Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 2, Episode 4, Chapter 2

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August 6th

Coumarine City, Kalos Region

With Fleur carried in her arms, Princess Henrietta de Tristain scoured the streets of Coumarine City for Louise's wayward companion. She had honestly thought that she'd be able to find him relatively quickly. After all, there was only so far a person could go on foot. But she had underestimated just how intricate and windy the city actually was. It was clearly organized and designed, with easily visible street signs and directional markers pointing the way to anywhere she needed to go. Compared to walking around the streets of Tristainia, it was a much more welcome experience.

But the problem lied in the sheer size of the city. While Lumiose, being the capital and center of finance for the entire region, completely dwarfed Coumarine it was still larger than Tristainia itself. Right from the outset of leaving the Pokémon Center, Henrietta was confronted with four different ways Saito could've gone, not including all the alleyways between the buildings. Saito himself was nowhere in sight, obviously much quicker on his feet than Henrietta initially gave him credit for.

Not that she particularly minded, especially after pulling up the purple Pokédex that Professor Sycamore had generously given her. She had spent the past few days, including the trip up to Coumarine, learning how it worked and how she could use it. Luckily, it was a very intuitive device and soon she had pulled up the city map. Finding the nearest shopping district, Henrietta made her way straight towards it, figuring that was where Saito most likely was going in his quest to properly plan and set up Louise's birthday party.

As she continued her search, Henrietta couldn't help but glance around to look at all the people and Pokémon going about their days. Even after spending a week in their world, she couldn't get enough of them. These wonderful creatures had completely captured her imagination. She loved seeing the Fletchlings perched atop tree branches and light posts, Meowths and Growlithes curled up on porch patios, and many more species than she could name at once. She had seen similar things on the drive to Coumarine, which was all the confirmation she needed that her initial observations in Lumiose was correct. On Earth, the lives of humans and Pokémon were interconnected and almost symbiotic. It was beautiful.

But she couldn't focus on that. She was on a mission, and the sooner she found Saito the faster she could get started. Once they finally got to the shopping, she was immediately on the lookout for Saito. There were tons of people walking about, some going in and out of stores while others were on the sidewalk either walking to wherever it was that they needed to go or simply standing around, talking to friends and family. Many were talking on their phones, several of which were in earshot, but Henrietta pointedly ignored those private conversations that she had no business being privy to.

"Now, where is he?" Henrietta mumbled to herself, squinting her eyes in order to focus.

With all the people around, it was difficult to get a bead on anyone. After a few minutes of searching, she thought she finally spotted him and walked over, only to find out that the man was not Saito at all. Embarrassed, she quickly apologized and shuffled away, restarting her search from a good vantage point. Fleur, wanting to help out, climbed up Henrietta's jacket to perch herself atop the Princess' shoulder. She acted like a serpentine sentry, complete with using her tail to protect her eyes from the sun. Henrietta chuckled to herself at the adorable image, then proceeded to focus on actually finding the boy.

Eventually, after several minutes of watching and repositioning herself to different places around the shopping district, Henrietta was about to give up and move on to the next district when she finally saw a boy her age stumbling out of a store carrying several plastic bags filled with what appeared to be party supplies. Moving closer, she quickly realized that this was, indeed, Saito, and with a proud smile on her face she hastened her pace towards him. Not noticing her approach, Saito struggled to hold the many bags in his hands while moving, and after a few steps he tripped.

"Gagh!" Saito grunted as he stumbled forward. While he was able to stay standing, one of the bags slipped out of his grip and fell onto the concrete. Its contents spilled out, scattering paper plates, napkins, and cups still in their protective wrapping all over the ground. Saito groaned, then leaned over to pick it all back up.

"Damn it, I hate it when this happens," he mumbled to himself as he haphazardly stuffed the spilled items back into the bag. "Why did Louise have to forget something as important as her freaking birthday? I mean, who does that?"

"To be fair, she has had a lot on her mind," Henrietta noted and Saito, not immediately recognizing her voice, waved her off.

"I know, I know, but that's still no excuse," he countered. "It's her birthday, for crying out loud. No one forgets that. Had she told me it was coming, even if only yesterday, I could've prepared something. Looked up online where to buy supplies, grabbed a few storage capsules. Would've been so much easier."

"True. In my experience, once Louise focuses on something, she tends to become very single-minded."

"Tell me about it. I swear she…" Saito paused, then slowly tilted his head up to lock eyes with a smiling Henrietta. Frozen in place, he finally said, "…Hey, how you doing?"

"I am doing well, thank you for asking," Henrietta replied, folding her arms in front of her waist.

"…How long have you been following me?"

"I wouldn't say following," Henrietta clarified. "More like tracking you down."

"…Alright then. How long have you been tracking me down?"

"Ever since you left the Pokémon Center."

Saito stared at her then slowly nodded before asking, "May I ask why?"

"I figured you could use some help planning Louise's birthday party. I don't mean to boast, but I have plenty of experience in that area," Henrietta claimed. "Also, I figured this would be a good time for the two of us to get to know each other."

Saito narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Henrietta, then said, "This is one of those 'friend interrogation' things, isn't it?"

Henrietta smiled and shook her head, saying, "Am I that obvious?"

