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

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As Louise faced the Bisharp standing before her, his body tense and ready for combat at a moment's notice, she thought over everything she could think of regarding her upcoming battle against the Pokémon. When she had saved the Bisharp the previous day, she hadn't done so with any ulterior motives. All she saw was a creature on the verge of death, and she couldn't just let that happen. Intentionally or not, she somehow managed to impress the Bisharp enough to where he wanted to join her team, so long as she managed to defeat him in battle.

She was far from opposed to the concept. Bisharps were powerful Pokémon, and by all accounts this one used to the leader of his pack. That meant he would be a skilled and valuable addition to her team, not to mention his Steel/Dark-typing would provide a lot of coverage and defense against future opponents. But, at the exact same time, actually defeating this Bisharp would be a tremendous challenge, especially if he was as strong as Louise thought he looked. She had to plan this carefully, as much as she was able in any rate.

It wasn't hard for Louise to decide which of her Pokémon she'd use against the Bisharp, and after quickly coming up what she hoped would be a winning strategy she pulled out a Luxury Ball and called out, "Brennaraki, I choose you!"

The newly evolved Braixen emerged onto the battlefield with a loud cry and a flourishing twirl of her stick-turned-wand before squaring up against her opponent. Louise nodded slightly as she leaned forward, eager to get the battle started. Brennaraki's evolution at the climax of her battle against Ramos wasn't a true test of her newfound power. This, on the other hand, would, and Louise had every confidence that Brennaraki would emerge victorious. But that didn't mean she was going to get overconfident again, not after what happened last time.

Eager to take the initiative, Louise thrust her arm towards the Bisharp and ordered, "Kick things off with a Will-o-Wisp!"

Brennaraki immediately complied, bringing her stick back as a ball of green flame appeared at the end. She then swung the stick forward, hurling the fireball towards the already-moving Bisharp who was attempting to run around the Braixen and attack her from the flank. But the wisp was homing in on him, following his movements even as he moved in a serpentine pattern.

But then, to Louise's surprise, the Bisharp jumped high into the air. The wisp followed him upward, and when the Bisharp landed with a roll the wisp, unable to match his momentum, crashed into the ground. The grass immediately hit was scorched, leaving a black mark in its wake and creating no small amount of surprise in Louise. Unfortunately, that surprise extended to Brennaraki, creating an opening that the Bisharp immediately exploited by slashing his arm blades against her, sending the Braixen tumbling to the ground with a surprised yelp.

She quickly recovered and got back to her feet, and a refocused Louise shouted, "Flamethrower!"

Following her trainer's command, Brennaraki formed an intense jet of flame that shot out from the tip of her wand, steam rising out of her ears at the same time. The Bisharp attempted to roll out of the way, but Brennaraki anticipated this and adjusted her aim, accordingly, clipping him in the back. He grunted in pain as he rolled to his feet, then he glared at Brennaraki, stomped his foot a few times, then yelled at her. His voice carried a dark energy that washed over Brennaraki, who blinked a few times but then shook her head, seemingly unaffected.

But Louise knew things were more than what they seemed, which was confirmed when Saito called out, "Louise, that was Torment!"

Louise grit her teeth and bit back a curse. Compared to Encore, Torment wasn't nearly as much of a concern. But it still prevented her from using the same move twice in a row, which was a bit of a problem when several of Brennaraki's moves were already locked out of use thanks to the Bisharp being half Dark-type.

Still, she could get past this, and so she called out, "Use Sunny Day, then Fire Spin!"

Accumulating an orb of intense solar energy, Brennaraki hurled it high above the courtyard, forming a small second sun that basked the area in heat and light. Almost immediately, Louise could feel sweat forming on her forehead, but she ignored it as Brennaraki attacked the Bisharp with Fire Spin. A vortex of flame emerged on the ground directly in his path, engulfing him entirely. Louise let out a whoop as she pumped her fist, but her jubilation quickly gave way to shock as the Bisharp jumped straight out of the Fire Spin, his arms glowing a dark purple as he tried to attack Brennaraki with Night Slash.

