Happy Birthday! To this fic! Also me but it's a bit late for that one.
Once again Ash got to be treated at a Pokemon Center.
They may have cured the poison right after the battle but there were still some lingering effects even if the cause was gone. Not to mention his various other injuries from his battle with Venomoth.
Despite the pain and discomfort, Ash had been bursting with happiness.
Seven gyms down, and he had been able to battle himself this time! There was a certain satisfaction to landing the finishing blow himself instead of just directing the battle. It was a shame he couldn't do it more often.
Then again, given how commonly his little secret was revealed maybe he would get the chance again.
But now that all was said and done the group had to figure out their next move.
"We could just go straight back to that port." Brock had pointed out during dinner. "Head to Cinnabar Isle and wrap up your gym challenge before next week!"
"Assuming he doesn't get stuck," Karen muttered and got a few looks. "What? I'm just saying! The last gym is always the most difficult. Blaine's got a record for being a tough opponent even when he's not doing eight badge challenges."
"Doesn't that just mean I should go as soon as possible?" Ash wondered.
"If you like." The older trainer shrugged. "You have time still, not infinite obviously but you also need to train for the league itself."
"Which he's already been doing. Sort of." Misty added.
"I guess we don't need to head straight to the port." The disguised trainer admitted after a few moments of thought. "We could just do some traveling."
"Where?" Brock asked and pulled out his folding map. "There's not exactly a plethora of interesting places to visit around here."
"It's kind of a shame." Misty poked at her food. "Might be why the city isn't in the greatest shape."
"Which came first, the Pokemon or the Egg?" Karen asked. "Is the city rundown because there are no reasons to travel here or does no one travel here because it's rundown?"
"Not the direction I expected this to go in," Misty claimed. "We could go back to the Safari Area tomorrow."
"I never did catch anything." The other girl nodded. "Unlike you two. Rhyhorn and Dratini? Seriously?"
"We'll figure it out at breakfast." Ash decided. "I want to think about it first."
"Understandable." Brock accepted.
Misty had one more thought. "Even if we head to Cinnabar Island before doing anything else we'll still have some travel time after. We don't have to go straight to the Indigo Plateau after you win."
He hadn't been planning on doing that anyway. "I thought maybe I'd go home for a few weeks to train. If we have the time. Which we should."
"Makes sense." Misty frowned and shook her head, "Just realized I might technically be homeless."
Brock stared at her. "What?"
"Oh yeah, don't think we explained everything with her sisters…" Karen realized.
"You can stay with Mom in Pallet Town if you want," Ash suggested.
Misty's eyes went wide. "Wait really?"
"She'd probably be okay with it. You can use my room. Or we could split it? I never used it much anyway."
"You have a room?" Karen seemed a bit confused.
"Why wouldn't I have a room?"
"Does Shelldon have a room?"
"Shelldon doesn't like rooms." Ash didn't skip a beat.
Whatever her point was she decided not to pursue it any further and just accept the facts as presented.
The trainers finished dinner and separated for the night, which worked just fine for Ash, he wanted to talk to his team a bit. There were a few things they needed to discuss and figure out.
First things first, congratulations! They did it!
"I am the best trainer." Pikachu was very proud of himself. "Ever. Of all time."
"Clearly." Pidgeotto rolled her eyes.
"You did great!" Ash told him. "Especially for your first time!"
"Yeah, I did." Pikachu deflated just a bit. "But I get what you meant back in Cerulean City now. About trusting you to handle it. I had to stop myself from running in a couple of times."
"Harder than it sounds right?" Ash nodded. It was tempting when you saw an attack coming towards your friend or saw an opening on the opponent. There was an instinct to run in and do it yourself instead of trusting your teammate to have it covered, only able to shout a warning or suggestion.
"And other than the battle itself." Ash switched gears. "Storm! Awesome!" He bounced on his toes a bit and took the time to admire her new form. Art and Sunny had been gushing over it since dinner and she was happy to show off a bit more.
"I could get used to this." She admitted, flexing an arm a bit. "I knew evolution would be a rush but I wish that moment could last forever! Maybe I should start going for Blastoise now." She chuckled.
