Welcome back to Pokémon Insurgence, I have another wonderful chapter for you all to read, as it'll have a fantastic gym battle. I hope you all enjoy it.

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

Amphitrite City

It took approximately an hour following her little detour at the satellite tower, but Natasha finally made it to Amphitrite City. The ground was absolutely soaked in water, with puddles scattered all over the area as the citizens walked around with umbrellas in their hands. She had heard from a fellow traveler that the area around the city was struck by heavy rain at least three times a week, so the purple-haired girl prepared in advance just in case it was raining. But today seemed to be one of those days where the sky was as clear as usual, so she had no need to bring out her umbrella. It was then that she noticed something sticking out of a puddle on the ground, the purple-haired girl picking it up and cleaned it, having a closer look at the thing. It appeared to be some sort of metal wing, and she had seen something like it before. Quickly rummaging through her bag, she found what she was looking for; the wing she was given when she purchased that scroll in the black market. Now that she had found both wings, she could return them to the nearest Pikataxi stall for a reward, but that can wait a little longer.

Putting both wings in her bag, she made her way towards the city center, her eyes fixated on the large lake to the south. There was a small island in the middle that had a cave resting atop it, no doubt leading to a series of caverns underneath the area. She was so busy looking at the cave, that she didn't recognize the arrival of a familiar face, the latter calling out to her.

"Hey, earth to Natasha! I've been looking for you!" They called out, the purple-haired girl turning to see Nora calling out to her, and she wasn't alone. Standing beside her was a well-dressed young man with short blue hair and matching blue eyes. His outfit consisted of a black overcoat and matching black trousers, both of which had a blue stripe running down the center. Additionally, he wore a blue button-up shirt underneath his coat. Natasha had to admit one thing; this man was quite the looker.

"N-Nora! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Natasha stammered, caught off-guard by her arrival. "Who's the man beside you?"

"The name's Calreath; I'm the Gym Leader of this wet and wonderful city!" He greeted her enthusiastically, shaking hands with the purple-haired girl. "I take it you already met my girlfriend, Diana?"

"Y-Yeah, she wanted me to convey her love to you." She replied, a light chuckle escaping from the gym leader's mouth.

"Yeah, that sounds like her alright. But that aside, I've heard quite an interesting tale about you; is it true that you took down the Abyssal Cult?" Calreath inquired

"Indeed. I heard it from her firsthand." Nora chimed in. "It was no easy battle; but Torren is now free from Audrey's scheming."

"Heh, it's a little embarrassing truth be told. As a Gym Leader, it's my duty to keep the people of Torren safe from harm, but it was you who stepped in to save the day." The blue-haired man commented, a new resolve welling up inside him. "Well enough is enough; Diana and I will fully pledge our services to you in quashing all the cults plaguing the region. However, I can also introduce you two to someone. See, I lived in the Aroma Region when I was a young boy alongside my dear friend, and our exploits as trainers attracted someone's attention. We were both chosen by Mythical Pokémon; my friend was chosen by Victini, and I was chosen by Manaphy. My friend works for someone else now; I promised him I'd let him know if I found anyone else chosen by a Mythical Pokémon. If you two could visit him, that would be appreciated."

"I'd be happy to pay him a visit. The trouble is, I don't know where he's residing." Natasha agreed to the request.

"See that cave you were staring at before? He's somewhere within its depths. The three of you are on the same side, so don't worry about a potential ambush. Once you've had your meeting, I'd be happy to challenge you to a battle. After all, I'm sure that's why you came her." Calreath smiled at the duo, making his way back to his gym as the two teens quickly glanced at each other.

"I gotta admit, I'm curious about that cave he talked about. We should check it out; after all, he was chosen by Manaphy so I doubt he's lying to us. Still, we should go together just in case it is a trap." Nora told her.

