Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 13, Chapter 1

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In the early hours of the morning, Saito and Louise both got out of bed and walked over to the Cyllage City Pokémon Gym. Unlike Santalune, the Rock-type gym wasn't housed in an actual building. Instead, the gym was literally built into the mountain. Apparently, it used to be a played-out mine, but when Grant became the Gym Leader he had it converted. Both trainers couldn't help but think it was fitting.

"Greetings, trainers," Grant announced as they entered the gym. He stood before a pair of large metal doors embedded into the rock. The sigil of the Cliff Badge marked the top of the door's archway, and a palpable sense of excitement filled the air. Thankfully, it wasn't the type of excitement that led to life-threatening danger, so they could enjoy it this time.

"Grant," Louise replied, a soft smile gracing her lips. "Thank you for having us."

"It's no problem, Louise. Sorry it took so long," Grant apologized, smiling back. "But, at least now we can make up for it."

"Sorry it took so long. Things kind of happened," Derflinger joked, causing Louise to shoot him a look whereas Saito and Grant couldn't help but chuckle.

"I suppose you call it that," Grant said, then put his hand on the door and adopted a more serious expression. "Normally, before I accept any challenge, I have trainers complete an obstacle course where they and their teams they climb up a rock wall to the battlefield. Trainers and Pokémon working together as one as a show of unity. However, given everything that has…happened in the past week, I no longer think you need it. You and your teams have more than proven the strength of the bonds between yourselves and your Pokémon, and as such I will be waiving the pre-battle challenge."

"Oh, well, thank you," Saito replied, not expecting the generous offer. Louise looked grateful as well, then she adopted a more cross look and grumbled.

"Does that mean we went rock climbing for nothing?" she wondered aloud. Saito thought for a moment then realized she was kind of right. They went rock climbing specifically as practice for the pre-battle challenge, and now that they weren't required to do it, there really was no point having practiced. Grant seemed to pick up on this and chuckled while shaking his head.

"If you want, you guys can take the course?" he offered, but Louise shook her head.

"No, no. It's fine. Thank you, Grant. We really appreciate it, and I apologize for making it seem like I felt otherwise," Louise apologized, her tone filled with sincerity. Grant looked at the rosette and smiled, then pushed against the doors and beckoned them to follow. As they went through the doors, the sudden shift to natural light shining from a hole in the ceiling. Once their eyes adjusted, they spotted a large, multi-level rock climbing course. It was built out of a preexisting rock, and it vaguely reminded Saito of a ziggurat. At the same time, as they studied it more closely, a sense of relief coursed through them that they wouldn't have to take it.

"Well, that looks difficult," Derflinger succinctly pointed out.

"I'm glad you think so. I designed it that way. Didn't want to make the pre-battle challenge too easy," Grant joked. "Come on, there's a lift on the back."

They followed the gym leader to the aforementioned lift. Once they were all onboard, Grant hit a switch and the lift rose up the tracks to the top of the course. The battlefield was built on top of a raised greed platform, white chalk lines drawn over sand in the trademark Pokéball design. There was small viewing area for spectators, and there the two trainers patiently waited for Grant as he walked to the edge of the field and turned back towards them.

"Now, which one of you wants to go first?" he asked. With smiles on their faces, both Saito and Louise stepped forward, only to stop once they noticed the other.

"Saito, what are you doing?" Louise asked with a faux smile on her face.

"Accepting my first gym battle in Kalos. You?"

"Accepting my second, actually, and as the lady, I deserve to go first."

Saito smiled and brought his hand to his chest. "I believe everyone is equal, and giving special treatment to others solely on the status of their birth is unethical."

"Ah, I see," Louise said, crossing her arms and turning her whole body towards Saito. "Well then, it seems as those we're at an impasse."

"Indeed," Saito replied, echoing Louise's action. "You know there's only one way to settle this."

"I suppose you're right. Best two out of there?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Saito stated, spreading his arms slightly to the side and clenching his fists. Louise did the same, and they simultaneously raised their fists above their heads. After a moment's pause, they swung them down, only to bob them back up once they were parallel with each other.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!" they both shouted in unison. Grant and Derflinger couldn't help but snort as the two trainers bet their placement on such a childish game, but soon it was over as the fifth round passed with a triumphant Louise the winner.

"Ah hah!" she shouted in glee, rubbing her 'victory' in Saito's face before remembering Grant's presence. She recomposed herself quickly, acting as though she was the picture of poise and elegance.