Eevee opened her mouth but the newly evolved Wartortle shut her down. "I know it doesn't work like that. Even if it did, I get one more evolution so I better make it count."
"This is your daily reminder that you do not have to evolve if you do not want to." Pikachu took on a very "professional" voice for his public service announcement.
Sunny held up his Everstone and looked hard at it. "You're still you. Right Storm?"
"As far as I can tell kid." She nodded. "I feel stronger and I'm a little taller I think. But apart from that initial rush, I don't think I'm too different."
The Charmander nodded and took the necklace off.
After several seconds Art tilted his head. "I thought you were going to evolve."
"I kind of feel something building actually." Sunny frowned they heard something rumbling in his throat.
Eevee wisely stepped away from the other Pokemon as he opened his mouth and let out a tremendous "BURP" with a bonus Flamethrower included.
Sunny blushed redder. "Excuse me." The team cackled with laughter.
"Alright, before we call it a night… Is anyone willing to go back to Pallet Town?" Ash asked. "Selene's due to come back."
His question was met with silence initially and a few of them looked at Sunny. Based on their current pattern he was next in line to go to the lab. Ash had told him before that he didn't have to go if he really didn't want to but there was a certain peer pressure involved even if no one was actively pressing him into it.
Eevee looked to struggle with herself for a few moments. "Sunny, why is it you don't want to go back?" She finally asked, getting to the root of the issue.
The fire-type trembled for a moment and then went still. He looked at her. "Because I'm selfish." He announced.
That wasn't the answer any of them were expecting.
"Sunny… how are you selfish?" Ash asked him.
"Remember what you said when we thought Misty would have to leave?" Sunny kicked at the floor, not meeting anyone's eyes. "You wanted things to stay the way they are and not change. I don't want things to change. I want to stay here with you and call you Dad and keep battling and having fun but that's selfish."
"That's why you were scared of evolving." Pikachu had a moment of clarity. "Because you were afraid it would change you. We talked about it a bit but that's what it boils down to."
"And that's selfish." Sunny nodded.
Ash found himself struggling to answer Sunny in a helpful way. "I… you're not selfish Sunny."
"But you said you were being selfish when you wanted to force things to stay the same!" He pointed out. "And that's what I'm trying to do!"
"Being scared of change isn't the same as being selfish," Storm spoke up. "Maybe forcing things to stay the way you like them is a little selfish but it's a type of selfishness I think everyone can understand."
"I keep making it about me though." Sunny lashed his tail. "I'm the one with issues, I'm the one who doesn't want to go, I'm the one who wanted to force Ash to be my Dad even though he doesn't want to be."
"I didn't say I didn't want to be!" Ash immediately pointed out and Sunny looked at him eyes watering a bit.
"It's not fair to you though!" Sunny pointed out. "You're still having fun and being yourself and I want you to be my Dad but you're not old enough or ready and- and-"
He sat back hard and looked ashamed. "I'm sorry. I'll go to Pallet Town."
That… that was not the way this conversation was ending.
Ash's eyes flashed as he walked up to Sunny. "Sunny. You. Are. Not. A. Burden."
He looked up and Ash lightly headbutted his forehead, meeting his eyes. "Maybe I'm not ready to be a Dad but if you want to call me that anyway, that's fine! It's alright to not want to leave! It's alright to want things to stay the same! You are a part of this team and you're allowed to have doubts and fears and all that stuff! Pikachu used to be afraid of ground-types! I'm still afraid of being alone! Don't assume what we think about you! You're part of this family and we love you! Got it?"
Sunny stared at him, eyes glistening, and then lurched forward and hugged him.
"Thanks Ash- Dad- Dash." Sunny managed and Art cackled with delight while Ash smiled.
"See! Told you it works!"
"If you're really okay with going back we'll do the swap tomorrow morning," Ash told him as they separated and the team started getting into bed. "But if you still don't want to that's okay too."
Sunny took a deep breath. "I'm okay. I'm ready." He held his head up a bit.
"Were you afraid of ground-types?" Pidgeotto whispered to Pikachu as the Pokemon began to drift off. "I remember you didn't want to fight them when we did Brock's gym."
