Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 1

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A loud, incessant beeping stirred Louise awake. She blinked her eyes a few times before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Then the noblewoman yawned and stretched out her arms, smacking her lips as she lazily gazed around the room. Saito was still dead asleep, not that she blamed him. Part of her wanted to go back to sleep as well, but she shook her head and stood up instead.

Grabbing an empty glass, Louise filled it with water then grabbed two of her pills. She downed both at the same time with a quick drink, shuddering at the feeling of a solid lump traveling down her throat. Something told her she'd have to get used to that, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Everything was still in shades of black and white, which she knew would be the state of her world for the foreseeable future. A somber reminder of the mistakes she'd made, ones she would never repeat if she could help it.

Louise then grabbed a change of clothes and walked into their hotel room's bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she entered the shower and quickly bathed herself. She let the hot water rejuvenate her body, and again she was reminded of the wonders of modern Kalosian infrastructure. They had nothing like this back on Halkegenia, not even Romalia and its expansive aqueducts and bathhouses. Even then, just to get hot water required teams of fire mages or servants lighting coal or firewood underneath the floors, a process that could take hours. Here, they just ran the water through pipes into a heater then back out again. It only took a few minutes. When she finally got back home, she would have to find some way to introduce this to Tristain, if only for her sake. Louise didn't want to give up the modern luxuries she could now easily afford.

When she was done, Louise shut off the water and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. Wrapping her hair in another towel, she changed into her clothes and walked out into the room, where she saw Saito sluggishly rise off the bed with half-lidded eyes.

"Shower's free," Louise said. Saito said nothing and nodded before grabbing his own clothes and stumbling into the bathroom. A moment later, Louise heard the water begin running, and she turned her attention away to focus on touching herself up. She dried her hair then began to brush it, slowly returning her rosy locks to the nice, smooth state that she had grown accustomed to. When she was finished, Louise couldn't help but run her fingers through her long hair, humming to herself in thought. She then shrugged before tying her headband around her head, clamping her hair in place and preventing it from getting in the way.

Rather than do anything, Louise patiently waited on her bed, Brennaraki sitting on her lap as she quietly watched TV. She avoided the news stations as she already knew what they were talking about. Given how she lived it, Louise felt no need to be bombarded with more information. All she knew was that things were slowly getting better, and that was alright with her. Instead, she was watching a light-hearted animated comedy about a group of teenagers and their cowardly Arcanine solving mysteries involving people dressed up as monsters. Louise had only watched a few episodes, but already she was hooked and was quite enjoying it.

When the water shut off, Louise stopped watching her program and turned her attention towards the bathroom. A minute later, she saw Saito walk out while rubbing his eyes. They locked eyes, then each trainer nodded towards the other as Saito sat down on his bed. At first, neither said anything, Louise turned her head back towards the TV, then she began to speak.

"So," Louise said, "what's on the agenda today?"

"You're asking me?" Saito asked, more curious than anything. "Aren't you usually the one who decides what we do?"

"Yes, and look where that's gotten us lately," Louise pointed out. Saito sighed, mentally kicking himself. Of course Louise would still be hung up about that, but he knew that, given enough time, she'd get over it. He decided to acquiesce to her request, and Saito nodded while pulling out his Pokédex.

"Well, we have some options," Saito started, thumbing the map of Cyllage. It had automatically updated to show him what was still open and what wasn't, and he filtered out what they couldn't do in their week off. "There's cave diving, rock climbing, cycling courses. Ooh, there's a Mantine Surfing hut further down the beach."

"Mantine surfing?" Louise asked, not familiar with the term.

"It's a sport from Alola," Saito explained. "People get on Mantines and surf waves on them. I've never done it, but it looks like a lot of fun."

"Hmm, possibly," Louise hummed. Admittedly, that did sound interesting, and they did have a week to basically do whatever they wanted before Grant was ready.

"But," Saito continued, "I think we're better off trying some of the rock climbing Cyllage has. They have some of the best courses in the region, and if what I've read is accurate, it'll be good practice."

"How so?"

"Apparently, Grant's pre-battle challenge has trainers navigate a tough rock-climbing course with only the help between a trainer and their Pokémon. Since neither of us has gone rock climbing before, we could use some practice."

Louise thought it over, then frowned and nodded. Saito was right, she had never rock-climbed before. Founder, she'd had climbed anything since she was a kid and she climbed the small trees around her family's estate. Up until she got stuck one day and her father had to get her down. She never climbed anything after that, but now it looked like she'd have to. Nervousness caused her body to shake slightly, but she forced herself to stop. Now wasn't the time to let childish fears overwhelm her.

"That sounds perfect," Louise declared with a resolute nod. "When do they open?"

"Around noon. That give us," Saito paused and glanced towards the digital clock in their room, "about four hours. Enough time to get some breakfast and train a bit."

