Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 2, Episode 3, Chapter 3

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Lumiose City

Louise and Henrietta talked for hours, their attention so completely focused on who they were talking to that neither noticed the passage of time or day turning into night. Saito and Professor Sycamore left the two girls to themselves, letting them catch up on lost time while they attended to other duties. Neither of them particularly cared for the exclusion. After all, Louise and Henrietta hadn't seen or spoken to each other in years, much less everything that had happened since Louise's arrival in Kalos. There was a lot to talk about, and neither of the men wanted to feel like a third wheel.

Throughout it all, Henrietta found herself engrossed with everything Louise had been through. Some of it was outlandish and, in any other circumstance, unbelievable. But all she had to do was look out the window to see the lone, pale moon rising into the night sky to remind herself of her present circumstance. Something that, a week a ago, she would've thought impossible. If being pulled by a God into another world was possible, so was almost anything else. Despite knowing that, though, it was still hard for Henrietta to fully wrap her head around everything.

"So, you actually fought…yourself?" Henrietta asked once again. "Who was an evil terrorist?"

"I wouldn't say evil," Louise clarified. "More like corrupted."

"I…can't really see the difference," Henrietta admitted, and Louise chuckled on the other end of the line.

"That's fair. In any case, the versions of myself and Saito who joined Team Rainbow Rocket seemed like they had the same experiences we did, with the only difference being how they responded to it," Louise said, then her voice went quiet for a moment. "Seeing how I could've turned out, knowing how easy it could've been had I made different choices…it was disturbing. More than anything else in my life."

Henrietta thought for a moment, her mind going over everything she knew about Louise's life and the actual circumstances she found herself in. The bullying, the ostracization, feelings of abandonment and lack of self-worth. Once it all set in, Henrietta grimaced.

"I think I know what you mean," Henrietta admitted. "Do…do you think I have a…counterpart, you called it? From that world?"

"Most likely. Saito and I talked about it afterwards, and he came up with the idea that the world they came from was like ours in every way except for one: that the people over there are generally meaner than here."

"Oh, so your friend is a scientist like Professor Sycamore?" Henrietta asked, looking over her shoulder at Sycamore's office, only for Louise to laugh.

"Hah, no! No, he is not," Louise clarified. "Saito was actually inspired by a comicbook he read and compared our situation to it. Only in that storyline, apparently, the other Earth had its morality completely flipped. Heroes were villains and vice versa."

For a moment, Henrietta wondered what exactly a 'comicbook' was, but decided against asking for clarification. She figured it was most likely a form of literature, meant primarily for entertainment and not much else. Once again, she was reminded of the level of expected literacy in this world, but by this point that wasn't really a surprise anymore.

"Well, in any case, I'm glad you're fine," Henrietta said. "Honestly, it sounds like you've been through quite an ordeal since you've started your…Pokémon Journey."

"Yeah, we've been through a few hairy situations," Louise admitted with a chuckle. "But, overall, it's been a blast. I can see why so many people here love going on journeys."

"I still don't understand why you're going on one in the first place," Henrietta reiterated, and she could practically see Louise hang her head back as she groaned.

"I told you. I have to win the Pokémon League to prove my worth," Louise reminded her friend, but Henrietta shook her head.

"It just seems excessive, in my opinion," Henrietta pointed out. "I mean, when Arceus spoke to us he said your task was self-appointed, and you even admitted that he didn't tell you to specifically become a Pokémon Trainer and win the Pokémon League."

"Yes, but he did say I would have to go on a journey."

"Before you interrupted Arceus and accepted his challenge before hearing him out completely," Henrietta chastised, narrowing her eyes as she stared out the window in the night sky. "Louise, it sounds to me like you've chosen the most difficult and, frankly, dangerous path to prove your worth. You almost died. Several times, in fact. Even then, everything I've heard about this 'Pokémon Journey' concept is that it's different for everyone. It sounds to me like you've chosen the hardest way for no real reason. There are other, safer ways to prove your worth."

Not that Henrietta felt that Louise genuinely needed to prove her worth. She had done nothing wrong, other than blindly accepting a god's challenge without thinking it through. More than that, Henrietta had genuinely come to believe that the idea of having to 'prove your worth' was a needlessly loaded concept. One that she herself had been dealing with ever since she was forced, by necessity, to ascend to the throne of Tristain as its effective monarch.

Louise was silent for a moment, then she released a sigh and admitted, "Henrietta, when I got to Kalos…I was lost. I was in an alien world, with no friends or family. It was by sheer luck that Professor Sycamore found me when he did. Otherwise, I don't know what I would be doing. I might even be homeless if I didn't meet him."

"To which he has my and Tristain's eternal thanks," Henrietta added. "But that doesn't mean you had to become a Pokémon Trainer and try to win the Pokémon League. Why didn't you just stay here with him? By all accounts everyone here enjoyed your company, and he really valued you as his assistant. Why give that up to becoming a Pokémon Trainer?"

"Because I found out that I was good at it. Really good," Louise declared, causing Henrietta to shoot her head back slightly. "Yes, that first week when I set out to deliver the Beedrillite to Viola was horrible. I was tired, sweaty, frustrated, had no idea what I was doing. But when I was working with Brennaraki to train, battle and catch wild Pokémon, and challenge the Santalune Gym, I felt exhilarated. The thrill of battle, matching my wits and my Pokémon's power to my opponents, it felt like a natural fit to me. I've made plenty of mistakes since I've started, but I've learned so much. Grown so much stronger. Arceus may not have told me to become Champion, but in my heart I know this is what I'm meant to do."

Henrietta narrowed her eyes, then shook her head, sighed, and admitted, "I suppose I still don't quite get this Pokémon Battling idea in general. Seems needlessly violent to me."

"Think of it like tournaments," Louise advised.

"I was never particularly a fan of those, either," Henrietta pointed out. "Not since I saw a knight nearly die in one."

