Welcome to the next chapter of Delta Whisperer, and if all goes well, I should be able to cover the next gym battle in this chapter. I hope you all enjoy what I have in store for you this time around!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
Having made her way back to Miara Town, Natasha hopped off her Inflatable Lapras and placed it back inside her bag, the purple-haired girl quietly musing to herself over what had just gone down at the Whirl Islands. Though she was able to defeat Audrey in a battle, it was all for naught as the older woman simply left the area as she said she would, as opposed to releasing Lugia right there. Then again, she did say that she wouldn't have released it if she had lost, so what did Natasha expect in the end? In fact, the only reason Audrey even accepted the battle was because she had a chance at capturing the one that Mew chose; granting her a useful agent to deal with the other cults.
"I don't know the full details of Audrey's plan, but whatever it is, it can't be good. For the sake of the Torren Region, I must stop her!" Natasha declared, figuring out where to go next. She will make her way to Sonata City and defeat the Gym Leader there, earning herself her fourth badge. Making her way back onto Route 8, she saw what looked like a small cave of sorts to the right and opted to enter it, hoping it would bring her closer to her next destination. Thankfully, it was a fairly quick trip, the purple-haired girl making her way through the cave within the span of five minutes. But as she exited the cave, Natasha froze on the spot, the sound of leaves crunching underneath a boot echoing throughout the area. Glancing to the right, she saw what appeared to be Jaern approaching Persephone, the white-haired woman standing by the edge of the cliff as the teenage girl proceeded to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"You're late." Persephone commented bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm never late, you're just early." Jaern huffed in response, the blonde man in no mood to beat around the bush. "I assume you know why I wanted to see you in private?"
"If it's about the deal, then it's finished. I thought you knew that by now." The young woman inquired.
"I thought so too, at least until I met Natasha in Telnor Town. She came to my tower and defeated Rayquaza. And if that wasn't enough, her friend was the one who destroyed the crystal and sent its pieces all over the region. But the worst part was that she remembered her name; her name! If she remembers what happened that day…if the people of Torren start to recognize her…" The blonde man began to panic.
"Don't start crying to me; you went too damn far that day and I won't let you blame me for your failure!" Persephone shot back at him.
"I gave you the damn brat; I told you that if you dealt with her, I'd leave you and your cult alone when I came into power. All you had to do was dispose of her, yet you couldn't even do that! What's your excuse for this failure?!" Jaern seethed at her, his tone dripping with venom and contempt. "Choose your words carefully; they might be your last."
"We were so close to completing the memory wipe, however we had to interrupt it in order to conduct the ritual. Once the ritual was over, I returned to check up on her, only to see that she was gone. The only person recorded to have left the base at the time was a Darkrai cultist who looked eerily similar to one that I sacrificed a year ago." She explained her case to him, an idea soon dawning onto her. "I firmly believe that Natasha was rescued by Mew that day."
"So Mew's finally decided to show its face…" The blonde man mused to himself, going over various ideas on how he can deal with his enemy. "I could use the media to brand her and her friends as insurgents, but if the public found out that I failed to stop them, my precious reputation would be ruined."
"How tragic…" Persephone retorted sarcastically, her contempt for the Second Augur as plain as day.
"Your witty snark aside, there's something I need to tell you. I've done some research on the crystal before your failure, and I've developed a hunch on where the First Augur may've found it. If I'm right, there may be a conspiracy in Torren bigger than I could've imagined!" Jaern stated, though his co-conspirator wasn't interested in whatever it was he was talking about.
"I take it you're going to investigate this lead?" The white-haired woman inquired.
"Naturally. You better have dealt with Natasha by the time I come back, otherwise your pathetic base in the forest will be burned to the ground." The Augur threatened, sending out his Rayquaza and promptly hopped on it's back. "I'm the antihero, Persephone. The chaotic good character. I'll do whatever I need to save the world. Stand in my way and you'll be swept aside!"
Watching the Augur take flight, the leader of the Cult of Darkrai couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes over how edgy Jaern was acting. After all, he was acting like the high school loner who plans on shooting up the place because the head cheerleader didn't want to go to the prom with him. "…more like lawful evil. No wonder nobody likes that cretin; had it not been for all the propaganda he's churned out, I could ruin him in one fell swoop." She muttered to herself, walking away from the area as Natasha was taken aback by all that she had heard.
