Outsiders (ZnT/Pokémon Reverse Summon)
OVA: Alolan Paradise 1

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Tristain Academy of Magic

Kingdom of Tristain, Halkegenia

Professor Colbert could honestly say that this was probably the worst week of his life. At least the most stressful that he'd felt in a very, very long time. The only comparable incident was the incident that led him to change careers and become a teacher instead of a combat mage, yet he honestly felt that this was far above even that.

There was no other way to describe it other than a complete and utter disaster. The week started off normal enough. Students going to and from their classes, excitedly preparing for their upcoming Familiar Summoning Ceremony while trying to ignore the rising pressure. Then, in an unprecedented incident, one of his students disappeared out of thin air while under his direct supervision, prompting her highly influential family and the Princess of Tristain to drop what they were doing and rush over to the Academy to try and get her back. After days of constant research that brought him and others well past the point of exhaustion, they finally managed to uncover a spell, created but never cast by the Founder himself, that would bring her back. He, the student's family and peers, everyone involved that day pooled their magic together, performing the most complicated magic since arguably the Founder himself. Their disastrous week should've turn into a triumph.

Only for all of their efforts to have been in complete vain because a literal God stopped them.

It was the morning after the being that called itself Arceus stopped them from bringing Louise back. Colbert felt as though he got hardly any sleep that night as his mind struggled to comprehend all that had happened. He knew that everyone else, especially her family, was doing the same thing. Laying on his bed, Colbert stared up at the ceiling as the morning sun's light shone through his window, casting long, thin streaks through the gaps of the blinds. Colbert knew he had to get up, that he had places to go and people to talk to, but his body just refused to do so. It felt as though he just had no energy left, so instead he decided to just say there for now.

'This is my fault,' Colbert thought to himself as he released a heavy, exhausted sigh. Guilt was consuming him, not just because Louise had been taken by Arceus to his world under his watch. The worst part was what he hadn't done beforehand.

They all knew that Louise had difficulty with her magic ever since she enrolled at the Academy. She tried her hardest, was top of her class in terms of academics and magical theory. It was the practical applications of magic that left her wanting. Every single time she attempted to cast a spell, it would literally blow up in her face. Luckily no one was ever injured, at most just some minor property damage despite the Square-class earth magic used to fortify and strengthen the Academy's walls. That, in hindsight, should have been the first clue as to the true reason behind Louise's failures, but it wasn't until Arceus cryptically spelled it out for them that Colbert realized the truth.

Louise wasn't a failure of a mage, like many of his so-called peers dismissed her as. She was a Void Mage, perhaps the first one in six thousand years. Colbert should have seen the signs, recognized her for what she was and taught her accordingly. Sure, there wasn't anything close to resembling an established curriculum for teaching Void magic whatsoever, but he was her teacher. It was his job to teach her anyway. He could've come up with something, dug into the academy's archives for any scraps of information about Void magic. He would've created something even if by trial and error. But he didn't. He didn't see the signs, and if he did they were dismissed immediately. Because of his ignorance, Louise's true potential was left unnoticed, leading to her become a pariah among her peers.

He didn't know if realizing the truth earlier would've made her time in the academy easier. But, at the very least, he could've protected her. Now that possibility was ripped away from him, and he had no idea what would happen next.

As the sun's rays rose higher through the window, Colbert groaned and turned away, only to find himself face to face with the concerned face of Mew. The middle-aged professor stared at the creature for a moment, somewhat surprised but not really that he had momentarily forgotten she was there, then he sighed.

"Hello, Mew," Colbert said as Mew began to poke him with her tail.

'Hey, you need to wake up,' Mew childishly told him. 'They're making breakfast downstairs.'

The concern he heard in her mental voice was appreciated, but Colbert simply turned the other way before saying, "I'm not hungry."

Mew narrowed her eyes, then replied, 'I know when you're lying. I'm psychic, remember?'

Colbert released another sigh. He supposed it would be impossible to lie to a being who could read your mind like it was the contents of a book. For a moment, Colbert debated simply telling her to leave him be, but he decided against it. After several days of her making the Academy, the students, and the faculty her playthings, trying to tell her to leave him alone was an impossible demand. He doubted it mattered that Cattleya de la Vallière seemingly had tamed the beast. How she did was still uncertain.

Releasing a groan, Colbert rose from his bed, prompting a happy squeak from Mew before she seemingly teleported away. Simply going through the motions, the professor used his magic to clean himself off then changed into a new robe before finally leaving his room to head down to the mess hall. As he walked, he noticed that most of the students, particularly the ones who participated in the spell last night, looked nervous if not outright scared. They were talking in hushed whispers, constantly looking over their shoulders, and more than a few were offering quick prayers to the gods. It was all the confirmation Colbert needed, and as he finally entered the mess hall where he found Princess Henrietta and the Vallières already seated, he forced himself to look calm and far more composed than he actually was, then walked over to join them.

Mew watched all of this the cop of the ceiling, hiding behind a wooden support beam. A sad frown was across her face, which only deepened as she read everyone's minds.

'Was that actually a God?' a few of them thought.

'What's going to happen now?'

'Louise was taken by that…thing?'

'Founder protect me…'

Those were just a sample of the constant fears the students and faculty were feeling, most of all the people closest to Louise. Especially once the realized the truth of what Louise was. Mew didn't quite fully understand why these 'Void Mages' were so important, only that Arceus didn't really like them while the people of Halkegenia revered them. She supposed it didn't really matter. What did matter was how upset and stressed the people of the academy were.

Mew didn't like it, and she struggled to find a way to make things better. Trying to play with them was out of the question. The nice lady who gave her head pats wouldn't appreciate that, and Mew didn't want to make her upset. Unfortunately, most of her ideas involved playing with the people, which left her at a loss. Mew scrunched up her face and thought as hard as she could, trying to come up anything to solve the problem at hand.

When Mew found that none of her ideas would really work, she shook her head then curled herself up while tapping her head with her paw. Clearly trying to approach this dilemma as a Pokémon wasn't working. Perhaps coming at it from a human perspective would work? Thinking back to all the humans she had seen across her long life, she tried to remember what made humans relax the most. Generally, she found, humans liked long periods of little to no work, where they do whatever they wanted without much regard to prior obligations or responsibilities. Where they could play instead of work. Humans called them 'vacations,' if she remembered correctly.

Slowly an idea began to take shape, particularly when Mew realized that the choice of location was just as important for a vacation as the vacation activities themselves. Humans, for the most part, loved vacationing in tropical environments, outright calling them paradises. And, wouldn't you know it, one such tropical paradise was exactly where Arceus had taken Louise.

Barely able to contain her glee, Mew decided on a course of action. One that would solve everyone's problems. For Louise's loved ones, they would be able to join her. For everyone else, they would get the chance to go on a nice, relaxing vacation that they so desperately needed. There was no way this could go wrong.

Clapping her paws together, Mew nodding to herself then teleported down to the front of the mess hall. The students and teachers immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at her fearfully, but there was no reason for them to do that.

'Hi, everyone!' Mew called out with a wave of her long, slender tail. Some of the students tentatively waved back, but the majority stayed as still and silent as possible. Without missing a beat, Mew continued, 'I just wanted everyone to know that it's been really fun playing with everybody, but Dad wants me to come home now.'

Many of the people present were openly nervous at the mention of Mew's father, but she continued in stride and with a smile on her face as she continued, 'But, before we leave, there's one other thing I have to do.'

Flying overhead, Mew gently closed her eyes and concentrated. A warm, pink aura grew around her, then pulsed outward and covered the entire academy. The damage she had created during her playtime was repaired right before their very eyes, and by the time it was done no one would even known that she had turned the Academy into her playground for the better part of a week.

When Mew opened her eyes, she saw everyone staring at her in awe, and she smiled before clapping her paws together. She then said, 'Alright, everyone. Let's go!'

Only then did Mew's words register in their minds, and Kirche began to say, "Wait, what-?"

That was when Mew teleported, taking herself and everyone present with her.


Colbert had never experienced the sensation of being teleported before, meaning this was a novel experience for him. One moment, his body was perfectly fine, if a bit tired. Next, it felt as though he was being pulled, and the world around him turned white. The whiteness soon faded, turning into a series of blue and white swirls that, just beyond them, he could see what appeared to be stars. A tingling sensation sent shivers across his skin, and any sense of fear was overridden by sheer awe at what he was seeing. If he concentrated closely, he could almost make out what appeared to be creatures floating in the abyss. The creatures looked like nothing he had ever seen before, neither mundane, magical, or even Pokémon. But, along with the strange beasts, he briefly felt a dark and foreboding presence. Were it not for his years of experience, he doubted he'd have even sensed it. But he did, and he felt as though a predator was staring at them hungrily, and he felt his skin clam up.

