Chapter 37
The rock and the machine stood side-by-side, forcing focus onto Ditto, preparing
themselves for whatever it might throw at them next. Making the first move,
Metagross bound forward, lifting one of its mechanical legs into the air, its spikes
scratched and blunt thanks to digging into the hard floor of the gym. With an almighty
push, the leg swung down like a piston, crumbling into the ground, through Ditto.
Blue gel streamed out in a fan of you, squeezing out of the vacuum-less pockets
between foot and ground, sprinkling to the floor in a fine spray.
"Nicely done," Jasmine called to her pokémon, Metagross pacing backwards,
watching as Ditto's entity slid back into a whole. Shuddering off the attack, it
throbbed on the spot, deciding on what form to take next. It's body bubbled and
hissed, climbing up on itself, crossing at the top, as if something was inside,
attempting to push its way free. The gel slowly ceased to bend, twist and warp,
leaving a perfectly chiseled Zangoose, all in the same fetching royal blue mist as
Ditto. Analyzing its new body, Ditto flexed his blade like claws, and its new body
markings, all indented with a darker shade of blue, forming crosses on his stomach
and scars through his eyes.
"Why a Zangoose?" Lucia whispered to Setijin, whom she had taken spectatorship
next to.
"What do you mean?" Setijin replied by leaning his head to the side, neither taking
their eyes off of Ditto, as if it were somehow making their utmost attention
mandatory.
"Zangoose is a normal type pokémon. Even though it has an incredible attack power,
it wont be able to scratch rock types or steel types…" she explained, patting Espeon's
head, said pokémon sitting patiently next to her.
Graveler attacked next, rolling forwards in a tightly packed ball, colliding with
Zangoose comfortably. The force of the blow was mediocre, simply causing Ditto to
stumble backwards, keeping its balance by scraping the floor with its extensively long
claws. It seemed that while in a transformed state, its body was much more solid,
permitting proper contact.
"Ok Ditto, now it's your turn. Do with them as you see fit," the boss instructed, Ditto
frisked the dust off of its torso, fixing its gaze on Graveler, the boulder banking
around, ready to charge once again. Standing itself in the way, Ditto, crossed its arms,
flexing its fingers out, lunging forward and ripping its arms away from each other into
Graveler as it lumbered within range. The might of the counter attack managed to
squeeze Graveler like a cushion, the rock pokémon folding over before hurtling back
down the road, churning up the solid concrete as it landed.
"Graveler, return!" Winona shouted, aiming a pokéball towards her fallen comrade,
Ditto leaping into the path of the beam. It warped its back into a dish, absorbing each
bolt of energy from the ball, grudging its way over to Graveler. Winona grew frantic,
Jasmine stepping forward to take action.
"Metagross, stop Ditto now!" she cried, Metagross charging forwards. Although
traveling slowly, each foot slamming into the ground seemed to disorient Ditto's
perusal. The machine quickly grew tired, its pursuit wavering, Ditto calmly reaching
the sleeping boulder. It twitched up and over, diving into Graveler, splashing back
upon contact, reforming with bewilderment.
"What happened?" the boss called out to Ditto, "That was an experiment…why isn't
its energy being transferred back?"
"That was an experiment?" Winona inquired, her voice whimpering and reverberating
with anxiousness. Her eyes seem to drip in themselves, although no tears were
present. She didn't know how to feel.
"An early one…" explained the boss, unfolding his arms and bending them to lean
against his hips. "Must have reached its actual evolution period. Never mind; still one
less pokémon to worry about." By this point, a crowd had started to form,
unbeknownst the combatants. Shoppers, trainers and the likes had begun to create an
arch behind Jasmine and co, watching the unfurling conflict with excitement.
Ditto, still as a Zangoose stared down at Graveler maliciously through its cold, grating
eyes. Slapping the boulder aside, it turned back, allowing Winona to return it to its
pokéball. Setijin decided to take a stand next, calling Umbreon into action. The dark
pokémon waited alongside Metagross, whose deep red digital eyes embraced the
battlefield. Lucia too ordered Espeon into battle, the psychic type scampering to
Umbreon's flank.