"Sort of? Imagine your strongest attacks didn't do anything against an entire type. It was more horrified frustration than fear." He smugly crossed his arms and smirked. "Glad I solved that problem!"
Sunny said his goodbyes the next morning, a bit more tearfully than when Selene had split off but a bit less so than when Pidgeotto had.
Hopefully, it would be the last time tears were shed over a simple swap to Pallet Town. Then again, Art might attempt a revolution to up the number of active Pokemon available to trainers when his turn came.
"I would just like to point out," Eevee said diplomatically as the transfer started. "That Pikachu still hasn't gone back to Pallet Town. And he's been on the roster longer than anyone else."
"I said it before. I'll say it again." Pikachu huffed. "I refuse to get into one of those nightmare cages."
"They're not that bad," Ash told him, rolling his eyes a bit. "They're comfy."
"They feel funny." Art agreed with Pikachu to a degree.
"I didn't think of it last night, we probably could have mentioned that to Sunny." Storm mused. "Might have helped him feel better about being "selfish.""
"He was being a little selfish. But not any more than anyone else. And given what his last trainer situation was like, I think he's allowed." The machine beeped and Selene's Poke Ball appeared in the retrieval slot.
"Welcome back!" Ash released her and she did a twirl and curtsy.
"Thank you!" She finished and the team stared at her.
"Did you just-" Eevee managed, blue eyes wide.
"Gotcha!" Selene seemed quite pleased with herself. "Ash's Trainer-Mom and Shelldon suggested it. If Pix and Ash could learn it why not me? I only managed to work out a few words and phrases though."
"It's a good prank." Pikachu grinned.
"If you'd like we could work on learning more," Ash told her and Eevee perked up.
"That's an option?"
Ash looked at her. "It's… it's always been an option? None of you ever asked before."
"Huh." Pidgeotto blinked. "Actually yeah, you taught Pix the basics when she asked."
"Just need to find a place to do it in between training and traveling…" Eevee hummed. "I'll figure out a schedule."
With Selene's return, the team went to breakfast with their friends and finally set to stone the plans for the next leg of the journey.
"We'll head to Cinnabar Island next," Ash announced his decision. "I hope I'll be able to get the badge on the first try but I don't want to take any risks! After I have it, if any of you guys have a place you want to visit just say so!"
"Really?" Karen asked him.
"Yeah." He nodded enthusiastically. "I know this is "my" journey but you guys came with me! It's only fair if we visit places you want to see too!"
"We should have some time." Brock mused. "But to be fair, I looked up Cinnabar Island last night, and turns out it's quite the island paradise. Forests that border on jungles, beautiful beaches, beautiful-" he paused and coughed. "Rocks."
Ash hadn't thought of that. It made sense a rock-type expert would be interested in rocks. Cinnabar was volcanic, right? That meant it would have some cool volcano rocks!
"Looking to get into the family business?" Misty suggested with a wry grin. It took Ash a second to get the joke but he laughed when it hit him.
"Flint's Fletching Finds has declared bankruptcy actually." Brock waved off. "He only ever got one customer."
"I was his only customer?" Ash blinked and Brock rested his forehead on his palm.
"Apparently. Have you been dragging a rock with you this whole time?" He asked.
"No! Of course not!" Ash huffed. "That's your job! I sent mine home."
"You do have a few rocks with you." Misty agreed with Ash. "How many boulders in an Onix?"
Brock chose to take the question at face value and launched into an explanation of Onix biology. Eevee was the most interested and started taking notes. Ash wondered where she got the paper and pencil from.
Most of it went over his head but apparently, Onix shed older boulders as they aged and grew new ones. How a rock could grow was beyond Ash but not beyond Onix, it would seem. Which meant the amount of boulders varied from Onix to Onix and year to year.
After that initial discussion, the conversation veered off in a few different directions but ended with the group packing up for their return to the road.
Ash and Misty were ready to go first and Ash finally got a chance to properly meet Misty's newest teammate.
The Dratini was… not quite what he expected.
"You smell funny." The dragon-type told him in no uncertain terms.
