Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)

Season 1, Episode 14, Chapter 2

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When dawn broke over the Kalosian wilderness, Saito and Louise awoke. They made breakfast, a hearty helping of bacon and eggs alongside food for the Pokémon. It was a calm scene, with the two trainers keeping as quiet as possible so that they would not disturb any of the other sleeping campers.

Elizabeth, however, happened to smell the scent of bacon from inside her tent, which stirred her awake as well. Both groups were apart from each other, content to stay separated for as long as possible. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice that their food, once again, was much better than the cereal she was subsisting on. She didn't even have any milk to have with it.

"If we set out in thirty minutes, and assuming we stop for an hour around noon to train and look at the menhirs, we should be able to reach Geosenge Town by evening," Saito noted as he looked over his Pokédex's map.

"Perfect," Louise said as she continued to eat her eggs, a healthy layer of ketchup covering them. "How long will it take to reach Shalour City from there?"

"Two days," Saito confirmed. "It'll take a day to go through Route 11 and reach Reflection Cave, and another day to go through it and finally reach Shalour."

"Ugh, not looking forward to that. I hate going in caves. Last time it felt like something was watching me the whole time," Louise grumbled.

"That's because something probably was," Derflinger 'helpfully' added. Louise glared at him with no small amount of annoyance, then huffed and went back to her eating.

"At least we'll be able to get some good training in," Saito suggested. "Maybe a catch a few Pokémon?"

"If I feel like it belongs on my team," Louise replied. "I only have six slots, after all."

"Wait, what?" Elizabeth cut in, having overheard their conversation. She walked over towards a surprised and off put Saito and Louise, who didn't appreciate having their conversation be interrupted, and she crossed her arms as she stood over them. "You mean to tell me that you intend to take on the Pokémon League by catching only six Pokémon?"

"First of all, yes, I do," Louise insisted, standing up to match Elizabeth. To her displeasure, the verdette was at least a head taller than her even without heels, and she tried to ignore that. "Second of all, what business is it of yours?"

"You do realize you can catch more than six, right?" Elizabeth asked in an almost accusatory tone, ignoring the question and raising an eyebrow.

"I am well aware," Louise declared, crossing her arms as well. "But I only want to catch six. By doing so, I can fully concentrate on my team's training and make them stronger without having to divide my attention."

Elizabeth, not convinced, shook her head. "One team of six, no matter how well trained, cannot cover everything that might come towards you. By catching as many as you can, you can cover everything. What are you going to do when you come across a team yours isn't equipped to handle?"

"Then I think and strategize," Louise answered, growling slightly. "Something you obviously have no experience in! I'm not blind to my team's weaknesses, Elizabeth, but I can work around them. It's how I was able to beat Grant despite the type disadvantage."

"Oh, please. That was luck," Elizabeth haughtily shot back. "While I might not be participating in the Gym Challenge, even I know that Grant's rules are very specific. Had he acted like any other Gym Leader in Kalos, you would have been destroyed because you were too stubborn to expand your Pokémon roster."

"Grant threw an Aerodactyl and an Onix at us," Saito pointed out, also frowning and crossing his arms from his seated position. "I wouldn't call those 'weak' Pokémon, and I doubt he throws them against every one-badge trainer."

"That still doesn't answer the question as to why Louise hasn't caught more Pokémon," Elizabeth insisted, and Louise finally had enough.

"Because the last thing I want to do is capture every Pokémon I come across and never spend any time with them, making them nothing more than trophies!" Louise suddenly shouted, sending Elizabeth slightly aback, then Louise stomped towards Elizabeth and pointed an accusatory finger at her rival. "Don't act like you know more about this than I do. That Zorua you caught? I bet that was the first Pokémon you caught by yourself in years. How'd you get the others? Oh right, you paid someone else to catch and train them for you. Look how that's turned out: an entire team that won't listen to you, making all their training pointless. That is the last thing I want."

Elizabeth breathed in sharply, her eye twitching and her teeth clenched. She growled out, "First of all, I just caught a Larvitar by myself. Second, you say you only want compatible Pokémon, but how many times have you gone out and actually found one yourself and not wait for it to appear at your feet?"

She shot Saito a quick glance and continued, "If I remember correctly, only one. The others either sought you out or fell into your lap without so much as a fuss. So don't lecture me on only catching compatible Pokémon when you're not willing to put in the work to find them. I can't help but wonder how many 'compatible' Pokémon you completely missed simply because you weren't looking."