"Kinda, yeah. But, if you're willing to help, I'm not going to say no," Saito remarked as he finished refilling the bag then standing up.

"Here, let me help you with that," Henrietta offered, but Saito shook his head.

"No, no, I'm good. Besides, if Louise wanted to kill me after I accidentally flirted with you, she definitely would have my head if she found out I let you carry these bags," Saito remarked despite visibly straining with the load. Henrietta stared at him for a moment then realized that he was most likely correct. She considered simply doing so anyway, but decided against it as Louise would most likely find out sooner or later. But that didn't mean she was going to let him struggle by himself, and an idea came to mind on how she could help.

Pulling out her silver wand, Henrietta quietly twirled it in the direction of the bags while casting a spell in her native tongue. To Saito's amazement, he felt a small wind current lift upward from the bottom of the bag, making it noticeably lighter and easier to carry. Quickly realizing that she was responsible, he smiled then nodded at her.

"Thanks," he said. "Was that…Wind magic?"

"Yes, actually," Henrietta confirmed as the two of them began walking once more to their next location. "I take it Louise has been telling you about our magic?"

"Mostly the basics, and it's been a while since we've gone over them, but yeah," Saito answered. "I take it, then, you're a Wind mage?"

"No, actually," Henrietta clarified while shaking her head. "I'm a water mage, Triangle-class."

"Really?" Saito asked as he glanced at her. When Henrietta nodded, he nodded back before returning his attention to what was in front of him while saying, "If I remember correctly, the ranks pretty much mean how many elements you can combine but doesn't limit what elements you can use."

"Correct. I can combine three water elements into a single spell. The wind spell I just cast would be considered a Dot-level."

"Neat. Reminds me of Final Fantasy," Saito said, pausing at an intersection as they waited for the cars to stop. Henrietta didn't quite know what Final Fantasy was, but she figured that if the comparison was enough for Saito to understand it then it was good enough for her. She could find out what it was later. For now, she had more important things to worry about.

"By the way," Saito said as the crosswalk sign turned green, letting them and others begin to cross the street, "sorry for, you know, how we…met."

Henrietta chuckled then waved him off, replying, "No need to apologize. It was harmless, and honestly I thought it was amusing."

"I know, but still. You're Louise's best friend from back home and I started…"

"Courting?" Henrietta offered with a cheeky smile on her face, but Saito blushed fervently shook his head.

"Flirting, not courting," he insisted as though there was a tangible difference when both of them knew there was none. "I started flirting with you as though you were some random, normal girl I just met. More importantly, you're Louise's best friend. That's practically off-limits to anyone in my situation."

Henrietta glanced at him, then shrugged and admitted, "True, but compared to everyone else who's tried doing just that it was a remarkable change of pace."

"…Really?"

"Oh, yes," Henrietta answered with a firm nod and slight frown. "Being the Princess of my kingdom, I was constantly being courted by noble families across Halkegenia, at least until I got engaged to the Emperor of Germania. All of them, including my 'fiancé', only did so because of the potential advantages they could obtain by marrying into the royal family. You, on the other hand, clearly had no idea who I was and was simply, as you say, flirting with me because I was a normal girl. Remarkably honest of you, really."

"…Huh, when you put it like that—" Saito began, only to pause and recoil before saying, "Wait, you're engaged?"

"Not by choice, but yes," Henrietta confirmed, and Saito grimaced.

"What do you mean, 'not by choice?'" Saito asked. In the back of his mind, he noted that Henrietta was only sixteen, which added another layer of discomfort to him, but he already knew that was a byproduct of Earth and Terre's inherent cultural differences so he decided to keep that down for the time being.

"Louise has informed you about Reconquista, correct?"

"Yeah. They're a bunch of religious fanatics pretending to launch a republican revolution with the goal of conquering the continent and launching a genocidal crusade, right?"

"More or less. As it stands, Reconquista is poised to win the Albion Civil War and depose the Tudor family. Prince Wales Tudor is valiantly trying to defend his claim and his people, but it's only a matter of time before he falls like his father," Henrietta said, sadly frowning and looking to the side at the inevitable fate of her love. Saito seemed to pick up on the hidden connection somewhat, but decided against speaking up about it.

"When Albion falls to Reconquista," Henrietta continued, "they're going to want to spread their revolution across the continent. To do that, they'll need a beachhead from which they can launch their invasions into the other kingdoms. Tristain, being so much smaller, weaker, and closer to Albion than all of our neighbors, makes us an appealing target."

Saito frowned, then replied, "Louise mentioned that."

"It's worse than she realizes. Than anyone realizes," Henrietta proclaimed. "She probably still hopes that Tristain would be able to mount a resistance, but we won't. Our economy and military is too small and weak, and has been hampered by what I believe to be Reconquista sympathizers in my court. We'd be annihilated quickly with little true resistance. Myself and all of my advisors knew this. Tristain had always relied on our alliance with Albion to keep ourselves protected, but now with Albion shaping up to be our worst enemy, we needed to secure a new alliance."

Saito's frown deepened, and he firmly nodded before saying, "That's why you're marrying the Germanian Emperor."