"Everyone smells funny," Ash pointed out having long since figured out most people tended to have their own unique scents.
"Yeah, but you smell a bad funny. My savior tolerates you though so I will accept such unpleasant features for her sake." Dratini then proceeded to lose all interest in him.
"...do I smell bad funny?" Ash was a little worried. Maybe people were just too polite to point it out to him and he had smelled bad this whole time?
"Don't worry about it, Ash." Storm comforted him. "She's just used to being around either her family or the same group of water-types."
"Answer the question!" He pleaded.
"I mean what is bad funny even?" Pikachu asked. "You smell mostly like you always have. Your Mom's influence is a bit fainter but you smell greener now."
"Smells are weird." Art claimed. "So many Pokemon act like they're a big deal, but like, most people don't smell like anything to me."
"Some Pokemon have more developed noses than others. Ash, Pikachu, and myself have fairly strong senses of smell." Eevee told him. "You weren't here for it but the Celadon City gym leader had a perfume shop that smelled so strongly we had to leave."
"Weird." Art decided.
"If you want a firm no Ash, I don't think you smell "bad funny," at least no more than I do," Eevee told him.
That was a relief!
Brock and Karen joined them and they left soon after that. On their way out of the city, Ash spotted Janine standing on a rooftop, her cape billowing in the wind dramatically as she watched them leave.
"That was the ninja girl right?" Karen asked. Everyone had seen her standing up there, she had not exactly been stealthy.
"Yeah, I kind of thought she would say goodbye but well, I guess that's her way of doing it." He shrugged.
"Right, well you have some training to catch up on I believe." She reminded him. "You did well during your battle but I think there's still a good deal of room for improvement."
"Uh-huh!" He nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait to practice more with the ninja tricks I learned!"
"What ninja tricks did you learn anyway?" Misty asked him, walking backward to look at him.
"The basics mostly, but they gave me ideas!" His eyes glinted and that rush of adrenaline hit him once more as mischievous schemes raced through his mind.
"...did your eyes just glow for a second?" His best human friend asked with a look of bewilderment.
"Wait does Dash have glowing eyes?" Art gasped and climbed Mt. Zorua to try and get a good look. He frowned, "They looked normal to me."
Misty was insistent she had seen them glow for a second but Ash claimed he hadn't used his illusions to make them do that so they decided to let the mystery lie for the time being. At least until someone saw it happen again.
Training that night was simple enough, Ash tried some new tricks, Art practiced with Psychic so it wouldn't drain him so much again, and Storm tested the upper limits of her new strength. It was a fairly constructive training session all things considered.
Selene had picked up a few new tricks in Pallet Town. Not exactly moves in of themselves, but more of a fighting style.
"Shelldon was quite insistent!" She claimed. "Training was important, we practiced every day! He gave me some tips on how to handle taking damage. Things he learned while on a team with Pix."
"Out of curiosity," Pikachu spoke up. "What's going on with Diglett?"
Selene gained an uncharacteristic frown. "I do not like him."
"I don't think any of us "like" him." Storm pointed out. "But what's going on with him?"
"Professor Oak had a special habitat built for him," Selene explained. "A small floating island."
Ash blinked when he heard that. "A floating island?"
"In a pond." She clarified. "A floating island in the air would be much more interesting. It's a metal bowl filled with dirt. Diglett can't get off. He mostly keeps to himself or rants at any Pokemon who gets too close."
"I guess that works." Eevee considered. "It's like what we were trying to do in the Crystal Caverns. Only more effective."
Their trainer thought back. That entire night had been a bit of a blur, the fact he hadn't collapsed in the middle of it was a miracle.
"I'm glad that Professor Oak has him quarantined," Pidgeotto claimed. "Everything I've heard about that little fiend disturbs me."
"He's a menace." Pikachu agreed. "We probably will need to figure something out. Eventually. But not tonight!"
That declaration was met with resounding agreements as they tucked in for the night.
The next morning greeted them with a dark overcast of gray clouds. Karen had peeked out of her tent and cursed.
"Oh, this is going to suuuuck." She quickly started packing and encouraged the rest of the waking trainers to do the same.
