Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 2
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It had been two days since Louise and Saito came down from the mountain. Their bodies ached from the stress of mountain climbing, so the day after they didn't do much other than lay on beds and watch TV. Not that they complained. It was a welcome change of pace from the high intensity activities they had been undergoing as of late. Only towards the end of the day did any real training be undertaken, and even then it was light.
Now, however, with their bodies fully rested and healed, it was time for both trainers to hit the ground running. Luckily, they already knew what they wanted to do today, which was why as soon as they were able they made their way towards Cyllage City's famous beaches. Derflinger, floating near the beach towels with the Pokémon Egg on the ground between Saito's and Louise's towels, silently watched as the two teams continued to train.
"Swim against the current, Ronin!" Saito called out, watching as his starter swam in the ocean. The Oshawatt was in his element, pushing himself through the waves gracefully. At least he was until Saito decided to incorporate Maindo into the training by allowing the Ralts to use his psychic powers to make the waters around Ronin much more turbulent than normal. It was a sound training strategy in Ronin's mind. Ronin got to improve his physical strength and endurance while Maindo got to improve his psychic control. Didn't mean Ronin had to like it, however, and it didn't help that Maindo was getting way too into it.
'Yes! Yes!' Maindo mentally shouted as he threw the waves from side to side. 'Toss and turn like the worthless insect you are!'
It said a lot that Ronin was only half-sure Maindo was joking.
Nearby, Tengu practiced her control by repeatedly tossing up Sunny Days and firing Solar Beams into the empty ocean beyond. Bright neon green beams of concentrated solar energy split apart the waves, tossing droplets of water high into the air and forming a faint rainbow in the ensuing mist. To the Seedot, it was a spectacular sight, but not one she could ruminate on for long before she had to do another. She had been doing it repeatedly for over an hour now, and her body was reeling from the stress of continuously blasting Solar Beams. Yet, she continued, pushing her endurance to its limits all with the knowledge that this would only help her.
On the back end of the beach, near an assortment of rocks, Shogun repeatedly slammed his thick tail into large boulders, breaking them into small chunks that Tanuki would then punch into fine powder. Saito was wanting him to learn the move Dragon Tail, figuring it would be a powerful addition to his move set. Tanuki, meanwhile, was focusing on learning Metal Claw. While Meteor Mash was certainly a powerful Steel-type move, he could only use it so much before it took a toll on his body. Metal Claw would make for a more usable alternative.
Nearby, with Louise watching over them while wearing her swimsuit, a sunhat, sunglasses, and sandals, Brennaraki blew fire into the rocks and sand. The heat was intense enough to melt some of it into brittle glass, which Esprit then finely combed out with her psychic powers. While Maindo focused on pure, raw strength, Esprit was more focused on precision, an approach that suited the Kirlia just fine. Brennaraki, meanwhile, focused on intensifying the heat of her flames, attempting to leave scorch marks that could later be translated into possible burns on a Rock-type Pokémon.
Above, Aile flew high into the air before dropping down head-first. She sped as fast as she could towards the sand, banking upward at the last second and rising back up, only to repeat the process at a faster pace. The training was risky, Louise had to admit, but it was proving to be an excellent way to improve Aile's agility and ability to move out the way extremely fast. Besides, as the few wipeouts that had occurred thus far shown, the soft sand made for a nice landing pad.
To top off the training, Auspice ran as fast as she could through the maze of rocks lining the beach, slashing her horn into them as she passed and cutting them apart piece by piece. The Absol was focusing on hit-and-run tactics, something that both she and Louise knew was their best chance at victory. Thus far, it was going well. Auspice hadn't even broken a sweat, and felt like she could do this for hours.
"You guys keep doing what you're doing," Louise said as she went over to her strewn-out beach towel and laid down. Her Pokémon barked and squawked in reply, allowing Louise to sigh contently as she felt the sun's rays bathe her. As she basked in the sun, Louise looked up at the grey and white sky, causing a small frown to cross her face. She couldn't wait until that grey turned back into blue, but she shook those negative thoughts out of her head before they could fester. Instead, she allowed herself to close her eyes and breathe out contently, feeling the warmth fill her body.
"Hey," she heard Saito say as he laid down next to her on his own beach towel. Louise, with her eyes still closed, nodded in response, and she heard the ruffling of cloth over the sand as Saito adjusted himself.
"What 'cha doing?" he asked.
