When we last left off, Natasha and Nora had stumbled onto a large crater created by a Legendary Pokémon, and laid eyes to Professor Maple revealing his true colors. The duo went off on their separate ways, hoping to find the information they need to put a stop to whatever scheme he's hatching.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
Holon Lake
Arriving at her destination, Natasha was taken aback by just how vast the lake was. It was much large than Helios City; the crystal-clear water sparkling in the sunlight. There were several small islands scattered all over the lake, with researchers setting up small camps to monitor the area. The lake was also surrounded by hundreds of tall, thick trees, acting as a blanket to protect its denizens from unwanted intruders. No doubt a place as large as this could house a Delta Legendary; the only issue was finding it if such a thing existed. Slowly approaching the waters edge, the teenage girl sent out her Aurorus, the plesiosaur frolicking happily in the refreshing water. She soon turned to face her trainer, gesturing her to climb onto her back.
"Alright then, lead the way." Natasha replied, hopping onto her Pokémon as it began swimming gingerly through the water. The ride was slow, calm and peaceful; a definite upgrade from her Inflatable Lapras. They passed by a couple camps along the way, the scientists directing their attention to them and began hastily scribbling in their notebooks. Eventually, the duo decided to stop on a nearby island to catch a break, the teenager girl hopping off her Aurorus and stepped onto the sandy beach, her shoes slightly sinking into the sand. It was then that she was alerted by what sounded like loud snoring, the sudden noise attracting her attention as she stepped into the small clearing in front of her to investigate the noise. Upon stepping into the grassy area, her eyes soon locked onto a large figure sleeping beside a tree, its chest rising up and down slowly.
It appeared to be a large Dragonite; its leathery skin a light blue and its scaled underbelly a vivid yellow. Its thick tail gingerly slapped the ground beside it, a large blue and yellow fin on the end. Its back had three tall spines that resembled the dorsal fin of a shark but were much harder and durable than those. Additionally, it had yellow fins on either side of its head and a sharp yellow spine on its noise that could crack open shells and nuts with ease. Natasha was so engrossed in the slumbering figure that she didn't notice that her Aurorus had made her way to her side. Without warning, the plesiosaur began chirping at the Dragonite, the teenage girl almost jumping in surprise from the sudden noise. Slowly stirring awake, the Sea Snake Pokémon began rubbing is eyes before slowly standing up on its feet, the gentle giant gazing at the duo.
Stomping towards her, the Dragonite stretched its hand to greet the Aurorus, the latter raising her flipper as the duo began shaking each other's appendages. Breaking up the 'handshake', the Island Pokémon introduced Natasha to her companion, the purple-haired girl waving at the large reptile. Once the introductions were out of the way, the Aurorus informed the Dragonite about why the duo were there, inquiring where they could find the Delta Legendary they were seeking. The Sea Snake Pokémon began mulling to itself, raking its brain for the answer its friend desired, but wasn't able to come up with it. However, it did know a couple of Pokémon that could have an idea where this Delta Legendary was. Gesturing the duo to follow it, the Dragonite dove into the water and swam towards the largest island in the lake, with Natasha and Aurorus following suit. Around ten or so minutes later, they finally arrived at their destination, the trio hopping onto the wet sand as they were soon heard what sounded like two Pokémon arguing. Making their way towards the center, the group soon stumbled upon a pair of Pokémon, one of whom was irate.
The irate Pokémon was a Serperior, its royal blue body covered in thick, durable scales. The ends of its extensions stemming from its neck ended in an esca, acting as a means to attract its prey. Its tail ended in a sharp fin shaped like a spearhead, enabling it to effortlessly puncture its prey. Its head fins were a lighter shade of blue from its body, twitching erratically in the air with raw anger. Based on the faint bags underneath its eyes, its clear that its rage stemmed from the fact that it was abruptly woken up from its slumber. Beside it was a Torterra, the elderly Pokémon trying in vain to soothe the serpent's intense rage. The Torterra looked more like a turtle than a tortoise, his light blue body ending in a set of thick flippers. His shell resembled a small desert island with a palm tree, the big red 'X' above his head indicating where it was safe to bury one's ill-gotten gains. But despite this fact, he was more than happy to share the treasure with young Pokémon, acting as a grandfather figure to them all. Not wanting to see its friends bicker amongst each other, the Dragonite stepped in to break it up.