Henrietta sadly nodded as she replied, "Yes. Germania has the largest standing military in the entire continent. It would be an invaluable deterrent against invasion. But to get it, Tristain needs to offer Germania something substantial in return. Emperor Albrecht desires, more than anything else, legitimacy in the eyes of the Brimiric kingdoms, something I can easily provide."

"What do you mean?"

"Germania is considered by many people in Halkegenia to be a backwards country filled with barbarians," Henrietta revealed. "Mostly because Germania was formed by several kingdoms breaking away in the disastrous aftermath of the last crusade and only recently being reunified, and more importantly because their imperial family has no direct connection to the Founder. Emperor Albrecht hopes that, by marrying me, he can merge his bloodline with that of the Founder's, thereby strengthening the legitimacy of his claim on the throne."

"I see," Saito whispered as he frowned. "He doesn't love you at all, does he?"

Henrietta shook her head and confirmed, "No, he doesn't. I'm not happy about it. If there were any other way to secure the safety of my people, I would gladly do it, but from where I stood there wasn't. I had no choice, so when he made the initial offer I agreed to it. For the safety and wellbeing of my people, I was more than willing to throw away any hopes of happiness."

Henrietta's frown deepened, then she hissed, "But does anyone recognize that sacrifice? No, they only see a naïve girl in over her head, thrust into a position she was in no way ready for and judge her because of that."

Aware of the circumstances surrounding Henrietta's premature ascension, Saito sympathetically nodded while saying, "I'm sorry, Henrietta. I…wish there was something I could do."

Regaining her composure, Henrietta waved him off while saying, "No, no. It's fine. I'm sorry for bringing this up."

"There's no need to be sorry," Saito insisted. They walked on the sidewalk for a few moments in silence, then Saito added, "If it helps…I think you're doing fine. At least you're trying. The last Princess I met was nothing more than a spoiled brat."

"Louise told me about Princess Allie," Henrietta noted while amusedly shaking her head. "I wish I could say people like her are a rare occurrence among the nobility, but I'd be lying."

"I've only known you for less than an hour, and I already tell you're miles better than her," Saito declared, and the two teenagers chuckled.

For the next few hours, the two of them talked as they gathered the rest of Louise's party supplies. They secured food and drinks, including a cake with icing and candles to feast upon, along with plenty of decorations. Hardly any topic wasn't discussed as they worked, mostly focusing on Saito's time with Louise herself. While many of the events Louise had already gone over with the Princess, she was still interested in hearing Saito's perspective on things. If there was one thing Henrietta had learned as Tristain's de facto ruler, it was that to understand the full picture you needed to hear everyone's perspective.

"-and she had eaten so many she was bedridden the whole next morning!" Saito finished telling his tale, and Henrietta laughed while covering her mouth with her hand.

"I can't believe she went so overboard," she said through the laugher, and Saito smiled and nodded.

"Especially since she already knew what would happen if she ate too much," Saito added. "Let it be known that Louise is, if nothing else, as stubborn as a Mudbray half the time."

"It certainly sounds like it. She's gotten you into plenty of trouble these past few months."

"Eh, I wouldn't say she's gotten us into plenty of trouble. Most of it wasn't her fault and just kind of happened to us by sheer happenstance. Can't really blame her for that."

"True, but I was mostly talking about the minor incidents."

"Oh yeah, nine times out of ten we're doing something because she wants to see what it is whereas I would rather get to the next city."

"Why not just push forward anyway?"

"Well, because that's the thing about Pokémon Journeys," Saito answered. "They're not about the goal or even the destination. Sure, both of us want to become the next champion of the Kalosian Pokémon League, but really its about the journey we have along the way. The people we meet, the places we've been the Pokémon we encounter. Sure, sometimes I think it would be nice to just focus on getting to where we need to go, but it's not like we're really on a time crunch. The next Pokémon League starts at the beginning of March next year, so we have plenty of time to get the rest of the badges we needed. We'll probably even have time to dedicate a month to training."

Henrietta smiled and nodded at the declaration. She then said, "Louise is lucky to have a friend like you, Saito. Thank you for looking out for her."

"No problem," Saito replied. "Louise is my best friend, and I'd do anything for her."

"Which reminds me—"

"Please, please don't go off about whether I'm Louise's…lover again. Please," Saito begged, dramatically shivering while a crimson blush erupted across his face, causing Henrietta to chuckle.

"You have to admit, coming from my perspective it's easy to see why I would think you two were, what's the term here…dating?"

"Yeah, dating," Saito confirmed, then quickly shook his head. "And no, we're not and we never were. Besides, boys and girls travel together platonically on Pokémon Journeys all the time on Earth. What we're doing is no different. The two of us are still single and I have no intention of changing that."

"So, you're saying that you wouldn't date Louise under any circumstances? Even if she were to, hypothetically speaking of course, ask you out on a date?" Henrietta asked with a sly smile on her face.

"Yes," Saito immediately answered, then his blush increased and he quickly added, "No, I mean… Sure, Louise is smart, determined, pretty, and honestly a little cute when she gets angry…"

Saito absentmindedly trailed off, only to notice Henrietta's smile growing wider. Regaining his composure and shaking his head, he hastily declared, "But that's not the point. The point is that Louise and I are just friends. That's it, and we're perfectly fine with that."

