Welcome to the next chapter of the Delta Whisperer; there's plenty of content for you all to enjoy in this chapter, as it'll delve deeper into the prophecy about the hero who will rise up and defeat the cults plaguing the region.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
The crystal that had once been used by the First Augur to power up his Pokémon was now shattered into three pieces, pieces that were sent flying in different directions. Jaern and his Rayquaza managed to find the first piece, a quiet sigh escaping from his mouth knowing that at least one of the pieces was "safe" in his hands. Elsewhere, a low-ranking grunt was walking alongside the cliffs of Miara Town when he saw another piece of the crystal. Picking it up, he smirked to himself, knowing that handing this thing over would garner him a handsome reward from the head of the Abyssal Cult, Audrey. Finally, in Helios City itself, Reukra was quietly walking in front of the Jade Tower when he saw the third piece of the crystal. A look of curiosity on his face, he picked it up and tucked it in his Pokémon, knowing all too well that it'll be a major boon to his experiments.
0000
Back at the Pokémon Center, Natasha had just finished healing up her Pokémon, accepting them back gratefully as a few thoughts were coursing through her mind, and none of them good. The main thought was that Jaern, the much celebrated Second Augur was actually the head of the nefarious Sky Cult, and she was one of the only people who knew that fact. Of course, she couldn't tell anyone about it as that would essentially be her death sentence with how much the public reveres him. Equally as worrying was the fact that Jaern had a bone to pick with her, yet she had no idea what she had done to earn his ire, not that he would tell her anyway. For now, all she could do was work together with her friends to save the region from the cults plaguing it. But it was at this moment when the Television behind the desk began broadcasting a breaking news story.
"We are live with an exclusive interview from a Hiker who was recently rescued from the Rezzai Cavern." The reporter began, turning to face the terrified, yet relieved man that Natasha was able to recognize. It was the man who was accosted by those grunts from the Sky Cult.
"Th-Thanks for having me on, ma'am. Y'see. My family and I were mining in this cave for some rare artifacts, when we found this funny old scroll. Turns out those wicked Sky Cultists wanted it and threatened us for it." The hiker began recalling the events of that day.
"I'm sure that must've been very scary for you and your family." The reporter offered her condolences.
"Oh, it was, ma'am. But our very own Augur found us, telling us that everything would be OK. He lifted me and my family out of that cave-in with the power of Rayquaza itself; Rayquaza! The legendary Pokémon of the skies. I just know that the Augur would use Rayquaza to give those heinous Sky Cultists a taste of their own medicine; I will not hear or believe any word against that fantastic man!" The Hiker stated adamantly.
"He's so amazing…isn't he?" The local nurse sighed to herself, no doubt having a daydream involving the Augur.
"Y-Yeah, he is pretty great…" Natasha stammered, not wanting to look suspicious. While she was relieved that the man and his family were safe and sound, a part of her felt that Jaern only rescued him as a means of stroking his over-inflated, yet fragile ego. "Anyway, I'm off to Utira Town. I figured I'd check out the library while I'm up and about."
"Good for you; the library's a wonderful source of information for any upcoming trainer to use on their journey. I wish you the best of luck!" The nurse smiled at her, with the purple-haired girl giving her a quick nod of appreciation before exiting the building. Taking a quick look on her CyberNav, she saw that she had to go through the small cave to the southwest of the city before arriving at her destination. Readjusting her bag, Natasha quietly made her way to the cave, only to get distracted by the sound of rapidly approaching chirping from above. Looking at the skies, she saw what looked like a pair of Pokémon bickering amongst each other before landing a few feet away from her, the two of them pointing in varying directions.
The first Pokémon looked similar to an Emolga but lacked the wings of its kind. Its furry body was a mixture of black and red, it's large fluffy tail sporting black and red stripes. Its face had vivid red cheeks and sported a cute little smile despite the bickering it was engaging in with its friend. Speaking of its friend, it seemed to be a Drifblim that took on the form of a red hot-air balloon, the basket brimming with flames that provided a comfortable resting spot for any Fire type Pokémon. It was easy to see that both these Pokémon were Delta Species, but what they were fighting about was a complete mystery to her.
"Hey, there, what's causing you two so much trouble." Natasha inquired, causing the two Pokémon to cease their bickering as they pondered upon her words. Eventually, the Emolga got the courage to answer her questing, chirping at her a few times as the purple-haired girl got the gist of the message. "Ah, I see. You two wish to see your friend in Utira Town. Luckily for you, I'm heading there myself. If you want, you can follow me to your destination." She offered to them.