"Shall we begin?" Louise politely asked. Grant openly laughed and shook his head.

"Yes, yes," he said, walking past the railing and onto the field itself. Louise joined him, as they separated to move onto their assigned trainer boxes, a referee stepped onto the field and stopped at the dividing line's outermost point.

"Now, Louise, before we begin I want to clarify something," Grant called out, pulling a Pokéball from his belt and tossing it up and down in his hand. "How many Pokémon do you currently have?"

"Four," Louise immediately answered.

"Thought so. I have four Pokémon on me as well, but I'm saving half of my team for Saito."

"Ah, so our match will be two on two?" Louise guessed, but to her surprise, Grant shook his head.

"No. It'll be a four on two," Grant revealed, performing one final toss and catch of his Pokéball. "The pairs that I'm using for you two are stronger than the ones I'd use for typical one-badge trainers, and I want to pit all of your strength against my own. So please, don't hold back."

Louise thought over this new piece of information. On the one hand, having the battle be a four on one matchup inherently gave her the advantage, and with her lack of preferable type-matchups, quantity would be a quality in and of itself. On the other hand, the fact that he was confident enough to issue such a challenge spoke volumes about just how skilled he felt his Pokémon were. She couldn't afford to let herself grow overconfident, and so she pursed her lips and nodded.

"Sounds good to me," she said, pulling out her own Luxury Ball. Grant smirked and gripped his ball tightly, and both trainers glanced towards the referee as he raised a green flag overhead.

"This is a battle between the challenger, Louise Vallière, against Gym Leader Grant Lino," the referee announced. "It will be a Singles match, four on two. The challengers reserves the right to exchange Pokémon at any time, while the Gym Leader cannot. Eliminations are by either knockout or ring out. Are both trainers ready?"

"I am," Grant replied.

"Yes, sir," Louise stated, being as professional as possible. The referee nodded, then swung his arm down as fast as he could.

"Begin!"

As soon as the referee finished speaking, Grant was already throwing a Pokéball and shouting, "Go, Tyrunt!"

The Royal Heir Pokémon emerged onto the field, roaring out a challenge towards the rosecrown. Louise, meanwhile, couldn't help but smirk confidently. Out of all fossil Pokémon in the world, not that Louise had interacted with many, she had the most experience dealing with Tyrunts due to the fact that Saito had one. Plus, the fact that it was a Rock/Dragon-Type gave her at least something of a type advantage. Not that she was going to bank entirely on that, but she would more than happily seize the opportunity presented to her.

"Esprit, come on out!" Louise announced, tossing Esprit's Luxury Ball onto the field. With a dainty flourish, she threw her arms to the side and bowed, smiling at the Tyrunt. Rather than take offense, the Tyrunt smirked back and lowered its head.

"Ah, a Fairy-type," Grant remarked. "That won't be enough. Tyrunt, start with Rock Tomb!"

"Double Team!" Louise ordered as soon as several large rocks formed over Tyrunt's body. Esprit split into at least a dozen shimmering copies of herself, one of which took the brunt of the Rock Tomb as the attack dissipated it.

"Perfect! Now use Disarming Voice!"

At Louise's command, Esprit opened her mouth wide and let out a shrill cry that was infused with Fairy-Type energy, coalescing into a series of pink rings. The rings struck Tyrunt, the Fairy-Type attack proving to be highly effective against the Dragon-Type Pokémon as he thrashed his head from side to side in pain. Grant let out a ghost of a frown, but quickly shook it off and threw his arm forward.

"Tyrunt, get rid of her with Roar!"

Louise's eyes widened as Tyrunt opened his maw, but just before it could let out a sound, an idea popped into her head.

"Dodge it with Teleport!" she cried, hoping it would work. Esprit blinked away with a pop just as a low, bone-rattling roar echoed across the now empty field. Louise could feel it course through her veins, and she wanted nothing more than to curl in a ball and hide away from the terrifying sound, but it stopped just as soon as it began. Tyrunt shot her an apologetic look, clearly not wanting her to be caught in the attack's way, then he turned around to lightly glare at Esprit. The Kirlia wasn't completely unaffected by the Roar, her body shivering and her expression warped in fright, but she had clearly avoided the worst of it and shook it off easily enough.

Seeing that her Pokémon was now recovered, Louise seized the initiative and yelled, "Psybeam!"