"Of course, of course," Henrietta replied, raising her hand while slowly nodding. Deciding that she got the reaction that she wanted, Henrietta continued, "By the way, I won't tell Louise what you said about her."

Saito's blush returned in full force, then he looked away and mumbled, "Thank you…"

With the conversation ended, the two teenagers fell back into silence. They continued to walk through the streets of Coumarine, making their way towards their final destination. Along the way, they passed by yet another cordoned off Pokémon Battling Arena, this one actively being used. Trainers were battling each other with their teams of Pokémon while spectator's cheered. While Saito was looking over with open interest, Henrietta's smile faltered. Saito quickly noticed this and turned to look at her.

"You're not a fan of battling, are you?" Saito asked, and Henrietta shook her head.

"Not particularly, no. It just seems…needlessly violent to me," she admitted.

"I can understand that. There are some places, like Ryme City, where Pokémon Battling is outright illegal," Saito replied. "But, trust me, it is perfectly safe. Most Pokémon love to challenge themselves and Pokémon Battling is a perfect avenue for it."

"I know, but…it's just not for me," Henrietta noted, and when Fleur nodded while still perched atop her shoulder Henrietta quickly added, "And Fleur, too."

"Fair enough. To each their own," Saito said. "If it helps, outright abusing Pokémon is illegal and you can get arrested for that."

"That's good," Henrietta replied. As they walked to next destination, she then asked, "Speaking of the Pokémon League, why did you decide to take part in Kalos' when you're from Unova? You started your journey in Unova."

"As I told you, my parents moved right when my journey began," Saito answered. "While they were comfortable with me finally starting my journey when I turned seventeen, they were less so with me continuing it while they were in another region on the other side of the world. Some free-range parents were fine with that, but not mine."

"I still think sending ten-year-olds on a cross-country adventure is dangerous," Henrietta admitted.

"My parents would agree with you," Saito declared. "In any case, it worked out for me. Kalos was desperate for anyone to take part in this year's League. There are more foreigners participating this year than any other time in the League's history. We got trainers from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Galar. I even heard there was a guy from Orre who showed up."

"Wow. It's always so amazing to me just how interconnected your world is, and how easy it is to travel from one side of it to another," Henrietta noted. "Halkegenia doesn't have anything like that."

"Hey, you'll get there," Saito told her. "Especially with you in charge, now that you've seen what we're capable of."

Henrietta smiled at Saito, saying, "Thank you for your confidence. Hopefully, I can get it done."

Saito's face fell slightly as he picked up on her slightly dejected tone, and he asked, "Do you…not think you can get it done?"

"I certainly hope so, but there's going to be a lot of pushback. Not just from members of the nobility, who are opposed to the mere suggestion of change at the best of times, and from the Church. They don't like it when the status quo is changed too much, and many of the reforms I have in mind would completely upend it," Henrietta answered, clenching her fist and hold it up her to her chest. "But, if I can get it done, or at least just started, Tristain's prosperity would almost be secured for generations to come. Either that or I fail and it leads to civil war."

"I'm sure it won't get that bad," Saito tried to soothe her, but Henrietta was unconvinced. Wanting to change the subject, Saito continued, "In any case, you have plenty of time to figure out what you're going to do."

"Yes, the…time dilation," Henrietta replied as they finally arrived at their destination. Entering the building, Henrietta whispered, "Honestly, ever since I arrived I've been focused on just reuniting with Louise. Now that I did…I don't know what I'm going to do."

Saito nodded as he browsed the offerings, trying to find the perfect gift for his best friend. Leaning over to look through the glass display cases, he idly mentioned, "Well, you have eight months to figure that out."

"Which is a problem. Sure, Cardinal Mazarin can handle Tristain while I'm gone, but—" Henrietta began, only for Saito to cut her off.

"Aren't you only going to be gone for, like, a few days to them?" Saito pointed out. Henrietta paused, then nodded after a moment. He continued, "I mean, sure, you disappearing right in the middle of everyone is bad, but it's not disastrous. Heck, by the time word gets out you'll probably be back home like nothing happened. Sounds to me like you were given an eight month-long vacation."

"Vacation?"

"Yeah, vacation. Time for you to do pretty much whatever you want," Saito declared. When he finally noticed what he wanted to get, he called over to a nearby salesman to inquire about the piece.

Henrietta, however, tuned out whatever he was saying as she focused on what he just told her. It hadn't occurred to her until now, but upon reflection she realized that Saito was absolutely correct. Thanks to Mew's machinations, she had essentially been eight months entirely to herself and Louise. Eight months of no responsibilities, no royal obligations, no opportunistic and judgmental nobles breathing down her neck and looking over her shoulder. She wouldn't have to worry about selling away her freedom, she'd have all the freedom in the world. In an entirely different world, where Tristain didn't even exist. Henrietta would just be another girl, not the Princess of an entire nation trying to hold it up on her shoulders.

She'd be able to just relax and be herself, have fun with her dearest friend and hopefully make more along the way. All for the cost of a just a few days of easily manageable chaos back home. Slowly, Henrietta's smile grew larger and larger, then she began to chuckle to herself. Quietly at first, only for the volume to grow louder and louder.

"Geez, this is expensive," Saito muttered while rubbing his chin, then he nodded and said, "but she'll love it. I'll take it. Do you have gift bags?"