"Sure, I'd love to go on this little date of yours…" The purple-haired girl teased, catching her friend off-guard as she began blushing like crazy. Hoping onto Natasha's Inflatable Lapras, the duo made their way across the lake and into the cave, stepping through the entrance as they were taken aback by a most bewitching sight. The place was absolutely littered with dozens upon dozens of crystals, some of them as large as a small child. What little sunlight that could enter the cave shone upon the crystals, lighting up the area in a display that dazzled the duo.

"Wow, it's so beautiful…" The green-haired girl cooed in awe.

"The view's not the only thing here that's beautiful." Natasha chimed in, shooting a quick glance at her friend.

"L-Let's get a move on, alright?" Nora stammered, quickly making her way through the cave as she had a hunch on what her friend was talking about. The trek through the cave wasn't easy; their path was blocked by rocks several times, forcing the duo to either push them aside or destroy them. Additionally, there were a few steep ledges in the cave, the duo scaling them slowly so as to avoid injury or worse. But eventually, they arrived at what looked to be a small chamber, surrounded by an underground lake on all sides. This must be the end of the cave, but who was waiting for them exactly.

"Well, it seems that no-one is here. Should we enter that chamber, or wait out here for them?" The purple-haired girl inquired.

"I don't think we need to wait for anyone…" Nora told her, directing her attention to what appeared to be a middle-aged man, a golden crown resting atop his head. He had dark brown hair and matching eyes and wore what appeared to be a platinum-colored set of armor. The older man soon noticed the duo and slowly approached them, with the latter getting into a defensive stance.

"I mean you two no harm. Are you the ones who I'm supposed to see?" The man inquired, reassuring the duo as they relaxed a little. "It's funny. Back in my day, you had to be an adult in order to go on an adventure, but then again, you were considered an adult at fourteen years of age. Things change with time, I suppose. All that said, who are you two?"

"I-I'm Natasha, and this is my friend, Nora." The purple-haired girl introduced herself.

"Natasha! Are you sure you can trust him?!" Nora whispered harshly to her.

"Call me naïve, but I feel we can trust him." Natasha whispered back to her.

"I do apologize if I come across as untrustworthy but considering that a lack of caution backfired on us in the past, I have no choice but to act the way I do. But that isn't something I should be talking to children about." The man replied, turning to face the duo. "But since Calreath says you're ready, then I guess it's time you two got some answers."

"Answers about what?" The green-haired girl questioned.

"I work with a very select group of elite trainers to guard a very old secret. You see, you aren't the only opponent of all these cults. When it comes to legendary Pokémon such as Dialga and Palkia, reality becomes less concrete. Dialga has been known to mess with time, causing events that weren't supposed to happen, but not everything they do is accidental. One Pokémon sits above all others in the Hall of Origin, Arceus. Arceus gathered the strongest trainers throughout the earth and even from different periods of time to guard its most prized possession. A crystal. One with enough energy to make and remake worlds." The man informed the duo, an idea forming in Nora's mind.

"A crystal? Like the one the Auger had?" She inquired.

"The one and only. It has unimaginable power. So all of us faked our deaths in order to guard the crystal 24/7. Our job was to guard it while Arceus slept so that no one could ever hold such power. In my case, I acted like I had grown corrupt with power and staged a coup so that I was replaced with my heir. The former champion of Hoenn, Steven Stone faked a bizarre death with his Metagrossite, while our leader simply stopped visiting Mt. Silver. All of us gave up everything to guard this crystal, as it was a task given to us by Arceus. However, we failed in our sacred duty. It wasn't the fault of the First Augur, but our fault."

"You met the First Augur? And you gave him the crystal?" Natasha pressed her elder.