Brennaraki bobbed and weaved as she backed away from the oncoming attacks, instinctually using her newfound bipedal form to her advantage. But the last strike managed to sock her across the face, sending her spinning around. The Bisharp prepared to attack her once again with Slash, but his eyes widened with Brennaraki completed her turn with a Will-O-Wisp already prepared. Unable to dodge, the green fireball splashed across his chest, inflicting a nasty burn that made him wince and cry out in pain.

"Yes! Good job, Brennaraki!" Louise cheered her starter Pokémon on. "Follow it up with Flamethrower!"

Brennaraki fired the intense Flamethrower into the Bisharp at point-blank range, sending him flying back and tumbling head over foot. But he managed to stop himself by digging his feet and arm blades into the dirt, glaring at Brennaraki the entire time. As he breathed heavily, he gingerly touched his burn and winced, then sprinted towards Brennaraki with surprising speed and agility. His body glowed a bright yellow, then he uppercutted Brennaraki with explosive force, sending her flying upward.

"What?!" Louise cried out, immediately looking towards Saito for an answer.

"That was Retaliate!" Saito answered as Brennaraki managed to land on her feet. "You're lucky that Bisharp's by himself. It's a move that gets stronger when you're avenging a fallen ally."

That was lucky, Louise figured. Just that one blow made Brennaraki's breathing hard, but as she cricked her neck to the side it was clear that she was far from defeated. As she squared up against the Bisharp once again, he nodded at her in respect, then crouched and leaned forward accordingly. His face then warped as he sent Brennaraki a terrifying snarl, which actually managed to frighten her.

Recognizing the move immediately as Scary Face, Louise bit back a curse. Already she could see that Brennaraki's movements were more hesitant, putting her at a disadvantage. Luckily, she could see that the Bisharp was similarly winded, mostly due to his burn. All she had to do was whittle him down a bit more, then he would hopefully be weak enough for her to throw a Pokéball. And after facing him in battle, Louise was eager to add this warrior to her team.

Pointing her arm towards the Bisharp, Louise ordered, "Fire Spin!"

Brennaraki twirled the end of her stick for a moment, then created a vortex of flame that surrounded the Bisharp. He jumped out as fast as he could just as the Fire Spin formed, creating a tornado of fire that stretched high into the sky. Anticipating this, Brennaraki immediately followed up with a Flamethrower as the Bisharp was coming down, encompassing his entire body. But the Bisharp anticipated this as well, and managed to deflect the worst of the flames by channeling Night Slash through his blades.

Cutting through the attack, the Bisharp emerged in front of Brennaraki with his head glowing a silvery white. He used Iron Head, slamming Brennaraki down with enough force to make her fall on her back. He prepared to follow up with another Night Slash, but to his surprise he saw that a another Fire Spin was forming around them. The Bisharp attempted to jump away, but he fell as Brennaraki latched onto his ankle with her paws locked in a vice grip.

When the Fire Spin formed, it encased both Pokémon directly in its hot center. Despite being a Fire-type and the one using the move, Brennaraki grit her teeth in pain and discomfort as the Bisharp was thrashing, trying to get out and escape. But Brennaraki wouldn't let him, determined to have him face the full brunt of her attack. When the Fire Spin finally subsided, both she and the Bisharp were breathing heavily, their bodies covered in soot. Slowly, Brennaraki looked up at the Bisharp who was glaring down at her. He raised his arm back, preparing to strike it down on her defenseless form, but then he faltered and fell to one knee.

Seeing this as her chance, Louise immediately pulled out a Luxury Ball and hurled it as hard as she could at the wild Pokémon. Gone were the days where her attempts at throwing things were complete failures as the hurled orb bounced off of the Bisharp's forehead. The Luxury Ball snapped open on impact, absorbing the Bisharp into its confines before snapping shut. It fell to the ground in front of Brennaraki's snout, the front-facing button glowing a light red, then began to shake as the Pokémon inside struggled.