"N-No way…" She gasped to herself. Persephone and Jaern had been working together from the very beginning, and nobody even knew about it. There were two things that stood out in that little conversation, the first thing being that crystal that Damian had destroyed. From what she gathered, the First Augur found this crystal somewhere, and used it to defeat the various cults, but where exactly did he find it? Was it gifted to him by a legendary Pokémon, perhaps even Arceus itself? Was it the power source for a cabal of influential people in the world, the mere existence of them being the granddaddy of all conspiracy theories? But that was nothing compared to the second, more pressing question at hand. Why on earth did Jaern fear her so much that he'd go above and beyond to dispose of her? Furthermore, what did he do that earned the ire and disgust of Persephone, a woman who has no problem murdering her cultists for the sake of achieving her goals? Once again, she was dealt more questions that she couldn't answer right now, questions that she assumed she'll find answers for eventually.
Moving away from the cave entrance, Natasha resumed her journey to Sonata City, the purple-haired girl traversing through the lush scenery of Route 9. However, she soon came across a rather unusual sight; a wingless Vespiquen sitting beside a flower bed, plucking them one by one and consuming them quickly. The Vespiquen's body was made out of solid titanium, the sun shining off her body as the three hornlike projections glowed yellow. Once she had eaten enough flowers, the Pokémon recovered enough strength to hover in the air, a series of flames shooting out from her honeycombs as if it were an engine of sorts. "Another Delta Pokémon…" Natasha mused to herself, the Vespiquen turning to face her as a look of intrigue formed on her face.
"H-Hi there, I'm just minding my business." The purple-haired girl stated, an idea forming in her mind as she took out a jar of honey from her bag. "Do you like honey? Consider this a gift."
The Reactor Pokémon eyed up the honey with glee, swiftly opening the jar and began slurping the contents inside as an amused expression formed on Natasha's face. She knew that the diet of a Delta Species was very similar to the diet of its regular counterpart, hence why it was easy to win their favor with food. Soon enough, the Vespiquen had finished eating the honey, handing the jar back to Natasha as she continued gazing at her.
"If you want, you can come along with me. I'll be sure to give you more honey if you choose to do so." Natasha proposed, with the Vespiquen agreeing to her proposal within seconds as the Steel type hovered towards her. With a smile on her face, the purple-haired girl gestured her newest friend to follow her, as the duo continued their journey towards Sonata City.
1 hour later
After a somewhat arduous journey, the purple-haired girl finally arrived at her destination, the tranquil Sonata City. Despite being less than half the size of Helios City, there were a wide variety of activities once can engage in, the most famous of which being the Sonata Races. Four trainers would send out a Pokémon and have them go through one of several racetracks, packed to the brim with various obstacles. The best part is that depending on how well a Pokémon places, they may receive a sponsorship from one of several corporations, rewarding the trainer with a tidy sum of money. Another activity of note was the large Gachapon machine at the back of the city; the way it works is that a Pokémon enters the machine and waits for a capsule to fall down the tube and into its hand. From there, it can receive one of several prizes, ranging from evolution items, to valuable trading items, and even a chance at becoming a shiny Pokémon. But as tempting as these activities were, Natasha only had one thing on her mind; winning her next gym badge. Making her way to the gym, she happened to notice a middle-aged couple whispering to themselves, with the woman glancing at the purple-haired girl.
"Is everything alright?" Natasha inquired, catching the duo by surprise.
"S-Sorry for causing you to worry. It's just that…you look familiar for some reason." The woman replied, causing the young girl to raise an eyebrow in response.
"Familiar? You mean like a family member or something?" She pressed further.
"That's the thing; we don't know who exactly you are, just that you look familiar." The man commented. "We apologize for taking your time."
"No need to apologize; if anything, I was the one why interrupted your conversation, so I should be the one apologizing." Natasha replied, waving the duo farewell as she continued her way to the gym, her mind occupied by their words. It wasn't the first time someone had commented about her resembling someone they remembered vaguely, but who it was exactly kept escaping their mind. Was this what Jaern was worried about when he talked about other people recognizing her? Was that the reason why he made a deal with Persephone to dispose of her? Could she be…could she be the First Augur, or someone related to them? Whatever the case, it was yet another question that she lacked an answer for, one that would have to be figured out at a later time.