"He was a charming and charismatic man, convincing us that with the crystal's help, the cults plaguing Torren would be defeated for good. And it seemed like a good plan on paper; the cults had to go after all. So we agreed to the plan. At first, it worked brilliantly; cult after cult was disbanded by the First Augur. However, he was soon defeated and the crystal has been shattered into three pieces. Now the pieces lie in the hands of the enemy. Listen to me, there is a force out there that is pulling the strings on all these cults; they are the true enemy of Torren—no, all of existence as we know it. If they were to get their hands on the crystal shards. You two weren't chosen by Mythical Pokémon; except for the creation Pokémon, the legendaries of this world were made to serve Arceus and remain loyal to it. the Mythical Pokémon in particular, were to act as its messengers, hence they weren't the ones who chose you." The king informed them.

"So all this time, we were chosen by Arceus to defeat the cults?" Nora asked, the older man nodding in confirmation.

"I won't ask anymore of you, as you're already busy fighting the cults. I merely wanted to impress the importance of the crystal upon you. It must be returned to the cavern, so we're able to defend it. Jaern has a shard, and so does Reukra; it's important to reclaim the pieces from those two. But if She were to get her hands on them, then reality as we know it could end." He continued.

"She? You mean Persephone?" Natasha inquired, shuddering at the thought of her acquiring such power.

"No. Persephone is nothing compared to Her." The man answered, catching the purple-haired girl off-guard. Just who was this person he was talking about, and why does he fear her so much? However, she wouldn't get a chance to answer that question just yet as the man moved onto a different topic. "Natasha, was it? Nora was wrong about one thing; Mew didn't join you to protect you, it stayed away so you would grow stronger in its absence. You lost your memories, so you needed to redevelop your battling skills, and regain your use of the Delta Call. Looking at you right now, I can say that you've proven yourself. There's an old friend in the cavern behind me; I'll give you two some time to catch up with each other."

Opting to check out the chamber for herself, Natasha made her way towards it and stepped beyond the entrance, entering the small area and laid eyes upon an old friend, Mew. The New Species Pokémon eyed up the teenage girl, a sense of nostalgia in its eyes as it moved towards her. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" She smiled, the small Psychic-type nuzzling its friend affectionately. "Shall we join forces to defeat the cults once and for all?"

"Mew!" It chirped, agreeing to her proposal as it floated beside her. With a very powerful ally by her side, her foes had no chance of victory. Making her way out the cave, she was promptly greeted by the other two.

"So, Mew chose to join you. Fantastic, you now have a powerful ally by your side." The king stated, his gaze fixed onto Mew. "But remember what I said, that crystal cannot fall into the wrong hands, nor can it be reassembled by anyone else. Anyway, you two should go now."

"Hold a moment. How can we trust you? How do we know everything you said about the crystal is true? We met a couple people that deceived us; cult members in disguise." Nora inquired, a small sigh escaping from the man's mouth.

"I'm a bit offended you waited this long to ask, actually. Don't take anyone at their word. Trust people, but verify afterwards. As to why you can trust me…" He began, taking out a Pokéball and opened it as the duo were soon met by the Victory Pokémon, Victini. "As you can see, I'm no cult member. With that said, you two should take on Calreath in a Gym Battle. Victini, let us get out of here."

The room was soon enveloped in a wonderous light for only a few moments, but it was enough time for the king and his Pokémon to teleport out of there, leaving the duo on their own. "You know, he could've opened with the Victini thing, but I suppose he was just as weary as we were." The green-haired girl said. "Natasha…I'm not sure what to think about all this. The idea of a secret group chosen by Arceus to protect the crystal from external threats sounds pretty sketchy."

"Well as the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction." Natasha replied.

"I suppose your right. I need to take to Harmony about this; you can go challenge the gym if you like. Still, if that gem does have unlimited power, could it cure Damian?" Nora inquired.

"I hope so, Nora. I hope so…" The purple-haired girl replied, the duo making their way out the cave.

