Welcome to the conclusion to Natasha's journey in the Holon Region, where she soon learns the truth about the esteemed Professor Maple. What secrets has he kept hidden for so long? You'll find out in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
Upon entering Settlement Juliet, Natasha and Nora were taken aback by the breathtaking view. The small settlement was nestled safely atop the mountain, granting the lucky few an awe-inspiring view of the entire region. The duo was able to see all the other locations they had visited, ranging from the Holon Lake to the Holon Desert, and even Settlement Foxtrot. A sense of nostalgia coursed through the purple-haired girl, as she recalled her very first steps in the Holon Region.
"Natasha, Nora. It's so good to see you two!" A familiar voice called out from behind, the duo turning to see Professor Maple approaching them and were put on edge. That smile of his…it looked unnatural, as if barely restraining his darker side.
"Y-Yeah, it's good to see you again." Natasha replied awkwardly. "So how's your search going?"
"Wonderful! We now have conclusive evidence that it was Delta Regirock that caused that crater in the Holon Desert. Not only that, but we have evidence that Delta Registeel will be passing through Holon Volcano! I've already set up a trap to capture it; soon, it'll be mine, all mine!" Maple began, a manic expression forming on his face. "Oh how I'd love to rub it in the face of those imbeciles who took my tenure away from me, make them beg for forgiveness. And when I'm done with them, I'll make the entire world kneel before me. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
The older man began hastily walking towards the Volcano, the two teens eyeing each other up wearily. "Looks like he decided to cast away all subtlety…" Nora replied in a deadpanned manner.
"At any rate, we have to follow him, if only to ensure that he don't pull and dirty tricks on us." The purple-haired girl replied, the duo quickly walking towards the cave entrance to the Holon Volcano.
As they had expected from a biome set in a volcano, it was dreadfully hot inside the cave. Small cracks within the rocky ceiling provided some light for the duo, enabling them to explore the place without tripping over loose debris on the floor. Additionally, there were heat-resistant gates around the magma pools, sparing anyone from an extremely grisly fate. In a place such as this, they expected the majority of Delta Pokémon here to be Fire-type. Luckily for them, they didn't have to wait long to see a new Pokémon as they heard a bubbling sound from the pool to the left of them. Turning to the source, they saw a creature emerge from the pool and slither onto the hard rock, as they soon got a better look at it.
The creature before them was an Octillery whose body was made entirely out of a lavalike substance. The suction cups on its red tentacles were made out of rock but were still just as potent as its base form's suction cups. A thin stream of smoke constantly billowed out of its mouth, giving it the illusion that it had a beard over its face. Its yellow eyes gazed at the duo in curiosity, a small flame burning brightly from a rock on its head. Sensing no malice from the octopus, Natasha walked up to it and crouched before it, outstretching her hand slightly.
"Hey there, do you mind showing us around the place? We're newcomers to this region." She spoke calmly, the Octillery tilting its head to the side before giving them a quick nod. Turning around, it gestured them to follow it, the octopus moving surprisingly quick on dry land, as the teenagers followed behind. They climbed up and down the various cliffs, making their way closer and closer to the center of the volcano, when they were caught off-guard by the sounds of someone digging into the walls. Unfazed by the sound, the Octillery made its way to a small alcove in the volcano and found the culprit, who was too busy digging into the walls.
The Pokémon responsible was a Sableye whose body was a crimson red, its elbows burning brightly. It had a large ruby embedded in its chest, while its eyes were made out of pure obsidian. Within its hand was a chunk of molten rock, the gremlin opening its maw as it took a huge bite out of the rock. Chewing on it noisily, it soon turned its attention to the newcomers, a look of curiosity on its face.
"Hungry, are you? Don't worry, I've got a nice treat for yo—oops!" Natasha began, reaching in her bag only for her to drop one of her scrolls on the ground.