The Emolga scurried back to the Drifblim and began a discussion regarding the teenage girls' kind offer. Sure, it could very well be a devious trap, but the Emolga sensed no malevolence or ill intent from her. Opting to put their faith in her, the two Fire types turned to her and let out a quick chirp, indicating that they were willing to accept her offer.
"Very well, I'll lead the way. Just stick close to me, otherwise you could get lost inside the cave." She informed them, making her way towards the cave with the two Delta Pokémon following right behind her.
Utira Town
Although it took an hour or so to get there, the trio had finally arrived at the small but bustling town, no thanks to the Cave of Steam they traversed through. While the cave was rather short, it was filled to the brim with steam that made walking through it an absolute chore. For a while, they would go in one direction, thinking it was the right way to go, only to wind up at a dead end. However, they persevered through that little annoyance and arrived at their destination without so much as a scratch.
"See? I told you that I'd get you there safely." Natasha reassured the two Delta Species that traveled with her on this quick trip. "However, you'll have to show me where your friend is, as this is my first time at the library."
Nodding in agreement, the Emolga and Drifblim gestured the purple-haired girl to follow them to the library, only for the trio to get halted by a pair of voices coming out of the library.
"—I told Natasha that we'd be here, but she still hasn't arrived. Did she simply get lost on the way?"
"Well when you consider just how dim the Cave of Steam is, that is a—" They spoke to each other, exiting the vast building as she saw that it was Damian and Nora talking to each other. "We were just speaking about you Natasha. It's good that you were able to come here!"
"Nora, Damian! It's a relief to see that you're both alright!" The purple-haired girl smiled in relief, turning to face the young teen. "Damian, does she know about what happened at the Jade Tower?"
"Y-Yeah, I told her about it. but not too loudly though; there are paintings of the Augur all over the place. I swear they're eyes were watching us the entire time." Damian commented.
"I'm still a little shaken up about what I just heard. Not only was Jaern the leader of the Sky Cult, but he was able to summon Rayquaza to his side. However, that just means that we'll have to work even harder to save the region from the cults." Nora spoke quietly, looking briefly to her side. "Remember when I told you about the prophecy surrounding the Mythical Pokémon? I've got a gut feeling that we might learn more about that prophecy in the library, given the vast assortment of knowledge it contains. Damian and I have been skimming through the shelves, trying to find information and we would greatly appreciate your help."
"But first, the both of us want a battle with you. We've been arguing over who gets to battle you first, and we haven't arrived at a reasonable answer yet." The white-haired boy began, shooting a glance at Natasha. "So, Natasha. Who do you want to battle first?"
"Rather than leave one of you two out, I figured you can team up against me. I'll use four Pokémon, while you get to use two each. After all, we can't spend too much time here or else we'll look suspicious." She proposed.
"Yeah…I can get behind that. Like before, we won't use our legends for the sake of keeping our secret safe, but the both of us have Mega Pokémon we're more than willing to try out." The green-haired girl chimed in, taking a quick look at the Emolga and Drifblim hovering beside her side. "By the way, are those your latest captures?"
"N-No, I just escorted them to the library as that's where their friend resides." Natasha answered, turning to face her newest friends. "Do you two want to watch the battle? I'm sure you'll both enjoy it."
Glancing at each other momentarily, the duo agreed to watch the purple-haired girl battle against her friends, opting to take a seat on a nearby bench. Getting into positions, the three trainers selected their first Pokémon, with Nora and Damian sending out a Leavanny and Crawdaunt respectively. Natasha on the other hand, opted to try out two of her recently evolved Delta Species, those being her Charizard and her Gallade. The Charizard took on an even more ethereal form, with it's bones now a pitch black as a purple flame burned within its stomach. It had bony wings sprouting from its back, a ghostly flame acting at the membrane to ensure that it could take to the skies. The Gallade on the other hand, was now a mixture of blue and yellow like its sibling, it's icy blades crackling with static electricity.
