Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
Season 2, Episode 4, Chapter 5

[~][~]

August 8th, 3:00 PM

Azure Bay, Kalos Region

Henrietta didn't quite know what to think as she followed Saito, Calem, and Joceline after Louise and Elizabeth. On the one hand, watching her best friend have a proper Pokémon battle and not just another training exercise was inherently exciting. It would show just where all their hard work was paying off, not to mention Louise seemed to genuinely enjoy what she did. Henrietta couldn't help but be excited for her. On the other hand, Henrietta still was rather unsure about competitive Pokémon battling in general. It was one thing to have to fight, whether such as defending yourself, loved ones, or country. But it was another to turn combat into a sport, seemingly glorifying it. The glorification of war violence was a trap that Henrietta herself once fell into, along with most nobles she had ever interacted with, but a few conversations with Agnès was enough to dissuade her of that opinion.

Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts. Right now she needed to support her friend. With that in mind, Henrietta made her way further down the beach, eventually finding herself in a flat section of beach with little to no obstructions. Louise and Elizabeth clearly decided that this was the place to do their battle, and after marking the boundaries with a few rocks they stood on opposite ends.

"I'll be the referee here," Calem offered, walking over to stand on top of a large boulder on the side of the makeshift arena, with Saito and Henrietta standing beside him on Louise's side of the field. "In the interest of time, we'll be having a one-on-one Pokémon battle. Does that work for both of you?"

"Works for me," Elizabeth said as she huffed and crossed her arms.

"I only need one," Louise confidently declared, causing Elizabeth to scowl and clench her fists tightly while lowering her arms to her sides. Seeing her reaction, Louise smirked and crossed her arms in turn.

"Don't get confident, Louise. I've gotten much stronger since the last time we battled!" Elizabeth shouted, but Louise's smirk only increased.

"What, do they listen to you now?" Louise asked, and Elizabeth recoiled before growling in anger.

"Louise seems…more combative than usual," Henrietta whispered to Saito, who nodded while refusing to take his eyes off the spectacle.

"Louise and Elizabeth really do not like each other," Saito whispered back.

Henrietta frowned slightly, but otherwise remained silent as she focused her attention onto the battle about to unfold. Then, to her surprise, she heard Saito release his Pokémon from their Pokéballs, prompting the Princess to look at him as his Pokémon assembled themselves onto the beach.

"I figured they'd want to watch this," Saito answered the unasked question. Henrietta accepted that answer, then released Fleur onto to the beach as well.

"Wow, they're so cool!" Joceline excitingly declared, stars in her eyes as she looked upon all of the Pokémon brought out. When she noticed Henrietta's handmade Pokéball, she tilted her head curiously then asked, "Huh, that's a weird Pokéball."

Snorting in mild amusement, Henrietta held the Pokéball closer to Joceline and remarked, "That's because I made it myself."

"Really?" Joceline asked, her eyes widening in wonder. When Henrietta nodded, she looked back at the Pokéball and breathed out, "Whoa…"

Henrietta chuckled, then turned back to the arena as Calem continued, "Since Elizabeth is the challenger, she has to bring out the first Pokémon."

"Already have one in mind," Elizabeth said, pulling out a Pokéball before calling out, "Larvitar, show her what we're made of!"

Elizabeth's thrown Pokéball opened at the hinges, releasing a white stream of light that coalesced into a small, green, bipedal lizard. The Larvitar let out a cry, rearing its head up to the heavens, and Henrietta focused her attention onto it.

"Henrietta, now would be a good time to use your Pokédex," Saito suggested. For a moment, Henrietta was confused as to what he meant, but then she remembered the primary function of the Pokédex and hastily pulled it out.

"Okay, let's see here…" Henrietta mumbled while going through the various functions. Once she found the actual Pokédex icon, she activate it then aimed the device at Elizabeth's Larvitar.

"Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pokémon," the Pokédex's electronic voice called out. "Native to the Johto region's famous Silver Mountains, Larvitars feed on mineral-rich rocks and soil. A growing Larvitar may eat its entire weight in a single day, and will supposedly evolve into Pupitar after eating an entire mountain's worth of rocks. The veracity of this claim is disputed."

"It eats rocks?" Henrietta asked herself, then shrugged and put the Pokédex away. She added the factoid to all the other strange things she'd learned about Pokémon since arriving in Kalos, then sat down onto a rock with Fleur atop her shoulder.

"Okay," Louise mumbled to herself, then nodded as she pulled out a Luxury Ball. As she threw it out towards the middle of the field, she yelled, "Auspice, I choose you!"

Auspice emerged onto the battlefield, immediately leveling her gaze towards her opponent who, although visibly nervous, matched it head on. This told Louise that this Larvitar was most likely young and therefore inexperienced. That was another advantage in her favor, but not one that she could rest on. Elizabeth clearly recognized the threat Auspice held, but stood her ground then thrust her arm forward dramatically.

"Alright, Larvitar! Let's start this off with Rock Throw!" the heiress ordered, prompting Larvitar to dig its hands into the sand pull out a large piece of sandstone the size of his head. He then hurled it straight towards Auspice at fairly high speeds, but Louise was already prepared.

"Dodge it with Detect!" Louise shouted. Auspice's eyes briefly gleamed, then she simply tilted her head to the side to let the sandstone rock soar right past her horn. It bounced and skidded along the beach, and Louise smirked before continuing, "Now, follow up with Taunt!"

Auspice narrowed her gaze at Larvitar, then huffed and visibly rolled her eyes in a taunting manner. A now incensed Larvitar growled and stomped its feet into the sand, kicking it up with each movement. Louise smirked, happy that her plan was working so far, but Elizabeth looked oblivious to what Taunt even did.

Before Elizabeth could react, Louise shouted, "Auspice, use Focus Energy then Night Slash!"

The Absol's body shimmered in a white aura, then her horn glowed a bright purple before she raced straight towards Larvitar at blinding speeds. Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise, then she hastily called out, "Slow her down with Scary Face!"

Unfortunately for Elizabeth, Larvitar was too enraged by Auspice's taunt that he didn't even bother trying to use Scary Face, instead simply charging towards his opponent with reckless abandon. Her eyes widened, then she shouted in rage, "Larvitar, what are you doing?! Listen to what I'm-!"

Before Elizabeth could finish yelling, Auspice was already on Larvitar and swinging her scythe-like horn into his side. It dug into his rocky, scaly skin, making him cry out in pain as he was sent flying back.

"Larvitar!" Elizabeth shouted as her Pokémon bounced along the sand. Growling in rage, she turned towards Louise and demanded, "What did you do?!"

"Taunt makes it so that all a Pokémon can do is attack," Louise revealed, a slight twinge of pity seeping into her voice that Elizabeth couldn't help but get enraged by. "They get so angry, trying to defend or affect their opponent beyond just hitting them simply doesn't work."

Elizabeth growled, recognizing her error, then turned towards Larvitar as he picked himself up. She then yelled, "You have to keep going, Larvitar! Don't let her get to you!"

Taking his trainer's words to heart, Larvitar stood up as high as he could before focusing his attention back onto Auspice. His opponent's taunt was still noticeably affecting him, with his breathing harsh and shallow, but he clearly wasn't out of the fight yet. Elizabeth then tilted her head in thought, then slightly smirked as she pointed right at Auspice.

"Stomping Tantrum!" Elizabeth then shouted, and soon the enraged Larvitar stomped around onto the sandy surface as hard as he could. Large rocks were sent flying out like missiles, slamming into Auspice's body with enough force to send her flying back. The Absol let out a cry in pain, skidding along the ground with enough force to carve a small divot into the beach.

"Auspice!" Louise shouted in worry, only for Elizabeth to haughtily laugh.

"Larvitar, now use Sandstorm!" Elizabeth yelled, clearly hoping that the move would work. To her relief, Larvitar immediately thrust his arms forward, somehow kicking up a massive wall of swirling sand that covered the entire field. The spectators hastily covered their eyes with their arms, squinting to try and get a good look at what was going on, but it was no use.