0000

Taking her first steps into the gym, Natasha got a bit of a surprise when she felt a light drizzle fall onto her body, the purple-haired girl looking up and saw that it was raining inside. It was then that she connected the dots; Calreath's team was based around the rain, a fairly popular strategy for elite trainers. At first, she considered changing the weather and take his advantage away from him, a reasonable plan all things considered. However, she then considered the idea of exploiting it for her own strategy and fight fire with fire—er, water with water. Making her way towards the back room, she was soon greeted by the Gym Leader himself.

"So how did your meeting go, Natasha?" Calreath inquired.

"It went better than expected. Still have more questions than answers, but I managed to reunite with an old friend of mine." Natasha replied, with Mew floating towards her shoulder and rested on it upon being mentioned. "Did he give you the same speech about the importance of the crystal?"

"Yeah; as a matter of fact, it's how I was able to meet Manaphy. Though he comes across as a little intense, he's a trustworthy person." The blue-haired man stated, turning his head to the side. "But I'm sure you're here for more important reasons. Truth be told, I've been hyped to fight you ever since I heard about your victory over Diana. I'm sure you know about the rain and how it keeps the world alive and healthy? Then allow me to show you just how destructive it can be!"

Upon his cue, the Gym Leader sent out his Politoed, a low croaking emanating from within the green frog, while Natasha opted to send out her Typhlosion, the Electric type uttering a high-pitched cry. But it was then that Calreath brought out his Mega-ring and activated it, catching the purple-haired girl off-guard as she didn't anticipate him to start off with his Mega Pokémon. The Politoed was enveloped in a wonderous orb of light and broke out of it, the rainstorm intensifying as the frog croaked once more. It was considerably larger and was partially enveloped in a black storm cloud, floating slightly off the ground. It had a small yellow crown on its head, which it adjusted to the side as it prepared for battle. But the Politoed wasn't the only one going through a change; the rain had powered up the Typhlosion considerably, its orange fur growing darker as small storm clouds surrounded its body and crackled with electricity.

"Well, isn't this interesting…" Calreath mused to himself, eyeing up the Typhlosion. He had assumed that Natasha knew about its ability and sent it in to counter his main strategy, but he wasn't going to throw in the towel just yet. Extending his arm towards his foe, he ordered his Politoed to use Scald, the regal frog rearing its head back and spewed a stream of boiling hot water. But the Typhlosion was able to dodge the attack, jumping backwards before getting onto all fours. From there, a series of small bolts of electricity struck the Politoed, immobilizing it on the spot and leaving it helpless. This gave the Generator Pokémon ample opportunity to charge up a wickedly powerful Thunder, the fur on its back bristling as the rain helped charge it up much quicker than normal. Once it had done charging up, it unleashed the almighty attack at its foe, striking it head-on as a strained croak escaped from the Politoed's mouth. A few seconds later, the frog slumped over, devolving into its normal form as Calreath was taken aback by what he saw. The cornerstone of his team was knocked out in one attack, by a Pokémon that was a hard counter to his favorite strategy. But he wouldn't go down without a fight, not at all.

"They say with rain, comes thunder. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about?" Natasha quipped casually, watching her opponent recall his Pokémon.

"Oh, I do. And this fellow will be more than happy to give you a taste." The blue-haired man replied, sending out his Heliolisk as the lizard frolicked about in the rain. Heliolisk were known to be very fast, so he hoped to out speed his foe and defeat it. Indeed, the lizard was able to out speed its opponent, dodging a small series of bolts and retaliated with a Grass Knot, tripping the Typhlosion as it slid on the wet ground. From there, the Heliolisk conjured up a large tidal wave and began surfing on it, scooping up the Generator Pokémon and submerged it in the large pool at the back of the room. But the Typhlosion was still more than capable of fighting, the honey badger quickly swimming towards the surface and lunged towards the lizard, knocking it off its feet. It then proceeded to bite down onto its tail and swung it into the pool, as the lizard desperately attempted to swim back to land. However, the Typhlosion emitted another powerful Thunder, striking the water and electrocuted the Heliolisk. Calreath winced as he saw his Pokemon's unconscious form float towards the edge, recalling it as he began to formulate another plan.