Finally arriving at the Sonata City Gym, the purple-haired girl stepped through the door and was immediately greeted by Harmony. "Well if it isn't Natasha, I had a hunch you'd make it this far sooner or later." The older woman smiled at her.
"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Natasha smiled back at her. "I assume you know why I'm here?"
"Yes, you're after my Gym Badge, aren't you? Don't expect me to hand it over just because we're friends. You've got to earn it first." The brown-haired woman stated, gesturing the teenage girl to follow her as the duo soon arrived at the main arena. "I'll warn you; I have a secret weapon that'll flatten you and your dreams of advancing through the league!"
"You act as if I'll tremble in fear; if I can take on a cult leader on my own, then this should be a walk in the park!" The purple-haired girl retorted, opting to send out her Delta Scizor as Harmony sent out her Cinccino. The Scizor's light-blue body reflected the gym's light in a dazzling display, its sharp pincers clenched tightly as it shot a determined glare at the opposing Pokémon. Natasha was confident that all the training she had put in would secure her a victory, though she had to be careful about whatever surprise Harmony may have up her sleeve.
The Cinccino leapt into the air and landed on the Scizor's torso, promptly turning around and began smacking its face with its fluffy tail as the Frozen Claw Pokémon let out a small huff of annoyance. Quickly batting the furry critter aside with its pincer, the Scizor got back on its feet and conjured up a series of sharp icicles before flinging them at the Scarf Pokemon, who was struck by the attack and sent flying back a few feet. Slowly getting up off the floor, the small Pokémon brushed the dirt and grass off its body before picking up a series of rocks and threw them at its opponent in a relentless frenzy. The Scizor dodged the incoming barrage of rocks and dove towards the Cinccino, assaulting it with a barrage of quick punches from its pincers before striking its body with a powerful kick, sending the chinchilla flying back several feet as it crumpled before Harmony's feet.
"Well I see that you're not holding back, hon~" She whistled in awe at her opponent, promptly recalling her Pokémon before opting to send out her Azumarill. The Azumarill took in a deep breath before spewing a powerful torrent of water from its mouth, with the Scizor using its pincers to defend itself as it was pushed back a couple feet. However, the Frozen Claw Pokémon was able to break free from the attack and dove towards the Aquarabbit Pokémon, it's pincers glowing with a dark pink aura as it slashed at the Azumarill, causing it to stagger back a few feet. From there, the Scizor continued its offense, leaping up into the air and sent a barrage of icicles at its opponent, before following up with a barrage of swift punches that caused the Azumarill to stagger on the spot, opting to finish it off with a powerful uppercut. The uppercut caused the Azumarill to be flung up into the air, with the Frozen Claw Pokémon smacking it to the ground with a quick jab from its claw, sending it crashing into the ground as the Gym Leader was taken aback by what she was seeing. "Such power…they weren't kidding when they said that Delta Species were a cut above the rest."
"Indeed, which is why you'll soon regret underestimating me." Natasha smiled at her opponent, watching her recall her Azumarill.
"If you think you've won, then you're the one underestimating me…" Harmony retorted, opting to send out her Gardevoir as a plan soon formed in her mind. Opting to take the careful approach, the Gardevoir began to collect her thoughts, her mind an open canvas as her mental energy was bolstered from the internal meditation. Scizor on the other hand, anticipated a powerful counterattack, so it opted to spin on the spot in a frantic dance of sorts, greatly bolstering its spirit and attack power. From there, it lunged at the Gardevoir at blindingly quick speeds, only for the Embrace Pokémon to use her psychic power to ensnare the Delta Species, lifting it up into the air before slamming it into the ground. Slowly getting up off the floor, the Scizor brushed the dirt off its body before lunging at the Gardevoir, its claw encased in a shadowy aura. But the Gardevoir opted to stand in place, her eyes glowing a purplish-red as she took the brunt of the attack and was sent flying to the ground, knocked out from a critical hit as a shadowy specter emerged from her body and dove towards the Scizor. It phased through the Delta Species, draining it of all its energy as it promptly collapsed to the floor, a startled expression on Natasha's face.