The teleporting lasted for only a moment, and when they emerged on the other side he found himself and everyone else in the middle of a forest clearing. They appeared to be on top of a hollowed-out mountaintop, tall walls of rock and trees lining the perimeter. While he, the Duke and Duchess Vallière, Henrietta's commoner bodyguard Agnès and surprisingly Tabitha were able to stay on their feet, the rest of the students ended up falling right on their faces or butts.

As panic began to ripple through everyone, Colbert realized to his horror that Mew had teleported every single person involved in the ritual. Not just the mages and their familiars, but even Agnès and the maid Siesta whose lineage, Colbert now realized, could be traced directly back to Mew's homeworld.

Karin and Pierre de la Vallière were the first to recover, and they immediately pointed their wands directly at Mew before simultaneously yelling, "Where did you take us?!"

'We're in Alola! Specifically, Melemele Island,' Mew cheerfully revealed, not at all concerned with the two sword wants pointed at her, nor all the other wands and Agnès' flintlock pistol adding to Vallières' display.

"Why did you take us here, Mew?! Why?!" Cattleya wailed in despair, and Mew's smile widened.

'You all looked like you were super stressed, and Alola is, like, the best spot in the world to take a vacation,' Mew revealed. That clearly wasn't enough, and the Vallières began to cast a spell only for Mew to add, 'Also, Louise is here.'

Mew's revelation caused all the spells to die on the mages' lips, and with wide eyes Éléonore muttered, "…What did you just say?"

'Louise is here, in Alola,' Mew confirmed. 'On this island, in fact. I don't know exactly where, but she's here. You all were worried about her, so I figured this solved all our problems!'

Everyone stared at Mew in complete and utter silence, then Mew clapped her hands together and waved before saying, 'Okay, bye! Have fun!'

With that, Mew teleported away, leaving everyone behind. They all stared at the spot Mew was just floating, and for a moment Colbert hoped that calm would reign support. Those hopes were almost immediately dashed when panicked cries rippled through the crowd, then he fell back into his duties as their teacher.

"Silence!" he ordered in a commanding, magically amplified voice. The frightened students looked at him for guidance, and he frowned before continuing, "Alright, we all need to remain calm."

A few students didn't get the memo as they fearfully looked at each other, and Guiche de Gramont nervously asked, "Did Mew really take us to another world?"

"I have to assume that she did," Colbert confirmed, causing another round of murmurs to go through the crowd.

He noticed that Siesta had a look of realization grow across her face, and she muttered, "This is…where my great-grandfather came from…"

Despite speaking so quietly, everyone heard her and focused all of their attention onto the maid. Realizing this, she clammed up and froze, not used to so many people looking at her. Feeling pity for the girl, Colbert nodded and spoke up.

"I believe you are correct, Miss Siesta," Colbert said. "Which means…there are likely Pokémon here."

At the mention of Pokémon, everyone's eyes widened and nervous murmuring travelled through the crowd. Colbert prepared to calm them down again, only to notice that the Vallières were already walking away. He called out to them, "Duchess Vallière, where are you going?"

"That creature claimed my youngest daughter is on this island," Karin declared. "I'm going to find her."

There was no room for argument in her voice, and Colbert knew attempting to dissuade them would be folly. Releasing a sigh, he turned to Headmaster Osmund and the other teachers and told them, "Stay here with the other students and keep them safe."

"Of course. Go," Osmund replied while giving a firm nod. Colbert nodded back, then went after the departing Vallières as they went down a mountain trail. To his surprise, however, he heard two pairs of footsteps following him as well, and he immediately knew who was following him.

"Kirche, Tabitha, stay with the others," Colbert ordered, only for Kirche to laugh as she sped up to walk side by side with him.

"And miss out on this? Sorry Professor, but that's not happening," Kirche replied. "Besides, Tabitha and I are pretty good at this. We found where all the items Mew stole were, remember?"

Colbert released another sigh, knowing that trying to dissuade them would be just as impossible as convincing the Vallières to stay put until they collected their bearings. He noticed it was actually Kirche's fire salamander, Flame, walking next to her. Overhead, he heard a flap of wings, telling him where Tabitha was. If nothing else, having a pair of eyes in the sky would make finding Louise easier.

"Just stay close to me at all times," Colbert ordered, and Kirche nodded without further argument. Briefly he wondered why Kirche, of all people, would participate in this impromptu rescue mission. Tabitha was probably just following Kirche's lead, which didn't really answer his question.

It was obvious that Kirche and Louise didn't really like each other that much, and with Louise's family and Colbert himself already looking for her, no one would've blamed her had she chosen to sit it out. But instead she came along without being asked. Perhaps she felt genuinely worried for Louise, partially blaming herself for her predicament. Or, more likely, she was just genuinely curious. Colbert hoped at least a bit of the former served as motivation.

They soon caught up to the Vallières, who were resting near a cave entrance. Cattleya was catching her breath. Even if Mew had miraculously healed her of her ailment, a lifetime of limited physical activity meant she couldn't go very far on her own.

"You should've stayed with the others," Éléonore chastised, only for Cattleya to fervently shake her head.

"If Louise is here, I'm not waiting," Cattleya declared, and Éléonore shook her head.

"You are always so stubborn," she chastised, but still she waited.

Regarding the Vallière daughters for a moment, Colbert walked over to the parents and asked, "What are you two thinking?"

"I'm thinking that my daughter has been trapped on this remote island, with no support, no survival training, and no resources at all for several days by herself," Karin tersely replied. "We don't even know if there's people on this island. So far, all we've seen are Pokémon."

As thought to prove her point, Colbert watched a section of the ground raise up as an Alolan Diglett exposed the top of its head. The creature regarded them for a few moments with its beady eyes, then went right back down without doing anything. Several different species birds were also perched on the trees and staring at them, but Colbert didn't recognize them from Siesta's family Pokédex.

"I don't think we need to worry about this island being uninhabited," Tabitha revealed as she and Sylphid flew down and beside them. "There's a city not too far from here, larger than anything I've ever seen."

"How big are we talking?" Colbert asked out of genuine worry and curiosity.

"Bigger than Tristainia. Far bigger," Tabitha revealed, causing Colbert's eyes to widen.

But Tabitha's revelation did little to relieve the Vallières of their justifiable fears, and Pierre grimaced and remarked, "Just because there's people here doesn't mean Louise is out of danger. She could be on the streets, surrounded by people who don't understand her and in a culture alien to her own. We need to find her, now."

Understanding the situation, Colbert nodded and prepared to move out once Cattleya caught her breath, but much to his surprise he heard Kirche chuckle and remark, "I think you two are underestimating Louise a bit."

"Well then, Zerbst, tell me how?" Karin growled, and Kirche stared her right in the eyes as she continued.

"I'll admit, Louise is probably in a bad spot. Can't really call getting dragged away to another world by an angry god anything but," Kirche admitted. "But if there's anything I've learned about her since we met last year, it's that Louise won't just take this lying down. She'll run headfirst into this and survive out of spite if she has to."

"And you know this how?" Pierre asked, and Kirche shrugged.

"Why do you think she didn't drop out?" Kirche pointed out. Without waiting for them to say anything, Kirche walked off, entering the cave while casting a light spell to illuminate the darkness.

The others watched her go, then at once went after her. The Duke and Duchess made a visible effort to stay in front of Kirche, who wasn't fazed by it. Instead, she kept her eyes on her surroundings even as she folded her arms behind her head while walking at a steady pace. In the back of her mind, she was genuinely worried for Louise's wellbeing, but she refused to admit that. Instead, she continued to play aloof while making sure that none of the wild Pokémon, some of which looked surprisingly human, watched them go. A few moved to potentially confront them, but a few spells from the Vallières were enough to drive them off. These Pokémon clearly weren't as powerful as Mew, who probably was a freak case to begin with.

Soon they exited the cave, and to their surprise was immediately met by a fairly large village of some kind. It wasn't like any village Kirche had seen before, just a collection of houses organized on roads. But the roads were paved, and all the houses looked well maintained. Wherever they were, it was clear that this place was wealthy. Several people were already wandering about, mostly families with young children who were playing in the tall grass and on the nearby beach. To the mages' surprise, they noticed that many of the families had Pokémon with them. The Pokémon weren't attacking the people. Instead, they were playing with them.

"What is this place?" Kirche muttered as Tabitha landed beside her.

"I don't know, but I saw a lot of people and Pokémon acting like this," Tabitha revealed as she landed beside them. "If I had to guess, Pokémon are important to these people."

"Yeah, no kidding," Kirche muttered, only for the Vallières to press forward.