Everyone watched with bated breath as it wiggled and shook back and forth. On the third shake, they heard a click and saw the light disappear. Louise immediately smiled and cried out, "Yes, I caught him!"

Running forward and grabbing two potions and a Burn Heal out of her bag at the same time, Louise came to a stop and crouched right before Brennaraki, who was gingerly holding up the newly filled Luxury Ball to her trainer. Gratefully taking it, Louise gently administered the first aid to her Starter Pokémon then prepared to do the same with the Bisharp. She was going to take them inside to the Pokémon Center before doing anything else, but she figured patching up their injuries couldn't be anything other than a good thing.

Opening the Luxury Ball, Louise released her newly captured Bisharp into the corporeal world. He blinked a few times, obviously adjusting to the new sensation of being inside a Pokéball, but then looked at a gently smiling Louise. He locked eyes with her, then respectfully bowed his head in acceptance.

"Thank you," Louise said, then held up the potion. "This might sting a bit."

The Bisharp made no move to resist as Louise began administering the first aid. He did wince slightly in discomfort, but soon sighed in relief as the burn and his injuries faded away. Louise couldn't help but chuckle somewhat, then as she discarded the now empty bottle she hummed to herself while pinching her chin.

Seeing that the Bisharp was tilting his head at her in confusion, Louise quickly explained, "I'm just trying to come up with a good name for you."

This only increased the Bisharp's confusion and prompted him to bark a few times, which Derflinger translated, "He's asking what's wrong with just calling him Bisharp."

"Well, what if we're up against another Bisharp? How will you know which one I'm talking to?"

Bisharp barked again, and Derflinger said, "He says that he'll know since you're his trainer now, and he'll follow whatever commands you give him."

Louise chuckled and said, "Well, I appreciate that, but honestly I'm not all that keen on just naming you after your species. I've given all of my Pokémon names, and I don't want to stop now."

Bisharp looked at her for a moment, then shrugged and barked. Immediately afterwards, Derflinger translated, "He says that he thinks that's irrelevant, but if you want to follow a 'strange human custom', his words, he'll allow it."

"Well, thank you. Hmm, let's see…." Louise hummed as she tapped her chin, going over everything she could think of regarding the Bisharp.

He was clearly a skilled fighter, one that used to lead his own pack judging by the Leader's Crest he carried around with him. Perhaps Roi, or maybe Jarl? But that would've made more sense if he was still the leader of his pack, which he clearly wasn't anymore. He had blades on his arms and head, so maybe Épée would suit him. But that was too close to Saito's naming scheme, and more importantly this Bisharp didn't look like an Épée. To her, that subtly implied that his defining characteristic was his strength and power, but it was clear after that battle he was more than that. He was a skilled and experienced fighter, a warrior of renown.

Her eyes widened as a suitable name finally came to mind, then she smiled at her Bisharp and said, "Guerrier. It means 'warrior' in my language. I think it suits you pretty well."

The Bisharp looked up at her, then tilted his head and glanced up at the sky. Although he wasn't saying anything, it was clear to her that he was running the name though his head a few times, testing it before coming to a decision. After a moment, he looked back at her then nodded in acceptance.

Louise smiled again, then announced, "Welcome to the team, Guerrier."


It didn't take long for the Pokémon Center to give both Brennaraki and Guerrier a clean bill of health. They were in and out in just a few minutes. Once they were all squared away, with Saito and Henrietta stopping by the nearby PokéMart to stock up on supplies they'd used, Louise set off to complete the other important task she wanted do that day. Sure, it was clear that Brennaraki was more than able to use her stick as a foci, but that wasn't enough for a Vallière. Brennaraki deserved to have something specially made just for her, an emblem and symbol of all she'd accomplished and which family she was a part of.

