Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 2, Episode 3, Chapter 2
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Lumiose City
"Apologies for the mess," Professor Sycamore said as he and Henrietta entered his laboratory, closing the door behind him. "I wasn't expecting visitors today. Please, have a seat. Would you like anything to eat or drink?"
"No thank you, sir," Henrietta respectfully replied, giving the kind man a warm smile as she folded her arms in front of her waist and shook her head. "I ate just before I arrived."
"Sir?" Professor Sycamore repeated and chuckled, then shook his head and added, "No need to be so formal, Henrietta. Calling me 'sir' just makes me sound old. Please, just Professor is fine."
Henrietta nodded, then replied, "Yes, si—Professor."
Sycamore laughed at Henrietta's hasty correction, then turned around to walk towards a kitchen area to grab something from an overhead wooden cabinet. She watched as he pulled out a tall glass cup, which caught her off guard due to just how many he had. Glass cups were normally reserved for the wealthy back home and typically used to drink expense wines or liquors out of. Yet Sycamore was simply filling up the glass with water and ice. Once again, Henrietta was reminded of just how far ahead Kalos was compared to Tristain, yet by now she was beginning to grow used to the feeling.
Henrietta took the opportunity to sit down in the waiting area on one of the leather-bound chairs organized around a thick wooden table. The chair was quite comfortable, comparable to the best chairs she had in her family's palace, and the table appeared to be well-constructed as well. She couldn't help but bounce around slightly, testing the seat's firmness as well as adjusting her position to get as comfortable as possible. At the same time, she also looked at the strange black box on the far end of the room, mounted onto the wall just above the brick fire place. She had absolutely no idea what the wide and tall box with a glossy face was, only that it was clearly what all the seats and sofas next to her were oriented towards. Part of her wanted to ask what it was, but she decided against it.
The final section of the room was what caught Henrietta's attention the most. It consisted of an elaborate array of machinery that stretched across an entire wall, none of which she recognized nor understood the use of. All she knew was that it was far, far more intricate than anything she had seen back in Tristain. Granted, she didn't have the most experience in seeing researchers back home. There was Tristain's Royal Magic Research Institute, but that was far more focused on recreating works of the ancient past than finding out anything new. A backwards policy, in Henrietta's opinion, but one that was entrenched among Tristain's ruling elite and general culture. The only real comparison she could think of was Professor Colbert's room and the small personal lab he had on the academy grounds, which was really just an isolated shed the rest of the faculty gave him so that he wouldn't destroy anything during his experiments. She got the distinct feeling that, were Professor Colbert to see Sycamore's lab he'd lose his mind, but Henrietta also felt that there was far more than just what was in this room.
"So," Professor Sycamore announced as he sat on a chair opposite her, handing Henrietta a glass of water despite her polite refusal. She took the offered beverage with a smile and nod, and Sycamore continued, "what brings you to my lab?"
"Well…" Henrietta began, then paused as she wondered how much she should actually tell him.
While Professor Sycamore certainly seemed like a kind man, appearances could be deceiving. Not only that, but she had to consider the situation she was in. Henrietta was a Princess, all alone from both her kingdom and the security it provided. Were anyone to figure out what she was, they might decide to take advantage of her current situation. But, as she looked at Sycamore's concerned face, she felt that she could trust him. Somewhat, at least. She suspected that outright announcing that she was from another world kidnapped by a demi-god wouldn't be taken at face value.
Deciding to go with a trimmed-down version of the truth, Henrietta answered, "I actually arrived to Lumiose this morning, and quickly got lost. I've never been to Kalos before, and everything was just so…new."
"Ah, I see," Sycamore said with a sympathetic nod, taking a sip from his glass of water. "Don't worry, that happens to a lot of people, especially first time tourists."
"Yes," Henrietta replied with a faint smile, happy that Sycamore was taking her at her word. "Unfortunately, due to…unexpected circumstances, all I had was the clothes on my back and nothing else."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Sycamore replied, his face falling. "Was it stolen by a Pokémon? Some of them tend to take things from people if they can get away with it."
"…Yes," Henrietta answered, refusing to elaborate any further. Sycamore nodded in acceptance, then she continued, "After wandering the city for a bit, I found myself at the park where I ran into AZ."
"AZ?"
"Oh, he left before you opened the door," Henrietta realized, then began to explain, "He was a gruff yet kind man who went out of his way to get me food when he realized I didn't have anything on me. This was in spite of him appearing to be homeless. We ate together, talked, then he brought me here."
Sycamore scrunched up his face, then asked, "Was this 'AZ' three-meters tall or so?"
"Yes," Henrietta quickly admitted. "He was by far the tallest man I've ever seen."
"Same here," Sycamore muttered. Upon seeing Henrietta's confused expression, Sycamore quickly added, "I think I saw this AZ character watch you enter my lab. Didn't know why at first, but now I think he was just making sure you got in okay."
"Oh," Henrietta muttered, her eyes drifting towards the front entrance. A thankful smile graced across her lips, appreciative of the concern AZ had given her despite only knowing her for a short time.