Tyrunt was suddenly struck by a bright purple beam, sending him flying back. He bounced across the ground but managed to right itself, scraping against the dirt with its claws. Deep gouges scarred the rock as the Tyrunt slowed down, stopping itself just before the white borderline as it glared a silent challenge towards Esprit.

Grant frowned for a second, then he nodded to himself and threw his arm forward.

"Ancient Power!" he ordered. Tyrunt nodded at his trainer's request, then concentrated as he focused on the rocks besides him. Louise watched as they floated upward reformed into larger stones that had imprints of fossils on them, then the Tyrunt launched the projectiles towards Esprit. Without needing to be told, the Kirlia bobbed from side to side, avoiding the stones like a dancing ballerina. At the same time, however, the Tyrunt was staggering his shots to allow himself the chance to close the distance between it and Esprit.

Louise quickly realized what Grant was doing. He was using the Ancient Power to cover his advance, allowing Tyrunt to close the gap and let his strength when the day. Knowing that one good physical attack from the Tyrunt would spell doom for the more fragile Esprit, Louise shouted, "Psybeam!"

Just as another fossil was hurled at Esprit, a bright beam of psychic energy shattered it like an arrow. Bits of rock and rubble bounced across Tyrunt's scales while the Psychic-type attack hit directly in-between his eyes. Louise could've sworn that his eyes bulged outward slightly as he was sent skidding back, causing the remaining stones he was hurling to fall and crumble against the ground.

Seizing her opportunity, Louise followed with, "Esprit, put it to sleep with Hypnosis!"

Esprit's eyes flashed as she stared at the Tyrunt as it picked itself. For a brief moment, he locked eyes with her before they closed and he fell to the ground, dead asleep. Grant could only watch as Louise ordered Esprit to follow with Draining Kiss, and Esprit teleported over to the sleeping Tyrunt to plant a sweet-looking kiss on its brow. Just as she did so, pink electricity shot out from across Tyrunt's body as his vitality was drained, waking it up from his slumber and causing him to roar in pain. Grant knew it was over for his beloved Pokémon, but at the same time knew Tyrunt had one last move left.

"Tyrunt, use Crunch!" he ordered. With the last of his strength, Tyrunt shot his head around and clamped his powerful jaws onto Esprit's body. He bit down as hard as he could, and Esprit screamed in pain before using Confusion to force the clamp-like jaws apart and hurl the offending Pokémon away. When Tyrunt slammed into the ground, he did not get back up, and the referee called it a moment later.

Instead of feeling elated, Louise couldn't help but observe her wounded Pokémon and grit her teeth. She had miscalculated, and Esprit suffered the consequences. Trying to finish the round with a recovery move to prepare for the next was a smart idea, but allowing herself to willingly close in on a physically superior opponent definitely wasn't. In hindsight, it was a mistake, one she couldn't allow herself to repeat if she were to have any hope of defeating Grant today.

"Thank you, my friend. You deserve a long rest," Grant said, returning Tyrunt to its Pokéball as Esprit breathed heavily.

"Esprit, you good?" Louise asked, already reaching towards a Luxury Ball, but the Kirlia shook her head.

'I'm…I'm fine. I can still fight,' Esprit replied, although the tone of her 'voice' made Louise feel unsure. Still, if her Pokémon insisted she could still stand, Louise would trust them.

"Alright, Esprit. Let's finish this," Louise replied. From the across the field, Grant let out an approving smile.

"Looks like I was right. The bonds between you and your Pokémon are strong," he pointed out as he reached for a collapsed Pokéball on his belt, then expanded it. "But are they strong enough to handle this?"

"Absolutely," Louise declared, her brow furrowed with determination was Esprit echoed her expression. Grant laughed, then threw the Pokéball onto the field.

"Go, Onix!" Grant shouted. Louise's and Esprit's eyes widened as the massive Rock Snake Pokémon emerged from the capsule. It screeched loudly, its body taking up almost a quarter of the field, and when it turned its head to face Esprit, she audibly gulped. She then shook off her nervousness and glared right back.

'Bring it, you overgrown worm,' she ordered. Onix huffed in amusement, then reared itself back as it prepared to attack.

"Onix, use Flash Cannon!" Grant ordered. The Rock Snake Pokémon opened his maw and began collecting light into a large orb.