Louise nodded, then stood up and grabbed Brennaraki's Pokéball. She returned her starter soon after, then brushed herself off as Saito joined her.

"Hey, you guys getting food?" Derflinger asked, floating up from his chair towards them. "Mind if I come?"

"Sure, why not," Saito immediately answered, causing the Honedge to happily nod.

"Great! Mind getting me some coffee while we're down there?"

"Why? You can't drink it?" Louise asked, raising her eyebrow as they opened the door and locked it behind them after stepping out into the hallway.

"I like the smell, and it makes me feel included," Derflinger answered cheekily. Saito couldn't help but snort and shake his head, while Louise merely sighed and rolled her eyes.


After eating a hearty breakfast, Louise and Saito made their way towards the base of the mountains just outside Cyllage City. There was a dense forest that marked the boundary between the city limits and the natural world, which provided ample opportunity for the two trainers to get some much-needed training in. They had at least a week before Grant would accept their challenge, and they intended to make the most of it.

"Ronin, slice that boulder apart with Razor Shell!" Saito ordered. Ronin, standing before a large rock twice the size of his body, whipped out his scalchop and swung its edge diagonally across the rock's surface. When he calmly placed his shell back onto his belly, at first the rock did nothing. Saito was beginning to wonder whether or not his Pokémon did anything before the top section of the rock began to slide off the bottom. A loud grinding noise filled his ears only to be silenced by a dull thud as the rock fell onto the dirt floor of the forest. Ronin admired his work for a moment, then turned around and respectfully bowed towards his trainer.

"Good job, Ronin," Saito said, nodding towards his starter with a small smile on his face. He then turned towards his other Pokémon to check their progress. From what he could see, the system that they'd devised was working as intended. It was a multi-layered process, one that he felt could improve all of his Pokémon's skills at roughly the same rate. It started with Tanuki, who was throwing Aura-infused punches into the mountainside. This created a lot of debris which Saito was able to bribe Maindo with a rare, out of season berry Aile had helped pick out (mostly for herself) into compressing them into roughly shaped but ultimately stable boulders. It was more akin to rough sandstone than the smooth rocks on the mountain, but it was good enough for their purposes. Occasionally, the Ralts would throw a small pebble towards Saito's head, but the boy had gotten pretty good at dodging as of late, so he didn't let it mess with him all that much. Meanwhile, with the finished boulders, Shogun would bite away at any rough edges, slowly carving the rock into a manageable target that either Ronin or Tengu would break apart with their moves.

"Alright, guys. Keep doing what you're doing. In about ten minutes, we're going to rotate," Saito called out. With the exception of Maindo, who merely rolled his eyes and looked away in annoyance, the Pokémon nodded enthusiastically.

On the other side of the impromptu training grounds, Louise was having her Pokémon undergo a slightly different sort of training. Unlike Saito and his team, Louise was at a marked disadvantage against Grant. None of her Pokémon were super-effective against Rock-types. In fact, Rock-types were super-effective against two of her Pokémon. The exact opposite situation that she had when he fought Viola for the Bug Badge. This time, however, Louise wasn't going to let herself become overconfident in her abilities. She couldn't afford to do so.

That still left the issue of Louise's team being weak against Grant's. However, Louise did know one thing: without the benefit of Rock Polish, Louise's Pokémon were both faster and more agile than Grant's. If Louise wanted to win the Cliff Badge, a direct, frontal assault would only result in her defeat. Hit and run tactics was the name of the game. Although her honor and pride screamed at her to ignore such tactics, she pushed it aside and kept focused on the task at hand.

"Everyone, keep it up!" Louise shouted from atop her perch, a flat rock partially embedded into the ground. Next to her, Esprit was hurling small and large rocks towards her Pokémon. While it might not seem like much at first glance, the throws were perfect for Esprit to practice deflecting rocks away from herself, which Louise helped by occasionally throwing a rock towards her Pokémon. Aile was bobbing and weaving between the trees and the rocks, twisting and twirling to avoid any damage like a graceful ballerina. Brennaraki, meanwhile, stayed on the ground, running as fast as her little legs could carry her to dodge Esprit's attacks. One rock strayed too close to her head, which unfortunately hit and knocked her to her side. The shiny Fennekin grumbled as she rose to her feet, but soon began running again.

'Good job, Brennaraki,' Louise thought, happy that her starter was continuing to show her indominable spirit. Her attention then turned towards Auspice, who was quickly proving herself to be perhaps the most capable fighter Louise had. Rather than just dodge the rocks, Auspice was taking it a step further. The Absol was jumping off the rocks themselves to avoid any damage. If any got too close, a quick slice of her head razor was enough to shatter it into small, harmless pieces. A smile began to blossom across Louise's face as she watched her Pokémon continue to train, and deep down she knew that, when this week was over, they'd be ready.