Nodding towards her and taking another drink of his water, Sycamore then said, "But while I'm glad AZ was able to help you, I don't understand why he brought you to me."
"I don't quite understand that, either," Henrietta admitted, scrunching up her face slightly. "All he told me was that you'd be able to help, then he left without elaborating any further."
Henrietta then looked up at Sycamore in slight concern and asked, "You…will be able to help me, right? I don't want to impose on you or anything, so—"
"No, no, it's fine," Sycamore hastily insisted. "I'm more than happy to lend you a hand, Henrietta, and you wouldn't be imposing on anything. This wouldn't be the first time I've helped someone in a similar situation to you out, and I don't intend to stop anytime soon."
"Oh, that's good. Thank you," Henrietta replied, relief dripping through her voice. Her curiosity then got the better of her, "So, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you a professor of? What do you do around here when you're not helping young maidens in distress?"
Sycamore chuckled at her joke, then answered, "Well, for the most part, I study Mega Evolution. That and give carefully selected trainers their starter Pokémon."
"Mega Evolution? What is that?" Henrietta asked, not recognizing the term from Siesta's Pokédex.
"Mega Evolution," Sycamore began to explain, placing his cup onto a small end table next to his chair as his hands out in front of him, "is a phenomenon where fully-evolved Pokémon can undergo another temporary evolutionary stage, vastly increasing their power and vitality. They do this through a combination of a species-specific mega stone to channel the energy, a keystone that generates the energy, and the bond between trainer and Pokémon that holds it all together, keeping it stable. Mega Evolution is deeply intertwined with Kalos' history, but there's so much about it we don't understand. My hope is that I can unravel those secrets through my work."
Henrietta's eyes widened as she took in Sycamore's statement. While this Mega Evolution sounded fascinating, even if she only barely understood the general concept of Pokémon Evolution from what she had read from Siesta's Pokédex, she was far more interested in the attitude Sycamore showed towards it. If Sycamore was telling the truth about how important Mega Evolution was to Kalos' history, and she had no reason to believe otherwise, him going about to try and unravel its secrets stood in stark contrast to what mages back in Tristain did. They were content with simply accepting how magic worked at face value, refusing to dive into the inner mechanics outside of a few exceptions like Professor Colbert. Exceptions that frequently ran afoul of the Church. Were all Pokémon Professors like Sycamore in outlook, she wondered? If that was the case, she couldn't help but like it.
"I was actually working on something for a protégé of mine involving Mega Evolution just before you arrived," Sycamore continued, leaning back into his chair.
"Is that so?" Henrietta asked, broken from her thoughts as she also took a sip of water. "What for?"
"Well, she's experienced some difficulties with Mega Evolution since her journey began," Sycamore answered, idly waving his hand beside his head. "I'd rather not delve into specifics as it's a very personal matter for her, but what I'm making should help her out."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," Henrietta apologized, but Sycamore waved her off.
"Don't worry about it," he said, then leaned back into his chair. "You know, funnily enough, she and I met in a similar way as we did. Only she didn't have someone like AZ to send her my way."
"Really? How'd you meet?" Henrietta asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Well, I was walking home from the store one night where I found a girl around your age sitting all by herself, crying at a bus stop," Sycamore answered. "She was lost, scared, confused, and didn't have anywhere to go. I felt sorry for her, so I offered to let her stay at the lab until she figured out what to do next. She ended up becoming an assistant of mine, and was absolutely brilliant. One of the smartest girls I've ever seen. Now she's off traveling through Kalos on her own Pokémon journey, aiming to become Pokémon League Champion. I'm…immensely proud of her."
There was a deep smile on Sycamore's face as he stared off into nothing, clearly deeply absorbed in his memories of their relationship. Henrietta found it heartwarming, but couldn't help but wonder as to the identity of the girl. Her situation did, indeed, sound familiar, but there was something else to it that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Henrietta dismissed the feeling as simple déjà vu, then leaned back into her chair and took another drink of water.
"She sounds amazing," Henrietta said, and Sycamore nodded.
"She is. You don't meet girls like that very often. I'm just happy I was able to set her off down the road she's on now," Sycamore declared, then sighed and took another drink of water. The two sat in silence for a few moments, and Henrietta couldn't help but look around the room. When Sycamore noticed that Henrietta was glancing at the back door, he smiled then said, "If you want, I can show you the actual lab."
"You mean," Henrietta began, scrunching up her face in confusion as she pointed to the array of machines at the front, "that isn't your lab?"
"Oh, heavens no. That's just for show," Sycamore admitted as he stood up. "The real work is done in the back, away from prying eyes.
"Really? Then why show me?" Henrietta asked, getting up off her chair as well.
Sycamore nonchalantly shrugged, then said, "Call it a gut feeling."
"Don't listen to him, he just wants to show it off," someone new declared as the front door was opened, drawing Henrietta's attention. She watched as a man with light skin, short light-brown hair wearing a white suit and blue bowtie entered the lab. He was joined by a slightly shorter girl with dark skin, long purple hair, and wearing a similarly-colored skirt and red bow tie that, much to Henrietta's surprise, exposed her thighs.
"Dexio!" Sycamore called out, shooting an almost offended look towards the young man.