"We've been pretty lucky so far," Brock admitted. "We've only had a few drizzles, at least while I've been with you."
"It's rained a few times. But we normally had some form of shelter." Misty considered. "Huh, we really have been lucky now that I think about it. The worst storm I can think of is the night we found Sunny."
Ash grumbled at that reminder. "I hope Damian's unhappy right now."
"Here here!" Staryu agreed as he assisted his trainer. "Thanks be to the ghost trainer!"
Giggles came from most of the other Pokemon and Misty and Ash groaned without much malice. "It's such a silly legend."
"Urban legend." Misty corrected him. "You're a true Kanto cryptid now Ash."
"Like the giant Dragonite and the Crystal Caverns?" He asked.
"The caverns aren't a cryptid, just a legend." Brock pointed out. "And both those things are real. Well, I haven't seen the Dragonite myself."
"Like I said, a true Kanto cryptid." Misty nodded as they began hurrying off, hoping to make it to the port before the rainstorm hit them.
Unfortunately for them, it was not to be. They heard the rumbling of thunder before any of the water started coming down, but when the clouds burst they exploded to biblical proportions.
"As glad as I am I know how to start rain storms now." Pikachu nearly had to shout in order to be heard. "I wish I knew a dance that stopped them."
"Sunny Day would be useful right now." Pidgeotto found herself agreeing with him.
Selene considered the problem. "I could try Metronome…"
"No!" Multiple Pokemon shouted in response.
She huffed. "I never get the chance to use it anymore!"
"Last time you tried it didn't even do anything." Eevee reminded her. "And the time before that it knocked you out."
"It's a reminder that life is full of surprises!" The Clefairy insisted. "Sometimes good, and sometimes bad!"
"We're already in the middle of one bad surprise." Ash reminded her. "Maybe we should wait until we try for another surprise."
Things only got worse when the road started to turn to mud under their feet. By the time noon rolled around the storm showed no signs of letting up and the sky was dark enough to be mistaken for evening.
Brock, sensing the desperation of the situation, called upon his last resort. "Brock, honey, what are you doing?" Karen asked, doing a double take.
"I'm using my trusty frying pan as a drying pan!" He explained, sounding incredibly pleased with himself.
"..." Karen was caught between the silliness of the solution and asking if he had a spare she could use.
She never reached her decision however as they came around a bend in the road and spotted a structure ahead. "Is that a house?" Misty asked.
"Looks like it!" Ash started sprinting, "Let's see if anyone's home!"
"It doesn't look like anyone has been home for a while." Brock pointed out as they arrived at the seemingly decrepit building.
"Then no one will mind if we shelter inside for a bit." Karen and Umbreon forced the door as the others piled in behind them.
"I swear this better not be another trap house," Pidgeotto muttered.
They waited a few moments, waiting for ghostly wailing, unexpected lights, maybe even the door slamming behind them but the only company they had was the roaring of the wind and the pounding of the rain, punctuated by the occasional clap of thunder.
"I don't remember seeing this place on our wait to Fuchsia." Misty worried as they shook the water off.
"Are we lost again?" Squirtle sighed dramatically.
"It's not my fault if we are this time!" Ash claimed. "Karen was in front!"
"We're not lost." Karen wrung the water out of her hair. "There was a split in the path, both lead to the port, I thought this route looked shorter. But there were more twists and turns than advertised."
"Great." Misty groaned. "At least we can keep dry in here."
"Hey guys." Art called from the side of the room. "Did I not get introduced to the other Ralts in the party?"
"Who's party?" Pikachu asked and looked over.
"Anyone's." Art pointed at another Pokemon standing next to him, who did indeed appear to be a second Ralts.
"Who's this little guy?" Karen walked over and took a look.
The new Ralts said nothing, turning and retreating deeper into the house.
"Ralts aren't supposed to be native to Kanto right?" Brock checked. "I know Rota has some Pokemon who migrated years ago from other regions but they seem fairly contained."
Ash, having an eye for illusions and disguises hummed. "That Ralts looked way too similar to Art for them to be normal. I think they were pretending to be one."