"Working on my tan," Louise responded, causing Saito softly chuckle.
"Really? I thought nobles didn't like that sort of thing?"
"They don't know what they're missing. Besides, it's going to happen anyway, what with all the hiking I've been doing lately. Might as well be on my terms."
Saito burst out laughing at that. A moment later, Louise joined him, and the air was filled with a lighthearted cacophony that lifted their spirits. A few moments later, the two fell silent as they laid back in silent contentment. The sound of Wingulls crying out and the waves crashing into the beach filled the air. The smell of salt wafted towards them with the cool ocean breeze, and small clouds cast shadows along the beach as they floated past. Behind them, their Pokémon continued their training.
The two trainers remained in this state for quite some time, until the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention. Both Louise and Saito turned their heads to look as a pair of tanned, shirtless men wearing Alolan-patterned swim trunks and sun-bleached dreadlocks walked towards them. They were carrying large poles, flags, and banners in their arms. A few other individuals coming from behind them were carrying speakers and what looked to be the beginnings of a sound stage, causing the two trainers to perk up their eyes in interest.
"Hey, guys?" one of them called out. "You mind clearing out? We need this beach."
"Hmm?" Louise hummed in reply, lowering her sunglasses slightly to get a better look. Saito leaned up on his elbow while their Pokémon stopped what they were doing to pay attention.
"Why?" Saito asked, slightly irritated.
"Like, the competition man. Haven't ya heard?" the other surfer dude, from what Saito could tell, replied with a dramatic wave of his hand. Louise, starring at both, slowly shook her head.
"I'm afraid we're unfamiliar," she said as diplomatically as possible. "What competition?"
"The greatest one there is!" the first enthusiastically replied. "Mantine Surfing!"
Louise thought for a moment, then her eyes widened as she remembered.
"Oh, Mantine Surfing. I think I read about that. It's where you ride Mantines on the ocean, right?"
Rather than respond, both surfer dudes looked at the young noblewomen and rolled their eyes.
"No, you don't just 'ride' a Mantine," the second insisted in a haughty tone, catching Louise slightly off guard.
"Yeah, it's more than that. It's a bond between man, Pokémon, and the waves." He scoffed. "I wouldn't expect normies like you two to understand."
"Excuse me?" Louise shot back, offended as she and Saito stood up.
"You heard me," the surfer dude responded without a hint of regret while also pulling out a slip of paper. A permit, by the look of it. "Now, since you and your boyfriend are up, pack up your stuff and leave so that the rest of us can get ready."
Saito and Louise looked at each other for a moment, then a crimson blush enveloped both of their faces as they quickly turned their heads away to glare at the unrepentant surfer dudes.
"We're not-!" both said at the same time before closing their eyes and breathing in sharply. Then, with hard expressions plastered onto their faces, Saito and Louise glared at the two men who looked at them with expectant gazes.
"Look," Louise grunted, "we can leave so your Mantine Riding competition can get underway."
"It's Mantine Surfing."
"Whatever!" Louise shouted back, pointing her finger at them. "Either way, I do not appreciate being talked down to by a bunch of ruffians, so I demand an apology before I do anything."
With that, Saito and Louise crossed their arms and glared at the two surfer dudes. They looked at each other for a moment, then haughtily grinned and turned their attentions back towards the two trainers.
"We're sorry," they both said at the same in such a way that told Louise and Saito that they didn't mean a word of it. "Sorry you're a bunch of chumps who don't know any better. Now, get on outta here before we get someone else to make you."
"Why you little-!" Louise shouted indignantly, only for the two surfer dudes to turned around and walk away. Saito and Louise glared at their backs as they walked down the beach, their Pokémon joining in the angered glaring.
"I'm going to kick their asses," Saito announced, curling his hand into a tight fist. He moved forwards to challenge them to a battle, but Louise held out her arm and stopped no.
"No, no," she said softly while shaking her head, her attention never leaving from the two surfer dudes. "I know these types of people. Arrogant, haughty. Beating them up won't work. No, we need to do something else entirely."
"What do you have in mind?" Saito asked, still glaring at the dudes.
"Beat them at their own game, of course," Louise announced, smilingly wickedly. Saito thought it over, then looked at her.
"You're saying we join the Mantine Surfing Competition?" he asked, and Louise nodded.
"Yes, exactly." Seeing the doubtful look on Saito's face, Louise chuckled and shook her head while waving her hand. "Come on, don't give me that look. Sure, I've never done it before, but I've done tons of horseback riding back home. You know how much endurance that takes?"
