My sincerest apologies for the long wait, but I had a short case of writers' block which kept me from working on this story, but luckily, I'm more than ready to get back to writing. In this chapter we wrap up out business in Kepler City, which just so happens to include a gym battle. I hope you're all looking forward to that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
Kepler City
"…So Kyogre got her in the end, huh?" Harmony commented, having just heard Natasha's recollection of what had occurred in the Abyssal Cult's base of operations.
"As strange as this may be, I kinda feel bad for her. Sure, she was trying to flood the world and rule over it, but that doesn't mean she should've died." Natasha stated.
"I agree, though a part of me can't help but find the irony in the situation…" The older woman chuckled lightly, re-directing her attention back at Natasha. "That aside, your exploits were incredible. You defeated a cult leader and disbanded her cult; you're the first person since the First Augur to pull that off!"
"I know; that's one thing I have over Jaern. I wonder what he was doing during this whole debacle…" The purple-haired girl commented in a passive-aggressive tone, doing a poor job of hiding her contempt for the Second Augur.
"One more thing; about your friend, Damian. It seems that he's affected by the same virus that's affecting my father. Don't worry, we'll do everything in our power to help cure him. Having done some research on the Pokérus virus, I believe I'm on the path to finding a potential vaccine. I'll let Nora know about it so we can begin working on it." Harmony pledged to her new friend.
"Thank you…" Natasha smiled back at her, getting up off her seat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a gym badge to obtain."
"Quite right; I've got my own gym to attend to as well." The older woman chuckled, getting up off her chair as the duo exited the house. From there, the purple-haired girl made a beeline for the gym, entering the vast building and was greeted by Anastasia.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the newest hero of Torren; I'll admit that I didn't expect you to take out the Abyssal Cult on your own, but it was an amazing feat I tell you what." Anastasia complimented her junior. "On behalf of everyone in town, I thank you for your efforts!"
"No need to thank me; I was just doing what was right." Natasha stated. "Which reminds me, what ever happened to Lugia?"
"Lugia? It flew off after Audrey disappeared, though where it went, I cannot say. We cleaned up the streets once the storms subsided, which was easier said than done." The black-haired woman answered. "But I know why you came to see me; you wanted a Gym Battle, correct?"
"Yep, you know me. Just don't expect me to go easy on you; I did disband a cult after all…" The purple-haired girl commented cheekily.
"Confident, are we? I'll let you know that my Pokémon work together like the gears in a machine; you might've defeated Audrey, but you won't Faraday against me!" Anastasia chuckled, a low groan escaping from Natasha's mouth as she got the joke.
"Ugh…I didn't think you were a fan of terrible puns." She winced.
"Well it helps keep morale up, so who am I to complain?" The gym leader commented, taking out a Pokéball and sent out her Klefki, while Natasha opted to send out her Drifblim, the young teen gazing at her opponent. She knew that Klefki were notorious for being able to cripple an opponent with a wide variety of status-moves and had expected to fight one today.
As she expected, the Klefki made the first move, it's body coated in electricity as it fired a weak charge of electricity at its foe, stunning the Drifblim as it descended towards the ground, it's body paralyzed from the attack. However, it soon took out a vivid green berry and ate it quickly, curing it of its paralysis as it rose back into the air and emitted a blast of scorching hot wind at the Klefki, the Key Ring Pokémon taken aback by the sudden comeback as it was flung a few feet backwards. Slowly getting back up, it taunted the Drifblim, daring it to attack it again and infuriating the Hot Air Pokémon. Falling for the taunt, the Drifblim rushed towards it, only for the Klefki to grab it by its basket and slam it onto the ground, a low wince escaping from the balloon's mouth. No longer in the mood to play any games, it got back in the air and began taking in air to make it's body larger than normal. Once it had finished taking in air, it released it in the form of an almighty gust of wind that sent the Klefki flying into the back wall and caused a small impact crater, the Key Ring Pokémon falling to the ground as it was unable to continue battling.
"Hah! How do you like that?" Natasha commented boldly, watching her opponent recall her Pokémon.
"If you think I'm gonna throw in the towel, then you're sorely mistaken. As a matter of fact, it's about time I doused that ego of yours." Anastasia retorted, sending out her Rotom Wash as the sentient washing machine chuckled mischievously at its foe. The Drifblim opted to cripple its for by firing an eerie ball of fire at its foe, striking it head on as the Rotom was left with a rather nasty burn on its body. However, the Plasma Pokémon was more than capable of dealing with its foe, aiming its hose at the Hot Air Pokémon and fired a relentless torrent of water at it, scoring a critical hit as the Drifblim was sent hurtling towards the wall and crashed landed on the hard ground, unable to continue battling. "See? Tough talk only makes it harder to eat your words."