"Stay focused and find Louise," Karin ordered as they walked down the path, sheathing her sword wand so as to note draw any unnecessary attention to themselves.

Kirche pursed her lips but otherwise did as she was told, following the Vallières down the path. As they approached the first people, a young child wearing a yellow hat said, "Wow, those are some cool Pokémon! What are they?"

The mages were momentarily taken aback at how they were able to understand the child. The words coming out of his mouth were Gallian, yet it didn't feel like he was actually speaking Gallian. It was a weird sensation, to say the least.

Kirche shook her head and was about to answer, only for Karin to step forward and forcibly ask, "I am looking for my daughter. Have you seen her?"

Colbert momentarily looked as though he was about to chastise Karin for her lack of tact, but the young boy didn't seem fazed as he scrunched up his face and scratched his head in thought. He then asked, "What does she look like?"

"Pink hair, short, flat as a board," Kirche answered, prompting Tabitha to jab her in the side with her staff.

"Hmm, not ringing any bells," the innocent boy revealed, and Kirche nodded before continuing.

"She also has a massive temper."

"Oh, you mean Louise! Yeah, she can be scary when you make her mad, but she's also really nice!" the boy happily revealed, then pointed down towards the beach. "I saw her over there not too long ago."

Karin coldly looked down at the boy, then gratefully nodded and said, "Thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome, scary lady!" the boy replied with a smile and wave. Kirche was forced to fight back a snort, but the Vallières were already gone.

"Sorry about my mother. She just really worried about my sister," Cattleya said, and the boy shook his head and smiled, telling her that it was fine.

With that, the group made their way onto the beach, keeping a careful eye on everyone present. The native people were wearing what appeared to be swimwear, which was only to be expected. But it was nothing like what they had back in Tristain. Far more skin was willingly exposed, especially the women who, for the most part, wore swimwear that resembled underwear more than anything else while the men proudly displayed their bare chests and upper bodies.

"Have these people no shame?" Éléonore remarked as she found herself unable to take her eyes away from a pair of women whose swimwear exposed their bare shoulders, legs, and bellies for all to see.

"I think it's great," Kirche said, openly staring at a group of muscular men walking out of the ocean.

"Focus, Kirche. Remember why we're here," Tabitha told her friend, and Kirche shrugged.

"I can do both," Kirche remarked. The Vallières briefly glared at the Zerbst, but then focused on the task at hand.

"Louise is somewhere on this beach," Karin declared as she began to walk forward, her eyes and head swiveling from side to side. "Be on the lookout for her. We have no idea what state she's in, but she's probably scared, frightened, and hungry. As soon as you—"

"Found her," Kirche suddenly interrupted, causing the others to stop and turn to where she was pointing. Much to their shock, they found that Kirche was, indeed, pointing right at Louise.

But she wasn't disheveled, dirty, or otherwise looked like she roughed it in the wilderness or in a state of homelessness for days. Instead, she lounging on a reclining chair, wearing a red one-piece swimsuit that exposed her arms and legs but otherwise was modest compared to what everyone else was wearing. There was a yellow sunhat atop her head, and a pair of dark glasses over her eyes as she sipped from what appeared to be a fruity drink.

"You know, you can just tell that the past few days have been rough for her. It's a wonder how she survived," Kirche sarcastically remarked, but aside from Tabitha none of the others paid attention as they instead focused entirely on Louise.

Slowly they walked forward, and when they got close Cattleya quietly called out, "Louise?"

"Hmm?" Louise perked up, looking around for who called her. After a few moments, she looked over her shoulder and lowered her sunglasses, and when she saw her family, Professor Colbert, Kirche and Tabitha all staring at her with wide eyes she yelped and jumped off the recliner.

"Aaagh!" she yelled, her foot caught between the straps and causing her to fall face first into the sand. Spitting the sand out of her mouth as she freed herself, she jumped up onto her feet and stared silently at the others. After a moment, she breathed out, "…Mother, Father, sisters? What are-? How are-?"

The youngest Vallière was clearly at a loss for words, and same as the rest of the family. No one moved a muscle, and Cattleya was already crying in relief while the parents sighed. Éléonore, however, suddenly grimaced and began stomping forward in righteous anger born out of immeasurable worry.

"Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière! You had us worried sick!" Éléonore yelled, causing Louise's irises to shrink and instinctively flinch. Éléonore prepared to forcibly pinch her sister on the cheek while continuing to yell, "Do you have any idea how in trouble you-!"

Before she could grab onto Louise's face, however, a sudden jet of water slapped her hand away. With a surprised yelped, Éléonore looked down towards the source of the water where she saw a small, dark blue seal-like creature with a white snout, bright red nose, and a white ruff around its neck angrily barking at her while placing itself protectively in front of Louise. It was yelping and jumping up and down, glaring right at Éléonore who realized that this was a Pokémon. A Pokémon that Louise seemingly owned, perhaps even being her familiar.

Before the others could react, Louise swiftly reached down and grabbed the creature while hastily saying, "Saphir, no! She's fine, that's my sister, Eleonore! She's just a jerk, that's all!"

"Excuse me?!" Éléonore yelled in an offended tone, but stopped when the creature apparently named Saphir growled at her. She flinched, and the Pokémon glared at her more before huffing in mild acceptance.

"I am so sorry about that. Saphir's very protective of me. She's actually really sweet," Louise said, gently placing her Pokémon down who remained glued to her feet. She then looked up at the others before suddenly finding herself wrapped in a hug courtesy of Cattleya.

"Thank the Founder you're alright. You had so worried," Cattleya said, barely able to hold back her tears. Louise was surprised for a moment then smiled and started to hug her back.

"I'm fine. Thank you for… Wait, Cattleya?! Why are you here?!" Louise suddenly yelled as she jumped back. "Oh Founder, tell me Arceus didn't bring you here, too?! He did, didn't he? I'm going to kill that damn goat!"

"Goat?" Kirche muttered to herself in slight amusement while Tabitha merely raised her eyebrow. It was hard for either of them to really say that Arceus was something as common as a mere goat.

"Louise," Colbert tried to speak up, but Louise wasn't listening as she focused her attention on Cattleya.

"Oh, Gods. This hasn't affected your sickness, has it?" Louise begged. Cattleya prepared to answer, but Louise was already calling out, "Rotom, call Professor Kukui now! And a hospital, my sister needs it!"

"You got it, Louise!" this Rotom replied as it rose out of a nearby bag, revealing itself to be a red contraption with a pair of oddly shaped wings coming out of the sides that reminded the mages of a lightning bolt and a drawn face on its front. Both Sylphid and Flame's attention were drawn to the strange creature, and this Rotom pointedly floated back a few steps while staring at them nervously.

As it followed Louise's orders, and Cattley tried in vain to calm Louise down, the youngest Vallière was already carefully guiding her older sister onto the recliner and giving her a bottle of water that Saphir was filling up for her.

"Drink this, it'll help," Louise told her sister, forcing Cattleya to grab onto the bottle. As she stared at it in confusion, Louise turned around and outright glared at the others to their shock and angrily hissed, "What were you thinking, letting her come down here?! You know how sick she gets! The last thing she needs is for her to walk all this way!"

"Louise, listen—" Colbert tried to say, but Louise wasn't done.

"You know what, this is fine. We're fine. Melemele has some good hospitals in Hau'oli City, we can take Cattleya there, get her looked out." A hopeful look crossed Louise's face, and she smile and declared, "They might even able to help cure her! Earth's medicine is amazing!"

"Louise, you need to—" Éléonore cut in as well, but Louise was already pacing back and forth.

"Okay, okay. Louise, you need to focus," Louise told herself. "Why would Arceus-?"

"Louise!" Karin suddenly shouted, prompting Louise to stop in her tracks and stare at her.

It was only then that everyone seemed to catch up for her, and the focus Louise previously felt gave way to raw emotion. Tears began to pool around her eyes as she started to cry, and she couldn't stop herself from hugging the nearest member of her family out of sheer relief. It turned out to be Éléonore, who after a moment of hesitation returned the affectionate gesture. Cattleya got off the chair and did so as well, and while the Vallière parents looked like they wanted to join in on their daughters they forced themselves.

As a man wearing an open, flower-pattern shirt came out of a nearby building and started running towards them, Karin de la Vallière said, "It appears we have a lot to discuss."

Louise pushed herself away from her sisters and wiped away her tears before nodding and replying, "Yeah, I think we do. Come on, I'll explain everything inside."