Only Auspice was unaffected, clenching her eyes shut tightly as she reached out with her senses. With all the swirling sand, it was difficult to fully make out her opponent, but soon her senses adjusted.

"Okay, so she has gotten better," Louise muttered to herself, thinking back to Elizabeth's last showing. It wouldn't be enough, however, and soon an annoyed Auspice stood up and shook the sand out of her white fur.

"Alright, so you've learned some new tricks," Louise admitted, then pointed her arm into the swirling sandstorm. "But you still can't beat me. Auspice, use Iron Tail!"

Homing onto her target with her senses, Auspice raced through the sand as fast as she could while her tail became covered in a metallic sheen. Before Larvitar could even react, Auspice was already on him and slammed her tail upward into his chin. Auspice's attack sent Larvitar flying and tumbling into the air, high above the top of the sandstorm.

Growling at how this battle was turning out, Elizabeth yelled, "Use Dark Pulse!"

Larvitar straightened himself, able to see right through the sandstorm like it wasn't even there and aiming right at Auspice with ease. He opened his mouth, charging a purple orb of energy that he prepared to fire.

He never got the chance as Louise suddenly ordered, "Sucker Punch!"

Before either Larvitar or Elizabeth could react, Auspice leapt out of the sandstorm straight towards Auspice. She slammed her horn into Larvitar's gut, causing the infant Dark Pulse to sputter out of existence and knocking the air out of his lungs. Auspice carried Larvitar as she turned her head and body around, throwing Larvitar at the apex of her arc and sending him flying into the ground with enough force to form a small crater in the beach. Soon the entire sandstorm ebbed away, leaving the beach clear and exposing the unconscious Larvitar for all to see.

"Larvitar is unable to battle! Louise and Auspice are the winners!" Calem announced, prompting a victorious Louise to pump her fist in triumph while Elizabeth stared at her defeated opponent in shock.

"No…" Elizabeth whispered as her legs shook. She looked as though she was about to fall over, but Elizabeth forced herself to stand tall. Steeling herself, she returned Larvitar to his Pokéball then glared at Louise who was petting Auspice affectionately.

"You got lucky," Elizabeth haughtily declared. "I nearly had you."

Louise stopped petting Auspice to glare at Elizabeth. A biting retort was on the tip of her tongue, but instead she released a sigh and admitted, "You did do better this time, but you're still far from beating me."

"Next time I will!" Elizabeth insisted, shaking her fist in Louise's direction. "I don't care what it is, I will beat you!"

Louise rolled her eyes in clear doubt, but before she could say anything else, Joceline suddenly called out, "We're about to take part in the fishing competition. You can try there."

Louise shot her eyes towards the young girl in surprise, and an inspired Elizabeth quickly answered, "Of course! Have you ever fished, Louise?"

The young noblewoman was quiet for a moment, then admitted, "No, I haven't."

"Well I have! Hoho!" Elizabeth haughtily laughed, her defeat seemingly forgotten. "In that case, Louise, I challenge you to a fishing competition. Whoever catches the most impressive Pokémon between ourselves is the winner!"

Louise narrowed her eyes, having half a mind to outright refuse yet unwilling to give Elizabeth the satisfaction of a victory by default. She then shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "Well, if you're really so desperate for a petty win that you'll accept beating an absolute novice at something only barely related to Pokémon training, be my guest. Just remember that if you win it's no achievement, and if I win it's a humiliation!"


With the battle over and Louise victorious, the group of trainers made their way back towards the amusement park. It wasn't hard to find where they were supposed to meet up. Dozens of trainers were already gathered around a dock, more and more arriving every minute and all patiently waiting for the announcer to start the competition. Hushed conversations and whispers surrounded them, but they concern themselves with that as they instead focused on what they already.

"Which Pokémon are you two gonna use?" Calem asked, and Saito, Louise, and Henrietta all held up a single Pokéball each.

"I have a Nuzleaf named Tengu," Saito revealed. "I was planning on using her."

"A Grass-type makes sense. I'm using my Zebstrika for the same reason," Calem replied, then he turned to Henrietta. "I take it you're using your Snivy?"

"Yes. Her name is Fleur," Henrietta confirmed, and Calem smiled and nodded before turning to Louise and Elizabeth who couldn't help but glare harshly at each other.

"What about you two?"

Louise was quiet for a moment then, without breaking eye contact with Elizabeth, said, "I'm using my Eevee, Gène."

"Because you still don't have a Grass or Electric-type, right?" Elizabeth mockingly asked. When Louise refused, Elizabeth smirked and answered, "Well, I will be using my lovely Sewaddle, Spettro. Together we'll catch a much more impressive Pokémon than whatever you can scrounge up."

"We'll see about that," Louise muttered, then turned her attention entirely to the podium on the dock as the announcer from before walked up to the microphone.

"Alright, everyone! We're just about to begin the Azure Bay Fishing Competition!" the announcer revealed, prompting many in the crowd to cheer and applaud. Gesturing for them to calm down, the announcer continued, "As a reminder, each trainer may only use a single Pokémon. If you do not have any fishing gear, we have some available for rental. The same applies for any Ride Pokémon if you desire to fish on any of the outlaying islands of Azure Bay."

Henrietta glanced towards the docks, where she saw several large Pokémon with saddles on their backs waiting for their riders. She recognized a few of them. The round whales were called Wailmer, whereas the sharks were called Sharpedo. There were others, however, that she couldn't quite recognize. She was tempted to pull out her Pokédex and start scanning them, but she decided against it.

"You have until sundown to submit your catches to our team of judges," the announcer declared, then slowly waved her arm towards the beach. "Have fun, everyone!"

At once, the assembled trainers began to move out. Those who already had fishing gear, and Pokémon to ferry them wherever they wanted, immediately made their way to the beaches. Others, including themselves, went to one of several stands where they were able to grab fishing poles, lines, and baits. With their fishing gear in hand, they followed Calem and his younger sister down to the docks where they stopped in front a large, plesiosaur-like Pokémon with dark blue scales on the top of its body, with the scales on the underside of its neck and belly a light-cream color, and a thick purple shell on its back.

Henrietta immediately pulled out her Pokédex to scan the Pokémon, and focused intensely on the screen as the electronic voice explained, "Lapras, the Transport Pokémon. A gentle and intelligent species, Lapras have long been used to transport people and goods across the planet's vast oceans. Unfortunately, their docility made them a prime target for poachers who drove them to near extinction. Thanks to conservation efforts over the past several decades, their numbers have rebounded tremendously."

Henrietta slowly put the Pokédex away as she gazed upon the Lapras with open wonder. Saito and Louise were doing so as well, with Joceline gently rubbing her hands along the Lapras' neck. Just as the Pokédex said, the Lapras was happily letting Joceline pet her, even lowering its neck to make it easier for the young girl.

"Wow, you're so sweet," Joceline said, and Henrietta couldn't help but chuckle softly. Noticing this, Joceline turned to the Princess with a smile on her face then beckoned her over while saying, "Come on, she likes it."

Henrietta smiled, then she gently reached forward to the Lapras. The reptilian marine Pokémon focused her gentle eyes with Henrietta's own, then leaned her head forward into the Princess' hand. Henrietta's smile widened, and as she rubbed her hand up and down Lapras' forehead and scratched around her horn, Louise silently came up to do the same. All three girls happily petted the Lapras, who clearly enjoyed the affection while Saito and Calem finished securing the rental.

"Alright," Calem announced as he walked over towards them, his fishing gear bouncing in his hands, "we were able to get the Lapras."

"Thank you, big brother!" Joceline cried out, and Calem smiled before rubbing his sister's head.