"Don't try to deny it, Professor. You show the lab off to practically anyone who walks through that door if they so much as look in its direction," the girl added, giving Sycamore a cheeky grin.
"Sina, you too?" Sycamore asked, then dramatically sighed and shook his head. "The lack of respect around here…"
"We only give what you show us," Dexio replied in a joking tone. All three people looked at each other for a moment, then their composures broke as they began to laugh. Henrietta could only shift her gaze between all three, confusion rising to the forefront and silently begging someone to tell her what was going on.
"Oh, where are my manners. Henrietta," Sycamore began as he got up from his chair, placed his glass of water on the end table, then walked over to Dexio and Sina, "these are my lab assistants, Dexio and Sina."
"Pleasure to meet you, Henrietta," Dexio said, giving Henrietta a warm smile.
"I hope the Professor hasn't been boring you too much," Sina added, smirking knowingly towards Professor Sycamore.
Realizing that the dynamic she was seeing was perfectly normal, Henrietta smiled back then stood up. Brushing off her dress, she looked towards the three researchers and said, "No, Professor Sycamore has been quite courteous towards me. If anything, I've been imposing on him."
"Nonsense, Henrietta. You're perfectly fine," Sycamore insisted, then turned to face his assistants while gesturing towards her with his arm. He told them, "Henrietta here is new in town and got lost. Nearly all of her belongings were stolen by a Pokémon, and she didn't have anywhere else to go. She was told to come to me, so I'm helping her out."
Both Dexio and Sina gave Henrietta sympathetic looks, then Dexio said, "I'm sorry to hear that, Henrietta. Please stay as long as you like."
"I love your dress, by the way," Sina added, and Henrietta smiled thankfully at both of them.
"Thank you," she said, then focused her attention on Sina and added, "and thank you for the compliment. It's made of imported silk."
"Oh, I love silk. The texture, the colors, what you can do with it. Silk's wonderful!" Sina excitedly proclaimed while clasping her hands together. She sighed, then said, "Ah, it's amazing how people can turn insect cocoons into such beautiful clothing."
"…Silk's made from insects?" Henrietta asked, her eyes widening as she ran her fingers down the purple fabric.
"Yes! It's quite fascinating how they do it, actually," Sina remarked. She prepared to dive into an in depth explanation into the history of the silk industry, only for Dexio to notice Henrietta's discomfort and come to the rescue.
"Come on, Sina. We need to analyze the latest field reports," Dexio announced, pushing Sina away and into the back room.
"But—" Sina protested, but she was already pushed through the door and out the other side. Both Henrietta and Sycamore watched as the door swung back and forth behind them, and the silence was palpable.
After a moment, Sycamore chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, then turned to Henrietta and said, "Sorry about that. Word of advice, don't get Sina started on fashion. She will talk to you about it for the rest of the day, and possibly into tomorrow."
"…I'll take your word for it," Henrietta replied, sparing one last look and feel of her dress. Part of her felt a little disturbed over the revelation that what she was wearing came from insects, but then decided that she didn't really care. Fundamentally, she figured, it was no different than wearing wool harvested from sheep and no one had any issues with that.
"Well, with that out of the way, let's get on with the tour," Sycamore announced, beckoning Henrietta to follow him.
Eager to do so, Henrietta placed her glass of water on the table and picked up her silver wand. She followed after him through a metal door, entering a wide open room filled to the brim with machinery and equipment. At least a dozen assistants, including Dexio and Sina, were at work on various stations, looking into glowing screens that displayed numbers and images. Whirls and beeping could be heard alongside incessant chatter, people discussing their findings to one another and comparing what they found to other results. It boggled Henrietta's mind, and she couldn't help but let her jaw slacken.
But that wasn't all. Much to Henrietta's surprise, there were Pokémon working alongside the researchers, some standing on their shoulders or waiting by their feet. Others were carefully strapped into the machines themselves, performing tasks that the researchers asked them to do without question. Henrietta recognized many of them from Siesta's book. There were Magnemites, Marills, Psyducks, Caterpies, Weedles, and more, all of whom simply looked happy to be there.
"This right here," Sycamore declared, "is the centerpiece of the entire laboratory. Every day we conduct dozens of experiments over the nature of Pokémon. The energy they produce, group dynamics, and of course Mega Evolution."
Sycamore walked Henrietta through the room, explaining each and every station they came across. One station was dedicated to analyzing reports on wild Pokémon from the field, where Dexio and Sina were seated. Another had a strange crystal with a double-helix embedded into its center, which Sycamore explained was a mega stone. The station was monitoring the subtle energies the stone was giving off, energy that Henrietta was just barely able to feel if she focused on it hard enough. Continuing to walk through the lab, the stopped at the other end. He then pointed to a walled-off section of the lab, where a Charmander could be seeing behind a glass window firing red-hot jets of flame at a target. Various wires were connected to its body, seemingly connected to different machines that fluctuated with the strength of the move.
"This room is where we conduct our more dangerous experiments. Right now, my assistants are recording how evolution itself can affect the strength of a move," Sycamore explained.