"You know what to do now Metagross," Jasmine relayed calmly, Metagross whirring
in return, crouching down, its belly clipping the floor. Angling itself forward, its eyes
flickered directly at Ditto, the Zangoose form waiting almost psychotically in the
open, standing in the fade of the smear track that Graveler had left in the road.
"Espeon, help Metagross along!" Lucia called, Setijin instructing the same to
Umbreon. Both pokémon howled, erupting in a spiral of orange sparks, twisting into
one large ring, forcing its way into Metagross, its power now brimming over. Buzzing
indefinitely, it pushed off of the floor with all its might, hurtling in the air at an even
height above the floor, its right fist shining with a godly aura, suggesting utter
destruction. Metagross flight path lowered, the fist now angled directly at Ditto's
head. Aimed perfectly, Metagross landed on the floor firmly with its 3 spare legs just
as it connected with Zangoose. With a shockwave of disaster, the floor crumbled
away, the sheer velocity of the assault hammering a crater around the two pokémon.
Both stood perfectly still.
"…That's not supposed to happen…" whimpered Jasmine, Metagross stood frozen on
the spot. Metagross fist rested outstretched, Ditto standing with perfect composure,
holding Metagross' clawed arm in both hands. With all its might, Ditto lifted the
claw, before slamming it straight back down to the floor, taking Metagross down with
it. The machine howled metallically, clambering its way back to its feet. Ditto hopped
backwards, before hurling itself into the air, flipping over, its foot bursting into
flames. Stepping down onto the machines head, Ditto left a gaping dent, cheerfully
stepping off, Metagross collapsing to the floor feebly, almost comically outclassed.
With a cloak of red, Metagross returned to its pokéball, Jasmine now at a loss at what
to do.
"How did it stop an attack like that? How can a Ditto stop Meteor Mash?" she
whimpered to herself. Winona hugged her arm around her friend's shoulder, Setijin
and Lucia taking charge. Umbreon and Espeon charged together, each pacing at
exactly the same speed, as if the same pokémon. Both tackled Ditto, both tumbling
backwards, taking damage from recoil as Ditto stood strong.
The experiment swept both pokémon up in its claws by the scruffs of their necks.
Swinging around on the spot, Ditto flung both away down the road, bending over,
legs akimbo, holding its mouth open readily. Its face seemed to shimmer as pure
energy became drawn into a ball, throbbing in its own instability and insecurity. The
helpless pair picked themselves up, Setijin and Lucia calling out frantically, unable to
do anything.
The world seemed to fall into a deathly silence, even the cries of the desperate trainers
drowned out by the sheer noise of nothing. The sky hung motionless, the breeze
stopping in its tracks. Setijin felt his arms moving, waving for no real cause, but as he
watched them in the corner of his eyes, they appeared to be firmly planted to his side.
Everything had gone into black and white, like an old movie. No matter what he tried
to do, and how real it felt, it seemed that nothing was translating into a palatable form.
He was yet again, fixed to the spot, unable to do anything other than watch with a
saddening helplessness. His pokémon was about to be obliterated, as was Lucia's.
The power stopped flowing in. The ball hung in the air casually, before exploding in
an earth-shattering ring of colors, reaching high into the sky, apparently frying
anything that stepped in its way, including air. The ball erupted forwards,
immediately warping into a helix of light, spiraling forwards, the sheer force of the
technique shattering the slabs beneath it, lifting up waves and funnels of dust around
it, even if there was none to be kicked up. Setijin closed his eyes, unable to physically
watch what was very possibly his friend's demise. He waited seconds…moments,
before creaking his eyelids open, sound, color and movement flooding back into
existence. Ditto was still stood in the same position, now upright, while Umbreon and
Espeon rested peacefully in a heap in front of him, bedded in a puddle of purple mess.