Four months. Louise had been in this place for four months. Karin could hardly believe her daughter's words when she made that bold claim. It had only been less than a week back in Tristain, so how could Louise have been on this planet for far, far longer? But the proof, provided by Professor Kukui and his wife Professor Burnet, was irrefutable. Medical records, calendar dates, official enrollment papers into the Melemele Pokémon Academy dated around that time, and more. Karin knew she could be a stubborn woman at times, but she knew when to bend to reality. A quick glance around the room told her that Pierre and Éléonore were in similar states of shock, while Louise just looked relieved that she wasn't gone from her home for too long. Intense curiosity was clearly consuming the professors as well.

Cattleya, on the other hand, was too busy playing with Louise's Pokémon.

"Oh, you're so sweet!" Cattleya cooed as she held Saphir in her hands.

In contrast to how the Popplio, as Karin learned the species was called, treated her eldest daughter, she absolutely adored Cattleya. Much like every other animal that Cattleya had ever come across, Karin couldn't help but note. The seal-like creature was happily snuggling deeply into Cattleya's embrace, licking her face whenever possible much to her daughter's joy. But it wasn't just Saphir trying to get Cattleya's affection. Another of Louise's Pokémon, a small, brown-furred canine called a Rockruff that Louise had named Fenrir was standing up on his hindlegs while pressing his front paws into Cattleya's legs. Louise has a third Pokémon as well, one she named Geist, but it was much shier than the other two Pokémon. All Karin got was a brief glimpse of the Pokémon, who remained covered in a homemade, burlap costume resembling a Pikachu that covered its entire body, as it peeked at everyone before slinking behind the corner once again.

Both Kirche and Tabitha's familiars were in a small garden where Professor Kukui and Burnet held some Pokémon of theirs. From the quick glances she got, the familiars were getting surrounded by the Pokémon, but the swarming appeared to be based off of curiosity than actually being threats. Soon, that curiosity gave way to play. Only Louise's Pokémon were in the room with them, allowing Cattleya to give them all the affection she could muster.

"Ooh, you come up here, too!" Cattleya said as she picked up the happy canine, who immediately began fervently licking Cattleya's face and causing her to laugh.

"Sister, you mustn't encourage him," Éléonore chastised, but Cattleya didn't seem or her nor care as she allowed the Pokémon to continue licking her.

"Éléonore, don't worry. They're perfectly fine," Louise insisted.

Éléonore sighed and shook her head, then refocused her attention onto Louise as she asked, "Run through what happened to you again, please?"

"Why? We just went over it," Kirche pointed out, briefly pausing from playing with Kukui and Burnet's infant son, Lei.

The eldest Vallière daughter groaned, then replied, "Just… I want to at least try and understand this."

Kirche stared at Éléonore for a moment, then shrugged and went back to playing peek-a-boo with Lei, who happily enjoyed this extra stimulation as he laughed and wiggled. Louise smiled briefly at the display, then cleared her throat and focused on everyone else.

"Well, to summarize, you already know how I got brought to Alola," Louise began, feeling no need to relive that particular moment of her life again. "I ended up arriving in Hau'oli City, where I had absolutely no idea where I was. I was lost, scared, confused, it was not a good time. Luckily, however, it turned out that my arrival did not go unnoticed."

"Yes, the portal that brought Louise here to Alola was picked up by my sensors at the Dimensional Research Lab," Professor Burnet added. "It's signature matched that of an Ultra Wormhole near perfectly. My husband and a team from the Aether Foundation was able to find her in just a few minutes. Luckily, Arceus uploaded, or lack of a better term, an understanding of our language into Louise's mind, allowing us to talk to each other. I suspect Mew did the same for all of you."

"Speaking of the Aether Foundation, Wicke and her team just got back to me," Professor Kukui revealed as he put away a device called a Pokédex. "They found your students up on Ten Carat Hill. She explained the situation to them and they're coming down now."

"That's good to hear," Colbert said with a relieved smile on his face. After the tumultuous week they all had, having something go right was a welcome change of pace.

"In any case, after the Professor found me, he took me back home to his lab to try and figure out what happened," Louise continued. She released a sigh, then looked towards the professors and smiled before saying, "When they realized I was stuck here and had nowhere else to go…they took me in without question."

Kukui and Burnet smiled back at Louise, and the elder Vallières focused their unbridled attention onto them. Pierre de la Vallière cleared his throat, then said, "Once again, we cannot thank you enough for what you have done for my daughter."

"Please, it was no issue at all," Kukui dismissed with a laugh and wave of his hand. "Louise needed our help, and we had more than enough room. Besides, this isn't the first time I've taken someone into my home, and I don't intend for it to be the last."

"Regardless, you have incurred a debt from the Vallière family that we will never be able to repay," Karin emphasized, her voice dripping with conviction. She then declared, "Professor, you and your wife are now friends of the Vallières. If it is within our power, you only need to ask. My only regret is that we are cut off from Tristain, otherwise we would reward you more handsomely."

"Duchess, we didn't help your daughter expecting a reward," Burnet pointed out, and Pierre nodded.

"All the more reason for you to be rewarded," Pierre declared.

Louise smiled warmly, happy that her family and caretakers seemed to be getting along so well. Knowing, however, that they couldn't stay in this moment forever, she cleared her throat and continued to explain, "Anyway, I've been living with Professors Kukui and Burnet ever since. Once they realized I was still a student, they helped me enroll into the Melemele Pokémon Academy. There they've been teaching me a wide range of subjects. Math, science, history, and of course Pokémon. It's been…fascinating."

"You mean to tell me that you came to this tropical paradise, and have to stay here for a year, and you chose to go back to school?" Kirche incredulously asked, and Louise pouted before glaring at her old classmate.

"Yes, because unlike you I value my education," Louise rebuked, but Kirche merely snorted while Tabitha rolled her eyes at her friend's antics.

"In any case, what happens now?" Tabitha asked, feeling that it was a far more pertinent question.

"Well, I still have about eight months before my…wager with Arceus is complete," Louise answered.

"I still can't believe you did that," Éléonore chastised, with Karin and Pierre nodding and frowning in agreement, and Louise sighed before continuing.

"Once those eight months have passed, I'll have been in Alola for a year. Assuming Arceus keeps up his end of the bargain, he'll send us back."

"Well that's good, and it should only be a few days back in Tristain," Kirche added. "We're basically getting an eight-month long vacation for free. Sign me up for that."

"You might, but I'm still undergoing the Island Challenge. I intend to compete in the Pokémon League at the end of the year and win," Louise declared, no doubt to be found in her voice.

Karin narrowed her eyes and focused on her youngest daughter. Even after Louise previously explained the self-imposed challenge she had decided to undertake, the highest in the land apparently, Karin still didn't quite know what to think of it. On the one hand, seeing her daughter actually work for something was always a good thing. Far too many children of nobles today were content to just rest on their family names and legacies, not doing much to add onto it themselves in favor of lazing about. That was the last thing Karin and Pierre wanted for their daughters, so seeing Louise throw herself whole heartedly into the Island Challenge was a relief.

On the other hand, by her own admission Louise had experienced quite a few perilous situations while on this Island Challenge, and not just against wild Pokémon. There had apparently been a few run ins with a group calling itself Team Skull who, despite the name were mostly just seen as nuisances at worst and sparring partners at best. Karin wasn't concerned about them, but she was concerned about the rise in Ultra Beast activity in the months since Louise's arrival.

According to Professor Burnet, Louise's journey to the Alola Region took her through something called Ultra Space, which bombarded her with alien energies that made her what was known as a Faller. Karin knew almost immediately that they, too, went through Ultra Space as well, and the creatures they saw inside were known as Ultra Beasts. But unlike them, Louise was also a Void Mage, and the ultra radiation combined with the power of Void made for a potent combination that was too much for them to ignore. Like moths to a flame, they came to the Alola region, an alien environment even for them that they weren't meant to be in and becoming a threat to all who lived there. Before Louise's arrival, there hadn't been a single Ultra Beast in the Alola region in months. Since then, there have been dozens, and they were becoming more and more common.

No one was exactly certain whether it was a just a coincidence that the Ultra Beasts returned after Louise arrived to Alola or if it was legitimately connected. Louise, for her part, was convinced it was somewhat her fault, but Professor Burnet wasn't as certain. The data she had gathered since the beginning of these sightings seemed to indicate to her that they weren't random. Almost as though they were being directed, but she had no idea by whom or what.

Regardless of the reasons how and why they were arriving in Alola, these Ultra Beasts were incredibly dangerous and powerful, and when thrown into an alien environment not meant for them they became threats to the people and Pokémon of Alola. Since Louise had decided that it was more than likely that the Ultra Beasts were there because of her in the first place in one way or another, that made it her responsibility to handle them. That decision, while admirable and expected of a Vallière, put her in more danger than Karin was comfortable with. Especially when, on several of these missions with the Ultra Guardians, as they called themselves, Louise had gotten hurt. She had half a mind to forbid Louise from going on any more of these missions, but also knew that Louise was essential to many of their missions actually succeeding. More importantly, if she didn't go on them there was a considerable risk that the Ultra Beasts would go after her directly, attracted by the ultra radiation and Void energies radiating off of her body, more likely than not into a heavily populated area.