Louise and Saito only stopped their training well after the sun reached its zenith. Now that it was in the afternoon, they felt it was appropriate to shift focus and move on to the next stage of their training, one that they were both excited for and nervous about at the same time. After all, they were quite literally going to climb a mountain, something that neither of them had done before.

"Alright, come right this way, please," the guide led them towards the beginner's course. He was a young, stocky man carrying a large backpack containing various mountaineering supplies such as ropes, shovels, and pickaxes. It must have weighed a considerable amount, yet he had an energetic smile on his face that both Saito and Louise couldn't help but return.

"So, I've never been rock-climbing before…" Louise began.

"Truly? Well, I'm happy the two of you decided to join us. I'm always excited to see newcomers try it out!" the mountaineer said, beaming as they continued hiking the trail.

"Is it safe?"

"Of course! We've specifically designed our courses with newcomers in mind. You'll be perfectly safe."

"Alright…" Louise didn't sound entirely sure. Neither did Saito, for that matter, but the guide's attitude helped to reassure them. He already knew why they were here. Grant's challenge was a frequent cause of visits, apparently, which was all the proof they needed to confirm that Saito's information was accurate. At the same time, he couldn't just let the two trainers start climbing a mountain all on their own, especially since it was their first time. That was something both trainers anticipated, so neither of them complained when the guide began teaching them directly for the next two hours. He ran through everything a climber would need to know. How to attach themselves to the preexisting ropes, place new ropes onto hooks, and most importantly, how to grab hold of small nooks and crannies to hoist themselves up the mountain. By the end of their lessons, Louise's and Saito's bodies ached, but the two proved to be fast learners. They were climbing the practice courses easily and without putting themselves into unnecessary danger, and so the guide led them to the actual course further up the mountain. Like the training course, the Level One course was built into a preexisting cliff with holds carved into the rock. Ropes were attached to metal beams at the top and bottom of the cliff, and both Saito and Louise looked up at the course with nervous conviction. They swallowed, then looked at the guide and nodded.

"We're ready," they said at the same time. Their guide nodded back, then they stepped up to the rock face where their guide assisted them in attaching their ropes to the already in place hooks and climbing struts. Motioning towards the handholds dotting the wall, he explained that the course they had signed up for had six levels of difficulty, scaling up with each raised wall. Once they were secure, he bid them farewell, then walked back to the main building to assist any other would-be climbers. Now alone, the two trainers released their Pokémon as they craned their necks upward. The rock wall was fairly short, only twenty feet at the most, and the handholds were quite discernable and looked easy to hold onto.

"Okay then, time to climb this wall," Louise declared, taking a deep breath before grabbing hold of an outstretched rock above her head. She grabbed another rock, and after taking another breath, she began to hoist herself upward.

"Uggh," she groaned, feeling her muscles strain and shake. Keeping her eyes focused on what was above her, Louise continued to climb, although her progress was slow. After what felt like ages, Louise stopped and held her body close to the wall, breathing harshly.

"How…how far up am I…?" Louise asked. Saito hummed, a blank expression on his face as he mentally measured how high up she was.

"You've gone five feet," he revealed.

"Wha—AAGH!" Louise shrieked as she briefly lost her grip. She fell back, but before it could hit the grassy ground, a gentle pull caught her and gently lowered her to the ground. Louise looked to the side where she saw Esprit giving her a soft smile and wave, and Louise looked back before nodding.

"Right, right…" She sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Standing up, she eyed the rocky cliff once more, trying to discern the best path. She then remembered what Saito had told her previously and turned to face him as he was studying the wall as well.

"You said that Grant's challenge has us rock-climb with our Pokémon, correct?" Louise asked, and Saito nodded.

"Yeah, at least that's what people online said," he admitted. "Gonna be honest, don't know how I'm going to pull that off just yet."

"Right…" Louise murmured, then looked up at the small cliff. She pursed her lips, deep in thought, then felt an idea pop into her head. She looked towards her Pokémon, who were waiting expectantly for orders as she motioned for them to join her.

"Okay, I have an idea," Louise declared, causing her Pokémon to snap to attention. "Aile, I want you to fly up and find a path for me. Auspice, go ahead of me and use your horn to make the holds bigger. Brennaraki, stay on my shoulder. Esprit, keep me steady with your psychic powers. Alright?"

All of her Pokémon barked approvingly, and so Saito watched as the trainer and her Pokémon walked up to the rock face once again. As instructed, Aile flew up, pecking at the best places to climb. Auspice was right behind her, bounding effortlessly from rock to rock while swiping her horn at the same time, thus causing the holds to become slightly larger. Esprit was still on the ground and watches as Louise once again began to climb, now with Brennaraki safely secure on her shoulder. Together, they began to climb slowly and methodically, Louise feeing Esprit's gentle, psychic grip on her body.

Saito watched without saying a word, nodding approvingly as Louise began making considerable progress. It was still slow, but at least she was making headway. Besides, there was no rush. They had all day, and only planned on climbing up the first three levels before heading back. Anything more than that was far beyond the scope of their abilities.