Misty narrowed her eyes and checked the door. "We're not locked in this time at least."
"It's pretty unlikely that's another Ralts," Karen admitted. "We could be inside a Play House as opposed to a Trap House."
"If we're getting pranked I hope they'll be nice enough to let us wait out the storm," Storm muttered and then chuckled. "Storm stuck in a storm."
"That's one of the reasons I didn't pick that one." Pidgeotto nodded.
Seeing no better choices they followed the 'Ralts' down the hall and into a large auditorium. Lots of room for seating and even a stage with a curtain.
"Maybe not a house then, a theater?" Ash guessed as they looked around.
"Not a house, a theater." An unknown voice repeated his words but in a way that acted as confirmation.
"Who's that-" Karen turned toward the sound and blinked. "Uh…"
Ash stared then laughed. "Nice outfit!"
"Nice outfit yourself." The person agreed stepping forward but pushing the bill of their hat down.
Whoever they were wore an exact replica of Ash's outfit, minus a few mud and grass stains, from what Ash could tell they had even pitched down their voice a bit to try and mimic him, but not quite good enough.
"Who's that boy and why is he wearing Ash's clothes?" Misty asked.
"I think that's a girl actually," Brock claimed and Misty shot him a look.
"How can you tell?"
"I can always tell." He didn't elaborate.
"That's an okay disguise," Ash told his imposter. "But the hair and face are wrong, isn't that right?"
She sighed and pushed the hat up. "With a bit more time I could have done the hair. The face would have taken a lot longer."
"I take it you're not a ghost type trying to spook us then?" Karen checked, letting her guard down just a bit now that she wasn't expecting Gengar to jump down from the rafters.
"Not quite." She laughed. "Although given the state of the place I can understand why you'd think that. My name's Duplica Imite, and this is Ditto." She gestured to the mysterious Ralts who now stood beside her. The Pokemon's form shifted and glowed slightly as they took their natural shape.
"Hello." The bloblike Pokemon greeted them.
Introductions from the travelers took a bit longer, Ash taking the chance to introduce his whole team as usual. As they did so a sudden bang made them all jump.
"I hope that wasn't the attic again…" Duplica muttered. "Ditto can you wait with our guests a minute while I check that?"
"Sure." The girl bounded off and Ash took a closer look at Ditto.
"So, how are your disguises?" He grinned a bit, not quite ready to let his secret out yet but curious to learn more about this other Ditto, the only one he knew so far was Mina.
Unexpected Ditto made a rather sad noise. "Not great… I picked Ralts because most of his face was hidden." They transformed, taking the shape of Pikachu this time, with one noticeable difference.
"Uh oh." Ash saw the problem. "Can't quite figure out faces?"
It was a little odd seeing the beady eyes and thin lips of a Ditto on Pikachu's face. The other Pokemon nodded. "Duplica and I have tried a lot of things but I just can't figure it out."
"Have you tried asking other Ditto?" Storm suggested reasonably.
"I don't know any." Ditto retook their natural form.
"We do," Ash told them but then frowned. "But we don't have a way to contact her… shoot."
"You gave her your PokeGear number right?" Storm asked and he nodded.
"Yeah, but she didn't have one. She said she would message us when she got one…" That had been weeks ago now. Maybe it was out of her price range? Or maybe she had tried while they were underground.
That was a problem they'd need to figure out. Hopefully, they would run into her again soon. Mina said she wanted to go to Cinnabar for her last gym too right? Maybe they would get lucky.
"You know another Ditto?" They seemed quite pleased to learn that. "Is she better at Transform than I am?"
"She's really good!" Art told them. "She can even do humans!"
"I never tried doing a human…" Ditto admitted looking thoughtful. Then seemed to realize something. "Wait how are you understanding me?" They asked Ash.
Footsteps spoke of Duplica's return so Ash just winked and mouthed 'later' as the girl reentered the room wearing a different outfit, not a replica of any of theirs this time.
"Well, it wasn't the attic this time…" She looked puzzled. "Maybe something fell outside. This place has seen better days."
"I'd say." Karen agreed with her. "Not to sound rude but do you honestly live here?"
