm!"
Tanuki nodded towards his trainer, and again disappeared in a quick burst of speed. He shot towards Machamp's face, too fast for him to counter, and the Superpower Pokémon felt an aura-infused paw strike across his cheek. It shot to the side, absorbing the blow, but before he could retaliate, Tanuki was already gone. He whirled around, trying to find his opponent, only to hear a faint whistle of air from behind. Then he felt a blow strike against the back of his knees, and he fell to the ground onto them. His head then shot up as Tanuki uppercutted him, knocking Machamp back as the Riolu retreated.
"Grrgh!" Elizabeth growled, grinding her teeth in frustration. "Machamp, stop messing around and stop that Riolu!"
Machamp shot Elizabeth an irritated look. Before he could think of responding to her, however, he felt another blow against he back of his head, sending him down once again. He quickly picked himself up and snarled in angered annoyance before circling his head around the arena, trying to find Tanuki. Just before another attack struck his chest, he saw a faint blur with a light-blue tint. His eyes tracked the blur, seeing it stop for a moment to reveal Tanuki doing a three-point rest before disappearing once again. This time, as Tanuki got closer, Machamp shot his arms forward using Superpower, aiming to cut Tanuki off. The Riolu barely managed to dodge, weaving between the arms and striking Machamp in the face once again before retreating.
When Tanuki returned for another pass, this time Machamp was ready. He threw out his arms, and as Tanuki tried to dodge, he maneuvered them just right so that a single Superpower punch was able to strike the Riolu's gut. The one blow was enough, and Tanuki was flung across the arena and landed in a crumpled heap next to Elizabeth's feet.
"Yes! Finally!" Elizabeth cheered as Saito returned his Pokémon. He muttered a quick word of thanks, then took a moment to look upon Machamp. The Fighting-Type was clearly injured now, breathing slightly more heavily, and his shoulders slightly sagged. Despite the fact that Machamp was clearly powerful enough to knock out his Pokémon in one hit, so far Saito's strategy was working. He pulled out another Pokéball, enlarging it in his fingers, then threw it out onto the battlefield.
"Come on, Ronin! Let's do this!" Saito declared, releasing his starter onto the battlefield. Ronin emerged on his knees, then slowly rose up and unsheathed his scalchop. He dangled it to the side, leveling a neutral, challenging gaze towards Machamp. The Superpower Pokémon met it head on, and both opponents nodded towards each other in respect. Then, at a moment, both trainers issued their commands.
"Machamp, use Submission!"
"Ronin, dodge then use Water Pulse!"
Machamp charged towards Ronin, throwing his fists forward as the Oshawatt jumped backwards to dodge. At the same time, he formed a sphere of water on his scalchop, and once it was large enough, he hurled it towards Machamp's chest. The pulsating water exploded like a grenade, sending Machamp skidding back and covering his eyes with water. He attempted to rub them dry, only to feel an intense jet of water shoot into his face.
"Keep using Water Gun, Ronin!" Saito ordered. Ronin mentally acknowledged the command and kept up the intense stream of water, but to his growing alarm, Machamp was beginning to inch himself forward against the stream. Ronin kept at it, nervousness growing with each of Machamp's heavy steps, and once the Superpower Pokémon got close enough Saito ordered his starter to cease and run away. Ronin gladly did so, running to the side as Machamp recovered and struck the ground where Ronin previously was.
"Rapid-fire Water Pulses, Ronin!" Saito ordered, and Ronin began forming pulsating orbs of water to shot towards his opponent. The water exploded against Machamp, first his back then his shoulders and chest as he recovered and charged towards Ronin. Another Water Pulse was shot towards Machamp, only this time he sideswiped it away with the back of his top-left hand. Eyes wide, Ronin barely blocked a kick with his scalchop, acting as shield, but despite the effort Ronin still felt the air leave his lungs as he was knocked back across the arena.
"Ronin!" Saito shouted in worry as Ronin came to a stop, but to his relief he saw Ronin shakily begin to stand up. "Thank goodness. Are you still fit to fight, buddy?"
Ronin looked towards Saito and nodded affirmatively, and Saito nodded back before focusing his gaze on Machamp. The Superpower Pokémon was turning towards Ronin, clearly intending to finish the Oshawatt off, and Saito knew his starter wouldn't last another hit. They only had a few more attacks before it would be over, and they had to make it count.