She didn't know what to do, and she had to assume that, from the look on Pierre's face, that he was thinking along the same lines. But that was for later. For now, what was more important was simply reuniting with her daughter and figuring out what to do next.

"We need to focus," Karin declared, prompting everyone to focus on her. Narrowing her eyes, she began to say, "Our most immediate and pressing concern is what we're going to do with all of the students and faculty who were brought over to Alola by Mew. Between us, Princess Henrietta, the staff, students, and servants, there are over three dozen of us. All of whom need a place to live until Arceus sends us back home to Tristain."

Everyone pursed their lips in thought as they tried to find a solution to this conundrum. After a few moments, Louise's eyes widened as an idea popped into her head, then she called out, "Rotom, please call Lillie for me."

"You got it, Louise!" Rotom replied as it activated its body's phone function.

"I've been meaning to ask, what is that creature?" Colbert asked as he gazed upon the Rotom Pokédex.

"That is Rotom," Kukui answered as he pulled out his own Pokédex and showed Rotom's entry, which depicted a small orange sprite shrouded in a veil of light blue electricity. "This is what they normally look like. They're a dual Electric/Ghost-type species who have the ability to possess common everyday appliances. Refrigerators, ovens, lawnmowers. One day, I got the idea to make a Pokédex that would house a Rotom in order to boost its functions. Rotom here agreed, and while he did work with the Aether Foundation for a time after his previous owner left the Alola region, he decided to stay with Louise when she arrived."

"Fascinating…" Colbert whispered, leaning forward so that he might get a better look at the creature.

"Hey, you're getting too close!" Rotom complained, prompting Colbert to hastily lean back.

"Oh, my apologies!" Colbert apologized, and Louise chuckled before Rotom's screen changed from its face to that of a young girl with long, blonde hair wearing a white dress and large sunhat.

"Louise, I heard what happened!" the girl's voice came through the device, much to the Halkegenians' shock. Colbert's eyes seemed to sparkle as he realized what was happening, but before anyone could say a think the girl, who Karin had to assume was Lillie, asked, "Hold on, is that your family?"

"Yes, they are," Louise replied, then gestured towards everyone present. "Lillie, this is my Mother and Father, the Duke and Duchess de la Vallière. These are my sisters, Éléonore and Cattleya."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Lillie politely replied with a smile on her face. She then pointed towards Kirche and Tabitha while asking, "What about them? What are their names?"

"Oh, that's just Kirche and Tabitha, you can ignore them," Louise said, causing Kirche to roll her eyes while Tabitha just kept a neutral expression on her face.

That being said, Tabitha couldn't help but see Lillie's face flash in obvious recognition, and she briefly gave Kirche what would almost pass as an angry glare. It was a pitiful attempt that was over as soon as it began, but it told Tabitha enough. One, this Lillie was probably a peaceful and kind sort of girl who wouldn't really be considered a threat in the slightest. The other was that Louise had obviously told Lillie about her time in the academy, and Tabitha had to assume that Louise did not paint a good picture. Not that she blamed her. Either way, Tabitha wouldn't be surprised if the rest of Louise's classmates were told the same things, which might pose a problem if they were going to be here long term.

"Anyway, they're actually the reason why I called," Louise continued, causing Lillie to focus entirely on her friend. "Apparently, a Mew took them and a bunch of my classmates, teachers, and others, including the Princess, to Alola."

"Yeah, Wicke told us that. My mother was worried sick about it all," Lillie revealed, and Louise nodded.

"Yes, well they don't have a place a live, and I don't think any of the hotels would accept this many people all at once for eight months and on short notice. Do you think your mother can help?"

Lillie scrunched up her face in an adorable way, then her face hardened with conviction as she nodded and answered, "Of course. I'll talk to my mom right away. She should be able to figure something out."

"Thanks, Lillie. Oh yeah, we're still going to get some malasada tomorrow with Saito, right?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it! Bring your family, too, they'll love it! Oh, they can meet my mom and dad, too!"

"That sounds great! See you tomorrow, Lillie," Louise said while giving her friend a wave. Lillie waved back, and as the phone call ended she turned towards her family and declared, "I think we solved our housing problem."

Karin was unconvinced, and she asked, "And how, exactly, is Lillie and her family supposed to do that?"

"Who is Lillie, anyway?" Cattleya asked through a smile. "Is she your friend?"

"One of my best friends, actually," Louise confirmed, much to her sister's joy. "As for how she can help us, her family is the richest in the entire Alola Region. They have plenty of houses all across Alola that they don't even use, and I guarantee that they would be more than happy to help us."

"They already are. Lillie's mother, Lusamine, is the president of the Aether Foundation," Burnet added, then nodded towards Louise. "Good thinking, Louise."

Louise beamed at the praise, and Karin couldn't help but nod as well before replying, "Good work. Building relationships with local nobility is an essential skill, and I'm happy to see you using it."

Karin legitimately meant her words as honest praise. After all, it was the truth. Sure, Lillie and her family technically weren't nobles, as apparently Earth had largely done away with the concept much to Karin's immense confusion, but by what Louise described they filled a similar role in Alolan society. Louise's efforts in building a relationship with such an important family through a simple friendship with their daughter, then leveraging that relationship to fulfill her own goals was to be commended. Still, she couldn't help but notice how Louise's face fell as soon as the words left her mouth.

Pierre, on the other hand, frowned and asked, "And who's this Saito?"

"Oh, he's another friend of mine. Best friend, actually," Louise answered, only for her to be surprised when her father's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What?"


The next few weeks were a blur to Karin de la Vallière as she and everyone else adjusted to the new dynamic they found themselves in. There was a bit of an adjustment period, particularly to the fact that, in the eyes of Alola and the Earth at large, none of them were nobility. In fact, nobility had largely been abandoned across the viewed and was viewed as a backward and outdated social structure. Karin wasn't surprised that their titles meant nothing here – Tristain didn't even exist in this world, why would they mean anything? – but the thought of no one filling those roles was astonishing.

The same couldn't be said to many of the students, some of whom didn't react that well. Luckily it only took a few incidents of students, and a few of the teachers, embarrassing themselves while trying to flaunt their nonexistent status to an unamused or annoyed native to get the point across. Professors Kukui and Burnet, along the Aether Foundation, did use their proper noble titles but it was purely out of politeness and nothing else. They had no power here, magic or not.

There were a few instances when the students, attempting to hold onto their noble status and use it to their benefit, ended up provoking a native Alolan into an outright confrontation after offending them in some manner. Most of them were minor scuffles, such as water tossed in their faces, slaps to their cheeks, or a single punch to the face before walking off in a huff. The climatic event was when a couple students offended members of Team Skull who were just going about their business. They were more than happy to teach the uppity children a lesson about how things were run in Alola, challenging them to battles that the students foolishly assumed were duals and accepted, only to be faced off against a battle trained Pokemon. Professor Colbert and Karin herself were then forced to step in to protect their students, but to the grunts' credit they weren't planning on actually hurting anyone. Merely scaring them straight, as it were. It certainly worked, as none of the students did that again.

As far as Karin was concerned, their noble status only had meaning among themselves and not to anyone else. It was best to acknowledge that and move on, rather than attempt to stubbornly beat themselves against a brick wall fighting the inevitable. Surprisingly, Princess Henrietta came around to this dynamic immediately, almost enthusiastically so, as did Kirche von Zerbst and her friend from Gallia, Tabitha. There was something off about Tabitha, Karin knew. The look on her eyes and her demeanor screamed that Tabitha was anything but a simple, if prodigious, student. She was a veteran, Karin knew, but of what she did not know nor really care to pry so long as she wasn't a threat to her family or the other students.

Speaking of students, they and the faculty dragged to Alola by Mew were enrolled into the Melemele Pokémon Academy by request of Headmaster Osmund and Professor Colbert. Just because they were in another world, as they put it, that didn't mean the students could slack off on their education. Especially when there was an easily accessible venue to do just that. It was sound logic, in Karin's opinion. Professor Samson Oak and Professor Kukui were more than happy to accept, separating the students into different classes with a mage assigned as a magic teacher so as to not overwhelm the school.

Professor Colbert was assigned to Louise's class, secretly to help her with using Void magic alongside Professor Kukui who had already been attempting to do so since she arrived. To say the two got along well would be a colossal understatement. They were joined by Kirche von Zerbst, Tabitha, Guiche de Gramont, Montmorency de Montmorency, Princess Henrietta who decided to take part as well thereby motivating the other students into going along with this, and surprisingly the maid Siesta. Apparently the people of Alola, and Earth at large, believed that education was a human right and offered her the chance to enroll as well. Siesta happily took it, wanting to reconnect with her family's ancestral homeworld in some way.