Just as the words left his mouth, one of the assistants spoke into a device that amplified his voice inside the closed-off room, requesting that the Charmander step aside for the next test subject once it was no longer able to keep it up. The Charmander did as it was told, hopping off a small podium and letting a Charmeleon step up and take its place. Like the Charmander before it, the Charmeleon fired off a Flamethrower from its mouth into a target on the opposite side of the room. This time, there was a noticeable increase in power, and it lasted far longer than the Charmander's attempt. When the Charmeleon was done, it too stepped aside, allowing a draconic Charizard to enter. It took a deep breath, then unleashed its own Flamethrower that dwarfed the other efforts of its evolutionary line. Parts of the room not even directly hit by the fire began to glow from the heat.
The sight of such power which rivaled that of some of the strongest mages Henrietta had ever met drew her closer to the glass. She pressed her hand against the smooth, clear surface, finding it to be slightly warm to the touch. Charizard noticed her approach, then to her surprise increased its efforts. The glass became warmer as the flamethrower grew larger, and Sycamore laughed.
"Ah, yes. Charizard likes to show off, the braggart that he is," Sycamore said while shaking his head in amusement. Henrietta noticed that Charizard was looking at them with an amused and proud expression in its face, telling her that Sycamore's assessment was accurate.
"Amazing…" Henrietta muttered. Charizard heard her, and smirked knowingly while continuing to fire its flamethrower.
She and Sycamore stood there and watched for a few more minutes, then the Pokémon Professor led her away. Henrietta could've sworn that she heard a groan of disappointment from the Charizard, but even then it continued to blast away. Her attention was quickly taken by a large glass wall they were walking towards, exposing a greenhouse that made up the center of the entire lab.
Entering the greenhouse, Henrietta was astonished to find that an entire forest had been planted, complete with a river running through its middle. On one end of the greenhouse, there was a bare, rocky mound, with several heated lamps blazing down from above. The other end had a similar mound, only it was covered in ice and snow. Moving all across the greenhouse were dozens of Pokémon, intermingling among themselves. There were Mankeys swinging from branch to branch, Psyducks and Marills swimming down the river. Butterfrees and Vivillons fluttered over flowers while Beedrills hovered protectively near their hives. Geodudes and Roggenrolas could be seen moving up and down the artificial mountain, while Bergmites, Cubchoos, Cryogonals were frolicking in the snow. Dozens of other species could be seen and heard, forming a small ecosystem that captured Henrietta's attention. Watching over all of it was a Garchomp, a large, bipedal dragon with dark blue scales, its careful gaze making sure all was right.
"This is our greenhouse, where all of our Pokémon stay," Sycamore announced. "Not just those from the lab, but other Trainers whom I gave starters can send their excess Pokémon here for safekeeping. Here they are fed, looked after, and all their needs taken care of."
"Wow," Henrietta muttered, then asked, "How do you afford all of this?"
"Lot's of government grants," Sycamore answered, a knowing smirk on his face. As he watched Henrietta continue to gaze out into the sanctuary, he said, "You know, she had the exact same reaction you did."
"She did?" Henrietta asked, knowing exactly who he was talking about.
"Yep, like she had never seen Pokémon before. Seeing all of this blew her mind," Sycamore answered, then sighed and nodded. "The expression on her face, watching her tend to and bond with the Pokémon, including her eventual starter…stuff like that, I never grow tired of."
Henrietta smiled as she looked up at Professor Sycamore, then stated, "You love your work."
"That I do. Word of advice when choosing a career, Henrietta. Always choose to do something you love. That way, work ceases to be work and you just have a blast doing it," Sycamore advised, giving her a warm smile.
Henrietta tried to return the smile, but found that she couldn't and wavered after a moment. Not at the advice, for it was one that she readily agreed with. But rather how it couldn't apply to her no matter how much she wanted it to. Her destiny in life was chosen for her as soon as she was born, and there was nothing she could do to change that. Part of her felt it was unfair, particularly how it was thrust upon her before she was ready, but the rest was resigned to it.
Feeling that he touched upon something sensitive, Sycamore awkwardly cleared his throat and said, "Come, follow me. There's more to see on the other side."
Eager for the distraction away from her thoughts, Henrietta followed Professor Sycamore through the Pokémon sanctuary. Several Pokémon stopped what they were doing to watch them go by curiously, and Henrietta couldn't help but look at them in turn. Fascination and wonder tightly gripped her mind, refusing to let go and only increasing with each new species that showed itself. A few Pokémon, particularly a mischievous-looking Gastly, tried to do something to them, only for Sycamore's Garchomp, who was strangely also named Garchomp for a reason Henrietta could not comprehend, to send them off with a single strong glare.
Didn't stop the Ludicolo from starting a dance party, though, which both confused and amused Henrietta greatly.
Finally, they made it through to the other side of the greenhouse, where they entered another section of the lab much like the first. This one, however, had a large office attached to the back wall, and Sycamore escorted Henrietta towards it. He took the time to carefully explain the other stations they passed, which captured Henrietta's attention almost as much as the Pokémon themselves. Eventually, they made their way into Sycamore's office, which Henrietta found had another lab station in it. This one was holding a thick metal box that vaguely resembled the Pokéballs that Henrietta had noticed people carrying around.