"The answer's a lot," Derflinger cut in.
"Exactly," Louise continued. "If I can do that, then Mantine Surfing's going to be a breeze. How hard can it be?"
"Aagh!" Louise shrieked as she fell into the water from atop her rented Mantine. She floundered helplessly for a bit, then the Pokémon scooped her up from below and brought her back to the surface. She gasped for breath, laying on top of the Mantine's large back, all the while lightly glaring at Saito who was wobblily surfing his way towards her while standing on his Mantine.
"You did better that time!" Saito called out. "That was three minu-AAGH!"
Suddenly, a small bump from a wave threw Saito off-balance, and he fell into the water with a large splash. His Mantine dived to retrieve him, giving Louise the opportunity to close her eyes, sigh, and rest her head on the Mantine's smooth body.
When Louise had decided showing up the two jerks from earlier at their own game, she had honestly thought that it would prove easy. How different could riding a Mantine be from riding a horse? She'd ridden horses back home in Tristian for years, and Louise had assumed those skills would easily translate into riding anything else, even an aquatic Pokémon like Mantine. Unfortunately, that notion was quickly dashed when she learned what 'surfing' actually meant. She had foolishly believed that surfing was just another word for riding, but it turned out that instead of sitting on the Mantine, she had to stand on it. Stand on the back of a remarkably smooth creature on the surface of the water as it bobbed up and down with the waves. She had "wiped out" nearly twenty times before she finally managed to simply keep her balance while not moving. It was a good thing the ray-like Pokémon was so patient…
Saito had, of course, known what Mantine Surfing truly was, but he didn't tell Louise that. No, he had felt seeing Louise wipe out after realizing her mistake would've been hilarious. His laughter after the first few times told her he did, indeed, find it hilarious. Then he started to wipe out, too, so Louise returned the laughter back spitefully. He more than deserved that.
When Saito's head finally broke above the water, the two trainers locked eyes one he wiped the water from his face. Louise waited for Saito to catch his breath, then she began to speak.
"Doesn't feel so good, does it?" she asked.
"How many times do I have to say, 'I'm sorry?'" Saito exasperatingly asked.
"I couple more times should do," Louise answered, then pushed herself onto her Mantine's back and sat down. In order to help her, the Mantine lightly dipped itself below the water, making it remarkably easy to get aboard. Saito did the same, and they stared at each other as the water gently bobbed them up and down.
"Anyway," Saito began, "you sure you still want to do this?"
"Yes," Louise insisted. Saito, however, raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Louise, we've been at this for two hours. If we join that competition this afternoon, we're only going to get humiliated."
"Then I get humiliated. It wouldn't be the first time."
Saito was stunned into silence at Louise's proclamation, even as she shakily stood back up and urged the Mantine to move along. The Kite Pokémon cooed gently as it saw off, trying its best to keep Louise upright by counteracting against the waves. As she slowly surfed along the water's surface, keeping herself low in an effort to stay afloat, Saito shook his head and stood up once again. Louise was right, he figured. Besides, this was such a low-states situation that he was perfectly fine letting their emotions drive them forward.
After a few hours of practice, and just as the competition finally finished setting up, Louise and Saito finally managed to get the basics of Mantine Surfing down. They weren't pros, but they weren't expecting to be. Now the two of them could confidently surf across the waves without fear of immediately falling over, which is all they could ask for.
"Good job, girl," Louise said as she rubbed her hired Mantine's head. The Pokémon cooed and leaned into her hand, and a smile graced Louise's lips as she surfed back to the shore. Saito was already there, returning his Mantine to its Pokéball. Like the Mantine she was using, his was hired from a stand further down the beach, and once they were done with the surfing competition, they were going to give them back. Once Louise reached the shore, she gently stepped off and returned the Mantine to its Pokéball, then joined Saito next to stuff.
"You ready?" he asked, and Louise nodded.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied, then smiled. "Let's go have some fun."
Saito nodded in full agreement, then the two walked over to the ever-growing crowd of surfers and spectators waiting to participate in the competition. Music was blasting over loudspeakers and tiki torches lined the area, creating a true Alolan atmosphere that was impossible to miss. The two trainers asked where they could sign up, and they were directed to a stand next to the stage. A long line was already waiting, and at the front were the two surfers who had so rudely treated them before. Louise and Saito frowned in their general direction, then moved themselves to the back of the line where they waited their turn.
