Another short introduction, but this chapter will be a pivotal moment in the story, and will feature a gym battle in it as well, so that's something to look forward to.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
Quickly making their way up the various flight of stairs in the Jade Tower, Natasha and Damian were running as quickly as they can, hoping that they weren't too late in saving the Augur from the Sky Cult. However, Natasha was a little slower than her friend, her mind still wondering over Reukra's exact reasoning for handing her an item as powerful as a Mega Ring. Back then, he said that it was to collect data on whatever battle she might get caught up in, but she could tell that there was another reason for his decision. Perhaps he still had faith in the Delta Species as candidates for the perfect Pokémon, hence why he needed more data on them as soon as possible. And what better way to get data on Deltas than gifting a Mega Ring to the one who is an expert on the subject?
"N-Natasha, is everything okay?" Damian inquired, stopping briefly on the fourth flight of stairs.
"Yeah…I was just wondering about Reukra's motives for gifting us these rings. No doubt he has some nefarious purpose in mind with the data he collects." Natasha replied, giving her friend a quick glance. "That said, I'm a little surprised that you were so quick to accept it, given how you scolded Professor Sylvan for accepting the Delta Pokémon he gave her back then."
"Y-Yeah…that was a spur of the moment thing and I feel bad for acting how I did back then, especially since it was how you were able to meet them for the first time." The white-haired boy chuckled lightly. "A-Anyway, we should get a move on. We need to warn the Augur as soon as we can!"
Continuing their journey upstairs, they climbed up another flight of stairs before entering a rather spacious room, with an arena in the center. This is where the Helios City Gym Leader, East, would challenge participants for the Summit Badge. Speaking of which, the man known as East was busy conversing with Jaern himself, the latter sitting atop what looked like a podium of sorts.
"Yes, sir. Everything is ready upstairs, We can—" East began, cutting himself off as he and Jaern saw the two teens approaching them quickly. East himself was a fairly thin man, with short silver hair that reached the back of his neck. His outfit consisted of a black, five-piece suit that was neat and tidy. "Y-You are…?"
"No need to worry, these two aren't our enemies." Jaren reassured his friend, standing atop the podium as he flashed a friendly smile at them. "Well if it isn't Natasha and Damian from Telnor Town, how can I help you today? If it's to challenge the gym, then East would be more than happy to do so."
"N-No sir…we're here because…because we overheard Sky Cultists planning on blackmailing you into summoning Rayquaza!" Damian exclaimed, catching the two older men off-guard as the smile soon dropped from Jaern's face.
"…That is a serious problem. Are you 100% positive about this? Are you totally sure that you heard correctly?" The blonde man pressed them.
"Yes. They also trapped a hiker and his family inside Rezzai Cavern. Neither of us would make up a story like that!" Natasha insisted, as the blonde man began muttering to himself.
"Out of all times to come, of course they'd pick now. I hoped this wouldn't have to happen…but what's done is done." Jaern mumbled, turning to the door behind him. "Come on out, gentlemen."
Suddenly, a small group of Sky Cultists emerged from the door, quickly making their way to the teenagers as they both sported looks of surprise at the Augur. "W-What's going on?! Why are they here?!"
"Damian, Natasha, I'm so sorry about this. The two of you were so youthful and bright, so full of potential. Regardless, you heard what my cultists said, and I can't let you leave with a chance you might connect the dots." The Augur expressed his apologies to them.
"Your cultists…that must mean you're the leader of the Sky Cult!" Natasha deduced, another horrified look forming on Damian's face. "But even if we were to theoretically connect the dots, it would've been useless. Nobody, and I mean nobody would've believed us."
"True, nobody would've believed you with how much the people revere me. But as long as there was that tiny sliver of a chance that they believed you, then you two pose a risk to me and my goals." Jaern rebutted. "But as you deduced, I am the leader of the Sky Cult. I created it several years ago, just before the First Augur disappeared. Initially, we were a small rag-tag band of people who were united by the desire for one thing, change."