The Torterra soon explained the situation to the Dragonite, with the Aurorus listening in before chirping into Natasha's ear. Apparently, the Serperior was awoken by a sudden rumbling coming from beneath the lake, the resulting earthquake frightening it. It promptly informed the Torterra about the quake, but as the elderly Pokémon didn't feel the tremor, it brushed it off as a bad dream. This disagreement had caused the petty squabble to commence, the Serperior angry that its concerns were brushed off as a dream. All of a sudden, a quick tremor rocked the area, catching everyone by surprise. Realizing that it was telling the truth after all, the Torterra apologized to the Ocean Dragon Pokémon, who gave a quick nod in acceptance.
"Should we check it out? It could be that Delta Legendary I was tasked with finding." Natasha suggested, making her way to the edge of the island. Curiosity welling up within them, the Pokémon soon followed her to the water's edge, with Aurorus offering the trainer a lift as they soon swam towards the source of the tremor. Soon enough they arrived at a particularly deep patch of water, the purple-haired girl putting on her scuba suit as the group soon dove underwater. They swam past several reefs of coral, small Pokémon watching the group swim past them without a care in the world. Minutes later, the group surfaced in an underwater cave, only for the Dragonite to spot another on of its friends. Peering from behind a rock was a Magmortar, its body completely encased in a titanium scuba suit. A set of piercing grey eyes started from within the helmet, a small trace of fear evident in them. The Sea Snake Pokémon attempted to greet its friend, only for the Magmortar to raise one of its launchers in a shushing motion, before pointing it to the side.
Turning to where it was pointing, Natasha was taken aback by sight before her; standing atop the water was the Legendary Regice, fighting against what appeared to be a Delta Regice. The Delta Regice was made entirely out of water that was cold to the touch but wasn't able to turn into a solid form for some reason. Her eyes widened in surprise, the purple-haired girl took out her CyberNav and began taking pictures, the images worth more than their weight in gold. Averting her gaze from her device, she saw that the Delta was slowly gaining the edge, the aquatic entity raising a fist in the air and punched the normal Regice, sending it skidding back several feet. It was then that the two legends noticed the teenager, and quickly fled the area in separate directions, with Natasha unable to catch up to them.
"Argh, I was this close to studying them further…" She grumbled to herself, before remembering her duty and sent the images to Professor Maple. With the source of the tremors dealt with, the group were done with this cave and swam back to the surface, resting on the bank that led to Settlement Alfa. Just then, her CyberNav began ringing, the teenager picking it up and answered the call.
'Natasha! I just received those images you sent me. This is it; definitive proof that Delta Legendries exist! I wasn't there to see it, but that Delta Regice looks incredibly powerful!" Professor Maple gushed fervently.
"It was powerful, being able to counter its normal counterpart without any issues whatsoever." Natasha replied.
'I take it the Delta won then? I'd assume so since Deltas are far superior to their normal counterparts. How obsolete variants managed to survive this long is a mystery to me…' He inquired.
"…for your information, the battle didn't finish. They fled once they realized they were being watched." The teenage answered, off-put by the professor's last comment.
'Even if it ended, the Delta would've won. After all, they will herald in a superior future of Pokémon battling! Hehehe, with every Delta under my command, I will usher in this new future. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Maple laughed maniacally, only to realize his mistake and regain his composure. 'At any rate, this means that it was most likely Delta Regirock that caused that crater back in the desert. By my logic, this means that there must be a Delta Registeel somewhere within the Holon Volcano. I'd like for us to meet up in Settlement Juliet so we can search the volcano together.'