"Of course, sir. We'll provide you one free of charge," the salesman answered, and Saito nodded.

"Thanks, that's…" Saito paused as he finally picked up on Henrietta's laughter. Slowly, he turned to look at her, finding that everyone else in the store including Fleur were looking at her nervously. Henrietta, however, didn't notice them at all or simply didn't care as she leaned back and forth, clutching her stomach tightly as she laughed hysterically.

"Is your friend alright?" the salesman asked in a concerned tone of voice, and Saito shook his head.

"I…don't know," Saito admitted, and they continued to quietly watch as Henrietta uproariously laughed at her newfound freedom.


Several hours had passed since Saito had ran off, with Henrietta in immediate pursuit, to prepare Louise's impromptu birthday party. To be honest, Louise didn't quite understand why her two best friends were putting in so much effort on such short notice. She had literally, much to her embarrassment, forgotten about her own birthday. The trip to another world and the revelation of time dilation did little to justify that. No one would've blamed her friends for settling on just getting a small cake, maybe some balloons, and a quick gift before calling it a day. After all, it was her own fault for not letting them know well ahead of time.

But, as she and Professor Sycamore came to the park where her party was being held, she quickly saw that her friends her gone well and beyond the bare minimum she had expected. They had truly concocted an impressive party, given the limited time frame. Compared to what her family held back home in Tristain, it would be considered quaint, but that wasn't fair in the slightest. The party itself was centered around a wooden park bench, which had a red table cloth draped over it. An archway made of red, white, and pink balloons stretched above the width of the table, with the words 'Happy Birthday, Louise!' boldly displayed along the top. At the center of the table was a large red and white cake in the shape of a Pokéball, the flavor of which she couldn't quite tell at the moment. Seventeen candles were embedded into the top, just waiting to be lit. There were small plates arranged around it, not just for the people but for the Pokémon as well. A small cooler was set up at the end of the table, filled with ice and what appeared to be water bottles and soda cans.

"Happy Birthday!" Saito, Henrietta, and Derflinger all cheered, with the boy handing Louise and Sycamore little party hats.

"You…you guys…" Louise started, barely able to speak. "You…didn't have…"

"Louise, it's your birthday. Of course we had to," Saito cut her off as he adjusted the pointy paper hat on his head. "It's, like, a law or something."

"…It is?" Henrietta asked, turning her head to look up at Saito with a genuinely curious gaze.

"Yep, a law of friendship," Derflinger confirmed with a nod. "Friends throw birthday parties for their friends. Everyone knows that."

"Oh, that's what you meant. I thought…never mind," Henrietta muttered while shaking her head. Saito glanced at her, then an amused smile began to spread across his lips.

"Did you actually think—"

"No!" Henrietta hastily countered. Saito merely chuckled while the Princess tried her best to fight back her embarrassment. Louise, meanwhile, blankly stared at her two friends with an almost vacant expression.

"…You two seem…friendly," she noted, which prompted Henrietta to regain her composure and turn to face Louise. She smiled and nodded while folding her arms in front of her waist.

"Saito and I spent a lot of time together while preparing your birthday party. He proved to be very enjoyable company," Henrietta admitted.

"Thanks. I enjoyed being around you as well," Saito replied. The two teenagers smiled at each other, while Louise stared blankly at them.

"…Lovely," Louise dryly muttered, a volatile mixture of emotions swirling around in her head. On the one hand, she was genuinely happy that her two best friends were getting along so well. The last thing she wanted was for them to be at each other's throats. On the other hand, there was this pit in her stomach that did not like just how close Henrietta seemed to be getting with Saito. She couldn't quite place what the feeling was, only that she didn't like it at all. It almost made her wish that they didn't like each other.

But Louise knew now wasn't the time to be having such inappropriate thoughts, not to mention thinking them made her feel guilty in the first place. She shook her head to clear those thoughts, then genuinely smiled towards Saito and Henrietta before saying, "Thank you guys, really."

Her friends smiled back, then Saito beckoned her towards the table and said, "Come on, let's get started. Henrietta and I spent a lot of time getting this ready. Especially her. She was not kidding when she said she knew how to set up parties. I would not have been able to do this without her."

"Thank you, Saito," Henrietta replied as she walked over to sit down at the table. Nodding to her friend, Louise proudly made her way over along with Saito and Professor Sycamore. As they did, both trainers released their Pokémon, allowing them to join them on the field. At first, they stretched their limbs, but as soon as they saw the decorations and whom they were for they immediately snapped their attentions towards Louise.

'It's your birthday?!' Esprit exclaimed, barely able to fight back a happy squeal. 'Happy Birthday!'

"Thank you, Esprit," Louise said as she sat down.

'…Why are we only learning about this today? I would've thought you, of all people, would've been telling us this months ago,' Maindo grumpily pointed out from a fair distance away from the others. Louise pointedly refused to answer him, but Maindo slowly began to figure out the actual reason. Slowly, he began to smile and he proclaimed, 'No, you didn't?! Hah, that's hilarious!'

"Shut up you little imp," Louise grumbled, but Maindo continued to laugh, nearly falling onto his back. The others tried their best to ignore him in favor of focusing on Princess Henrietta, who was looking at all the Pokémon in open wonder.

