Augur: A Pokémon Insurgence Novel

Chapter Two

Curious. The ghostly bone dragon was curious of the human that stood in front of it for a plethora of reasons. The first, was because he didn't scamper backwards like the other human male that was slowly approaching them. The second, was the invisible presence that accompanied him in the form of a small, pink floating mythical cat beside him. Charmander floated around Zander, doing his best to get a read on the human to see if there was any need to be cautious. What struck him as odd, was that he was getting nothing from him. No negative vibes, no reason to flee for his life... nothing.

Satisfied, Charmander remained in front of Zander whose expression shifted from one of mildly amused to greatly intrigued. Reaching out, Zander found that he could indeed touch the tiny dragon. While everything about him screamed specter, for whatever reason, his hand didn't simply go through him. Charmander leaned into the touch and nudged his head further into the hand of the brunette, acknowledging that he'd appreciated the small act of affection.

Damian observed for a few moments while trying to make up his mind as to whether or not he wanted to follow Zander's lead and take in one of these... these...

"They're called the Delta Species," Vanessa said finally, turning their attention back to her while she spoke.

"Delta Species?" asked the boys in unison.

"That's right. Their genetics were mutated during the breeding process. In fact, there are more out there like this than you might think..."

"Really? how come we've never seen any before?" Damian inquired, his eyes darting between the Bulbasaur and Squirtle.

"They're not exactly the type to be out in the open. As that man put it... they're freaks, and are viewed as such," Vanessa replied, adjusting her glasses as she walked over to the table where the three Deltas were sitting.

"How did they get this way? I know you said that it was done during the breeding process... but last I checked, each time an egg is hatched, it comes out normal unless..."

"...they're bred with something other than their own kind," Zander finished.

"Bingo. And that's exactly what happened to these three. There's only one species that can do this, and it happens to be a very special kind of Ditto. Anything breeding with it will have a hatchling of the Delta Species. And as you can see... it completely rewrites their genetic code," Vanessa explained, gesturing to the three on the table. "For instance, this Bulbasaur has become a Psychic/Fairy-type. And as you may have guessed, Charmander is now a Ghost/Dragon-type while Squirtle has become a Dark/Fighting-type."

"If you don't mind my asking... how exactly does that work? given what you've just said, does this mean that Delta Ditto, I assume that's what we're calling it, can change its typing aside from the usual transformation it does?" Damian inquired further.

Vanessa tapped her chin in thought before responding, "yes and no. You see, while normal Ditto, like the one's in Kanto, are able to transform without a hitch, these Ditto often make the mistake of messing up the typing of the Pokémon they are trying to transform into, hence these three," Vanessa explained.

"That does explain why these three don't look normal," Zander added, getting oddly comfortable with the fact that Charmander had found a spot on his shoulder to sit.

"Right. And it seems like you've made a friend with that one," Vanessa chuckled, observing how content Charmander seemed with Zander.