Now Karin, her husband, and two oldest daughters were all relaxing on one of Melemele's many beaches, sitting on lounge chairs underneath large umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun's harsh rays. The students, let out from school for today, were happily enjoying themselves in this tropical paradise. Thanks to a generous donation from the Aether Foundation, they were able to obtain more appropriate clothing and swimsuits, the latter of which were noticeably tamer than what the majority of Alolans wore. Not that it stopped the boys from staring at the girls wearing multicolored bikinis, and the girls glaring at the boys for doing so.

The only exception to this was Kirche, who took one look at a bikini, asked where she could get one of her own, then immediately went to buy a yellow one her size. She was happily enjoying the looks everyone was giving her as she lounged on a beach towel in the sun's rays for everyone to see, much to Louise's clear annoyance.

"Kirche," Louise said in an irritated tone as she stood over Kirche, casting a shadow over the Germanian girl.

"Yes?" Kirche asked in a self-satisfied tone, watching as Guiche was dragged away by Montmorency by his ear.

"Where'd you get the Salazzle?" Louise asked, prompting Kirche to glance to the side at the large, dark grey salamander-like Pokémon that was laying back on the bare sand with Flame tending to her every need.

"Oh, you mean Fira?" Kirche asked, causing Louise to groan at her uninspired choice of a name for a Fire-type Pokémon. The Germanian girl grinned, then answered, "I met her on that trip we took to Wela Volcano Park the other day. It was hard to explain it, but we just…clicked."

As she said that, they noticed a small line of Salandits, all of whom were male, walking out onto the beach and depositing various items at Fire's side, ranging from berries to shiny objects. The male Pokémon sat down, eagerly awaiting Fira's response, and when she smiled and sent them on their way again they happily obliged.

Louise watched all of this with narrow eyes, then remarked, "…Right. It's unexplainable. Well, pardon me from getting in between you and your…Pokémon soul mate."

With that, Louise turned around and walked off, ignoring Kirche's teasing wave as she returned to her friends from Alola. Karin watched this from her chair, also noticing that a few of the Halkegenian students were giving Louise aside glares, which Louise was ignoring to the best of her ability. Karin frowned at this. It was clear that many of the students still blamed Louise for what happened to them. They weren't stupid enough to do anything, especially in Karin's presence, but it seemed as though the ostracization of her youngest daughter still continued.

But, at the exact same time, the Alolan students ignored the Halkegenians just as much if not more with the exception of only Princess Henrietta and Siesta, the two people who had nothing to do with Louise's bullying. Everyone else was excluded from their activities, whether it was renting Ride Pokémon to go swimming in the ocean, nature hikes, or even just watching something called a 'movie'. Karin knew that the Halkegenian students tried to pretend like they didn't care the shoe was on the other foot, but it was clear to her that it was getting to them.

As Louise happily talked with two of her friends, Lillie and Saito, Karin heard Lusamine next to her sigh contently and say, "I'm so glad our daughters are getting along so well. More wine, Karin?"

"Thank you," Karin replied as Lusamine graciously poured herself and Karin another glass of the dark red drink.

A few yards away, their husbands were talking among themselves over what Karin assumed was business related. Based off what Lusamine had told her, the fact that Mohn was even here was, frankly, a miracle. Apparently, years ago Mohn was part of a research team studying Ultra Space. There was an accident and Mohn was pulled through, presumably to his death. His disappearance was a tragedy that set in motion a chain of events that nearly tore the family apart entirely. Still, the Poppy family never truly gave up hope, and about a year ago they decided to leave Alola to find him. Eventually they did find him in the Galar region's Crown Tundra, where they discovered that Mohn was rescued by an Ultra Beast during that accident all those years ago, specifically a Nihilego. Unfortunately, that same accident caused Mohn to lose his memory, and he came to believe that the Nihilego who rescued and cared for him was his daughter. There was a brief confrontation against the Nihilego, whom Mohn had named after his daughter, but in the end Mohn was able to recover his memory and the Poppy family was once again made whole. The Nihilego ended up joining the Poppy family as well, and Karin could see the Ultra Beast happily playing with Sylphid under the careful watch of Tabitha.

As she held the glass cup in her hand, she added, "Once again, my family and I can't thank you enough for your family's generosity."

"Ah, Karin! I told you before, there's no need to thank me," Lusamine insisted with a wave of her hand. "I'm simply helping my daughter's best friend, nothing more. You know, you should have seen this place a few months ago when my family and I returned to Alola. The Pokémon World Tournament Finals were on, and our champion was participating. Practically the entire region was cheering Ash on, especially Lillie. That's how she and Louise met, actually, and seeing him battle against Steven inspired Louise to take part in the Island Challenge herself."

Karin nodded at that, although she couldn't help but glance once again in her daughter's direction. Louise looked genuinely happy as she talked to Saito and Lillie, laughing at whatever joke the Kantoan boy just made along with Lillie who covered her mouth with her hand. Lillie's Alolan Vulpix named Snowy was held in her arms, her white fur standing out in sharp contrast to the vibrant beach they were on. Saito's starter, a small owl-like creature called a Rowlett he named Yumi, was perched on his shoulder with a stern, serious expression on his face. Several of the other Alolan students were near them as well, clearly planning to go on another activity with Siesta and Henrietta coming along with them.

Seeing Louise have genuine friends was always something that Karin liked to see. Especially since so many of them were either already influential in Alolan society, such as Lillie and her other brother Gladion, or were going to be. Kiawe and a young boy named Hau were training under the island Kahunas Olivia and Hala, respectively, to one day replace them. Sophocles was aiming to become an astronaut, which from what Karin gathered was a scientist of high renown. The others had more modest goals, but the lofty ambitions of their peers made up for their shortcomings in that department. Gaining friends, allies, and connections with those in such high places, even if only down the line, was something to be commended and both Karin and Pierre praised Louise as such.

But, much like when Karin initially complimented Louise about Lillie, her youngest daughter did not respond well. At first it was with sadness for some reason, then anger at what they were saying. Neither Karin or Pierre truly understood what was going on. Cattleya and Éléonore had a better idea, but Cattleya had apparently grown something of a rebellious streak with her sickness cured and outright refused to tell them. When they asked, she simply answered that it should be obvious. Éléonore went along with her sister, although she did tell them that she got the feeling that what they were saying was not what Louise wanted to hear.

That was only the first sign that something was amiss between them and their daughter. At first, Louise had been ecstatic to show her family around Alola, but as time went on they seemed to grow more and more distant. Karin suspected it had something to do with her time back home in Tristain, and with what she had learned about her time in the Academy, Karin didn't blame her. She was obviously happier in Alola. Her being distant to her other classmates was only natural. But for the life of her, Karin had no idea why this distance extended to her parents as well.

Nothing they did to try and close the gap worked. Given how much importance Louise placed on completing the Island Challenge, they focused on that to no avail. They've tried helping her with her Pokémon training, apparently it was too rough. They tried to give her a schedule so that she could maximize her time between studying and competing, but it cut into her time with her friends. With every single attempt made, the gap only seemed to grow wider.

"Something on your mind?" Lusamine asked, and Karin sighed as she watched Louise and her friends walk away, leaving everyone else behind. Despite not answering, Lusamine seemed to understand where Karin's head was at and she remarked, "It's about Louise, isn't it?"

Karin pursed her lips, then admitted, "Louise seems to be growing…distant from her father and I. Despite our best efforts, it's seemingly only gotten worse since we arrived."

Lusamine nodded as she replied, "Lillie and I went through something like that, too. I was a tad bit too overbearing, which she didn't appreciate. At least you're not getting taken over by an Ultra Beast. That was an…unpleasant experience."

Karin couldn't help but smile and force back a chuckle, then said, "There is that."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"Have you tried asking her?"

"She refuses to tell me," Karin revealed. "I've seen her go to Professor Kukui and Burnet before coming to Pierre or I. For the life of me, I don't understand why she's acting this way. It's unbecoming."

Lusamine frowned, then told her friend, "The thing about children, Karin, is that they don't do something for no reason. They have wants and needs just like everyone else. When they're not satisfied, they tend to react just like anyone else."

"What could she possibly want or need that she isn't already getting?" Karin rhetorically asked. "Her father and I have provided her with everything. A life of comfort, access to the best luxuries and resources in our world. We even sent her to the Academy when another family would've just-!"