"Calem told me about a spot near the Spirit's Den," Saito added, pointing to a large island in the center of Azure Bay. "We should be able to catch some good Pokémon there."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" Louise proclaimed while clasping her hands together. She also couldn't help but glance over at Elizabeth, who was busy renting a nearby Wailmer. While she was more than content with her victory over her heated rival, adding another notch to her belt would be nice. Going to a special spot could be just the advantage she needed.

Noticing Louise staring at her, Elizabeth frowned then said, "If you think going to some 'special spot' near the Spirit's Den will be enough to beat me, you're going to be disappointed. That's right, I know about it, too. Everyone does."

Louise briefly frowned while Calem noticeably deflated, much to Joceline's immense amusement, then rolled her eyes and said, "I haven't needed a special trick to beat you before, and this won't be any different."

Elizabeth glared at Louise, then huffed and went back to securing her rental. Louise glared at her for a moment, then turned back to her friends as they began to climb onto the seat. Calem, clearly experienced with this, took the reins and, once everyone was safely onboard, steered the Transport Pokémon away from the docks towards the Spirit's Den.

"Why's it called the Spirit's Den, anyway?" Saito asked as they approached the island.

"According to legend, long ago the Spirit's Den was the home of three legendary birds," Calem explained, causing Saito's eyes to widen.

"Wait, legendary birds? As in the Legendary Birds?"

"Yep. Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos," Calem confirmed with a quick nod.

"I remember reading about those three," Henrietta noted, leaning beside Saito get a better look at the island. "They're said to be the living embodiments of fire, ice, and lightning, respectively."

"That's what people say. I've never had the pleasure of seeing one in person, so I don't know if it's true or not. All I know is that they're exceptionally powerful," Calem replied. "Anyway, there's a bunch of small ruins scattered around the island dedicated to the Legendary Trio and their master, Lugia, but don't expect to find one here. If any of them lived on this island, they're long gone by now."

Part of Saito was somewhat disappointed, but after their recent close encounter with Giratina, he didn't really mind not having another. A quick glance at Louise and Henrietta told him that they felt the same, while Joceline just looked disappointed.

"Anyway," Calem continued, "besides the obvious stuff, anything interesting happen to you guys since we last met? We didn't get a chance to talk much before all this."

"Well, you already know about Henrietta joining our party," Louise replied, with the Princess giving a short wave. "That's honestly the best thing that's happened lately. Other than that, Saito and I both got our second and third gym badges from Grant and Korrina, respectively."

"Oh, those guys are tough from what I hear. I never battled them as they weren't the gym leaders when I was still active, but I still like to stay up to date on this stuff," Calem mentioned as he led the Lapras to a small cove.

Louise nodded, then replied, "They were. Grant had us fight his two Pokémon with our entire teams one at a time, which was a lot harder than it sounds. Korrina… Korrina had us pit our entire team at once against a single mega-evolved Pokémon."

Calem winced, then said, "Ooh, that sounds rough. Glad you made it. Anything else?"

"Well," Saito began, then looked at Louise for permission. After a moment, she understood what Saito was silently requesting, then she nodded in acceptance. Saito nodded back, then continued, "You know the stories about Reflection Cave? How the crystals there are actually doorways to other worlds?"

"Yeah," Calem confirmed, with Joceline nodding.

"Well, it turns out the stories were true. Louise and I had to face off against kinda evil alternate versions of ourselves," Saito revealed. "Then we got sucked into the Distortion World where we met Giratina."

Calem's body went still, and the Lapras itself ground to a halt. Soon Calem, Joceline, and even the Lapras were looking right at Saito and Louise with wide eyes. After a few moments of silence, Calem quietly asked, "Really?"

Both Saito and Louise nodded, with Henrietta smiling sympathetically. After a moment, Joceline's eyes sparkled in amazement, believing them completely, while Calem rolled his eyes and turned to look back at the Spirit's Den. He clearly didn't believe a word they just said, and even the Lapras was giving them a funny look before focusing back on where she was taking them.

"That's so cool!" Joceline proclaimed as her older brother led the Lapras onto the beach, not noticing the small, amused smile gracing his lips. "Were you scared?"

Part of Louise wanted to say no, but instead she nodded and truthfully answered, "Yes, it was scary. But we made it through and that's what's important."

"Whoa…" Joceline breathed out, looking at the two trainers like they were nearly as cool as her older brother.

Saito, Louise, and Henrietta chuckled, but before the conversation could continue they arrived onto the beach itself. At once their mood shifted, focusing entirely on the competition at hand. Especially when, not too long after, Elizabeth's Wailmer arrived further down the beach. Hopping off the Lapras, Calem gently rubbed his hand on her head before grabbing his fishing gear.

"Alright, the spot's just up ahead. Follow me," Calem told them. The rest of the party nodded, then followed him down a nearby dirt trail that ran along the beach.

To Louise's annoyance, she noticed that Elizabeth was on the trail behind them as well, and she couldn't help but call out, "You don't have to follow us."

"I'm not following you! We're just going in the same direction!" Elizabeth angrily countered.

Louise promptly rolled her eyes and stopped in her tracks, forcing the others to do the same. She then mockingly added a simple 'after you' gesture, turning to the side while pointing her arms further down the trail. As she suspected, Elizabeth suddenly faltered and came to a stop, telling Louise everything she needed to know. They then continued walking down the trail, an irritated and somewhat embarrassed Elizabeth still following them.

Soon they arrived at the mouth of a small river that came down from the small mountain overhead. Already they could see that Calem's claims were accurate, with scores of Pokémon practically leaping out of the water. There were also several people already there, some of which regarding the new arrivals with friendly waves while the rest focused on their fishing.

"I'm gonna take Joceline over there," Calem said as he pointed to a nearby rock. "You three have fun!"

"We will. Thanks, Calem," Saito replied, giving his friend a wave before they split apart. Finding an empty spot on the beach with hardly anyone else present, he placed his fishing gear on the ground then turned to face Louise and Henrietta. Putting his hands on his hips, he asked, "Now then, neither of you have fished before, right?"

Henrietta immediately shook her head, while Louise averted her gaze and replied, "No, we haven't."

"Well don't worry, because it's super easy," Saito said as he pulled out his rented fishing pole and extended it. "First you take your fishing pole and put some bait on the hook like this."

Saito opened his rented tackle box, then to Louise and Henrietta's disgust pulled out a live worm which he promptly placed on the hook. Noticing their visible recoil, Saito hastily added, "You don't have to use worms! They gave us artificial lures as well."

"We'll just use that," Louise immediately declared, and Saito released a sigh before handing both of the noblewomen lures that looked like bright-red fish. He helped them attach the lures to the line, then turned around to face the beach while holding the pole in front of him.

"Now, with your lures on, you release some slack," Saito said while pressing a button on the reel, causing the hook to descend slightly. He then hoisted the rod over his shoulder, and as he threw the rod forward he said, "Then you throw the line out while releasing the button."

Louise and Henrietta watched as Saito's line soared through the air, landing a fair distance into the ocean. The bobber bounced up and down on the waves, but otherwise did not move. With a smile on his face, Saito stated, "Now all you do is wait for the bobber to be pulled underneath the water. That means a fish has taken your bait. When that happens, you pull your rod up sharply, which'll hook the fish, and you reel it in."

He turned to face the girls while giving a few experimental reels to show what to do, then gestured for them to give it a try with a quick tilt of his head. Louise and Henrietta nodded, and Louise began to copy her friend's instructions. While her efforts were shaky compared to Saito's, for the most part she was able to get it down fairly quickly.

At least until she tried to throw the line out and accidentally hooked the back of her swimsuit.

"Aah! Saito, Saito get it off!" Louise begged, frozen stiff out of fear that the hook would sink into her skin.

Saito quickly placed his fishing pole between some smaller rocks to hold it in place then rushed over to carefully remove the caught hook. In the distance, they could hear Elizabeth laughing hysterically at Louise's predicament, but Saito didn't focus on that. Instead, once the hook was removed, he checked to make sure she herself was fine, and once he determined that she was he nodded and stood up.