"Wow, so these are your teams? They're amazing," Henrietta said as she leaned over to get a better look.

"Yes, they are," Louise proudly confirmed. "This is my starter, Brennaraki."

"She's a Fennekin, right?" Henrietta asked as she held out her hand for the fire fox. At first, Brennaraki was suspicious and sniffed her hand, but after a few moments happily let the gentle girl rub her hand along her head and back.

"Correct. She was actually a part of a pack I had in my care a few months back," Professor Sycamore answered. "By the time you arrived, I was able to give the rest to proper trainers. The ones you saw were a different pack entirely."

"That's good to hear," Henrietta admitted as she continued to pet Brennaraki. "She's beautiful, Louise."

Brennaraki preened at the praise, as did Louise. That was when Esprit made her way over, then she respectfully curtsied towards the Princess while saying, 'Greetings, Princess Henrietta. My name is Esprit.'

Henrietta chuckled at the formality in Esprit's mental voice, and she replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Esprit. But please, there's no need to be so formal."

'Of course, Your Highness,' Esprit replied, giving her another curtsey before allowing the rest of Louise's Pokémon to be introduced.

One by one, Henrietta was greeted by the rest of Louise's team. Aile was constantly trying to get an early nibble of the cake, much to Louise's irritation and Henrietta's amusement. Gène was much more energetic and getting to know the Princess, and Henrietta nearly lost her composure entirely at the sight of the adorable brown fox. Auspice respectfully kept her distance, merely offering a firm nod as a greeting before sitting down on her hind legs at the end of the table.

Saito's Pokémon were similarly eager to get to know Louise's best friend from home. Tanuki, not caring about any semblance of formality, had marched right up to her and offered his hand for her to shake, much to Louise's shock and disbelief, which Henrietta reciprocated after a brief moment of confusion. Tengu's introduction was much like Auspice's, silently and briefly nodding towards her before taking her seat at the table. Shogun was standoffish, suspiciously staring at the Princess from narrow eyes next to Saito's legs. The Tyrunt wasn't outright growling at her, but it was clear that he didn't know her nor trust her yet. Ōdachi had taken to Henrietta almost immediately, plopping herself down on Henrietta's lap much to Brennaraki's dismay. Ronin, meanwhile, had apparently decided to take his 'honorable warrior' persona to the next level and had seemingly appointed himself as Henrietta's bodyguard. Standing beside her while keeping a careful watch for any signs of danger, it was immensely amusing to Henrietta and the others, who couldn't help but laugh.

Only Maindo didn't pay any mind to what was going on, choosing to instead lay on top of a nearby branch. Henrietta was confused at first, but after learning of their recent ordeal with the Kirlia and it's aftermath, all she could feel was sadness and disappointment. The situation reminded her somewhat of her problems back home, and the last thing she wanted was to be reminded of them again here. If Maindo wasn't willing to put in the effort to be with everyone, then she would pay him no mind as well.

Once the introductions were complete, Brennaraki carefully lit the candles with a small spit of flame. Saito and Professor Sycamore immediately began to sing a rendition of Happy Birthday, which Henrietta happily joined in once she understood what was going on. In the back of her mind, she was already appreciating Earth's birthday customs. Tristain's was much more formal and rigid by comparison, whereas this was far more laid back and relaxed. While Louise clearly appreciated what her friends were doing, her face was marked by a heavy, crimson blush and she forcing herself to avert her eyes. A small smile, however, never once left her lips.

As soon as the singing was over, Louise eagerly blew out the candles, much to the cheers of her friends and Pokémon. Professor Sycamore took out a plastic knife and began to carefully cut the cake into several different pieces. The larger sections went to the humans, whereas the Pokémon got much smaller portions. Maindo briefly joined in to grab a piece for himself before teleporting away, much to the others' annoyance.

Otherwise, the low-key party went on. The humans and Pokémon mingled, chatting among themselves while digging into the cake and drinks. Laughter filled the air, and the hours seemed to tick by without much notice.

"It's still hard to believe that you're six thousand years old," Henrietta admitted as she and Derflinger continued their conversation. "You certainly don't look it."

"Trust me, I was asleep for most of it," Derflinger pointed out. "Especially for the past few millennia. By the time Saito and Louise found me, I was covered in rust."

"What is it like to be rusted, by the way?"

"Imagine your skin and bones are so hard that it hurts to move."

"…That sounds terrible."

"It was," Derflinger mumbled with a dramatic shiver. "But it's all good now. I'm nice and polished up, and more importantly rust free."

"That's good. I'm sorry you went through that," Henrietta empathetically told the ancient Honedge, but he waved her off with a wave of his sash.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Derflinger dismissed. "Now then, you wanna hear the Founder's favorite dirty joke?"

"No, she doe not!" Louise yelled from across the table. "You will not corrupt her mind, you stupid blade!"

Derflinger merely chuckled at Louise's outburst, then he conspiratorially whispered to Henrietta, "I'll tell you later if you want."

"That would be lovely," Henrietta whispered back, then let the conversation shift. Several minutes passed, with the cake and drinks reduced to only a few samples left. But, as the sun began to shift below the horizon, the topic of what came next inevitably revealed itself.