"We'll see about that…" The purple-haired girl stated, recalling her Drifblim before opting to bring out the big guns. "Hydreigon, let's teach this Rotom a lesson in justice!"
Sending out her next Pokémon, the Hydreigon reared itself off the ground before shooting a glare at the Rotom, who merely responded with an amused chuckle. Opting to take the initiative, the Hydreigon regurgitated a ball of sludge from its dominant mouth to knock down the Rotom, however the poltergeist was able to dodge the incoming attack. The Rotom opted to retaliate by charging up another Hydro Pump and took aim at the Tyrant Cobra Pokémon, striking it head on as it was pushed back a few feet. Quickly shaking the water off it's body, the Hydreigon lunged at the Plasma Pokémon, its two smaller heads clamping down onto its body as their eyes began to glow green and started draining the energy from the Rotom. After a few minutes, the Hydreigon tossed its foe into the air and followed up with another Sludge Bomb, scoring a direct hit as the Rotom crashed into the ground and couldn't get back up.
"With Pokémon like that, it's no wonder you defeated Audrey. But it's about time I took care of it for good." The gym leader called out, recalling her Rotom and sent out a Magnezone, the Steel Type hovering above the ground via a bright red balloon.
Knowing that it's Ground and Poison-Type moves would be useless in this battle, the Tyrant Cobra Pokémon began formulating a back-up plan to deal with its enemy. However, the Magnezone took this opportunity to attack the Hydreigon, channeling its hidden power to conjure up a series of light-blue balls of energy, launching them at the Tyrant Cobra Pokémon as the latter was struck by the icy cold barrage. Luckily, it was still able to keep fighting and opted to go for a counterattack, breathing two streams of fire from its mouths at the Magnezone, striking it head on and caused its balloon to burst. Now that it was considerably closer to the ground, the Hydreigon was able to use its Ground-Type moves against it, creating a series of powerful tremors that struck the Magnet Area Pokémon and sent it flying back several feet, crashing into the back wall and fell to the ground, unable to continue battling.
"Phew, I'm already halfway done with this battle. If all goes to plan, I should be able to finish things off soon!" Natasha cheered, watching Anastasia recall her Pokémon before reaching for another one.
"I reckon it's about time for some pest extermination, and my Electivire is more than capable of doing so!" The older woman retorted, sending out her fourth Pokémon as the bipedal creature let out an ear-splitting screech, it's fists clenched tightly. The Electivire then proceeded to charge electricity in its tails for a few moments before firing a series of lightning bolts at the various machines scattered around the place, reactivating them as they all began to emit a low humming sound. The humming made the Hydreigon uncomfortable, its body now on edge as it backed away from the arena slowly, only to get sucker punched by the Thunderbolt Pokémon, its fist covered in what appeared to be ice. The Electivire made its way to its opponent, ready to deal the finishing blow, only to get caught off-guard by a sudden lunge from the Tyrant Cobra Pokémon, the three-headed snake biting down hard on its foe and injected it with a potent toxin. In a desperate attempt to break free from the attack, the Electivire continued to punch the Hydreigon with a series of swift punches, its foes grip slowly weakening as it soon collapsed to the floor and couldn't get back up. The Thunderbolt Pokémon was about to utter a cry of victory, only for it to collapse to the ground as a result of the toxin flowing through its body. Though Anastasia wasn't keen on the idea of a draw, she was more than satisfied that Hydreigon's reign of terror was at an end.
"That was a fantastic performance you gave, Hydreigon. I'll make sure you get a nice, warm rest for your efforts." The purple-haired girl smiled at her companion, recalling it as she saw her opponent recall her Pokémon and began musing on who to send out next. Eventually, she settled on sending out her Huntail and watched as Anastasia sent out her Aegislash, the teenage girl knowing that they weren't to be trifled with.