"Okay, you're good. You need to be careful, Louise," Saito softly chastised his friend. "Next time you could hurt someone."

Louise, her face flushed red in embarrassment, quickly nodded while averting her gaze. Henrietta couldn't help but slightly chuckle at her friend's first attempt, then she tried to cast the line like Saito did. To her credit, she was able to cast the line out without accidentally hooking herself or someone else.

Unfortunately, Henrietta's grip was slack and she accidentally threw the entire fishing pole about thirty feet into the ocean. As she and everyone else stared at the slowly sinking fishing pole, her face turned a bright red, and Elizabeth's laughter increased in volume.

After a moment, Saito sighed and shook his head then declared, "Okay, this is going to be harder than I thought."


It took Louise and Henrietta longer than either of them would've liked to finally get the hang of properly casting and reeling in their fishing lines. There had been more than a few mishaps along the way. Poles were tossed, lines snapped and broken, and Louise had even accidentally hooked Saito in his pants. After that the young man made a point to teach his friends from a distance, and as soon as they had at least the basics down he decided to fish far away from them down the beach. Neither of the girls really blamed him.

"You know, this is relaxing," Henrietta noted as she cast another line out into the ocean, with Louise slowly reeling in her own.

"In a way," Louise admitted, keeping her eyes centered on the bobber. After several minutes of nothing even touching the bobber, she growled and angrily reeled it back in. As she held the empty hook up to her face, she muttered, "Founder, why aren't I getting anything?"

"Remember what Saito said. You need to be patient," Henrietta replied, gently reeling in the line before letting it rest. After a few moments, she noticed how the bobber was beginning to dip up and down in the water, and as soon as it was fully submerged she yanked the pole up as hard as she could. Sadly, whatever was nibbling on the line wasn't fully secured and the hook came up empty.

"Aww…" Henrietta moaned in disappointed, then reeled the line back in to attack another small chunk of cheese to the hook before throwing it back out again.

"Gagh! It's been nearly an hour and I've still gotten nothing!" Louise angrily complained when, once again, her line came back empty.

"Is that you giving up I hear?" Elizabeth mockingly called out from further down the beach, causing Louise to shoot a glare over in her direction.

"As if! Besides, you haven't been doing any better!"

Just as Louise said that, Elizabeth's bobber was pulled underneath the water. The rich heiress immediately yanked on her pull, securing her catch which began to violently struggle to free itself. With a smile on her face, Elizabeth began to reel in the fish, its splashes obscuring its body from view until she finally managed to bring it up out of the water.

"Ah, are you kidding me? Another Magikarp!" Elizabeth complained, then held the fish further. "And it's the same one I caught last time, too!"

Louise couldn't help but laugh. Sure, Elizabeth had managed to actually catch something while she hadn't managed to catch a thing yet, but a Magikarp wasn't all that impressive. They certainly evolved into something impressive, as Gyarados were among the strongest Pokémon in the world. But the time and effort needed to evolve a Magikarp into a Gyarados was not something just anyone could do. Louise had doubts that even she could.

"By the way," Henrietta began as she slowly wagged the pole back and forth, "what are we going to do when we catch something?"

"What do you mean?" Louise replied, casting another line out while biting back a growl.

"I mean, from what you and Saito have told me about each of the Pokémon in your team, you only caught them if you formed an actual connection," Henrietta pointed out. "You didn't just seek out a Pokémon and catch the first or most impressive one you found. Even then, you've made it clear that if they don't want to be a part of your team then you won't keep them."

"Yeah, I firmly believe that," Louise said, with Gène affectionately rubbing his head against her leg in emphasis, causing Louise to smile.

"But that isn't the case here. We're trying to catch a Pokémon purely to win a contest. What if we catch something that doesn't want to be a part of our teams or we simply don't feel a connection with?"

"Then we politely ask that they stick around until the contest is over, and then send them on their way," Louise answered without hesitation. She then tilted her head upward in thought and, after a moment, added, "Maybe after giving them a nice meal for their trouble, or something."

Before Henrietta could respond, they heard Elizabeth groan and call out, "I still can't believe that, even now, you're still going on about that—Oh come on, it's the same Magikarp again!"

Louise rolled her eyes, then called back out, "At least mine respect me."

"Spettro and Larvitar listen to me just fine!"

"That's two out of, what, thirty? Not very impressive," Louise shot back. "Especially since they're your most recent captures, if I recall. I can't help but wonder what they'll think after spending more…quality time with you."

"Gagh!" Elizabeth groaned in anger, then as she reeled in yet another Magikarp she grumbled, "I don't know what's more annoying, you or this damn Magikarp I keep reeling in. There has to be more impressive Pokémon here!"

Just then a massive Mantine leapt out of the water in front of them, splashing Elizabeth with a spray of salt water. The verdette stared blankly out into the ocean, her left eye twitching in annoyance while she gripped her rod and line tightly. She then glanced at the Magikarp, and with a groan she threw it back into the bay.

As Henrietta reeled in her line once again, she couldn't help but look towards Louise's so-called rival. Pursing her lips in thought, Henrietta then said, "Have you considered that, maybe, the Magikarp wants to be caught by you?"

"Can't imagine why," Louise muttered under her breath while Elizabeth simply frowned.

"Well I don't want a Magikarp," Elizabeth replied. "They're the weakest Pokémon in the world. Literally anything else is more impressive than them."

"Well, aren't Gyarados impressive? I heard they are."

"Yes, but do you know how long it takes to train a Magikarp to evolve into a Gyarados? Way too long. It's not worth it, trust me."

"Trust you? Hah!" Louise couldn't help but laugh. "Why should either of us trust you when it comes to training? You haven't trained a single one of your Pokémon. Your family hired people to do that for you."

Elizabeth scrunched up her face in anger, then shot back, "Well, would you want to catch a Magikarp?"

"Sure," Louise immediately answered with a shrug. "A Gyarados would be valuable addition to my team. But, honestly, I don't think I can."

"What, not up to the challenge?" Elizabeth asked with a cocky smirk, prompting Louise to narrow her eyes in the verdette's direction.

"In order to properly train a Magikarp, you need bodies of water. Rivers, ponds, lakes, the ocean, anything like that. Simply having them flop around uselessly on the ground doesn't help anybody," Louise pointed out. "If I were to try and train a Magikarp, I would have to exclusively travel along those bodies of water, which would slow me and my party down tremendously. Besides, I only catch Pokémon I feel a connection to. Worked out for me so far, and I see no reason to change that now."

Henrietta wanted to point out that, as a Water-mage, creating bodies of water for a Magikarp to train in wouldn't be too difficult, only for Elizabeth smugly accuse, "So, you admit that you can't do it?"

Louise narrowed her eyes, then answered, "I never said that. It would be difficult, but I bet I could train one. Can't say the same about you."

Elizabeth's nostrils flared, then shot her attention to her bobber as it once again dipped below the surface of the water. Already knowing what was on the other end, Elizabeth was tempted to simply cut the line entirely. But she couldn't shake Louise's biting yet, sadly, accurate words from her mind. The number of Pokémon that actually listened to Elizabeth could be counted on less than one hand. She had scores of powerful Pokémon at her beck and call, all trained by some of the best trainers and breeders in the region, yet none of them listened to her. None of them respected her.

As she pulled the same Magikarp up out of the water again, she stared into its blank, dull eyes. The temptation to throw it back into the ocean and move to a different spot was strong, but for some reason she couldn't. Briefly she glanced over towards the amusement park which she could see down on the beach. The only reason why she had been over there and just so happened to literally run into Louise was because she didn't really have anything else to do. Her Pokémon Wrestling career hadn't exactly been going very well. Turns out people were far more interested in her Machamp than any performance she tried to put out, no matter how hard she tried. Realizing that was humiliating.