"Kabutops, time to regain the initiative!" He called out, recalling his Heliolisk and sent out his next Pokémon, the Shellfish Pokémon eyeing up its foe cautiously. However, the rain proved to be a major boon for it, granting it increased speed which it could use to gain the advantage. Indeed, the Kabutops lunged at incredible speeds, delivering a swift kick that knocked the Typhlosion off its feet, following up with a second kick that sent it flying towards Natasha's feet. But before it could get back up, the Kabutops followed up with an Aqua Jet that sent it flying towards the wall, leaving a small impact crater as it slid down the wall. Slowly getting back up, the Typhlosion eyed up its foe, the Shellfish Pokémon raising its scythes in a defensive stance as it prepared for an attack. The Generator Pokémon got on all fours and charged up an orb of bright silver energy, firing its attack at the Kabutops who blocked the attack with ease. However, the orb soon exploded, causing the shellfish to lose its balance temporarily, which is exactly what the Typhlosion wanted. Charging up another Thunder, it launched the bolt of lightning at its foe, striking it head on as the Kabutops was electrocuted by the attack, staggering on the spot before falling onto the ground, unable to continue battling.

"Well, how am I doing so far?" Natasha inquired, watching Calreath recall his Pokémon.

"Diana was right; you are one tough cookie. But I've got the perfect Pokémon to end Typhlosion's reign of terror!" He commented, sending out his Dragonite as the imposing beast uttered a low bellow. Despite being a generally friendly species, Dragonite were infamous for their incredible power, and Calreath was more than ready to give Natasha a taste. The Typhlosion was able to get the first attack in, using another powerful Thunder to stun the almighty dragon. But the combination of its high bulk and its Multiscale ability enabled it to easily endure the otherwise dangerous attack with ease. Slamming its mighty fists into the ground, it conjured up a powerful tremor that struck the Typhlosion, sending it flying back towards Natasha and ended its dominance in the battle. "Phew…finally delt with that troublesome Typhlosion." The gym leader sighed in relief, with Natasha approaching her injured comrade.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure all your hard work won't be in vain." She consoled it, recalling it back to its ball as she mulled over who to send out next. A spark of inspiration struck her, the purple-haired girl sending out her Gardevoir as the Delta Species did a little curtsy, before pulling out an Air Balloon from her dress. Natasha knew that her Ice-type attacks would easily crush the Dragonite but she would've been easy prey to an Earthquake, hence the Air Balloon. The Gardevoir started things off by summoning a hailstorm, changing the weather to more favorable conditions as the dragon protected its head from the incoming hail stones. From there, the Nuzzle Pokémon conjured up an almighty blizzard to attack the dragon, freezing its feet on the spot and catching it off-guard. The Dragonite attempted to strike down the Gardevoir with a Hyper Beam, but the hail helped create a white mist around the Gardevoir, making it much harder to land attacks. Indeed, the Gardevoir was able to dodge the Hyper Beam and counter with a second Bilzzard, fully freezing the Dragonite and rendered it unable to continue battling.