The moray eel opted to start things off by breathing a stream of draconic fire at its foe in the hopes of paralyzing it. However, the Aegislash predicted this and enlarged its shield to block the incoming attack before following up with a quick slash that sent the Huntail skidding back a couple feet. Realizing that brute strength wasn't going to cut it, it opted to coil its body into a circle in order to bolster its physical capabilities. Seeing an opportunity to land a decisive blow, the Aegislash switched into its Sword Forme and opted to slash at the Huntail, only for the slender Pokémon to retaliate with a swift Sucker Punch courtesy of its tail, the attack sending the Royal Sword Pokémon flying towards Anastasia's feet, the purple-haired girl a little surprised that she was able to knock it out that quickly.
"It's been a while since I was backed into a corner like this, but this is where things get exciting…" Anastasia stated, recalling her Aegislash and sent out her Metagross before taking out her Mega Ring and activated it. Natasha was a little taken aback by this turn of events, watching as the Metagross before her evolved into its Mega Forme, the hulking behemoth emitting a roar so powerful that the ground quivered for a few seconds. The massive Pokémon shot a quick glance at the Huntail, raising one of its arms in the air before slamming down on it with incredible force, the purple-haired girl flinching at the sight as she saw that her Huntail wasn't able to continue fighting.
"This isn't good…" Natasha mused to herself, recalling her injured Pokémon as she began plotting a way to deal with the Metagross for good. After a while, an idea formed in her mind as she opted to send out her Chandelure, believing it to be the best option she has.
Her decision seems to have paid off as the sentient chandelier wasn't intimidated by its powerful opponent at all, opting to start things off by emitting a series of powerful streams of fire from its candles, striking the Metagross and caused it to stagger back a couple feet. Shaking off the attack, the massive Pokémon began hovering in the air, it's body shining a lustrous silver as it charged at its opponent and struck it head on, sending the Chandelure flying back several feet into the wall. But despite the powerful attack, the Chandelier Pokémon wasn't out for the count, shaking the dust off its body as it fired a few more streams of fire at the Metagross, landing a direct hit as it fell to the ground. The Chandelure opted to go for one final attack, gathering as much lunar energy as it could before firing a vivid pink orb at its opponent, striking it head on as it was flung a few feet backwards and crumpled before Anastasia's feet, devolving into its normal form as it couldn't continue battling anymore.
"Don't get to excited over your victory, otherwise you'll change state!" Anastasia cracked another joke, the purple-haired girl wincing to herself as they both recalled their Pokémon. "In all seriousness, that was an awesome battle! You've definitely earned the Circuit Badge!"
"Thank you very much!" Natasha smiled, accepting the metal badge and pinned it to her trainer card.
"As much as I want to stay and chat, I've got an important side project to work on. If it's really urgent, you can see me at my lab underneath the gym, but don't touch anything. Got it?" The black-haired woman told her.
"Got it!" The purple-haired girl replied, opting to make her way to the Pokémon Center to heal her Pokémon.
0000
Natasha had just exited the Pokemon Center, opting to take out her map and go over her route to the next gym. As it was situated in Selene City, it would require her to go to Nasca Town, through the Murk Forest and stop off at Hekate Town before making the final push through Route 12. If all goes well, she should be able to arrive at her destination within 3-5 days. But as she was about to leave the town, she saw a shady figure making their towards the gym, only to make a turn to the right and stop at what looked like a small entrance hidden in the hillside, right underneath the gym itself.
"Tch, what an unusual place to put a workshop. Ah well, at least nobody saw me…" The man spoke to himself, a dark-grey trench coat over his body as a means of disguising himself. However, the purple-haired girl immediately recognized his voice; that slimy bastard Taen. He must've been making preparations for this meeting while Reukra was dealing with the whole Malde situation. Whatever the case, she had to deal with him as soon as possible. Following him inside the hidden workshop, Natasha hid behind the first table she could find, eavesdropping on the conversation between Anastasia and Taen.
"Just in time; your commission has been completed. Just keep me out of any more cult activities, and we'll be good." A sigh of content escaped from the woman's mouth, removing the cover off the thing she had built for him as the blue-haired man began to inspect it. It appeared to be what could only be described as a set of light-blue and white armor, which shone brightly underneath the dim lighting within the workshop. Natasha had no idea what the armor was for, but she had a hunch that Taen knew what its purpose was.
"Impressive work, it seems Reukra was right about you…" He stated, bringing out his phone and tapped away on it for a few moments. "And…done. One million dollars has been wired to your bank account as agreed. Though I'm tempted to give you a little extra given how fantastic this thing looks."
