So, with a new rotation of stories on my list, I should have enough motivation to keep any unwanted delays from happening so soon. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter as it will have a pair of intense battles.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon Insurgence; it is the property of its creators.
The next day
Having spent the previous night formulating a strategy for the upcoming gym battle; Natasha was confident in her chances of victory. However, there was one thing that caused her to reconsider her chances. During the night, she heard from the nurse that Diana's mega Pokémon is the closest to a three-typed Pokémon the world has ever seen. This raised a couple questions in her mind; how many of its weaknesses would be covered by its third typing? Would it gain a same-type-attack-bonus from moves connected to its "third type"? And most importantly, what type of Pokémon is it? These were questions that could only be answered during the battle. Her Pokémon now recovered from the battle against Persephone the other day, the purple-haired girl retrieved them and made her way towards the Selene City gym for her sixth gym battle.
"Welcome, Natasha." Diana greeted the teenage girl upon seeing her enter the gym. "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened the other day. It was wrong of me to drag you into it, more so given what happened between you and Perse."
"No need to apologize; a confrontation was bound to happen between us anyway." Natasha brushed her apology off.
"So, did you find anything interesting at the abandoned tower?" The brown-haired woman inquired, with the purple-haired girl bringing out her egg to show to her. "Oh my…what a strange looking egg. What's in it?"
"A Delta Noibat. This egg is irrefutable proof that Delta Pokémon are able to breed, just like regular Pokémon." Natasha beamed proudly, promptly putting the egg away. "But we can talk about it later; I've got a battle to win!"
"I wouldn't count on it. My dream-themed team will lull you and your Pokémon into an eternal nightmare!" Diana retorted, starting things off with her Sableye with Natasha sending out her Liepard in response. "Why don't we start things off with a little Trick?"
Snickering to itself, the Sableye vanished into the shadows, sneaking up on the Liepard and quickly swapped items around. As the Darkness Pokémon had a Choice Scarf on initially, it would lock its opponent into using one move only, thwarting whatever strategy it had planned out. However, the item it got in return was a Toxic Orb, a mysterious jewel that badly poisoned the holder. Just then, the Sableye felt something get thrown at the back of its head, the small Pokémon turning around and saw the scarf crumpled up into a ball beside its feet.
"I had a hunch that you'd start things off with your Sableye, so I formed a counter-strategy to deal with its cunning tricks. By using Fling on the scarf, I freed my Liepard from its restrictions, while your Pokémon is now poisoned." Natasha stated, her carefully constructed plan impressing the gym leader. "Now let's follow it up with a Hex, Liepard!"
Letting out a meow of compliance, the Deceit Pokémon channelled its ghostly power to create an eerie purple cloud that floated towards the Sableye, ensnaring the small gremlin as it hissed in pain. Shaking the pain off, it glared at the cat before lunging towards it, smacking the back of its head with its hand as the cat was sent skidding back a few feet. Pawing the ground beneath its feet, the Liepard lunged towards the Sableye and began playing with it roughly, kicking it into the air before dealing a finishing blow with its tail, sending the gremlin hurtling towards Diana's feet.
"Impressive. Not many trainers can deal with my Sableye that quickly. But the battle has just begun, and I will make a comeback!" The brown-haired girl declared, recalling her Sableye before sending out her Gardevoir, the Embrace Pokémon calmly eying up the Liepard, its eyes glowing a faint blue. Its gaze was so calming that the cat couldn't help but curl up into a ball and fall asleep. The Gardevoir's eyes then proceeded to glow red, a series of spectral tentacles striking the sleeping Liepard and absorbed its dreams, dealing more than enough damage to knock the poor cat out. "Now have you got a grasp on the power of my dream team?"