Quickly picking it up, Nora looked over the scroll, sighing in relief when she saw that it was undamaged. "Phew, that was a close one. You need to be careful next ti—"
"Saaaayyy~" The Sableye called out, quickly walking up to the green-haired girl, its gaze locked on the scroll. Eyeing it up for a few moments, it quickly gestured the duo to follow it into a small room, the teenagers following it inside with the Octillery in tow. Upon entering the room, the Sableye quickly ran up to the slumbering form of a Delta Aggron, with Natasha eyeing it up in awe. Ever since she fought London's Aggron back at the Torren League, she had been hoping to catch one for herself. She watched as the gremlin woke the Aggron from its sleep, eagerly gesturing at the scroll within Nora's hand as it soon turned to face them.
"Er, hi there. W-We've been exploring the region for these scrolls, and it seems we've only got one more to collect. If there is a scroll here, d-do you mind if we collect it?" Nora asked hesitatingly, not used to speaking to a Delta Pokémon at all. Sensing her nervousness, Natasha backed her up and repeated what she said, the Aggron quietly gazing at her. Nodding in agreement, it stepped aside and allowed them access to the final spire, an all too familiar puzzle staring them in the face. Though it's been a while since they last completed one, they remembered exactly what to do, completing it in a flash. Natasha took the small scroll nestled within, a sense of euphoria coursing through her body; at long last, she had found all eight of Meloetta's scrolls.
"After all this time, we can finally uncover the secret behind these scrolls." Nora spoke softly, watching Natasha pocket the scrolls in her bag. "There's one thing I don't understand though; why was this one so far away from the others? We're talking about an entirely different region."
"My mother was an expert in Delta Pokémon. Perhaps she knew that very few people would come here, hence why she asked Meloetta to hide a scroll inside this volcano. Now all we need to do is—" The purple-haired girl began, only to hear what sounded like frantic scuttling approaching the room. Turning her head, she saw what looked like a Scolipede enter the room, a look of concern on its face. Its body was made out of pitch-black molten rock, with lava visible within the gouges in its body. It had a sharp horn on its head made out of molten rock, that was able to dig into rocky surfaces with ease. Sensing its friend's anxiety, the Aggron lumbered towards it, asking what had gotten it so worked up.
"Scol, Scol!" It chirped frantically, gesturing the others to follow behind it as it ran out the room, with the others following behind. Soon enough, they arrived at their destination, the Scolipede pointing to the area beneath them as they saw what had gotten it worked up. There, standing with a smug posture was Professor Maple, eyeing up the pool of magma before him while Professor Pine stood behind him, a concerned look on her face. Turing to the side, the older man shot a smile at the teenagers.
"I'm so glad you could arrive in time. Several people have sighted Delta Registeel within this volcano. Soon it'll arrive and fall into my trap, where I can catch it with a Master Ball." He grinned.
"Catch it?! You can't be serious, who knows what the consequences of your actions will be." Professor Pine protested.
"I don't care, Pine! I'm going to catch it and there's nothing you can do about it!" He shot back, watching the pit of magma gurgle before him. "Yes…here it comes."
With a mighty splash, a towering figure emerged from the pool of magma, its arms stretched in the air. The Registeel's body was made entirely out of magma and molten rock, its eyes locked onto the professor with an annoyed look within them. It stepped onto the ground before him, only for a series of high-powered water jets to immobilize the golem, the Registeel groaning in pain. With a smirk, Maple tossed the ball at the weakened giant, catching it without resistance.
"Gotcha! That's one down, two more to go. A little anticlimactic, but what can I expect when I'm using a Master Ball?" He spoke to himself, pocketing the ball. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Regice to capture."
"You're going too far, Maple! I won't let you capture another Legendary Pokémon." She told him, only for the man to chuckle at her.
"And what are you going to do about it? You have no chance of defeating a Delta Legendary! Soon, the whole world will worship Delta Pokémon, casting aside their obsolete variants to usher in a new dawn of battling!" He laughed manically, making his way out the cave as Professor Pine turned to face the duo.
"Y-You both saw that didn't you?" Pine inquired, with the duo giving her quick nods. "Maple's gone out of control; we have to stop him. Nora, I need you to help me rally the other researchers and trainers. Natasha, you need to pursue Maple and put a stop to his evil plan."
