As this next chapter will focus on the remaining Elite Four battles, it'll be a bit on the shorter side of things. That said, I hope you all enjoy it as we're edging closer to the climactic showdown.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
Torren Pokémon League Headquarters
"…And with her victory over Eduard, Natasha has defeated half of Torren's Elite Four. Will she be able to keep her winning streak, or will she be bested by her opponents? Only time will tell." The reporter spoke over the television, the crowd murmuring in awe. Most of them believed that she would be able to defeat the Elite Four and even the Champion. However, a few people have pointed out that the remaining members were stronger than their co-workers; London in particular was notorious for being the one who ended the most runs.
'Stay strong Natasha, I know you can do it…' Nora thought to herself, her gaze fixed on the screen.
0000
Having left Eduard's room, she took the time to heal her Pokémon before gazing at the two entrances in front of her, housing the remaining members of the Elite 4. Given that she had defeated a Sandstorm trainer, she anticipated that one of her opponents would use a Hail-themed team. Hail teams worked a lot like Sandstorm teams but were much rarer due to how difficult it was to train Ice-type Pokémon. If her hunch was correct, then she could expect her next opponent to be quite challenging. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she walked towards the top right room and entered it, only for a sudden chill to run down her spine.
The room was rather cold, the floor beneath her made entirely of extremely durable ice. There was a light snowfall blanketing the room, as well as several statues of snowflakes decorating the room, each one different from the last. Guess her hunch about facing a Hail user was right on the money. Making her way to the center, she soon noticed that her opponent was sitting on the ground quietly, drinking a cup of warm tea. She was a graceful young woman, with short black hair and crystal blue eyes, her outfit consisting of long blue and white dress, the bottom helm resembling jagged shards of ice. Having finished her cup, she placed it beside her, a warm smile on her face.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Natasha. I knew I'd be battling you eventually." Yuki greeted her, standing up on her feet. Having been born and raised in Gaea Town, she got to know the town's residents, including Adam himself, well before he became the First Augur. With her mastery over Hail teams, she was able to defeat most of the trainers who lived there, even going so far as to defeat Adam without breaking a sweat. Shortly following her victory over him, he introduced her to his wife and daughter, the older man viewing her as the perfect role model for his child. When Yuki first laid eyes on Natasha, she sensed a feeling of greatness from her, as if the purple-haired girl was destined to achieve great things in her life.
"I-I'm sorry, but I don't think I've met you before…" Natasha apologized to the Elite Four member. Her comment was understandable; from what Yuki heard on various news reports, the purple-haired girl had lost most of her memories following her kidnapping at the hands of Jaern and Persephone. Additionally, she had begun transitioning into a woman a couple months after Adam and Natasha were declared missing. When Natasha was done with her challenge, she was planning on having some tea with her, hoping to catch up with her old friend.
"My apologies, we can talk about it over some tea once you've completed your challenge." The black-haired woman replied, with Natasha agreeing to the idea. Opening her hand, the older woman watched as a few drops of snow fell onto her hand. "The slow snowfall gives a tranquil feeling, does it not?"
"It does. I've been to Deyraan Town, and I could watch the snowfall for days." The purple-haired girl replied.
"Normally, snowfall is quite and serene, but at times it can harden to cold, destructive hail. Allow me to show you that destructive power in our battle." Yuki began, sending out her Delta Trevenant, the mighty guardian letting out a battle cry as the snowfall intensified, the drops turning into sharp hailstones. Gazing at her opponent, Natasha retaliated with her Venasaur, the large toad growling at its opponent. It flinched a little from the hailstorm but was more than capable of enduring it.
Closing its eyes, the Venusaur began cleansing its mind of impure thoughts, greatly boosting its mental capabilities. However, the Trevenant saw this as an opportunity, the Guardian Pokémon sharpening its swords by rubbing them together, greatly increasing its attack. Lunging forward, it attacked the Crystal Pokémon by tackling it harshly several times, sending it flying back a few times. Getting back up on its feet, the Venusaur fired off a barrage of sludge at the Trevenant, only for the latter to quickly conjure up a wonderous wall of light to protect itself. Kicking the snow beneath its feet, the Trevenant jumped into the air and slammed down on the ground, creating a powerful tremor that caused the Crystal Pokémon to stagger on the spot. Hoping to end things right away, the Trevenant lunged at the Venusaur and attempted to pummel it, only for the toad to dodge at the last second. Its mouth wide open, it fired a massive orb of psychic energy at the Guardian Pokémon, sending it flying to the other side of the room as it crashed into the wall. Sliding down the wall, it soon crumpled on the ground, knocked out after a single hit.