Tears finally forced their way forward, pummeling both Lucia and Setijin to their
knees, embracing each other with utter despair, Jasmine and Winona also crippled
with sorrow. The boss remained still, Ditto starting to waddle forwards. Stretching its
arm forwards, its dug its liquid palm through Umbreon and Espeon, and proceeded to
suck the remaining life force out of them. Engulfing them in a familiar sky blue, the
dome of energy grew and then cleared, leaving two sleeping Eevee, one laying with
paws over the other one. Umbreon was protecting Espeon to the end.
Ditto twirled back to face the pack, wallowing in its new abilities. It paced forwards,
encouraging more opponents, soothing its stomach with a quick rub of the palm, ache
ensuing. Noticing this, Setijin tried to make sense of the situation. Vigorously bolting
up, he stomped forward, slipping the tears away with the back of his hand, continuing
to watch Ditto. His eyes wavered to the side momentarily, taking note of the puddle
his and Lucia's friends lay in. With this, he allowed the hunch to take control of the
situation, calling Ninjask to his side. The bug anxiously hovered over to Setijin's side,
the trainer whispering commands in his partner's ear. Nodding in a way that only
Ninjask could, the ninja pokémon sped into life, charging straight towards Ditto.
Watching as the Zangoose claw swept around, Ninjask banked sharply, the assault
missing, and Ninjask remaining unharmed. It slowed its escape, turning back to face
Ditto, floating at eye level, its glassy wings beating profusely. It stared Ditto down,
each second of stasis driving the experiment even more insane, Ninjask's gaze finally
snapping Ditto into action, the Zangoose shape barging aimlessly ahead, swinging its
fists in fury. Ninjask ascended higher into the air, struggling to keep balance in the
breeze, its light frame acting as a liability rather than an asset.
Ditto ran and ran some more, clasping its stomach before turning to look for Ninjask.
In its blind rage it had failed to follow its prey, Ninjask watching from above in pure
enjoyment. Unable to keep its cover, it sniffed, before jerking into a rain of sniggers
and giggles, alerting Ditto to its whereabouts. Leaping with rage, the Zangoose claw
jabbed forwards, Ninjask narrowly evading. It shook the laughter out of its head and
returned to concentrated on the situation. It sped away, accelerating faster and faster,
Ditto's pursuit loosing its substance. Zangoose's speed was good, but not quite good
enough. Tumbling to the floor, Ditto bubbled and flowed back into its original shape,
gurgling with discomfort.
"What's going on?" the boss whispered to himself doubtfully, Setijin encouraging
Ninjask. With this, Ditto hissed its name, dripping into a new shape, taking the form
of a Ninjask. Watching in dismay, Setijin's pokémon hovered on the spot, unsure of
what to do next.
"Just keep moving!" Setijin cried out, Stepping aside to allow Winona and Jasmine to
Lucia's aid, each trainer's pokémon watching mournfully, them too comforting each
other.
Ninjask shot away at top speed, panic setting in, Ditto following with aplomb.
Whatever Ninjask did to evade, Ditto replicated to within an inch of perfection. The
faster Ninjask traveled, the faster Ditto followed, Ninjask running out of ideas. It
hurtled back towards its trainer, Setijin spying the desperation in his eyes. With this
he nodded, Ninjask flipping back over itself tightly, throwing its body at the speeding
copy, Ninjask taking the brunt of the blow, twitching in pain, before regaining balance
and hurtling off once more. Ditto continued to chase, the ninja pokémon losing
altitude, its wing tattered, throbbing with sheer mind bending pain. Ditto set it, raising
on sharpened claw, ready to swipe at the now shattered bug. The blade glistened in
the beating sunlight, like that of a scythe, cutting the air as it fell, preparing to slice
Ninjask in two.
Ditto hissed once more, bringing the blade down, bloodlust commandeering its mind
and body. The tip penetrated, cracking in a wince worth fashion before being jerked
out. Ditto spiraled to the side, twisting to the floor uncontrollably, slamming into the
ground with a thud, a light 'clink' ringing by its side. It heaved its head back up,
looking over its legless body, to see Medicham standing at the far end of the road. He
stood flipping a second stone in its hand, staring back intensely, a new focus
swimming in his eyes.
"Cham…" he sneered, his eyes shimmering a calm gray, an eerily sinister smile
forming on his lips.