Luckily for them, the line moved rather quickly. The organizers were proving themselves to be highly efficient, placing the contestants in various groups. Before long, Saito and Louise found themselves at the front, where Saito was placed into group C while Louise went into group B. Both were slightly disappointed they weren't in the same group, but they moved past it and separated. A sea of men and women separated the two trainers and they could no longer see each other, and Louise straightened herself as she focused her attention to the beach at the front of the group. There she saw a man wearing an Alolan shirt, swim trunks, and sunglasses fiddling with a megaphone, and he appeared to be waiting for more to arrive. When the groups further swelled, he nodded to himself, then began to speak into the megaphone.
"Alola, everyone, and welcome to the fifth annual Cyllage Mantine Surfing Tourney!" he spoke into the megaphone, the device amplifying his voice to where it carried over the crowed. Once again, Louise was silently awed at the technological capabilities Earth possessed. True, magic could do the same thing, but using a megaphone looked much simpler and was able to be used by anyone. Still, Louise refocused as the crowd's noise died down, and the speaker continued.
"Now, let's not waste anytime time. We all know why you're here. Who ready for some Mantine Surfing?!" he shouted, and the audience roared in response. "Yeah, that's what I thought!
Again, the crowd cheered and roared which Louise joined enthusiastically. The announcer smiled as he brought the megaphone to his lips.
"Before we begin, let's go over some ground rules for any newcomers with us today. There are four groups each with fifteen people. Each group will go out one at a time all at once, and the top three performers will advance to the next round. During the finals, the top three from the second set will compete the top prize!"
He moved his arm to the side, beckoning a dark-skinned bikini-clad woman to walk out carrying a large golden trophy high above her head. Try as she might, Louise couldn't help but involuntarily twitch her eye as the woman undulated her way onto the stage, and the looks some of the men were giving weren't helping, but forced herself to instead focus on what the announcer had said. Judging by the word choice, she assumed that a panel of judges would be scoring the various participants on how they surfed. That likely meant the flashier the better, which admittedly got Louise a little nervous. Still, she steeled herself and her resolve. Louise refused to let herself back down from this, and as the announcer finished talking and beckoned all but group A to move towards the spectator stands, Louise calmly sat down and began to watch.
"Welcome back, everybody, to the second round of the Cyllage City Mantine Surfing Tournament!" Tanuki 'announced' from behind a mound of sand vaguely shaped like a desk he and his fellow Pokémon had assembled near the viewing area. Saito and Louise, rather than forcing their Pokémon to stay in their Pokéballs instead let them out so they could watch. It was something they all appreciated, even Maindo just for the chance to see people wipe out in spectacular fashion, but after the first round they decided that simply standing back and not doing anything was boring. At the very least, Saito and Louise managed to get through, although their inclusion was simply due to the fact that they didn't fall off their Mantines like most of their competition. Clearly, the Cyllage Tournament was meant for amateurs first and foremost.
So, as the remaining competitors regrouped, Tanuki decided to spice things up and provide some color commentary, if only for his own amusement. The others, even the stoic Ronin, decided to pitch in, and as the surfers including Saito and Louse waited in the water, they were all having a blast. Soon enough, the other spectators and their Pokémon caught wind of what they were doing, and now their attention was being split between the surfers themselves and the Pokémon's antics.
"It's good to be back, Tanuki," Brennaraki said as she sat on a stump of sand, her head and upper body poking above the sand desk. "We have been seeing some exciting surfing this afternoon, and I for one cannot wait what the rest of our competitors have to offer us."
"Speaking of, we go live to our on the scene correspondents Esprit and Maindo for some lively details on this group of competitors."
'Thank you, Tanuki,' Esprit telepathically 'spoke' into a small stick with a leaf sticking out the top like a microphone. 'The spirit of competition is visible between all of them, and you see it even from here. I specifically want to point out two competitors, Louise Vallière and Saito Hiraga. Can you believe that they only started Mantine Surfing just a few hours ago and already they're in the semi-finals?'
'I certainly can,' Maindo haughtily commented. 'Their lack of expertise is quite apparent. It's a miracle they even made it through, which brings me to another point. How can a tourney of this caliber call itself a worthy competition if they'll just let anyone join? Not just them, but the majority of the competitors I've seen today have been quite subpar. It's insulting to the people who've spent years working on their craft, sacrificing time, money, and the opportunity for real jobs to pursue their dreams of catching the gnarliest of waves. Truly, inspirational to us all.'