"Can do!" Nora called out, turning to face Natasha. "Natasha, good luck. I know you're the strongest trainer in Holon, but Maple's an unpredictable man. He could have a trick up his sleeve."
"Thank you. I'll be sure to bring that maniac to justice." The purple-haired girl promised, the duo giving each other a quick kiss before going their separate ways. Turning to face the residents of the volcano, she saw that they were all ready to pitch in and help her put a stop to Maple's sinister plan, the teenage girl rallying them to follow her outside the volcano.
0000
Natasha had made her way to Holon Lake and put on her scuba suit, quickly diving underwater and began swimming hastily to where she had seen Delta Regice earlier, the teenager soon entering the underwater cave only to be horrified at what she was looking at. The teenage girl was too late, watching helplessly as the Regice thrashed within the electrified net, with Professor Maple carelessly tossing a Master Ball at it.
"You're too late, Natasha. Delta Regice is all mine!" The older man chuckled, picking up the ball and pocketed it. "Once I capture Delta Regirock, I'm going to make my way to the Gaea Core. If my research is correct, that should be where Delta Regigigas is hiding, if it exists that is. But I'm confident that I'm right, as that is where all the evidence is pointing to. Try and stop me, one with the Delta Call. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
In a flash, he took out a smoke ball and threw it, using the blanket of smoke to mask his escape. Natasha wanted to follow him to Holon Desert and stop him from capturing Regirock, but she had a gut feeling she would be too late as well. Instead, she thought about ambushing him at this Gaea Core, taking out her CyberNav and dialed Professor Pine. "Hello, this is Natasha. I think I know where Professor Maple is going to be; the Gaea Core. I wish to ambush him there and put a stop to his plans."
"The Gaea Core? I had a hunch he was heading there eventually. I'll inform the guard stationed there, granting you permission to enter the cave. Be careful, my niece. This is an incredibly dangerous gambit you're attempting." Professor Pine warned her.
"I will be, auntie Pine. I will be." The purple-haired girl replied, pocketing her CyberNav and dove back underwater, preparing herself for the grand finale.
Natasha had arrived at Settlement Juliet an hour later and made her way to the top of the settlement, the guard stationed by the stairs stepping aside as she walked up them. Giving him a nod of gratitude, she soon made her way inside the dark cave, an eerie silence permeating the area. The cave itself was pretty small, only consisting of a single room. However, there was a pit at the end of the cave that was at least a hundred meters deep and was as pitch black as a moonless night. A large fence had been built around it to keep people from falling in, but who knows if it could keep things from exiting the pit. She slowly walked up to the fence and turned around, acting as the last obstacle in Maple's path to world domination and waited for him. Luckily for her, she didn't have to wait long, the sound of frantic footsteps entering the small cave.
"You! I should've known you'd lay a trap for me!" Maple growled at her. "Well it's too late; I have Delta Regirock under my thumb. So if you could move out the way and let me catch Delta Regigigas, then I'll consider showing you mercy."
"Like hell I will! I will not let you turn the whole world into your personal playground! Whereas Pine and the others came here to uncover the secrets behind Delta Pokémon, you only came here to fulfill your juvenile power fantasy. You're a disgrace to the Holon University!" The purple-haired girl retorted, only for the older man to chuckle at her. "What's so funny?!"
"Oh, you naïve child. Pine didn't tell you, didn't she? About the real reason Holon University is here?" He began, a deadly smirk on his face. "The organization was sponsored by Jaern, with one goal in mind; to investigate a source of power detected by his crystal. It reacted to something in the far north, this very cave to be precise and he wanted them to find it. Of course, he was also interested in amassing an army of Delta Pokémon under his command. The best part? All but one was oblivious to his role as the head of the Sky Cult, enabling them to be controlled easily."
"All but one? D-Don't tell me…" Natasha began, with Maple snickering as he fished out a pendant from his pocket, depicting the logo of the Sky Cult.