"Yes, it's quite formidable indeed. Unfortunately for you, I've got the ideal counter to your strategy." The purple-haired girl replied, calmly recalling her Liepard and sent out her Golurk, the tall gladiator staring down its foe. Glancing at the Flame Orb in its hands, it crushed it with ease, inflicting a few burns on its hands as a new surge of determination coursed through its body. It's body then proceeded to glow a vivid orange, as it reared its fist back and dealt an unbelievable powerful blow to the Gardevoir, sending her flying back into the wall as Diana winced in pain for her fallen comrade. "And now begins what I call the Pain Train; all aboard, my dear lady…"
'This isn't good. I need to deal with that thing as soon as possible.' Diana thought to herself, recalling her Gardevoir before sending out her Chandelure, with Natasha raising an eyebrow in response. 'Hehehe, this is perfect. From the look of things, her Golurk can't do much against it. This Pain Train's gonna get derailed!'
Outstretching her arm towards the Golurk, the Chandelure uttered a shrill cry, firing a series of small Flamethrowers from its arms to attack the gladiator head on. The relentless flames struck the Golurk head on, causing it to step back a couple feet. The damage was further intensified by the self-inflicted burns on its hands, a small bead of sweat falling down its face. But despite this relentless assault, the gladiator wasn't ready to concede, far from it. Shooting a glare at the chandelier, its fists were soon cloaked in a dark aura as it lunged at the Chandelure and assaulted it with a series of swift punches before picking it up and hurling it towards the same wall that Gardevoir crashed into before.
"H-How…?" Diana exclaimed, shocked that her counter was effortlessly defeated.
"The Pain Train doesn't discriminate based on typing; a heart-warming display of progressiveness if I say so. Now, who'll be the next passenger, hmm?" Natasha called out, an idea forming in the gym leader's mind.
"Oh, I've got the perfect passenger for your little train. Too bad it'll be the last passenger your train picks up for the day!" The brown-haired lady stated, sending out her Gengar as the mischievous ghost chuckled at its foe before proceeding to hover in the air, taunting its foe to attack. This enraged the gladiator, who reared its fist back and punched the Gengar, only for the ghost to dodge at the last second. It soon reappeared to the left of the Golurk, poking its tongue out at is sluggish foe as it promptly dodged another incoming punch. The hit and run spectacle repeated itself a few more times before the Golurk began panting, exhausted from the failed assaults as the damage from its burns started taking its toll on the giant. The Genger's eyes proceeded to glow a purplish red, staring directly at the gladiator as it took one last swing at the spectre, knocking it to the ground and left a small crater in the floor. Just then, a spectral image of the ghost rose from its body and floated towards the Golurk, draining it of its energy as it proceeded to fall forwards, crashing into the floor and caused the building to quiver on the spot. It was a victory for Diana, but a pyrrhic victory at most. She may've taken down one of Natasha's strongest Pokémon, but she lost half her team in the process. No matter, she still has her aces up her sleeves.
"You did an amazing job, Golurk." The purple-haired girl complimented her companion, recalling it to its ball, with Diana recalling her Gengar as well.
"Looks like your Pain Train derailed. A shame since I have a passenger who would have loved a ride. No matter, she's more than capable of making a comeback. Go, my Gothitelle; it's time to Mega Evolve!" Diana declared, sending out her fifth Pokémon before pressing the Keystone on her Mega-Ring. The Gothitelle was surrounded by a multi-coloured orb of light, breaking free a few moments later as Natasha gazed upon her form. Her long, billowing dress was changed into a tighter one, showing the outlines of her legs. Additionally, she had a long purple scarf wrapped around her neck, the ends floating in the air thanks to its psychic powers.
"Impressive, but can it stand up to my Gallade?" Natasha inquired, sending out her Gallade as it eyed up the imposing Psychic type. His icy blades cloaked in a dark aura, he lunged at the Gothitelle and struck her, expecting the attack to deal a lot of damage. However, he was taken aback by her uncaring glance, stepping back in surprise. "Huh? That attack wasn't as effective as I anticipated."