"Dodge it with Teleport, then use Confusion!" Louise shouted. Esprit blinked away, the Flash Cannon striking the rock where she previously stood. When she reappeared, she reached telepathically into Onix' mind and rattled it, causing the Rock Snake Pokémon to shake his head in pain. His tail smacked the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and rock, and when the psychic attack finally subsided, he shook his head and glared angrily at Esprit. She was already moving away in anticipation of a counterattack, but Grant, meanwhile, could only smirk in appreciation.

"Alright, let's see you dodge this," he muttered, then shouted, "Sandstorm!"

Onix roared in reply, whipping out a cloud of sand around his body and shooting it forward and blanketing everything in sight. The sandstorm stopped at the boundary of the field, but it still prevented Louise from seeing much of anything.

"Esprit, can you see anything?" Louise shouted above the roar of the billowing sand. With her eyes closed, Esprit reached out telekinetically, blindly groping for the Onix, only to feel the sand part as something massive swung her way. Esprit didn't even have time to dodge as Onix's tail slammed into her body with enough force to momentarily split the sandstorm in half. Louise could see a fresh sheen covering Onix' body, and she realized that he used Rock Polish to increase his speed, then she winced as Esprit collided with the outer wall with a loud thud. The Kirlia fell to the ground, and Louise sighed and clenched her fist as the referee declared Esprit no longer suitable for battle.

"Sorry, girl. Come on and rest," Louise said, returning Esprit while the Sandstorm still raged. She looked at it in worry. Despite knowing that the sudden and dangerous onset of inclement weather wouldn't last forever, it provided Onix a near perfect veil to shield his massive body from attack, not to mention actually hurting her Pokémon as well. All in all, a sound tactic, but she knew just what to do to get rid of it.

"Brennaraki, go!" she announced, sending out her starter who was immediately struck by the sand. Not wanting to give her opponent a chance to recover, Louise followed with, "Sunny Day!"

Brennaraki immediately complied, forming an orb of thermal energy and sending it straight up into the air. The makeshift sun somehow disrupted the sandstorm, revealing Onix once again just as he was swinging his tail at the Fennekin.

"Look out!" Louise hastily yelled. Brennaraki moved to do so, however she froze up as she felt a few grains of sand from the recently dispersed sandstorm irritate her nose. She tried to fight it, but quickly lost the battle and sneezed. To everyone's surprise, however, a quick jet of flame erupted out of Brennaraki's mouth, shooting her up and just over Onix's tail as it swung. Not expecting the sudden momentum, Brennaraki landed on her side, but was able to recover quickly. The look on her face screamed 'I meant to do that,' but no one was fooled.

"…Not what I had in mind, but I'll take it. Solar Beam!" Louise ordered, getting over her shock. Brennaraki, eager to move past the embarrassing success, gathered the ambient solar energy and shot it straight into Onix' body. The Rock Snake Pokémon writhed in agony, then fired a Flash Cannon at her in an attempt to counter. Anticipating this, Brennaraki dived to the side, the Steel-Type attack slamming into the rock where she previously stood and sending shards of rubble flying in all directions.

"Solar Beam again!" Louise shouted. Another beam of neon green light shot out towards Onix, who curled his body to the side in order to dodge it. The attack only grazed him, but he still winced in pain.

Grant then glanced up at the still activated Sunny Day, and pointed at it. "Onix, get rid of that with another Sandstorm!"

Onix did as instructed, once again forming a sandstorm around himself that covered the entire field, buffeting Brennaraki with thousands of grains of speeding sand every second while shielding himself from view. Louise knew that Brennaraki wouldn't be able to hit Onix in this state, and one good hit would put her out of action, but when she briefly spotted Onix coiling through the storm, she reacted instantly.

"Will-O-Wisp!" Louise ordered. Brennaraki concentrated, then formed a ghostly green orb of fire and shot it out towards the illuminated Onix. The orb broke across its rocky hide, create a large and severe burn that visibly harmed it, but then Brennaraki was slammed by several large boulders. She was promptly buried by a Rock Tomb, and as she struggled to get out, Onix finished her off with a Flash Cannon that shattered the rock and formed a crater around the Fennekin. Her unconscious body laid in its center, and Louise frowned before returning Brennaraki to her Pokéball.

"Thank you, Brennaraki," Louise said, eyeing the sandstorm. Although Onix had once again disappeared from view, Louise knew that the burn was continuously sapping away his vitality. She could only hope that Brennaraki's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. Coming to a decision on her next Pokémon, she pulled out her third Luxury Ball and threw it as high over the sandstorm as she possibly could.