Ultimately, she and her agent decided to have Machamp work with a more experienced wrestler, one who was already popular with the wrestling audience, with Elizabeth receiving a share of the revenues. Machamp was still technically her Pokémon, but for all intents and purposes he was no longer available. Of course, with how Machamp hardly ever actually listened to her, Elizabeth doubted he ever could be considered her Pokémon. Louise certainly didn't.

Anger bubbled up in her gut, then before she could stop herself she pulled out a Sport Ball and captured the Magikarp. As Louise and Henrietta looked at her surprise, Elizabeth turned around to walk back towards her rented Wailmer.

"You…actually caught it?" Louise asked, genuinely surprised.

"Clearly there isn't anything else biting on this beach," Elizabeth answered without turning around. "Besides, I doubt I need to catch anything else to beat you. It's not like you're going to catch anything."

Elizabeth glanced behind her shoulder to glance at an infuriated Louise, and she smirked slightly before focusing on the Sport Ball in her hand. Gripping it tightly, she silently vowed that she was going to prove Louise and everyone else wrong. It didn't matter if everyone else thought she wasn't capable. If she could train this Magikarp, of all things, it was all the proof she needed. Besides, she was going to be stuck in Coumarine for a while. She might as well do something to pass the time, besides finally caring for that egg that her family made her take care of.


Louise and Henrietta watched Elizabeth go, both surprised at how things turned out. At the same time, Louise couldn't help but grumble at the insult Elizabeth had thrown her way, then with a huff turned back towards the ocean as she once again cast out her line. After a few moments of nothing biting down, she already began to reel it back, only for Henrietta to gently put her hand on her shoulder.

"You need to be patient, Louise," Henrietta told her while shaking her head. "You're reeling it in too quickly."

Louise lightly glared at Henrietta, then forced herself to follow her advice and stopped reeling the line in. The two friends sat there on the rocks, letting the cool ocean breeze wash over them. In the distance, they could see the water ripple as fish and other marine wildlife swam just beneath the surface, while others including Remoraids and Mantines were jumping in and out of the water entirely. It created a serene, tranquil atmosphere that Henrietta couldn't help but be lost in.

"Founder, this is boring!" Louise suddenly shouted, breaking the spell and causing Henrietta to sigh. Seeing this, Louise quickly added, "Don't give me that! You haven't caught anything, either! Nothing has happened ever since we got here!"

"And I'm fine with that. Honestly, just having a few moments to sit back and do nothing is very appealing to me," Henrietta pointed out while returning her attention back to her fishing line, which momentarily bobbed up and down as something nibbled on it before going away.

Louise's face momentarily feel, understanding exactly where Henrietta's thoughts were coming from. If you had the burden of ruling an entire country on your shoulders, having the time and place to just do nothing at all was very appealing. But, at the same, she couldn't help but frown and scrunch up her face before saying, "Well, not to me."

Henrietta glanced at her friend as Louise reeled back in her line before casting it out again. Watching as Louise's frustrations grew more and more, Henrietta didn't find it hard to find where those feelings were coming from. Louise had struggled with feelings of inadequacy and failure for much of her life. Sadly it was only recently that Henrietta truly understood that. Before she hadn't really even noticed. But now that she did a lot more made sense. Magic and fishing were two entirely different things, obviously, but Louise finding herself unable to properly catch anything was likely bringing up bad memories. Part of Henrietta wanted to say something, but she didn't really know what to say and it made her feel uncomfortable. So she decided to say nothing, instead returning her focus back to the water.

"Grrgh, this is taking too long. I will not lose to a Magikarp, of all things," Louise grumbled. After a few more minutes of waiting, she had enough and once again reeled in her line, then stood back up and said, "Okay, it's obvious we're not catching anything in here. I'm going to find a different spot."

"I'm fine with that," Henrietta replied, reeling in her line as well before standing up.

Gathering their fishing gear, and with Gène and Fleur walking by their sides, the two young girls walked down the beach in search of a new location. Several trainers could be seen in various spots, some sitting on rocks or fold out chairs while others were standing in the water up to their knees. They couldn't quite tell if the other trainers actually caught anything, but Louise didn't particularly care about them. So long as she beat Elizabeth, none of what the others caught mattered.

That being said, she and Henrietta couldn't help but pause when they came across a man wearing nothing a swimsuit reaching deep into the water along a riverbed with his arm. Noticing them, he smiled and waved then called out, "Howdy, girls! What brings ya'll over here?"

Barely able to understand the man through his thick drawl, Louise eventually said, "We're, uh, taking part in the fishing competition."

"No kiddin'? Well, so am I! Me and my trusty pal Herdier," the fisherman said while pointing to the small canine with shaggy, dark blue fur along its back, with the rest of its body covered in light-brown or cream fur. It happily yipped and barked in an excited greeting, but otherwise stayed by its trainer's side.

Nodding at the strange man, Henrietta looked around then asked, "Where's your fishing gear?"

"Don't need any! I'm noodling!" the fisherman announced, only to earn blank stares from the two girls.

"Noodling?"

"Yeah, it's when you find a hole in the water somewhere. Dirt, sand, rocks, doesn't really matter," the fisherman explained while temporarily pulling his arm out of the water and rubbing away the accumulated sand. "Then you take your arm, put it in the hole, and wait for the critter to latch on. When it does, you pull it out and you got yourself a fish. People do it all the time back in Unova."

"…That sounds incredibly unsafe," Louise noted, only for the fisherman to shrug and put his arm right back into the hole.

"Eh, it's fine! Sure, my cousin lost a finger once, but he was kinda dumb. You two should try it!"

Henrietta quickly but politely shook her head while saying, "No thanks, we're good. Good luck on your…noodling."

"You, too! I heard there's a good spot just down that way just teeming with fish. Might wanna try there," the fisherman helpfully pointed out while gesturing down the beach with his free arm.

Both girls nodded, then quickly walked away and left him to his own devices. Part of Louise wanted to be snarky, but soon they heard him excitedly yell out as he pulled a Chinchou out from the hole. Louise paused to stare at him for a moment, then turned away and hurried back to Henrietta without saying a word.

Soon they arrived at the spot the man had told them about. True to his word, it was positively teeming with fish, scores of them just leaping out of the shallow water and creating ripples everywhere they went. Both girls beamed happily, then placed their fishing gear down as they prepared to start again.

"Hey, I'm going to go right over here. That way we don't get in each other's way," Louise said as she walked a few feet away, and Henrietta nodded as she affixed a block of cheese onto her hook.

"Of course. I'll be right here," Henrietta replied then cast her line back into the ocean near a trio of rocks jetting out of the water.

Louise, meanwhile, shot a conspiratorial glance towards her friend before coming to a stop. Rather than pull out her fishing pole, Louise instead subtly pulled out her wand and began to walk along the rocky pier-like structure jetting out into the water. Gène looked up at her in concern, causing Louise to shake her head and shrug nonchalantly.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Louise told her Pokémon. "I saw a video on this and it works!"

Gène tilted his head disapprovingly, and Louise hastily added, "Don't give me that look! If it helps, I'm only going to do it until we find something more impressive than a Magikarp. Once we do, I'll stop."

The Eevee didn't seem convinced, and was giving his trainer and unamused, half-lidded stare. But he went along with Louise's plan regardless, hoping it wouldn't blow up in their face. Louise didn't seem to notice Gène's apprehension, taking his acceptance as genuine before turning back towards the ocean.

Deciding to use a smaller spell, Louise aimed her wand at the ocean before calling out, "Fireball."

Deep in the water, they saw a spark of light, followed by a large bubble shooting up to the surface and a small boom accompanying it. Louise stared into the churned-up water, then enthusiastically cheered as a dazed Magikarp floated up to the surface.

"Yes, it works!" Louise cried, not particularly caring that her first victim, er, catch was a Magikarp. She decided against catching it, knowing it wouldn't net her the victory she desired against her rival, and waited for the Magikarp to come to and quickly swim off.

"Louise, what are you doing?!" Henrietta called out in surprise, only for Louise to nonchalantly wave her off.