"You really have to head back to Lumiose tomorrow morning?" Louise asked in a dejected tone, and Professor Sycamore nodded.

"Yes. My team and I have a lot of really important experiments scheduled, and I'd rather not leave Sina and Dexio in charge for too long," Sycamore answered with a mock shiver. "I do not want to know what they'll turn the lab into if I stay away for too long."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be too bad," Louise pointed out, only for Sycamore to smile and shake his head.

"You don't know them like I do. The last time I took an extended vacation, they nearly burnt down the lab," Sycamore revealed. "It only happened once, and it was a genuine accident, but I refuse to let them live that down."

In Henrietta's eyes, the lab nearly burning down sounded much more serious than Professor Sycamore was letting it out to be, but decided against speaking up about it. Saito then chose that moment to speak up, saying, "Well, we're happy you were able to come down."

"So am I," Sycamore replied as he glanced towards Henrietta with a smile. He then said, "But enough about me. Isn't there something else that birthday parties are known for?"

"Hmm? Oh, right!" Saito exclaimed as he dug into his backpack and pulled out a small box. "Louise, your presents!"

"No, no. You really don't—" Louise tried to protest, but Saito had already handed her the box.

"Nope, I already bought it and gave it to you. It's yours now," Saito declared with a nervous smile. "Happy Birthday, Louise."

Louise stared at her friend, at first in disbelief then a soft smile began to spread. She carefully started peeling away the wrapping paper, and to her surprise saw that it covered a black velvet box with a hinge on one side.

"Oh, Saito. You didn't?" Louise gasped as she read the logo and slowly began to open it, revealing a beautifully polished gold pendant in the same size and shape of her academy broach. A ring of jewels in the shape of a Pokéball lined the middle, with a hollow space right in the center.

"I figured since, you know, Guru Gurkinn gave us those keystones you might want one for yourself," Saito said as he awkwardly scratched his cheek. "It reminded me of that broach you used to wear, so I got it."

A happy smile spread across Louise's lips, and she looked at Saito before saying, "Thank you. It's beautiful."

Saito smiled thankfully at his gift's reception, watching as Louise carefully pulled out her keystone. She found it easy to slot the gem into the slot, then she eagerly threw the chain over her neck. The pendant was proudly displayed on her chest. Louise was positively beaming, washing away the pain of how much Saito had to spend just on that piece of jewelry. He knew he was going to have to do a lot of trainer battles to make up for it, but just seeing the look on Louise's face told him it was worth every cent.

Henrietta and Sycamore, meanwhile, exchanged knowing glances with each other. It was clear to both of them that, even if Saito didn't mean to indicate otherwise, he was practically screaming about the nature of his true feelings. For the Professor, he was happy to see it naturally develop, while Henrietta was already scheming ways to help speed it along. But that could come later. For now, they had the rest of Louise's party to focus on.

"Sorry I wasn't able to get you anything," Sycamore apologized, knocking Louise out of her trance and causing her to shake her head fervently.

"No, no. It's fine," Louise insisted. "You don't need to get me anything. You've already done so much for me as it is."

Sycamore smiled thankfully before noting, "Still, I wish I knew your birthday was coming up. I could've gotten you something."

Louise turned her attention to Princess Henrietta and smiled before replying, "You did."

Henrietta smiled back as the other's attention was drawn to her. That was when Saito's face shifted, and he asked, "Speaking of…Henrietta, what are you going to do now?"

That caused the mood to suddenly shift, and Louise's smile fell. Professor Sycamore's face flattened as well. While he had a suspicion as to what Henrietta's plans were, he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. But his suspicions were only confirmed when Henrietta didn't appear to be dejected at the change of subject. Instead, she seemed excited.

"Well, at first I honestly didn't know what I was going to do after this," Henrietta admitted. "I suppose I could've gone back with the Professor as you and Saito completed the rest of your journey. But, after coming all this way just to find you, I think that's…a bit of waste, don't you think?"

Louise and Saito were confused at first. Then, slowly, it began to dawn on Louise as to what Henrietta was saying. Her eyes widened, and she softly asked, "Are…are you saying…?"

Henrietta nodded, then politely replied, "As we were planning your party, Saito explained something that I didn't really acknowledge at first. No matter what, I'm going to be here for the next eight months. I might as well enjoy the vacation I've been given. So, if you'll let me…I'd like to come with you."

Louise's eyes seemed to widen even more, and she glanced towards Saito who shrugged and said, "I'm fine with that. The more the merrier, I say."

Henrietta smiled as Louise turned her head back to look at her, then the rosette gulped and asked, "What…what do you want to do?"

Henrietta shrugged and admitted, "Honestly, I don't know yet. I know I don't want to join the League with you guys, but I figure I have more than enough time to figure that out."

Louise stared at Henrietta for a moment, then she sniffled and replied, "Well…if you want to come with us…I'd be honored, Princess."

Henrietta smiled victoriously, then replied, "Thank you, Louise. And please, just call me Henrietta."

Louise sniffled and nodded, and the newly formed trio smiled at each other. Derflinger, Professor Sycamore, and all of the other Pokémon smiled at them as well, eagerly awaiting the adventures that would come there way. There was no telling what would be in store for them, and as the past few months had proven, it could be anything. But they were more than eager to rush headlong into the challenges that laid ahead, no matter how big or small.