Louise snarled while clenching her fists, growling out, "At least my team listens to me. Who are the only Pokémon that actually listen to you? Oh right, the ones that came to you or fell into your lap. Sure, I might have only caught Aile through a battle, but all of my Pokémon have become valued members of my team regardless. Not just as my Pokémon, but as my friends, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. I don't care how long it takes me to find my last two Pokémon; I'm in no rush. So don't lecture me on how to catch Pokémon."

Elizabeth growled in frustration, clenching her fists tight enough for them to start throbbing and said, "I've made my point. If you'll excuse me, I am going to pack up my tent and leave."

Saito raised an eyebrow at her. "Think you can manage it yourself?" he asked.

"Sh-shut up!" Elizabeth yelped back, an embarrassed blush, then she turned around and walked back to her campsite.

The two trainers watched as the verdette hunched over and began the slow, tedious process of putting away her tent. At the same time, Louise sat down and frowned to herself. Saito looked at his best friend in concern and turned his body to face her.

"Please tell me you don't actually think she's right," Saito begged, and Louise shook her head.

"No, she's completely wrong. There is no reason for me to catch every single Pokémon I come across," Louise insisted, causing her best friend to sigh relief. Then she added, "But I can afford to be more proactive about it."

"What do you mean?" Saito asked, perking and eyebrow, and Louise nodded towards him.

"The thought's been swirling in my head since my battle against Grant. I was training my team to beat him for weeks. We went over everything we could think of to try and negate our type disadvantage. Despite all that training, we barely managed to win." She pointed at Saito. "You still had a Pokémon left when your team won."

"That wasn't just because I had type advantage," Saito pointed out, but Louise shook her head.

"But you had more Pokémon, and options, to choose from," Louise countered. "Meaning you could afford to not use some of your Pokémon that didn't suit the battle. You have five Pokémon on your team right now, six if you include the unhatched egg. I only have four. By default that means I have less options than you, and that could become a major problem in the future. A problem that I do not need. It doesn't matter if the next two gyms should be easier for me. I can't guarantee success with only four Pokémon."

"Two of your Pokémon are evolved, though. Only one of mine is," Saito stated, then shrugged. "But I do see your point. Having more Pokémon wouldn't be a bad thing."

"Exactly." Louise stood up and stared down the path towards Geosenge Town, a determined look plastered across her face. Saito looked up at her for a moment, then he stood up as well.

"So, what exactly are you going to do?" Saito asked.

"I'm still only going to catch the Pokémon I want to catch," Louise replied, "but I'm not just going to sit back and wait."

"You're going to catch a Pokémon," Saito stated, and Louise nodded while pulling out her Pokédex.

"Yes, I am."


After Louise and Saito finished their breakfast, they quickly packed up their tents and equipment then set off down the route towards Geosenge Town. Elizabeth was still trying to put away her tent without destroying everything, but this time Louise had no desire to lend assistance. Rather than attempt to find a Pokémon right away, both of them decided to instead make some headway first.

That being said, both trainers quickly decided that taking a more offbeat path would give them greater odds of success. After several hours of walking, they had already encountered plenty of Pokémon from all sorts of species. Packs of Houndours, Nidorans moving underneath tall grass, and even a few Yanma hovering over a small pond that they passed. Yet, to Louise's disappointment, none of them spoke out to her.

"See anything you like?" Saito asked as he and Louise moved around a large boulder. Derflinger simply hovered over it, retaking his position at the back.

Louise sighed and shook her head, then admitted, "Not yet."

"You'll find something," Saito insisted as they felt the ground beneath them start to incline. Rocks and exposed roots became more prevalent, forcing the two trainers to tread more carefully in order to stay upright. They continued to see more and more Pokémon, even a flock of Fletchlings and Starlys that were temporarily roosting on tree branches up high. Eventually the path they were on grew too steep, forcing them to shift directions and take an easier along the side of the mountain rather than up it.

After a few more minutes of hiking, however, Louise and Saito stopped as they noticed a small green canine Pokémon eating some berries off of a bush. It had a yellow streak to its fur along its snout and the sides of its head, and at the moment it didn't notice their presence. Concealing themselves behind a bush, Louise pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Electrike, the Lightning Pokémon. An Electric-type Pokémon, Electrikes store static electricity along its fur, generated by running through the atmosphere. It can then use that electricity to stimulate its muscles, allowing it to run faster than the human eye can follow," Louise silently read from the Pokédex.

