Following her successful exploration of the Holon Jungle, Natasha begins her arduous trek up Holon Mountain, only to be greeted by a familiar face while exploring the massive biome.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
Having taken a shower and rested up at Settlement Alfa, Natasha began the journey up Holon Mountain, her eyes scanning upwards as they took in the mountain's vast majesty. It was utterly blanketed in snow, a light snowstorm showering the air as cold winds blew through the area. Luckily for her, the plains at the base of the mountain weren't covered in snow, enabling her to explore the area easily. She searched every bush and tree she found, hoping to find some more Delta Pokémon. Her patience would soon be rewarded when she heard a rustling to her left, a figure leaping out of the bushes and confronted the purple-haired girl. It appeared to be a Medicham with a cream-colored body, it's thick legs and head a dark brown. It had powerful goat hooves for feet, as well as a pair of curved horns on its head; making it resemble a satyr from ancient folklore.
The Medicham snorted at the teenage girl, challenging her to a quick battle. Happy to oblige, Natasha took out a Pokéball and sent out her Darmanitan, the vicious entity sneering at the satyr. Shooting a glare at the Darmanitan, the Medicham leaped into the air and attempted to land a Jump Kick, only for the entity to dodge at the last second, causing the satyr to crash into the ground. Slowly picking itself up, its horns soon began glowing as it collected lunar energy into a large pink orb and flung it at the entity. Smirking at its foe, the Spirit Pokémon slipped into the shadows to stalk its prey, the Medicham pausing on the spot to search for its opponent. Seconds later, the Darmanitan emerged from the shadows and slashed at its foe, the satyr crying out as it was flung backwards into the ground. Taking out an empty ball, Natasha flung it at the downed Pokémon and caught it, watching as the device jiggled on the spot. It ceased moving a few seconds later, indicating a successful capture.
"Alright! That's another Delta Pokémon on our side!" She cheered, with her Darmanitan joining in on the celebration.
"Another excellent capture, Natasha." A familiar voice called out, the teenage girl turning to see Nora walking up to her. "I see you've been making excellent progress in your journey through the Holon Region."
"As have you; say, did you learn anything back in the Pyramid?" Natasha inquired.
"I was able to decipher some of the hieroglyphs, but the rest were too faded out to be legible. From what I gathered, it told the story about how the people of Holon lived in harmony with their leader, the pharaoh, alongside Delta Pokémon. However, the high priest attempted to stage a coup in order to seize power and use the Deltas to conquer the rest of the world. The ensuring civil war is what resulted in the sharp population decline of the Delta's, hence why they're as rare as they are today. But there's one more thing I found out that could change everything we know about Pokémon." Nora began, taking a breath to settle her nerves. "You know all the regional variants of Pokémon you see in places such as Alola, Galar, Hawthorne and Omuran? Apparently, they all share ancestry with the Delta Pokémon of Holon. This can only mean one thing; all those regional variants are Delta Species that have managed to survive the test of time."
"No way…" The purple-haired girl began, a question suddenly forming in her mind. "If that's the case, then how are they able to breed? After all, Delta's can only breed with themselves and Delta Ditto."
"Perhaps they evolved in order to adapt to their new habitat; it's the most logical answer I can think of." The green-haired girl proposed, an idea soon sparking in her mind. "Hey, Natasha. It's been a long time since we've battled, why don't we have one right here?"
"That sounds like a great idea; I'll even limit myself to the Deltas I caught in the region, like my Darmanitan beside me." She replied, the ghostly spirit flying forward to confront its opponent.
"In that case, I'll fight a ghost with my own ghost!" Nora retorted, sending out her Aegislash as it clung onto its shield. It's eye locked on its foe, the possessed sword raised its shield in the air as it shone with a lustrous sheen, protecting it with a silver wall of light. However, this didn't phase the Darmanitan, the entity spewing a stream of ghostly fire from its mouth that pierced the wall and burned the Aegislash. Its eye twisted into a grimace, the Royal Sword Pokémon slipped into the shadow's and lunged at the entity, smacking it with its sharp edge as the Darmanitan was flung back a few feet. Regaining its composure, the Spirit Pokémon uttered a bone-chilling chuckle, a dark purple cloud enveloping the Aegislash and consumed it. The cloud struck its burns, inflicting extra pain on the sword as its energy was quickly drained. The cloud soon dissipated as the Aegislash fell to the ground, unable to get back up.