"So, remind me again, does a wand need anything…special to go into it?" Saito asked as the party hiked through the woods surrounding Coumarine City, their Pokémon out of their Pokéballs and walking beside them.

Henrietta shook her head as she held up her scepter and answered, "No. A mage can use anything handheld as a wand regardless of what it is and what it's made of. Mine has been passed down my family for generations and is made of silver, whereas Louise's was carved from an oak tree on the Vallière estate."

"Right, right," Saito said as he pinched his chin and nodded. "Does the material…affect the magic in any way?"

"No, it doesn't. A mage using a wand made of the finest silver or the roughest wood wouldn't have any noticeable difference in how they cast their magic. It all depends on personal preference and whatever resources a mage's family has."

"One of my classmates, Guiche de Gramont, uses a magically preserved rose as his wand," Louise revealed from the front of the party as she inspected nearby trees with Brennaraki before shaking her head and moving on, muttered, "No, that's too young…"

"Ah, so it's a status symbol," Saito stated, and Henrietta nodded.

"Partly, yes," Henrietta confirmed with a soft smile, and Saito nodded in understanding. "As you can imagine, richer families can afford more extravagant wands and staves, but generally the simple wand is the most popular and fashionable. Of course, their occupation does influence what they use as a foci. Many mage knights use swords as wands, for example."

"Meaning it's a sword and a wand, but doesn't actually change the magic being used?"

"Well, typically mage knights will channel magic around the blade to enhance it, but you could do that with any foci. From what I've been told, the structure makes it easier."

"Ah, that makes sense," Saito said, then hummed to himself before asking, "So, if anything hand-held can be a wand…what's preventing a mage from turning everything into a wand?"

"They need to form an emotional connection to whatever object they want to use," Henrietta clarified. "It takes time and effort to attune your magic to a potential foci. You can't just pick anything up and immediately use it as one. For example, took me days for me to finally cast something out of my scepter."

"Right, right. I can't help but imagine that's a bit of a problem if, for whatever reason, a mage is imprisoned."

"Oh, absolutely. Prison guards have to take extra precautions to ensure that any imprisoned mage cannot hold onto any utensils or small objects they can use as a wand. There have been far too many times where prisoners were able to hold onto a small wooden fork for a few days or weeks, turn it into a wand, then break out."

"Yeesh, that sounds like a constant headache."

"From what I've been told, it is," Henrietta confirmed.

With that, the group fell back into a comfortable silence, with Saito and Henrietta watching as Louise and her team inspected each and every tree they came across. Most were dismissed immediately as being too young for fragile. Others were given a bit more attention, but for one reason or another they, too, were discarded. Some had obvious termite infestations weakening the wood. Others were covered in moss and fungus that Louise was disgusted by. One almost made the cut, but it was too old, the wood frail and weakened by age. If Brennaraki was going to have a wand of her own, it was going to be perfect.

"So," Esprit physically spoke began as she walked beside Guerrier, who was impassively scanning the forest, "we didn't get the chance to talk earlier, but I'm Esprit! I was Louise's second capture after Aile. Welcome to the team!"

Guerrier glanced down at her, then nodded and respectfully replied, "Thank you for your hospitality."

Esprit smiled, happy that the Bisharp appeared to be so polite, then she asked, "What exactly are you looking for?"

"I am making sure there are no threats nearby," Guerrier revealed, and Aile scoffed from above.

"Listen, buddy, trust me when I say that we are perfectly fine," Aile claimed. "With all the humans and Pokémon with us, no wild Pokémon would be stupid enough to try and attack us."

"Numbers alone do not deter all attackers," Guerrier pointed out. "We might disturb a nest or den and provoke the inhabitants. Numbers would not deter a creature from defending their home or young, particularly the latter."

"…You know what, that's fair," Aile remarked, idly glancing around to make sure they didn't accidentally run into any Beedrill hives like in Santalune.

"Your caution is warranted, but so far I haven't sensed any danger," Auspice spoke up. "We are safe, for the moment."

"Forgive me for not wishing to rely purely on your senses."