"Alright then," Saito muttered just as Machamp began to charge. Ronin patiently waited for his trainer to issue a command, and just as Machamp reached his opponent, Saito shouted, "Use Revenge!"
"Machamp, stop!" Elizabeth shouted, but it was too late. Machamp's fist was going too fast, and Ronin had already dug in his feet. The Oshawatt knew this attack would finish him, but as he felt the blow strike against his side, his scalchop was racing towards Machamp's chin. The edge was glowing in a dark violet energy, and Machamp's attack boosted its intensity immensely. Machamp felt himself fly back halfway across the arena, skidding along his back as Ronin was knocked away. Before his unconscious body could come to a hard stop, Saito returned his starter and turned his gaze towards Machamp. He was still on his back, but in a daze, the Fighting-Type rose back to his feet. Saito saw Elizabeth let out a relieved sigh, and the heiress then turned her gaze towards him.
"We won't be put down that easily," she declared, and Saito shook his head.
"Wasn't expecting you to," he admitted. He had certainly hoped the attacks thus far would've been enough, but Machamp was still standing. He was on his last legs, however, and a noticeable sway was in Machamp's stance. That was good, in Saito's eyes, but he didn't know if Elizabeth noticed it. Saito's hands then turned towards his belt, and he paused. Not including the Pokémon Egg still in the hotel room, he had two Pokémon left to choose from. This left the boy in a conundrum, as one was clearly better suited towards fighting the Machamp than the other. But it was just as likely to fail spectacularly as he couldn't guarantee Maindo would even listen to him. This was a Pokémon Battle, not a life or death fight against Team Flare.
In the end, he decided that he couldn't risk it, and so Saito moved his hand away from Maindo's Pokéball and pulled out another.
"Let's finish this, Tengu!" Saito declared, releasing the Seedot onto the battlefield. Elizabeth took one look at the acorn-like Pokémon and was utterly flabbergasted. Why would Saito choose a practically immobile Seedot to fight against an extremely powerful Machamp when he had a more applicable Ralts to do so for him? It didn't make any sense, but in the end Elizabeth shrugged. If he wanted to hand her a victory, she'd let him.
"Alright, Machamp, put that Seedot out of its misery. Use Karate Chop!" Elizabeth ordered. Machamp, unlike Elizabeth, wasn't discounting the Seedot whatsoever. If there was anything he'd learned from fighting this trainer, it was that his Pokémon were full of surprises. He couldn't afford to count his Torchics before they hatched, and so he resolved to end this fight as quickly as he could. He flattened his palms and raised them up before charging towards Tengu, intending to finish the Seedot quickly, but Saito was ready.
"Sunny Day, then Solar Beam!" Saito ordered. Tengu obliged, sending a ball of intense heat into the air. Almost immediately, Saito, Elizabeth, and the assembled spectators felt sweat begin to form, but the trainers and Pokémon were more focused on the quickly gathered solar energy being formed in front of Tengu's face. The sphere of energy exploded in a lime-green laser, striking Machamp in the chest and sending him skidding back.
"Follow up with Bullet Seed!" Saito ordered, throwing his arm forward. Aiming the top of her acorn cap towards Machamp, Tengu fired a hail of small seeds towards Machamp. The first volley managed to strike the Fighting-Type, but Machamp quickly managed to bring his arms up in front of him to block the rest. With his body shielded, Machamp began to run against the Bullet Seed, prompting Tengu to up the intensity. It wasn't enough, however, and Tengu felt her body lift off the ground as Machamp kicked her away. Her small body bounced and rolled across the dirt, stopping near the edge of the field, and Saito shot his head to her in concern.
"Tengu, are you okay?" he asked as Tengu struggled to pick herself up. She shot him a look, and Saito nodded back before looking back up at the still-active Sunny Day. "Alright, let's patch you up with Synthesis."
Not needing to be told twice, Tengu focused towards the Sunny Day as she let the assembled solar energy rejuvenate her body. Her wounds disappearing, she turned to see Machamp charging towards her once again. Just before he could attack, however, Tengu unleased a second Solar Beam at near point-blank range, sending the Superpower Pokémon hurtling back.
"Machamp!" Elizabeth shouted in worry, now seeing how injured her strongest Pokémon was. His arms were shaking as he lifted himself off the ground, and dark bruises were easily visible across his muscular body. Still, she and Machamp were confident they could win this, and so they turned towards Saito once again.
