Ditto

-

My mother always told me, "Never go out. If you get caught by a trainer, your life will be bad." Most Pokemon are all too happy to get a trainer. They'll test the trainer, and if caught will either gain the glorious life of a gladiator, or a nice retirement in the PC box, or at a ranch, for the Professor's to study. The really lucky ones get to go to contest, prettied up every day for the crowds, fed their favorite diet of berries and groomed and fused over until they're ready to go compete.

But not Ditto.

Ditto. We are unique. We're special. we can become any Pokemon, and breed with any other species (excluding most of the Legendaries) and produce near clones of the parent. So what's bad about that?

...

A Ditto wanders through its little family field, looking for berries and basking in the sun. The air is nice, the day is warm. A few little clouds drift across the sun, and everyone is out and about. You wander off to chat with your friends, and you play a bit. Then you notice
that everything has gone silent.

You look around, and are confronted by a trainer. Their fierce Pokemon looks down and you, waiting for its master's order, to proceed to tear you apart. You shake in fear, as the trainer orders a thunderbolt. electricity rips through you, and you feel yourself freezing up. Paralysis.

A Pokeball hits you, and you are sucked inside. You struggle for freedom, but it's no good. You've been caught.

For a brief few moments, you sit fearfully in the Pokeball in the PC. Before long, you are taken out, and helplessly go with the trainer. You arrive at a Pokemon daycare.

The sun is still warm, but just off the horizon, storm clouds are raining on the next route. The sounds of thunder rumble faintly over. Your trainer puts you on the counter.

"I have a Ditto,
that I'd like you to raise,"

And just like that, you are brought outside. Pokemon are running about, and swimming in a lake. The grass is well kept, and there are Pokemon playing around the rocks. Why did Mommy think that being caught would be so bad?

The Daycare man gives you berries. The daycare woman reads you stories. Everyday you play with friends, many leave often, but many stay for months on end. and your trainer never came back for you.

Until they got hold of a Sceptile.

The giant lizard walked across the grass. "Hey," it said. "We have the same trainer, you know."

You look up. "Ditto? Yeah? Who're you?"

"You don't know? I'm Sceptile," The grass Pokemon slid up next to you. "Looks like we'll get along real well." The way he says that makes you shiver.

"uh, great. Um," The Pokemon is starting to scare you, and you don't know why. "I- I'm going to go get lunch... I'll-"

"Oh , you don't know what you ditto are for," He blocks your patch and pins you against the trees. ",Do you?"

"Wha- what do you mean... by... that?

...You'd rather not remember the next hour. You'd rather not remember most of your life after that.

Needless to say, on the next day your 'trainer' came back, and picked up the grass lizard. You sat, clutching your little egg and shaking with fright.

"Why did you let him do that?" you whisper to the daycare lady. She does not reply

The trainer comes back, and talks to the daycare man a moment. The man comes around to the back, and walks over to you.

"Hey! No! You can't have him-" The daycare man tries to wrestle your egg from your grasp. "He's my baby! Give him back-" The daycare man pries you away from your egg. The trainer takes it, and pockets your little child.

"You can't have him," tears roll down you cheeks. "you..."

Over the next few days, a few of you friend's try to console you. The thunder rolls in the distance. It drizzled all that day, when the Swampert came.

"Hey," He said. "What's wrong?"

You remain silent.

"Look, I'm sorry if this is a bad time," He seems friendly enough so far, "but since we have the same trainer... look, I just want to get out of here and back on the road. And I can't leave until there's a Mudkip egg... so..."

You've had to pass several years like this. Being abandoned by the daycare couple
when you need their help the most. Bred for your eggs by your despicable trainer, and being mated with dozens of strangers. The lowest blow comes one day, with the return of the Sceptile.

"Hey," He struts over. "What's up?"

You shrink back, bubbling angrily. "What do you want? You've already been... bred... with me."

"Yeah, well, Treeko are in high demand right about now, so..."

"Wha- what do you mean, "High demand?"" unease causes you to bubble slightly.

"Oh, you poor thing," He mocks you, " You don't know what Ditto are for, do you?"

"What do you mean by that? I know what we're for, for breeding like- like animals! Like livestock!"

"Yeah," He laughs at you, "and why do you think that is?"

You sit in confusion.

"Starter Pokemon are always in high demand, and almost any Pokemon can be traded for a little baby starter. Why do you think you're always paired up with us? Where did you think all of us starters are coming from?" He continues, "Where did you think
your little children
were going?"