"My, that was a powerful attack. Most impressive." Yuki complimented, recalling her Pokémon. Sensing that the attack was mentally exhausting on her opponent, she assumed that it wouldn't be used for quite a while. Seizing this opportunity, the older woman sent out her Rotom-Freeze, the refrigerator chirping happily. A smirk soon formed on the poltergeist's face, its doors opening wide as an almighty Blizzard struck the Venusaur, freezing it on the spot and rendered it unable to continue battling. "Mastering the synergy between Hail and Blizzard is the hardest, yet most important part of running a Hail team. But when it's pulled off correctly, even Fire type Pokémon are helpless to the unrelenting cold."
"Such power; no wonder you're a member of the Elite Four…" The purple-haired girl replied, recalling her Pokémon. She had to deal with the hail as soon as possible, but that was easier said than done while she still had a powerhouse like Rotom on the field. she needed to deal with it immediately, otherwise it would freeze all of her Pokémon, costing her the match. Selecting her next Pokéball, Natasha sent out her Reuniclus, the ghostly Pokémon calmly gazing at its opponent. Its eyes glowing a piercing yellow, it conjured up a series of rocks, imbuing them with an ancient power long thought to be extinct before flinging them at the Rotom. They struck the fridge directly, causing it to spin in the air for a few moments, as a wonderous power flowed through the Reuniclus. A slight frown appeared on Yuki's face, as she knew that the attack had made her opponent stronger. If it kept this up, it would be nigh impossible to defeat it. Shooting a reassuring look at Rotom, she silently conveyed her orders to it, the poltergeist chirping in response as electricity cloaked its body. It lunged at the Reanimating Pokémon and tackled it, before retreating into its ball.
With a quick flick of her wrist, Yuki sent out her Starmie, the starfish grunting in response. Even with the power boost, the Reuniclus had no hope of out-speeding it. Indeed, the Starmie quickly conjured up a massive tidal wave and crashed it into the Ghost-type, knocking it down to the ground. The Reuniclus began shivering on the spot, it is water-soaked body vulnerable to the cold. However, Natasha had a way to solve this problem, the purple-haired girl ordering it to use Will-O-Wisp. Realizing where she was coming from, the Reanimating Pokémon conjured up several ghostly balls of fire, the water on its body drying up in an instant as it flung them at the starfish. The fireballs struck the Starmie, the Water-type wincing in pain as several burns were left behind. Capitalising on this turn of events, the Reuniclus conjured up a ghostly cloud of shadows, blanketing the starfish as it was soon bombarded by the cloud. It prioritized the burn marks on its body, intensifying the pain inflicted on the poor Pokémon. Just over half a minute later, the cloud dissipated, the Starmie collapsing to the floor and couldn't get back up.
An eyebrow raised in intrigue, the black-haired woman recalled her Pokémon, mulling over who to send out next. An ingenious idea forming in her mind, the Elite Four member sent out her Mamoswine, the large mammoth uttering a loud bellow. Snorting to itself, it stomped its foot on the ground, conjuring several rocks that were flung to form a circle around Natasha. Frowning at the rocks laid out before her, Natasha wanted to clear it as soon as possible, but first she needed to deal with the lumbering beast before her. Reuniclus, sensing its trainer's determination opted to go all out, it's eyes closed shut as it began mumbling to itself. Wincing in pain a few moments later, it laid a curse on the Mamoswine, the latter's eyes widening in fear as an ethereal nail appeared on its back. Knowing that it would be knocked out the moment the nail was fully embedded within its body, it wanted to defeat the Reuniclus, if only to take it down with it. Feeling the nail slowly burrow into its body, the mammoth raised both forelegs into the air and slammed them down, conjuring a series of icicles that rained down upon the Reanimating Pokémon. The Reuniclus was bombarded by the attack, promptly falling to the ground as its body was assaulted by the chunks of ice. It slowly attempted to pick itself up, only for the Mamoswine to charge at the Ghost-type, knocking it to the ground with a swift smack from its sharp tusks. Flying back a few feet, the Reuniclus crumpled to the floor, unable to get back up as the Mamoswine cheered in victory. Seconds later, its eyes widened, a sharp pain coursing through its back as the nail was now fully embedded. It soon collapsed to the ground, knocked out from the curse, thus ending this match in a draw.