"Change? What sort of change were you looking for?" Damian inquired.
"The Augur was the perfect hero of the people, defeating cult after cult alongside his partner, Hoopa. However, there was a flaw that held him back; he was too merciful to the cultists. He was more than forgiving of the cultists who pleaded before him, letting them go unpunished only for them to form new cults or join existing ones, rendering all his efforts pointless." Jaern began his explanation for doing what it is he's doing. "The Augur was strong, but he was too weak to do what was necessary to save he Torren region. So I dealt with him, and made myself his successor. With a new Augur, we could cure the disease plaguing Torren for good. We could save the region forever."
"Y-You'll never get away with this, you monster!" Damian snapped at his former idol.
"But I have, Damian. Thanks to all the propaganda I've circulated, I've got the entire region bowing before me. I need to deal with you so that my true identity can be kept hidden." The blonde man sighed quietly to himself. "I want to catch Rayquaza. Even for a legendary, it's considered to be one of the strongest out there. With it's incredible power and total control over the sky, I can be omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. I could create a utopia, free of war and crime. But it won't just be Torren that I'll save; I'll save every region in this world, and they'll all revere me for my heroism. Any criminal, any threat to my perfect world will be removed! We've accumulated all that we need to summon Rayquaza; out victory is assured!"
"L-Look, in a way I get what you're going for. Ensuring the swift removal of the cults and any other criminal to establish a utopia sounds like a nice idea. But how can I, or the people of Torren be sure that you won't go mad with power?" Natasha inquired.
"W-What are you talking about?!" Damian exclaimed. "Y-You're actually reasoning with him?"
"You raise a fair point, Natasha. Under normal circumstances, it would be far too easy for someone in my position to go mad with power." Jaern began, swiftly turning to face her. "However, I made myself the Augur of Torren following the removal of the First Augur, and I haven't been seduced by the promise of absolute power. I will ensure the survival of Torren in the midst of this war. I will be the one who disbands the cults that plague this great region. I will be the hero that the First Augur never was! And all we need to succeed is an offering to Rayquaza."
"If I may offer a suggestion, why not get one of them to be the sacrifice?" East proposed. "They're gonna spend the rest of their lives in prison, so why not have offer them up instead of a cultist?"
"That is a very good idea East. Besides, it'll be the perfect way to get revenge on Natasha for what she's done to me." Jaern smirked at the proposal.
"W-What? What has Natasha done to you to warrant such thing?! She helped save you from those cultists back in Telnor Town!" Damian inquired.
"She won't remember; all her memories are gone. Besides, that Delta Call of hers would be another nice offering to me; I wouldn't say no to another source of power to help me achieve my dream." The blonde man replied quickly. "However, I'm feeling especially generous today. Natasha will be fighting East in a battle, with the loser being sacrificed to Rayquaza."
"S-Sir?! Why are you risking my life instead of a grunt?" The well-dressed man inquired, fear evident in his tone of voice.
"You're a Gym Leader, East. You stand a batter chance at defeating her than Natasha does. Besides, it was your idea to offer them up as a sacrifice in place of the grunts." Jaern rebutted his protests.
"…as you say. Please don't take this personally, but it's for the Torren Region." East apologized to the purple-haired girl, taking a Pokéball from his belt and sent out a Skarmory with Natasha sending out her Sunflora.
"Let's see how you like this; Flamethrower, Sunflora!" Natasha called out, with the Burning Sludge Pokémon letting out a determined cry as they spewed a stream of fire from their mouth, striking the Skarmory head on as it was pushed back several feet. An annoyed cry escaping from the bird's mouth, it flew up into the air and conjured up a series of sharp blades of wind, striking the Sunflora and caused it to fall onto its back. The Skarmory swooped down on it's opponent in an attempt to finish it off, only for the Burning Sludge Pokémon to roll out of the way and launch a second Flamethrower at it, the metallic bird squawking in pain as it crash-landed outside the arena, catching the cultists off-guard.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…sloppy start, East." Jaern scolded his sub-ordinate, who promptly returned his fainted Pokémon.