"…Oh yeah. I remember that," Louise replied, then audibly shrugged. She then clarified, "Trust me, Pokémon Battling is very safe. With all the medicine and healthcare available, no Pokémon is ever at serious risk of injury. Besides, all of the Pokémon in my party love what they're doing. Esprit would tell me otherwise. All of us want to get stronger, and together we have been."

"What if they didn't want to battle, or they might actually get hurt by doing so?"

"Then I wouldn't let them. The wellbeing of my Pokémon is more important than anything else in the world to me," Louise declared. "Trust me, once you get a Pokémon of your own, you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about."

Henrietta awkwardly smiled, "I don't know… I don't even have a familiar."

"Oh come on! Henrietta, getting a Pokémon is one of the best things that's ever happened to me," Louise insisted. "Besides, didn't you tell me you've been practically obsessed with Pokémon ever since Mew showed up?"

Henrietta blushed in embarrassment, then sheepishly admitted, "That's beside the point."

Louise chuckled, then calmly said, "Look, I know it's scary, but you just need to find the right Pokémon for you. Once that happens, you won't look back. Just…keep an eye out."

Henrietta was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, but I'm not promising anything."

She imagined Louise nodding at the other end of the line, then she grew quiet. After a moment, she faintly asked, "So…my family…everyone, they actually tried to bring me back?"

Knowing exactly where Louise was coming from, Henrietta nodded then answered, "Yes. Your parents were worried sick. They nearly attacked the headmaster and Professor Colbert over what happened. They actually attacked Mew when they thought she was responsible, and worked pretty much everyone to the bone, including themselves, trying to find a way to bring you back. Duchess Vallière pretty much assumed control over the entire academy as soon as she arrived."

"That sounds like her," Louise admitted with a half-hearted chuckled. "To be honest, I…never mind."

Feeling concerned, Henrietta pressed, "What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," Louise tried to dismiss, but Henrietta wasn't convinced.

"Louise, tell me. What did you honestly think was going to happen?"

Louise once again grew quiet, then whispered, "I…I was kind of worried they wouldn't bother."

Her eyes widened, then Henrietta muttered, "Louise…"

"I mean, why would they?" Louise continued, not hearing Henrietta. "To everyone, I was just Louise the Zero, a complete failure at magic and a black mark on the Vallière family. They sent me to the academy both expecting me to fail and fully prepared to just marry me off to a nobleman I've never even met as soon as I returned just to get rid of me."

"Louise, that isn't true and you know it," Henrietta pointedly declared, and Louise fell silent for a moment.

"…I know," Louise finally said as she released a sigh. "It's just…I could never shake that feeling out of my head, you know?"

"I know exactly what you mean," Henrietta gently told her. "They love you, Louise. Everything I saw at the academy told me that. You're their daughter, and they weren't ashamed to admit it. If anything, I got the sense that they were ashamed of themselves for everything you've gone through."

Louise mirthlessly chuckled, then said, "Thank you. That's…good to hear."

She took a breath, then asked, "So, speaking of my family…Cattleya was actually cured?"

"Yes, she was. Mew did it like it was nothing," Henrietta confirmed, a genuine smile on her face as she remembered the miracle that happened. She only wished she was able to see it in person.

When she had first told Louise about Cattleya, the girl didn't believe her at first. She then cried for several minutes straight, not particularly caring if anyone heard her judged her. That was hours ago, and it was clear that the news still hadn't fully set in for Louise. Henrietta didn't blame her. Having a loved one, who'd been battling a lifelong disease that eluded every attempt at a cure, suddenly become perfectly healthy was hard to fully comprehend. She imagined that Louise wouldn't fully accept it until she saw Cattleya in person again, and that was a reunion Henrietta looked forward to tremendously.

But, as much as she would've wanted to keep talking, she knew it was getting late. A deep yawn was enough to break whatever spell she was under, and a deep feeling of exhaustion washed over her. Louise heard her, and apologetically said, "Oh, Princess! I'm sorry, I didn't realize how tired you were!"

"No, no, it's fine," Henrietta waved her off, but was unable to prevent another yawn from escaping.

Taking that as a signal, Louise apologized again then said, "We can pick this up again tomorrow. I'll call you first thing in the morning."

Henrietta wanted to protest, but another yawn, followed by a grumbling of her stomach, convinced her otherwise. With a reluctant sigh, Henrietta nodded then said, "Alright, that sounds good to me. I'll talk to you in the morning."

She paused for a moment, then added, "I'm still amazed that I can actually say that even though you're nowhere near me. These phones are amazing."

"I know, aren't they? Instantaneous communication from anywhere in the world whenever you want. The things we can do back home if we have this…" Louise trailed off, then hastily continued, "But we can talk about that later. Good night, Princess."

Henrietta smiled, then replied, "Good night, Louise."

She pulled the phone away from her head, and tried to figure out how to end the call. But, luckily, the call ended automatically when Louise did it for them. Henrietta stared at the blank, reflective screen of the phone, then held the device to her chest. It was all still hard to fully comprehend, and the events of the past day were swirling around in her mind. Getting kidnapped by Mew, dropped off into another world filled with Pokémon, where magic was merely the stuff of fantasy and fiction. Then, to top it all off, she happens across an absolute giant of a man who just so happens to bring her to the man who helped Louise when she arrived, and then spent hours talking to her friend without them being in the same room as each other, much less the same city. If she didn't know any better, she'd say it was divine providence that things turned out the way it did.

Henrietta paused for a moment as she remember how, exactly, this chain of events started, then admitted to herself that it was quite possible and perhaps even likely that gods literally had a hand in ensuring this was how things turned out. Certainly made them a lot more benevolent than she and everyone else initially assumed them to be.

Her eyes then widened, and she muttered to herself, "Oh Founder, the Academy…"

The question of how everyone reacted to her sudden abduction could not be ignored, and pangs of worry gripped her heart. With her being an entire world away, it was impossible for her to know for sure. All she could tell was that, most likely, it would be bad. But, as she forced herself to remember, that was a problem for later. Right now, she had to focus on reuniting with Louise. Then she could worry about getting back to Tristain and minimizing whatever damage her absence would cause.