"Even when cursed, your Pokémon didn't give up; most impressive." Natasha offered a compliment, the two trainers recalling their Pokémon.
"A Pokemon's will to battle is tied to its trainer; both sides must be in sync in order for victory to be possible." Yuki replied, sending out her Rotom once more while Natasha countered with her Avalugg. The black-haired woman was confused by this, given the disadvantage she had put herself in. Having spoken to Luisa on multiple occasions, she was able to gain valuable insight into Delta Pokémon, including Delta Avalugg. There must be some reason she had sent it out against an Ice-type Pokémon. She would soon get her answer as the Stealth Rocks from before encased the Avalugg, the dragon enduring the attack without so much as a flinch. Taking in a deep breath, the Colossal Pokémon began spinning on the ground, sending the rocks flying everywhere as they were soon shattered into pieces.
"So much for your Stealth Rock!" The purple-haired girl cheered, her Pokémon letting out a light roar of determination in response. Hoping to defeat its foe quickly, the Rotom opened its doors once more, unleashing an almighty Blizzard at its foe. However, the Avalugg was able to curl up into a ball in time, its rocky exterior shielding it from the bone-chilling attack. A few moments later, the Rotom looked up at the sky, noticing that the hailstorm was dying down. Not wanting to lose its advantage, the poltergeist began glowing a light blue, a spherical ball of energy emerging from its body and flew up into the air. It exploded seconds later, powering up the hailstorm so that it was as strong as it was at the start of the battle. But this had left the Rotom vulnerable, a fact that the Avalugg was going to exploit. Opening its maw as widely as it can, it fired a large rock brimming with energy at the poltergeist, the attack exploding upon impact. The Rotom was sent flying into the wall, and crashed into it, unable to continue battling as it fell to the ground. Yuki recalled her Pokémon, gazing at the Colossal Pokémon as it panted lightly in exhaustion. This was the perfect opportunity to show off her latest capture, the black-haired woman confident that it will catch Natasha off-guard.
"Scizor, time to defeat your foe with power and grace!" She called out, sending out her Delta Scizor as Natasha's eyes widened in surprise.
"Y-You have two Delta Pokémon?!" The purple-haired girl exclaimed in surprise.
"Indeed, I met this charming fellow during my last trip up Mount Rose. The moment I witnessed its power, I knew it would be a perfect fit in my team. Now allow me to show you exactly what I'm talking about…" Yuki smiled, pointing at the Avalugg as her Scizor gave her a nod of confirmation. It lunged at the Colossal Pokémon at astonishing speeds, assaulting it with a barrage of powerful punches and kicks before finishing off with a powerful uppercut that knocked the dragon out cleanly. Natasha gasped at the sight; did the hail power up her Scizor to the point that it could effortlessly defeat a Pokémon with sky-high defenses like Avalugg? Recalling her Pokémon, she knew there was only one option that seemed viable in this situation.
"I must thank you, Yuki. You taught me something today; now it's my turn to put this knowledge to use!" She declared, sending out her own Scizor as the two mantises stared each other down. This was going to be a very close match, a match between equals; only time will tell who'll emerge victorious. Opting to seize the initiative, Natasha's Scizor leapt into the air and attempted to strike Yuki's Scizor with a jump kick. However, it anticipated the attack and intercepted it, grabbing its opponent's leg and flung it to the ground, the former grunting in pain. Picking itself up, Natasha's Scizor brushed the snow off its body and glared at its opponent, watching as it charged right at it. Yuki's Scizor launched a series of punches at its opponent, only for each and every one of its attacks to be blocked with ease. Sensing an opportunity, Natasha's Scizor swept its opponent off its feet with a low kick, following up with a swift punch to its stomach.
Wincing in pain, Yuki's Scizor picked itself up before shooting a glare back at its opponent, its pincers ready to grind it to dust. The two Scizor soon lunged at each other, the powerful Pokémon barraging each other with punches and kicks as they engaged in skirmishes all over the room and even in the air. A few minutes later, they retreated to their respective sides, psyching themselves up for the final showdown. Their eyes locked on each other, they charged at the same time, both of them delivering a powerful punch that caused a small explosion, creating a large blanket of smoke. When it died down, both Pokémon were standing close to each other, their pincers making contact with the opponent. Moments later, Yuki's Scizor fell to the ground, with Natasha's Scizor giving it a nod of respect.