*giggles* "That's the power of Gothitelle's Ethereal Shroud; granting her the resistances and immunities of the Ghost type, without incurring the weaknesses. Add the Dark typing she gains upon Mega-Evolution and there's very little that can deal super-effective damage." Diana giggled over her opponent's bewilderment, outstretching her hand towards her foe as the Gothitelle got into action. Channelling her psychic power, she ensnared the Gallade in a light blue aura, lifting him up off the ground before hurling him towards the wall. She then followed up by conjuring a shadowy orb of ominous energy and flung it towards the swordsman, knocking him down to his feet.
"Looks like we have to fall onto our back-up plan. Use Volt Switch!" The purple-haired girl requested, with Gallade getting back up and lunged at his foe, his body cloaked in electricity. The attack struck the Gothitelle directly, with Gallade quickly retreating back to his ball as Natasha selected her fourth Pokémon and sent it out, the ground quivering once more as Spider Metagross emerged from its ball.
Letting out a chitter that sent chills down Diana's spine, the Metagross scuttled towards the Gothitelle and bit down on her, its mandibles holding her firmly. Startled, the Astral Body Pokémon conjured up another Shadow Ball and flung it at the spider's face, the attack causing it to flinch but only momentarily. The Metagross then proceeded to fling her towards the wall before following it up with an X-Scissor, the attack scoring a critical hit on the Psychic-type. The Gothitelle slid down the wall, devolving into her regular form as she couldn't continue battling.
"Oh my…" The brown-haired girl gasped, surprised at what she just saw. The Metagross was able to break through Gothitelle's immense defence and land a critical hit. Recalling her to her ball, Diana sent out her last Pokémon, the legendary Cresselia, causing Natasha to step back in surprise.
"Y-You own a legendary Pokémon? Does that mean—" She began.
"That the prophecy could be about me? Sorry to burst your bubble, but Cresselia isn't a Mythical Pokémon. However, she's still a powerful force to be reckoned with!" Diana stated, with Cresselia rearing her head back as she fired off a beam of cold energy that struck the Metagross' feet, freezing it on the spot. Seeing that it was vulnerable, the Cresselia followed up with a powerful blast of psychic energy, scoring a direct hit on the immobilized spider. Just then, the large arachnid began shaking its legs, breaking free of its icy prison before slamming them onto the ground, creating a potent tremor. Though the attack didn't injure the Lunar Pokémon, it caused her to lose her focus, enabling the Metagross to leap into the air and cross its forelegs together, charging up another X-Scissor. It dove towards the Cresselia, striking her directly and sent her hurtling towards the ground, crashing into it and left a sizable impact crater. The Lunar Pokémon attempted to get back in the battle, but was too injured to do so and collapsed, securing Natasha her sixth gym badge.
"Yes, we did it!" She cheered, with Metagross letting out a victorious chitter as a look of admiration formed on Diana's face.
"It seems as I've been bested today." She stated, recalling her injured companion. "That was a phenomenal battle; you definitely earned the Dreamland Badge today!" She continued, handing Natasha a small metal badge. It was a pitch-black skill that had a single purple eye in the center.
"Thank you." Natasha smiled, recalling her Metagross. "Once my friends have recovered, I plan on heading over to the Dragon Ruins. I've got some…business to deal with."
"I see…" Diana said, not wanting to delve deeper into it. "Once you're done there, I suggest heading over to Amphitrite City. The Gym Leader, Calreath is quite the challenging opponent. He's also the most amazing boyfriend; smart, handsome, kind. He's so perfect…" She gushed about her lover, a flustered look appearing on Natasha's face.
"I-I'll make sure to convey your greeting to him." The purple-haired girl stammered, her cheeks bright red as she quickly left the gym, an amused look forming on the Gym Leader's face.
"You may be put off by the notion of love, but you'll find your special someone someday…" She mused to herself.
0000
With her Pokémon fully healed, Natasha was more than ready to deal with whatever nefarious plan Taen had concocted. Hoping to meet Orion there so they can form a plan, the purple-haired girl made her way to the north, crossing over a couple small hills before stopping before the entrance to the fabled Dragon Ruins. The teenager couldn't help but whistle in admiration of the place; the remains of a long-lost civilization stood proud and tall atop the hill. There were dozens of houses littering the place, the walls still standing firmly despite the damage inflicted to them by the sands of time, while several broken columns stood rooted in their place.