"Yes, I was his inside man in Holon University. I am a member of the Sky Cult." He revealed, putting the pendant back inside his pocket. "My specific task was to collect as many Delta Pokémon as I was able to, alongside researching the possible existence of Delta Legendaries. Of course, with Jaern getting caught, I'm on my own now, but that won't stop me from accomplishing my goals. I've been wanting to kill you and claim all your Deltas for myself, granting me my long-awaited revenge against your mother."
"What do you have against my mother?! She hasn't harmed a soul in her life!" The purple-haired girl snapped at him.
"She was the one who discovered my connections to the Sky Cult and petitioned the higher ups to expel me from the University, ruining all my carefully-laid plans! Not to mention that all of our peers were fawning over her and her research on the Delta Call; how dare she take the spotlight from me!" Professor Maple hissed, his pettiness reaching his limits. "Jaern denied me my revenge by killing her, but that won't stop me from killing her daughter!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Natasha called out, taking out a Pokéball and sent out her Aurorus, the plesiosaur shooting a determined glare at her nemesis. Smirking in amusement, Maple sent out his Delta Regirock, the large golem groaning loudly. It's body was made entirely out of hard sand, but still retained some levels of flexibility. Eyeing up the Aurorus with a hint of sorrow, the Regirock raised its fist in the air and attempted to slam it on her back, only for the Island Pokémon to dodge it. In retaliation, the Aurorus fired a barrage of Leech Seeds onto her foe as it was ensnared within her trap, the plesiosaur following up with a Sunny Day. The cave was soon illuminated by harsh sunlight, the Aurorus' head fins soaking in the light as the sun provided her with a constant source of energy. Meanwhile, the seeds soon cracked open as a series of vines wrapped themselves around the Regirock, sapping it of its energy as it groaned in pain. The Aurorus then set up an Aqua Ring, providing her with a third source of healing, ensuring that she could outlast her opponent. Watching the Regirock thrash in vain to break free of its bindings, the plesiosaur opted to finish things with a Solar Beam, scoring a direct hit on the golem as it was flung backwards, knocked out from the attack.
A low growl escaped from Maple's mouth, the bespectacled man taking out a second ball and sent out his Regice, the Water-type gazing serenely at its opponent. Though she had the type-advantage, Natasha knew that it would not be an easy fight, her hunch proven right when the golem fired an Ice Beam at the plesiosaur. Aurorus winced in pain as she was pushed back a few feet, however her injuries were healed in a matter of minutes. Letting out a small huff, she reared her head back and fired another barrage of Leech Seeds, ensnaring the Regice in her trap as vines emerged from the seeds and wrapped themselves around its body, draining it of its energy. Anticipating an incoming Solar Beam, the Regice conjured a blue orb of energy and threw it in the air, the orb exploding as the sunlight was replaced with a powerful rainstorm. Though less than pleased with the loss of a source of healing, Aurorus was more than confident in her chances of victory, her mouth opening wide as she prepared a Giga Drain attack. A pulsating green wave of energy struck the Regice, the golem groaning in pain as it felt its lifeforce getting absorbed by the plesiosaur. Having had her fill, the Island Pokémon followed things up with an Energy Ball, the viridian green orb flying towards the golem and knocked it off its feet, securing herself another victory.
"Impossible! I should not be struggling against someone like you; it's that damn Delta Call of yours that's giving me trouble!" The bespectacled man hissed in anger.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Either way, you should accept defeat right now and turn yourself to the police. Who knows, they might reduce your sentence if you start talking about your connection to Jaern." Natasha replied confidently, with Aurorus chirping in support.
"I-I still have one Delta Legendary by my side, and it'll be the one that ushers in your downfall!" Maple called out, sending out his Registeel as the Fire-type uttered a low groan. The purple-haired girl was in a bit of a dilemma; Not only would a Leech Seed attack be useless against Registeel, but if she used Sunny Day, then she'll end up powering up its Fire-type attacks. If she wanted to win, then she'll have to outlast it in other ways, and she knew just what to do.