"Most impressive; our dear Pokémon gave us quite the spectacle." Yuki smiled, recalling her Pokémon before reaching for her last Pokéball. With a flick of the wrist, she sent out her Cryogonal, before promptly pressing down on her Mega Ring. The snowflake was soon enveloped in a wonderous orb of light, breaking free from it seconds later as it let out a mighty roar, the hailstorm intensifying in power. Its body underwent a major transformation, the Cryogonal now resembling a six-point snowflake with jagged edges, its moustache turning into a beard. Though the Scizor was tired from its fight against its previous opponent, it was more than capable of taking down its opponent.
The Cryogonal's eyes began glowing a bright red, calling forth its hidden power as pulsing waves of red energy emanated from its body. Scizor leaped into the air, easily dodging the attack before diving towards the snowflake, its fist pointed at it. Sensing the incoming attack, the Cryogonal shielded itself with a wonderous wall of light, the Frozen Claw Pokémon bouncing off it and fell into the snow. Picking itself up, it glared at the snowflake, lunging towards it at incredibly speeds before assaulting it with a barrage of punches and kicks. It ended things off with a jump kick, the attack sending the Cryogonal flying backwards as it crashed into the wall, devolving into its normal form as it fell to the ground, earning Natasha her third victory.
"Phew…that was a close one." She sighed in relief, her Scizor posing dramatically as pride coursed through its body. "Only one more battle to go, and then it's just us and the Champion."
"Magnificent! You battle eloquently, with poise and grace." Yuki informed her, recalling her Pokémon. "Only one person stands between you and the Champion; I must warn you, London is the strongest member of the Elite Four. I'd offer you some advice, but I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."
"I've always been a fan of surprises; I can't wait to see what strategy London uses." Natasha smiled, recalling her Scizor. "I'll be more than happy to have some tea with you once this is done, my old friend…"
Yuki smiled as she watched Natasha exit the room; perhaps that battle was all she needed to remember who she was. She thought about wishing the purple-haired girl luck, but she was confident that she didn't need it to defeat London.
0000
Having healed her Pokémon up, Natasha made her way to the final room, where London was awaiting her arrival. The purple-haired girl was a little concerned about the upcoming battle; on top of having no idea what they're strategy would be, she was told that they were the strongest member of the Elite Four. Still, she was able to get this far, and she wasn't going to let all her Pokemon's hard work go to waste. Mustering up her courage, she walked through the doorway and entered the vast room.
The room was full of psychedelic recurring patterns, consisting of light blue and dark blue squares. Additionally, there were holograms of various Pokémon scattered all over the room, holograms so detailed that for a second, she thought they were real life Pokémon. Standing at the edge of the arena was a young man with short black hair and dark brown eyes, a cocky smile plastered on his face. His outfit consisted of long-sleeved purple and black jacket, topped off with matching purple trousers.
"Welcome, challenger. I speak for the mystic mind and the demon inside. The darkness and the chaos within all of us. The beauty in chaos, it shows itself in my battling…" London began, catching Natasha by surprise. Of all the things she expected him to say, this edgy warning was not one of those things. Sensing her sudden apprehension, his mood did a complete 180. "Yeah, I can't blame you for cringing. I totally need to rewrite that. Urgh, I hate pretentious speeches."
"Y-You're London, correct?" The purple-haired girl inquired.
"Indeed, I am London. Strongest member of the Elite Four. During my career, I have ended the challenges of over 250 different trainers, some of them more than once. Allow me to add you to the list." He introduced himself, his cocky grin returning once more.
"Is that so? Then allow me to disappoint you; don't worry, I'll give you a slice of humble pie as a consolation prize." Natasha retorted, sending out her Roserade.
"Heh, I like you. Hopefully you'll prove to be an entertaining opponent." London smirked, starting things off with his Reuniclus, the homunculus gurgling happily. Based on the holograms and patterns she saw upon entering the room, Natasha assumed his strategy to revolve around Light Screen and Reflect, an underused but incredibly powerful strategy. Not only did those moves offer incredible defensive buffs, but they had very little counters, namely Brick Break and the ability Infiltrator. If her hunch was correct, then this would prove to be quite the uphill battle. But in a move that caught the purple-haired girl by surprise, London whipped out his Mega Ring, pressing down on the keystone as his Reuniclus was enveloped in an orb of light.