"Where else would I live?" She shrugged. "Ditto and I do shows for travelers. Unfortunately, Ditto has a…" She looked a bit awkward and rubbed her arm.
"Problem with faces?" Ash filled in and she blinked at him. "They showed us when I asked about their disguises. We've met a Ditto before."
"Ah!" She nodded. "Yeah, we've tried a lot of things but Ditto just can't seem to get them down."
"What kind of shows do you do?" Brock asked. "Maybe if you can't quite get the copycat aspect down you could try other things?"
"Ditto is a good battler," Duplica claimed. "And I have a pretty good head for moves." She tapped her noggin.
"You have to when a Pokemon can Transform and have access to anything." Ash agreed. "It's not quite the same but Selene knows Metronome. We're still trying to figure out what one of them was."
"Yeah, that's a wildcard." She accepted. "I try not to use that one."
"It can come in handy if you don't see a good option," Ash claimed thinking of some of his battles. "But yeah, last resort usually."
"That's one of mine." Eevee snarked in with a giggle.
The thought of battling rooted itself deeper into his head. "You said you two are a good team right?" he grinned. "Want to have a battle to pass the time?"
Duplica blinked in surprise before grinning back. "Sure! Oh, in case I wasn't clear before, you guys are welcome to wait out the storm here."
"It was implied," Brock said. "But thanks.
"What are you doing, trying to get us caught?" Meowth demanded while his two human companions took deep breaths.
"It's not like I was trying to slam the window!" Jessie shot back. "The wind smacked it shut so fast I barely got my hand out of the way."
"Just glad we managed to avoid that fake twerp," James muttered. "Who even was that?"
"Their groupie just keeps gettin' bigger." Meowth bemoaned. "I knew followin' them was a bad idea."
"Shut up it's a great idea!" Jessie insisted. "Every time we run into them we succeed! We need to stay close!"
"Every-" Meowth stared at her with a bewildered expression. "Jessie we nearly die every time we get close!"
"But we also win!" James agreed with his human counterpart. "Did you see the Boss's expression when he saw that sack full of evolution stones?"
"We're on a fast track to admin status!" Jessie had stars in her eyes. "Maybe even executives!"
She paused. "Now that I think about it, I'm not sure which one is the higher rank."
"Anything is better than grunt." James pointed out.
"Aren't we agents now?" Meowth checked
"That is also better than grunt!"
"My point is we stick around the twerps enough and another payday will fall into our laps." Jessie brought the conversation back around. "And even if it doesn't we can collect when we finally figure out where that black Vulpix is hiding."
"If it's real," James muttered.
"We literally saw it!" Jessie reminded him.
"I don't like thinking about anything we saw in that place," Meowth muttered.
Jessie considered that. "Alright that's fair." she shivered.
She glanced at James. "This isn't another house one of your relatives mysteriously disappeared in right?"
"No, never heard of this place." He peaked out the door of the closet they'd been squished in. "Coast looks clear now. Let's find our next promotion!"
As they slunk down the hall Meowth frowned. "You guys hear dat? It sounds like a battle."
The trio paused and listened. "You're right it does. Let's go the opposite direction." They turned around and continued slinking, searching for whatever today's prize would be.
Duplica and Ditto were more than just a good team, they were a great team. Ash was impressed by how in sync they were with each other.
That said, Ash and Selene had more than a few tricks up their sleeve.
Ditto might have access to every move a Clefairy could learn, but they didn't know all the ways Selene knew how to use them.
Then again, Duplica had a few sneaky ideas of her own. Ash had never thought of trying to combine Sing and Disarming Voice before, but their opponents had never thought of using Defense Curl as an offensive attack!
They called the battle before anyone was knocked out, better to keep things friendly in the middle of this storm. No need to risk major injuries.
Ash wasn't sure who would have won that fight in the end. Duplica's style seemed to be focused around using their opponent's own moves to deal as much damage as possible but Selene was a defensive fighter and had taken some pretty hard hits and kept moving.
"If you don't mind me asking," he brought up after the battle. "Why don't you try doing the gym challenge? It's a bit late this season I guess but maybe the next one?"