"Shall we begin?" The purple-haired girl chimed in, her two Delta Species going into action as she opted to seize the advantage while she could. The Gallade lunged at the Leavanny, knocking its razor leaves aside as the duo got into a sword-fighting competition of sorts, striking each other with Leaf Blades to see who will reign supreme. Meanwhile, the Charizard took to the skies, dodging blasts of water streaming from the Crawdaunts' claws as it conjured up a ball of eerie energy and flung it at the vicious lobster, pushing it back a few feet and fell over on its side. Slowly picking itself back up, the Crawdaunt cloaked its body in water, leaping up into the air and lunged at the Charizard at incredible speeds before tackling it, the Skeleton Pokémon getting pushed back in the air but was able to recover. Taking in a deep breath, the Charizard breathed a stream of draconic fire at the lobster, sending it hurtling towards the Leavanny. The Gallade took this opportunity to leap into the air, it's blades cloaked in electricity as it swung down on the Crawdaunt, sending it flying into the Leavanny and created a large explosion, catching the trainers off-guard. When the dust died down, it showed that both Pokémon were unable to continue battling.
"Woah…talk about amazing." Damian commented, the two trainers recalling their Pokémon as the Emolga and Drifblim watched in awe. "Now it's time for things to get serious; are you prepared to fight two Mega Evolutions at the same time?"
Upon his word, both he and Nora sent out their Eevee and Flygon respectively, the two trainers pressing on their keystones as both Pokémon were enveloped in a multi-colored orb of light. The orbs glowed for a few moments before shattered, revealing the two Pokémon in their new forms. The Eevee's fur was thicker and fluffier than before, a series of eight small orbs surrounding its head and chest as each one shone a different color. The Flygon on the other hand became more insect-like upon evolving, its wings and tail a lot more jagged as its slender body grew accustomed to its new power.
"I've been wanting to do that for some time now, and I'm more than willing to show you just how strong my Mega Evolution is. Go for Ancient Roar, Flygon!" Nora called out, her Flygon bracing itself as it let out a deep, guttural roar at the two Delta Pokémon, it's wings buzzing quickly to amplify the noise. The Charizard and Gallade winced in pain, covering their ears to block out the loud noise. This gave the Eevee a chance to attack, it's body morphing into an Espeon as it assaulted the duo with a powerful blast of psychic energy. However, the two Delta's were not ready to throw in the towel just yet; the Charizard taking to the skies and let out a loud roar as clouds of darkness emanated from its body and blocked out the sun, blanketing the immediate area in darkness. It then followed up by creating a pair of Shadow Balls, the attacks' power boosted by the oppressive darkness and flung them at the Flygon, striking it head on. Meanwhile, the Gallade lunged at the Eevee, who had morphed into a Flareon and breathed a stream of fire at its foe, the Swordmaster Pokémon dodging the attack before striking at it with a series of blows that sent it flying towards the Flygon. With a final flick of its wrists, the Gallade conjured up a series of sharp icicles and flung them at the duo, striking them head on as they crumpled on the floor before their trainers feet, devolving back to their normal forms as both Nora and Damian were caught off-guard by the surprise victory.
"I-I knew you were good, but to sweep us that easily?! I guess you really are the strongest out of us…" Nora chuckled lightly.
"Well it's not me who's fighting out there, but my Pokémon. If anything, they're the ones who deserve your praise." Natasha smiled, her two Pokémon standing proud and tall before their trainer, the purple-haired girl praising them for their efforts before recalling them. "Anyway, let's head inside. We should resume our search as soon as possible."
"Y-Yeah, that's a good idea." Damian replied, the trio making their way into the library with the two Delta Pokémon following behind them.
0000
The Utira Library was as grand as one would expect it to be, the massive building being several stories tall and sported several wings. As one would expect, there was an unmatched variety of books covering all sorts of different topics, ranging from ancient languages, to various battle strategies, to tales of various exploits from the best trainers of them all. The three trainers went off in separate directions in order to cover more ground, with Natasha making her way to the front desk in the hopes of gaining some insight from the librarian.
"Welcome to the Utira Town library. I'm Zachary, the head librarian here." The man introduced himself, looking to be in his late 50's at most. What stood out the most was his vivid purple hair done up in a cowlick of sorts, the color matching that of Natasha's hair. "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
"Hey there, I was wondering if you knew where the books regarding ancient folklore and prophecies were being kept." Natasha inquired, the older man raising an eyebrow at her question.
"Well I do recall seeing some books like that in the westernmost wing of the library. Do be careful though; I've heard what sounds like something skittering underneath the floorboards." Zachary informed her, the purple-haired girl bowing in appreciation as she made her way to her destination, with the two Delta Pokémon following right behind her as the man's simple interest turned into full-blown curiosity.