"Go, Aile! Stay above the storm!" Louise commanded, releasing Aile who promptly flew high over the sand. From the Fletchinder's position, it was nearly impossible to see where Onix was hiding, but at least she wasn't being bombarded by sand.

"Flash Cannon!" Grant shouted. Aile stared into the raging sandstorm, and soon it briefly broke apart as the Flash Cannon erupted out of Onix' mouth. She flapped her wings as hard as she could to avoid the blast, and it continued forward to harmlessly strike the interior wall of the mine.

"Aile, create a Tailwind and don't stop moving!" Louise ordered. Aile flapped her wings a few times to manipulate the air around her, and felt a strong yet gentle breeze carry her momentum forward. Just as she did so, Onix fired another Flash Cannon at her, achieving the same result as before.

With Aile safely out of harm's reach, for now, Louise thought on how best to proceed. Keeping up with the unfortunate pattern, Louise knew that Aile would at best endure one or two attacks before going down, but her only ranged attacks would be ineffective against her Rock/Ground-type opponent. The only move Aile had that would do any significant damage was Steel Wing, which naturally involved her getting close. Louise and Aile would have to play this carefully, and with a determined nod she pointed her hand into the sandstorm just as Onix' horn slightly exposed itself.

"Aile, use Agility then Steel Wing on Onix's head!"

At Louise's command, Aile's body shimmered purple, then she sped down into the sandstorm towards the top of Onix' head. Her wings shone like steel, and she slashed them across the top of Onix's head and causing the Rock Snake Pokémon to roar in pain. He tried to bite her as she passed, but Aile was too quick and was able to get away. As she burst out of the sandstorm, she winced in pain from the blasting sand, but she was able to shake it off.

She circled overhead, trying to spot an opening in the seemingly solid air. The sound of boulders scraping against the rocky floor could be heard as Onix shifted around. Then, a quartet of stones were hurled out of the sandstorm as Onix used Rock Tomb with enough force to part the sandstorm where they emerged. Onix's sliding body could briefly be seen, and Aile took the chance to fly between the stones and through one of the gaps, where she hit Onix with another Steel Wing. Onix winced in pain, his burn adding onto it, but Aile was more focused on getting out of the storm instead of continuing her attack. She was far deeper within it this time, and her small body was been buffeted side to side to the point where she was almost dizzy.

Luckily, she was able to break free of the storm and shot out of it, catching her breath as she flew overhead. Louise looked at her Pokémon in worry, but soon was satisfied by what she saw.

"Okay, girl! Stay up there and prepare to attack again," she said. Aile nodded and continued flying. Neither noticed a small, plotting smirk grace upon Grant's lips for but a moment.

Then, the top of Onix' head popped up again, and Aile shot towards it as before. Only, when she arrived with her Steel Wing already prepared, Onix was waiting for her with four large stones hovering around his head. She squawked and tried to get away, but Onix was too fast and shot the rocks into her. She was quickly buried under the stones, then he finished her off with a swipe of his tail into the mound's side, sending her flying out and bouncing across the arena.

"Fletchinder is unable to battle!" the referee called. Louise winced as she returned her Pokémon.

The sandstorm, meanwhile, continued to rage. It had gone on far longer than she had anticipated, and if she had to guess, Onix had likely 'recharged' it during the battle. Smart, but it irritated her all the same. More importantly, she was down to one Pokémon now, and Louise could only hope that she would be enough.

"Alright, let's finish this! Go, Auspice!" Louise shouted, releasing her Absol onto the field. Auspice stoically stood in the middle of the sandstorm, her eyes closed and doing her best to ignore the sand blasting around her. She mentally reached out, trying to trace the probabilities that would lead her to harm.

Then, with her eyes still closed, she felt her horn tingle. She dashed to the right, and a moment later a Flash Cannon stuck the ground where she previously stood. Without breaking her stride, and with her eyes still closed, she ran towards Onix and prepared a Night Slash. Onix tried to bury her under a Rock Tomb, but again she dodged and sliced her horn across his side right where Brennaraki had placed the burn. Onix roared in pain and tried to retaliate with a swipe of his tail, but Auspice leapt on top of it.