At the same time, Saito was busy planning his own route and strategy. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself about how the situation between himself and Louise appeared to be reversed. Whereas Saito's team was more apt to fight Grant, the rock climb naturally lent itself to Louise. It didn't hurt that she had a Psychic-type that was more than willing to stop her from falling. He couldn't say the same about his own. Regardless, if he wanted to get that badge, he had to think smart and plan accordingly.

"Tanuki, can you find us a route?" he asked. Tanuki nodded, then disappeared in a blue blur as he sped towards and up the wall, finding the most appropriate route for them to take that didn't intervene with Louise's. Which proved harder than anticipated, judging by how careful Tanuki was being in finding a route. Eventually, though, he was able to find a satisfactory path, which of course left Saito with another conundrum. How was he going to take his Pokémon with him? Maindo wasn't going to be an issue, especially given how the Ralts had already teleported up to the top of the rock wall and was giving them a mocking stare. Saito ignored it, secretly happy that the Ralts was out of the way if only for a few minutes. It gave him time to think and strategizes.

"Okay, Tengu? Get up on my back, alright?" he ordered. Tengu bobbed her head slightly then waddled over to him, allowing Saito to pick her up and place her in his backpack where the egg normally sat. It was safely back at the hotel being watched over with Derflinger, so he had enough room to hold her. He then turned to Ronin, who was expectantly looking up at him with his beady black eyes.

"Ronin, think you can climb up with your scalchop?" Saito asked. Ronin nodded, bringing his paw up to his forehead in a brisk salute before running up to the wall and shooting himself up with a short Aqua Jet. At the top of his steam, he sank the edge of his shell into the rock, holding him up and allowing the Oshawatt to collect his bearings. Saito watched as his Pokémon continued their climb, following the path that Tanuki had mapped out for them, and Saito turned his attention towards Shogun. Despite himself, Saito couldn't help but frown as he wondered just how he has going to get the Tyrunt up. He weighed over fifty pounds and trying to climb like that wouldn't be easy.

Soon, however, and idea took shape in Saito's mind, and he looked at the rope fastened to the top of the cliff wall.

"Okay, I know what we're going to do, Shogun," he said, turning towards his Pokémon and kneeling. "You're going to have to stay here for a bit, you're too heavy and the rocks aren't big enough to hold you."

Shogun visibly deflated at that, but Saito's warm smile gave the Tyrunt pause.

"See this rope?" Saito asked, holding up the object in question. Shogun studied it for a moment, then nodded while his eyes showed he was still confused. Saito then began to tie the rope around his Pokémon, speaking all the while.

"Once I get to the top, the others and I will pull you up," Saito explained, tightening the rope as much as he could around Shogun's body. Once he was satisfied, Saito stood up and nodded towards Shogun, who nodded back to express his complete trust in his trainer. Saito then turned towards the rock wall, and after placing his hands on the correct handholds, he began to hoist himself upwards.

Almost immediately, he began to understand why Louise was having so much trouble earlier. He was only going up a few feet, but already it was proving to be a challenge. But he forced himself to keep going, refusing to look down and instead keeping his face skyward. Several minutes passed when he saw Louise pull herself over the ledge, her feet disappearing. He nodded to himself but didn't dare say anything. The last thing he wanted was to lose focus and fall.

Eventually, Saito found himself at the top of the ledge, where Louise and his Pokémon were waiting for him. Taking hold of the ledge, Saito pulled himself over and off the cliff face. He took a few moments to catch his breath, then motioned for his Pokémon to join him at the rope that Shogun was still tied to. All except for Maindo took hold and began to pull, their faces turning red with exertion.

Below, Shogun felt the pull of the rope against his midsection. Knowing what they were trying to do, he walked towards the rock wall and placed the flat of his foot against the surface. He followed with the other as the rope began to pull him upwards, and Shogun rope walked to the top of the rock wall to join his team. His pack, as he liked to think of it. From halfway up he could hear their grunts and strains, and again he felt slightly self-conscious about the entire thing. Not that he could help it, his species were naturally heavy, but the last thing he wanted to feel was that he was a burden on everyone.

After what felt like hours, but was at most just a few minutes, the top of Shogun's head finally breached the ledge, allowing him to grab hold with his jaws and pull himself the rest of the way. Now that everyone was on top, the two teams took a moment to collect their breath. Sweat trickled down their bodies, and only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard alongside the gentle breeze.

"Saito?" Louise quietly asked as she stood above Saito's prone body.

"Ye…yeah?" he replied.

"Why did you haul Shogun up the mountain?"

"I had…to get him up."

"Why not keep him in his Pokéball?"

"…Because I'm stupid," Saito groaned, gently slapping his forehead in exasperation. The rest of his Pokémon gave him a stink eye while Shogun just looked happy that he was included.