The professor soon ended the call, an uncomfortable feeling welling up inside Natasha. This guy was totally off his rocker, who knows what malicious plans he has for Delta Registeel. Turning to face her Aurorus, she saw that the plesiosaur had a grim look on her face, as did the rest of the Delta's beside her. They now knew who was behind the evil presence plaguing the region and made a solemn pledge to bring Maple to justice. Relieved that she had such strong allies to join their cause, the group made their way to Settlement Alfa to begin their plan of counterattack.
0000
Upon arriving at the settlement, Natasha was taken aback by how humid it was, small beads of sweat running down her forehead. To the north was a dirt path that led up to the mountain, with Settlement Juliet nestled at the top. However, there was also a path that led to the east, deeper into the thick jungle that populated this part of the region. Just then, the purple-haired girl heard a voice calling out to her, the teenager turning to see Monika quickly running up to her, a Delta Maractus right beside her. She gazed at the Maractus carefully, recalling her battle against Kayla when the Elite Four member sent it out against her Weezing.
"Hey there! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Monika greeted the teenage girl, with the Maractus chirping happily at her. "How has your search been going?"
"Very well, thank you very much. However, I'm worried about Professor Maple." She began, attracting the young woman's attention. "I had a phone call with him recently, and he went on about ruling the world with his armies of Delta Pokémon. Someone needs to keep a careful eye on him, lest he goes too far."
"I'm sure he was just joking with you; Professor Maple loves Delta Pokémon almost as much as you do. He wouldn't do anything to hurt them." The bespectacled girl brushed her worries aside, an idea forming in her mind. "Hey, why don't you explore the Holon Jungle for a while? The wild Maractus beside me knows its way around the area, ensuring you don't get lost."
"Yeah, that does sound like a good idea. Perhaps it'll help me calm down a bit." Natasha conceded, not wanting to push the issue any further. Besides, this detour could prove useful in recruiting more allies to her cause.
"Wonderful! Make sure to send your results to Professor Pine when you come back. as for me, I'm about to write up my report in the research lab here. Catch you later!" Monika said her farewells, the young woman making her way to the lab as the purple-haired girl gazed at the jungle entrance. Taking a deep breath, the teenage girl stepped into the vast jungle, her companions following closely behind.
Upon stepping into the jungle, Natasha was knocked back by the intense humidity, sweat pouring down her forehead. She was definitely taking a shower once she had finished with her exploration. Sensing that all her Water-type Pokémon were uncomfortable with the heat, she quickly recalled them to their balls, leaving the Maractus on its own. With a quick chirp, it moved towards the purple-haired girl and aimed its speakers at her, blasting her with a refreshing wave of cold air.
"Thank you." She smiled at the robot, the latter's eyes lighting up with joy. With her body now nice and cool, the teenage girl gestured the Maractus to lead the way, the robot dipping and diving through the trees. Eventually, the duo arrived in a small clearing surrounded by bushes, with one of them rustling fervently. With a burst of speed, a mysterious figure leaped out of the bush and confronted the duo, chittering loudly at them. It was a Kabutops with a deep purple body, a bulbous abdomen where its tail should be. It had two thin antennae on the top of its head, as well as small but powerful wings that enabled it to fly several meters off the ground. Additionally, it had a pair of sharp mandibles that gnashed every few seconds, its red eyes locked on the duo. The Kabutops got into a combative stance, more than ready to attack the duo.
Unfazed by the intimidating display, the Maractus wheeled up to the Beetle Pokémon and accepted its challenge, pointing its robotic hand at the wild Pokémon. chittering to itself, the Kabutops lunged at the Maractus and attempted to cut it down, its sharp scythes narrowly missing the robot. Backing off to take aim, the Robot Pokémon retaliated with a quick Charge Beam, the small bolt of electricity striking the Kabutops' stomach. Surprised by the attack, it hissed angrily at the Maractus, taking to the skies and swooped down on it with its claws, sending the robot flying back several feet. However, it was able to recover from the attack, the Maractus picking itself up and took aim. This time, it fired off a more powerful bolt of lightning, the attack striking the Kabutops and caused it to fall to the ground, crumpling on the soft grass. Seizing this opportunity, Natasha threw a Pokéball at the Beetle Pokémon, the device sucking it up as it trembled violently on the ground. Around ten or so seconds later, the device stopped shaking, indication a successful capture.