A few seconds later, it emerged from within the orb, its body completely different from before. Its arms grew longer, with its hands ending in sharp claws made from gelatin. Furthermore, it grew a third arm from its back that served as a means of standing upright. Finally, a gelatin crown of sorts was on its head, with sharp points that resembled the horns of a devil. Seconds later, the dimensions of the room started to warp, with Roserade feeling sluggish all of a second while the Reuniclus was even peppier than before.
"Mega Reuniclus has the ability to warp the dimensions of a room so that the Pokemon's speed is reversed, just like Trick Room. Now that you know my strategy, it's time to get this show on the road!" The black-haired man declared, his Reuniclus conjuring up a large orb of orange energy before flinging it at the Roserade. Though the Night Bouquet Pokémon was able to dodge the attack in time, its lowered speed meant that it couldn't avoid the explosion, the Dark type flying forward a couple feet before licking itself up off the ground. Huffing to itself, it made its way towards the homunculus and whispered some compliments in its ear, the sudden burst of praise confusing the Psychic type. Staggering on the spot slightly, it conjured up a pair of Shadow Balls and flung them at its opponent but was off the mark due to confusion. Sensing an opportunity, the Roserade began collecting darkness from within the room, its fan growing darker and darker by the second. However, the Reuniclus soon snapped out of confusion and charged up another Focus Blast, flinging the large orb of energy at the Night Bouquet Pokémon and scored a direct hit. The Dark Type flew into the air and crashed into the wall, slowly shifting itself before staring at the homunculus. A cocky smile on its face, it pointed its fan at the Psychic type, firing a massive beam of pitch-black energy at it as its eyes widened in surprise, though it attempted to avoid the attack, it was struck from behind, flying towards the opposite wall and crashed into it, devolving a few seconds later.
London grunted quietly to himself; normally, his Reuniclus would've taken out half of his opponents Pokémon before fainting. Perhaps there was something special about this girl after all. Recalling his injured Pokémon, her promptly sent out his Delta Golurk, the mighty gladiator letting out a deep battle cry. Slamming its fists together, it barreled towards the Roserade, the twisted dimensions granting it increased speeds. Before the Dark-type had a chance to reached, it was pummeled by a brutal Meteor Mash, the punch sending the Night Bouquet hurtling towards the ceiling, crashing into it before falling towards the ground. Thankfully, Natasha was able to catch in time, though it was clear that it couldn't continue battling. Quietly recalling her Pokémon, she gazed at the Golurk, an idea forming in her mind. Recalling how successful it was against Yuki, she opted to fight fire-with-fire, the purple-haired girl sending out her own Golurk. The two gladiators stared each other down, bowing politely in respect before engaging in battle.
Natasha's Golurk started off things by flexing its arms, bulking up its muscles in order to strengthen them. Gesturing its opponent to come at it, it watched as London's Golurk charged towards it, crashing its massive body into it. Using its newfound strength, it hoisted its foe up into the air before slamming it into the ground, the large gladiator groaning in pain. However, it wasn't down for the count just yet, picking itself back up and dusted itself off. Huffing quietly to itself, London's Golurk cocked its arm back and fired another Meteor Mash, the powerful punch causing Natasha's Golurk to stagger backwards a few feet. A low grunt escaping from its mouth, Natasha's Golurk decided to go all out and charged at its foe, the twisted dimensions boosting its speed. Within moments, it began pummeling London's Golurk with a barrage of powerful punches, ending things with a Dynamic Punch to the head. London's Golurk staggered backwards several feet, its body teetering from the devastating impact, before falling face first into the ground. Once it fell, the twisted dimensions soon returned to normal, a confident smile forming on London's face.
"Not bad; you've managed to last longer than most of my opponents. But this is where things become interesting…" He replied, recalling his Pokémon before sending out his Togekiss, the Jubilee Pokémon chirping happily. Natasha gazed at the Fairy-type, a realization forming in her mind. London had thought of everything, adding a speedy sweeper to his team in the event his Trick Room expires. The Togekiss began plotting ways to deal with its foe, its mental capabilities increasing greatly. Seeing that it had lost its speed advantage, the Golurk went for a different strategy, firing a barrage of punches that were as quick as speeding bullets. The Jubilee Pokémon cried out in pain, flying back a couple of feet before recovering from the attack. Sensing an opportunity, it swooped low towards the ground, dodging a Meteor Mash from the Golurk before firing an Aura Sphere at its legs, causing the Gladiator Pokémon to stagger backwards before falling on its back, unable to continue battling.