She hummed to herself in thought, rubbing her hand across one of her Pokéballs.

"Having an Electrike on her team could prove to be useful," Saito helpfully pointed out. "They're great against Water-types. Flying, too."

"And let me tell you, the paralysis they can inflict on you sucks," Derflinger added, shivering. "I once got hit by a Thunder Wave from a Dedenne and couldn't move out of a river for a month. I got so rusted…ooh, I get angry just thinking about it."

"Why did that happen?"

"Jerk didn't want to share his berries. Greedy rat…"

While Saito rolled his eyes exasperatingly, Louise remained silent while deep in thought. Water-types were one of her biggest weaknesses, Louise silently admitted to herself, and their effectiveness against Flying-types was an added bonus. But Electric-type Pokémon also had their own issues, which she decided to quietly point out.

"They're useless against Ground-types, though," she whispered. "It's not like having one would have helped against Grant."

"But you're not going to be fighting Grant again, unless you want a rematch. Plus, only one of his Pokémon were actually Ground-type," Derflinger pointed out, offering some sage advice. "Trust me, kid. Preparing only for the last battle you fought means you'll lose all others."

Saito nodded in agreement with Derflinger's words, then pursed his lips in thought. After a moment, he said, "Now that I think about it, there aren't any Water or Flying-type gyms along our route. So if you're trying to catch a Pokémon to take down a gym…I don't think an Electric-type will add much."

Louise nodded, having thought the exact same thing. More importantly, as she continued to stalk the Electrike, she noticed a distinct lack of that special spark that she had felt with her other Pokémon. She felt more like an analytical predator trying to decide if this particular prey was worth the effort rather than someone trying to make a friend. It didn't feel right, and as a final test, Louise stood up from behind the bush she was hiding in, exposing herself to the Electrike. As though confirmation of her thoughts, the Electrike took one look at her and yelped frightfully before sprinting away through a bush and out of sight.

"Guess it wasn't meant to be," Louise muttered to herself, her voice drenched in disappointment. Saito frowned in sympathy, then patted her shoulder to comfort his best friend. She smiled at the gesture, then readjusted her backpack and set off once again with Saito and Derflinger following behind them.

They continued their trek through the forest, passing by many different species of Pokémon. Louise scanned everyone she could, both to fill up her Pokédex as well as try to figure out if she should try catching them. She saw Emolgas gliding from branch to branch, with a Sigilyph floating above the trees and flying in a recognizable pattern. She thought about catching them, but Emolga had the exact same issue as Electrike, plus the added redundancy of being a Flying-type, and Sigilyph's Psychic/Flying type combination meant it didn't offer anything new at all to her team. Plus, she frankly thought it looked weird.

"What about that Golett? It seems friendly," Derflinger asked as they watched a blue waist-high Pokémon that reminded Louise of a golem from back home wander around a few craggy rocks that vaguely looked like faces. To her surprise, a few of those faces then blinked as the Golett wandered too close, revealing themselves to be a group of Nosepass that stoically regarded the Golett for a moment before stilling once again. She scanned both, seeing that the Golett was a Ground/Ghost-type Pokémon whereas the Nosepass was purely Rock.

"Hmm, they are tempting," Louise admitted. "Especially the Golett, and having a Ghost-type would offer a lot to my team."

"But?" Saito quietly asked, just knowing it was coming.

Louise slowly nodded, saying, "But I can't really imagine myself catching a Golett. It feels more like something Guiche de Gramont would catch."

Seeing Saito's slightly raised eyebrow, Louise added, "Guiche is a dot-level Earth mage who really likes making bronze golems to do things for him. To the point where he was called 'Guiche the Bronze.'"

Saito regarded her for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "I guess I can understand that. Still, that Golett would be a nice option."

"I know, it just doesn't feel…me," Louise quietly said, then she and Saito turned around and walked away. Derflinger stayed behind for a moment, watching the Golett who finally noticed their presence. The two Ghost-type Pokémon stared at each other, then Derflinger awkwardly chuckled and floated away.

"Sorry…" he called out, quickly floating after Saito and Louise who didn't even notice his absence.

At the same time, Louise continued to think of her former classmates. She couldn't help but chuckle and wonder what Pokémon suited them best, if only to pass the time and alleviate her boredom.

"What are you thinking about?" Saito asked, and Louise gently waved a hand.

"Oh, just trying to guess what Pokémon the people I know would catch," she revealed.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. What do you think they would catch?" Saito asked, and Louise tapped her chin in thought.

"Let's see, if I was Guiche, I would catch…probably a Rock-type. Geodude, maybe? Or maybe he'd go for a Roselia? He always liked roses," she wondered aloud, cupping her chin as she spotted a Snubbull lazily waddle from between two different bushes. "Kirche? Definitely a Fire-type like Charmander, but her familiar might get jealous. Tabitha always hung around her for some reason, what would she catch? It would have to be something reclusive and soft-spoken. Maybe a Sneasel? Ugh, can't really pin her down…"

"I'm guessing Tabitha wasn't very upfront?" Saito guessed, and Louise.

"Not really, no. She was always very quiet and kept to herself, except for Kirche of course. Don't really have an opinion on her. She never did anything untoward to me, but never did anything to stop it either," Louise stated. "She was top of our class, though. Tabitha was already a triangle-level mage at the start of our first year."

Saito hummed and nodded, while Derflinger said, "She sounds complicated. Hopefully the nice complicated and not the secretly-murderous complicated. Those are never fun."

Louise quickly nodded, then her thoughts turned those whom she actually cared about, and a genuine smile filled her face.

"Mother would definitely want a Dragon-type. Dragonite's a bit too soft for her, though. Maybe a Salamance or Haxorus? Those are definitely mighty enough. Cattleya would love something soft and cuddly…a Chansey or Blissey would be perfect for her. Father…hmm, he's a bit more difficult. Something powerful and noble…maybe he gets the Haxorus while Mother gets get the Salamance? Éléonore…hmm, she would be like Father. Headstrong, ill-tempered, but smart and strong at the same time. Maybe a Tauros?"

Louise then thought of her childhood friend, Princess Henrietta, and her smile grew wider. "A Dragonite would suit the Princess perfectly. Strong, noble, kind, just like her."

Louise paused she spotted a pair of red, white, and green birds fighting each other around a tree. Saito noticed them as well, and they hid behind a rock while Louise pulled out her Pokédex to scan them.

It read, "Hawlucha, the Wrestling Pokémon. A Flying/Fighting-type Pokémon, Hawluchas are renowned for their fighting spirit which allows them to take on much larger opponents. They tend to show off in battle, however, which often leads to otherwise avoidable injury."

True to the Pokédex's statement, one of the Hawluchas flexed its body triumphantly after it landed a solid blow against its opponent. The other Hawlucha promptly took advantage of the distraction to tackle the first followed by a suplex. Rather than take advantage of the downed state, the second Hawlucha stopped to show off, allowing the first to retaliate unabated.

Louise and Saito stared at the two combatants for a few more moments, then silently backed away to let them continue their bout. She wanted no part of that nonsense. At the same time, she noticed that the sun was beginning to set, and with a heavy sigh she turned around and began walking back down the mountain towards her campsite. Saito didn't say anything, knowing that Louise disappointed, and decided that he would try making some curry that night for dinner to perk her up.

Once she got far enough away from the Hawluchas, she released Aile and sent her above to find the path back to Geosenge. Louise knew they was far off the beaten path, and trying to find her way back in the dark would only spell disaster. A few minutes later, Aile returned and began directing her trainer towards the route. Deep down, however, she was disappointed with herself. She spent all afternoon trying to find a Pokémon to capture, yet she found nothing. None of them spoke to her, or made no sense to join her team.

"Are my standards too high?" she wondered aloud, rubbing her fingers across her chin as she approached a small clearing.

"Maybe, but who am I to judge? I'm just a six-thousand year old ghost sword," Derflinger cheekily admitted, and Louise grumbled towards him while Saito chuckled in amusement. It was then that they noticed a single menhir in the middle of the clearing.

They stopped to look at it, and Louise felt a strange connection to the rock structure. It felt somber and heavy, like something terribly wrong happened here long ago, but she couldn't tell what. Derflinger's absolute silence only added to the feeling. Regardless, she remained quiet and respectful as she studied it more, just as one would when walking near a grave. After a few minutes of reflection, as the sky turned orange, Louise turned away and continued her walk back to camp. As they came upon the road once again, however, from the corner of her eye she spotted a brown ball of fur curled up in between some roots. Its neck and the tip of its fluffy wail was white, and a single pair of ears were laid flat atop its head.

Louise recognized the Pokémon immediately. She was intimately aware of its species, yet she still pulled out her Pokédex and scanned it.

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Eevees are one of, if not the, most adaptable Pokémon on the planet, capable of evolving into eight different species depending on the use of various evolution stones or their environment. This makes them a highly sought after Pokémon, both for trainers and researchers studying Pokémon evolution. They are also very popular as pets," the Pokédex revealed.

Louise felt her eyes widen. An Eevee was absolutely perfect for her team. Sure, it was a Normal-type right now, but as the Pokédex said, it could evolve into something else completely. Once her team was finalized, it could be evolved to fill any hole she might have left. Plus, there was another, vastly more important reason.

"Oh Founder, it's so cute!" Louise squealed and brought her fists to her cheeks. When she heard Saito chuckle from behind her, the noblewoman blushed in embarrassment and hastily recomposed herself.

Making up her mind, Louise nodded to herself and pulled out Brennaraki's Luxury Ball. She released her starter while directing Aile to come back down and rest on a tree branch above the Eevee. This action stirred the vulpine Pokémon awake, and with a yawn he stretched his body out and stood up. He lazily regarded Louise and Brennaraki for a moment, then shot fully awake as he fully realized their presence. Rather than run away, he merely nonchalantly shrugged then sat upright, almost as though he was saying, "Alright, I guess this is happening now."

Happy that the Eevee wasn't running away, meaning he was least open to the idea of capture, Louise introduced herself.

"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière," she called out, "and I wanted to ask you something. You see, I'm currently trying to win the Pokémon League, and I need all the help I can get. Together, I think you and I have the chance to grow stronger and win the entire thing. So, what do you say? Do you want to join me?"

Eevee thought it over for a moment, then nonchalantly shrugged and nodded at Louise's pitch. Rather than go without a fuss, however, Eevee settled into a battle stance and yipped.

"Ooh, he wants to see what you can do first," Derflinger translated, not that Louise needed him to do that. She understood what the Eevee was saying quite easily.

Louise smirked, then pointed her arm towards the Eevee and shouted, "Brennaraki, use Flamethrower!"

Brennaraki took in a deep breath and shot out a stream of red-hot flame towards her opponent, who nimbly dodged and retaliated with Swift. A barrage of golden, twirling stars shot towards Brennaraki, arcing over the Flamethrower and striking her from all directions. A small cloud of dust and smoke covered her body, which was quickly dispersed by the ejection of steam from her ears.

"Psybeam!" Louise ordered. Brennaraki concentrated deeply, then a purple beam of psychic energy shot out and stuck the Eevee in the side as he attempted to dodge. The attack sent him rolling back along the ground, but he recovered quickly and looked at Brennaraki, his body shaking slightly. At first, his expression was hard, but then it rapidly shifted into something wide, teary, and above all else, cute as can be. The flurry of hearts that surrounded Eevee's gaze did little to help.

"Aww," Louise cooed, as did Brennaraki. Her stance softened just enough for Eevee to close the distance with a Quick Attack, sending a surprised Brennaraki skidding back slightly along the ground. She dug in her claws and stopped herself before she could go very far, but before she could retaliate, Eevee was already bouncing away. The attack snapped Louise out of her cuteness-induced trance, and she bit back a curse. That attack was Baby-Doll Eyes, meant to soften the opponent's attacks and leaved them exposed. A tactic they fell for hook, line, and sinker.

She clenched her fist, and yelled out, "Will-O-Wisp!"

A ball of green fire shot towards Eevee, who was unable to dodge as it the flame washed over him. A large burn formed on his back, making him flinch in pain and briefly stumble. Pumping her fist in victory, Louise followed the attack with an order of Fire Spin, and a column of flame formed around the wounded Eevee. Despite his wounds, he was able to jump way in time and avoid injury, other than a slightly singed tail, and fired a barrage of Swift towards Brennaraki. The golden stars all struck the shiny Fennekin, making her flinch slightly while Eevee ran as fast as he could around her.

Louise quickly realized what the Eevee was going. He now realized that standing still was only going to get him hurt, and now he was powering through the pain of the burn to avoid Brennaraki's retaliatory strikes.

"All that and he's still going strong? Little guy's tough as nails," Saito pointed out, staying in the background alongside Derflinger. Louise was growing more impressed, and with another thrust of her arm she shouted another command for Brennaraki to use Flamethrower. As before, the Eevee dodged and retaliated with another Swift.

Brennaraki, now thoroughly annoyed, kept firing where Eevee was and not where he was going to be, causing her to miss her attacks while his Swift always hit their mark. Rather than feel frustrated, all Louise felt was vindication. Eevee would definitely work well on her team.

First, though, she had to deal with the Swift, and so she ordered Brennaraki, "Use Light Screen!"

A box of glass-like psychic constructs formed around Brennaraki, which the Swift collided with harmlessly. Rather than stop to catch his breath, the Eevee kept running around his opponent. Louise studied his movements carefully, trying to find an opening when she noticed that Eevee was running in a noticeable pattern. A thought came to mind, and she gestured towards her starter with her hand, telling her to prime an attack but wait. Brennaraki caught on immediately and patiently waited, focusing on her opponent as he continued to circle around her and attack with Swift. The Light Screen was beginning to crack, and soon it would shatter completely.

"Now!" Louise shouted. Brennaraki immediately let out another Flamethrower right as Eevee passed in front of her. Surprised, Eevee could do nothing other than flail as the attack struck, sending him rolling across the cross into a crumpled heap. He attempted to pick himself up, but his legs gave way and he was unable to.

Seizing the chance, Louise pulled out an empty Luxury Ball and threw it towards Eevee as hard as she could. Unlike her attempts at catching Aile, this time the throw connected with Eevee's head on the first try. The ball opened and sucked Eevee inside before popping closed. With bated breath, Louise watched as the Luxury Ball wiggled back and forth as Eevee attempted to break himself free, but his efforts were in vain as the Luxury Ball clicked with a resounding pop.

"Yes! I caught an Eevee!" Louise cheered, jumping into the air victoriously while Brennaraki joined her in jubilation. She then ran over to her Luxury Ball and held it in front of her face, then knelt to the ground and released the Eevee back into the outside. Aile took the moment to flutter over onto Louise's shoulder as Eevee looked up at her in slight confusion.

"Hello there," Louise gently said, pulling out a spray can of Full Restore and holding it upward. "This will make you feel better. May I?"

Eevee looked at the can of medicine, then nodded and turned his injuries towards her. Happy that her newest capture caught on so quickly, Louise applied the medicine carefully. Eevee winced from the slight stinging pain, then sighed in satisfaction as cool relief consumed the throbbing burn. He then turned back towards Louise and sat down, curling his fluffy tail around him as he stared up at her. Eevee also glanced at Brennaraki. Rather than be angry, he flashed a smile and waved a paw towards her. It was clear he had no hard feelings about losing to her, and Brennaraki rolled her eyes at how nonchalant he was asking. To Louise, though, it was endearing. On her part, Brennaraki did walk over to Eevee and pat his shoulder, officially welcoming him to the team as he repeated the action to her.

Louise smiled at how easily her newest Pokémon was adjusting to his new team, then held out her arms to pick him up. Eevee quickly figured out what she was doing, and with a smile He hopped into her embrace and snuggled up against her body. Louise openly cooed and rubbed Eevee's exposed tummy as she walked back towards camp. From the ground, Brennaraki looked up in slight annoyance, but let it slide off as she followed her trainer, ignoring the knowing look that Aile was sending her way.

"Now, what to call you?" Louise asked herself and Eevee as they continued to walking. "Peluche? Évoli? No, that's just your species in another language. Hmm."

Louise looked at Eevee, who stared cutely back up at her before readjusting himself in her arms. She smiled and rubbed his belly again, then thought back to a book that she once read back at Professor Sycamore's lab. It about a science called 'genetics,' which was all about how an individual's genes could determine what they and their children looked like and what they could do. That sounded and awful lot like what Eevees could do, and she finally thought of a name.

"How does Gène sound to you?" Louise asked, and her freshly caught Pokémon nodded approvingly. Louise smiled and said, "Alright, Gène. Welcome to the team."

[~][~]

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

Louise has now officially caught her fifth Pokemon, and it's everyone's favorite fox: Eevee! Or Gene, as his new name is. He's a fun character to write, and I think you guys are going to really like him.

Now, onto the Q&A:

.549: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the story so much.

Jlargent: Potentially, but only if I can find a way to justify them. Probably from another trainer and not in the wild.

keybladelight: Elizabeth is the rival to Louise, and she'll pop up from time to time as the story demands it.

Vein Bloodborn: Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

Shadowwolf of phantasms: Don't worry, that's coming up. As to your second question, Louise answered it herself: she has no desire to do that as she wants to focus on the Pokemon/friends she has now.

That's it for this time. We hope you all enjoy it and let us know what you think!