"I'm fishing!" Louise answered, then aimed her wand back towards the ocean. "Fireball!"

Another explosion was made deep in the water, this time causing a few Magikarp and Remoraids to float up to the surface. An excited Louise prepared to catch one of the Remoraids, only for them to regain focus quickly and swim off again.

"Aw, darn it," Louise grumbled, not doing anything as the Magikarp stirred and swam off as well.

"What happened to finding a connection?!" Henrietta called out in clear irritation bordering on outrage.

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to them."

"You're missing the spirit of the entire competition!"

"So long as I beat Elizabeth, it doesn't matter! Fireball!"

Once again, Louise generated another explosion in the water. She eagerly waited for the Pokémon to float up to the surface, and when she saw a particularly large body rise up she got excited. That excitement turned into dread when the churning water exploded outward as a massive Gyarados rose its head and body over her own. It glared down at Louise, its maw opened and breathing heavily. Unable to move or avert eye contact, Louise and the Gyarados stared at each other, with a terrified Gène standing before his trainer while shaking.

"…You deserve this," Henrietta said through narrowed eyes, refusing to do anything to help her friend out of this predicament she got herself in.

When Louise noticed the Gyarados staring at the wand in her hand, she awkwardly chuckled then slowly put the wand away before backing up. She showed the Atrocious Pokémon her empty hands while backing away, then said, "I'm, uh, so, so sorry. It won't happen again."

The Gyarados continued to glare at her, and for a moment Louise and Gène were worried that the wild Pokémon would attack them. Henrietta even pulled out her own wand as a precaution. Then, with a huff, the Gyarados turned around and swam back into the water, pointedly slamming its tail hard into the water and sending a small wave into Louise and Gène. The absolutely drenched pair were driven back into the sandy beach, covered in head to toe in salt water and seaweed. Henrietta couldn't help but openly laugh at their predicament, especially with how thin the formerly fluffy Gène now looked.

Louise, knowing she was at fault, simply took it and continued to lay down on the sand while saying, "That's it. I'm done."

"It's okay, I understand," Henrietta teasingly said, and the utterly defeated Louise couldn't muster the energy to even give her an irritated glare. Instead, she just laid back, letting the sun's rays dry her off.

Henrietta, meanwhile, continued to focus on her fishing, smiling and bobbing her head from side to side as she sang a tune under her breath. She idly considered using her Pokédex to search for some modern songs from Earth, but she decided to do that later. For now, she was content with just basking in the silence.

An indeterminate amount of time passed, with Henrietta unfortunately not catching anything. A few times she got close, but she jerked on the pole too slowly or to harshly which caused the marine Pokémon to get away. As the sun was beginning to set, she considered packing it up and heading home, hoping that Saito at least would catch something but resigning herself to a loss in this competition they had been participating in.

But, just as she started to reel in her line one last time, she felt a tug and watched as the bobber was pulled down. Seizing her chance, Henrietta yanked the pole up, and to her glee found that whatever had taken her bait was caught. Louise and Gène immediately hopped up to their feet and ran over to Henrietta as she reeled the struggling Pokémon in, neither of them knowing what was on the other line but excited, nonetheless. Fleur in particular was practically jumping up and down, holding her arms close to her chest in anticipation.

"Come on, Henrietta! You got it!" Louise cried out, and an emboldened Henrietta continued to reel the Pokémon in.

"Fleur, get ready to move as soon as it comes out of the water," Henrietta told her Pokémon, with Fleur nodding before crouching slightly while spreading her arms outward.

But, to their surprise, the struggling soon ceased. For a moment, Henrietta was worried that she lost the Pokémon, but as she continued to reel she felt a weight on the other end. Excitement turned into worry, and she reeled faster. Still she felt no resistance, and as the Pokémon came closer she began to see what it was.

In many ways, it reminded her of a Magikarp and was around the same size as one. But instead of being covered in bright, vibrant red and gold scales, this fish-like Pokémon was light brown in color. Dark, irregular spots covered its body, and its tail and pectoral fins were a tattered, dull blue in shade. In all honesty, Henrietta had to admit that the Pokémon was quite ugly, yet she was far more concerned with just how tired it looked. As she got it closer and hoisted the Pokémon out of the water, still attached to the line, she could even see how dirty and chipped many of the scales were.

It's state wasn't natural, Henrietta realized. This poor creature had been abused, an assumption that a stoic Louise had clearly come to as well.

"What is it?" Henrietta asked, prompting Louise to silently pull out her Pokédex and scan the Pokémon.

"Feebas, the Fish Pokémon," the Pokédex described. "Clustering in small areas wherever water can be found, particularly oceans and weed-choked ponds, Feebas are largely ignored by both the scientific and trainer communities. They have attracted renown, however, for their shear vitality, able to eat almost anything and survive in both fresh and saltwater no matter the quality."

"Feebas…" Henrietta muttered, then narrowed her eyes when she saw the Feebas give her a dejected and depressed look. Scrunching up her lips, Henrietta pulled out a Sport Ball and pressed it against the Pokémon's forehead, capturing it without struggle.

"We need to get this Feebas to the Pokémon center," Henrietta declared, and Louise nodded before the two of them raced down the beach towards where they parked the Lapras.


Luckily for both girls, Saito and Calem had both already caught something. Calem had captured a Mantine, one he fully intended to keep as it would be incredibly useful for his job as a courier. There had been several times when he had to deliver something to someone out in the water, and having a Pokémon ferry him across would make his life much easier. Saito, meanwhile, had managed to catch a Remoraid, but the Pokémon had apparently made it clear that it wanted to stay where it was. Saito simply did as Louise had said earlier, respecting the Remoraid's desire to stay and simply offering a hearty meal in exchange for hanging around until after the judging was finished. The piscine Pokémon had readily agreed to the deal.

Both of them and Joceline immediately focused their attention onto the Feebas when Henrietta explained what she had found, and hightailed it across Azure Bay towards the beachside Pokémon Center. They practically sprinted to Nurse Joy in order to hand over the tired Pokémon, who then took him back without asking any more questions as soon as she saw the Feebas' current state.

As the trainers watched Nurse Joy tend to the Feebas, currently floating in a clear tank of water, Calem muttered, "This doesn't make any sense. Feebas aren't even native to Kalos."

"Then how did it get here?" Louise asked, a deep frown on her face, and Calem shook his head.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," he replied, speaking for all of them.

After a few minutes, Nurse Joy walked out of the room and towards the gathered trainers. As she approached, Henrietta walked up and asked, "What's wrong with the Feebas? Is it alright?"

"Physically, the Feebas is fine. She's a little malnourished, but nothing too serious," Nurse Joy explained, then she released a heavy sigh. "But that's not my biggest concern. You said you caught Feebas in her current state, correct?"

"Yes, she looked…abused," Henrietta answered, and Nurse Joy grimly nodded.

"That what I thought," Nurse Joy said, then turned around to look at the clearly depressed Feebas. "I ran some tests, and to my surprise I found that Feebas here isn't a wild Pokémon."

"It isn't?" Louise asked, not liking the sound of that, and Nurse Joy shook her head.

"No. She has a trainer, or at least used to," Nurse Joy explained. "Whenever a Pokémon is captured and properly registered, identification tags are automatically applied. It's so that any Pokémon Center can pull up that Pokémon's medical history in an instant, as well as keep track of Pokémon in case they are stolen. But this one…this one was released."

"Released?"

"Yes, and I suspect her previous trainer wasn't particularly kind to her beforehand," Nurse Joy stated, then sighed again. "I haven't seen many Feebas personally, but from what my cousins have told me it's depressingly common with their species. Many trainers have no idea what Feebas really are and try to get them to do things that they're simply not suited for. Many end up getting released because of it."

Joceline sadly looked upon the Feebas, then said, "That's so sad…"

"It really is."