Gazing quietly at the Darmanitan, a counterstrategy formed in Nora's mind, the green-haired girl recalling her Pokémon before sending out her Feraligatr, the large alligator gnashing its thick jaws at the spirit. Taking out her mega ring, she pressed down on it as her Pokémon was enveloped in a wonderous light, the alligator breaking out of the orb moments later as its new form took Natasha by surprise. Its body grew bulkier and more durable than before, with large red fins appearing on its tail and arms. Additionally, the fins on its back grew sharper and more jagged, its head becoming narrower than before. Uttering a guttural hiss, the Feraligatr lunged at the Darmanitan and clamped down on it with its jaws, shaking it violently before tossing it to the ground. The Spirit Pokémon attempted to get back up, only to have the alligator leap into the air and slam its fists into the Ghost-type, knocking it out for the battle.
"That's a pretty strong 'gater you got there…" Natasha whistled in awe, recalling her injured companion."
"I found its Mega Stone while exploring the Midna Garden, days before I met you actually. Feels good to be able to use it after holding onto it for so long." The green-haired girl replied. "So what'll be your next Pokémon for me to defeat?
"Let's just say that it'll shock you to your core!" The purple-haired girl retorted, winking at her girlfriend before sending out her Dragonite, the gentle giant uttering a low yawn. A cocky smirk on its face, the Feraligatr lunged at the Sea Snake Pokémon and clamped down on its arms, its pointy teeth puncturing the Dragonite's scaly skin. Its gaze soon shifted into a frown, it's body coursing with electricity as the alligator was suddenly electrocuted, the tall Water-type momentarily paralyzed from the attack. Seizing this opportunity, the Dragonite uttered a low below, its arm cocked back as its hand was cloaked in electricity and dealt a devastating punch, the attack sending the Feraligatr up into the air before crashing into the ground. It promptly devolved into its normal form, indicating that it couldn't continue fighting.
Recalling her Feraligatr, the green-haired girl promptly sent out her Flygon, hoping that it's speed will hand her the victory she needs. Indeed, it was able to land the first attack, slamming its long tail into the ground to create a powerful tremor that knocked the Dragonite off its feet. Eyeing up its downed foe, the dragon swooped down towards it, its claws caked in a bright white energy. But as it was about to land its attack, the Sea Snake Pokémon retaliated with a swift Ice Punch, the attack knocking the Flygon to the ground. Both combatants slowly got back up, staring each other down as they prepared their final attack. With their Dragon Claw and Ice Punch charged up respectively, the Flygon and Dragonite charged at each other quickly, their attacks colliding as a large explosion rocked the immediate area, sending snow flying everywhere. When the blanket of snow settled, it showed that both combatants had been knocked out, the battle ending in a draw.
"You did well out there; take a nice long rest…" The purple-haired girl consoled her companion, with Nora doing the same as they recalled their Pokémon. with the match halfway over, the knew they needed to bring their A-game, the duo reaching for a Pokéball and threw it at the same time. Nora had sent out her normal Darmanitan, the powerful monkey uttering a powerful roar, while Natasha had sent out her Magmortar, the Water-type gazing at its foe through its helmet.
Taking aim, the scuba diver began firing salvo after salvo of Water Pulses, the Darmanitan bobbing and weaving past the powerful bombardment. When it was close to its foe, the monkey cloaked its fist in fire and punched the Magmortar's stomach, winding it momentarily and left behind a few small burns. Huffing to itself, the Diver Pokémon pointed its cannons to the ground and fired itself in the air, taking aim and rained another salvo of Water Pulses from above. The powerful attacks struck the Darmanitan's back, causing it to howl in pain as it was sent flying into the ground, vulnerable to a follow-up attack. Seizing this opportunity, the scuba diver took aim and fired a Hyper Beam, the powerful blast of energy sending the monkey flying towards Nora's feet, knocking it out for the count.
"This region has a lot of powerful Deltas within its borders; no wonder they managed to evade capture for so long." She commented, recalling her Pokémon as she watched the Magmortar land gracefully in the snow. "However, I'm not going to throw in the towel just yet! Florges, I choose you!"