Smiling in satisfaction, she picked up the ball and pocketed it, congratulating the Maractus for its hard work. But just as they were about to continue, they heard what sounded like a commotion to the north, the teenage girl quickly gesturing her companion to follow her towards the source. A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination, their eyes focused on a group of distraught yet frustrated researchers.
"Argh! Why now of all times?! If Professor Maple hears about this…" The head researcher began, with Natasha quietly walking up to him.
"Is something the matter, sir?" She inquired.
"We were tasked with setting up a small monitoring outpost in order to collect data on the wildlife here, but as you can see, someone burned it to the ground. It's a miracle we were able to keep the fire from spreading." He told her, pointing at a pile of damaged computers, cameras and other such equipment. "It's gotta be that damn Toxicroak!"
"Toxicroak? You mean a Delta Toxicroak?" The teenager continued.
"Precisely. That creature and its herd of Croagunk have been causing the nearby settlement nothing but trouble since we've arrived. However, we've been relocating the group to the nearby volcano in order to protect both the settlement and the surrounding jungle. Because of this, our friend hasn't taken to kindly to—T-There it is, that Toxicroak is back!" The researcher continued, only to point directly behind her.
Quickly turning around, the purple-haired girl laid eyes on the bipedal frog, a cocky grin on its face. Its body was a bright red, with lava coursing through its veins. The sack under its chin was full of lava, the large red claws on its hands burning brightly. It leaped off the large rock it was resting on, staring down the teenage girl, eager for a fight. Happy to oblige, Natasha sent out her Golem, the Rock-type calmly gazing at its opponent. Confident in its chances of winning, the Toxicroak leaped into the air and attempted to kick the Golem, the former's foot cloaked in flames. It promptly struck the Rock-type in the head, its grin dropping like a ton of bricks. The Toxicroak began hopping on the ground, clutching its aching foot as it croaked in pain. Its gaze locked on the frog, the Golem conjured up a series of aura-enhanced rocks and flung them at its foe, striking it directly as it was knocked to the ground. Taking out another empty Pokéball, she quickly flung it at the downed frog and caught it, the device wriggling on the ground for mere seconds. Once it was done shaking, she picked up the ball and pocketed it, a sigh of relief escaping from the researcher's mouth.
"Phew…thank you for helping us. You've saved our mission from going belly up." He thanked her profusely.
"No problem, but in the future, I suggest you refrain from moving Delta Pokémon to a different area. After all, that's what had caused this mishap to occur." Natasha reminded him, the older man nodding in confirmation.
"I understand; we will not make such a foolish mistake in our future endeavors." He promised, the teenage girl giving him a quick nod as she thanked her Golem and recalled it, before continuing to explore the jungle. The terrain started to rise, indicating that they were climbing up a small hill of sorts; a reasonable deduction when Natasha remembered that they were in close proximity to a large mountain. Eventually, they decided to take a rest besides a hollowed-out tree, the teenager taking a seat to wind back and relax. But before she was able to do, an eerie moan bellowed out from within the tree, causing her to jump back up on her feet. Turning her head, she saw something emerge from the hole in the tree, a sinister look in its eyes.
Staring back at her was a Darmanitan, its ghostly figure intimidating the teenager. It had no legs, its body ending in a series of tatters that resembled that of a typical Halloween ghost. What wasn't typical however were the long, thick arms that ended in razor sharp claws that were as black as a moonless night. It had four, ghostly flames in the shape of eyebrows on its face, all of them colored an eerie purple. But the most frightening feature was the large grin on its face, it's mouth stretching ear to ear and were filled with teeth that were just as sharp as its claws. Laughing ominously to itself, it sought to challenge the teenager girl, the latter quickly reaching for a Pokéball.