Taking a few deep breaths, Henrietta smoothed out her dress then turned around towards the office door. Straightening herself, she calmly walked out of the room, where Sina was waiting for her. Henrietta graciously handed her the phone, and Sina smiled before putting it in her pocket.

"We prepared dinner and a room for you, your Majesty," Sina declared, trying to sound as formal as possible. It was putting considerable strain in her voice, and it was obvious that Sina had never done such a thing before.

Chuckling to herself, Henrietta waved her off then said, "Thank you, Sina, and please. You don't need to act so formally around me. Just…call me Henrietta."

Sina looked at her, then relaxed her posture, released a sigh, and admitted, "Thank you. You have no idea how hard it is to actually do that. Honestly, I'm surprised you're so relaxed about this. It took Louise a week to get her to stop demanding we address her by title."

"Did you?" Henrietta asked, genuinely curious.

"At first, then she asked me to wash and dress her. Practically demanded it, too," Sina answered, a slight and offended frown on her face at the memory. "We stopped after that."

Henrietta awkwardly chuckled at that admission, knowing exactly why Louise would think that was appropriate. She herself had her servants change her clothes for her every day, as it was just something that was to be expected. But, to a culture that prided itself on self-sufficiency, she could see how that would be considered off-putting.

"Speaking of clothes, tomorrow you and I are going shopping!" Sina happily declared, a genuine smile on her face. "Professor Sycamore has given me a practically unlimited budget to get whatever you need. It's going to be so much fun!"

Henrietta had to admit, going out into Kalos did seem like it would be fun. She smiled and nodded, then let Sina lead her back towards the living area. They passed by the greenhouse, and Henrietta couldn't help but look inside at all the Pokémon. Most were sleeping, but there were a few species who were up and about. Zubats, Hoothoots, Noctowls, and many more nocturnal Pokémon. They were utterly fascinating to her, and she couldn't help but be as amazed towards them now as she did when she first learned of their existence. She then remembered Louise's request that she try to find a Pokémon of her own.

After a few moments, she nodded to herself. While she wouldn't force anything, if she happened to meet and bond with a Pokémon, she saw no harm in 'becoming partners' with them as Louise suggested. Part of her even thought it might be fun, even if she found it difficult to believe she actually would. It took Louise nearly a month to bond with her starter, and Henrietta only had a week. But stranger things had happened, so she could only wait and see.


The next morning, Henrietta was woken up by a loud, shrill ringing noise. It cut into her sleep, and she tried her best to ignore it in favor of remaining wrapped in thick, comfortable blankets in a soft, warm bed. But the ringing refused to cease, and after a few moments she found herself unable to ignore it any longer. Groaning and sitting upright, Henrietta looked around the room she found herself in. For a moment, she expected to be surrounded by stone walls, sunlight beaming in through a small, narrow and tall window, and a servant to walk in through the door. She even expected to see fine curtains draped around the bedframe, partially obscuring her view.

But that's not what she found. Instead, Henrietta saw that she was in a plain, simple room with wooden walls painted blue and white, thick carpet lining the floor, and a large window taking up much of the outside wall. The bed she was in was smaller than what she was used to, lacking any of the extravagance in favor of pure functionality. Beside her bed was a small wooden desk, with a lamp and a small spherical object resting on top of it. The annoying sound that woke her up was also coming from the sphere, which was displaying a set of numerals and letters that read 8:04 AM on its face. Split beams of sunlight filtered in through the blinds, and outside the window she could hear birds happily chirping.

Henrietta's eyes shrunk as the implications set in, particularly as she looked at the light purple sleepwear she had on. While it was certainly comfortable, the texture was far rougher than what she was used to. Memories from the day before came flooding in, and her breathing began to quicken. There was no denying it now. It wasn't just a particularly pleasant dream. She truly had been taken to another world, the same one as her friend, and one filled with Pokémon.

For a brief moment, Henrietta nearly succumbed to panic. But, before she could fully falter, she forced herself to take a deep breath, close her eyes, and relax. It was hard, harder than any other time she had done so in the past, but she was able to accomplish it. There was no use in panicking now. If anything, it would only make her situation worse. She reminded herself of that as she heard the incessant ringing of the alarm clock. After a few seconds of struggling to figure out how to turn it off, she remembered what the Professor told her last night, then managed to do so.

Henrietta then released a sigh and stared straight at the wall. Right now, all she could do was focus on what laid ahead of her. Which, judging by the smell coming from the kitchen, was breakfast. After that, Sina was going to take her shopping apparently. Given how she only really had her royal dress, it was something Henrietta knew was desperately needed.

"Ah, good morning! I was just about to come get you," Professor Sycamore said as Henrietta walked into the room. She was trying to maintain a dignified façade, but that was hard to do when she was still wearing Sina's old pair of pajamas. It was the only thing they had that fit her, and even then it was a little tight in areas.

"I hope you slept well," Sina said, filling up a plate with food that Henrietta didn't completely recognize. She saw what appeared to be scrambled eggs and cheese, but there were also thin strips of bacon and flat, round cakes that they were placing squares of butter on top of. It smelled delicious, though, and as Sina happily gave her the food Henrietta politely took it.

"Hope you like bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Here's the maple syrup to pour on top of them," Sina added, passing over a white, ceramic up with a pointed lip on the rim. A thick, brown liquid was inside, and a hint of apprehension bubbled up from Henrietta's gut. Part of her did not want to eat this, but as she saw Sina, Dexio, and Sycamore prepare their meals, and the young woman expectantly nodding at her, Henrietta felt that she had no choice but to at least try it.

Flashing a nervous smile towards Sina, Henrietta poured some of the syrup on top of the pancakes. It was far less viscous than what she anticipated, though, and it quickly covered the entire dish. She hastily moved the cup away, and tried to ignore Sina's chuckles. Henrietta took a few breaths through her nose, then picked up the stainless steel knife and fork to cut into the soft and fluffy pancake. A bit of steam rose from the dish, and she gently inserted the food into her mouth.