"This isn't good, I need to deal with that Togekiss as soon as possible…" Natasha muttered, recalling her Pokémon as an idea formed in her mind. If she couldn't out-speed it, then she'll have to outlast it in a battle of attrition. Selecting her third Pokémon, she sent out her Vespiquen, a loud buzzing emanating from the Reactor Pokémon. Powering up its rockets, it flew into the air and smashed its head into the Togekiss, the Jubilee Pokémon staggering in the air, dazed and confused. Quickly regaining its composure, it charged up another Aura Sphere and flung it towards the bee, confident that it would land. But in a move that caught both trainers by surprise, the Vespiquen caught the attack and began nibbling on the orb of energy. Once it had finished eating, a wonderous wave of power coursed through the Reactor Pokémon, its rockets flaring up as it buzzed in triumph. Gazing briefly at its foe, it flew towards it at incredible speeds, firing off a barrage of sludge that struck the Togekiss and caused it to falter. The bee finally decided to settle things by smashing its head into the Jubilee Pokémon, sending it crashing into the ground and knocked it out.
But despite the surprise comeback, London wasn't fazed at all. Quietly recalling his Pokémon, he promptly sent out his Jellicent, the ghostly jellyfish gurgling at its foe. Its eyes glowed a vivid blue, the dimensions of the room warping around them as the Vespiquen grew sluggish all of a sudden. Satisfied that it evened the playing field, the Jellicent sprayed a blast of scalding hot water, the large bee buzzing in pain as a few burns were left behind on its metallic body. Floating quickly towards it, the jellyfish opted to finish off its opponent with a Hex, blanketing the Vespiquen in a cloud of ghostly shadows, assaulting it from all ends as it soon fell to the ground, unable to continue fighting. With the Trick Room set up once more, Natasha had to plan her next moves carefully, the purple-haired girl recalling her Pokémon.
"Quagsire, its time to bust this ghost!" She declared, sending out her fourth Pokémon. The jack-o-lantern stared at its foe, chiming happily at it as the Jellicent eyed it up in confusion. Waddling towards it, it soon smacked it with a quick punch, stealing the Sitrus Berry its opponent was holding. Angered by this dirty trick, the jellyfish conjured up a series of Shadow Balls and flung them at its foe, only for the Quagsire to set up a wonderous wall of light to protect itself. Once the barrage was over, it retaliated by regurgitating a series of Seed Bomb's, the thick shells exploding upon making contact with its opponent. It decided to finish things off by running towards it, the twisted dimensions boosting its speed before leaping into the air. It smacked its thick tail on the Jellicent's face, knocking it towards the ground as it crash landed. The jellyfish attempted to float back up, but was unable to do so, with London gazing at his foe in intrigue.
Recalling his Pokémon, he opted for an unusual play, sending out his Marowak to deal with the Quagsire. Despite having a type disadvantage, he was confident that the Bone Keeper Pokémon was sturdy enough to outlast its opponent. But Natasha was prepared for such a thing, silently ordering her Quagsire to use Will-O-Wisp. Chiming happily, the jack-o-lantern fired a barrage of ghostly fireballs at its opponent, the Marowak wincing in pain as its body was burned from the attack. Capitalizing on its advantage, the Grass-type fired off a second barrage of Seed Bombs, landing direct hits on the Bone Keeper Pokémon. However, its eyes flashed momentarily, its bone glowing a brownish-orange as it started knocking the seeds back, before following up with a swift Bonemerang that knocked the jack-o-lantern back a few feet. Regaining its composure, it quickly ate the Sitrus Berry it stole to recover some much-needed energy, before staring down its opponent. Opening its mouth, it charged up an Energy Ball and fired it at its enemy, the attack sending the Marowak flying backwards into the wall. It crashed into the sturdy surface, promptly falling to the ground as London was down to his last Pokémon.