"What's this?" Henrietta asked, walking towards the device and looking it over.
"Ah, that was what I was working on before you arrived," Sycamore announced. "It's a storage compartment meant to house mega stones. I'm still finishing it up, but it should block the energy signature of a keystone from a mega stone housed inside, thereby protecting it from outside interference."
"Mega stones can be interfered with?" Henrietta replied, not expecting that.
"Yes, it's something we only found recently," Sycamore admitted.
Thinking over his previous statements on the subject, Henrietta narrowed her eyes then said, "Is…that what happened to your protégé?"
Sycamore sighed, and after a moment nodded before answering, "Yes. For a reason I won't dive into here, the first mega stone she came into contact with spontaneously activated, causing a wild Beedrill to mega-evolve and go on a rampage. No one had ever seen anything like it, and I've been researching into the event ever since."
"To keep her safe," Henrietta surmised, and Sycamore nodded.
"Exactly," he confirmed. Looking at a framed picture on his desk, he added, "Going on a Pokémon Journey can be dangerous, and if I can mitigate that danger any way I can, I'll gladly take it."
Henrietta nodded approvingly, knowing exactly where he was coming from. One thing he did say, however, confused her, and she looked up at him and asked, "Professor, what exactly is a Pokémon Journey?"
Now it was Professor Sycamore's turn to be confused, and he looked down at her and asked, "You…don't know what a Pokémon Journey is?"
"I'm afraid I don't, no," she confirmed, wondering if she had said the wrong thing. Sycamore looked at her curiously, then shrugged and turned to face her fully.
"Well, to answer your question…it's complicated," he told her. "A Pokémon Journey is different for everyone. But there are some things about it that are the same for everyone. It's a right of passage people take when they come of age to teach them responsibility and expose them to the wider world. Typically it happens when someone turns ten, where they are given or obtain a Pokémon of their own and venture out into the wild."
"You let ten-year-olds go out into the wild on their own?" Henrietta incredulously asked, her eyes widening.
"Most of the time, it's perfectly safe. Especially with their Pokémon with them. Besides, most kids only go to the next town or two before returning home," Sycamore clarified. "Others keep going, catching entire teams of Pokémon to fill their roster and accomplish whatever goals they set out for themselves. Such as becoming Pokémon Trainers and winning the Pokémon League, for example."
Wondering what the Pokémon League exactly was but deciding against asking for clarification at this moment, Henrietta then asked, "So, they venture out into the world just to win a tournament or something?"
Sycamore chuckled, then answered, "Yes and no. A trainer might set out to win the Pokémon League, for example, but that's not what's important. What's important is the journey along the way. The friends they make, the lessons they learn. If someone does a Pokémon Journey right, the person they were when they started is vastly different from the person they become."
Henrietta looked at Professor Sycamore, then admitted, "When you put it like that…I guess I can see the appeal."
Sycamore nodded, then replied, "It's not for everyone. Some never go on a Pokémon Journey. But those who do say that it changed their lives for the better, including my own. I'd have never becoming a Pokémon Professor had I not gone on a journey of my own all those years ago. Garchomp was still just a Gible back then."
Sycamore chuckled as fond memories came to the forefront, and Henrietta couldn't help but smile at him. When nothing else was said, Henrietta felt her attention drift to other areas of the office. She looked at all the framed pictures on the walls, which looked remarkably lifelike. They weren't paintings, but rather as though someone froze a moment in time and put it into a surface. Most of them depicted Sycamore with various assistants or Pokémon, others were breathtaking landscapes. But only one was placed on his desk, and her attention was inevitably drawn towards it.
"Is that her? Your protégé?" Henrietta asked, walking over to get a better look.
"Ah, yes. It is," Sycamore confirmed. "Her name is—"
"Louise. Louise de la Vallière," Henrietta suddenly breathed out, her eyes widening as she looked at the framed image.
"Why, yes," Sycamore said, taken slightly aback. Tilting his head at Henrietta, he squinted his eyes and asked, "Have you two—"
"Where is she?" Henrietta suddenly demanded, her voice growing authoritative as she turned to face Sycamore fully.
"I already told you how. She's—" Sycamore answered, only for Henrietta step closer to him, her face silently pleading. Pieces began to fall into place, and Sycamore's face grew firm. Looking into her eyes, he asked, "Henrietta…what's your name? Your full name?"
Henrietta stepped back, then straightened herself and declared, "I am Princess Henrietta de Tristain, and Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière is my best friend."
Sycamore stared at Henrietta for several moments, and his pupils narrowed into the size of pinpricks as he suddenly realized what happened. He didn't say anything at first, then quietly said, "Oh."
Shalour City
Standing in front of her bed, Louise looked over the pile of freshly cleaned, pressed, and folded clothes she had laid out around her red tote bag. Humming to herself, she carefully picked out pieces that meshed well together, stacking them on each other with a Pokéball-shaped storage capsule placed on top. When she and Saito had clothes shopping the other day, Louise had made sure she actually had something to change into. While she liked her old outfit, wearing it practically every single day unless it was getting cleaned was annoying. Now she had enough to travel from Shalour to Coumarine while changing every single day, which pleased her tremendously.