Emerging from her ball, the graceful Fairy-type cooed peacefully, her petals catching the refreshingly cold snow. She gazed at the Magmortar with a calm expression, the latter wincing in pain from its burn. Confident that she can finish it off, the Florges conjured up a powerful blizzard of leaves and flung them at the scuba diver, the sharp leaves pushing the Magmortar back a few feet. However, its iron-haired suit was able to resist the barrage, its arms crossed over its chest as it knocked the leaves away. Its gaze locked on the Fairy-type, its cannons pointed at her as it charged up a series of Flash Cannons. Moments later, it fired its salvo at the Florges, the fairy crying out in pain as blast after blast of lustrous energy struck her petite body. She was sent flying into the air, with the Diver Pokémon jumping up to fire one last attack at the airborne Pokémon, sending her hurtling to the ground as she was down for the count.
"Urk, I'm down to my last Pokémon…" Nora winced recalling her Florges as she watched the Magmortar land on its feet, before falling to its knees as it's body was on the verge of collapsing.
"Magmortar, are you alright?!" Natasha called out, her companion chirping weakly in response. "It doesn't look like it can continue battling. Do you mind if I switch it out?"
"It's fine, but you can't send it back in as it's technically unable to continue battling." The green-haired girl agreed, with Natasha sighing in relief as she recalled it to its ball before sending out her Kabutops. In a flash, Nora promptly sent out her Celebi, the Psychic-type wearily eying up its opponent. It attempted to use its psychic powered to immobilize the foe in an oppressive aura, only for its eyes to widen in surprise as the Kabutops was unaffected by it, an eerie chittering escaping from its mandibles. Confident that it could knock out its foe with a four times effective attack, the Beetle Pokémon lunged at the Celebi and slashed at it with a powerful X-Scissor, the attack knocking the Mythical Pokémon to the ground and knocked it out, earning Natasha another victory. "O-Oh my…" was all Nora could say in response to the one-hit knock-out.
"Sorry for the anticlimactic end, but I hoped you enjoyed it…" Natasha apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of her head with her Kabutops following suit.
"It's fine, but I will admit I'm confused as to how I keep losing. Maybe someday, I'll claim the title of Champion from you, but today isn't that day…" The green-haired girl sighed, with her girlfriend wrapping her arm around her shoulder.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over this loss. I'm sure you'll get your chance eventually…" She consoled her, a small smile forming on Nora's face.
"Thank you for the kind words." She replied, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "One more thing, have you noticed anything weird about Professor Maple, given that you're working alongside him?"
"Definitely; that guy gives me the creeps. He's obsessed with Delta Pokémon to the point of lunacy." Natasha answered. "Come to think of it, it's just like that tale about the high priest and the pharaoh."
"Hey, yeah. Maple's acting an awful lot like the high priest. Though as for who the pharaoh is, I'm sure we both know who's playing the role in this iteration of the story." Nora replied, shooting Natasha an amused smile. "I'm gonna head back to Settlement Alfa to heal my Pokémon; wait for me at the top of the mountain, alright?"
"Alright then, catch you later!" Natasha smiled back at her, the duo going their separate ways.
0000
The purple-haired girl had stepped into a large cave built into the mountain, making her way through the vast tunnels burrowed within the mountain, hoping to find the way out. Eventually, she entered a vast chamber with an opening to the outside on the other side, the light shining through the entrance. Smiling that she had found her way out, Natasha gingerly made her way to the opening, only for a sudden screech to catch her off-guard. Turning around, she saw a figure leap out the shadows to confront her, its piercing gaze locked onto her. It was an Electivire whose body was made entirely out of stone, a large pair of wings on its back. It appeared to be a sentient gargoyle of sorts, and it was ready to fight her.
Taking out a Pokéball, she sent out her Tentacruel, the sentient toadstool gurgling at its opponent. In a flash it reared its head back and regurgitated a sticky fluid, the poison dripping down the Electivire's stony body. Unamused, it flew into the air and punched the Tentacruel, knocking it into the rocky wall as the toadstool groaned in pain. The gargoyle was about to finish things off when the poison kicked in, momentarily paralyzing it to the spot. Seizing this opportunity, the teenage girl threw a ball at it and caught it, the device jiggling violently on the spot before ceasing all movement seconds later. Picking it up, she pocketed the device before congratulating her Tentacruel, recalling her companion so that it could be healed at Settlement Juliet. With that out of the way, she proceeded to exit the cave and emerged into the snowy mountain top, the teenage girl taken aback by the cold winds.