Almost immediately, her tongue was assaulted by a sweet taste. It reminded her of honey, only far thicker, and the fluffy texture of the pancake complemented each other perfectly. Henrietta could barely contain herself from diving right back into her meal, but she couldn't hide the added gusto in her movements.

Recognizing her reaction, Sycamore chuckled and shook his head, then remarked, "Louise had the same reaction you did. I take you enjoyed it?"

Henrietta nodded, then swallowed what was in her mouth and admitted, "It's delicious. Tell me, what is this syrup made out of? I've never had anything like it before."

"It's made from the sap of a maple tree," Sina helpfully answered, then gestured towards her plate and added, "This is actually a popular breakfast in Unova. I wanted to make something a bit more Kalosian, but I got outvoted."

Sina lightly glared at Sycamore and Dexio, who continued to eat their food without an ounce of shame. Henrietta didn't mind, and nodded towards everyone before saying, "I don't mind at all. This is perfect. Thank you."

The three researchers smiled and nodded towards Henrietta, then went back to eating. It wasn't long before Henrietta had completely cleared off her plate, yet she still wanted more. Almost as though they expected it, Dexio was already placing some more bacon, eggs, and pancakes onto her plate, which she immediately began to devour with gusto.

Eventually, when the offered food was exhausted and her belly full, Henrietta and Sina left the living area to prepare for their shopping trip. Normally Henrietta would've worn her elegant royal dress, but after her excursion into Lumiose the day before, she had no desire to stand out. Not to mention she didn't want to get it dirty or, Founder forbid, damaged. To her credit, this wouldn't be the first time Henrietta had gone out in public wearing something unbecoming of royalty. Many times over the years, particularly since the untimely death of her father, Henrietta had donned commoner's clothing and went out into Tristainia's streets. With just a few alterations in dress and behavior, no one recognized her. Not even her own guards when they inevitably noticed that she was gone and went out to find her. Agnès, of course, knew where she was at all times, shadowing her so effectively that Henrietta only noticed she was there some of the time.

Those excursions were, at first, meant purely to be an escape from the pressures of palace life. Henrietta knew she was sheltered, but being thrust into the role of Queen in all but name often proved to be too much, particularly when everyone in her court either expected her to fail or were counting on it for their own ends. By pretending to be a commoner, if only for a moment, it gave her a sense of peace and tranquility. But they soon proved to be an invaluable insight for the young princess. By walking among her citizens, it exposed to her just how far removed the lives of the nobility, and especially royalty, were from the common people. Their struggles, desires, goals. So much of Tristain's policies were geared towards benefiting or enriching those who already had it all. Some even purposefully kept the commoners down so that they wouldn't threaten the nobility's hold on wealth and power. Once she knew the truth, Henrietta wanted to change it, to make the lives of her people better. But every time she suggested a sensible reform, she was ignored or dismissed. If anything, it turned more of the court against her, etching into stone the view of her being a naïve girl who had no idea what she was doing.

But, as she and Sina walked along Lumiose's busy sidewalks, watching as people and Pokémon commuted to work or went about their days, Henrietta was more and more convinced that many of her ideas were right. She'd have to get more information about this world, its people, its societies, and its forms of government to get a complete image, but she could pick up enough even now. Kalos, and presumably the entire world, invested in its people, and that had reaped dividends.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Henrietta asked when she and Sina stopped at an intersection. She couldn't help but marvel at how orderly and designed Lumiose was, but that was for later.

"Only to the best clothing store in all of Kalos: Boutique Couture," Sina declared, slowly spreading her arms wide in emphasis. "They are extremely exclusive in their clientele. Only the most stylish patrons are even allowed to enter."

Henrietta glanced down at the plain white t-shirt and blue jeans she was currently wearing, neither of which truly fit her. While she wasn't fully versed in this country's style, she doubted what she had on was considered 'stylish' by any stretch of the imagination. Noticing her apprehension, Sina nonchalantly waved her hand.

"Don't worry, I'm considered to be stylish enough to be let in," Sina said, a confident smirk on her face, then gestured towards Henrietta with her arms. "And besides, just look at you. Even wearing my old clothes you're more beautiful and stylish and almost everyone I've ever met. They would be crazy not to let you in."

"Oh," Henrietta replied, not expecting the heartfelt compliment. She then graciously smiled and said, "Thank you."

Sina smiled and nodded back, then the crosswalk turned on for them. They and a crowd of people walked across the street, continuing their trek towards their destination. Overhead, they heard and saw flocks of Fletchlings fly about, resting on lampposts, begging for scraps, or hunting for small insects. Some were even snatching small bits of food from unsuspecting people, which Henrietta couldn't help but chuckle at. There were other Pokémon around them, watching out at the passerby from secluded alleys or rustling through trash cans. Rattatas and Meowths were the most common, alongside Snubbulls and other Pokémon who called the urban environment home. Every so often, Henrietta could've sworn that some of the shadows were moving and staring at them, but she dismissed those thoughts.

Eventually, Henrietta and Sina found themselves standing before Boutique Couture. It was a relatively small building, nestled between two larger storefronts. But the façade was lavish, drawing everyone's attention. Through the windows were mannequins wearing some of the store's offerings, and even from here Henrietta could tell that Sina's words were accurate. That feeling only increased when they entered the store, allowing Henrietta to see all that they had to offer. Dozens of offerings and styles, fit for any occasion or environment, were proudly on display, each finely made and tailored. These clothes rivaled, or even surpassed, what she normally wore, and Henrietta couldn't help but feel somewhat excited.

"Sina, darling!" an elderly attendant announced as she walked over to the two girls, her arms spread wide and a smile on her face. Sina repeated the greeting, then they boldly kissed each other twice on the cheeks before giving a hug.

"Julieta, it's been too long!" Sina exclaimed, giving the older woman a toothy smile.

"That it has. You must stop by more often, dear, especially if you're still wearing those rags," Julieta said as she gave an appraising glance over Sina's body. "Those are so last season, and thereby beneath you."