Finally, after a few more minutes of rest the two teams stood up, their bodies sore from the strenuous activity as they looked towards the second level they intended to complete. This cliff was about ten feet higher, the handholds smaller and more spacious. The ledge at a slight angle from where they started, which they knew from their lessons would make the climb slightly easier. Were it not for the added height, this probably would have been the Level One course. Still, they were undaunted, and both placed their hands on their hips as they studied the course intensely.

"Ready for round two?" Louise asked, not letting the challenge get to her. Saito nodded, then ordered their Pokémon to scout the right route for them and began to climb.


From inside Saito's backpack, Tengu watched as they climbed higher and higher up the mountainside. Secured with ropes and psychic holds, she felt perfectly safe despite their rather precarious position. The Seedot wasn't much help in this situation, unfortunately, being without arms and all. But she could, at the very least, enjoy the view. And what a view it was! Her vantage point afforded Tengu a great, wide view of Cyllage City and the mountain range it was nestled in. In the distance, soft waves crested against the warm sand, and above were flocks of Wingulls, Pelippers and other Flying-type Pokémon moving gently through the clouds. It was a peaceful scene, one that Tengu was happy to enjoy while she could.

"We're almost at the top," Louise called out as she gripped another handhold and hoisted herself up the mountain. Tengu watched as sweat trickled down Louise's body, and her arms were quivering with each movement as she panted for breath. But Louise pressed forward, refusing to back down from the challenge after getting this far.

"Good," Saito said, panting as he climbed just ahead of Louise. "Can't wait…to get back down…"

"Same."

The two continued to climb, and Tengu remained silent as she scanned her surroundings for more interesting sights. To her right, far above the line where the trees no longer grew, she saw a white blanket of snow covering the peaks. This was somewhat surprising to her, given how it was summer and all, but fascinating, nonetheless. She normally only saw snow during the harsh winter months, and even then she slept through most of it hanging from a tree branch. She hoped she'd have a chance to see it more closely in the future.

Finally, after several more minutes of hauling their bodies up the rocks, Saito and Louise reached the top of the mountain. Saito hauled himself up first, then turned around while panting to offer his sweaty hand to Louise. She gratefully clasped it with her own, and together pulled her off the cliff and onto the wide ledge they were now resting on. With the rosette safely on her feet, the two trainers unclipped their climbing gear, removed their backpacks, and collapsed onto the ground. Both panted heavily, closing their eyes as they let the cool mountain breeze wash over their bodies.

"Saito…" Louise started through her heavy breathing.

"Yeah?" Saito replied, breathing just as heavily.

"I think I'm done," Louise stated, and Saito painfully nodded.

"Yeah…me, too." From the ground, Saito tilted his head towards a small dirt trail heading down the mountain. "We'll take that back down."

Slowly, Louise turned her gaze towards what Saito was looking at, and nodded in approval. Then both plopped their heads back onto the ground and rested. After nearly ten minutes of doing absolutely nothing, Saito and Louise finally rose to their feet and recollected their belongings. They also recalled most of their Pokémon, seeing no reason to have their companions walk down the mountain with them. Only Auspice, Brennaraki, Aile, Tanuki and Tengu remained outside with their trainers, keeping watchful eyes on their surroundings at all times while at the same time enjoying themselves.

"Have you ever been hiking, Louise?" Saito asked, finding the downward walk much easier on his body than the climb.

"No, actually," Louise admitted. "Tristain doesn't have any mountains, and any travel I did was through carriage or airship."

"Right." Saito nodded, adjusting his backpack where Tengu sat. "I've hiked a few times before. Not much, but enough to get a feel. My favorite part was always the walk down."

Louise softly smiled and nodded. "I think I can see why."

They continued their walk silently, taking in the forested mountain terrain. Birds and insects sounded off around them alongside Pokémon. Occasionally, they would see a Pokémon scurry along the mountain trail. Mienfoos were practicing katas against boulders, breaking them apart with their burgeoning martial arts skills. Inkays and Drifloons floated past the treetops, although a few of the Balloon Pokémon got too close to Louise for her comfort. Saito smartly chose not to tell her that the likely reason was that they thought she was a child. Drifloon was known to make off with them in an attempt to play, and something told him that she would not take too kindly to that information. A couple of times, they spotted a Spoink bouncing along its merry way, either across rocks or even across the trail to get to the other side. Neither trainer moved against the Pokémon they came across, having felt no desire other than getting back to their hotel to sleep the rest of the day away. Not that it stopped them from watching the wild creatures with glee. The wild Pokémon didn't, either. The most attention they received were a few curious glances, but otherwise none got close.