"S-Scizor! Are you okay?" She called out to it, quickly running up to is side to check up on it. Sighing in relief that her ally will be fine, she opted to recall it before pondering on what to send out next. Noticing that Harmony had recalled her Gardevoir and sent out her Sylveon, an idea formed in her mind, the purple-haired girl making up her mind. "Alright Vespiquen, show me what you've got!"
Sending out her next Pokémon, the Vespiquen hovered in the air, eyeing up the Sylveon as it was confident in her chances of victory. Taking a page from Gardevoir's book, the Reactor Pokémon opted to collect her thoughts, bolstering her memory before proceeding to point her honeycombs at the Sylveon and fire a relentless stream of fire at her foe, striking it head on as the nimble Pokémon was flung back a few feet. The Sylveon winced in pain as the attack left a few small burns on its body, only for the Intertwining Pokémon to take out a Lum Berry it had kept hidden and quickly ate it, chirping in relief as the pain from its burns subsided quickly. Now revitalized, it stood firmly in place and began shouting at the top of its lungs, the Vespiquen covering her ears in pain as the loud shouting echoed throughout the room. A little dazed and disorientated, the Reactor Pokémon was vulnerable to a follow-up attack from her foe, the Sylveon conjuring up a Shadow Ball and flung it at her opponent, the attack landing a direct hit on the bee's metallic body. Now that she can focus on the task at hand, the Vespiquen hovered in the air and began charging up a lustrous silver orb of power, within her honeycombs, pointing them at the Intertwining Pokémon and fired the Flash Cannon once it was fully charged up. The bright orb of energy struck the Sylveon, sending it flying back several feet towards its trainers feet as it attempted to get back up, but wasn't able to, its eyes closing shut as it fell into a deep sleep.
"Hah…hah…it's been a while since I was pushed this far." The brown-haired woman commented, recalling her Sylveon before opting to send out her Togekiss. "But now it's time for me to make a comeback; Air Slash, Togekiss!"
"Toge~" The Togekiss chirped, conjuring up a series of blades made out of air and flung them at the Vespiquen, the attacks landing a direct hit. And though they weren't doing that much damage to the Reactor Pokémon, the successive attacks caused her to flinch momentarily on the spot, allowing the Jubilee Pokémon to follow up with a swift Aura Sphere. The Aura Sphere struck the Vespiquen head-on, causing her to stagger on the spot for a few moments before regaining her balance. Opting to go for a counterattack, the Reactor Pokémon generated static electricity in her hornlike projections, firing a wicked bolt of lightning at the Togekiss that struck it head on, paralyzing it with ease. The Vespiquen began charging up another Flash Cannon in the hopes of finishing off her opponent, unaware that the Togekiss' fingers were quickly waggling side-to-side. The Jubilee Pokémon saw its opponent fire her Flash Cannon at it, a smug smile on its face as its hands, and subsequently its body began glowing with a harsh light. Realizing too late what was about to happen, the Vespiquen was soon engulfed in the ensuing explosion, the entire area quivering from the powerful blast as both trainers struggled to keep their footing. When the smoke died down, the trainers saw that both their Pokémon were knocked out as a result of the explosion.
"You did well out there in your first battle, Vespiquen." Natasha complimented her ally, recalling her to her ball as she saw her opponent do the same. Quickly making up her mind, the purple-haired girl chose to send out her Zweilous, believing that all the training she had put in would pay off for her soon. The two-headed snake gazed at its opponent, the green fur along its back standing up straight as it saw Harmony select her final Pokéball and promptly sent out her Miltank. But the serpent would receive the surprise of a lifetime as they saw the brown-haired woman take out a ring from her pocket and place it over her wrist, pressing down on the keystone as the Miltank was promptly surrounded by a multicolor orb of light. The orb shone profusely for a few moments, before promptly shattering as the Mega-Miltank stomped onto the field, letting out a low bellow as a wonderous power coursed through her body. the ball on the end of her tail grew dramatically, making it resemble a wrecking ball in terms of stature; additionally, her horns also grew quite a bit, ending in sharp tips that could shatter rocks with ease.