Granted, there wasn't a whole lot of variation between the outfits, and all sported the similar red, white, and black color scheme that she had grown to take as her own, but the fact that she could change into different shirts and pants was good enough for her. Saito had done the same thing, and currently he, too, was organizing his wardrobe. Unlike her, however, he was storing the outfits into the storage capsules as soon as he got them organized, placing them into the appropriate slot in his backpack before moving onto the next.
"You know," Saito began as he placed a folded pair of jeans and a shirt on top of each other, "I have to say that you were right, Louise. These storage capsules are really handy."
"See, what did I tell you?" Louise replied, a cheeky smile on her face.
"Wish they weren't so expensive, though," Saito added, shooting a thin red beam from the front of the capsule which absorbed the assembled outfit.
"They may be expensive," Louise countered, holding up a finger while giving her friend a proud smirk, "but they're worth it. They usually are."
"Louise, that mindset is going to lead you to spending all your money on things when you could've bought something just as good, if not better, but cheaper," Saito chastised, a faint smirk on his face. "Or did you forget what happened when you bought all those Luxury Balls before you set off to Santalune Forest?"
"That doesn't count!" Louise hastily shot back, an embarrassed blush erupting across her face, and Saito couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.
"Whatever you say," Saito said, returning his attention towards packing up for the upcoming journey.
The room fell into silence for a few minutes, broken only by the faint ruffling of fabric against each other with the occasional clinking of hard objects together. With the exception of Ronin, Brennaraki, and of course Derflinger, all of their Pokémon were safely secured in their Pokéballs, completely healed and refreshed following their hard-fought victory over Korrina. Ronin was currently meditating in front of the open window, while Brennaraki was curled up on a pillow, breathing softly as she slept.
Louise couldn't help but think back to their battle. Her battle against Korrina's Mega Medicham was, by far, the most difficult battle she had ever participated in. At many moments during it, she honestly thought that she was going to lose, that she would have to train more then try again. But her Pokémon managed to persevere, and she was immensely proud of them for that. Still, she couldn't just focus on her success. If she wanted to get better, she had to look at her failures and opportunities as well. That way she could address them, and hopefully avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
Overall, Louise knew that she did the absolute best that she could. She only had a short amount of time to fully prepare for the challenge Korrina laid out for her, and Mega-Evolved Pokémon were ludicrously powerful. The fact that she won at all was a triumph in and of itself, and she knew that the strategy she incorporated was the only reason why she won in the first place. But the sheer power her opponent held nearly made that strategy useless anyway. Her speed, strength, durability. It was like tasking a team of Dot-class mages to go up against a Square-class. It might not matter what strategy or tactics you had if none of your attacks did anything to your opponent, which is what nearly happened to her. Had Gène not managed to stand his ground and clinch her the victory, Louise would've lost.
That told her what her most glaring opportunity was. Strategy could get them far and effective use of it can and has overcome limitations. But it could only get them so far. To make her team as effective as possible, she had to get them stronger. They had to learn more powerful moves, fire more attacks before getting tired, take more damage before faltering. If they could, and if they were ready for it, they had to evolve as well.
She glanced towards Auspice's Luxury Ball as the subject of evolution came to mind. Fighting Korrina showed her just how powerful a properly controlled Mega-Evolution was. That power, a living embodiment of the bond between trainer and Pokémon, was awe-inspiring. She wanted that power, to use it to accomplish her goals, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel frightened by it. Each time she came across Mega-Evolution on her own, it nearly resulted in disaster. But, not just for her sake but for Auspice's as well, she had to try. If she and Auspice could get Mega-Evolution to work, there was no telling just how far they could go.
But, if what Guru Gurkinn said was true, it wouldn't be as simple as increasing her and Auspice's bond. She had look deep inside herself as well, discover who she truly was as a person. Louise had no idea what that truly meant. She personally thought she understood herself fairly well. But that might just be the problem. In any case, travelling through Kalos would more than provide the perfect environment to find that out. After just four months of travelling, she had already learned so much. Things that made her question everything she thought she knew, even her most closely held beliefs. She wondered what else she was going to learn, and if that included lessons about herself then even better.
"So," Derflinger spoke up, "what's the plan for the Coumarine Gym?"
"Let's see here…" Saito began as he paused his packing, pulling out his Pokédex and bringing up the appropriate information. He then said, "Coumarine's Gym Leader is Ramos Amaro. He's a Grass-type specialist and is the oldest active Gym Leader in Kalos."
"That means he has a lot of experience, doesn't he?" Derflinger suggested, and Saito nodded. Derflinger nodded back, then relief, "Word to the wise, beware the old in a profession that favors the young. They didn't get that way by being a pushover."
"Yeah. A lot of reviews talk about how Ramos managed to predict exactly what they were doing just before they actually did it," Saito noted, his eyes glued to the glowing screen. Louise hummed to herself as she stored her outfits into the storage capsules, thinking the information over.