"An amazing sight, isn't it?" A familiar voice called out, with Natasha turning to see Orion approach her. "I take it you're ready to finish this?"
"Indeed, I'll do anything to help you get your friend back." She smiled at the young gym leader. "So have you got a plan?"
"Not really to be honest, but I'm more than confident that we can overpower him in a 2vs1 battle." Orion replied.
"Make that a 3vs1 battle." Another voice called out, the duo turning to see Nora approach them. "Taen cannot go ahead with his plans here, otherwise the entire region will be in great danger."
"You know what that freak's planning to do to my friend?" The red-head inquired, the green-haired girl giving him a quick nod.
"Are you familiar with the legend surrounding Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyurem? Long ago, they were a single being of immense power, but a war between two princes who fought for truth and ideals separated the dragon into three entities. I believe that Taen wants to unite the three dragons, hoping it'll be the perfect Pokémon that the Perfection Cult desires." She informed her allies. "If the three dragons are united; then Perfection may win this war, surpassing even the Infernal Cult."
"The last thing we need is a Pokémon of that magnitude in cultist hands. Come on, let's teach Taen a lesson he'll never forget!" Natasha declared, the trio making the trek up the hill and through the ruins. Halfway up the hill, the trio were soon caught off-guard by a low growl echoing throughout the ruins. Hushing up her friends, the purple-haired girl crept through the ruined door and into the ruined building, where she saw a Pokémon sleeping quietly on the floor. It resembled an Avalugg, only it was made out of hard rock instead of ice, its back covered in dozens of sharp orange stones that resembled spikes. It also had sharp orange stones on its feet that resembled claws, claws that can tear through rock with ease. The purple-haired girl realized it was another Delta Species and attempted to catch it, only for a quick tremor to permeate the area, waking up the slumbering giant. Dazed, it turned to face the girl for a moment before turning around and slowly made its way up the mountain. Gesturing her friends to follow it, the trio continued their trek, arriving at the summit half an hour later where they saw their nemesis overlooking the three dragons under his command.
"I'm so glad you three showed up, especially you, Natasha. Your newest pet wouldn't stop growling at me." Taen stated, shooting a quick glance at the Avalugg, who glared back at the intruder. "You will all bear witness to my greatest triumph. Between the Delta Species, Mega Evolution, the Pokérus virus and the special armor, we've encountered nothing but failure at every corner."
"Hold on, how did the armor fail? After all, the battle between you and Orion proved that it was a success." Natasha inquired, with the redhead looking to the side in regret over his defeat that day.
"I don't know how she did it, but Anastasia sabotaged it. While initial results proved to be successful, the armor degraded quickly over time, no longer being as strong as it was. What a waste of money…" The cultist replied bitterly. "But now that I have the three dragons of Unova at my command, I can finally recreate the Original Dragon of Unova. I'm sure you all know about the legend of the Original Dragon, but there's one fact that was omitted from the history books. This ruin? This is where the dragon was separated, not in Unova as many "historians" will have you believe. A shrine was built here in the hopes of reuniting the dragon, but time has taken its toll on this ancient place."
"So this is the endgame for the Perfection Cult; using the Original Dragon to rule the world?" Orion stated, with Taen shaking his head in response.
"World domination would be nice, but our main goal has, and will always be perfection. Reukra entrusted this most important job to me, and I will see it fulfilled. I already have the three Pokémon needed for the ritual, and now it is time to finally reunite them into one perfect being. For the Original Dragon represented the idea of opposing beliefs finding neutral ground and working together, the idea of harmony and perfection." Taen retorted, turning once more to the three dragons as their bodies began glowing with an ancient, ethereal light. "Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem! It's time to return to your origins! Join together and become whole once more! Ignis et fulgura fiunt unum!"