Making her way to the westernmost room, Natasha began to quietly search among the various books for anything that could relate to the prophecy, or even the Delta Call she was blessed with. It was during her search that she found a small book meant for containing a variety of leaves, the purple-haired girl picking it up and saw a small note fall out of it. Reading the note to herself, she saw that it was from a former member of the Perfection Cult, who grew disgusted with their inhumane practices and defected from their cult with their latest experiment, a Delta Munchlax. The note stated that the Munchlax was hidden in a safe place on Route 8 with sufficient food supplies but pleads with the reader to find it and give it a loving home. While she was reading the note to herself, the Emolga and Drifblim made their way to the other side of the shelf, the former pulling on a thick black book as the room began to quiver.
"W-What the?!" Natasha began, stepping back in surprise as she saw a portion of the shelf disappear into the ground, revealing a hidden entrance that lead to some underground chamber. Gesturing her to follow them, the two Deltas stepped beyond the doorway and into the darkness, the purple-haired girl following them inside as they wound up in a room with a lone occupant. The occupant was a Roserade, but it looked a lot different from a normal Roserade. It's flower bouquets now resembled the fans of a dancer, it's body was a mixture of black and pink as its leafy body now resembled that of a billowing dress. Additionally, it's mask was now a vivid pink instead of its usual green. It was as the purple-haired girl had expected; their friend was another Delta Pokémon. "H-Hey there, it's nice to meet you."
"R-Rose…?" The Roserade inquired, looking at its friends to see if the girl could be trusted. Based on the calm smiles they sported, the Night Bouquet Pokémon determined that the girl could be trusted. "Rose! Rose!" it chirped happily back at her, a light chuckle escaping from Natasha's mouth.
"I'm just glad that your three are safe an—" She began, only to get a text message from Damian. Picking up her device, she read the message quickly before pocketing it again. "S-Sorry, but I've got to check up on my friends. Will you three be alright?"
"Drif…" The Drifblim replied, with the Emolga and Roserade chirping in response as well. Knowing that the three of them will be safe and sound here, the purple-haired girl exited the hidden chamber and made her way to the other side of the library, where she saw Damian and Nora waiting beside a locked door.
"We found something interesting, Natasha. An entire wing, abandoned and locked up for some reason. Who knows what could be hidden inside?" Damian commented, gazing fervently at the door. It could even hold the prophecy!"
"Oh, are you three interested in exploring the abandoned wing?" A voice called out, the trio turning to see Zachary approaching them.
"Y-Yes; there's an old book in there that we want to look at, sir. See, we're trying to take down the cults, and we thought that the prophecy could be hidden somewhere inside this wing." Nora explained, a faint chuckle escaping from the older man's mouth.
"I see. You'd be surprised at how many people have looked for the prophecy. You'll be disappointed to find out that there is no prophecy back there, but there is that glowing orb. That thing's been there since this library was built, leading people to believe it's connected to the prophecy." The older man informed them.
"Well it doesn't hurt to try it out. So if you could unlock the door for us, that'll be appreciated." Natasha requested, with Zachary making his way to the door, inserting his key into the door and unlocked it before pushing it gently. Gesturing the trio to step inside, the teenagers entered the abandoned wing with the older man following behind them. As one would expect from an abandoned wing, the area was virtually pitch-black, with cobwebs and the like littering the area. The place was cold, desolate and quiet, the sound of the floor creaking beneath their feet as a shiver was sent down Nora's spine.
"T-This place gives me the creeps…" Nora admitted quietly, only for Natasha to embrace her in a hug of sorts to keep her safe. "E-Eh?!"
"Don't worry…I'll keep you safe from whatever might harm us." The purple-haired girl whispered into her ear, gently petting her soft face as a vivid blush soon appeared on Nora's cheeks.
"Th-Thanks…" The green-haired girl managed to stammer, resting her head on her friends' shoulder as they made their way through the abandoned room. Eventually, the group of four made their way to the back of the room, where they saw a large purple orb glowing atop a pedestal. "T-That must be—"
"The orb? Yes, it is indeed. Supposedly, it has some connection to the prophecy; a load of rubbish in my opinion. I doubt there even was a prophecy, it's just some stupid legend. Anyways, get it over with as soon as possible." Zachary told them, the three teenagers quickly whispering to one another to see who will go up to it first. Eventually settling on Natasha, the purple-haired girl slowly made her way to the orb, a slow rumbling echoing throughout the room as the orb warped and glowed, before the room was soon enveloped in an ethereal mist. When the mist died down, it showed what looked like the ghost of a middle-aged woman, wearing a dark blue and green striped dress. Adjusting the glasses on her face, she gazed quietly down on the purple-haired girl before her.