Henrietta looked at the Feebas, who momentarily locked eyes with her before noticeably sighing and looking down. The sad sight pulled at Henrietta's heartstrings, prompting her to ask Nurse Joy, "Is it okay I go inside?"

"By all means. You're her trainer now," Nurse Joy answered.

Henrietta nodded, then walked inside towards the fish tank. The Feebas regarded her with dull, blank eyes, yet Henrietta was also able to sense a twinge of nervousness and fear coming from the Pokémon. Standing before the glass tank filled with water, the Princess smiled softly, then gently reached her hand into the cool water to rub against the Feebas' rough scales.

"Hey there," Henrietta whispered as the Feebas momentarily flinched at the touch of her hand. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe now."

Feebas looked up at Henrietta in surprise, and the girl simply smiled brighter before devoting her complete attention to the piscine. She was scratching underneath her fins, rubbing her chin, all the while speaking softly into the Feebas' ear. At first the Feebas was apprehensive, but soon grew to like it and soon was tilting her head and body into Henrietta's hand to help her reach those hard to reach places.

So preoccupied with affectionately caring for the Feebas, Henrietta didn't even notice nor hear the conversation continuing out in the hallway. Her back was completely turned to the window as Calem growled, "Her trainer was so stupid. Didn't they have any idea what Feebas could turn into?"

"Probably not," Saito added with a huff while crossing his arms. "Probably thought she was just an uglier Magikarp and nothing more."

"What does Feebas evolve into?" Louise asked, so focused on her conversation that she didn't notice as Henrietta carefully pulled the Feebas out of the tank in order to start polishing its scales with a nearby rag, after getting the Feebas' permission of course.

"Oh this isn't so bad. Just a little rough, but nothing a little polishing can't fix," Henrietta said as she continued to work, causing the Feebas to lean into her more while the rest of her friends continued their conversation with her none the wiser.

"Feebas evolve into Milotic," Calem revealed, showing Louise a picture of a beautiful sea serpent covered in cream scales, its tail a luxurious deep blue, and reddish-pink antennae and hair-like fins coming up and down, respectively, over her eyes. "They're as strong as a Gyarados, but much harder to get."

"How does a Feebas evolve into a Milotic?"

"If they form a prism scale, simply having the Feebas hold onto it long enough will trigger the evolution," Calem explained. "But the most common method is to simply care for it. Polish its scales, feed it the right poffins and pokéblocks. They say that if you bring out its inner beauty, that'll trigger a Feebas' evolution."

"That's how people in the Contest Circuit describe it," Nurse Joy couldn't help but speak up. "Actually, doing all of that just increases the odds of a Feebas growing a prism scale. Once one forms, evolution becomes inevitable."

"No matter how you word it, end result is the same. With enough care, time, and patience, Feebas can evolve into something beautiful," Calem declared, then huffed. "Clearly her last trainer didn't have the patience to do that."

"No kidding," Louise grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

That was when she and the others returned their attention to Henrietta. By now the Princess, with a soft smile blooming across her face, had begun feeding the Feebas some treats that Nurse Joy had previously laid out. The others couldn't help but smile at the sight which tugged at their heart strings. They could tell that the Feebas was still apprehensive, but Henrietta had a knack for breaking through even the toughest barriers.

With a smile on her face, Henrietta then pulled out the Sport Ball and held it up to the Feebas' head. The Fish Pokémon regarded it for a moment, then nodded in nervous acceptance. Henrietta nodded back, then pressed the ball to the Feebas' scales before returning it. Collapsing the ball and placing it in her hip bag, she calmly walked out of the infirmary and back to her friends.

"I think she's going to be okay," Henrietta declared. "She's still hurting, but with enough time…"

She trailed off, but the others understood where she was going. Louise smiled and nodded, then said, "If anyone can help her, it's you."

Henrietta smiled towards her oldest friend, then nodded while folding her hands in front of her hips while saying, "Thank you. Now come on. There's something else we have to do."

With that, the party turned around and walked out of the Pokémon Center


All the trainers who had managed to capture a Pokémon had gathered around the judges table, showing them off and hoping to gain the highest score. Most had already gone through by the time Henrietta, Calem, and Saito submitted their entries, and the judges, with their analytical eyes and years of experience, looked over the Pokémon from head to toe. Every aspect of their being was considered. Rarity, physical condition, strength, and more. Henrietta watched several impressive specimens go through the process, and not a single one was turned away.

"Calem, the Mantine you captured is very impressive," the judge told the Kalosian boy as he held his Sport Ball in his hand. "Its scales are a lush, pristine deep blue, no obvious wounds or scaring, and the strength tests indicate that it is quite powerful. After tallying our scores together, we award you and Mantine a score of eighty-eight out of a hundred."

"Alright! Sweet!" Calem announced, with Joceline beaming beside him. Although they couldn't see the Mantine inside its Sport Ball, Henrietta got the sense that it was happy at getting such a high score.

Next was Saito and his Remoraid, and the group of friends watched as the Jet Pokémon underwent the same series of tests and analysis that the Mantine went through. It was turned over to let the judges' look at the scales and body in detail, was placed in a tank that simulated a current that steadily increased in strength, and had it use various moves on static and moving targets. Once the tests were complete, the judges went into a back room to discuss, then came back out to speak to Saito who held the Remoraid in his hands.

"Saito, overall your Remoraid is a prime example of its species. On the upper end in speed particularly, and we could find no obvious health issues to speak of," the judge announced. "Remoraids, however, are very common here in Azure Bay, which does lower your score substantially. We award you sixty-one points out of a hundred."

"Ah, man," Saito replied, slightly dejected for a moment before shrugging in acceptance. The Remoraid didn't seem too upset either, then Saito said as he turned around and walked away, "Well then, I'm a man of my word. Let's go get you some food, buddy. Then I'll let you go."

The Remoraid gratefully nodded at Saito's declaration, and if it could salivate Henrietta got the sense it would. Finally it was her and Feebas' turn, and she happily handed her captured Pokémon to the surprised judges. They didn't say anything, but their eyes went noticeably wide for a moment before eagerly taking the Feebas and subjecting her to the same tests as all the other candidates. Henrietta was certain that her Pokémon would gain a high score, and continuously encouraged the Feebas every step of the way. The Feebas clearly appreciated the kind words, constantly shooting Henrietta aside glances if only to make sure that she was still there.

When the tests were complete, and the judges returned from their deliberations, Henrietta proudly beamed while awaiting their verdict. Feebas couldn't help but be somewhat excited as well, but her expectations were tempered by past experience.

When the judge began to speak, though, Henrietta's smile slowly fell as he said, "Henrietta, in terms of rarity your Feebas is second to none. That alone awards you two substantial points."

"…But?" Henrietta whispered, already sensing where this was going.

"The physical condition is…low, to say the least. We're not faulting you or Feebas. Given how they're not native to Kalos, I assume that this Pokémon was released into the wild, correct?"

"That's right."

"We thought so. In any case, it's clear that Feebas' previous trainer did not properly care for her. Her scales are flaky, almost to the point of falling out. It's not very strong, unable to hit most of the targets, and it can't stand up to most currents. We're sorry, but we must award you and Feebas a forty-five out of a hundred."

Henrietta winced at getting such a low score, especially compared to what her friends received. Feebas, however, just looked depressed and downcast, closing her eyes and looking down towards the ground. Henrietta's heart fell at the sight, then she turned towards the judges while giving them a slight bow and said, "I understand. Thank you for your time."

With that, she turned around and walked away back towards her friends, letting the next trainers in line submit their Pokémon for the competition. One trainer her age couldn't help but glance in Henrietta's direction as she walked away, but Henrietta didn't notice as she was far more focused on her Pokémon. As she continued to walk, Henrietta looked down at the depressed Feebas in her arms, and she frowned in sympathy. After a moment, she pursed her lips, then gently hoisted the Fish Pokémon up to her face so that she could look Feebas directly in the eyes.