"N-Not to worry, I can still pull this off, sir…" The well-dressed man stammered, taking out a Pokéball and sent out his Kingdra, the large seahorse gazing calmly at its opponent. Choosing to act cautiously, the Sunflora opted to think of devious strategies it could employ, bolstering it's mental power greatly. However that brief pause as all the Kingdra needed, the seahorse rearing back and blasted a powerful jet of water at its foe, who was promptly sent flying back several feet, crashing into the nearby wall as Natasha winced in pain for her friend.
"S-Sunflora!" She called out, quickly running over to where her teammate was lying, a sigh of relief escaping her mouth upon seeing that it incurred no serious injuries. "Don't worry, you'll be safe and sound inside your ball."
Promptly recalling it, she made her way back to the arena, selecting her next companion as she threw her Pokeball, sending out her Gardevoir, who promptly gave a quick bow to the enemy Kingdra. Gazing calmly at her foe, the Gardevoir collected her thoughts, disposing any that were unpleasant in order to bolster her mental capabilities. The Kingdra, brimming with overconfidence, charged up another blast of water and fired it at her, only for the Nuzzle Pokémon to dodge to the side. The Gardevoir then fired a weak bolt of electricity at the Kingdra, temporarily paralyzing it and left it vulnerable to a follow up attack, which she was more than happy to dish out. Channeling her inner power, she quickly conjured a chilling wind that quickly froze the Kingdra, dealing massive damage to it and froze the seahorse on the spot.
Shocked at what he was seeing, East quickly recalled his Kingdra before opting to send out his Talonflame, hoping that it's intense Fire-type attacks would finish off his opponent quickly. Taking to the skies, the large bird cloaked it's body in intense flames, swooping down at the Gardevoir and struck her head on, sending her flying back a few feet but was able to land on her feet. Static electricity soon forming on her arms, the Nuzzle Pokémon fired a wicked bolt of lightning at the Scorching Pokémon, landing a direct hit as it squawked loudly in pain. Hoping to finish her off with its next attack, the Talonflame flew up into the air, it's body cloaked in fire once more as it swooped down quickly at the Gardevoir, who was charging up a ball of electricity between her hands. Mere seconds later, the two Pokémon crashed into each other, creating a large cloud of smoke that blanketed the entire arena, causing everyone to cover their faces. Around a minute later, when the smoke was finally starting to die down, everyone saw that the resulting explosion had knocked out both Gardevoir and the Talonflame.
'T-This is such a close battle; especially since the stakes are so high. Natasha…please, do not lose this battle.' Damian pleaded in his mind, watching the two trainers recall their Pokémon.
"Hah…not bad. Not bad at all for a gym leader who opted to side with a cult. But if you think this is over, then you're dead wrong!" Natasha shot back,sending out her Scyther as East sent out his Noivern, the purple-haired girl expecting that he would have something to deal with Ice type Pokémon.
And her expectations were met as the Noivern quickly took to the skies and charged up a ball of pure, mental energy with its wings, firing the Focus Blast at the Ice Cleaver Pokémon at high speeds. But the Delta Scyther had a plan; it dodged the attack at the last moment, using the resulting explosion to boost it's leap more than usual and lunged at the Sound Wave Pokémon, slashing at it with its sharp sickles, causing it to fly back a meter or two. The Noivern was able to regain its composure and flew towards its foe, smacking it down to the ground with its wings as the Scyther crash-landed into the arena. However, it was able to pick itself up off the ground and began conjuring a series of icicles with its power, aiming them at the Sound Wave Pokémon and hurled them, the sharp chunks of ice striking the Noivern and sent it hurtling towards the ground, crashing into it like Scyther had, although it wasn't able to get back up.