The rock and the machine stood side-by-side, forcing focus onto Ditto, preparing
themselves for whatever it might throw at them next. Making the first move,
Metagross bound forward, lifting one of its mechanical legs into the air, its spikes
scratched and blunt thanks to digging into the hard floor of the gym. With an almighty
push, the leg swung down like a piston, crumbling into the ground, through Ditto.
Blue gel streamed out in a fan of you, squeezing out of the vacuum-less pockets
between foot and ground, sprinkling to the floor in a fine spray.
"Nicely done," Jasmine called to her pokémon, Metagross pacing backwards,
watching as Ditto's entity slid back into a whole. Shuddering off the attack, it
throbbed on the spot, deciding on what form to take next. It's body bubbled and
hissed, climbing up on itself, crossing at the top, as if something was inside,
attempting to push its way free. The gel slowly ceased to bend, twist and warp,
leaving a perfectly chiseled Zangoose, all in the same fetching royal blue mist as
Ditto. Analyzing its new body, Ditto flexed his blade like claws, and its new body
markings, all indented with a darker shade of blue, forming crosses on his stomach
and scars through his eyes.
"Why a Zangoose?" Lucia whispered to Setijin, whom she had taken spectatorship
next to.
"What do you mean?" Setijin replied by leaning his head to the side, neither taking
their eyes off of Ditto, as if it were somehow making their utmost attention
mandatory.
"Zangoose is a normal type pokémon. Even though it has an incredible attack power,
it wont be able to scratch rock types or steel types…" she explained, patting Espeon's
head, said pokémon sitting patiently next to her.
Graveler attacked next, rolling forwards in a tightly packed ball, colliding with
Zangoose comfortably. The force of the blow was mediocre, simply causing Ditto to
stumble backwards, keeping its balance by scraping the floor with its extensively long
claws. It seemed that while in a transformed state, its body was much more solid,
permitting proper contact.
"Ok Ditto, now it's your turn. Do with them as you see fit," the boss instructed, Ditto
frisked the dust off of its torso, fixing its gaze on Graveler, the boulder banking
around, ready to charge once again. Standing itself in the way, Ditto, crossed its arms,
flexing its fingers out, lunging forward and ripping its arms away from each other into
Graveler as it lumbered within range. The might of the counter attack managed to
squeeze Graveler like a cushion, the rock pokémon folding over before hurtling back
down the road, churning up the solid concrete as it landed.
"Graveler, return!" Winona shouted, aiming a pokéball towards her fallen comrade,
Ditto leaping into the path of the beam. It warped its back into a dish, absorbing each
bolt of energy from the ball, grudging its way over to Graveler. Winona grew frantic,
Jasmine stepping forward to take action.
"Metagross, stop Ditto now!" she cried, Metagross charging forwards. Although
traveling slowly, each foot slamming into the ground seemed to disorient Ditto's
perusal. The machine quickly grew tired, its pursuit wavering, Ditto calmly reaching
the sleeping boulder. It twitched up and over, diving into Graveler, splashing back
upon contact, reforming with bewilderment.
"What happened?" the boss called out to Ditto, "That was an experiment…why isn't
its energy being transferred back?"
"That was an experiment?" Winona inquired, her voice whimpering and reverberating
with anxiousness. Her eyes seem to drip in themselves, although no tears were
present. She didn't know how to feel.
"An early one…" explained the boss, unfolding his arms and bending them to lean
against his hips. "Must have reached its actual evolution period. Never mind; still one
less pokémon to worry about." By this point, a crowd had started to form,
unbeknownst the combatants. Shoppers, trainers and the likes had begun to create an
arch behind Jasmine and co, watching the unfurling conflict with excitement.
Ditto, still as a Zangoose stared down at Graveler maliciously through its cold, grating
eyes. Slapping the boulder aside, it turned back, allowing Winona to return it to its
pokéball. Setijin decided to take a stand next, calling Umbreon into action. The dark
pokémon waited alongside Metagross, whose deep red digital eyes embraced the
battlefield. Lucia too ordered Espeon into battle, the psychic type scampering to
Umbreon's flank.