"Hey, what's that?" Louise suddenly called out, breaking the silence. Saito turned his head to look at a small outcropping of rocks above them, where he saw a waist-high, white furred creature with a red jagged stripe slanting up its belly. The Pokémon was bipedal, with long arms that ended with red fur and three razor sharp claws. Its left ear was red, the fur crossing his eye in such a way that it looked like a scar, which brought attention to its intense red eyes that seemed to bore into their souls. The hairs on the back of Saito's neck began to rise, but he ignored the feeling and instead calmly pulled out his travel guide. He flipped through the pages, glancing at the images until he finally got a match.

"The guide says it's a Zangoose, the Cat Ferret Pokémon. It's a Normal-type that mostly lives in savannahs and grasslands. Wonder why this one is on a mountain?"

"Anything else?" Louise asked, her eyes never leaving the creature, and Saito nodded.

"Says that they're highly aggressive Pokémon, especially towards Sevipers."

"That's promising," Louise noted. She stared at the Zangoose one last time, then released a breath she didn't know she was holding as it turned and went out of sight. Saito sighed in relief, too, and pulled his backpack around to his front.

"Whew, what a relief," Saito said as he unzipped its pocket to place the guide back in. "For a second there, I was worried it was—"

Saito never had a chance to finish his sentence as a white blur suddenly shot out from a nearby bush. He yelped in surprise, his grip loosening just enough for the backpack, still containing a now startled Tengu, to be ripped from his hands by the creature. Just as Saito fell to the ground on his rear, the blur raced off into the forest, leaving the stunned trainers and Pokémon behind.

"What the hell?!" Saito yelled as he shot to his feet, trying to find where the blur had gone.

"I think that was the Zangoose!" Louise shouted, checking her friend for any injuries but finding none.

"Why'd it attack us?!"

Louise thought for a moment, then came to an answer as she realized what, exactly, the creature had made off with.

"Your backpack," Louise answered. "It had our snacks in it. The Zangoose must've wanted the food."

"Great, just perfect!" Saito sighed, rubbing the rim of his brow before going cold. With wide eyes, he shot his head up, and it was at that moment that Louise realized the same thing that her friend did.

"Tengu…" she gasped. A brief, heavy silence filled the air, then everyone sprang into action without even needing to be ordered. Aile, Auspice, and Tanuki sped through the forest, the former flying above the treetops while the latter two sprang nimbly from tree to tree to avoid the rocky terrain. The others weren't so lucky, carefully traversing it as fast as they could without risking injury to themselves.


Tengu stayed as quiet as she could as the Zangoose carried the backpack, and her along with it, higher up the mountain. Everything had happened so fast that she didn't even have time to react, and now she had no idea where she was. The Seedot didn't dare make a noise lest she be discovered, and instead plotted ways on how to get out of this mess. This was proving to be rather difficult, as Tengu had never faced a Zangoose before. From what she could see, it was fast, and likely built for close, physical combat, but that didn't give her much to work with. At the very least, it hadn't seen her, and in the time since she'd been taken, Tengu had managed to maneuver herself underneath some sweaty towels Saito had stored within his backpack. It was revolting, but she'd put up with it for now.

Eventually, the Zangoose began to slow to a stop, and Tengu felt her body rise as the Zangoose stood back up on two legs and hold its ill-gotten gains in its claws. It turned the backpack upside down and began to shake it violently, causing its contents to fall onto the rocky floor. Food, water bottles, towels, and Tengu herself fell out with a clump. Hidden under a pile a pile of towels, she began rolling away, hoping that the Zangoose wouldn't notice. At first, it didn't. Instead, the Zangoose began picking apart packages of trail mix and granola bars apart, chowing down greedily with a wide smile on its face. Tengu continued her roll, pausing every rotation to check on the Zangoose. Only when it wasn't looking her way did she roll back, and she was almost at the edge of the rocky clearing she found herself in when the Zangoose finally noticed her presence.

"What the-?!" the Zangoose yelled as it dropped a half-eaten granola bar. As though a switch were flipped, the hairs on Zangoose's body bristled and rose up, making its furry body appear larger than it was previously.

"Where'd you come from?! Never mind, get out of here! This is mine!" It snarled at Tengu, hissing and spitting as she looked it in the eye and began standing up. The Zangoose moved protectively in front of its food source, its red eyes boring into Tengu's beady black. Both sized up the other, silently daring their opponent to make the first move. At the same time, Tengu sized up her situation. She was alone with a dangerous, wild Pokémon. Her trainer and team, she had to assume, were on their way to get to her, but she had no idea how long that would take. She could try simply turning around and leaving. It was possible that the Zangoose really did only want the food in Saito's bag. But her experience in the wild screamed at her not to trust the predator. She'd seen Pokémon make that mistake and come to regret it. She refused to become a victim, and her eyes narrowed as she came to a decision.

So, when the Zangoose took a small, threatening step towards her, she lowered her cap towards it and unleashed a hail of Bullet Seeds into her opponent's face.