"I hope you didn't mind if I did a bit of research on the side while making it. I was curious to see what Pokémon you were designing the armor for, but I was only able to get a single match based on the measurements that you gave me; Zekrom. But that doesn't seem right; Harmony told me that it was Kyurem that you had. I find it hard to believe that you have both Kyurem and Zekrom." Anastasia stated, narrowing her eyes at the cultist.
"I don't care what you believe, the truth is the truth." Taen replied bluntly, taking out a Pokeball and opened it, with the Gym Leader stepping back in surprise as she saw the legendary Zekrom emerge from its ball. The Zekrom took a quick look at the armor before it, turning its head to face its trainer who shot an impatient glare at it. Knowing what would happen to it if it disobeyed his order, it willingly stepped into the armor, taking the time to put it on as the blue-haired man was pleased with what he was seeing.
"Incredible…I'd never thought I'd see Zekrom itself, wearing the armor I had built for it." Anastasia whispered to herself in a mixture of shock and awe. Figuring that it was the best time to confront Taen and put a halt to his plans, the purple-haired girl opted to emerge from her hiding spot, surprising the duo with her sudden appearance. "N-Natasha! What are you doing here?!"
"Putting a stop to whatever this creep plans on doing with that armor!" Natasha declared, a low chuckle escaping from Taen's mouth.
"Well, well. I can't say I'm surprised to see you. After all, meddlesome brats like you tend to stick around like a virus." He sneered at her.
"So how many of your fellow cultists did you sacrifice to summon Zekrom? Was it more than it took to summon Kyurem?" She shot back, only for another chuckle to escape from her foes mouth.
"Hah, do you really think we'd pull that sort of crap? We're not like those other cults who ask their target to join them; we just use Master Balls to capture them. Sure, Audrey was able to pull it off with Lugia, but look where that got her; a permanent vacation in Kyogre's stomach! It says something about our competition when we're the only cult that practices common sense." Taen retorted, shooting a sideways glance at Anastasia. "I might commission some more armor out of you. Don't worry; the Perfection Cult has more than enough money to compensate you for your services."
"W-Well…I…" She began stammering nervously, not to thrilled over the idea of making more armor for the Perfection Cult. But thankfully for her, the sound of approaching footsteps saved her from having to answer Taen's request.
"Hey, Anastasia!" The voice called out, with Natasha turning her head as she saw Orion approaching the trio. "My friend told me to come here. There was s—"
"You mean Reshiram? Ah yes, that was a most pleasant day if I say so myself." The blue-haired man called out, approaching the young boy who shot a glare back at him.
"You again?! I won't let you lay a hand on my pal, no matter what you do to me!" Orion shot back at his elder.
"Kids these days; they're a lot braver than most adults, though nowhere near as wise. You've saved my quite some trouble by making your way here." Taen sneered, showing off his newly acquired Zekrom. "Behold, child. The Dragon of Ideals, Zekrom! Bound in protective armor, it's much tougher than it ever was before! A perfect fusion of Pokémon and machine."
"Z-Zekrom joined you…?" The redhead asked in disbelief.
"As if! I simply caught it and tamed it into submission, just like with my Kyurem." The older man retorted bluntly.
"Y-You…I'll make you pay for treating them so cruelly, you monster!" Orion growled at his nemesis.
"Then why don't you send out your Reshiram and stop me? A duel between Truth and Ideals where the winner takes all…" Taen goaded him, hoping to get his hands on Reshiram.
"Seriously? Why should I accept when you have a clear advantage over me? That suit of armor gives you an unfair advantage!" The young boy retorted.
"Oh, and I thought you cared about what happens to Zekrom and Kyurem. How would the public react when they hear about an esteemed Gym Leader allowing innocent Pokémon to suffer…" The Perfection Cultist taunted him.
"Why don't you get bent, you freak?! Stop putting pressure on a young chi—" Natasha began, only for Orion to raise his hand in the air.
"It's okay Natasha, I'll accept his challenge. I can't let this bastard push me around like he did that day." Orion accepted the challenge, taking out a Pokéball and sent out his Reshiram, the Dragon of Truth staring down it's other half. "I'll make you pay for what you've done, one way or another. I'll see to it that justice is served right here, right now!"