Esprit snorted lightly at Maindo's tone while Tanuki outright laughed. The others smiled or lightly chuckled, then they heard Auspice lightly bark. They turned their attention back towards the surfers, who they saw were now standing up on their Mantines.
'Ooh, it looks like we're about to begin!' Esprit announced with a large smile on her face. True to her word, the Mantines were swimming towards an emerging wave that was cresting as it neared the shore. The surfers were racing towards it, the more experienced and arguably professional surfers at the front while the remaining amateurs, including Saito and Louise, were in the back. The two of them were crouching low on top of their Mantines to keep themselves steady, and by the time they reached the wave, the others were already there and speeding along.
"Louise and Saito have made it to the wave!" Ronin 'reported' from further along the beach. "Looks like they aren't content with being at the back of the pack and are speeding up."
True to Ronin's word, Saito and Louise were both gently urging their Mantines to speed up. They passed by a few of their fellow surfers, trying to catch up to the frontrunners which included the two men that got them joining this competition in the first place. Unlike Saito and Louise, they were surfing with confidence, one of them even skimming the top of the wave as though it were a rail.
'See, right here is a perfect example of what I mean,' Maindo pointed out while gesturing towards one of them with his arm. 'How many hours do you think it took for him to get there? Hours he could've spent elsewhere, like working at a PokéMart? Much more than the three Saito and Louise went through.'
'And yet, they're catching up!' Esprit happily replied. Sure enough, Saito and Louise were continuing to speed up, now much more confidently zigzagging through their opponents with confident smiles on their faces. Auspice looked on, then felt a faint pulse through her horn that caused her to sit down and nod.
"Let's see how much longer their confidence will last," she announced just as the wave, now closer to the shore, rose further. The top, once smooth, crested and began to form a tube. The more experienced surfers eagerly went inside, while a few amateurs wiped out attempting to do the same. One in particular managed to make it in partially, only to be sucked up into the swirling water and fall off his Mantine, where the surfer bounced on the water a few times before getting shot out like a cannonball.
'Ooh, wipe out! Could've stuck the landing a little better, but overall a nice splash. Seven out of ten,' Maindo commented with an eager glee in this telepathic voice. The Pokémon watched as Saito and Louise made their way towards the hole, and they wondered what their trainers would do. Saito seemed nervous about going in, but Louise instead furrowed her brow and confidently went inside. A moment later, Saito followed her, and their trainers disappeared from sight.
"They went inside, I can't see them anymore!" Aile announced from overhead, then paused. "Wait, I see something. Can't quite…"
Suddenly, a body shot out of the wave. As it flailed in the air, the Pokémon could see that it was Saito just before he crashed into water. His Mantine broke from the wave and raced towards him, and Maindo laughed and clapped his hands.
'Ten out of ten!' he cheered, but the others ignored him.
'Looks like Louise is the last hope of the amateurs!' Esprit announced, bringing her hand to her chest. 'Will she take home the gold for us all?!'
'Probably not,' Maindo said.
"You don't know that, Maindo!" Brennaraki countered. "Look, she's leaving the tunnel now!"
As Brennaraki pointed out, Louise and a handful of other surfers exited the tunnel and shot out the other side. A few behind her wiped out at the sudden change, and Louise herself nearly wobbled off before regaining balance and continuing on. She was getting close to the two surfers from before, a determined look on her face that was focused squarely on them. She tried swerving past them, but her opponents noticed and immediately moved to block her path.
"Oh, they meant to do that! The jerks!" Aile called out. The others could easily figure that, and as the wave drew closer and closer to the shore, Louise continued to try and move past them. Then her head shot to the top of the wave, and a strange look crossed her face before she swerved to the top of the wave at high speed. Still standing on top of her Mantine, Louise flew high into the air, her trajectory bringing her in front of the two surfers as they incredulously watched her descent. When she landed, she did so right in front of them, sending heaps of water shooting into their faces that they weren't expecting. They lost their balance, and a moment later they fell off their Mantines and skipped across the water like a rock. Louise triumphantly turned and pointed both of her hands at them, then lost her balance as well and fell off her Mantine.
"Ooh, that's going to leave a mark," Derflinger called out, watching as Louise bounced repeatedly on the water up and over the wave, finally resting on the other side.