"…I bought this last year."

"Your point being?" Julieta dismissed, then proudly declared, "The world of fashion never sleeps, and neither must you. Come, come, I already have options in mind for you."

"Wait, wait," Sina protested, then went behind a confused Henrietta and grabbed her shoulders. "We're not here for me. My friend here, she needs clothes and deserves nothing but the best."

Julieta perked an eyebrow, then remarked, "Did you say that about the last girl whom you brought in? What was her name…Louise, correct?"

"Yes, and didn't you find her worthy of shopping here?"

Julieta paused for a moment, then shrugged and admitted, "Yes, but her attitude was a problem. A little bit of bite is perfect, but she went well beyond that at times."

"You'll be happy to know that Louise has gotten a lot better," Sina said. Part of Henrietta wondered if she should be offended on her friend's behalf, but decided against speaking up. Particularly when Julieta began to study her. The elderly woman hummed as she circled the princess, pursing her lips and pressing the pair of fine, clear glasses down her long nose.

"Hmm, these rags are old and filthy," Julieta declared as she pinched and pulled up the sleeve of Henrietta's shirt. "The thread is so thin that it's practically see through. And those jeans…ugh. Purposefully shredded on the thighs. Why anyone thought that was a good idea is beyond me."

"Hey," Sina said, more than a little offended. "Those clothes used to be mine, and it was all we had that fit her."

"Hm, in that case I apologize to you, dear, for Sina's poor taste in fashion. Unfortunately, there's only so much I can do," Julieta sincerely apologized to Henrietta, causing Sina to nearly double over. Henrietta faintly chuckled at the sight, then Julieta hummed to herself again and stood up straight. Bringing her wrinkled hand to her chin, she admitted, "Well, while her clothes are…unfortunate, to say the least, there is something there just waiting to be brought out. Very well, we shall dress her. What is your name, dear?"

Henrietta recovered, then nodded and politely answered, "Henrietta de Tristain, madame."

"Hmm, you certainly have a better grasp at manners than Sina's last guess," Julieta declared, and Henrietta frowned.

"Louise is my friend," Henrietta pointed out, with a slight amount of protective venom in her voice. Julieta regarded her for a moment, and the two women stared at each other. The atmosphere grew thick, and Sina nervously took a step back.

But then Julieta nodded approvingly, breaking the tension. She then ordered, "Come, come. Your new look awaits."

She grabbed Henrietta by the wrist, then led her to the back of the store where there was a changing room. Smooth mirrors were on every wall, allowing Henrietta to completely see herself from all angles. A bright, white light shone down from above directly onto her head, and when she looked up to look at it in curiosity she had to instinctually cover her eyes with her hands.

"Stand up straight, don't move, and say perfectly still," Julieta ordered, pushing Henrietta's body and limbs into the appropriate positions. She pulled out a measuring tape and began to spread across and wrap around her chest, arms, legs, and every other part of her body. Long used to such things, Henrietta remained perfectly still, content to let the master seamstress do her work.

"Hm, hmm," Julieta hummed to herself, then muttered, "Purple, yes. Purple seems to be your color. Matches your hair and compliments your eyes."

"Purple is my favorite color," Henrietta admitted, and Julieta nodded.

"Of course it is. I have an talent for spotting such things," Julieta boasted, then went back to measuring her. "Tell me, what is it that you are specifically looking for?"

"What do you mean?" Henrietta asked, keeping her neck straight as Julieta measured its width.

"Are you looking for something formal, casual, functional? We serve all types of needs here, I just need to know which one suits yours."

Henrietta thought for a moment, then asked, "What did Louise need?"

"When your friend was brought to me, she demanded something formal and extravagant. Like what you would wear to a formal ball," Julieta noted, then shook her head. "But that was what she wanted. What she needed was something functional but high quality and fashionable. I realized that when she told me she was staying with Augustine as his lab assistant, and hadn't gone on a Pokémon Journey yet. After that, I realized it was only a matter of time before she went on one herself, so I dressed her accordingly."

"Ah, I see," Henrietta said, then pursed her lips in thought. After a moment, she answered, "Well, I plan on joining her in a week, and I already have a dress."

"Functional and high quality it is," Julieta declared, and stepped back. Looking over her one last time, Julieta announced, "I know exactly what you need. Wait here."

She disappeared behind the curtain of the changing room, leaving Henrietta all by herself. A few minutes later, Julieta returned, carrying several pieces of folded clothing. She handed them over to Henrietta, then ordered, "Try these on, and tell me how they fit."

Before Henrietta could say anything else, Julieta once again disappeared. She stared at the curtain, then at the clothes in her arms. After a moment, she decided to do what Julieta requested. Taking off the clothes that Sina had loaned her, she quickly changed into the new pieces then stared at herself in the mirror. Almost immediately she was taken aback by how she looked. She was now wearing a white, long-sleeved collared shirt, with a dark purple jacket layered over it. Wrapped around her waist was a frilled, dark purple skirt, with black leggings exposed underneath its edge. The leggings completely covered her feet, flowing into the pair of black boots she had been given. Completing the look was a navy blue felt hat, and a purple tote bag to drape around her shoulder.

She turned herself back and forth to get a complete look, and Henrietta had to admit that she liked what she saw. It was far from what she normally wore, but it seemed perfect regardless.

"Ah, wonderful! I knew it would be just perfect for you," Julieta declared as she returned to the dressing room. She was carrying a few pins, which she used in certain places to mark where portions needed to be cut or tightened. But, even then, Henrietta was pleased.

"Thank you, Julieta. This is perfect," Henrietta said, and Julieta happily smiled towards her before shaking her head.

"You are welcome, Henrietta. But we are not done yet," she declared, causing Henrietta to shoot her head back.

"We're not?"

"No. Did you think I was going to let you out of here with only a single pair of clothes? What about sleepwear, cold weather gear, swimsuits? No, there is still more we have to do," Julieta announced as she grinned, and Henrietta couldn't help but feel nervous.