"You know what to do now Metagross," Jasmine relayed calmly, Metagross whirring
in return, crouching down, its belly clipping the floor. Angling itself forward, its eyes
flickered directly at Ditto, the Zangoose form waiting almost psychotically in the
open, standing in the fade of the smear track that Graveler had left in the road.
"Espeon, help Metagross along!" Lucia called, Setijin instructing the same to
Umbreon. Both pokémon howled, erupting in a spiral of orange sparks, twisting into
one large ring, forcing its way into Metagross, its power now brimming over. Buzzing
indefinitely, it pushed off of the floor with all its might, hurtling in the air at an even
height above the floor, its right fist shining with a godly aura, suggesting utter
destruction. Metagross flight path lowered, the fist now angled directly at Ditto's
head. Aimed perfectly, Metagross landed on the floor firmly with its 3 spare legs just
as it connected with Zangoose. With a shockwave of disaster, the floor crumbled
away, the sheer velocity of the assault hammering a crater around the two pokémon.
Both stood perfectly still.
"…That's not supposed to happen…" whimpered Jasmine, Metagross stood frozen on
the spot. Metagross fist rested outstretched, Ditto standing with perfect composure,
holding Metagross' clawed arm in both hands. With all its might, Ditto lifted the
claw, before slamming it straight back down to the floor, taking Metagross down with
it. The machine howled metallically, clambering its way back to its feet. Ditto hopped
backwards, before hurling itself into the air, flipping over, its foot bursting into
flames. Stepping down onto the machines head, Ditto left a gaping dent, cheerfully
stepping off, Metagross collapsing to the floor feebly, almost comically outclassed.
With a cloak of red, Metagross returned to its pokéball, Jasmine now at a loss at what
to do.
"How did it stop an attack like that? How can a Ditto stop Meteor Mash?" she
whimpered to herself. Winona hugged her arm around her friend's shoulder, Setijin
and Lucia taking charge. Umbreon and Espeon charged together, each pacing at
exactly the same speed, as if the same pokémon. Both tackled Ditto, both tumbling
backwards, taking damage from recoil as Ditto stood strong.
The experiment swept both pokémon up in its claws by the scruffs of their necks.
Swinging around on the spot, Ditto flung both away down the road, bending over,
legs akimbo, holding its mouth open readily. Its face seemed to shimmer as pure
energy became drawn into a ball, throbbing in its own instability and insecurity. The
helpless pair picked themselves up, Setijin and Lucia calling out frantically, unable to
do anything.
The world seemed to fall into a deathly silence, even the cries of the desperate trainers
drowned out by the sheer noise of nothing. The sky hung motionless, the breeze
stopping in its tracks. Setijin felt his arms moving, waving for no real cause, but as he
watched them in the corner of his eyes, they appeared to be firmly planted to his side.
Everything had gone into black and white, like an old movie. No matter what he tried
to do, and how real it felt, it seemed that nothing was translating into a palatable form.
He was yet again, fixed to the spot, unable to do anything other than watch with a
saddening helplessness. His pokémon was about to be obliterated, as was Lucia's.
The power stopped flowing in. The ball hung in the air casually, before exploding in
an earth-shattering ring of colors, reaching high into the sky, apparently frying
anything that stepped in its way, including air. The ball erupted forwards,
immediately warping into a helix of light, spiraling forwards, the sheer force of the
technique shattering the slabs beneath it, lifting up waves and funnels of dust around
it, even if there was none to be kicked up. Setijin closed his eyes, unable to physically
watch what was very possibly his friend's demise. He waited seconds…moments,
before creaking his eyelids open, sound, color and movement flooding back into
existence. Ditto was still stood in the same position, now upright, while Umbreon and
Espeon rested peacefully in a heap in front of him, bedded in a puddle of purple mess.