Karin stopped herself from diving into a far too sensitive subject, then took a deep breath. Lusamine watched this, then replied, "Sometimes wants and needs aren't just physical. Sometimes they're emotional, and they can be just as important."

The Vallière matriarch regarded Lusamine's words silently, hardening her face as she stared out over the pristine blue waters. She didn't know if that was truly causing the distance between herself and Louise, but it was certainly something to ponder. For several minutes, they sat there in comfortable silence, feeling the salty breeze wash over them. A sense of peace and tranquility filled Karin's soul, and she decided that, should they able to maintain a connection between Earth and Terre, she wouldn't mind building a vacation home here in Alola.

That peace was shattered when they heard and felt a series of loud thumps heading towards them, followed by Cattleya excitingly proclaiming, "Mother, Father! Look, I made a new friend!"

Karin slowly turned her head to face her middle child, only to find her standing before a massive, pink-furred bear standing on its hind legs and towering over them. Éléonore was awkwardly keeping her distance from the large Pokémon, and everyone else on the beach had stopped what they were doing in favor of just staring.

"Her name is Snuggles!" Cattleya proclaimed, and the Bewear aptly named Snuggles took the opportunity to happily wrap Cattleya up in a big hug, which Cattleya eagerly returned. Karin could only sigh, momentarily glancing the other wild Pokémon Cattleya had effortlessly tamed since her arrival here, including a Gyarados out in the water, a Snorlax currently gorging itself on a nearby snack bar specifically laid out for him, and an Arcanine who emerged from behind the Bewear.

With a blank look on her face, she held out her glass towards Lusamine and requested another drink, which Lusamine eagerly provided.


It was another week after Karin's conversation with Lusamine that everything came to a head. The day started out like any other. The students went to their classes, where they learned Earth subjects from their Alolan teachers while their Tristainian professors continued their magical education. By now, most of the students had actually managed to obtain a Pokémon of their own, and had come around to enjoy learning what Earth had to offer. Montmorency, for example, frequently tested her skills in alchemy with Alolan berries, seeing what kinds of potions and salves she could create. More than once Karin had overheard the young girl excitedly talking about her latest creation to her fiancé who, like her, had also come to appreciate more being in Alola. She was but one of many.

Others had taken more of an interest in the Pokémon themselves, with nearly all of the students managing to catch at least one Pokémon of their own. Several of the students, most notably Kirche von Zerbst and her Salazzle named Fira, Tabitha with her Sneasel named Ombre, and Guiche de Gramont with his Alolan Geodude he lovingly named Hematite, were actually beginning to train their Pokémon in the art of battling. Compared to the natives they weren't that good, barely qualifying as decent in Karin's opinion, but they were showing progress. Most surprisingly, Guiche had somehow managed to strike up something of a friendship with Louise's friend Saito over their shared interest in battling.

Regarding the mages' familiars, at first there was some tension and jealousy, particularly among the students who took up battling. A few were even outright hostile. But, in time, the tension went away and now the familiars would happily get along with their new Pokémon teammates.

Speaking of Saito, both Karin and Pierre weren't quite sure what to think of him. It was clear that he was a good man who genuinely cared for Louise, just as she cared for him. He was also a talented Pokémon trainer, one who was still fairly new but showed a lot of potential. With his Rowlet named Yumi, a Cubone he named Sukaru, and a Wimpod named Yoroi, he had quite a talented and versatile team at his disposal. Both Karin and Pierre honestly enjoyed the art of Pokémon Battling. It reminded them somewhat of their time in the military, just in a way that was relatively bloodless. The sport allowed one to truly let their tactical abilities shine. They weren't a one to one match by any stretch of the imagination, but it was similar enough to where they could respect a good trainer who knew what they were doing. Saito was clearly one of those people, and routinely proved to be better at it then even Louise.

But there was a more concerning issue regarding the young boy, particularly with how close he was to Louise. Sure, the two teenagers repeatedly claimed that they were nothing more than friends, and they clearly cared deeply for each other. Together with Lillie, the three were a quite close trio of friends. But both Karin and Pierre recognized the looks they gave each other. The care Saito and Louise felt towards each other went deeper than just the bonds of friendship, even if they didn't quite recognize it just yet.

Once the Vallière family realized what was going on, their reactions were mixed. The ever enthusiastic and romantic Cattleya could only be supportive, happy that Louise found someone that she liked. Éléonore grumbled a lot, still sore and angry over the fact that her engagement was recently called off by the groom, but after an expedition into the Ruins of Conflict that led to a close encounter with Tapu Koko, Éléonore decided to properly train Saito on proper noble etiquette, much to the boy's confusion and irritation. Pierre and Karin, on the other hand, were far more reserved. In the case of Karin's husband, almost hostile to the possibility of it even happening at all. Karin respected Saito as a battler and knew he was a good person, but that did not mean he was good enough for her daughter. He wasn't even a nobleman, or at least had the equivalent standing of one in this world's society.

There was, of course, the outstanding issue of Louise's engagement with Viscount Wardes, but Karin and Pierre had already decided that they were going to either postpone or cancel it outright. Wardes was a good man whom Karin trusted with all of her heart, but that engagement was made well before any of them realized Louise was a Void mage. That placed a far different level of importance on her, and they would have to tread the political landscape of Tristain and Halkegenia carefully. The last thing either of them wanted was for Louise to be used or even targeted because of her status. Right now, their biggest concern was Louise's safety and wellbeing.

Which brought them back to the events of the day. One moment, everything was fine. Students were having lunch, making plans for what they were going to do after school. Professor Colbert was with Professors Kukui and Burnet, devising experiments to study magic in more detail than anyone back in Tristain could've even dreamed of. Karin, Pierre, and Éléonore were back at the estate, diving more into the history of this world and finding ways they might be able to use it to benefit their family and Tristain at large. Cattleya, meanwhile, was wandering the Melemele Island jungles and fields, escorted by her small army of Pokémon that she tamed just by being in her presence.

The fact that Cattleya seemed to return with a new Pokémon after every trip had long stopped being a surprise to anyone. Especially the ones that were very powerful and, normally, very aggressive. Around Cattleya, a dreadful Ursaring was nothing more than a giant teddy bear. Kukui and Burnet were actually interested in her ability to do so, and liked to go on her nature walks just to see what happened.

But then, at an instant, everything changed when an Ultra Wormhole opened right over the school grounds. A few of them had opened since their arrival, but this was the first time Karin had seen one in person. The sight of the swirling vortex was terrifying yet awe-inspiring at the same time. From it came an Ultra Beast, specifically from the species known as Buzzwole. The creature reminded Karin of a red mosquito, one that turned two of its legs into muscular arms and was also over seven-feet tall.

Once the Ultra Beast arrived, everyone could feel the mood shift immediately. No one moved a muscle out of fear of setting the alien off, particularly when, in its confusion, the Buzzwole started scanning over the crowd with its compound eyes. Karin was half a breath away from launching a spell towards the creature when Louise, out of nowhere, got in front of the crowd and, of all things, started flexing. To Karin's equal surprise, the Buzzwole responded by flexing right back. It was an odd display, but one that allowed the teachers and Pokémon trainers to carefully begin evacuating the people from the beach and for Professor Kukui to contact the Aether Foundation for support. Everything seemed to be going well.

Then the Buzzwole moved towards Louise, its giant stride shaking the ground and causing Louise to fall back. Karin didn't care if it was an accident or not, and both she and her husband immediately attacked with the strongest spells at their disposal. It was only when the spells were already flying that they noticed Louise frantically trying to get them to stop, but it was too late. By then, the Buzzwole was already on a rampage.

It took an hour to finally contain it in one of the Aether Foundation's Beast Balls. Luckily, no one was seriously injured during the battle, but the same could not be said for the beach itself and the properties lining it. Much of them had been outright destroyed, a large swath of destruction leaving an ugly scar in the pristine paradise that was Alola.

After that, the tension building between them and their daughter exploded.


"Why did you attack?!" Louise shouted at them once they were back in the privacy of Kukui's home.

"That creature was attacking you," Karin answered, frustration seeping into her voice.

"No it wasn't! We were communicating! Buzzwoles talk to each other by flexing their muscles!" Louise refuted. "What happened was an accident! Do you realize how powerful Buzzwoles are? They can hardly control their own strength here!"

"Accident or not, it harming you was not a risk I was willing to take."

"But you were willing to put everyone else in danger by setting it off? Look how that turned out!" Louise pointed out while sharply pointing her arm towards the beachside window then back to herself. "You know I've dealt with Ultra Beasts before. I knew what I was doing, so why didn't you trust me?"

Karin narrowed her eyes, then answered, "As far as I was concerned, that creature was attacking my daughter. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. You are far too important."