Rendered speechless by what he just saw, the well-dressed man recalled his unconscious Pokémon and opted to send out a Gliscor, the flying scorpion letting out a determined hiss as it flew up into the air. The Gliscor proceeded to conjure up a series of rocks before hurling them at the Scyther, the Ice Cleaver Pokémon managing to dodge the incoming barrage and delivered a quick slash to its opponent, causing it to stagger in the air. However, the Fang Scorp Pokémon retaliated with a quick jab from its tail, pushing the Scyther back as a faint purple hue soon appeared on its face. Feeling the poison course through its veins slowly and painfully, the Scyther knew that it had to finish its foe off quickly, quickly leaping into the air to strike at its foe with its sharp sickles. But just as it had landed its attack, the Ice Cleaver Pokémon felt something around it's neck, it's eyes looking down and saw one of Gliscor's pincers holding its neck firmly. Holding onto it's foe firmly, the Scyther braced itself as both Pokémon were hurtling towards the ground, crashing into it as another blanket of smoke permeated the area. When it died down, it showed that both Pokémon had fainted, the Gliscor having gone for a last-ditch Guillotine.
"T-This can't be happening…" East muttered to himself, a look of fear growing on his face as both trainers recalled their Pokémon. Somehow, he went from being confident in his victory, to being down to his last Pokémon, all while his foe still had three battle capable Pokémon at her disposal. Praying to himself for a swift victory, he promptly sent out his Altaria, pressing a small stone on his cane as his companion was quickly enveloped in a multi-colored orb. The orb soon shattered a few moments later, with Altaria having evolved into its Mega Form as it flapped its wings in the air.
"This might be a bit tricky, but I've got the perfect friend for the job. Venusaur, I choose you!" Natasha declared, sending out her Pokémon as the Sky Cultists stepped back in surprise. The Venusaur's thick body was a lovely pink hue, with small flowers sprouting from the large blue leaves on its back. There were a few large amethyst crystals growing out of its back, as well as one in the center of its forehead.
Gazing calmly at the Altaria, the Venusaur began to collect her thoughts, bolstering her mental energy to prepare for the upcoming battle, with Altaria fluffing up its cloudy wings to greatly increase its physical defense. The Humming Pokémon channeled its newly found fae power to create a large glowing ball of pink energy, hurling it at the Venusaur and landed a direct hit. However, the latter was able to tank the attack due to her impressive bulk, the crystal on her forehead as a beam of psychic energy struck the Altaria head on, causing the fluffy bird to stagger in the air. Seizing this opportunity to finish it's foe off, the Venusaur collected as much fae energy as it could, including the residue from Altaria's earlier attack and gathered it into a large ball of energy. It fired the attack at the Humming Pokémon, who was caught off-guard as the attack created a large explosion within the room as everyone tried their hardest to stand their ground. When the dust settled, it showed Altaria struggling to stay in the air, the Humming Pokemon falling to the ground as a look of defeat formed on East's face.
"I lost…? I don't believe it…" He asked, recalling his Altaria before turning to face his leader. "P-Please…"
"I'm sorry East, but I made a promise at the start of the battle. As much as I want to save you, a good leader always keeps his promise. Farewell, my friend. Take comfort in the fact that your sacrifice will save this region." Jaern shot a look of sadness at his ally, with East's body getting enveloped in an emerald green light before transforming into a small orb, with the Augur hopping off his podium to retrieve the orb. "In my mind, I see a region filled with love. It seems almost unachievable, but thanks to this sacrifice, it will become a reality. If you so desire, you may see the birth of a new Torren, but if you try to stop me, I will kill you."
Upon saying that, he promptly got off the arena and made his way to the back door, with Damian quickly running up to Natasha as the cultists were left dumbstruck by what they had just saw. "N-Natasha! I-I'm so glad you're safe. I-If you had lost…I…I…" The white-haired boy began to stammer, only for the purple-haired girl to rest her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine." She reassured him, turning to where Jaern had gone through. "I'm going to follow that madman; I want to know what sort of grudge he has against me."