"Auspice, run up his back and keep using Night Slash!" Louise ordered, barely able to make out Auspice's current position through the storm. The Absol nodded and ran up Onix' spine, dragging her horn along it. He writhed and coiled before reaching his head around and grabbing hold of her with his mouth. He violently threw her to the side, where she bounced across the ground before righting herself and sliding towards the edge of the battlefield on the pads of her feet.

Auspice, with her eyes still closed, stared out towards where she knew Onix was waiting and cracked her neck to the side in open defiance. Onix stared out towards her from inside the sandstorm, and he roared out a challenge as she ran right back into the fray. He used Rock Tomb to hurl massive boulders in her direction, but Auspice, guided by her horn, bonded from rock to rock in order to reach Onix' head. She used Night Slash across his face, sending the head reeling to the side.

But Onix recovered quickly, swiping her with his tail with a mighty thud. She flew back, dragging her claws through the stone in order to gain purchase, but Onix refused to give her the chance to recover. He fired a Flash Cannon that hit her back, and Auspice yelled out in pain as the attack collided.

"Auspice!" Louise shouted in worry, but soon sighed in relief as she saw Auspice struggle to her feet. She proudly smiled, then looked deep into the sandstorm to try and spot Onix. After a moment, she saw his massive body rear up, the burn visible for a moment. And idea formed, one that was admittedly underhanded, but if it worked it would be worth it.

"Auspice, use Swords Dance then concentrate on Onix's burn!" she ordered.

Auspice nodded before swinging her head and body around in an intricate kata. She shifted and moved from side to side, her horn glowing brighter and her movements swifter with each passing second. A moment later, she charged once again towards Onix, using Night Slash across his burn and inflicted searing pain. He roared and retaliated, but Auspice managed to dodge and disappear into the sandstorm. She felt the sand blast across her fur and exposed skin, but she paid it no heed. Instead, she turned on her heels, used another Swords Dance, and raced back towards Onix to attack once again. This time, Onix was ready and attacked her with a combination of Rock Tomb followed by Flash Cannon, but Auspice nimbly dodged all of them and once attacked managed to land her blow.

Onix reeled back, feeling the stinging blow sap away at his strength. A few moments later, the sandstorm finally subsided, revealing the field for all to see. Now able to properly make out both Pokémon, Louise could see that both were on their last legs. The few blows that Auspice had taken, combined with the ever present sandstorm, had taken its toll. She was panting heavily, and her once pristine white fur was now stained brown from all the dirt, rocks and sand that had hit her. At the same time, Onix was breathing just as heavily, if not more so. Bits of his rocky body were chipped and cracked, and occasionally we would wince as the burn acted up again. If she had to guess, Louise figured one or two more hits would finish the job, but at the same time if Onix managed to hit Auspice just once, it would all be over and she would lose. She had to play this smart.

So, rather than seize the initiative, she waited. Auspice caught on to what she was doing immediately, and closed her eyes in order to concentrate.

"Onix, use Rock Tomb!" Grant ordered. Onix screeched in reply, forming large boulders and hurling them towards Auspice. But, just before the rocks could hit, Auspice's eyes shot open and used Detect. She effortlessly dodged the rocks in Onix' direction, closing the distance too quickly for him to react in time. Her horn pulsed a dark purple, and she used Night Slash as hard as she could against Onix' burn. He roared in pain and slumped his body forward, giving Louise the opportunity she needed.

"Auspice! Attack the head!" Louise commanded. With a large leap, Auspice jumped into the air and once again used Night Slash, this time on Onix' chin. His head reared back from the blow, and at the top of the arc his spin went still. Auspice turned on her feet as she landed, bracing herself to attack or dodge, but Onix did nothing. Instead, after a few moments, he wobbled back and forth before finally falling to the ground, completely limp and thoroughly unconscious.

"Onix is unable to battle! Louise Vallière is the winner!" the referee announced, raising a flag in Louise's direction. She stood there in shock for a moment, not really reacting as Auspice turned around to smile at her. Then, with as wide of a smile as she could muster, she jumped into the air with a pumped fist and loud cheer. When she landed, she ran out to Auspice, wrapping the Absol in a tight hug that Auspice returned with one paw slumped over Louise's shoulder.

"Good job, Onix. Return," Grant quietly said, returning Onix to his Pokéball before stepping out onto the field. Recognizing what Grant was doing, Louise returned her Pokémon as well and walked towards him, a proud smile on her face as they met in the middle.