"Gagh! You little-!" It staggered back, trying to shield itself with its forearms while Tengu continued her assault. She paused briefly to release a Sunny Day, both to serve as a signal flare to her teammates and to improve her own odds.

The brief pause in Tengu's assault was enough for Zangoose to regain its bearings and dash to the side, circling towards her flank with an enraged, bloodthirsty snarl. Its claws glowed bright white as it prepared a Crush Claw attack, and it was moving too fast for Tengu to rotate fast enough. The sharp claws scraped across her acorn-like body, sending her flying back and hitting the ground hard enough to bounce. She rolled across the ground for a few seconds, angling herself to that she landed on her feet. Her body still continued its momentum, however, forcing the Seedot to dig in her heels and brace herself as the Zangoose sped towards her once again. This time, however, Tengu was ready and quickly absorbed enough solar energy to form a Solar Beam. By the time the Zangoose realized what was about to happen, the concentrated beam struck its chest. With a pained yelp, it flew back into the mountain, a slight crack forming where its body hit the rock, and it fell to its knees and panted. Tengu, meanwhile, patched herself up with Synthesis, the Sunny Day boosting its effectiveness to the point where it wasn't as though she was injured at all.

Panting heavily, the Zangoose pushed itself up to its feet and glared at Tengu.

"You know, I only wanted you to leave so I could eat in peace. Now, though? You're dead," Zangoose declared. She stared impassively back towards it, her blank expression telling the Zangoose that she was getting bored. This enraged the wild Pokémon further, and with a shrill roar it charged towards her yet again. Tengu attempted to stall her opponent with Bullet Seed, but it was moving too fast from side to side for her to hit. Shifting tactics, Tengu stopped her Bullet Seed attack and instead shot out Swift. Glowing stars of energy homed in on Zangoose, curving through the air like a heat-seeking missile that impacted against its side. It grunted in pain, but continued forward to use a Slash attack against Tengu, sending her skidding back against the rocky ground. Tengu flinched in pain, which to her alarm was greater than what she had anticipated. Zangoose's Crush Claw attack, she realized, must battered her shell hard enough to weaken it, leaving her more vulnerable. She quickly used Harden to repair herself, launching another Sunny Day to replenish the first one.

Before she had time to refocus, Zangoose was on her again, slashing against her side and sending her flying into the mountain. The rock cracked and formed a small divot where she was embedded, and for a moment, the Zangoose allowed itself to laugh as it mockingly turned towards her. Tengu wiped the smirk off its face with a quick Solar Beam, forcing the Zangoose to duck as the neon-green beam tore through the forest, severing the tops of trees from its base. It roared again, and Zangoose prepared to rush towards Tengu to finish her off. At the same time, Tengu prepared to attack again, refusing to give up despite her immobile position, when a loud, angry hiss sounded from the forest.

"Hey, assholes! Do you have any idea what you're-?!" a voice hissed from the forest, a voice that Zangoose appeared to recognize. With wide eyes, the Zangoose turned towards the source of the noise as a furious Seviper slithered in. Leaves and twigs were scattered around its black and purple-marked body, its red-edged tail twitching wildly as its coiled body moved from side to side. When Seviper and Zangoose locked eyes, their bodies stilled, and their eyes narrowed.

"You…" they both murmured under their breath. Tengu quickly realized what must've happened. In the Seedot's attempt to defend herself, the Seviper must've been attracted by the commotion and came over to investigate. Then her missed Solar Beam caused debris to fall all over it, and now it was angry and out for blood.

For a moment, Tengu got worried that now she'd have to contend against both a wild Zangoose and wild Seviper both gunning to harm her. But, to her surprise, instead the Zangoose and Seviper focused their attention on each other. As though her presence was completely forgotten about, the two Pokémon charged towards each other and began to fight. Claw met fang and arm met tail as the two feuded Pokémon battled each other ferociously. As Tengu watched, she tried wiggling her way out of the hole she found herself in. Unfortunately, it was proving nearly impossible to do so, and with a silent groan she wished she could evolve and have arms like everyone else. Resigned to her predicament, Tengu watched as the two wild Pokémon continued their fight. Both were giving it their all, wanting to inflict as much damage to the other as possible. Zangoose was even fighting at a level beyond the effort it was giving towards Tengu.

Seeing the increased level of combat the Zangoose was now displaying, Tengu slowly began to realize that she might've jumped to the wrong conclusion. The Zangoose had told her to leave, which she took to be a lie and implicit threat. She was beginning to think that was the wrong assumption, that the Zangoose really did only want to eat its stolen food and not fight her. If that was truly the case, then she had needlessly escalated the situation into an actual fight. A fight that, had the Seviper not shown up, could've gotten her killed. It was a humbling and disturbing thought, but one that she forced herself to ruminate on.

