Story of Duplica (ImiteShipping)

Ash Ketchum ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He was beginning to run out of breath, but he wasn't sure if he could stop now. They might have still been looking for him and he had to make sure he got away.

A few minutes later, he decided to take shelter behind a tree. It was pretty dark outside so if anyone decided to walk by, they probably wouldn't see him. He took a moment to catch his breath and sighed in relief. He could rest another day.

Only…

"Man, I hope they don't get too suspicious if 'Ashy-boy' is gone for another few days…" said a girl's voice.

Ash Ketchum wasn't really Ash Ketchum. He was really a she.

Duplica.

The real Ash had been missing for almost a year now. He went on a journey with only his Pokémon near Mt. Silver and…disappeared. After a month of him being gone, Duplica had heard rumors of his disappearance and many had thought the worst.

Ash was dead.

Duplica couldn't believe it. Ash wasn't dead! It was preposterous. He was Ash Ketchum for Arceus' sake! He was one of the best trainers Duplica had ever encountered! There was no way Ash could be dead.

And Duplica was set on proving that.

Searching for Ash was probably going to take some time to get prepared, so she did something else in the meantime: using her Copycat-like skills, she took over as Ash Ketchum while her Ditto took the form of Pikachu.

She knew a lot about her good friend, so playing the part wasn't a problem. Claiming that Ash had returned from his adventure to Mt. Silver, everyone was ecstatic. Especially his mother. Duplica wasn't sure if she would be able to dupe Ash's closest friends, but his mother had been the hardest to convince. After feeling like she had almost lost Ash, Delia never wanted him to leave her sights again. Duplica did whatever she could to persuade her that 'he' was perfectly capable of venturing on his own again. 'He' had promised that he would remain in Kanto for now.

But Duplica had only said that because she lived here. Also because Mt. Silver was in the vicinity of Kanto, she would make the trip there when she was good and ready.

Now, nearly a year later, Duplica wasn't sure about what she had done. She had stalled her plans to venture through Mt. Silver out of lack of strong Pokémon, and out of…fear. The mountain was only trekked by the most powerful of trainers, which Duplica couldn't say she was herself. And now that it had been a year, if Ash hadn't returned by now…

No! Duplica refused to think that way. Ash certainly wasn't dead. There was just no way…

She shed a tear.

"Ash…" Duplica wrapped her arms around her legs and put her forehead to her knees. "Are you really…?"

"Ditto…" the yellow mouse beside her suddenly morphed into a pink amoeba-like Pokémon. Despite its simple appearance, it had a very sullen look about it.

"Ditto… I've worked hard to make sure people didn't give up on Ash, but after all this time…could he really be…?"

"Ditto!" Now Ditto was Transforming into something else. It wasn't a Pokémon, though, as it was taking on a human-like shape. When it was done with its bizarre transformation, Duplica gasped.

"Duplica, don't give up on me!" the Ash now standing before her said. "Please! I need your help!"

"D-Ditto?" Duplica had been taking on Ash's form all this time, but never had Ditto done the same.

"Duplica…I know how you feel about me…"

"H-huh?!" she allowed a blush to cross her face. "W-what? Feel what?"

"Duplica, please!" he said pleadingly. "Help me! I'm still out there!"

Duplica listened to Ditto's words as if they were Ash's own. This was no time to be giving up.

"You're right, Ash!" She wiped her tears and stood up. "I know you're still alive! I'll come save you!"

"Ditto!" Ditto said in its usual squeaky voice, glad to have pulled Duplica out of her rut.

"Okay," Duplica, still in her Ash disguise, peeked around the tree and scouted out for any people looking for 'him.' "I guess Ashy-boy is really well known in this town so we'll have to steer clear of it for now. We'll camp here for the night and set out for Mt. Silver soon. Sound good, Ditto?"

"Sure thing, Duplica!" Ditto-Ash cheered. The blunette blushed. Her Ditto was excellent at portraying Ash, but having another Ash right next to her like this was really…unnerving.