The Zweilous was startled by this sudden evolution, and opted to psyche itself up for the battle, only to get enveloped by a bright white light itself. Its body began morphing slowly, growing to twice its initial size as the Delta Species continued to evolve before its trainer's eyes. Soon enough, the light died down, revealing the fact that Zweilous had evolved into Delta Hydreigon. The green fur that had covered the majority of its body now sprouted off into two winglike appendages, the frill around its neck lined with small but sharp spines as the three-headed cobra let out a most intimidating hiss.
"W-Wow, you evolved…" Natasha commented, gazing at her companion before shooting a determined glare at Harmony. "Let's finish this, Hydreigon! Use Earth Power!"
Letting out another loud hiss, the Hydreigon called upon the earth's power; the ground beneath it quivering and quaking as the Miltank was struck from below by a geyser of energy. However, the bipedal cow was able to withstand the attack and coiled up into a ball, quickly rolling in place as she barreled towards the Tyrant Cobra Pokémon, striking it head on. The Hydreigon was knocked to the side and got back up quickly, only to turn around and see the Miltank turn around and roll towards it at greater speeds. It narrowly dodged the attack, rearing its body and proceeded to spew a barrage of sludge from all three heads, striking the Milk Cow Pokémon and halted her attack. Brushing the leftover sludge off her body, the Miltank grabbed her tail and slammed it on the ground, creating a powerful tremor that halted the Tyrant Cobra Pokémon in place, enabling the Miltank to follow up with a powerful Zen Headbutt, sending the cobra flying back several feet. Normally, such an attack from a Mega Pokémon would've knocked an ordinary Pokémon out, but Hydreigon is no ordinary Pokémon. Slowly getting back up, it reared its entire body and let out an ear-slitting hiss, creating a series of soundwaves from all three mouths that were colored a vivid purple. The purple soundwaves struck the Miltank, sending it flying towards its trainers' feet as it crumpled on the floor, devolving back into its regular form as it couldn't continue fighting anymore.
"A-Amazing…" Harmony commented in awe, recalling her Miltank as she made her way to Natasha. "You know, when I first met you, I had a hunch that you would go far in the Torren League. It seems I was right on the money; you've earned the Paragon Badge."
The older woman handed her victorious opponent a metal badge, shaped like a traditional love heart and was a vivid pink. "We did it Hydreigon; we've earned the Paragon Badge!" Natasha cheered, with her companion letting out a quick hiss of joy.
"Once you and your Pokémon have rested up, I suggest you head on over to Kepler City for the next Gym Badge. The leader, Anastasia, is a close friend of mine. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to challenge you to a battle." The brown-haired woman informed her, the door to the gym opening as a familiar figure approached the duo.
"M-Miss Harmony? I was going to challenge you to a Gym Battle, but something's happened…" The figure commented, the duo turning to see Nora standing there patiently.
"Nora? What's gotten you concerned?" Harmony inquired.
"The hospital to the north of here…the power got cut out all of a sudden." The green-haired girl informed her, a look of concern growing on the older woman's face.
"T-The power got cut? But that's impossible; the system's protected! I…I need to investigate this right now!" She stated, quickly making her way out of the gym as the duo watched her go.
"H-How's it going, Nora?" Natasha asked her, a little shaken up over what she just heard.
"I'm fine, thank you very much…" Nora replied, though the former could tell that she was still guilt-stricken over what she had said to Damian earlier. "Once your Pokémon have recovered, do you mind lending Harmony and I a hand? I've got a gut feeling that one of the cult's is behind this turn of events."
"Sure thing; I'll be over there as soon as I can." The purple-haired girl pledged, the duo going their separate ways as they began to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
My sincerest apologies for the late update, but I was finishing off my Rejuvenation fanfic. Now that I've completed it, I should have more than enough time to work on this fic and my other one. Thank you all for your patience and understanding, I'll see you all 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. Scizor
D. Volcarona
D. Sunflora
D. Gardevoir (female)
D. Gallade
D. Quagsire
D. Pichu
D. Hydreigon
D. Pidgey
D. Golett
D. Plusle
D. Minun
D. Lotad
D. Heatmor
D. Emolga
D. Drifblim
D. Roserade
D. Munchlax
D. Haxorus
D. Weezing
D. Dunsparce
D. Clamperl x2 (one male, one female)
D. Vespiquen