"Well," Louise began, trying to come up with an appropriate strategy that didn't just rely on type advantage. Her battle against Viola Pansy showed her all too intimately how relying purely on type advantage was a recipe for defeat. But, just as she began to speak, her own Pokédex began to vibrate and ring. She shot her head towards her tote bag, confused as to who was calling her. Feeling Saito and Derflinger's gaze on her, Louise reached into her bag and pulled out her Pokédex. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was Professor Sycamore, and she smiled as she answered the call.
"Professor Sycamore! How are you?" Louise asked, a smile on her face as she walked away from the bed. Saito said nothing as he went back to packing his bag, trying his best not to eavesdrop.
"I'm good, Louise," Professor Sycamore replied. To Louise confusion, there was a weird tone in his voice, one that she couldn't quite place. Before she could ask what was wrong, Sycamore continued, "Where are you right now?"
"Um, I'm still in Shalour City. Saito and I are packing up now. We're about to leave to Coumarine in just a few minutes," Louise answered, perking up an eyebrow. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"Well, no, but…" Professor Sycamore paused, then sighed and admitted, "It depends on your definition of wrong."
"Professor, what happened?" Louise asked, worry seeping into her voice and drawing everyone else's attention in the room.
Professor Sycamore was silent at first, then said, "I think it's best if I let her tell you herself."
Now Louise was even more confused. There wasn't the faintest idea in mind as to who Sycamore was talking about. She looked over at Saito, who silently asked her what was going on while a concerned Brennaraki walked over to the foot of her bed. All Louise could do was shrug, not having an answer to give. On the other end of the line, she heard Professor Sycamore hand his phone over to someone, as well as muffled voices as he explained how to use it properly. Louise's confusion increased once more, and she was about to ask who she was talking to, then a new voice spoke up. One that made the world around her freeze.
"Louise?" a girl nervously asked. A girl whose voice Louise recognized immediately. Her mind ground to a halt as her left arm fell to her side. Saito, Ronin, Brennaraki, and Derflinger looked at her in alarm, not understanding what was going on. She barely even noticed them, her attention focused entirely on who was on the other end of the line. It should have been impossible, and for a moment thought that her mind was playing tricks on her.
"Louise? Are you there?" the girl asked again. This time, there was no denying it. Louise knew exactly who was talking to her, and it felt as though everything had flipped on its head.
"…Princess Henrietta?" Louise quietly asked, and everyone's else eyes widened in surprise as they looked at her.
She could practically feel Henrietta's smile blossom across her face as she replied, "Louise! Oh, you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice! I was so worried!"
Louise's mind caught up to her, and she shook her head then frantically asked, "Princess, what…? How…? Why are you here?! What's going on?! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, Louise," Princess Henrietta answered, although that did little to alleviate Louise's concerns. "Professor Sycamore has been a wonderful host. I'm in his lab right now in Lumiose City. He tells me you were here for quite some time."
"Yes, I was but—" Louise started, then shook her head again and asked, "How are you here? On Earth?! In Kalos?!"
Louise heard Henrietta go quiet for a moment, then she answered, "It's a long story, Louise, and I'd rather tell you everything in person. By the way, this 'phone' device is amazing."
"Yes, it is," Louise confirmed. "How did you get here?"
Henrietta was quiet at first, then said, "Well, after you disappeared last week—"
"Last week? Arceus brought me to Kalos four months ago," Louise corrected, and Henrietta paused for a moment.
"…Yes, about that…"
Louise's eyes widened as she immediately realized what was happening. She then breathed out, "Are you telling me there's time dilation going on?"
"It appears so, yes," Henrietta confirmed, sounding slightly surprised that Louise caught on so quickly, and Louise felt a migraine form. Henrietta then asked, "Just to make sure, how long did Arceus say you were going to stay here before your…'journey' was done?"
"Oh, so you met him, too. Was that arrogant demigod the reason why you were brought to Kalos?"
"…I don't think 'demigod' is the appropriate term," Henrietta quietly, almost reverently, corrected then said, "but no, he didn't. I got brought over because of Mew."
"Uggh," Louise groaned, her migraine increasing in strength. Shaking her head while pinching the bridge of her brow, she answered, "Arceus gave me a year to 'prove myself.'"
"He told us you were going to be brought back by the end of the week," Henrietta replied, and both girls went silent for a moment. Louise groaned, and Henrietta added, "I was taken four days after you disappeared."
"Founder, why am I not surprised," Louise sighed and shook her head.
She didn't quite know how to feel about this revelation. On the one hand, Arceus casually compressing the fabric of space and time to make it so that she was gone from her home for only a week instead of a year was the latest frustrating example of just how powerful he was. Granted, she suspected he had Dialga and Palkia do it for him, but the point still stood. On the other, she couldn't deny that it was a massive boon to her. All this time she had worried sick about what her family had been doing in the months she was gone. Now that wasn't really an issue. Better to be gone for only a week instead of a year.
Still, there was a nagging question in the back of her mind. It was no secret that Arceus didn't particularly like her, or any Void mage really. He was fully prepared to send her back to Tristain empty-handed, consequences to her be damned. So why would he go out of his way to compress one year for her into just a week back home? Louise didn't have an answer for that, and it left her slightly worried.
