Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 1, Episode 14, Chapter 3
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With the newly caught Gène held in Louise's arms, they walked away from the menhir towards the nearest road. They barely had enough time to set up camp before the sun set, and the full moon and stars were the only sources of light in an otherwise pitch black sky.
"Brennaraki, can you start the fire?" Louise asked her starter. The Fennekin happily nodded, then shot a small puff of fire into the assembled pile of firewood. It burst into flame with a mighty crack and gentle roar, and Louise hummed as she felt the heat wash over her like a blanket, sheltering her from the cool night air.
"You know, using a Fire-type to light a campfire is shockingly mundane," Louise pointed out as Saito boiled a pot of curry over it.
"I guess so," Saito shrugged, stirring the pot. "I mean, Fire-types help in restaurants all the time. Back home, my favorite Kantonian food place used a Charmander to heat the wok. Sometimes while he was napping on the counter. Had a little metal bracket for him to rest his tail on to keep it over the stove while he was asleep and everything."
"Kid, they've been doing that for thousands of years," Derflinger stated, resting on the ground next to the tree they were camping under. "Before people ever started using Pokémon for battles or warfare, humans and Pokémon worked together to make food and life easier. Granted, it didn't take long for Pokémon to start being used in battles, but the point still stands."
"Yeah," Louise said with a smile and nod, scratching the top of Gène's head while he closed his eyes in content. "It always amazes me just how connected your people are with Pokémon, Saito. Back home, we have domesticated animals, but they're nothing like Pokémon. I suppose dragons, gryphons, and manticores might come close, but even then, they're viewed as beasts of burden more than anything else."
"To be fair, it took centuries for this current mindset to settle in," Derflinger added. "I should know; I watched it happen. When it finally clicked, things got so much better and we haven't looked back since."
"And yet, some idiots back home thought humans and Pokémon should be completely separated," Saito scoffed, prompting Louise to raise her eyebrow. He gave a shrug, saying, "In Unova, there was a group of terrorists called Team Plasma who wanted to force humans and Pokémon to live apart from one another. They said that the very idea of Pokémon battles were harmful and belittling to Pokémon."
"Hah! As if!" Derflinger laughed. "Almost every Pokémon I've ever met loves to fight, and even then, if they didn't want to be with their trainer, there wasn't anything that human could do to stop them."
"Exactly," Saito agreed. "Then it turned out their leader was a power-hungry tyrant who wanted to get rid of everyone's Pokémon except for his own, leaving the world ripe for the taking. His own son found out what he was really like and helped to bring him down, taking his entire organization down with him. Happened about a year before Team Flare's fall, now that I think about it."
"Does every region have a criminal team or something?" Louise asked, noting the similar names of Team Flare and Team Plasma, and Saito nodded.
"For the most part," he admitted, "but most are defunct or disbanded. Others are smaller and pettier groups who name themselves after the larger organizations in an attempt to get more credibility. The most powerful one right now is Team Rocket, but they're mostly focused in Kanto and Johto, not to mention more like organized crime rather than terrorists. Probably why they're still around; the others were just crazy."
"Such as?"
"Well, in Hoenn, you had two rival groups, Team Magma and Team Aqua. Both had plans involving both Groudon and Kyogre, the Legendary Pokémon of the continents and oceans, respectively. Team Magma wanted to use Groudon to evaporate of all the water in the oceans and create more land for people to use, while Team Aqua wanted to use Kyogre to flood the world and increase the size of the oceans for Pokémon to live in. I'll give you two guesses as to why those ideas were absolutely horrible."
"…Ugh," Louise replied, rolling her eyes in exasperation. She could feel a headache coming on just from the sheer stupidity of them. Saito nodded in sympathy, then continued.
"Yeah, well, over in Sinnoh you had Team Galactic. Now those guys, they were completely insane. They wanted to use the power of the Creation Trio, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina to destroy the universe and make a brand new one. Frighteningly enough, they almost succeeded."
"Founder…" Louise stared at her friend with wide eyes as he nodded.
"There are other groups out there, like Team Snag-Em, but they're mostly just a bunch of thugs or hooligans at worst," Saito revealed, then looked at Louise. "Does Tristain have anything like that?"