"No offense was taken. If anything, your vigilance is a refreshing change of pace. There have been far too many times my trainer has accidentally stumbled into danger without meaning to. Sometimes meaning to."

"Hmm, I got that sense earlier," Guerrier admitted. "Regardless, she is now my trainer and Alpha, and it is my duty as her subordinate to follow her wishes and help keep the pack safe."

"Pack, eh?" Gène spoke up and chuckle. "I wouldn't necessarily call us that. We're a team."

"I see no distinction," Guerrier rebuffed, "other than this pack being comprised of three who decided to join together and share their resources. Louise, Saito, and Henrietta are the Alphas, with their…starters, as you called them, the Betas. The only real difference is that the packs merged peacefully rather than by force."

The other Pokémon were silent for a moment, then Aile coughed and asked, "You, uh, speaking from experience there?"

"Of course," Guerrier confirmed. "When I was Alpha of my pack, we brought two smaller packs into the fold. They weren't…agreeable to the arrangement, even if it was to the benefit of everyone."

"Ah…." Aile muttered, then glanced at the other Pokémon who, aside from Shogun who was nodding along in complete agreement, looked a bit more wary.

Ronin then asked, "You're not going to try and make a power play, are you?"

Guerrier shot Ronin an offended look, then answered, "I lost my battle against Louise and Brennaraki fairly, and I am not so keen on being insubordinate or disloyal. My place in the pack is recognized, and I have no desire to move against it."

"Well then, that's good to hear," Tanuki remarked, then glanced at the chipped blade atop Guerrier's head. Putting the pieces together, he added, "I get the sense you experienced that personally."

Guerrier glared at Tanuki for a moment, then hung his head, sighed, and admitted, "Yes. Roughly a lunar cycle ago—"

"We call that a month," Maindo, loudly eating a big of chips at the back of the group, interrupted. Guerrier glanced at the Kirlia and scowled slightly, then nodded.

"…A month ago, one of the more insubordinate Pawniards under my command evolved into a Bisharp. While I encouraged all of my subordinates to get stronger as that only helped the pack, this one had been doing so behind my back with the express purpose of overthrowing me. He waited until I was injured before triggering his evolution, then challenged me. I was defeated and cast out, and was on Yveltal's door when Louise saved me."

Guerrier narrowed his eyes as he stared at Maindo, then noted, "I have learned from that experience, and I do not tolerate insubordination. Especially in myself."

Slowly, everyone turned to face Maindo, who carelessly shrugged and responded, "You do you, man. I'm not a part of this team anymore."

"Do you not share their resources? Their food and shelter?" Guerrier pointed out with a glare, which took Maindo aback for a moment before he matched it with his own.

"I don't see how that's relevant. I'm getting released as soon as we get back to Lumiose."

"That has not happened yet. For now, whether you like it or not, you are still part of this pack, and this insubordinate nature will not be tolerated."

Maindo continued to glare at Guerrier, then rolled his eyes and muttered, "Back off, old man, before you hurt yourself."

Guerrier narrowed his eyes at Maindo, then noticed that Louise and Brennaraki were moving on. Deciding to pick this subject back up in the future, he gave one last glare to the insubordinate Kirlia then turned around to rejoin them. The other Pokémon alternated their glances between the two, then moved forward as well.

They made their way deeper into the forest, passing by many wild Pokémon who gave the large group a wide berth and curious stares. Luckily none attempted to attack them or get in their way, helped by the fact that the teams weren't aiming to provoke them. It was honestly quite peaceful in their opinion, giving them no motivation to try and upend it.

Eventually, though, they came across a massive tree whose trunk was as wide as three people standing side-by-side. The thick canopy rose high into the sky, towering over the other trees nearby. Louise couldn't help but note that the area immediately surrounding the tree was noticeably lacking in other vegetation, likely a result of all the sunlight being taken.