'Yay, I'm so happy for you guys!' a new, feminine voice spoke up, causing the others to jump in surprise. Turning their heads towards the source, they saw Mew floating above the rest of the chocolate cake, happily digging in with her hands. Stunned into silence, everyone could only watch with wide, unblinking eyes.

"You're…that's a…" Sycamore stammered, his throat suddenly dry.

'That's right, I'm Mew!' Mew happily introduced herself as she spun around in the air. When she noticed Henrietta, she closed her eyes and waved while saying, 'Hi, Princess! I'm glad you found your friend!'

"Um…thank you," Henrietta replied as she began to recover. "Why are you here?"

Mew tilted her head and began to scratch her ear in confusion before replying, 'Celebi told me to do something. What was it…?'

As Mew continued to scratch her head, she telepathically lifted a chunk of cake and placed it into her mouth. It quickly became obvious what had distracted the Mythical Pokémon, but the others were too stunned to really do anything.

Then, after a moment, a switch seemed to flip in Mew's mind as she proclaimed, 'Oh, right! I remember now.'

Suddenly, a small black book teleported into existence right behind Mew, and with a cheer she threw it towards Louise while crying out, 'Happy Birthday!'

"WAAGH!" Louise screamed in shock as the book was hurled into her face, causing her to fall down onto the grass. Everyone stared at her as she groaned in pain, with Mew hovering nearby and her paws covering her mouth.

'…Oops, sorry,' she apologized. As the others turned to stare at her, she awkwardly put the rest of the cake down, then waved and said, 'Goodbye!'

With that, she teleported away just as Louise recovered. She rubbed her red nose, breathing heavily as she tried to contain her anger. Saito and Henrietta, meanwhile, struggled to not erupt into giggles, as the entire situation was quite humorous in their minds.

"Louise, are you okay?" Sycamore asked as her Pokémon ran over to tend to their trainer.

Louise seethed, then took a few deep breaths before hissing, "Yes, I'm…fine."

None of them quite bought it, but they decided against saying anything otherwise. Instead, Saito's attention shifted to the book still laying on the ground. Tilting his head before leaning over to pick it up, he asked, "What's this?"

Lifting it up for the others to see, neither him, Sycamore, or even Louise recognized it. Henrietta and Derflinger, however, did immediately. Derflinger's eye narrowed while Henrietta answered, "That's the Founder's Prayer Book…"

"Prayer Book? Is that what they're calling it now?" Derflinger said with a dismissive roll of his eye. "No, that's not his prayer book. That's Brimir's journal. The same one he wrote every single void spell he ever devised into. Mew just gave you something very important, Pinky."

Shocked into silence, Louise slowly stared at the black book, and the festive spirit slowly gave way for a heightened sense of curiosity and trepidation. None of them knew what this meant, nor way she was given this in the first place. But it was obvious to everyone that the book was given for a reason, but whether it was for good or ill was impossible to say.

[~][~]

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

Henrietta has officially joined the team, accompanying Saito and Louise as they complete their Pokemon Journey alongside her own. Things are going to be interesting as events unfold, particularly with the gift Mew gave to Louise. I think you guys are really going to like the rest of this episode.

To answer all of your questions, I'm glad so many of you liked Henrietta's reunion with Louise, as well as her first meeting with Saito. That was something we were particularly looking forward to ever since we started down this path. Regarding Gigantamax Pokemon, do recall that it and Dynamax are a purely Galarian phenomenon. Had I set the story in Galar, obviously we'd have focused on them, but this is across the ocean in Kalos. Hence they focus on mega evolutions. Also, this story isn't really based around cartoon physics, so them bloating up from eating too much wouldn't really happen.

Also, yes. Louise's birthday is canonically August 6th. This is because Louise de la Valliere, like many other FoZ characters, was based off of an actual person. Specifically, Louise de la Valliere, a mistress of Louise XIV from 1661 to 1667. She was born on August 6th, 1644, and that was carried over to our Louise de la Valliere.

I'm glad many of you enjoy the take we're going with for Henrietta and Louise's friendship. I've always felt that FoZ was bogged down heavily by its harem comedy elements. They had a goldmine of interpersonal drama, politics, etc., but instead the anime in particular dropped that in favor of harem comedy hijinks. I'm not inherently opposed to the idea of multiple people falling for Saito, but I do have an issue with how it was presented in the canon source material. When designing this story, we purposefully removed those elements, hence why Henrietta is playing matchmaker for Louise rather than trying to win him over for herself. It certainly helps that the love of her life, Prince Wales, is still alive so there's no real temptation on Henrietta's part for Saito. There might be little references to Henrietta's canon feelings towards Saito, but don't expect this story to really play into them for any serious extent.

As for whether other FoZ characters will be getting Pokemon of their own, that is years down the line. Don't expect that to pop up until Season 3, which will primarily be Halkegenia focused. Unless I decided to split Kalos into another season for organization's sake, moving Halkegenia into Season 4. But I'll let you guys know whether that's going to happen.

Let us know what you think, and if any of you have a TV Tropes account any assistance in updating the TV Tropes page would be greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy!