Welcome back everyone, in this chapter Natasha will be going up against Orion in the hopes of winning the Thermal Badge from him. Will she be able to secure a victory? You'll have to read on to find out the answer.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
Natasha entered the Suntouched City Gym, wiping a thin layer of sweat off her forehead as she thought to herself over the situation before her. Having received her paycheck from the Director of the Broadcast Tower for her services, she spent the next two hours training all her Pokémon for the upcoming gym, using some of her money to heal them up once the session had ended. And thought it proved to be fruitful as some of her Pokémon evolved, the purple-haired girl couldn't help but worry about the challenge before her. She knew that Orion would be no walk in the park, but whether it'll be a somewhat tricky ride, or a relentless barrage of pain was unknown to her. Taking in a deep breath, she made her way through the gym and into the back room where she saw a young boy with spiky red hair and matching color eyes. His outfit consisted of an orange and white long-sleeve shirt, a pair of red shorts that reached his knees, and a pair of green sandshoes.
"Hey there, you must be a challenger? I'm Orion, pleased to meet you!" The young boy smiled, shaking hands with his elder.
"Pleased to meet you, the name's Natasha. As you may have guessed, I am challenging you for the Thermal Badge. Are there any special rules I need to know before hand?" She inquired.
"Just a couple; neither trainer can switch out battle-capable Pokémon, unless they use a move like U-Turn and Baton Pass. Additionally, neither trainer can use items on their Pokémon, except for any items the Pokémon themselves are holding. Furthermore, this will be a 5-on-5 battle, so I'll need to check how many Pokémon you have on you." Orion began, with Natasha taking out her Pokedex as the young boy scanned it with a special device all Gym Leaders are given. A quiet 'ding' rang out from the machine as a satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Good…seems that you have enough Pokémon to partake in the battle."
"That's good to hear; just don't get mad when I defeat you!" Natasha poked her tongue out playfully at the gym leader.
"You won't be saying that once you realize the sun's true power before your very eyes!" He smirked back, crouching beside the white rock beside his feet. "Wish me luck. With you by my side, I'm sure to win!"
"Ah, I take it the rock's your friend?" The purple-haired girl inquired.
"Yeah, it gets lonely being a Gym Leader, so I speak to my friend from time to time. Everyone in the city mocks me for it, but I know it's alive." Orion answered her inquiry, the duo making it to the arena. "Ah, but that's for another time. Right now, we've got a battle to get started! Vulpix, time to light 'em up!"
"Graveler, let's get ready to rock!" Natasha called out, the duo sending out their Pokémon as Orion gazed at the Graveler in awe. The Delta Graveler as a lot different from its pre-evolution, with its body now a dark grey and its four arms coated in the same moss that covered the top of its head. The large crystal at the bottom still shone a brilliant blue as its lone eye locked onto the enemy Vulpix, who let out a yawn as the sun in the room shone more intensely than it did before.
"Wow, that Graveler looks amazing! Is it one of those Delta Species I've heard rumors about?" The young boy inquired, a look of awe in his eyes.
"Yep, and it's more than ready to dish you out a defeat. Rock Tomb!" She replied, her Graveler using its psychic power to form a rock and hover it in the air, before crushing it into pieces and hurled the shards at the Vulpix, ensnaring the fox Pokémon in a makeshift prison as a small cloud of dust was kicked up into the air. However, the Vulpix wasn't out just yet, leaping up from within the tomb and fired an Energy Ball at the Graveler, the attack hurling towards the Golem Pokémon as the collision caused a sizable blanket of smoke. Orion smirked at his victory, only for said smirk to drop as he saw the Graveler holding the ball of energy in its hands as its body glowed a vivid green, absorbing the attack before flexing its arms as a new power coursed through its body.
'N-No way! That attack should have defeated it; that must mean it has Sap Sipper…' Orion thought to himself, surprised at the sight before him. To see a Pokémon that's immune to a type their species is notoriously weak against is proof that Delta Species are not to be underestimated. The Graveler curled up its body into a ball and rolled towards the Vulpix, the fox Pokémon unable to dodge in time as it was sent flying towards the back wall, with Orion running towards his injured companion to check up on it. "A-Are you alright?!"
"Vul…" The Vulpix nodded weakly, the young boy petting his head before recalling it as it couldn't continue battling.
"Sorry about that, we may have gone a bit overboard…" Natasha apologized, with her Graveler uttering what sounded like an apology in its native tongue.
"Don't worry, I now know not to underestimate you!" Orion brushed it off, only for the young boy to think to himself. Just what Pokémon did he have that could stand a chance against that Graveler? His mind then flashed to how it levitated those rocks to attack Vulpix before, a clever idea forming in his mind. "Larvesta, strike them hard with X-Scissor!"
The ball popped open, with the small larvae hopping out as it quickly snacked on the Charti Berry it held, granting it an increased resistance to Rock type attacks for the battle. After its impromptu meal, it lunged directly at the Graveler, its horns glowing a bright green as it slashed at the Golem, causing it to let out a low moan of pain as it fell to the ground. Natasha was taken aback by how quickly he was able to figure out a way to deal damage to her Graveler, however she wasn't out of tricks yet.
"Not bad…but will your Larvesta survive this?" She retorted, her Graveler going into a ball once more and rolled towards the small larvae, its horns glowing a vivid green as it clashed with its foe for a few seconds. The Graveler was able to overpower it and push it aside, with Larvesta leaping into the air and used Flamethrower on it, setting its foe alight as it spun around and tackled the small larvae, sending it flying into a small flower bed, catching the young boy off-guard as he saw his second Pokémon get knocked out.
"Ay, ay, ay…I thought I had you there." Orion commented, recalling his Pokémon before opting for a daring play. "Fletchinder, take to the skies and use Steel Wing!"
The medium-sized bird emerged from its ball and quickly flew into the air before shooting a steely gaze at the Graveler, its wings shining a lustrous silver as it swooped down and struck its foe, sending the Graveler flying back a few feet. It flew back around hoping to strike it again, only for the Golem Pokémon to grab it by its legs as the duo were soon flying in the air. The Fletchinder began shaking its body in the hopes of escaping the Graveler's grasp, only for its eyes to widen in surprise as it saw its foe's body glowing a bright white, a massive explosion soon engulfing the arena as the entire area was soon filled up with smoke. Once it died down, it showed that both combatants were knocked out from the resulting explosion, the two trainers running up to check on their companions.
"Thank goodness you're ok!" Natasha spoke to her injured Graveler, taking out its Pokéball. You've earnt yourself a nice rest."
"Phew, that Graveler of yours was a most excellent opponent. But with it out of the way, my Ivysaur can deal with the rest of your team!" Orion called out, recalling his Fletchinder as he sent out his next Pokémon.
"Your Ivysaur is no match for my Delta Dugtrio!" The purple-haired girl retorted, sending out her next Pokémon as it's three fuzzy heads turned to face the Ivysaur. As the sun was still up, the Ivysaur was able to quickly charge up its Solar Beam, it's bulb collecting a massive amount of light as it fired the powerful attack from its mouth. Luckily the Dugtrio was able to burrow underground in time and began tunneling towards the Ivysaur, why eyed up the ground before it wearily. But before it could get a chance to move, it was sent flying into the air as the Dugtrio surface from underneath and blew a vicious gust of cold wind from its mouths, striking the Ivysaur head on as it was sent hurtling towards the ground, its leafy body frozen from the chilling attack. Orion made his way to his friend and tapped lightly on the ice to see if it would break, but not even a small crack showed up.
"Uhh…is it alright if I recall my friend? I don't think they're in any condition to continue battling after an attack like that." He asked Natasha.
"No problem. Just send out your last Pokémon and we can continue this battle." She smiled back at him, the young boy nodding gratefully as he recalled his Ivysaur and promptly sent out his Charmeleon. The purple-haired girl was taken aback by her new adversary, the Charmeleon taking in a deep breath before spewing a stream of flames that struck the Dugtrio head on, sending them skidding back into the dirt before crashing into a flower pot, the Delta Species unable to continue battling. "Bu-Bu-Bu…"
"That's the power of the sun, miss. It makes Fire attacks hit that much harder!" Orion chuckled, a wave of confidence coursing through his body, with Natasha uttering an apology to her Dugtrio before recalling it.
"Well if that's how you want to play, then I'll send out my own Charmeleon!" She retorted, sending out her Delta Charmeleon as it let out a low growl at its opponent. The Charmeleon's skeletal body was a darker shade of grey than its pre-evolution, the ghostly flame on its tail burning bright than before. With a quick huff, it blew a series of spectral embers at the opposing Charmeleon, who blocked the attack with its hands before lunging at its Delta counterpart, raking its claws all over its bony body as the Delta Species swiped its tail back at it, sending the Charmeleon staggering back a few feet. Taking in a deep breath it opted to breath a second stream of fire at its foe, hoping to knock it out like it did with the Dugtrio. However, the Delta Charmeleon wasn't going to stand there and do nothing; it took in a deep breath and breathed a draconic stream of fire at its foe with the two attacks clashing in midair. For a few seconds, it seems that the duo was evenly matched, as the Charmeleon managed to gain an edge and began pushing its Delta counterpart back. However, it was then that the intensity of the morning sun died down, weakening its Flamethrower and enabled the Delta Charmeleon to regain the initiative, its draconic fire blasting its opponent and sent it flying to the ground. Once the smoke died down, it showed that Orion's Charmeleon was unable to continue battling, a surprised expression overcoming Natasha.
"We won…?" She asked herself, an overjoyed expression forming on her face as she jumped up and down on the stop. "We won! We won!"
"That loss was a little disappointing for me, but it was a very great battle! It taught me that there's more to the Delta Species than meets the eye. Perhaps if I find one that suits my team, I could try it out in the next battle." Orion commented, recalling his Pokémon before making his way to the purple-haired teen and handed her a red and yellow badge that was shaped like the sun. "Here, the Thermal Badge. You've earnt it."
"Thank you." She took the badge from him and showed it to Delta Charmeleon, who let out a low growl of satisfaction, the teenage girl petting its head briefly before recalling it to its ball. "So, Orion, where's the next gym in the Torren League?"
"In Vipik City I've met the leader, Xavier and he's a pretty chill dude. As for what theme his teams based on…I'll let you find out yourself, makes things more interesting." The young boy answered. "Anyway, I've got to get ready for my next challenger. Supposedly they're the best trainer from the Trainer's School in Midna, so I got to prepare my team carefully."
"In that case, I'll leave you to it. See ya!" Natasha waved at him, making her way out of the gym, only to get confronted by a young woman with short brown hair hastily making her way to the gym. The woman pushed Natasha out of the way, uttering an apology to her before entering the gym, leaving the purple-haired girl a little confused. "Huh…wonder what that was about…"
"I don't know, but from what I saw she was panicking over something." A familiar voice called out, with Natasha turning around and saw Nora approaching the scene. "Good to see you again Natasha, have you challenged Orion yet?"
"I have, and I defeated him, earning my first badge of the Torren League." She showed off the recently acquired Thermal Badge, which was placed nice and neatly on its slot in her Trainer's Card.
"Well done, Natasha! I knew you'd be able to secure a victory." The green-haired teen complimented her.
"Th-Thanks, ehehehehehe…" Natasha replied, a faint blush forming on her cheeks. "A-Anyway, should we see what that woman's up to?"
"Yeah, I was planning on checking it out anyway." Nora replied, the duo quietly entering the gym and made their way to the back room where Orion and the woman were having a somewhat heated conversation with each other. Upon taking a closer look, the purple-haired teen saw that the woman wore a brown-pleated skirt that reached just above her knees, topped off with white socks and a yellow short-sleeved blouse. Additionally, she wore a brown, wide-brimmed hat on her head that was decorated with a yellow ribbon.
"Harmony, what are you doing here?" Orion inquired, a look of curiosity on his face.
"W-We need to get out of here! I saw cultists entering the city and they were talking about you; I'm not sure what their plans are, but we need to get out while we still can." The now named Harmony urged him, a look of concern in her eyes.
"S-Seriously?!" The young boy double-checked, with his elder nodding in confirmation. "I-I see. In that case, can you help carry my friend?"
"You can't be serious; we don't have time for this again! There are cultists coming to attack you, and you're more concerned with your rock! It's not real; ditch the imaginary friend and let's get out of here!" She shot back at him, a little bewildered by his obsession with the rock.
"It's a little too late for you to escape, heheheheh…" An ominous voice called out, the group of four turning to the right and saw…the legendary Kyurem slowly descending from the sky onto the ground, as a tall man and a pair of scientists hopped off its back and approached the duo. The man had short blue hair that was done up into a bowl-cut, his outfit consisting of white lab coat, with a matching pair of pants that had small pockets on the front for his Pokéballs. Additionally, he wore a blue short-sleeved shirt and matching boots. "My apologies for the loud landing, legendary Pokémon are hard to control, you know. This beautiful creature's name is Kyurem, a very powerful Pokémon that can freeze fire and electricity with its breath." He replied in a nasally, somewhat high-pitched voice, something that suited his appearance frighteningly well.
"W-Who are you?!" Natasha demanded, the tall man chuckling at her.
"I was just about to get to that; the name's Taen and I work for the cult known as Perfection. We aren't as aggressive as those other inferior cults; we do our own thing for the most part. But that just means that we aren't to be taken lightly; we have our goals and will stop at nothing to achieve them, which brings us to today's topic…" The now-named Taen introduced himself, his gaze fixated on the white rock beside Orion as the young boy caught onto his desires.
"No way! I will not let you take my friend away!" He shot back, standing in front of the rock as the Perfection cultists eyed him up in confusion.
"…You're friends with the rock?" Taen asked in a deadpan manner. "Do you talk to it, too? Are you guys best friends forever? That's sooooo cute!" He replied mockingly, snickering under his breath.
"Listen…Taen, was it? You're not acting very friendly here. Tell us what you want and leave, preferably now." Harmony called out to him.
"What we want, you ask? Well you know what we want…?" He replied, slowly approaching Orion and the white rock. "We want the kid's rock!"
"No way! I'd rather die than hand my friend over to yo—Ahh!" The young boy cried out, with Taen slapping him harshly as Orion fell to the ground, with Nora and Natasha quickly running to check up on him.
"Why don't you leave this conversation to the adults, you insolent child!" The tall man scoffed condescendingly at him.
"D-Did you just slap him?! What is wrong with you, you disgusting—" Harmony scolded the cultist, a look of disgust in her eyes as he simply shrugged at her in response.
"As I said, there's nothing we won't do for the sake of our goals." Taen casually replied, only for the white rock to begin trembling as he stepped back from it. "Ahhh…so you've decided to defend your "friend" from us. Just as I was expecting…"
"As you were expecting, what on earth are you talking about? Didn't you mock Orion for befriending the rock earlier?" Natasha called out, the teenage girl helping Orion back to his feet alongside Nora.
"Just because I mocked him, doesn't mean I don't know what it truly is." The blue-haired man retorted, the white stone glowing brightly as it's light soon enveloped the room. When the light soon died down, the purple-haired girl was taken aback by the sight before her. There, in all it's glory was the legendary Reshiram, slowly moving its arms up and down in a soothing manner.
"What is that…" Harmony inquired, a look of awe in her eyes.
