A bit of a slower chapter than the last 2-3 chapters, but it's a nice change of pace from the norm, don't you think?

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.

Nasca Town

Having spent the last hour traversing through Route 11, Natasha decided to take a quick stop at the rural town in order to rest up for the next leg of her journey. She had heard from a few passing trainers that the Murk Forest was blanketed in a permanent fog of sorts, which has led to trainers getting lost within its depths. The warnings also mentioned a fantastic beast with incredible power, who uses the fog to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. Intrigued at the prospect of laying eyes on this magnificent creature, the purple-haired girl opted to prepare for her expedition into the forest, but not before looking around the small town for a while.

As she was wandering around the small town, she happened to hear a pair of trainers conversing with each other.

"Have you heard about the sudden power outages at the Power Farm? My father saw what looked like a rogue Pokémon skulking around the place; perhaps it's the culprit behind the incidents?" A young man informed his friend.

"A rogue Pokémon? What does it look like?" The man's friend inquired, a look of curiosity in her eyes.

"He only got a quick look at it before it fled behind a turbine; he told me that it was somewhat tall, was rather lanky and had what seemed to be a green scarf wrapped around its neck." The man informed her.

"Hmmm…seems like it could be a Leavanny; your father must've mistaken its leafy crest for a scarf." The woman suggested. "But what would a Leavanny be doing here? Their territory is to the right of Helios City, not left."

"Perhaps it was abandoned by its trainer or something, I don't know." The man replied, the duo walking off as a sense of intrigue coursed through Natasha. What on earth could this mysterious Pokémon be? Perhaps another Delta Species? Either way, she figured that it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of investigating, making her way towards the cave in the southeast. Upon entering the dank cavern, the first thing the purple-haired girl noticed was another one of those stone spires with a tile puzzle on it, opting to approach it as she began to solve the small puzzle before her. This time however, she was able to complete it in less than five minutes due to her prior experience. Watching the completed puzzle disappear, Natasha quickly took the scroll and pocketed it before making her way out the cave and onto the Power Farm.

As she had expected, the place was fairly quiet, save for the hum of the wind turbines that scattered the area. Quickly looking side-to-side in search of the rogue Pokémon, the purple-haired girl walked through the area, only to pause on the spot as she heard something behind her. Standing in front of the cave entrance was a predominantly green Bisharp, a light green scarf wrapped around its neck. The steel horn running down its face was an icy blue, as were its steel boots. Additionally, there were light green strips of cloth wrapped around the base of its blades, with another strip of cloth wrapped around its waist. This Delta Bisharp before her must be the mysterious Pokémon those trainers talked about, and it was itching for a fight. Accepting its challenge, Natasha sent out her Golurk, the giant warrior sizing up its opponent.

The Bisharp immediately lunged at the Golurk, at speeds far greater than that of an ordinary Bisharp and pummeled the Gladiator Pokémon with a series of rapid punches. However, the latter was able to take the barrage due to its incredible defenses and retaliated with a powerful punch that sent the Flying Sword Pokémon skidding back a few feet. Opting to get serious now, the Bisharp removed the cloth off its blades and used its power to conjure up a pair of sharp swords made out of wind and slashed the air, creating a powerful gust of wind that caused the Golurk to stagger on the spot. Recovering its composure, the Gladiator Pokémon reared its fist in the air and pummeled the foe with all its might, sending the Bisharp flying back a few feet as it crumpled on the grassy floor, with Natasha throwing a Pokéball at the injured Pokémon. The spherical device quickly wriggled on the floor as both trainer and Pokémon watched it with bated breath, hoping that their efforts would succeed. A few seconds later, the ball stopped shaking, the red light going out as Natasha sighed in relief over the successful capture.

"Phew…I've gotten so used to Pokémon willingly joining my team that my capturing skills have gotten a bit rusty." She quipped to her Golurk, the massive Pokémon letting out a low groan as the duo opted to make their way back to the Pokémon Center.