"B-Be careful then. I'll be with you as soon as I can." Damian told her, with Natasha recalling her Venusaur before following the Augur through the door, up a final flight of stairs and onto the rooftop of the Jade Tower. The view she had of the city was spectacular, a most pleasing sight that she could sit back and enjoy for an hour or two. However, now was not the time to be standing around to enjoy the view; she had a treacherous Augur to confront. Making her way across the rooftop, she saw the blonde man gazing upon a large crystal that floated above the ground, the latter turning briefly to gaze at her.
"It's a beautiful crystal, isn't it?" Jaern asked her, turning to face the crystal once more. "Nobody knows where it came from, but the First Augur had it in his possession during his crusade. Even after a year of research and experimentation, I still have no answer on what exactly it is. But I do know what this crystal is capable of."
"So I take it that it's a key part of the ritual to summon Rayquaza?" Natasha inquired, a quiet chuckle escaping from her enemy.
"No, not quite. But it is a key part of my plan to save this region. Allow me to explain it to you…" The blonde man began, looking over the region. "You know about Pokémon moves, right? How each one is powered up by the beings' internal power and can only be used a certain amount of times? Well this crystal greatly boosts the Pokemon's internal power and enables them to use their moves as many times as they want. The First Augur was able to use this crystal to power up his Pokémon, defeating cult after cult and protected the region. And if this crystal can boost the power of his Pokémon to astronomical levels, then imagine what it can do to a being like Rayquaza."
Gazing fervently at the crystal, he offered up the green orb in his hand to the skies above. "Rayquaza, here my call! I offer you the soul of my loyal friend East to summon you to my side! Come forth, oh mighty herald of the skies; with your power and my intelligence, we will save this region from those who seek to destroy it!"
The orb slowly floated up into the air, glowing fervently as it expanded greatly before disappearing into nothing. Just a few seconds later, an almighty roar echoed throughout the area, a look of pure glee forming on Jaern's face as he saw the almighty Rayquaza descend to the rooftop, the powerful dragon gazing quietly at the duo.
"At long last…we are united. Together, the world can be ours…you will be the one who punishes the unworthy, ushering in a utopia for all to enjoy! Concepts such as crime, hatred, war and revolution will cease to exist. Only a perfect, peaceful society…and I will be its king!" He rambled, turning around and shot a small glare at Natasha. "And as for you, I'm gonna do something that I should've done in Telnor Town when I had the chance. You are easily the biggest threat to my dream and I must dispose of you; letting you go will be a mistake."
"But what HAVE I done to warrant your anger?! For someone who goes on about creating a fair society, you sure have no problem persecuting me for something I have no memory of doing." The purple-haired girl retorted.
"You remembered your name! And if you can remember that, then it won't be long before you remember everything else. And should you remember the events of that day, all of my dreams will be crushed!" He yelled at her. "There's no room in MY perfect world for any insurgent who opposes me! I will kill you and claim your power for myself; Rayquaza, it's time to Mega Evolve!"
Stepping back in fear, Natasha watched Rayquaza's glowing brightly, it's body morphing quickly as it soon evolved into it's most powerful form, the almighty dragon roaring at her. Quickly making up her mind, the purple-haired girl sent out her Crustle, the crab chittering happily as it stared at the powerful dragon before it. It's shell was now a massive cake, with a small fork sticking out of it as a pleasant aroma wafted from it. Bracing itself, the Crustle leapt up into the air and crash-landed on the Mega Rayquaza, the massive dragon letting out a roar of surprise as it fell onto the rooftop. Shaking its foe off it's body, the Rayquaza flew back and opened it's wide maw, charging up a powerful blast of draconic energy and fired it at the Crustle, only for the crab to brush the attack off as if it were nothing.
"Wh-What is this?!" Jaern exclaimed, baffled that his Pokemon's attack didn't do anything.
"For such a high and mighty Augur, you really need to brush up on your type matchups." Natasha smirked confidently, infuriating the blonde man.
"Y-You just got lucky; being born with your Delta Call! Had you simply joined my side, this wouldn't have to happen." He shot back.
