Disclaimer (because no one likes to get sued or harassed over ownership issues): Laodicean does not own the rights to pokemon and has merely written this story for his own amusement. The cast of characters not recognized in the official pokemon series, however, are his and may be used by others with the permission of the author (to be more accurate, go ahead and use my characters though I would appreciate being told and given credit).

*0O0*

Perhaps it had not always been this way. Legends told of a time when pokemon and humans were equal. But somehow, there was an alteration of hierarchy, and mankind became the dominant species on the planet. Pokemon, though many were of equal intelligence as humans (some more so), found themselves subservient. It seemed strange that Arceus would subject his fellow pokemon to this curse, but, for whatever reason, as if an antithesis to evolution, the race without anything going for it, no special attributes or abilities, found itself out on top.

And thus we have the world that we do: Humans going around, capturing the other species, taking them from their homes, and forcing them to battle against each other (though in this last case the pokemon began to enjoy fighting, almost as if they had surrendered to their fate). However, this tale isn't all grim. Many humans were compassionate and treated their captives well. And though they had been taken from their lives and families, some pokemon were able to thrive in this new situation. But still, not everyone was satisfied with how things turned out. Some pokemon, like Mewtwo, attempted to rebel. And, more importantly to the story I am about to present to you, there was a small group of humans who took pity on the less fortunate species in this lottery of life, and made it their goal to find a way to make things better.

After years of research and brainstorming, they finally came up with a solution they were able to agree upon. By this time there had been a few artificial pokemon created, such as the porygon family and castform, so they knew it was possible. All they had to do was engineer a pokemon species that fit the needs and wants of humans. The idea was that if they could make a "fake" pokemon that could take on the role that the current pokemon were forced to endure, there would be a better chance of equality in the future. And while this left their creation out in the cold as it were, they were not concerned. Anything created by man was inherently inferior to man, right? That's what they told themselves.

But there was still a problem. This group did not want to go to the trouble of recreating every pokemon species that existed (there were after all, a lot). The most obvious solution was to make a pokemon that could become any other pokemon, saving them the trouble. They knew ditto would not be sufficient, for numerous reasons, so they set out to create an enhanced version of ditto that they would later name "Doppel". We begin our story with the "birth" of the doppel prototype. As you will soon find out, things did not go according to plan.

*0O0*

Charles Delevier was a genius. He was the head of the science division of the underground organization known as "Zephyr" and held the most critical role in the Doppel Project. And now that the first doppel was nearly ready to be brought into the world, his job became really easy. All Charles had to do was to perform the routine check-up on his creation to make sure it was healthy. Then, when it was completely stabilized he could remove it from the artificial womb he had designed for it.

As he was nearing his lab, he heard a noise. This could mean one of two things: Either the doppel had found a way out of the womb, or there was an intruder. Not taking any chances, the doctor pulled out a regulation stun gun (all Zephyr operatives carried them in case there was an emergency) and put his back to the door. After taking in a couple of deep breaths to calm himself he turned around, threw open the door and pointed his gun, ready to shoot-

"Hey, Mr. Delevier! How's it goin'?" –the Boss' ten year old son. Charles groaned and put his gun away. "Kio", he said, "why are you in my lab?" Kio grinned, and the doctor had to wonder if this child was ever unhappy. He had never seen him frown; Not even once. "I just wanted to meet my new friend, Mr. Delevier. She's kind of cute!" Charles pinched the bridge of his nose.

"First of all, it's Dr. Delevier, not Mr. Delevier. Secondly, the doppel species is genderless. It's an "it" not a "she". Finally, if your dad finds you in here, he'll have my head. So please remove yourself from the premises."

"Technically, won't the doppel be able to transform into either male or female?"

"JUST GET OUT!"

And with that, Kio bolted out the door, laughing the whole way. Charles sighed and looked around for a chair to sit down in. Then he heard another noise. A machine was emitting a soft beeping sound that gradually got louder as time passed. This time, though, he knew what it meant. He raced over to the artificial womb, a small tank with a port hole sized window on it, resting in the corner. Next to it was a large monitor that displayed the medical statistics of his creation. A single word flashed onto the middle of the screen: Ready!

"YES! I've done it! It's finally stable enough to be let out!" Dr. Delevier pushed a button on the tank and it hummed a little before a small door opened in the bottom front of it. Out rushed a gallon of water, which Charles knew he would have to clean up later, but of more importance was the pinkish blob that came with it. Slowly, the blob began to shape itself into the recognizable form of a little girl, who blinked and looked up at Charles with wide eyes. The genius now knew why Kio had referred to the doppel as 'she', but that was a minor detail right now (as was the question as to why his creation chose this form).

Some other Scientists came running into the room, clipboards in hand, and furiously scribbling away on them. The testing stage would begin soon. After all, they needed to find out the extent of this new pokemon's abilities before releasing it to the public.