As the wild Pokémon continued to fight, Tengu noticed a small orange flutter appear overhead. She focused on it, and to her relief saw that it was a familiar looking Fletchinder. She and Aile locked eyes with each other, and Aile nodded before turning around and flying off. Undoubtedly to get the others, Tengu figured. Knowing that it was going to be over soon, Tengu smugly watched as the wild Pokémon continued to beat each other silly. Their attentions were so focused on their opponent that they never realized others were racing towards them. Tengu did, however, and saw as a furious Auspice, carrying a mounted Tanuki and Brennaraki, jumped onto clearing and raced towards them. The Zangoose and Seviper only noticed at the last second, and they were too exhausted from their fight to do anything more than stare with wide eyes as four trained Pokémon attacked them from all sides. From above, Aile flapped her wings and created a Razor Wind that buffeted them. From behind, Tengu launched a Swift, the stars rocking their bodies like hail. From the front, Auspice's horn glowed dark purple as it used Night Slash, sending them skidding back and giving Tanuki the opening he needed to leap off of the Absol with his paws glowing white. At the same time, Brennaraki's eyes flashed purple as she prepared a Psybeam. He hit both the Zangoose and the Seviper with a Meteor Mash each at the same time as Brennaraki's Psychic-type attack, the ensuing force strong enough to create a small explosion. Both Pokémon flew out into the air with loud cries, flying so high that they seemed to disappear in a twinkle.

"Huh, wasn't expecting that," Tanuki noted, eyeing the twinkle curiously before turning around to face Tengu just as Louise and Saito entered the clearing.

"Tengu!" Saito shouted as he immediately raced towards his Pokémon. Despite not having a mouth, Tengu smiled as her trainer came over to her, immediately checking for any signs of damage. When he found nothing serious, he sighed in relief and began looking around for a hold.

"Here," Louise said, offering a small stick. Saito gladly took it, offering her thanks as he gently pried it between Tengu and the rock like a crowbar. With just a bit of leverage, he was able to pop her out like a bottle opener, allowing the Seedot to fall to the ground on her feet. She was none the worse for wear, and she slowly rotated her body to look up happily towards her trainer.

"Are you hurt, Tengu?" Saito asked. Tengu shook her body, and Saito smiled.

"Thank Arceus." Saito sighed, then kneeled to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry about that, girl. I should've paid more attention. It's my fault the Zangoose took you."

Tengu shook her head, silently insisting it wasn't her trainer's fault. If anything, she felt the experience was rather interesting. One that she would prefer never to happen again, but interesting, nonetheless. It was also a situation that was more her fault than anything. She had let her personal biases lead her down the wrong path, a path that could've ended in disaster. Tengu knew she couldn't make that mistake again. Next time might not end so well for her.

A few more seconds of prodding ensued, and soon everyone was combing over the debris, picking up everything they could. Luckily, the only items missing were a few items of food, and so once they were fully packed once again, Saito picked Tengu back up, placed her in his backpack, and together they walked back down the mountain.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here's the latest chapter of Outsiders! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate, Grendel4823, wildrook, and Yuri Vampire for all their help bringing this story to life. Also, in case I hadn't brought this up before, Darwin himself is the author of a very popular Pokemon story on Spacebattles called Boldores and Boomsticks. It's a crossover between RWBY and Pokemon, so if you like either of those franchises I encourage you to give it a shot.

Episode 12, as you can see, is shaping up to be a breather more lighthearted episode than what came before. Something that was needed, as many of you pointed out. Don't worry, this was always the plan. I do hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

Now, onto the Q&A:

Boshwa: Glad to have you with us. Don't worry, you won't be seeing Team Flare again for quite some time. For the rest of the season, in fact. Outside of a Team Rocket-esque encounter we feel might spice things up a bit. Nothing major like what's happened so far, however. At least for a long while. Don't want to make things too serious, you know?

.549: Yeah, that's pretty much it. Although Plot A is the primary focus, the rest are background. This story is Louise's and Saito's story, mostly Louise's. The rest help to add onto it.

DRMAK: Sycamore will be all "now you know why I do it" and Louise will be ashamed of herself.

keybladelight: Yep, some good old Louise scolding. Something that canon did quite a bit too much, but here it was fully justified. We will be showing Halkegenia eventually. But remember that time is being dilated between Earth and Louise's planet. At most, maybe a day or two has passed in Louise's home since her disappearance despite it being a few months for Louise. Not that she knows that, mind you.

DPSS: Had to happen at some point.

SulliMike23: Everyone is learning. It's a key part of Pokemon. Where do you think the "you'll teach me and I'll teach you" bit from the theme song comes from? I think that's why Pokemon stories are so popular, they're perfect vehicles for character growth while also providing a perfect avenue for action, adventure, drama and whatever else you might need to make a story work.

Celestia's Paladin: Only when she feels the need to.

That's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy and I'll see you next time! Also, you may have noticed that I've started up a new story, a RWBY/Halo crossover called Dust and Echoes. I encourage you guys to give it a shot, you might enjoy it.