"Oh, so now you admit it," Louise impulsively grumbled under her breath, but she might as well have shouted it from the rooftops. Cattleya and Éléonore winced while Karin and Pierre were momentarily taken aback before scowling.

"…Excuse me?" Pierre growled. For a moment, Louise almost looked regretful, but, like a dam finally bursting, she began to rant.

"I mean, it's not like you weren't embarrassed about it before, right?" Louise rhetorically asked as she began to walk back and forth. "I was always just 'Louise the Zero,' kept out of sight and out of mind. Because I was a complete and utter failure of a mage, am I remembering correctly?"

"But you're not," Karin insisted, forcing herself to try and remain as calm as possible in the face of her daughter's unacceptable behavior, but that only made Louise angrier.

"We know that now, but for the last ten years we certainly didn't! It took me literally getting dragged to another world by a demi-god for the truth to be revealed," Louise replied, then she narrowed her eyes and coldly regarded her parents. "That's it, isn't it?"

Pierre narrowed his eyes, then he asked, "What's 'it?'"

"Me being the first Void mage in six-thousand years, and the friends I'm making are 'important.' That's why you suddenly care so much." Louise began to mirthlessly laugh as years upon years' worth of self-doubt and insecurities came boiling up to the surface. "You couldn't get Louise the Zero out of the Vallière family fast enough, but Louise the Void Mage? Louise who's friends with some of the richest, most powerful, and connected people in the Alola Region? Now that's valuable."

Everyone's eyes widened in horror, and an astonished Karin asked, "Are you seriously implying—"

"That I'm only worth something now? What gave you that impression?!" Louise shouted. "For years you all thought of me as worthless, as a failure whose only value was to be a bride to a man ten years older than me and I haven't seen in years! It didn't matter what I did or how hard I tried, none of it meant anything because of something I had no control over! You gave up on me years ago!"

"If we gave up on you, why did we send you to the Academy? You didn't even want to attend," Karin rebuked, letting her frustration out as well. "You act as though any other family would've done the same. I assure you, they most certainly would not. We did everything we could to help you."

"Did you honestly think it was going to work?" Louise pointedly asked. "You're right, I didn't want to go. I was terrified of being around all those people I'd never seen before, but I went because I knew, if there was any place that could help me, it was the Academy. Tell me the truth. When you sent me there, did you expect it would help, or did you expect me to return home the same failure I was when I left?"

Karin moved to answer, but she momentarily paused. It might as well have lasted for an eternity, and all she or any of them could do was stare into Louise's angry and hurt eyes as tears began to pool. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve, then she whispered, "That's what I thought."

Without saying another word, Louise turned around and ran out the house.

"Louise, wait!" Éléonore shouted, getting up from the couch and reaching towards her youngest sister with her arm, but it was a futile attempt. She was already gone, sprinting away as fast as she could.

A surprisingly angry Cattleya then got off her chair as well, then said, "Éléonore, come on."

She was already walking off, which managed to snap Karin back into her senses as she added, "Wait here, I'll—"

"No, you've done enough!" Cattleya suddenly shouted, causing Karin's and Pierre's eyes to widen. Seething for a moment, Cattleya took a deep breath to calm herself down then added, "The last thing Louise needs right now is you two going after her. Give her some time to cool off."

Without saying another word, Cattleya stomped away. An apologetic Éléonore didn't know what to do at first, then she awkwardly followed after her sisters. Karin and Pierre de la Vallière were left standing in the middle of an empty room, with only the sound of Lei's crying being heard. Both parents stared at the open door, watching their daughters disappear into the jungle, leaving them behind.

After what seemed like an eternity, they heard a pair of footsteps walking towards them. Without even needing to look, they knew who it was, and Karin quietly asked, "Did you know?"

"Did I know what?" Kukui somberly replied.

"Did you know she felt this way?"

Kukui was silent for a moment, then he answered, "Nothing concrete but…I had a gut feeling. She never said anything directly negative, but there was always something just under the surface. I get the sense she's felt this way for years."

Karin's legs suddenly felt heavy, and she slow sat down as the weight everything bore down on her. Pierre sat down next to her, placing his comforting hands on her shoulders.

"How could we have missed this?" Pierre asked himself. "Our daughter…seriously thought we thought that little of her?"

Burnet sighed, then said, "Insecurities, self-doubt, and pressure can be just as harmful to someone as anything else. She tried bottling it up for years, I imagine, which only let it grow and fester. She was like this when she first arrived, always trying to prove herself when she had nothing to prove. We thought she was getting better, but…I suppose seeing you brought it all back to the surface."

"She could've told us," Pierre insisted. "We would've listened and done something to help her understand."

"When was the last time you had an honest conversation with her?" Kukui asked. When Pierre didn't answer, Kukui nodded in understanding, then suggested, "I think it might be time to change that."


Several hours later, with the full moon rising over the sea, Karin and Pierre set off to find their wayward daughters. They found them sitting on the cliffside atop Ten Carat Hill. Lillie and Saito were with them, and it was clear that they had been, for the past few hours, trying their best to help Louise through the emotions she was feeling. When her parents arrived, they respectfully left, knowing that this was not something they needed to be included in.

Louise didn't regard them at first, continuing to stare out into the pristine ocean as the salty night breeze whipped through her hair. No one said a word, then Louise finally began to speak, "You know, when Arceus sent me to Alola, I was terrified. Hard to be anything but. This world, its people, its Pokémon…they were both so alien and strange. But, in time, I made friends. I learned new things, and I discovered Pokémon Battling. I found that I was…good at it. I began to enjoy my time here. For the first time in years…I was happy."

Her parents took her words in deeply, then Karin replied, "Louise… I think it's time we finally talked."

Louise continued to stare out into the sea, then she turned to look at her parents and older sisters before nodding.


As the family on the opposite end of the flat mountaintop had their first honest and open conversation in years, one that was desperately needed but would only be the first of many to repair the rift between parent and child, fours people watched from the shadows. The pairs, one man and one woman each, were dressed quite strangely, wearing white and blue-accented jumpsuits, masks with slits over or across their eyes, and helmets that left only the pale, grey-blue skin around their jaws exposed. One of the men had a thick, dark-blue handlebar mustache and pointed goatee, with his partner having her similarly colored hair tied into a ponytail. The other man only had a small magenta bang coming down the center of his forehead, while his more diminutive partner had her long, orange hair tied into a single braid. Each had a logo similar to an upside down power icon on their shoulders made of blank lines that trained down their arms and into their chests and legs.

"They're getting bolder," the bearded man said in an emotionless, almost mechanical tone of voice.

"Indeed. That was the most brazen encounter yet," his partner remarked, rubbing her hand across her chin.

"The Blinding One is after the girl," the other man pointed out. "It seeks her power to replenish its own. If these incidents continue, it may be wise to secure her, both for her own safety and everyone else's."

"And take her away from her friends and family?" his partner asked while tilting her head up towards him. "No, not unless it's absolutely necessary."

"It may already be necessary," the taller woman countered.

"Dulse, Soliera, while you two may be correct," the bearded man remarked as he stroked his goatee, "Zossie is equally correct. For now, it's best to stay back and observe. With luck, the girl's arrangement with the Creator will be done by the time the Blinding One can recover enough strength to act directly. Until then, we must stand back and observe, ready to act when the time is right but not until then. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Captain Phyco," the members of the Ultra Recon Squad spoke in unison, prompting Phyco to nod. They then went back to observing the Vallière family, keeping a careful eye on the darkness which seemed to look at everyone with hungry, greedy eyes.

[~][~]

Hello, everyone! Here is the second official OVA for Outsiders, this time set in the lovely Alola region. Special thanks to Darwin Candidate and Yuri Vampire for their help in bringing this to life. Mew brought a lot more people over to this tropical paradise, but not all is well as both family drama and dark, alien forces beset our heroes? What will happen in this timeline? Will Louise and her parents ever reconcile? Will Pierre de la Valliere come to accept the prospect of Saito and Louise dating? What Pokemon will the rest of the Academy students obtain?

Find out next time...if I ever decide to do another Alola OVA.

In all seriousness, I really enjoyed writing this. I hope you all enjoy. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, any assistance you can provide in updating it would be greatly appreciated. Let us know what you all think!

I'm glad so many of you liked the last chapter, and we're super excited to show our first depiction of a Pokemon Showcase in our story. I'm also glad so many of you liked Henrietta's first addition to her team, Mer the Feebas. The best part is that Henrietta has absolutely no idea that Feebas evolve into Milotic, but you all just know that her instinctual love and affection will turn Mer into one anyway. Also, Ariana is indeed the alias of the Kalos Queen Aria, the top performer in the Kalos region's Pokemon Showcase. Henrietta is just running into a lot of important people, isn't she?

See you all next time!