"That is Reshiram…the being of Truth. Many years ago, Reshiram, Kyurem and Zekrom used to be a single entity. However, a war between two princes who fought for Truth and Ideals caused the Original Dragon to split into three separate entities. Reshiram was sealed in a rock known as the White Stone, which seems to have had fallen in Orion's care, somehow." Taen recalled the ancient tale to her, with Reshiram letting out a mighty roar before flying off into the horizon. "So you decided to flee from us…and to think today would've been boring. Quickly, do not let that Reshiram get away!"
Taen quickly made his way to his Kyurem as he and his sub-ordinates quickly hopped onto its back once more, the Kyurem letting out an imposing roar as it took to the skies and followed the Reshiram in hot pursuit.
"Orion…I'm so sorry. I didn't believe you, but you were telling the truth. And now you friend ran off." Harmony apologized to the young boy.
"No need to apologize, it was all just a simple misunderstanding." Orion replied, turning his head to face the other two. "Ah, I forgot to introduce you to each other. Harmony, this is Natasha and Nora; they're challengers in the Torren League. I already battled Natasha, but she defeated me easily."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Harmony. If my research is spot on, you're the Gym Leader of Sonata City." Nora greeted.
"That's right, lass. I'd tell you what types I specialize in, but that'll ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?" The older woman shot her a small smile. "I assume you're challenging Orion for a badge?"
"Yes, I am. I'm confident than I win my first badge!" The green-haired teen replied.
"I see. Anyway, can I trust you two to keep what happened here a secret? Orion could be in danger if word of this gets out." Harmony requested the duo.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with us. Besides, Nora and I have a few secrets of our own." Natasha replied, only for a familiar roar to catch her off-guard. Turning to the side, she saw Reshiram make its way back to Orion, an overjoyed expression on Orion's face.
"Reshiram…you came back? Oh, thank you, thank you so much! It's so good to see that you are unharmed." He called out, the mighty dragon lowering its gaze and let out a soft coo.
"I guess Reshiram couldn't abandon its best friend. Even though it isn't as safe here, it only feels comfortable when it's with Orion." The older woman mused to herself, shooting the young boy a cautionary glance. "Orion, you have to be careful. None of the challengers coming into the Gym can see Reshiram; you never know who might spill the beans to that freaky blue-haired guy."
I'll be careful Harmony, I swear. Thanks for stopping by to help out." Orion thanked her for her time.
"No problem, I need to get back to my gym." Harmony made her way to the exit, but not before turning to face Nora and Natasha. "Whenever you two get the chance, I'll be more than happy to accept your challenge at my gym."
"We will!" Natasha called out, the older woman giving her a friendly nod before promptly exiting the gym.
"I knew you were alive all along, but I never dreamed that you were a legendary Pokémon…" The young boy spoke to his friend, before turning to face Nora. "When you're ready Nora, I'll accept your challenge. Don't worry, I'll play fair and refrain from using Reshiram in our battle."
"Just give me a moment, I've got to hand Natasha something." Nora called out, rummaging through her bag and handed a small cardboard box that had 'Instant Lapras' plastered on the front.
"Thank you…but what is it exactly?" The purple-haired girl inquired.
"It's an Instant Lapras; it enables one to cross bodies of water without teaching any of your Pokémon Surf. You'll need it to make your way through the Suntouched Exitway. Anyway, once I've finished my battle, I'll meet up with you in Metchi Town, which is on the other side of Route 3." The green-haired girl explained, with Natasha giving her a confirmatory nod before making her way out of the gym, her mind running abuzz once more. Taen stated that Perfection's main goal was to capture Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyurem so they can recreate the Original Dragon. But if that's the case, then why was Reukra experimenting with Delta Pokémon in the first place? Regardless, that was a question that can be answered later; there was more of Torren for her to explore after all.
That was a nice gym battle we just saw, and there's an upcoming rival battle in the very next chapter. How will Natasha fare against Nora? You'll have to find out in the next chapter!
Acquired Delta Pokémon:
D. Ivysaur
D. Charmeleon
D. Wartotle
D. Dugtrio
D. Dwebble (Cake)
D. Graveler
D. Aipom
D. Grimer
D. Solosis