Fifteen minutes later, the purple-haired girl exited the red-roofed building, her Pokémon healed up from the encounter at the Power Farm as she decided to begin her exploration of Murk Forest. After all, she needed to go through them in order to reach Hekate Town. Additionally, there's also that extremely powerful Pokémon that she was warned about earlier today, hence why she needed to make additional preparations. Deciding that she was ready, Natasha made her way to the small cave to the right that led out of town, only to get struck by a sudden migraine. It was so intense that it caused her to black out, the purple-haired girl promptly fainting almost instantaneously.

Dream Sequence

"W-Where am I…?" Natasha asked, finding herself in an empty void of sorts. This couldn't be an ordinary dream; it must be the work of a Pokémon, and an incredibly strong one at that.

"Do not fret, young one. No harm would befall you." A voice called out to her, the purple-haired girl turning to the side and saw a Darkrai Cultist approaching her. "I'm only here to talk with you."

"Alright, I'll listen to you. But if you so much as think about attacking me…" The purple-haired girl began, getting herself in a combative pose in case the cultist tried anything stupid.

"Perhaps I should start by introducing myself; I'm the cultist that you saw getting sacrificed during your escape attempt. From what I know, you've become a legend in the Cult of Darkrai, due to the incredibly high bounty placed upon your head." The cultist told her.

"Sacrificed? If that's the case, then how are you here speaking to me?" Natasha inquired.

"Darkrai protected me as I was leaving this world; turns out that it doesn't want sacrifices and evil acts done in my name. None of the other legendaries approve of the actions of the various cults; in fact it wouldn't surprise me if Rayquaza found a way to save East." He continued, staring at the purple-haired girl intensely. "Listen to me; Persephone's ultimate desire is revenge. You must do everything in your power to stop her from getting it. Stopping her will save another legendary Pokémon from getting enslaved, and it may provide you with a way to save your friend, Damian. Forgive me for taking up your time, that is all I wanted to tell you."

H-How do you know all this?! W-Where are you going?!" She called out to the man as he began to disappear, only for the girl to succumb to darkness as she drifted off once more.

Dream Sequence end

?

"Ugh…where am I…?" Natasha groaned, slowly getting up as she took the time to survey her surroundings. Somehow, she had wound up deep inside a forest after blacking out back in town, though who dragged her here was a mystery. The place was dark and foreboding, with barely any light seeping in through the leaves, and a thick fog permeated the area. This must be the Murk Forest that she heard about from the townspeople; the place where the monster of incredible power lurks. Figuring that it was a good idea to find her bearings as soon as possible, she proceeded to get up on her feet, only for her to feel as if a weight was taken off her shoulders. Gently patting her back, she realized that her bag was missing, the purple-haired girl quickly looking around the area for her property. But as luck would have it, she soon her the sound of noisy chewing coming from her right, the teenager turning around to see her bag in the hands of a Pokémon, who was rummaging through it for food.

The Pokémon resembled a Scrafty, but it's body was a light green. It's crest, hood and pants were all made up of a thick, bushy grass that was able to absorb water at an incredible pace, enabling it to get a constant source of nourishment. But if its antics were any indication, water alone couldn't sate its appetite.

"H-Hey! Stop rummaging through my stuff!" Natasha pouted in annoyance, the Scrafty gazing at her before pulling out a half-open box of crackers and poured them all into its mouth, tossing the empty packaging back in the bag. "No…I was going to share them with Nora…" She stated dejectedly, falling to her knees.

Realizing that it may have gone a bit too far, the Scrafty hobbled towards her, handing the girl her bag back as it sat down beside her. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed them…" The purple-haired girl laughed dejectedly, with the Forest Pokémon mulling over how it could make it up to her. Soon enough, it came up with an idea that was bound to help the girl out, with the Scrafty tapping on her shoulder before pointing to the northeast.

"What's that, you want to escort me to Hekate Town as an apology for eating my crackers?" The purple-haired girl inquired, with the Scrafty nodding in response. "Alright then, lead the way."