Pursing her lips, Louise walked up to the tree, placed her ear against the bark, then knocked on it a few times. She heard a thick, satisfying thud with each impact, and she smiled as she backed away from it. She then walked around the tree, checking it for any imperfections or deformities, and found none. Finally, she pulled against a low-hanging branch, and to her satisfaction found that it offered plenty of resistance.

"This one," Louise declared, bracing herself against the tree as she tried to pull and break the branch off. She grunted with exertion while muttering under her breath, "Come on… Come on you stupid—Gagh!"

Letting go of the branch and slapping her hands together in frustration, she tried to find a way to cut he branch off when Guerrier silently walked over and raised his arm. With a mighty chop he sliced his arm blade through the wood, allowing it to fall onto the forest floor.

"Oh, thank you, Guerrier," Louise said, with Guerrier giving his trainer a grunt of acknowledgement and a nod. Louise nodded back, then sat down and began picking the leaves off of the tree limb with her hands.

"Here, I think my crafting kit has something you can use to help carve it," Henrietta noted, reaching into her bag to pull out the kit in question. Opening it up, she pulled out some carving knives and carefully handed them to Louise, who gratefully accepted them.

Using the tools, Louise carefully began to peel the bark and leaves off of the tree branch, trying her best to avoid injuring herself. Unfortunately, her inexperience in crafting quickly made itself apparent as she accidentally nicked herself with the knife on the tip of her thumb, making her wince and quickly pull it away.

"Gagh! Founder dammit!" Louise cursed as she shook her hand back and forth, instinctually shoving the injured digit into her mouth. A moment later, a soothing sensation washed over her as Esprit helpfully used Life Dew on her trainer, healing Louise of her minor injury.

"Thank you, Esprit," Louise said, then went back to carving. She had a rough idea of the shape she wanted to carve the wand into, using her own as a model, and aside from quite a few more mishaps she had every confidence that it wouldn't be too difficult. The splinters and accidental cuts did get annoying very quickly, though.

After roughly an hour of carving, Louise finally thought she had something. But it quickly became apparent that her amateurish attempt at actually carving a suitable wand for Brennaraki was anything but. It was curved and misshapen, too thin in some areas but too thick in others. It looked as though the slightest touch could break it apart.

With an embarrassed blush, she looked up at her Pokémon and friends, with Saito and Henrietta looking down at her with pained expressions on their faces. Saito then muttered, "You know, after seeing you knit, I'm not all that surprised at how this turned out."

Louise's face fell, which only increased when Henrietta tentatively added, "I think it looks…nice?"

"It's terrible, just admit it…" Louise sadly begged as she hung her head, prompting Henrietta to frantically wave her hands in front of her.

"No, no! It's fine, really! For a first attempt, it's not that bad!" Henrietta said, then sat down next to her childhood friend. "Here, I'll help you fix it."

Gently taking the wand from Louise, Henrietta tested its rigidity by trying to bend it. After only a slight tug, however, it snapped it half. The two teenage girls awkwardly stared at it, making Henrietta chuckle while furthering Louise's embarrassment and despair.

"I should just hire someone to do this…." Louise muttered, but Henrietta shook her head.

"Nonsense, we can do it ourselves. We have all the time in the world," Henrietta said, then looked for and found another branch. Pointing to it, she asked Guerrier, "Do you mind cutting that down for us?"

Guerrier nodded immediately, then jumped up and expertly sliced the branch clean off the tree trunk and caught it as it fell. Handing it to Louise and Henrietta, the Princess thanked the Bisharp before laying it across their laps.

"Now then, let's get to work. It may take a few tries, but once it's done, it'll be perfect. You'll see," Henrietta said. Louise glanced up at her friend, not having the confidence in her crafting ability to do so, but found herself unable to rebuke her smiling friend.

"…Okay," Louise said, finding Henrietta's confidence infectious. Then, working together, the two trainers began to peel and carve.

It took a few more attempts and branches to fully get it right. The first few ended up in roughly the same shape as the first. But, as they progressed, improvements to the form and structure became apparent. Each one was better than the last, sometimes by a little and sometimes by a lot.