The light began glowing even brighter, enveloping the three dragons as the heroes shielded their eyes from the radiant light. "And now, great dragon of Unova! The divine, perfect god! Emerge, the great Namehere!" The cultist chanted, expecting the dragon to step forth and kneel before him. However, the light didn't fade whatsoever, causing the man to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "…maybe you didn't hear me, dragon. I said EMERGE! The great Namehere!"
Silence echoed throughout the area, a silence that was only broken by a hearty laughter from the three heroes. "Are you seriously reading that off a scroll?" Nora inquired
"Yeah, I am. How is that funny?" Taen demanded, glaring at the trio who continued to laugh at him.
"You're reading it wrong. You're supposed to say the dragon's name where it says 'name here'." The green-haired girl continued.
"T-That can't be right; the dragon's name has been lost to time! No-one alive knows what it was, nor was there any known recording of its name." The blue-haired man exclaimed.
"So much for your great triumph. You never cease to amaze me with your stupidity!" Natasha chimed in, infuriating the cultist.
"Y-You! I'll find that name, and when I do, I'll make you regret the day you were born!" Taen hissed, turning to the ball of light. "Dragons, I split you into Kyurem-White and Zekrom! Come forth and serve me!"
Upon his orders, the light subsided, revealing the oppressive forms of Zekrom and Kyurem-White. But the cultist wasn't done just yet, taking a Pokéball and sent out his Typhlosion before pressing down on his Mega-Ring. The Volcano Pokémon was enveloped in a wondrous orb of light, breaking free of it as it emerged in its new form. It's greenish-blue fur was now a pitch black, while its flames burned brighter and hotter than before.
"So this is the rematch you were hoping for? I'll be happy to crush you like I did back at your base. Avalugg, are you willing to help us out?" Natasha inquired, the Colossal Pokémon looking up at her before agreeing to fight for her.
"How does she do it…?" Orion quietly asked Nora, in awe at what he saw.
"It's a long story. For now, we better help her out." She replied, sending out her Flygon while the Gym Leader sent out his Talonflame. The green-haired girl then proceeded to press on her keystone, mega-evolving her Flygon in order to gain the advantage.
Opting to take the initiative, the Talonflame took to the skies, its wings cloaked in a vivid blue light as it swooped down onto the Typhlosion, landing a direct hit and sent it skidding back several feet. However, the honey badger wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet, getting on all fours and spewed a stream of intense fire from its mouth at the Avalugg, the latter's impressive bulk resisting the attack admirably. Holding its ground, it turned to face Kyurem-White as a series of orange rings surrounded its body. the rings then turned into sharp rocks which the Colossal Pokémon flung towards the almighty dragon, scoring a direct hit as the titan uttered a low growl of pain. Kyurem-White then reared its head back, breathing a stream of fire so cold that it became a blizzard, striking the Avalugg head on and froze it on the spot. Just as it was about to follow up with a second attack, it was struck from the side by Flygon, pushing the titan back a few feet as the dragon started it down.
It then proceeded to slam its tail onto the ground, creating a series of cracks that shone a bright orange as they struck Zekrom and Kyurem-White, causing the two legends to stagger on the spot. The attack also freed Avalugg from its icy prison, who reared its forelegs into the air and slammed them onto the ground, creating a powerful tremor that rocked the area and knocked Kyurem-White off its feet, with Talonflame dealing the finishing blow by landing a powerful Brave Bird at its back, causing the dragon to separate into Kyurem and Reshiram. Annoyed by the outcome, Taen ordered Typhlosion to attack the Flygon with Flare Blitz, the honey badger cloaking its body and lunged at the nimble dragon. However, it was halted by an incoming barrage of rocks that the Avalugg hurled towards the fire-type, trapping the Typhlosion underneath a large pile of debris as it devolved into its regular form. Opting to finish things off, the Flygon flew into the air and uttered a deafening screech of draconic power, immobilizing the Zekrom as it shielded its ears from the vocal assault, only for the Flygon to swoop down at the titan and sweep it off its feet with its long tail, following up with a Hyper Beam that struck Zekrom's vulnerable underbelly, dealing more than enough damage to knock it out.