"…Alright, if you say so," Henrietta replied, figuring that Julieta had a point. She couldn't exactly go around wearing only a single outfit. That would get dirty fast.

The seamstress happily smiled and clapped her hands together, then said, "Splendid! Your friend outright refused to entertain the idea, but I'm glad to see that you have more sense."

As Julieta went back to work, Henrietta got the distinct sense that Louise may have had the right idea. But it was too late to back out now, so she went along. Hopefully, it would be over soon.


As it turned out, Henrietta and Sina spent hours at Boutique Couture. The princess was forced to try on dozens of outfits, ranging from formal dresses to casual attire. It got old very quickly, but there wasn't anything Henrietta could really do about it. Particularly since she didn't have any other clothes to change into, nor any servants to clean her dress every night. Having multiple pairs of clothes, even if they were mostly in the same style and general color scheme, was essential. It wasn't all bad, though. Trying out all the different clothes was kind of fun, Henrietta found, and she did like how she looked in all of them. Julieta had excellent taste, and by the end of it all she walked away with at least a dozen new outfits.

That was two days ago. Since then, Henrietta spent most of her time inside Professor Sycamore's laboratory, either talking to Louise to exploring her surroundings. Even in such a comparatively tight space, there was plenty for Henrietta to do. For one, watching the researchers work on their experiments was fascinating, and she could easily get lost during observation. Whenever she got curious and asked questions, which was often, the researchers were more than happy to answer them. If the experiment in question was simple enough, they even let her participate. Part of Henrietta wondered if they were just humoring her, but she enjoyed the interaction regardless.

Sometimes they even asked her to take part in them, specifically by showing them her magic. They were all extremely curious about it, as while they were superficially similar magic and Pokémon abilities were completely different. Before their arrival, Earth had never seen anything like it, and they wanted to understand and learn. It was a stark difference in attitude compared to her homeland. While efforts were made to study and understand magic, much of it had remained stagnant. It was very rare to have an actual researcher trying to understand the intricacies and inner-workings of magic, with most simply accepting the Founder's teachers as is and going from there.

She had been nervous at first, and nearly refused, but surprisingly Louise suggested that she go along with it. Apparently, during her month at the lab she and the researchers had extensively studied her magic through benign testing. Mostly just putting her in a secure room filled with instruments that measured what happened whenever she cast an explosion. They had learned a great deal during that time, but by now it was obvious to everyone that Louise's and Henrietta's magic were wildly different from each other. Louise was a Void mage, which meant she could only cast Void magic. Henrietta, on the other hand, had the opposite problem. As a Triangle-class water mage, the power of Void was completely inaccessible to her, but in exchange she had all the other affinities of fire, earth, water, and wind at her disposal.

Henrietta had to admit, casting various spells, mostly water, in front of a captive audience was exciting and fun. After a while, she even began to show off, enjoying their reactions as they hastily recorded the new data she had given them. They weren't even disappointed that she could only cast Dot-level earth, wind, and fire magic. The fact that she could cast it at all was more than enough. So far, the data that they had acquired during their testing suggested that what they found with Louise, apparently, was holding up. Whenever she, Louise, or any other mage from Halkegenia used magic, they were actually manipulating impossibly tiny things called atoms which made up much of the known universe. The air they breathed, the ground they walked even, even her own body. All of it was made of atoms and the subatomic particles which formed them. The researchers also mentioned something called 'dark matter' which actually composed most of the universe, but Henrietta didn't understand that at all.

In any case, when she used water magic she was pulling the latent water in the environment, mostly in the form of a gas called water vapor, and manipulating it through her own will. Wind magic was simply forming air currents, possibly through the manipulation of pressure, to push, pull, and shape gases however she wished. Fire magic was the exciting of atoms to generate heat, and earth magic was manipulating solid objects and directing them however she wished. But that was simply the basics. What really got the researchers excited was when Henrietta demonstrated transmutation for them. A basic earth spell that nearly any mage could learn, but it through the researchers through a loop completely. According to them, the act of transmuting a piece of dirt into bronze involved a complex arrangement of atomic fusion and fission to change one element to another, much less forming a natural, if low-quality, alloy. It was something that scientists on Earth only relatively recently discovered, and were still trying to master for energy-production purposes.

Henrietta couldn't help but perk herself up after getting praised for that. Apparently, so did Louise when they started testing with her, answering her unspoken question as to why her friend both went along with it and encouraged Henrietta to do the same. It was fine by her. After years of her magic being outright dismissed, Louise must've been over the moon to see people actually praise it.

Besides observing and participating in acts of science, Henrietta also extensively spoke with Louise over the telephone. True to her word, Louise and her friend had left Shalour for Coumarine the next morning. Normally, according to her, they would usually take their time while walking along the officially designated Pokémon trails, which were separate from the developed highways and roads through which most travel was actually done. But, since Henrietta was here, Louise was making a point to get to Coumarine as fast as possible. Sycamore had joked that if Louise could she'd have bent time and space to get there faster, then he grew quiet at the realization that her Void magic could possibly do that if applied correctly. Whether Louise tried to do that after Sycamore pointed it out or not remained to be seen, but Henrietta found his shuddering amusing.

The bulk of Henrietta's time, however, was spent reading in the lab's extensive greenhouse. There were several benches placed within, with plenty of trees and lights to create a serene atmosphere. One that was perfect for reading. But the books Henrietta was reading wasn't for her entertainment. Rather, they were for a much more important purpose: giving her glimpses into the world she found herself in. History, politics, economics, religion, mythology, anything she could get her hands on. She had a week all to herself to do whatever she wanted, which gave her plenty of time to go over everything with a fine-toothed comb.

Just as she suspected, it quickly became clear that Earth was far more advanced, both technologically and sociologically, than Terre in nearly all regards. While they didn't understand or have access to magic at all, they more than made up for it with a deep understanding of the natural world. Not that Halkegenia's people were ignorant or stupid, only that Earth's understood a lot more. What Henrietta didn't know was whether it was due to some cultural ideas on Earth that enabled its advancement over Halkegenia, or if it was simply due to the fact that civilization on Earth had been around for roughly ten thousand years versus six thousand on Halkegenia. She had the distinct suspicion it was both.