Eventually, after several hours of work, the sun was beginning to set and casted a warm shadow over the forest. Saito and the others occupied themselves by training, with the exception of Maindo who ignored Guerrier's attempts to get him to join. It almost got to the point where it seemed Guerrier was going to actually confront the Kirlia, much to the others' amusement and surprise. But before such a thing could come to pass, Louise and Henrietta proudly brought forth the finished wand.

The tool was nearly identical to Louise's in structure, stained a light grey and purple that matched Brennaraki's fur. Carved into the base was a small sphere painted like a Pokéball to serve as a pommel, with fire etched into the handle for Brennaraki to hold. Louise, with a proud and exhausted smile on her face, gently handed the newly carved wand to the Braixen, who gingerly took it and held it up to her face.

"Go ahead, try it out," Louise suggested.

Brennaraki looked at her trainer and smiled, then aimed high into the air, away from any trees, and let loose a powerful flamethrower. But this one seemed hotter and more vibrant than what she had done before, basking everyone in its light and warmth.

"Holy crap, what did you make that out of, charcoal?" Saito asked as he watched in amazement as the fire died down.

Surprised at her boosted power, an idea popped into Brennaraki's head. Briefly swapping out the wand for the stick she was using earlier, she fired a Psybeam into a nearby stump. The move bored a small hole that went a few inches deep. Satisfied, she brought back out her wand and fired another Psybeam in the same location. This time there was a noticeable improvement, stopping halfway through the stump before finally coming to a stop.

"Well, I'll be…." Derflinger muttered then chuckled to himself. "Looks like that wand is making Brennaraki's Special moves stronger, or whatever you young'ins call it nowadays."

"I thought wands didn't make magic stronger?" Saito pointed out, but Derflinger shook his head.

"Pokémon aren't mages, kid, and what they do isn't magic. Besides, weren't you taught above how Pokémon can hold various items that make 'em stronger?"

"…Oh yeah, that must be what's going on," Saito realized with a smile on his face. "Heh, ain't that a stroke of luck."

Louise didn't particularly care about that, instead smiling proudly at Brennaraki who smiled right back. The two them wrapped themselves in a tight hug, letting the bond between Trainer and Pokémon grow ever stronger.

[~][~]

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 many of you predicted last chapter, Louise has indeed captured the Bisharp and added him to her team, bestowing the name Guerrier. The next few chapters are going to be a lot of fun introducing more of his dynamic to the team. And Brennaraki has her own wand, serving as an introduction to Held Items in the process.

Now, to respond to you guys' questions/reviews:

Let's be honest, Henrietta needs this vacation after the year she's had. It helps that she'll only be gone for a few days in everyone else's perspectives.

I'm glad you like the story so much! I must reiterate, though, that Ash is not appearing in this story. He may be mentioned every so often, but he's not a factor in this story at all. On a side note, it's a bittersweet feeling to know that our journey with Ash will be coming to an end very soon in the real world. He truly became the best like no one ever was, and I just hope that the ending of his journey serves as a fitting farewell.

Glad you guys liked the chapter! Yeah, Brennaraki's evolution was a bit surprising, but it was also a long time coming.

Yes, I am aware of the evolution requirements for Kingsgambit. Why do you think I had him admit to absorbing two packs into his own? All he needs now is the third.

Do not ask me to update my stories in the reviews of another story.

I totally understand any of you guys' issues with the canon relationship and how it was shown in the original Familiar of Zero. To be honest, it didn't have the best look a lot of the time. One of the things I strive to do in my FoZ stories is to fix that part and make the Saito/Louise relationship seem healthy, mutually beneficial, and earned. I think I've done a pretty good job of that so far.

I'll probably include other Paldean Pokemon in the story as it continues. Just don't expect any Crystalization or Dynamaxing going on. We're a Mega Evolution story. Save that for the OVAs.

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