"Well I would if you weren't hellbent on killing me for something I don't even remember doing. What happened that day that has you terrified of me?" She inquired desperately.
"I-I won't tell you! If I do, you'll be able to piece the puzzle together and ruin me! I will not let that happen!" Jaern knocked her request back.
"In that case, I'll just beat the answer out of you. Crustle, go for Shell Smash before following up with Play Rough!" The purple-haired girl called out, with the Crustle taking the fork and began eating a few small chunks of cake off it's back, relishing in the delicious dessert it was eating. Putting the fork back in, it quickly scuttled towards the Rayquaza, leaping into the air and assaulted it with a barrage of attacks, causing the Sky High Pokémon to crash into the rooftop once more.
"R-Rayquaza; come to me! The crystal shall give you the ability to crush that pitiful Fairy type!" The Augur called out, with the weakened dragon slowly flying towards it. But before it could touch it, a beam of chillingly cold energy struck the dragon, freezing it solid as Jaern watched in horror. "Bu-But how?! Who's responsible for this?!"
"Ask and you shall receive." A familiar voice called out, the duo turning to see Damian approaching them, with his Shaymin in tow. "This next one is for your lies to the Torren Region, and for trying to kill my friend. Shaymin, use Seed Flare!"
Letting out a quick chirp, the Shaymin quickly waddled towards the large crystal, collecting the polluted air around it before releasing a powerful blast of energy that shattered the crystal into three pieces, with Jaern watching in horror as they were sent flying all-over the place.
"T-The crystal! Do you have any idea what you've done, you stupid child?! You broke a limitless source of energy and sent the pieces all over the region, enabling the other cults to try and claim it!" The blonde man scolded the white-haired boy.
"Better it be in nobody's hands than in your hand's Jaern. I demand that you start giving me the answers to my questions, right now!" Natasha yelled at him, only for an ominous chuckle to escape from his mouth.
"Natasha, Damian. You two have made a powerful enemy today. I will see to it that you will both feel the sting of my wrath!" He threatened them, with his Rayquaza flying back up to him before hopping onto it, the duo soon flying off as the duo watched him go.
"I can't believe he was a traitor all along…H-He was my hero…but I guess that was all just a lie." Damian spoke quietly, sniffling to himself as a few small tears fell down his cheeks. Natasha pitied the young teen; he had just found out that the person he looked up to was a deceitful villain who was only interested in ruling over the entire world. Resting her hand on his shoulder, she offered whatever comfort she could give him.
"There, there…it'll be alright. For now, we should tell Nora about this and see what sort of plan she comes up with. The three of us will be the ones who saves Torren from the cults, not that glorified phony." She told him.
"Y-Yeah…we can do it. we have powerful Mythical Pokémon by our side. Not to mention that special gift you have. By the way, I found this on the ground where East was. I think you should have it…" Damian's mood perked up, handing his friend a badge that looked like a royal blue wing covered by a blanket of white clouds.
"Thank you." Natasha smiled at him, putting the badge on her trainer card. "I'm heading over to the Pokémon Center to rest my friends. I've heard there's a library in Utira Town; sounds like the sort of place Nora would be. I'll meet you there once I've finished my business here."
"Got it! If she is there, I'll help her out anyway I can." The white-haired boy smiled, the duo making their way back down the stairs in order to prepare for the next part of their journey.
Another nice chapter done and dusted; the next one will have a couple of captures and a twist on the upcoming rival battle in Utira Town, so that'll be something to look forward to. Thank you all for reading and supporting my story, I'll see you in the next chapter.
Acquired Delta Pokémon:
D. Venusaur
D. Charmeleon
D. Blastoise
D. Dugtrio
D. Crustle (Cake)
D. Graveler
D. Ambipom
D. Muk
D. Solosis
D. Scyther
D. Volcarona
D. Sunflora
D. Gardevoir (female)
D. Kirlia (Male)
D. Quagsire
D. Pichu
D. Deino
D. Pidgey
D. Golett
D. Plusle
D. Minun
D. Lotad
D. Heatmor