"I-Impossible!" Taen roared in frustration. "How could I lose to a trio of brats like you!"
"We won because we worked together to defeat a common enemy. It's over Taen; surrender yourself to the authorities this instant!" Natasha demanded.
"In your dreams! I'll just reunite the dragons and—" He began, only to see Zekrom slowly get back up and tear the tattered pieces of armor off its body, shooting the cultist a glare before leaving the area. "No, Zekrom! Get back here!"
"Raaaaammmmmmm!" Reshiram roared weakly, getting back up and made its way to Orion, a look of relief appearing on the boy's face.
"Reshiram, you're back! I'm so sorry that I hurt you back there." He apologized for injuring it during the battle, the snowy-white dragon reassuring its friend as a mask of rage formed on Taen's face.
"This isn't the end, you hear me?! I will find that name, and when I do, I WILL reunite the three dragons, and you won't be able to stop me!" He hissed, recalling his Kyurem before making a hasty retreat.
"Well then, that's another crisis averted. I say we did a great job out there, team." Nora complimented her allies, with the Pokémon letting out a quick chirp of victory.
"There is one thing that's bothering me; what was the name of the Original Dragon?" Orion inquired, with Reshiram letting out a low roar to state that even it didn't know the dragon's name.
"I do have a theory, but it's probably incorrect." The green-haired girl chimed in. "You know how Kyurem is the shell of the Original Dragon? As well as how the fusions are called Kyurem-White and Kyurem-Black? I did a bit of research at the Utira Library and stumbled upon a book on Unovan word structures. There was a page that talked about the legendary trio; Reshi—was a prefix that meant truth, while Zek—was a prefix that meant ideals. Nobody can agree on what Kyu—meant, but most translations believe it meant whole, or complete. Honestly, I never questioned how little that made sense; Kyurem is the opposite of complete. Taen said that the Original Dragon was perfect, a symbol of different beliefs working together. Perhaps a more accurate translation of Kyu—would be perfect."
"When you say it like that, it makes an awful lot of sense. If it is true, then I'm glad Taen wasn't able to connect the dots." Natasha sighed in relief.
"Now that the Perfection has been dealt with for now, we should focus our efforts back onto the Infernal Cult. If we can strike them while they're unprepared, then we may stand a chance of defeating them. I'm gonna go scout ahead in Oranos Town, I'll see you there." The green-haired girl said, quietly making her way down the hill as Natasha turned to face Orion.
"As much as I want to help you, I gotta head back to my gym. Gotta keep the league running smoothly despite the cult wars and whatnot. However, me and Reshiram owe you big for helping us out; if there's anything we can do to help you out, just give us a call and we'll be there." The redhead pledged, with the snowy-white dragon giving a nod of agreement.
"I'll keep it in mind. But I'm sure you two want to throw a reunion party or something." Natasha chuckled lightly, with Orion joining in.
"Yeah, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Anyway, I'll catch you another time. See ya, and good like in kicking the Infernal Cult's behind!" He bid his goodbye, hopping onto Reshiram's back as the dragon took flight and flew towards Suntouched City, leaving Natasha and Avalugg on their own.
"So, you wanna relax here for a bit before continuing our journey?" She asked, the Colossal Pokemon giving her a slow nod as they sat down on the cool grass and watched the skies. Though she has won a series of intense battles, they would be a cakewalk compared to what was in store for her.
Another chapter wrapped up nice and neatly. I still remember how the game ended here when Insurgence was still partially finished. I was disappointed that I had to put my adventure on hold for a while. So you can imagine the look of joy on my face when I heard about the release of Version 1.2, enabling us to continue our journey through Torren. 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)
D. Glalie
D. Froslass
D. Noibat (Egg)
D. Liepard
D. Avalugg