"Return…" Calreath muttered, the gym leader at a complete loss for words. Somehow, this trainer before him was able to utilize her Delta Pokémon to their maximum capabilities. Was this the power of the Delta Call? Regardless, he still had two Pokémon left and he had devised a plan to counter his opponent. Taking out a Pokéball, he sent out his Goodra, the viscous dragon uttering a cute gurgle. While it seems foolish to send out a Dragon-type against an Ice-type, it's bulk was even greater than Dragonite's and it could easily dispel the relentless hail. Indeed, the Goodra started off with a Rain Dance, the oppressive hail dying out and was replaced with a potent shower, evaporating the misty cloak that protected the Gardevoir. Annoyed by this turn of events, the Nuzzle Pokémon fired a powerful Ice Beam at the Goodra, the blast of ice-cold energy striking the gooey dragon, but it was able to withstand the attack. Rearing its head back, the Goodra spewed a glob of green fluid onto the Gardevoir, coating her in the ooze as it poisoned her quickly. Seeing that it's opponent was poisoned, the gooey dragon opted to follow up with a Venoshock, spewing a shiny, viscous clear fluid onto the Nuzzle Pokémon that caused a burning sensation to course throughout her body. Natasha knew that she was on a time limit of sorts, and had to deal with the Goodra as soon as possible, so she chose to go all out and had Gardevoir use her strongest attack, Sheer Cold. Mustering up as much power as she could, the Gardevoir conjured up six large chunks of ice and flung them towards the Goodra, encasing it in an icy tomb that instantly knocked it out. However, the poison took its toll on Gardevoir's body, the Nuzzle Pokémon collapsing to the ground as the battle was rendered a draw.

"Why don't we make this next battle interesting, Mew versus Manaphy? I'm sure they'll love the idea." Natasha proposed, the duo recalling their Pokémon.

"I was just about to suggest that very idea!" Calreath chuckled, sending out his Manaphy as Mew floated down from Natasha's shoulder and gazed at its fellow Mythical Pokémon. Though the two liked and respected one another, for this moment they were sworn enemies, hoping to secure a victory for their trainers. Manaphy started off with an Aqua Ring, conjuring up a mystical veil that helped restore its energy at a slow but steady rate. It soon followed up with a Tail Glow, its body radiating a bright yellow light that greatly heightened its mental capabilities. But Mew anticipated this and countered with a Psych Up, enabling it to copy the stat gains of its opponent. The New Species Pokémon then proceeded to create several illusionary copies of itself, surrounding Manaphy as it began thinking of a way to deal with the situation. It settled for dispelling all of the doubles at once, conjuring up a massive tidal wave that swamped the entire arena, knocking the real Mew back a few feet as its doubles faded into nothing. But the New Species Pokémon saw an opportunity to finish things off now that the arena was soaking wet. Waggling its hands side-to-side, it conjured up a wicked bolt of lightning and struck Manaphy, the water-soaked arena conducting the electricity. This combined with the Aqua Ring proved deadly for the Seafaring Pokémon, as the small Pokémon was now encased in an electrical prison of its one making. The Aqua Ring soon exploded, conjuring up a dark cloud of smoke that enveloped the arena. When the smoke died down, it showed that Manaphy was unable to continue battling, securing Natasha her seventh Gym Badge.

"Absolutely incredible…" Calreath commented in awe, recalling his Manaphy to its ball. "You'd make an amazing addition to our group. Here, take the Rainstorm Badge." He handed her a vivid blue badge in the shape of a raindrop.

"Thank you." Natasha replied, putting it with the rest of her badges. "So what do I do now?"

"Normally, I'd tell you to go challenge the final gym leader, but since the First Augur disappeared, we don't have an eighth Gym Leader. You'd think Jaern would've found a replacement by now, but he's too busy boosting his ego to care about that. Anyway, I'd suggest you—" The blue-haired man began, only to get interrupted by a broadcast.

'Attention please! Your attention please! An especially important broadcast will start in five minutes.' It spoke, catching the purple-haired girl by surprise.

"What does that mean?" She inquired.

"I don't know myself…perhaps we should check the giant television in the city square." Calreath suggested, the duo making their way out the gym to see what was going on.

Another chapter done and dusted; it's so good to be finally given a chance to write Mew into the battles, as it's unrivalled move pool should add some spice to them. I know that Goodra can't learn Venoshock but considering the amount of Poison-type moves it can learn, as well as its general design, I'm surprised they didn't make it Dragon/Poison. But then again, Gen VI already has that typing with Dragalge so perhaps they didn't want to double down on it. Thank you all for reading, I'll see you in the next chapter.

Acquired Pokémon:

Mew

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

D. Shuckle

D. Typhlosion