But now wasn't the time to focus on Arceus and his decisions. Instead, Louise narrowed her eyes and said, "You know what, you can tell me everything when I get back."
"Get back?" Saito repeated, not at all understanding what was going on.
"Get back? Also, who's that boy in the background?" Henrietta asked, also confused.
"That's Saito, he's my friend," Louise answered as she hastily threw everything into her tote bag, not caring anymore about organization or even if the storage capsules had complete outfits or not. "I'm coming straight to Lumiose. I'll be there in…as fast as I can, I don't know!"
"Wait, what? We're going straight to Lumiose?!" Saito incredulously asked, his eyes widening alongside the Pokémon in the room.
On the other end of the line, Louise heard Princess Henrietta and Professor Sycamore talk to each other as he coached her through something on the phone. A moment later, it appeared that Henrietta had activated the speaker phone function, letting Sycamore join in on the call.
"Louise, wait. You're not seriously suggesting going all the way to Lumiose from Shalour City?" Sycamore asked, and Louise nodded as she finished packing her bag and zipping it up.
"Yes, I am," Louise said, already walking towards the front door. Concerned, Brennaraki hopped off the bed and started following her, with Saito and Derflinger right behind.
"Louise, there's no need to drop everything you're doing and coming straight here," Sycamore tried to protest, but Louise wasn't hearing it.
"Don't tell me that there's no need to do that when it turns out my friend, the princess of my country, is sitting in your office right now," Louise angrily replied.
"That is a two-week journey away on foot," Sycamore said.
"Then I will get a cab!" Louise shouted, then held her hand to the phone, turned to Saito, and said, "Saito, you keep going to Coumarine. I'll meet you there once I have this squared away."
"But—" Saito protested, but Louise was already walking down the hall away from him.
"Louise, listen. There's no need to go out of your way on my account. I know you're participating in this…Pokémon League, and I don't want you to abandon that just because of me," Henrietta diplomatically spoke up, making Louise pause. After a moment, she frowned then shook her head.
"Yes, there is," Louise insisted. "Being with you right now is far more important than challenging the next gym leader. Besides, I can always challenge Clemont in Lumiose, so I wouldn't be missing anything."
"But you would be doing something you don't need to," Sycamore countered. Before Louise could say anything else, he continued, "Listen, I'm currently finishing up a storage compartment that should block your energy signature from any Mega Stone you happen to be carrying. It'll be done within the week, which should be around the time you and Saito get to Coumarine if you travel normally."
"…What are you saying?" Louise quietly asked, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the carpeted, Pokéball-patterned floor.
"Just meet us at Coumarine City," Sycamore suggested. "By the time you arrive, I'll have the device completed. Then I'll drive myself and Henrietta up there to meet up with you. After that, we can figure out what to do next."
Louise was silent as she contemplated her options. As she did, Henrietta added, "I don't mind staying here with the Professor for a week, Louise. Besides, I like it here. Seeing all these Pokémon is fascinating."
She could hear the awe and wonder in Henrietta's voice, and after a moment Louise sighed. She hung her head, then said, "Okay, fine. I'll meet you two in Coumarine."
"Thank you," Sycamore earnestly replied. "Don't worry, she'll be perfectly fine here."
"You treat her like the Princess she is, you understand me?" Louise practically ordered, only for Henrietta to awkwardly chuckle.
"It's fine, Louise," Henrietta told her, but Louise was unconvinced.
Steeling her gaze, Louise returned to her room, walking past a confused Saito. She sat down on the foot of her bed, and Brennaraki jumped up to rest on her lap. Staring into the wall, Louise felt a million questions run through her mind. Her grip on her Pokédex tightened, and she began to speak.
"Alright. Now then, Princess? What happened after I was taken?" Louise asked.
"Right now? Are you sure? It could take a while," Henrietta replied, and Louise nodded.
"I have time," she declared. Henrietta was silent at first. Then, after a few moments, she began to speak.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. From us to you, here's the latest chapter of Outsiders! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate and Yuri Vampire for all their help in bringing this chapter to life.
Louise and Henrietta have finally made contact with each other, and while they won't be able to meet up right away, their reunion is fast approaching. The rest of the episode is mostly going to follow Henrietta between now and then, and rest assured I think you guys are going to enjoy her first few days in the Pokemon world. We have a lot in store for you all.
I'm glad so many of you all liked seeing Henrietta's reaction to arriving in the Pokemon world. Her experience was, quite literally, night and day compared to what Louise went through, and that was intentional. We have plans for her, and I think you guys are going to enjoy seeing them come to fruition. I'm also glad so many of you liked AZ' inclusion. His exclusion from the anime was a missed opportunity, in our opinion, one that we aim to correct in the course of this story. Having the ex-king of Kalos meet and interact with Henrietta, the current Princess of Tristain, is ripe for storytelling possibilities. We haven't seen the last of him, that's for sure.
Let us know what you all think. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, any assistance in updating the TV Tropes page would be greatly appreciated. Hope you all enjoy!