"Hey, don't listen to them," Henrietta told her Feebas, who slowly opened her eyes to look at the princess dejectedly. "You are wonderful the way you are, and no judges are going to convince me otherwise. So chin up, okay?"

Feebas looked at her for a moment, then sighed in clear disbelief. Henrietta frowned, then held her Pokémon closer to her chest as they finally reunited with their friends. They were standing next to an elaborate fountain containing statues of various Water-type Pokémon spraying water out of their mouths. The Remoraid he had captured was in the bottom-level pool, happily feasting upon a bowl of gourmet Pokémon food that Saito had purchased from a nearby stall, while he himself was waving a few vouchers in his hand.

"Hey, Henrietta! Guess what? Apparently they're giving all participants free tickets to the Kalos Safari Zone that's opening soon in Kiloude City," Saito explained. "It's opening in just a few months. Once it does, we can go there free of charge."

"I've been to a few of those. They're a blast, even if you don't catch any Pokémon. Simply hiking through them is just breathtaking," Calem declared, occasionally glancing up at the podium as the announcer showed off the top three trainers and their Pokémon.

"Huh, it does sound interesting," Louise admitted, trying to get over her humiliating loss to Elizabeth (who thankfully had already left after laughing at Louise's expense) by focusing her attention entirely onto her Pokédex's internet search function. "How do they work?"

"Each region's zone is a little different, but for the most part it's a wildlife preserve with a variety of different environments that trainers, and trainers alone, go in to try and catch particularly rare Pokémon," Calem explained while holding up a finger. "Absolutely no battling is allowed. All you can use is bait and whatever else you can find inside the zone itself. It's a true test of what a trainer is made of."

"Ooh, we should go there when it opens!" Louise declared, with Saito fervently nodding.

Their attention was broken when the announcer stepped back onto the stage and began to bring out the top three candidates. So focused on their conversation, the group of friends didn't particularly pay much attention and so completely missed the third and second-place participants entirely. They even missed the name of the overall winner, but a quick glance prompted Louise's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Hey, isn't that the Noodle Guy?" Louise asked while pointing to the apparent winner, causing the others to look up at the stage.

"Wait, there was a guy noodling during this?" Saito quietly asked, but Henrietta narrowed her eyes for a moment before widening them in recognition.

"It is!" she exclaimed in complete surprise. She then chuckled and remarked while shaking her head, "I suppose there's something to his technique after all. I wonder what he-?"

"And here's his winning entry!" the judge joyfully announced, prompting the Noodle Guy to open his Sport Ball and release a large, and very proud, Gyarados that roared into the night scale alongside the exciting yelling of his trainer.

Louise and Henrietta stared blankly at the winning pair, much as Saito, Calem, and Joceline did as well. As the Noodle Guy began to give a victory speech, Louise softly whispered, "…I have so many questions, but if I ask he might tell me."

Henrietta nodded in agreement, then studied the Gyarados a bit more and asked, "Isn't that the Gyarados you-?"

"Yes, yes it is," Louise curtly answered, then turned away to quickly walk towards the beach. She could feel the Gyarados' gaze focusing on her, causing her to pick up the pace until she was well out of sight.

Saito couldn't help but chuckle, then he returned Remoraid to its temporary Pokéball after it finished eating its hearty meal and walked after her while saying, "I'm going to check on her."

"You mean tease her, right?" Joceline asked, and Saito snapped his fingers in confirmation before descending down the wooden steps onto the beach as well.

"Come on, Joceline. I promised you some funnel cake," Calem then said, prompting his younger sister to cry out excitedly before they walked towards a nearby stand, leaving Henrietta and Feebas by themselves.

But Henrietta wasn't focusing on their relative isolation. Instead, she hefted Feebas up to look at her face to face again, then she softly said, "Feebas…I know your last experience with a trainer wasn't the best. How they treated you was wrong, and you didn't deserve that. I also have to admit that I'm still quite new to this entire thing. If you want to go back out into the wild, I would completely understand. But, if you'll let me…I'd like to try and be your trainer. Is that alright with you?"

Feebas was quiet for a moment, then nodded. She was clearly still unsure, but at the very least was willing to let Henrietta give it her best shot. With a wide smile, Henrietta brought her Feebas to her face in a tight hug, then reached into her pocket and pulled out another handmade Pokéball she had created earlier that day. The Feebas nodded in understanding after a moment, then let Henrietta return the Feebas to her new Pokéball, transferring from the Sport Ball she had used previously.

"Now then, what should I call you?" Henrietta asked both herself and Feebas, a genuine smile on her face as she brought the Feebas out again alongside Fleur.

Both of her Pokémon looked up at her expectantly, and Henrietta pondered the question for a few minutes before snapping her fingers and suggesting, "What about Mer? It means 'sea' where I come from, and no matter where you'll go you'll always have a bit of home with you."

The Feebas thought for a moment, then happily nodded in acceptance at the name. Henrietta smiled softly while hugging Mer close to her chest, then her attention was captured as the announcer said something about fireworks. Before she could ask what they meant by that, she saw colorful rockets shoot up into the night sky, only to explode and sent bright, vibrantly colored streaks of light in all directions. Henrietta, Fleur, and Mer became transfixed on the sight, having never seen anything like it before. Glancing down the beach, she saw Louise similarly transfixed, as was Joceline who was being hoisted upward atop her brother's shoulders to get a better look. Saito, meanwhile, alternated his attention between the fireworks and his friend, and when he noticed Henrietta looking down on them he flashed a smile and thumbs up.

As the firework display continued, the colorful explosions filling the night sky with bright lights and loud booms, Henrietta barely noticed when someone lightly tapped her on the shoulder. Startled slightly, she turned to look, only to find herself staring into he smiling face of a young woman with bright red eyes and long red hair looking at her. She was wearing a pair of glasses, along with a white, frilly shirt and a dark blue skirt.

"Hello there," the girl said while pointing at Mer. "I couldn't help but overhear you talking to that judge earlier."

"Oh, yes," Henrietta said while holding Mer closer to her. "Admittedly, I am a little disappointed at the result, but overall…I'm happy with how things turned out."

"That's great to hear! And I totally agree. Your Feebas is beautiful, and whoever had her last was blind to not see it," the girl said before smiling down at the somewhat embarrassed Mer. She then asked, "You called her Mer, right?"

"I did, yes," Henrietta said, happy that that the girl was agreeing with her as were Mer and Fleur.

"That's a beautiful name, one that suits her perfectly," the girl said. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a few tickets. Handing them to a surprised Henrietta, she said, "Listen, there's a Pokémon Showcase being held tomorrow, and these are tickets to a private booth. You and your friends should come watch. It might give you some ideas, and at the very least I think you'll enjoy it."

"Oh, um… Thank you," Henrietta said, and the girl nodded while continuing to smile. Henrietta couldn't help but smile back, then she asked as the girl prepared to turn away, "Wait, what's your name?"

"My name is Ariana," the girl declared while giving Henrietta a playful wink. With that, she walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Henrietta watched as Ariana disappeared, then she was pulled back towards the fireworks by Louise. The encounter was forgotten as Henrietta found herself lost in the spectacle, all the while wondering just what the future had in store for her. No matter what it was, she knew, she was fully prepared to make the most of it.

[~][~]

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.

As some of you guessed, Henrietta captured her first Pokemon, and it turned out to be a Feebas! She has absolutely no idea what Feebas can evolve into, but she doesn't care for she's going to show Mer all the love and affection she can until her beloved Pokemon is positively drowning in it.

Now we're moving on to both Saito and Louise's next Pokemon Gym, but before that we have a special event, the Pokemon Showcase! I think you guys are going to enjoy the next episode.

To answer some of your questions, yes Joceline is an OC. I figured that, with Calem here being an expy of the player character and not the actual player character I had some liberty to do what I wanted with him and his family. I felt like giving him a younger sister would be good, so I gave him one.

Let us know what you guys think. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, any assistance in updating the page would be greatly appreciated. We hope you enjoy!