"Founder, I hope not," Louise admitted. She dreaded to think about a criminal group who wanted to destroy everything. "Tristain has bandits and orc tribes, but those are just local problems for the appropriate noble to deal with. The only thing that could compare would be Reconquista."
"Reconquista? What's that?" Saito asked.
"A group of Albionese radicals and revolutionaries," Louise explained. "They claim they want to abolish what they view as a tyrannical monarchial system and replace it with a republic."
"…This might be one of those 'culture clash' things, but I really don't see the problem with replacing classism with representative democracy," Saito said. Louise gave him a look, then sighed. It only made sense that Saito would support a republican form of government. After all, it was what he grew up in. Plus, after spending a few months in Kalos, even she had to admit it had its advantages.
"Well," Louise began to clarify, "it wouldn't be so bad if it was actually true. But Reconquista's actions over the past few years make it abundantly clear that it's all a lie to keep their followers in line."
"Oh, yeah? Are they going for keeping the same system with themselves on top, or more of an 'Elected for Life' thing?" Derflinger asked, and Louise flatly stared at him.
"Theocracy," Louise declared. "Followed by genocidal crusades."
"Oh," Saito softly replied then shook his head. "Well then, screw those guys. Who was winning?"
Louise frowned rather than answer. Derflinger recognized her look immediately then rolled his eye.
"Let me guess: the old king of Albion was a right bastard who ran the country to the ground, allowing Reconquista to rise to prominence, so now the royal family is losing?" the Honedge asked. Louise was silent for a moment, then nodded. Derflinger closed his eye and sighed. "You see it once, you've seen it a thousand times. Why haven't the other kingdoms intervened? I'd wager a republican movement, even a false one, is not something the nobility would appreciate."
"They don't," Louise admitted with a frown, "but Tristain is too weak to even attempt an intervention on the side of the Tudors. Germania has a powerful army but their naval power isn't enough to safely cross the channel into Albion, and Gallia is being run by a lazy, apathetic man who doesn't even care enough to pretend to entertain the idea. Romalia has been preoccupied with themselves as of late, which means no one is able to do anything. The Tudors and their Loyalists are on their own."
The group fell silent as they contemplated Louise's words, while she hugged her knees close to her chest and rested her head atop it.
"If Reconquista wins, they won't stop at Albion," Louise slowly pointed out. "They'll want to spread their ideology to the other kingdoms, by force if necessary, and Tristain is both the closest country to them and the weakest. We relied on our alliance with the Tudors for our protection, but with that gone, I fear what happens next."
Saito frowned in sympathy, then placed his hand on Louise's shoulder and said, "Hey, don't worry about it now. There's nothing you can do, so focus instead on what you can do. No sense stressing yourself out on things outside of your control."
Louise looked at her friend and nodded. Saito smiled back, then huffed his nostrils as he smelled the curry finish cooking. He smiled and walked over it, and Louise was practically giddy as Saito poured a serving into a bowl then handed it and a spoon to her.
"Enjoy," Saito said, then he and Louise happily began to dig into their meal as the fire cast a flickering light all around them.
The next morning, Saito and Louise woke up at the crack of dawn, ate a quick breakfast of eggs and bacon, then packed away their campsite. Within an hour of waking up, they were walking down the road again. For the most part it was uneventful, with only the occasional Pokémon passing them by. Neither Louise nor Saito felt the desire to catch one of them, especially as Louise just caught Gène and as such wanted to focus on integrating him before adding another. For Saito, he already had a full team, just that the last addition hadn't fully arrived onto the world just yet.
"Ooh, I think I felt the egg kick a little," Saito noted as held his Pokémon egg in his arms. Louise looked at it with wonder in her eyes as well as open curiosity. They had been holding onto it for weeks, and if Esprit was correct, it would hatch any day now.
"I wonder what she's going to be," Louise wondered, and Saito shrugged.
"I don't know, but she feels heavy," Saito pointed out, then added, "You know, I can't help but note just how long we've held onto this thing. Makes me feel excited for when it finally hatches."
"Just the anticipation or something else?" Louise asked as they continued their hike with the sun rising overhead.
"Oh, the anticipation's killing me," Saito admitted and smirked, "but there's another reason. According to some articles I've read by Professor Elm of Johto, studies have found that the longer it takes for an egg to hatch, the more powerful the Pokémon will likely be. I've been holding onto this egg for weeks. Had it been like a Caterpie or something like that, it would have hatched in a few days at most."
"Oh, I see!" Louise said with a nod. "Yeah, now that I think about it, that makes a lot of sense. I wonder if that egg belongs to a Dragon-type?"
"Who knows, but whatever she is, I just know she's going to fit in perfectly," Saito replied with an eager smile. Louise smiled back, then shifted her attention forward as they continued hiking.
They would be stopping for lunch, soon, then Louise and Saito would be doing something she had been looking forward to all day: her first training session with Gène. After battling him, she liked to think that she had gotten a good feel for what he was capable of. But while Gène was certainly talented, she couldn't dare to think a single five-minute battle would be enough to gauge everything about him. Plus, having him meet the rest of her team would only be a good thing.
Finally, they came across a bend in the trail next to a small flat clearing. A rim of trees arranged like a half-circle formed the perfect spot to sit down, eat lunch and train, not to mention ample shade. There was even another menhir standing in the center of the clearing. Once again, Louise felt drawn to the ancient structure for some unfathomable reason, but she discard it as she and Saito paused their journey, set out a blanket for them to sit on underneath a large tree, and released their Pokémon.
"Everyone, I want you to meet your newest teammate, Gène!" Louise introduced her caught Eevee to the rest of her team. Gène, sitting upright, yipped out a quick greeting, which the other Pokémon gleefully answered. Brennaraki's was slightly more forced, still feeling jealous of the overt affection Louise was heaping onto him, while Maindo didn't say anything to instead grumble by his lonesome.
'Welcome to the team, Gène!' Esprit greeted Gène while offering her hand to shake. Gène was slightly confused at what the gesture meant, but he caught on fairly quickly and eagerly accepted the gesture.
"Thanks! Happy to be here," Gène replied. "I mean, losing kinda stunk, but that's no big deal. That only tells me I'll get stronger with her!'
"Oh trust me, she'll work you to the bone," Aile clarified from atop a tree branch. "She'll do it nicely, though."
"That's good!" Gène happily cheered, wrapping his fluffy tail around his body. "She seemed like a nice girl."
'She's also insane, so look forward to that,' Maindo grumbled out, prompting the other Pokémon to shoot him angry glares. Gène, meanwhile, simply tilted his head in confusion and looked at Brennaraki, who was shaking her head.
"Don't listen to him, Louise isn't insane," Brennaraki insisted.
"Then why would he say that?"
"Because Maindo's an asshole."
"Oh, okay," Gène immediately accepted with a nod, causing Maindo to snort loudly.
'Call me whatever you want, the fact that she believes she came from another world is insane,' Maindo insisted.
"She doesn't believe it, you jerk! She did!" Brennaraki growled, her hair standing up on end. Maindo rolled his eyes and shook his head, while Gène merely opened his mouth wide in surprise.
"Louise came from another world?" he asked. The others nodded, then he smiled. "That's so cool! My trainer's an alien!"
That caused the other Pokémon to look at the Eevee in surprise. They hadn't expected him to accept Louise's true origins so readily. Even Maindo paused his perpetual grumpiness to look at Gène with a raised eyebrow, and Tanuki scratched the side of his face.
"Eh, you kinda accepted that a lot quicker than I thought you would," he admitted. "It took us weeks to believe it."
"Well," Gène began, "you obviously all believe it, so why shouldn't I?"
The others paused, then Ronin said, "You just go with the flow, don't you?"
"Yep!" Gène happily replied. "I'm an Eevee, after all. Being adaptable is the name of the game."
The others looked at Gène's happy-go-lucky face, and at once they rolled their eyes in lighthearted exasperation. It was obvious to them that Gène was a pretty chill Pokémon, letting things easily slide off of him and accept things at face value. To Auspice, curled up the shade of the tree among some roots, that was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it would make Gène that much easier to get along with, but on the other hand, that kind of mindset lent itself easily to naivety which came with its own problems. Auspice wasn't too worried, though. With enough time, which Louise was more than willing to give, they would able to work around that.
"Alright, everyone!" Louise called out as she and Saito finished eating their lunch. Any discussions held between the Pokémon were immediately silenced as they focused their attention on their trainers. Once they got closer to their Pokémon, Louise placed her hands on her hips and said, "We're going to start training now. Gène, Brennaraki, you two with me. I need to know more about what you can do. Auspice, work with Esprit. Dark-types are one of her weaker areas. Aile, I want you to work on your agility. Fly as fast as you can through those tree branches. You should be barely missing them."
Louise's Pokémon all nodded in agreement, while Saito told his Pokémon, "We're going to be doing some spars today. Tanuki, you face off against Maindo in a mock battle. Ronin, Shogun, we're coming up against a Grass-type Gym fairly soon, and I think we both know that's going to be a problem. I want you sparing against Tengu. If we can build up a resistance, that'll make things much easier. Tanuki, once you and Maindo are done, I want you to do the same thing with Shogun. Understand?"
His Pokémon, except for Maindo, nodded in agreement. Saito frown at his Ralts' demeanor, yet when his Pokémon moved off to begin their training, he noticed that Maindo did as he was told. At first, he thought it was due to Maindo finally coming around while putting up a front to maintain his 'tough 'mon' persona, but when he and Tanuki started sparring, Saito saw the look on Maindo's face. It was hard to describe, looking like a mixture of a scowl and a smile at the same time. The look was definitely wicked, and at the same time Saito saw the utter disdain Maindo held towards his teammate as they squared off against each other. A look that Tanuki, for all his worth, shot back just as strongly. After a moment of confusion, Saito finally realized why Maindo went to spar against the Riolu, and he groaned.
"Of course," Saito grumbled, hanging his head. Louise, also noticing the source of his displeasure, patted his shoulder comfortingly.
"There, there," she soothed, while Derflinger floated up to them and rolled his eye.
"Well, that's one way to get him to train," Derflinger noted. "Just tell him he can beat somebody else up."
"I'll keep that in mind for the future," Saito sarcastically replied, then pinched the bridge of his brow in frustration.
They had been training for hours now. Louise and Saito were covered in a sheen of sweat as they completed another set of pushups. Unlike before, Louise didn't feel the need to collapse for breath, but she was panting heavily.
"19…20," Saito counted out, then he pushed himself onto his butt and sat upright. Louise joined him, and together under the shade of the tree they leaned back and rested their heads against the wood like an extra hard pillow.
"How much…more…?" Louise panted out, wiping away the sweat on her forehead then taking a gulp of water.
Saito breathed heavily, then answered, "One more set of jumping jacks…then we're done…"
"Yay…" Louise groaned. They sat there for what seemed like an eternity yet was only a few minutes. Eventually, despite her body screaming at her in protest, she and Saito stood up then began performing jumping jacks.
In the field around them, their Pokémon were in a similar state of exhaustion. They were training as hard as they could, both to improve themselves or out of a sense of competition forming among them. Maindo was more pissed off than usual, so Saito had Tanuki help to work out the Ralts' aggression. It was an offer both Pokémon gladly took, and neither of them really liked the other.
He was reminded of that when Tanuki slammed into Maindo with a Quick Attack, sending the Ralts stumbling back. Using his telekinesis, Maindo stopped his fall and glared harshly at a bouncing-in-place Tanuki, who had his paws raised into a ready stance, clearly eager to keep going. Maindo growled as purple sparks ejected out of his hands, then he formed a Shadow Ball and shot it towards Tanuki, who nimbly leaned back to let it pass overhead. After that, the two Pokémon charged each other yet again, their 'training' continuing in earnest.
Aile, meanwhile, zipped through the tree branches at breakneck pace. Her small body skimmed along the wooden limbs, ruffling the leaves and occasionally breaking apart small twigs. Despite her nervousness, she forced herself to keep going as fast as she could. Speed and agility were her greatest strengths, after all, and the more she improved in those areas, the better off she would be. At the same time, she did occasionally spot a thick enough branch that formed a perfect target, and so she would use Steel Wing on it as she shot past. She was already long gone by the time the branch hit the ground.
Tengu and Shogun were, in contrast to the intense competition between Maindo and Tanuki, more calmly sparring against each other. Of course, it was less of a spar and more of a 'Tengu attacks while Shogun dodges the best he could,' which they honestly felt they needed. Part of Shogun was annoyed every time a Bullet Seed struck his hide, and by now he had learned to fear the neon-green orb that announced a Solar Beam, but at the same time he was feeling an intense rush of excitement each time an attack neared. He couldn't help but grin wildly as he jumped over a line of bullet seeds then slid underneath another volley, all the while continuing to circle Tengu. On her part, she was forced to constantly rotate so that her shots would be as accurate as possible. Until she evolved, speed and agility was out of the question, so right now accuracy was the name of the game.
Auspice, meanwhile, stood in between Brennaraki and Gène, her eyes closed shut. She honed her senses to see her surroundings without actually seeing anything, all the while her opponents attacked her from afar. Streams of fire and swirling stars were sent her way, yet with the grace and poise like that of a ballerina, Auspice dodged them effortlessly. Gène's Swift attacks were proving to be difficult, and more than a few had managed to make contact, but she had been able to find windows of opportunity to evade. As it turned out, if one was fast and agile enough, they could make Swift hit something else. In this case, Brennaraki. Each time it happened, the shiny Fennekin was none too pleased, and Gène could only offer a soft apology in recompense.
They continued like this for the next few minutes as Saito and Louise finished their own personal training. By the end of it, both humans were exhausted, their bodies covered in sweat and their muscles aching from exertion. Both were sprawled out against the grass, feeling the wind sweep across their skin with a nice, cool sensation. They wanted nothing more than to lay there and do nothing else all day, but they had remained in place for long enough. Esprit then hopped over, rejuvenating their bodies with Heal Pulses, and both trainers felt their exhaustion go away.
"Thank you, Esprit," Louise told her Pokémon, immensely grateful they had learned about that application. If they hadn't, they would have been able to train as hard as they did. Saito nodded towards the Kirlia as well, then stood up and stretched his limbs.
"Okay guys! Call it in, we're about to head out!" Saito declared, as did Louise. Most of their Pokémon stopped immediately, but to Saito's displeasure, he saw that Maindo and Tanuki were still going at it. With a frown on his face, he shouted out, "Maindo, Tanuki! You guys can stop now!"
Once again, he was ignored. Tanuki at least tried to follow his trainer's orders, but Maindo wouldn't let him. The Ralts was clearly determined to finish this, which forced Tanuki back into the fight. Saito's frown deepened and he shook his head, but before he could stomp over to his Pokémon, he felt Derflinger gently grasp his shoulder with his sash.
"Don't," Derflinger advised. "Let them get it out of their systems. Besides, I feel like something is about to happen. Call it a gut feeling."
Saito shot Derflinger a cross look, then sighed and stepped back, crossing his arms across his chest. Resigned to the situation, everyone watched as Maindo and Tanuki continued their spar. He couldn't help but sigh internally, both angry and a little disappointed. The fact that they were still going was a problem, one he needed to correct, and the only consolation he could see was that he could tell the two of them were tired. The fight would be over soon, then he could scold both and continue their journey with no more interruptions. Hopefully, at least. After everything they've been through, there was no telling what would happen between now and Shalour.
When Tanuki launched forward with a Quick Attack into Maindo, followed by a Force Palm, Saito saw the Ralts' face warp with anger. That by itself wasn't news to him. In fact, Maindo being angry was almost his default expression, yet something about the way Maindo looked made Saito feel off. He looked way angrier than a simple hit would warrant, and despite all the time he had spent with Maindo, he was no closer to figuring out why.
"What am I going to do with you, Maindo…" Saito groaned as Maindo retaliated against Tanuki with Confusion. Louise frowned sympathetically, then patted Saito's shoulder.
"Don't worry. You'll get through to him eventually," Louise insisted.
Saito smiled, grateful at his best friend's words of encouragement, then his attention shot back to the fight as Tanuki suddenly smacked Maindo across the head with a Force Palm. The Ralts was sent skidding back, forced to use his psychic powers to keep himself upright. Once he fully stopped, Maindo shot his head upwards towards Tanuki, his eyes flashing with rage. He then apparently said something to Tanuki that left the Riolu taken aback, judging by his wide eyes and stiff posture.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Maindo began to glow. His body shifted and warped, doubling in height and his limbs growing longer. After a moment, the light dimmed and revealed a Kirlia. Saito was dumbstruck, elated even while Derflinger nodded in satisfaction that his instincts were right. He hadn't thought Maindo was so close to evolving, and he almost wanted to celebrate. That feeling was dashed when he heard a male voice echo from within his mind, and he realized immediately it belonged to Maindo.
'JUST GIVE UP ALREADY!' Maindo shouted, then blasted Tanuki away with a Psybeam. The attack struck the Riolu in the chest, sending him flying back. Before he could hit anything, however, Esprit gently caught Tanuki telekinetically, and he gave Esprit a soft, grateful look in thanks. Maindo, meanwhile, finally noticed his new form, and was now staring at his hands in shock.
"Holy crap, Maindo! You evolved!" Saito finally managed to say, smiling. For a brief moment, Maindo looked up and smiled back, then he noticed Saito's expression. Maindo's face fell, then the happiness he clearly felt was replaced by his normal irritation.
'No thanks to you,' Maindo scoffed, sending Saito slightly aback. Recognizing the fact that his trainer heard him, Maindo stared blankly for a moment then smiled. 'Oh, you can hear me, now? Good, because there's some things I've wanted to say for a while now. For starters, did you know you snore? It's so loud, I hear from my Pokéball.'
Everyone was silent a moment, then Saito groaned and hung his head while muttering under his head, "This is going to be a long day…"
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Welcome to the latest chapter of Outsiders! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate, Grendel4823, and Yuri Combat for all their help in bringing this story to life.
Maindo has finally evolved, but rather than that fix his problems, they're still around. What will become of this will be revealed in due time.
Now, onto the Q&A:
Sayians4ever: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy my story so much. I do love both Pokemon and FoZ, and frankly the desire to see these two crossed over in this way was the primary motivation behind this story. No one else was writing a story where Louise became a Pokemon Trainer, so I figured I might as well do it.
Phantom Thief of Hearts: Yep, Louise now has her first male Pokemon. I think you guys are really going to like Gene moving forward. As for the argument between Louise and Elizabeth, the point of it was that while Elizabeth does have some points, they are buried under a mountain of 'I don't know what I'm actually talking about.' Plus, Louise's situation is markedly different than Elizabeth's, so there's no reason for Louise to work that way in her training. What she's done has worked out so far, so why change it? As for potential Pokemon with the FoZ characters besides Louise and Saito, while your suggestions would make sense, there is a possibility that we won't do that arc. We want to, but we'll have to see how we feel once we end the final League arc. That being said, if we do decide to do it and the other FoZ characters get Pokemon of their own, they will only get one due to the need to reduce cast overload. We already have been forming ideas as to what they would get, but thank you for the suggestions.
SulliMike23: The answer to that will be revealed in due time.
xyzdreadnought: For the most part, yes, but they are subject to change as we write the story if we, the authors, determine there is a need. Gene's capture actually stemmed from this. Originally, Louise wasn't due to catch her next Pokemon for some time, but as I was writing the last chapter, I began to feel that was too long. I had been feeling that for a while, but the first scene of the last chapter solidified it. I discussed it with my editors and we came to an agreement that Louise should catch a Pokemon, and that an Eevee was the best option. Plus, we all like Eevees, and she was in the route where you could catch them in game. So, we went with it. Let that be said, however, that we are not taking suggestions for any of their teams. At the end of the day, it is our decision and our decision alone. The audience will not affect what happens as this is our story.
.549: Exactly, which is what we felt Louise would do in this situation. She's gone her whole life without friends, and now she wants to make sure that the creatures she bonds with will actually become her friend.
keybladelight: We probably won't be doing the Scottish Galar trainer. While hilarious, it unfortunately wouldn't really fit. There is a possibility of Galar trainers showing up, though. And once again, we'll see what's going on in Halkegenia eventually.
Vein Bloodborne: By the end of the story, Louise is going to be in pretty good shape. That's all I'll say on th ematter.
That's it for this time. I hope you all enjoy, and let us know what you think!