It was like the real Ash was right there. She wanted to just throw her arms around him, but kept herself composed. She would definitely locate the real Ash soon enough.

"We're so close to Mt. Silver, Ditto," Duplica whispered to her Transform Pokémon.

They were nearing the mouth of the cave, which looked intimidating enough by itself. She could hear a rush of water echoing beyond the darkness of the cave. A waterfall, she suspected. There was a conveniently placed Pokémon Center here, and not too far from that…

A house?

"A house?" Duplica questioned the odd placement of the house. "Who would want to live all the way out here?"

It peeked her curiousity enough to divert her attention away from the opening of Mt. Silver and she began trotting toward the small brick house.

Suddenly, a girl with a Fearow by her side stepped out of the front door.

"Oh!" she immediately noticed Duplica. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, since I'm guessing you live in this house," Duplica answered.

"O-oh my…" the girl stuttered. "Please don't tell anyone I'm here! I moved here to get away from my fans!"

"Fans?" Duplica tilted her head in confusion, wondering what kind of fans this girl was talking about. Maybe she was famous? She didn't look familiar. "Don't worry, I won't."

"Thank you," she sighed in relief. "You must be a tough trainer to come to these parts. But I urge tell you to avoid this place. I'm taking care of a boy now who tried to climb Mt. Silver but injured himself along the way…"

"Wait, a boy?!" Duplica exclaimed. "Does he have a Pikachu with him?"

"Y-yes, he does!" The girl sounded surprised that Duplica knew this. "Do you know him?"

"Yes! Please, let me see him!"

The master imitator rushed into the house to find someone lying on the bed. The real Ash Ketchum was before her.

He looked like he always did, besides the scraggy, tattered clothes and the huge scar visible even under his dark messy hair. But he was alive.

"D-Duplica?!" Ash nearly dropped the tea he was holding when the blunette entered the house.

"Ashy-boy!" Duplica beamed and ran to Ash, surprising him with a bone-crushing hug she couldn't help giving. "You're okay!"

"Y-yeah…maybe…if I could…breathe…!" he choked.

"Oh, s-sorry!" she backed off and took a moment to stare at him. "Oh my Arceus! I'm so glad to see you! You're alive!"

Ash's face twisted in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ash! Are you serious? No one has heard from you in almost a year! And you injured yourself trying to trek that dangerous mountain on your own! Everyone thought the worst!"

"Oh," he scratched his head. "I'm sorry."

"Is that all you can say? Everyone's missed you so much. Especially me! I had to prove that you were still alive! I came all the way out here to see if I could…find you…" Duplica could feel herself beginning to tear up.

"I am sorry! I didn't mean to get myself injured, but there was a rockslide in the cave and I broke both of my legs! I thought I was dead, but I feel near the front of the cave and Ms. Tsubasa found me. I owe it to her and Nurse Joy next door who helped nurse me back to health."

Duplica frowned for a second. She was upset that Ash hadn't at least attempted get a hold of someone, but altogether, she was just glad that he was okay. And alive.

"Oh, Ashy-boy…" she smiled, and couldn't help but let a tear roll down her face. "I'm just glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if I never got to see you again…and tell you…that I…I—!"

"You could have just had your Ditto Transform into me. Then you could see me everyday!" Ash laughed.

She stared at him with a face reminiscent to Ditto. "Ashy-boy, I swear…"

"What?"

Duplica chose not to tell Ash about the fact that while he was gone, her Ditto had taken Ash's form and could do it again at a moment's notice. But now she didn't have to worry about it having to do that.

Because Ash was right here. She would tell him how she really felt soon enough.

Ditto can talk. That's a thing.

Just because Ash is from the anime doesn't mean he can't explore other places from the Pokémon media! The Dragon's Den from last chapter and Mt. Silver in this chapter were the one's from Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver. There is a Mt. Silver in the anime, but it's different from the one in the games.

Also, Tsubasa is Japanese for wing. Get it, cause she gives you Fly and Steel Wing in the games and owns bird Pokémon?

~Midori