Gesturing the girl to follow it, the Scrafty made its way through the forest, using the nearby stream as a guide through the foggy area. While walking, Natasha heard what sounded like a small group of people making their way through the area as it dawned on to her; the people of Hekate Town and Nasca Town have a 'buddy' system when it comes to walking through the forest, with people coming and going in groups of 2-3 so that they stand a chance against whatever monster could be lurking within the fog. However, she soon heard another noise coming from the left, a low growl of sorts that caused her to pause on the spot. Was this the fabled Monster of the Fog that she's heard about? Had it been stalking her this entire time, or did they randomly bump into each other? Whatever the case, she had to investigate it. Gesturing the Scrafty to follow her, the duo made their way towards the source of the noise, only to see a Sky Cultist leering at a mysterious creature.

The creature had a deep purple body that was covered in pitch-black fur, save for its face and underbelly, as well as a pair of metal gauntlets over its forelegs. It had a long tail that ended in a sharp purple stinger, like that of a scorpion. Additionally, it had a black pompadour on its head, made entirely of fur. But the most distinguishing feature were the large incisors hanging out its mouth, the tips oozing with a viscous venom. This has to be the Monster of the Fog; it certainly looks the part after all.

"H-Hey, don't you bare your fangs at me! Be a good Luxray and stay in the ball!" The Sky Cultist demanded, tossing an Ultra Ball at it, only for the Luxray to lower its head and strike the ball with its tail, shattering it into two.

"Hah! As I expected from a loser like you!" Natasha taunted the cultist, the older man turning and shot her a look of surprise.

"You?! This must be my lucky day; Jaern's placed a massive bounty on your head, as well as a bonus for any Delta Species that we can find. Between these two Delta's, and the ones you're lugging around, I'd be set for life!" The cultist leered at her.

"So Jaern's after the Delta Species as well…" The purple-haired girl muttered to herself.

"Indeed; he's been intrigued by them ever since you defeated East that day. However, he's on importance business right now, so it's up to us to gather them for him. But I'm sure he'd be surprised when we bring you to him." The older man continued.

"If you can catch me that is…Scrafty, knock the wind out of his sails!" She called out, the Forest Pokémon nodding in agreement as it leaped into the air and delivered a powerful kick to the man's stomach, winding him greatly as he was knocked down to the ground.

"Y-You…" He growled, clutching his aching stomach as he began panting for air.

"I'm not one for attacking trainers; after all it's a pretty scummy move. But when it comes to creeps like you, I'm willing to make an exception." She retorted, noticing that the Luxray was still growling at the injured cultist, ready to deal the finishing blow. "Luxray! This man's not worth it! Just leave him be."

Upon saying that, the Venom Fangs Pokémon ceased its growling, averting its gaze back to the purple-haired girl as the cultist stared at her in shock. How was it that this girl could easily tame a Pokémon that was out for blood? Was this part of the reason why Jaren wanted to apprehend her as soon as possible? As much as he wanted to ask her, he was in too much pain to do so, the cultist watching helplessly as the trio walked away from him.

0000

After just under an hour of walking, the trio were finally near the exit to Hekate Town, the only thing left of note was a secluded clearing to the side, surrounded by tall trees. But as she was about to pass the entrance, she heard what sounded like frantic footsteps, the teenager watching as several miners quickly fled the clearing.

"D-Don't just stand there; get away from here!" One of the miners exclaimed, a look of fear etched on his face.

"W-Wait a minute! What's going on here?" Natasha inquired.

"W-We were hired by Hekate Town to mine some special crystals located within this forest. We were making good progress when these Ariados emerged from within the trees. None of us know how to battle, so we fled the area without the crystals." He informed her, and idea brewing in her head.

"I see…tell you what. I'll deal with the Ariados, while you and your co-workers reclaim your equipment." The purple-haired girl told him, entering the clearing with her Pokémon before the miner could protest. Upon entering the clearing, the trio were immediately started down by half a dozen Ariados, no doubt annoyed by the intrusion to their territory. "Look, I understand why you're annoyed with the miners; their work no doubt awakening you from your slumber. But if you wish to attack them, then you'll have to go through me first!"