"No!" Brennaraki yelled, standing on top of the sand desk to try and get a better look at her trainer. Luckily, her Mantine was there for her, so a moment later Louise was back on the surface holding onto the Mantine as her lower body dangled below in the saltwater. The remaining contestants shot past her as Mantine kept her safe, and for a moment a disappointed look crossed her face. A moment later, however, Louise's expression shifted to a happy and satisfied one. At once, their Pokémon knew she was going to be alright, and then saw Saito make his way towards her then, together, they made their way back to the beach.
In the end, a surfer they didn't know won first place. Neither Louise nor Saito made it into the top five, but as they walked back to their hotel with participation ribbons wrapped around their necks and Saito's hands crossed behind his head, they couldn't help but think back to their experience that day. Their Pokémon were alongside them, Tanuki balancing himself on Saito's head like it was a surfboard while Ronin merely looked exasperatingly at his teammate. Brennaraki walked alongside Louise's feet as did Shogun next to Saito, while Tengu, Esprit, and Maindo sat on top of Auspice.
"Maindo, where did you get that?" Shogun asked, tilting up his head up to look at the Ralts as he ate from a bag of chips.
'Found it,' Maindo replied unhelpfully.
"…Can I have one? They smell nice."
'Sure, why not. Catch.' Maindo picked up a chip and threw it to the side, which Shogun immediately ran after, jumped up to catch in his mouth, then ran back with a satisfied smirk on his face. The other Pokémon laughed at the Tyrunt's antics, as did their trainers before Louise had a thoughtful look cross her face.
"You know," Louise pointed out as she held up the ribbon to her face, "I feel like them just handing these out defeats the purpose."
"Welcome to the Participation Trophy Debate. It's been going on for decades, and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon."
"Indeed," Louise replied, letting go of the ribbon and letting silence take hold once again. After a moment, she smiled and looked forward. "I had fun today."
Saito looked at her, then smiled and nodded. "So did I. Have to admit, losing stung. When we got to the second round, I thought we had a chance."
"So did I," Louise admitted, "but we lost. It stinks, but we had fun. That's all that matters, really."
"That and us causing those jerks to wipe out!" Saito pointed out with a toothy grin, which Louise returned.
"Oh, you saw that?"
"Yes, yes I did. It was simultaneously awesome and hilarious, so good job."
"Yeah, I thought it was too." Louise smiled and laughed, which Saito joined for a moment as they let the warm memories sink in. Behind them, Derflinger watched as the two friends continued to talk among themselves. He saw no reason to add anything, instead he was just happy that the two of them were taking their loss well. Derflinger had been around for a very long time, and he had seen countless people, both good and bad, lose their composure over simply losing a friendly competition. For a moment, he had thought Louise would be the same, but luckily she had a good head on her shoulders. One that recognized the value of good sportsmanship.
He supposed, given her current goal, such a trait would be invaluable. After all, she was aiming to be Pokémon Champion. That was a lofty goal, one worthy of being striven towards but extremely difficult to achieve. He hoped and believed Louise, out of everyone, could achieve it, but he had to know that were she to fail, she would simply take it on the chin and continue moving forward. If there was one thing that this latest adventure of theirs proved, it was that she could. In the end, Derflinger supposed that was really all that mattered.
[~][~]
Surf's up, everyone! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate, Grendel4823, and Yuri Vampire for all their help in bringing this story to life.
Now, onto the Q&A:
Pherix2003: I'm happy to have you with us! As for the Season moniker, yes we do plan on having multiple seasons. Or rather, split Kalos and (hopefully) Halkegenia into multiple seasons in terms of a story structure. Think of Season 1 as the first half of Louise's journey in Kalos, with Season 2 being the second half. And yes, I am writing this with a group of people. A few have left since the story started, and a few have joined in. Through it all, we are determined to finish Louise's journey in Kalos however long it takes.
BloodStalker500: Happy you like Auspice and Shogun! I enjoy writing them as well.
xyzdreadnought: Thank you, truly. I like to think that I'm both doing a good job with the Pokemon story structure as well as writing Louise. I'm happy that my story is an inspiration to you as well.
keybladelight: Please use punctuation when you're making a review. The lack of it makes it difficult to really determine exactly what you're trying to say. As for Halkegenia, we do want to explore it, however the priority is Kalos. We're definitely finishing that storyline, but Halkegenia is a wait and see for us.
That's it for this week. See you all next time!