"Aurorus, use Toxic!" Natasha requested, the plesiosaur giving her a quick nod as she reared her head back and fired a blob of sickly purple ooze onto her opponent, causing the Registeel to groan in pain. It felt the poisonous fluid enter its body, the golem realizing it was now on a time limit and sought to defeat its opponent. Rearing its body back, it unleashed a powerful plume of lava, the attack striking the Aurorus and pushed her back. However, the attack was weakened by the rainstorm, the same one that its comrade had set up earlier. Seizing the opportunity for a clean sweep, the plesiosaur reared her head back and fired a powerful Scald, the attack boosted by the rainstorm. The boiling hot blast of water swept the Registeel off its feet, knocking it out of the battle and secured Natasha another important victory.
"No, this is impossible! How could I lose?!" Maple ranted, tossing his empty Pokéballs at the wall as they shattered. "I had Delta Legendaries at my command, and I lost to my rival's brat?! You must've cheated somehow, sabotaged all my hard work during your time here! I won't accept this, I won't accept this at all!"
"You lost because you treated Delta Pokémon as nothing but tools to achieve your goals, lavishing them with insincere praise about them being superior beings. Though their types and move sets may be different, Delta's are just as strong as their regular counterparts." Natasha scolded him, with Aurorus making her way to the injured Regis' and began tending to their wounds. "Now that you've lost control over the Delta Legendaries, you have no hope of defeating me."
"H-Hah! You and what army?!" He taunted, only to hear the sounds of several Pokéballs opening, the older man stepping back in surprise. Before him were all of Natasha's Delta Pokémon, eager to teach him a lesson for attempting to subjugate them. "T-This isn't over! I'll come back and catch them again. And when I do, I'll make sure to reunite you with Luisa in—"
"That's enough out of you!" A voice called out to him, the mad professor turning to see Pine and Nora approach him, alongside several police officers. "It's over Maple, you lost."
"T-This wasn't how it was supposed to end! I was supposed to rule the world with my army of Deltas!" Maple ranted at them. "How can you even consider arresting the head researcher at Holon University?"
"Easy, I did some digging on you, and I found some very interesting information. Things like the true purpose of this expedition, and your allegiance to the Sky Cult." Nora chimed in, a smug expression on her face.
"H-How did you—" He began, only for a police officer to approach him, handcuffing him with ease.
"Spare us the trouble; you can talk once we get back to base." The officer told him, escorting the disgraced professor out of the cave with the other officers behind him.
"I guess that brings this sordid tale to a close. I owe you big time, Natasha." The purple-haired professor told her, a troubled look on her niece's face.
"Auntie, why didn't you tell me the truth about this expedition? Why hide the original purpose of your presence here?" She inquired, the bespectacled woman uttering a quick sigh.
"I-I was ashamed when I found out about Jaern, about how he led the Sky Cult and how he murdered my sister. I wanted to forget about the entire ordeal, so I convinced myself that we were here to research Delta Pokémon. As for Maple's allegiance to the Sky Cult, that was a complete mystery to me until Nora discovered it." Pine confessed. "I'm sorry Natasha, I'm sorry for lying to you."
"No need to apologize, it's water off a Ducklett's back as far as I'm concerned." Natasha smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we host a celebration in Settlement Foxtrot over our victory? I'm sure our Pokémon could use a well-earned rest."
"Now that's a wonderful idea! I could use a break after all the walking I've done." Nora chimed in, the group making their way out of the cave to begin their celebration party. Though Natasha's journey in Holon was over, there's still some unfinished business she has left in Torren.
That wraps up the Holon arc everyone, I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll be taking a quick break from Insurgence so I can plan out the rest of the story, and to finish the Azur Lane one-shot I promised my readers on Archive of our Own. Some people may question how Delta Aurorus could be able to handle all three Delta Regi's, but given how it can be built into a powerful stall Pokémon, I feel that such a thing is possible. 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
D. Octillery
D. Sableye
D. Aggron
D. Scolipede