"It's been quite some time since I was pushed into a corner, but now it's time to show you my trump card. Delta Aggron, time to crush your foe into dust!" London declared, recalling his Pokémon before sending out his Aggron, the massive beast roaring loudly. It's body armor was made from dark brown steel, more than durable enough to withstand the intense flames that were generated within the gouges in its armor. Its arms, legs and tail were cloaked in flames as well, burning at extremely high temperatures. The most notable part was that its eyes and the inside of its mouth were a bright blue, meaning that it was even hotter than the rest of its body. Natasha whistled in awe; she wanted to catch a Delta Aggron for herself in order to experience its power. "Impressed, are we? Then allow me to show you just how strong it is!"
Roaring loudly, the Aggron's body burned brightly, the room heating up as its Drought ability kicked in. snorting in confidence, it barreled towards its opponent, jabbing the Quagsire with its sharp horns. Staggering back a few feet, the jack-o-lantern regained its composure, slamming its tail into the ground to create a powerful Earthquake. But in a move that Natasha recognized immediately, the Aggron brought out its Air Balloon and floated above the ground, flying above the Quagsire. Putting its balloon away, the Furnace Pokemon fell to the ground, crushing the jack-o-lantern with its immense weight. It slowly backed away from its injured foe, the Quagsire weakly crying out as it was unable to continue battling.
"Don't worry my friend, you've earned yourself a nice rest." Natasha consoled her injured companion, recalling it to its ball before gazing at the Aggron. It was quite the powerhouse as she expected, but there was a way to deal with it. Selecting her next Pokémon, she sent out her Muk, the pile of sand grumbling in determination. Sensing an incoming Earthquake, the Aggron brought out its Air Balloon and taunted its foe, poking its fiery blue tongue at the Muk. Glaring at the Furnace Pokémon, the pile of sand regurgitated a series of sharp rocks at its foe, puncturing the balloon which led to the Aggron falling to the ground. It crash landed on the hard surface, the big beast staggering on the ground as it teetered on the spot. Seizing this opportunity to finish things off, the Muk opted to go for a Fissure, slamming its arm on the ground to create a large crack in the ground as a powerful beam of white energy hurtled towards the Aggron. The beam of energy struck the Furnace Pokémon as it was sent flying backwards several feet, crashing on its back as it was knocked out in a single hit, securing Natasha a much-needed victory. "Alright, we did it Muk!" she cheered, the Quicksand Pokémon cheering as well while London recalled his Pokémon.
"Wow, now that was some fantastic battling!" The black-haired man stated, humbled by his first defeat in ages. "So you defeated all four of us? That means that you can go challenge the Champion now; I'll warn you, they're much, much stronger than the four of us, combined. As talented as you are, you'll have to push yourself to your absolute limit if you want to stand a chance of defeating the Champion."
"I understand. I'll make sure to prepare properly before the final battle." The purple-haired girl replied, making her way out of the room as a single question plagued her mind. Who was the Champion, and why didn't they lift a single finger to assist her father in the Cult Wars?
And that about wraps up the Elite Four of Torren, with the final battle looming overhead. Funnily enough, this fic mirrors my experience with the Elite Four in the game, with Kayla and Eduard being pretty easy, while Yuki and London gave me quite the challenge. Will Natasha be able to defeat her next opponent, securing herself the title of Champion of Torren? You'll find out in the next chapter.
Acquired Pokémon:
Mew
D. Venusaur
D. Charizard
D. Blastoise
D. Dugtrio
D. Crustle (Cake)
D. Golem
D. Ambipom
D. Muk
D. Reuniclus
D. Scizor
D. Volcarona
D. Sunflora
D. Gardevoir (female)
D. Gallade
D. Quagsire
D. Raichu
D. Hydreigon
D. Pidgeot
D. Golurk
D. Plusle
D. Minun
D. Ludicolo
D. Heatmor
D. Emolga
D. Drifblim
D. Roserade
D. Snorlax
D. Haxorus
D. Weezing
D. Dunsparce
D. Huntail (male)
D. Gorebyss (female)
D. Vespiquen
D. Chandelure
D. Bisharp
D. Scrafty
D. Luxray
D. Metagross (Spider)
D. Glalie
D. Froslass
D. Noivern
D. Liepard
D. Avalugg
D. Shuckle
D. Typhlosion
D. Trevenant
D. Mismagius
D. Girafarig
D. Arcanine
D. Dodrio
D. Lanturn
D. Cofagrigus
D. Lilligant (Water)