Shivering to herself, she began the ascent up the mountain, trudging through the thick snow as it crunched beneath her feet. Scanning the nearby area, she saw that nobody else was around, most likely waiting for the blizzard to die down before they resume their exploration. It was then that she heard a weak cooing, the teenage girl quickly walking towards the source as she soon laid eyes on a Pokémon. it was a Noctowl with a predominantly white body, its stomach covered with dark grey spots. Its neck feathers were ruffled up to create a collar for sorts, the crest on its head made entirely out of ice that shone in the light. Her gaze soon lowered to the owl's left wing, which had several cuts and scrapes on it. The poor thing must've been knocked to the ground by the blizzard, its injuries keeping it from flying back to safety. Knowing that things won't end well if its injuries weren't treated, she slowly approached it and opened her back, taking out a few medical supplies and shot it a look of reassurance.
Sensing the kindness in her eyes, the Noctowl trusted her, presenting its wing to her as she took the time to clean the scrapes and cuts before applying a potion to the wounds. The owl winced as the liquid was sprayed over its injuries, but the pain soon disappeared, replaced with a sense of relief. From there, Natasha wrapped a few bandages around the wing before letting go, the owl inspecting her handiwork as it chirped in appreciation. Nodding in gratitude, it soon climbed up to her shoulder and perched upon it, gingerly running its beak through her hair. Flashing a small smile at it, she packed up her things before continuing up the mountain, hoping to reach civilization soon.
A few minutes later, she was soon distracted by what appeared to be a faint light in the distance, curiosity welling up inside her. Slowly approaching the source, she saw what appeared to be a small power station, providing electricity to the nearby settlement. Nestled beside it was a Shiftry, greedily consuming the stations electricity with a grin on its face. Its body was a bright blue, its arms an electric yellow with hands that resembled power plugs. Its legs were pitch black and ended in pointy tips, that were more than strong enough to hold its entire body weight. Its hair was a clear white, covered with bits of snow that were about to melt due to its body heat. The Shiftry soon stopped feeding and turned its head to face Natasha, a look of curiosity on its face. In response, the purple-haired girl tossed a battery in its direction, the Discharge Pokémon catching it before quickly draining it of its contents. Once it was done, it soon tossed the empty battery in its mouth and crunched on it, swallowing it before licking its lips in satisfaction.
"Shhhhiiiiiffffff~" It chirped lowly, a sense of appreciation on its face for the quick snack.
"Rather than consume the electricity that the people here need, why don't you come along with me? I'll provide you with as many batteries as you could ever want." She offered, with the Electric type eagerly accepting it. Taking out an empty Pokéball, she promptly caught the Shiftry, the light on the button dying down to indicate a successful capture. Pocketing the ball, she soon felt the blizzard die down, the purple-haired girl looking around and saw that she was a few meters from the entrance to the settlement. Sighing in relief, she promptly made her way to the entrance, only to be caught off-guard by a Pokémon resting beside it.
It appeared to be a sentient skeleton resembling a Milotic, the entity gazing quietly at the teenage girl. A dark purple aura surrounded its body, going so far as to replicate the long, flowing eyebrows the species was famous for. The end of its tail ended in what appeared to be a scythe blade, the Milotic waving it carefully in the air. It gazed at her for a few moments before slithering up to her, gingerly rubbing its head against her side.
"Is everything alright?" Natasha inquired, with the Milotic chirping calmly at her. "I see…you deem me worthy to be your trainer. Am I right?"
"Miiiii~" It cooed gracefully at her, giving her a nod of approval. Smiling at the Milotic, the purple-haired girl took out another empty ball and caught it, a faint 'ding' emitting from the device. Pocketing it, she turned her head to face the entrance, only to hear the sound of snow crunching beneath her feet.
"T-There you are…" Nora began, panting lightly to herself. "Phew, walking up that mountain wasn't an easy task."
"At least you didn't have to walk through a raging blizzard." Natasha chimed in, her Noctowl cooing in amusement. "Anyway, let's rest up in Settlement Juliet. My feet could use a nice break."
"Same here. Perhaps we can also have some hot chocolate as well." The green-haired girl suggested, with Natasha giving her a quick nod of agreement as the duo made their way into the final settlement.
A bit on the short side, but the next chapter will mark the end of the Holon Arc, between the Holon Volcano and the final confrontation with Professor Maple. I hope you're all looking forward to it. 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
D. Medicham
D. Electivire
D. Noctowl
D. Shiftry
D. Milotic