Nevertheless, it was surprising to her that the direction of Earth and Halkegenian history had many distinct parallels. Several of the same general eras and levels of technological and sociological development occurred on both planets. Halkegenia was currently in what Earth would consider the late Medieval or Early Modern eras, a time characterized by local, feudal societies giving way for stronger national identities, advancements in science, and increased exploration and interaction with the world at large, among other things. It was striking how many parallels existed between the two worlds, and she couldn't help but wonder why. She didn't have an answer, though, and she doubted she'd ever find one beyond a series of massive coincidences.

Problems and conflicts were abound, obviously, many of which were caused and motivated by very familiar reasons. Natural resources, religion, ideologies, and obviously lusts for power. Conflicts with wild Pokémon were an added wrinkle, particularly in ancient times before humans and Pokémon learned to live together in harmony. The relationship that formed the bedrock of modern civilization took countless years and generations to come to fruition, but before then history was wrought with conflicts between human settlements and the Pokémon who lived nearby.

But, luckily, times had improved tremendously since those days for the people of Earth, including Kalos. Much to her surprise, Kalos still had a landed and hereditary nobility, even a king and queen, but their role in society and government was largely ceremonial. Most countries in the world did away with them completely, abandoning the concept of aristocracies and monarchies in favor of democracies and republics.

Upon learning that, Henrietta had briefly gotten concerned. Her experiences with democracies and republics hadn't exactly been the most pleasant, especially with the rise of Reconquista shadowing everything in the continent. The Albionese Civil War had been raging for years, and by all reports the Tudor family was losing. If, and most likely when, Reconquista won the war, they would represent the greatest threat to security and power on Halkegenia in centuries. Especially to Tristain, who was right on their doorstep and particularly weak, leaving them ripe for the taking. Granted, Reconquista wasn't actually a republic, with its leaders merely pretending to be one while actually aiming to install a theocratic dictatorship, but the point still stood. If only because of that, Henrietta didn't have the greatest opinion on the democratic system, viewing it no better than rule by mob.

But Kalos and most of the world, however, were actually democracies and republics. Successful ones, too. Technically Kalos was a constitutional monarchy, with the royal family the official head of state while the laws were decided and written by the two houses of Parliament, the House of Lords and House of Commons. It was nearly identical to Galar's system of government, and similar to the nation of Nihon. Unlike Kalos, Galar, and Unova, Nihon was nation comprised of many different regions who used to be independent from each other: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.

In any case, the success of the various democratic governments around Earth were making Henrietta think back to what she had been dealing with in Tristain. She was still trying to wrap her head around its implications, but one thing she was getting abundantly clear was that many of the reforms and ideas she had been suggesting, all of which had been dismissed as naivety, worked. Or, at the very least, had a working model from which her country could build off of. As soon as she realized that, Henrietta had redoubled her efforts in trying to understand this world. That way, when she finally returned to Tristain, she could begin working to improve it.

Assuming, of course, she had time to do that. Thinking of her home caused Henrietta to briefly break away from reading the textbook she had gotten out of Sycamore's library. She hung her head back and released a sigh, staring up into the canopy of trees and the light shining beyond it. While she knew that she wanted to improve Tristain, she doubted whether she'd be able to do what she wanted. For one, many of the advancements Earth had made over the years were simply too far out of reach for Tristain. They didn't have the knowledge or infrastructure in place to even attempt many of the things Earth's people took for granted. There were some things that were attainable, like the greenhouse she currently resided in. It was simply a building made of glass that trapped heat and moisture inside. They could easily build something like that with magic, allowing them to grow crops all year long.

Not only that, while she was opening up to the advantages offered by a true democracy, she knew that attempting to rush into it would only result in disaster. In order for democracies to function, from what she could see, it required both a strong national identity and an educated population, neither of which Tristain really had. In addition, the nobility and the church benefited tremendously from the current status quo, and were unlikely to be willing partners in any attempts at reform. If anything, they might try to stop it, and that wasn't even considering the Reconquista agents Henrietta heavily suspected had infiltrated her court. They would likely sabotage any attempts at strengthening Tristain, making it more vulnerable to invasion than it already was.

Which brought up another issue. Even if she miraculously managed to get everyone in Tristain on board, Reconquista was still there, ready to invade as soon as they won the war. Reconquista had aims to expand over all of Halkegenia, just so that they could launch yet another frankly pointless crusade against the elves and 'retake the Holy Land.' To do that they needed a beachhead, and Tristain was perfect. Tristain always relied on alliances to protect itself, and while it did have the highest ratio of mages to commoners in the continent, and some of the strongest mages overall, it wasn't enough to stave off invasion. If and when Reconquista decided to invade, Tristain would be defenseless. She and everyone else knew it, which was why her number one priority before Louise's disappearance was organizing an alliance between Tristain and the Empire of Germania. An alliance that was to be set by a diplomatic marriage between herself and Germania's emperor.

Henrietta wasn't particularly looking forward to that. Emperor Albrecht the Third wasn't marrying her out of love, or anything approaching it. The two of them hadn't even met. No, the reason why he wanted to marry her was simply so that he could merge his bloodline with that of the Founder's, thereby increasing the legitimacy of his claim. Any marriage between them would be loveless, with her only purpose being to raise his children. Henrietta wanted nothing more than to call it off and marry the man she truly loved, but that was impossible. More importantly, Tristain needed this alliance, and if she had to sacrifice her happiness for the sake of her people, she would do it without question.

If only the members of her court would actually acknowledge the sacrifice she was making and not dismiss her as a naïve, young girl in way over her head.