"Okay, let's finish this with Superpower!" Elizabeth ordered. Once again, Machamp's fists glowed as he raced towards Tengu. The first few steps were rough, but he soon reached his stride and was running at full tilt. Saito, meanwhile, began to form a plan in his head, and motioned for Tengu to turn towards him. She did so, and at his slow nod, she understood exactly what he was wanting him to do. She did one last quick Synthesis, healing the last of her wounds, and braced herself.
The impact of the Superpower nearly knocked the air out of her lungs. It knocked her clean back, sending her rolling across the arena. The tip of her cap managed to gain enough of a hold to stop herself, and she struggled to raise upward. Machamp looked at the Seedot in surprise, but soon groaned as he prepared to attack again. His fists glowed, and he charged towards Tengu with every intention to finish this fight once and for all.
'Wait for it,' Saito thought, watching as Machamp grew closer and closer. 'Wait for it…Now!'
"Tengu, release the Bide!" Saito ordered just as Machamp prepared to attack. The Superpower Pokémon's eyes widened in surprise as a white orb of glowing energy formed atop Tengu's head, and he tried to halt his momentum, but it was too late. The orb exploded, and an attack twice as strong as what he just inflicted on Tengu hit him squarely across his entire body. He was flung back, unable to stop himself and he landed in a crumpled heap in front of Elizabeth. She watched in horror as her Pokémon's smoking body laid there. Machamp tried to push himself off the ground, but then his muscles gave way, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
It was over. A numb feeling consumed Elizabeth to the point where she didn't even return Machamp to his Pokéball. She had lost, completely and utterly. The fact that Tengu was on her last legs was of no consolation, and she didn't know what to do. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to win, to wipe that look off of Saito's face, yet now she couldn't.
Silently, Saito walked over to Tengu and rubbed affectionately the top of her head. She leaned into it, appreciative of the attention, then he returned her to her Pokéball so that she could rest. He then stood up, frowning towards the stunned Elizabeth as the spectators began to disperse. Now that the battle was over, there wasn't much reason for them to continue. Soon, the two of them would be alone, and Saito wondered what to say. Part of him wanted to rub it in her face, but another part felt she wasn't worth it. Only when Elizabeth finally returned Machamp did she return his gaze, and he saw the anger begin to boil up from within her.
Before either of them could say or do anything else, however, they heard a cough come from the spectator stands. They turned their heads towards the source, only to see a thoroughly irritated and disappointed Louise standing there with Derflinger floating next to her head. Her arms were crossed, and a deep scowl was etched across her face.
"Now then," Louise began, not waiting for them to respond, "are you two quite finished? Good. Now, let's go and chat, shall we?"
[~][~]
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the latest chapter of Outsiders! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate, Grendel4823, wildrook, and Yuri Vampire for all their help with bringing this chapter to life. We got an exciting battle between Saito and Elizabeth, and although Saito did ultimately win, it was simply because Saito was simply a better trainer than Elizabeth was. Next we have the aftermath, and things are going to get interesting.
Now, onto the Q&A:
TheLastBattalion: I do plan on showing how Halkegenia is reacting eventually.
Celestia's Paladin: Yep, that was a bit of Detective Pikachu there. Felt it was appropriate, same with the whole 'actions have consequences' thing. And a bit of realism/reality ensues is always a good thing.
.549: Remember, humans aren't always the most logical beings. Emotions are fickle, and they can be stretched to the breaking point. That's what happened here, and know that Saito was supposed to be in the wrong with his accusation towards Elizabeth.
BanalCrepe: Actually, Janet was entirely in the right here. Elizabeth made a mistake in letting Louise do what she wanted, just as Louise made a mistake in continuing on in the first place. Had Janet known Louise, and was able to talk to her, she probably would've done the same thing to Louise.
DPSS: As above, the intention was to show that Saito's emotions got stretched to the breaking point here, and he just wanted to lash out at something, anything, to alleviate them. Elizabeth was just the poor, unfortunate target. He wasn't supposed to be in the right in this case.
Austin8848: Maybe, we haven't decided yet.
Vein Bloodborne: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. The whole Saito/Louise dynamic is one of my favorite things about this story, so I'm happy that it's coming across well.
Well, that's it for this chapter. We hope you all enjoy it, and let us know what you think! See you all next time!