"Did you really just say that?" Taen asked incredulously, taken aback by Orion's sudden valor. "Whatever; crush that worm Zekrom, or else…"
Knowing full well what 'or else' meant, the Zekrom gave it its all as it clashed with its rival, the two dragons dealing each other blow after blow. Anastasia, not wanting to get caught in the midst of battle, made the decision to back away from the dueling dragons, watching the mesmerizing sight as a sense of regret started to well up inside her. That armor…it was working too well for her liking; Reshiram was dealing very little damage to its foe. On the contrary, Zekrom's blows were leaving their mark on the white dragon's body. Eventually, Reshiram wasn't able to continue fighting, granting Zekrom an opportunity to deal a finishing blow to its opponent.
"Reshiram!" Orion cried out to his friend, with Taen chucking a spare Master Ball at the defeated dragon and caught it with ease. "N-No…my friend…"
"Yes! To the victor go the spoils." Taen smirked, recalling his Zekrom before picking up the newly acquired Reshiram. "That armor was well worth every penny spent. With this…I can finally create the Pokémon of my dreams…"
Seeing that Orion was on the verge of tears, Natasha opted to stand up for him. "Hey, give him back his friend! I'll fight you for it!" She demanded, taking out a Pokéball, only for Taen to reject the offer.
"Battle you? No thank you. Oh don't get me wrong, I want to get revenge on you for defeating me back at the Base of Perfection. But I have a few things to do in order to prepare myself for such a momentous occasion. When the time comes, I'll give you that battle that you want so desperately. Meet me at the Dragon Ruins near Selene City; that is where we will have our battle." The blue-haired man began. "Humanity and Pokémon are two sides of the same coin; each can do things the other couldn't hope to try. If we could combine the talents of people and Pokémon, perfection can finally be achieved."
And with that, the Perfection Cultist made his way outside the hidden workshop, the trio watching him go as they were trying to take in what they had just heard.
"That was some of the craziest stuff I've heard in a long time." Anastasia commented, with the other two turning to face her. "Look, about this whole armor business. I'm sorry that it led to you losing your friend, Orion. As a scientist, I need all the income I can get in order to continue my research."
"No need to apologize; knowing him, he would've found a way to make you build that armor for him." Natasha stated, shooting a quick glance at Orion. "Hey…are you alright?"
"At this moment, no. But know that I know where he's going to be, I can get stronger in order to save my friend. I'll need your assistance though, if it's alright with you." Orion told her.
"I'd be more than happy to help you, if only to teach that asshole a lesson." The purple-haired girl stated.
"You two…you aren't seriously considering going there, are you?" The older woman inquired.
"We have to Anastasia, for Reshiram's sake. It was my friend before I even knew it was a Pokémon. It supported me when I needed it the most, so now it's time for me to repay the favor." The redhead stated.
"Besides, it's obvious that he's planning something sinister at those ruins, and it involves the dragons of Unova. Whatever it is, we need to put a stop to it as soon as possible." Natasha added, turning to face Orion. "So, shall we travel together, or on our own?"
"On our own; I feel it would be more beneficial for us if we went our separate ways. Once you're ready, I'll meet you at the entrance to the Dragon Ruins." Orion told her, the young boy quietly making his way outside the hidden workshop.
"Look, Natasha. I'm not saying that you two aren't strong enough to defeat him, but I do advise taking caution. That Taen fella…he looks like the type who plays dirty to win." Anastasia warned her. "As a matter of fact, I have some prototypes that I could rebuild into armor for your Pokémon if you're interested."
"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll be fine without them. Just make sure that harmony knows what happened today, alright?" The purple-haired girl requested.
"Can do!" The gym leader replied cheerily, watching the teenage girl exit her workshop as she began brainstorming ideas for her next project.
Another apology for the late upload, but I had come down with a bit of writer's block which ate up a fair amount of time. I know this chapter was considerably different than the events of the game, but I feel that it would make the showdown against Taen at the Dragon Ruins all the more dramatic. Thank you all for reading and supporting my story, I'll see you all in the next chapter.
Acquired Delta Pokémon:
D. Venusaur
D. Charizard
D. Blastoise
D. Dugtrio
D. Crustle (Cake)
D. Golem
D. Ambipom
D. Muk
D. Reuniclus
D. Scizor
D. Volcarona
D. Sunflora
D. Gardevoir (female)
D. Gallade
D. Quagsire
D. Raichu
D. Hydreigon
D. Pidgeot
D. Golurk
D. Plusle
D. Minun
D. Ludicolo
D. Heatmor
D. Emolga
D. Drifblim
D. Roserade
D. Snorlax
D. Haxorus
D. Weezing
D. Dunsparce
D. Huntail (male)
D. Gorebyss (female)
D. Vespiquen
D. Chandelure