Tears finally forced their way forward, pummeling both Lucia and Setijin to their
knees, embracing each other with utter despair, Jasmine and Winona also crippled
with sorrow. The boss remained still, Ditto starting to waddle forwards. Stretching its
arm forwards, its dug its liquid palm through Umbreon and Espeon, and proceeded to
suck the remaining life force out of them. Engulfing them in a familiar sky blue, the
dome of energy grew and then cleared, leaving two sleeping Eevee, one laying with
paws over the other one. Umbreon was protecting Espeon to the end.
Ditto twirled back to face the pack, wallowing in its new abilities. It paced forwards,
encouraging more opponents, soothing its stomach with a quick rub of the palm, ache
ensuing. Noticing this, Setijin tried to make sense of the situation. Vigorously bolting
up, he stomped forward, slipping the tears away with the back of his hand, continuing
to watch Ditto. His eyes wavered to the side momentarily, taking note of the puddle
his and Lucia's friends lay in. With this, he allowed the hunch to take control of the
situation, calling Ninjask to his side. The bug anxiously hovered over to Setijin's side,
the trainer whispering commands in his partner's ear. Nodding in a way that only
Ninjask could, the ninja pokémon sped into life, charging straight towards Ditto.
Watching as the Zangoose claw swept around, Ninjask banked sharply, the assault
missing, and Ninjask remaining unharmed. It slowed its escape, turning back to face
Ditto, floating at eye level, its glassy wings beating profusely. It stared Ditto down,
each second of stasis driving the experiment even more insane, Ninjask's gaze finally
snapping Ditto into action, the Zangoose shape barging aimlessly ahead, swinging its
fists in fury. Ninjask ascended higher into the air, struggling to keep balance in the
breeze, its light frame acting as a liability rather than an asset.
Ditto ran and ran some more, clasping its stomach before turning to look for Ninjask.
In its blind rage it had failed to follow its prey, Ninjask watching from above in pure
enjoyment. Unable to keep its cover, it sniffed, before jerking into a rain of sniggers
and giggles, alerting Ditto to its whereabouts. Leaping with rage, the Zangoose claw
jabbed forwards, Ninjask narrowly evading. It shook the laughter out of its head and
returned to concentrated on the situation. It sped away, accelerating faster and faster,
Ditto's pursuit loosing its substance. Zangoose's speed was good, but not quite good
enough. Tumbling to the floor, Ditto bubbled and flowed back into its original shape,
gurgling with discomfort.
"What's going on?" the boss whispered to himself doubtfully, Setijin encouraging
Ninjask. With this, Ditto hissed its name, dripping into a new shape, taking the form
of a Ninjask. Watching in dismay, Setijin's pokémon hovered on the spot, unsure of
what to do next.
"Just keep moving!" Setijin cried out, Stepping aside to allow Winona and Jasmine to
Lucia's aid, each trainer's pokémon watching mournfully, them too comforting each
other.
Ninjask shot away at top speed, panic setting in, Ditto following with aplomb.
Whatever Ninjask did to evade, Ditto replicated to within an inch of perfection. The
faster Ninjask traveled, the faster Ditto followed, Ninjask running out of ideas. It
hurtled back towards its trainer, Setijin spying the desperation in his eyes. With this
he nodded, Ninjask flipping back over itself tightly, throwing its body at the speeding
copy, Ninjask taking the brunt of the blow, twitching in pain, before regaining balance
and hurtling off once more. Ditto continued to chase, the ninja pokémon losing
altitude, its wing tattered, throbbing with sheer mind bending pain. Ditto set it, raising
on sharpened claw, ready to swipe at the now shattered bug. The blade glistened in
the beating sunlight, like that of a scythe, cutting the air as it fell, preparing to slice
Ninjask in two.
Ditto hissed once more, bringing the blade down, bloodlust commandeering its mind
and body. The tip penetrated, cracking in a wince worth fashion before being jerked
out. Ditto spiraled to the side, twisting to the floor uncontrollably, slamming into the
ground with a thud, a light 'clink' ringing by its side. It heaved its head back up,
looking over its legless body, to see Medicham standing at the far end of the road. He
stood flipping a second stone in its hand, staring back intensely, a new focus
swimming in his eyes.
"Cham…" he sneered, his eyes shimmering a calm gray, an eerily sinister smile
forming on his lips.