The Ariados were ready to pounce on the intruder, only for a loud chittering to call out to them, the spider Pokémon standing down as they felt their leader making its arrival. Standing aside in a line of sorts, the Ariados stood silently as a massive Pokémon skittered towards the purple-haired girl, opting to stare her down. The being was…massive; far larger than anything she expected. It had a black and yellow striped body which was covered in a rocky shell of sorts, with eight black and yellow legs that were paired off into four groups of two. It had three sharp horns on its face, two above its red eyes and one on its forehead. Additionally, it had a set of sharp mandibles that could shatter large boulders with ease. The Pokémon it closest resembled was a Metagross, which spelled trouble for her as she knew how powerful they could be.

"So you're the one in charge of this little group, huh? If you think I'm scared of you, then you're wrong!" Natasha retorted boldly, impressing the Metagross with her words. However, words alone would not sate it; it wanted her to prove its strength to her. Accepting the Metagross' challenge, Natasha gestured Scrafty and Luxray to standby for battle, the three Pokémon staring each other down. The Scrafty opted to take the first move, taking out a handful of hard seeds from its pants and flung them at the Metagross, the seeds exploding on impact. This staggered the large Pokémon, giving the Luxray an opportunity to strike its foe with its tail, puncturing its body and delivered a potent toxin into its blood stream. The purple-haired girl's eyes lit up slightly as she had just gained the upper hand, only to see that the Metagross wasn't fazed at all by the poison. In fact, it appeared to be regaining its strength, leaving her to deduce that it has Poison Heal as its ability. Raising its right forelegs in the air, the large spider slammed them on the ground, creating a powerful tremor that struck the two Deltas, halting them in place. It the followed up by picking up a large boulder with its mandibles and flung it in the air, destroying it with a hardened blob of webbing and watched as the shards of rock rained down upon its foes. Both Scrafty and Luxray shielded themselves from the incoming shower, enabling the Metagross to swat them away with its legs as the duo were knocked to the ground. Getting back up off the ground, the duo decided to finish things off with a bang, knowing that they couldn't last much longer. The Luxray's fangs began to ooze a viscous green fluid as it lunged at the Metagross and bit down on it, the fluid coming into contact with the toxin from before to deal extra damage to the large spider. From there, the Scrafty used all its strength to pick up a large log, twirling it in its hands before slamming down on the Metagross with such strength that the log was shattered into two. The imposing Pokémon staggered on the spot for a few moments before collapsing on the ground, the Ariados terrified at what they saw.

Not wanting to get knocked out as well, the Ariados quickly fled into the depths of the forest, leaving Natasha to her own devices as she took out a Pokéball and flung it at the Metagross. The device ensnared the large Pokémon, falling to the ground and began shaking rapidly as the trio watched it with bated breath. Eventually the shaking ceased, the purple-haired girl sighing in relief over the successful capture as she scooped up the ball and pocketed it.

"Talk about quite the battle…" She commented to herself, alerted by a rustling of leaves as she turned around and saw the miner from before. "Were you watching this entire time?"

"Y-Yeah…My buddies and I had finished collecting out equipment, but I was so intrigued by your style of battling that I couldn't help but watch." He admitted, noticing that her Pokémon were exhausted from the battle. "Seems that your Pokémon are tired. Shall we head on over to the Pokémon Center in Hekate Town to give them a rest?"

"I was planning on heading there anyway, so I wouldn't mind the company." Natasha smiled at him, recalling her Pokémon back to their balls as the duo made their way out of the forest, the purple-haired girl satisfied by how many Delta Pokémon she acquired today.

A little shorter than usual, but I was busy searching for work, which is easier said than done given the current circumstances. I figured that in order to spice up the Delta Encounters a bit, I'd have Natasha come face-to-face with enemy cultists, predominantly the Sky Cult as I feel that they've had barely any impact on the story at all. I mean, the Abyssal and Infernal cults had their own bases to infiltrate, while Perfection and the Cult of Darkrai have made their presence known throughout the story. Mind you, I do understand that it's tricky to flesh out several villainous groups equally, but I do wish we got another major confrontation with the Sky Cult asides from the rematch with Jaern. Anyway, thank you all for reading, I'll see you 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

D. Bisharp

D. Scrafty

D. Luxray

D. Metagross (Spider)