"You…are you the one who woke me up…?" The ghost inquired, catching all four trainers in the room off-guard.
"T-This hasn't happened before! What's going on?!" Zachary inquired.
"Ah…it feels great to be awake once more. I am the Prophet of Arceus, an Oracle of Delphox. What is it you seek from me?" The woman inquired.
"W-We wish to seek the prophecy that was written long ago. Were you the one who wrote it?" Natasha inquired nervously.
"Yes…I was the one who wrote the prophecy. Normally, I'd request you to prove yourself, but I sense The Gift within you…those who are blessed with The Gift are deemed worthy in my eyes." The Oracle told her, with all eyes set upon the purple-haired girl.
"B-By gift, you mean…" She began.
"The Delta Call? Yes, that is another name for The Gift. Those who are able to form a bond with those deemed as outcasts by their own kind are worthy or respect. Now then, allow me to tell you, and only you the prophecy." The Oracle began, clearing her throat as she began to recall the ancient tale. "The prophecy has been misunderstood multiple times, even by the cult leaders themselves. But what I will tell you is the correct version, or at least the summery of the correct prophecy. As you may know, the first thing predicted was the rise of a hero, aided by a Mythical Pokémon. They'll go on to defeat cult after cult with ease, apprehending the leaders and bring them to justice. However, they'll end up betraying their friends and join the Infernal Cult, securing them total dominion over Torren."
"W-Wait! You mean to tell us that someone here will join the Infernal Cult?!" Damian exclaimed, horrified looks on the faces of the three teens.
"T-That can't be true! You must be lying to us!" Nora shot back.
"You cannot avoid fate, Nora…" The Oracle replied, as another blanket of smoke filled the room before fading away, an empty space where the Oracle once stood.
"Well that was quite a dramatic exit. This reminds me of that the famous author L. Frank Baum did when introducing—" Zachary began.
"Shut up! How the hell can you stay calm after what we just heard?!" Nora shot back at him. "We were just told that there's a traitor among us! There's no time to joke around!"
"Well he did say that you'll get rid of all the cults, right? I've heard far worse prophecies truth be told. Besides, nobody but us knows about this, right? You can use that to your advantage. Anyways, I'll leave you three be, I've got some…important work to do." The older man replied, leaving the trio to themselves as a sinister grin started to form on his face.
"L-Listen, Nora. Don't panic about this, okay?" Damian hoped to calm his friend down, but it didn't work.
"Don't panic? We were just told that we're gonna lose! People are gonna die!" She shot back at him.
"Worrying about this isn't going to help. We need to work together; we can't let some prophecy divide us like this." The white-haired boy tried to reassure her once more.
"Hah! That sounds like something an Infernal Cultist in disguise would say. Isn't that right Mr. 'I blabbed about Mew and Celebi in front of cultists and they abducted me'?!" Nora retorted.
"C-Calm down you two! This isn't the time for arguing!" Natasha called out to them.
"Bah! I think your Stepmother was right about you when she said you weren't ready yet!" The green-haired girl commented snidely, causing Damian to clam up as he stepped back a few feet.
"I-I'm going to go now…I-I'll see you in Sonata City, Natasha. That's where the next gym is…" He replied quietly, a few tears falling down his cheeks as he ran out of the abandoned wing. The purple-haired girl was taken aback by what Nora had done, surprised that she would stoop that low.
"What the hell was that for?!" She snapped, pushing her friend lightly. "You know how he feels about his bitch of a stepmother?!"
"I…I'm so sorry, I-I don't know what came over me…I feel so awful. I need to apologize to him when I see him…" Nora admitted, with Natasha resting a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sure you didn't mean it, but it will take some time for him to forgive you. After all, you did bring up a rather sensitive topic." The purple-haired girl told her.
"You're right…I don't expect him to forgive me that easily. Natasha, I don't want to lose either of you two; hence why I'll be devoting all my strength to defeating the cults." The green-haired girl commented, making her way out of the library as Natasha opted to stay behind for a little longer, hoping to find some additional knowledge about her special gift.
A bit of a sad ending, but here's hoping things will improve for our heroic trio in the upcoming chapters. Thank you all for reading and supporting my story, I'll see you in the next chapter.
Acquired Delta Pokémon:
D. Venusaur
D. Charizard
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. Gallade
D. Quagsire
D. Pichu
D. Deino
D. Pidgey
D. Golett
D. Plusle
D. Minun
D. Lotad
D. Heatmor