Those recurring thoughts brought a scowl to her face, and with a huff she closed the text book and placed it on top of the pile next to her on the bench. Frustration was building up in her again, but Henrietta forced herself to take a few deep breaths. There was no use in getting angry, especially when she was far away from Tristain as physically possible. Slowly, she shifted her attention to the environment around her, where she watched the various Pokémon go about their day. There were dozens of species around her, ranging from Poliwags and Psyducks swimming and playing in the gentle steam to Fletchlings and Pidgeys flying between berry trees. Scatterbugs, Caterpies, and Weedles, alongside their evolutionary family, crawled all over the trees, forming nests from which to raise their young. Many more species could be seen, forming a perfect ecosystem that neatly fit into this tiny space.

Out of all the rooms in Sycamore's lab, Henrietta thought that this was the best one. If nothing else, she planned to make a greenhouse of her own in the royal palace, that way she could create a natural refuge from the outside world.

Her attention was then drawn to a collection of Pokémon further down the dirt trail her bench was on. There, waiting in front of a grate in the floor from which food was delivered, were several different species of Pokémon. They were each in their own distinct groups, all eagerly awaiting their meal. There were Zigzagoons, Mankeys, and more. Much to her surprise, even the collection of starter Pokémon currently in Sycamore's possession were there. They typically kept to themselves, so seeing them out and about immediately drew Henrietta's gaze.

But, much to her surprise, there was more than just a small pack of Chespins, Fennekins, and Froakies. Starters from all the regions were there, pushing and shoving each other in an attempt to be first in line. Some of the altercations were breaking out into small fights, but luckily the Pokémon were so weak that all they could really do was tackle each other back and forth. Most of the Pokémon simply ignored those brawls. If anything, they took advantage of the Pokémon's distracted states to take their place in line. Inevitably those Pokémon were also drawn into the fighting once the fighters realized what was going on, but even then the overall attention was rather lacking.

Except for one Pokémon, which Henrietta saw repeatedly throw itself into the midst of the fighting in an attempt to break it apart. It a small, green, serpentine Pokémon with a small pair of legs and a pair of arms. Yellow accents could be seen along its neck, eyelids, and back. Its tail had a three-pointed leaf on its end, which the Pokémon was using to keep a Squirtle and Froakie from fighting each other. It was authoritatively hissing at them, undoubtedly telling them to stop fighting. The two combatants backed down for a moment, but as soon as the interloper left to break up another fight, the would be back at it in practically no time at all.

On and on this went, the snake-like Pokémon attempting to play the role of peacekeeper but unable to do so. Many outright dismissed and ignored it, acting like she wasn't even there. Henrietta's heart felt for the Pokémon, particularly when it dejectedly hung its head over its failures. When she noticed Dexio walk up with a clipboard in hand, she waved him over then pointed at the small creature, a sad frown on her face.

"Dexio, can you tell me what that Pokémon is? I don't recognize it," Henrietta admitted. Dexio immediately followed her finger, than nodded his head once he saw the Pokémon who perked itself back up and attempted to organize the Pokémon before the food arrived.

"Ah, that's one of our newer arrivals actually," Dexio answered. "Professor Sycamore managed to acquire a few starter Pokémon from other regions for research purposes. That particular species is called a Snivy, and is the Grass-type starter from Unova."

"Snivy," Henrietta mumbled, etching the word into memory. As the food came up, she watched as the Snivy's attempts to organize the various Pokémon almost immediately collapse, resulting in a veritable feeding frenzy which it could only look upon on anguish. Once again frowning, Henrietta asked, "Can you tell me about that Snivy?"

Dexio frowned as well, then replied, "That Snivy is a bit of an odd-one-out. She's the oldest of her den, and often attempt to mediate conflicts, but the others don't really respect her that much."

"Why?"

"Because unlike the other Pokémon, she isn't a battler. Doesn't like fighting in general," Dexio revealed. "Pokémon value strength over almost anything else. It's why they allow themselves to be caught by a trainer. They believe that, by doing so, they'll become stronger. But that Snivy doesn't like to fight at all, and will only do so if there's no other choice. As such—"

"She's seen as weak," Henrietta finished for the lab attendant, who slowly nodded.

"Exactly," Dexio confirmed, and their attention returned to the dejected Snivy. Most of the food was gone, as were the other Pokémon. Several hadn't been able to get anything, and hungry whimpers could be heard. The Snivy noticed this, and rather than take the remaining bits of food for herself, she began carefully rationing it to the remaining Pokémon. They happily took it and thanked her before rushing off, leaving only a tiny bit for herself. Despite visibly being hungry, the Snivy looked proud of herself, then began to carefully eat what was left.

Henrietta's frown slowly shifted to a slight smile, then she dismissed herself from Dexio. She got up off the bench and pulled out the remains of her own lunch before walking over to the Snivy. The Snivy noticed her approach, and cautiously watched her but otherwise did nothing. When Henrietta got close enough, she kneeled to the ground and held out the remains of her sandwich, which the Snivy curiously looked and sniffed at.

"Here, you can have the rest," Henrietta offered with a warm smile. "I'm not that hungry."

The Snivy tilted her head at Henrietta, then thankfully nodded before gently taking it from her hands. Rather that start eating it all, however, the Snivy carefully pried the sandwich chunk in half, keeping one for herself while handing the other to Henrietta. The Princess couldn't help but laugh, then thankfully took the food back.

"Thank you, you're very generous," Henrietta said, then sat down on the dirt trail to begin slowly eating. The Snivy glanced up at her with a tilt of her head, then sat down as well to continue eating in silence. Dexio couldn't help but smile as he watched the proceedings, then turned around and walked off.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Outsiders! Special thanks to Darwin Candidate and Yuri Vampire for thier help in bringing this chapter to life.

A calm chapter this time, but no less important. Things are moving ahead for our characters, and the actual reunion between Louise and Henrietta is rapidly approaching. I think you guys are going to enjoy what we have coming up next.

I'm glad so many of you liked the previous chapter. Henrietta's inclusion in the story is one that we've been really looking forward to. As this episode shows, we have a lot in store for her. She offers a unique perspective we've excited to explore. We do, indeed, have a plan for what she does in Kalos, and I think you guys are going to enjoy it.

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. See you all next time!