"Well done, Louise," he declared with a proud smile, pulling out a small metal case. "It seems you and the bonds with your Pokémon have proven to be a wall I was unable to surpass. You fought hard and well, taking the challenges thrown your way in stride and besting them all the same. Please, take this Cliff Badge and see it as a reminder of this truth. There are some things in life that seem out of reach no matter how hard you try. However, it's important that you never give up, no matter the opponent or the odds."

He opened the case, revealing a small brown, green, and steel badge composed of three equally-sized rectangles that were angled downward to look like a cliff. With almost reverent grace, Louise took the badge and held it in her hands. She smiled, then looked up at the Gym Leader and nodded.

"Thank you, Grant. I will," she declared, and Grant nodded.

"One more thing," he continued, pulling out a TM case. "Here is a copy of TM39. With it, you can teach Rock Tomb to any Pokémon capable of learning it. I hope you can find a use for it somewhere on your team."

Louise gratefully took it, and after putting it away accepted Grant's offer of a respectful handshake. With everything said and done, Louise turned around to walk to the spectator area as teams of Geodudes and Sandshrews emerged from the crevices around the arena and began to repair it.

"Great job, Louise! That was a great battle!" Saito congratulated her, patting her shoulder and smiling as widely as he could. Louise smiled back, then playfully pointed at him.

"Thank you. Now it's your turn to impress me," she replied. Saito chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, I aim to please," he admitted, shrugging. The two trainers then turned back to watching the caretaker Pokémon continue the repairs, and he added, "By the way, I recorded the battle in case you wanted to review."

"Oh, that's thoughtful. Thank you. I'll record your battle as well," she offered.

"Thanks."

A few moments later, the Pokémon slinked away and out of sight, and Grant stepped back onto his position in anticipation of the battle to come.

"Let's go, Saito," Grant called out, placing his hands on his hips. "After seeing your friend's performance, I'm eager to see what you can do."

Saito answered that summons immediately, stepping onto the field and into his trainer's box. He and Grant stared at each other, and their eyes narrowed in anticipation of the battle to come.

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Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Outsiders! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate, Grendel4823, and Yuri Combat for all their help bringing this story to life.

We've finally gotten to the long-awaited Louise vs Grant battle, and our protagonist emerged as the winner after a hard-fought battle. Up next is Saito vs Grant, and we hope you guys enjoy it.

Now, onto the Q&A:

DragonLark: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the chapter. After the gloom and doom of the previous chapters, we felt a nice heartwarming tale was warranted.

Guest (1): They have a reason for being there, and you'll find out eventually.

Boshwa: Thank you. Keeping Louise in character is one of the key things we set out to do for this story. Obviously she's going to change as a result of her experiences, but we still wanted Louise to feel like Louise, just like Saito needed to still feel like Saito. We also didn't want to have one half of the crossover overshadow the other. While this story is set in the Pokemon world, Louise, Saito, and Derflinger bring enough of the FoZ side to balance it out, in my opinion.

keybladelight: You'll have to wait and see on Legendary Pokemon. As to other cultures, you'll see them eventually if we can find a place for them.

shiftreddragon: Yeah, had Louise knew the reason why Drifloon took her, she would have 'sploded a Ghost in anger.

zack24: Your review was just a period. What were you trying to say?

That's it for this chapter. Before we go, there's one final treat. An Outsiders omake, courtesy of ShiftingSandLand. Please enjoy and let us know what you all think!

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Drifloon Trivia

Arceus, his expression calm and somber, looked upon the scene.

A small, pink-haired teenager softly smiling, introducing a Driftloon to an absolutely estatic little boy as his mother gave an exasperated sigh, a faint smile on her own face at her child's happiness.

The god closed his eyes, thoughtful. Perhaps that child will be entrusted with his children...

Suddenly, a tiny thing smacked into him.

He opened his eyes, only to see one of his tiniest (yet most powerful) children flitting about in a state of absolute panic.

"Celebi, what is wrong?"

Celebi looked up at her father, and spoke quickly.

"I have spent the last two hours doing nothing but stop people from mentioning Drifloon trivia near that pink haired girl! If somebody does, she either starts blowing things up, or she breaks down into tears and THEN starts blowing things up!"

As Arceus, God of The World of Pokemon, looked at the tiny time-traveller in stotic silence as she started to throw an actual fit at how many times she has prevented the destruction of Cyllage City today, he can't help but think.

Maybe she won't...Destroying cities isn't exactly making friends, after all...

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