"I swear, this place is packed full of feisty Pokémon…" She muttered to herself, sending out her Trevenant as it stared down the malevolent spirit. With a bone-chilling scream, the Darmanitan lunged at the Trevenant and slashed at it with its claws, only for the latter to block the attack with ease. Shooting a determined glare at its foe, the Guardian Pokémon knocked it back with a quick jab from its sword, a light pink mist emanating from its body as the fog blanketed the area. The Spirit Pokémon paused to survey the area, the pleasant mist causing a shiver to run down its spine. Before it could react, the Trevenant struck it from behind with an almighty strike, the powerful attack knocking the Darmanitan out with ease. Taking out yet another Pokéball, the teenage girl threw it at the wild Pokémon, the ball promptly shaking for a few moments before stopping in its tracks.
"That went better than I had expected; let's just hope that the rest of the Pokémon here aren't as aggressive." Natasha said, picking it up and congratulated her Trevenant before recalling it. Pondering on where to go next, the teenage girl asked her Maractus for suggestions, the robot gesturing to a series of berry bushes several meters away from the hollowed-out tree. Happy with the recommendation, the purple-haired girl followed it towards the bushes to investigate, gazing at the vegetation in awe. The bushes were brimming with plump purple berries, the teenager sorely tempted to pluck one for herself. But as she was about to do so, she heard a quiet chittering a few feet away and turned to face the source, only to find who it was that had helped the bushes grow. Tilling the ground in front of her was a Crustle, its body a mixture of green and purple. On its back was a very sturdy hedge that grew the same purple berries, the crab snipping one of the berries off and planted it in the ground.
Just then, one of Natasha's balls opened on its own, her own Crustle exiting the device as it gazed at the Berry Crustle, the latter staring back at it. Slowly crawling towards each other, the duo began nuzzling each other fervently. Seems that they have taken a liking to each other very quickly, the sight reminding the teenager of her and Nora. Crouching down in front of the Berry Crustle, she offered it a place on her team, the Grass-type more than happy to accept. Taking out an empty Pokéball, she recalled the crab to her device, the Cake Crustle shooting her a nod of appreciation before re-entering its own Pokéball. Pocketing the devices, a sudden wave of exhaustion soon overcame the purple-haired girl; all of a sudden that shower looked incredibly tempting. Gesturing her Maractus to follow her back to the settlement, the duo made the arduous journey back to the entrance, only to come across one last surprise.
Standing in front of them was an Amoonguss, the mushroom's thick body a light brown. Its head was a deep purple, a large red eye staring directly at the duo. Its arms also had a purple cap around its wrists, its long red tongue flopping out of its mouth. Though it looked like a mushroom, it also had elements of an umbrella, as evident by the wide-brimmed purple caps. Anticipating one last battle, the duo got into a combative stance, only for the mushroom to begin laughing heartily at them. Satisfied that it had pranked the duo, it quickly made its way to her side, eager to join her so that it could prank her some more. Though she wasn't completely enthused over being subjected to its pranks, she was more than happy to have another ally join her cause. Picking it up in her grasp, the teenager girl began petting it, only for the mushroom to lick her face in retaliation.
"I hope there's a spare shower back at the settlement…" She winced to herself, the Amoonguss laughing to itself as she walked back to base, with her Maractus following behind.
That's two more biomes down, leaving only the Holon Mountain and Holon Volcano. Who knows what powerful Delta's lurk within those treacherous terrains? Thank you all for reading my story, I'll see you 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)
D. Ditto
D. Wailord
D. Aurorus
D. Mawile
D. Lilligant (Fairy)
D. Sceptile
D. Escavalier
D. Camerupt
D. Tentacruel
D. Yanmega
D. Greninja
D. Goodra
D. Tangrowth
D. Lopunny
D. Lucario
D. Blaziken
D. Dragonite
D. Serperior
D. Torterra
D. Magmortar
D. Maractus
D. Kabutops
D. Toxicroak
D. Darmanitan
D. Crustle (Berry)
D. Amoonguss