"Uh," Duplica seemed a bit surprised by the question. "I don't have a sponsor for one. And then I would need to find a parent or guardian to get permission from."
"...you don't have anyone looking after you?" Brock sounded very concerned.
"Who wants to see my costume room?!" She changed the subject a bit too suddenly.
"Psst." Misty poked Ash as they followed Duplica and they shifted to the back of the group. "Think she's a Pokemon in disguise too?"
Ash thought about it. "Nah. She didn't seem like she was able to understand everything Ditto said and she didn't react to some of the comments the other Pokemon have made."
"I didn't think so but she seemed like she didn't want to talk about the no parents thing, and given our track record…" She mused.
"It was a good question." Ash agreed. "But you don't talk about your parents either."
"They're dead for one." Misty started and then thought about it. "Ya know, I don't want to have this discussion right now. Ask me later if you're still interested."
"Okay." Ash could understand that. He didn't like thinking about his birth parents, never mind talking about them.
Duplica had not been exaggerating when she said she had a costume room. The entire space which was probably only a bit smaller than the auditorium was filled wall to wall with rows of outfits of varying styles, sizes, and shapes.
"Oh my!" Even Karen was impressed. "This is quite the collection you have here."
"Thanks!" Duplica perked up. "I try to keep this room in the best shape I can, I don't want my costumes taking damage. I'm pretty proud of it." She slipped through the rows a few times and popped out wearing different outfits, Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, and even a duplicate of Misty's clothes.
As the humans were talking to Duplica about her costumes and her own skills with disguises Ash decided to strike up a conversation with Ditto again.
"So you and your trainer like doing your shows right?" Ash was a bit confused on the exact details but it seemed to be a bit of a carnival gag.
"Yeah, I wish I wasn't letting her down."
Ash nodded, understanding on a few levels. "I might be able to give you some pointers… I can't promise it will be any better than what you've already been doing with Duplica but maybe you could use some insight."
Ditto looked puzzled. "What kind of insight could you offer?"
Ash caught Misty's eye and made a gesture towards Ditto and the door. She nodded back and he gave a very foxlike grin to Ditto. "Insider secrets."
"This place is completely barren," Jessie complained, closing the door on yet another empty room. "Seriously, what kind of people don't keep any valuables in their home?"
"Insensitive schmucks." Meowth nodded sagely. "No respect for hard-workin' criminals like us. We gotta put food on our tables ya know!"
"I didn't know we had a table." James mused.
"It's a figure a' speech." Meowth waved him off. "Seriously, who does live here? Is it just that girl?"
"Maybe." James shrugged. "Kids are growing up so fast these days. Not even a teenager and already bought her own house."
"Could be she inherited it," Meowth suggested but Jessie made a motion for them to shush.
"What?" The other human lowered his voice.
"I hear something up ahead." She gestured and they started tip-toeing forward.
They stopped in front of a closed door, the handle looking a bit less dusty, implying it had been used recently. She pressed her ear to the door and then peaked inside. She went rigid, softly closed the door, and then gasped.
"It's in there!" She managed after a moment of frantic silent pointed.
"What?"
"THE VULPIX!" She shouted out and there was a scrambling behind the door.
"Covers blown! Go for it!" James sent out Kabuto and the fossil Pokemon smashed through the wooden door. And Team Rocket surged inside…
And found themselves faced with two identical black Vulpix.
"...there's two of dem?" Meowth asked.
"Apparently."
The two Pokemon looked at each other. One grinned at the other and nodded, and the other's eyes began to water a bit a smile growing on their face as well.
"I mean, isn't this better?" James pointed out. "Instead of one super rare Vulpix, we get two!"
"No!" Jessie snapped at him. "That's a bad thing! If there's two they might not be as rare as we thought."
"Or maybe I'm not a Vulpix at all and you guys are just idiots." The Team Rocket members froze and slowly turned to the "Vulpix" in question.
Meowth glared. "Which of you said that?"
"One of us." Vulpix grinned and snickered at them.
There was something familiar to the voice… but not quite right. James couldn't put his finger on it. "If you're not a Vulpix what are you?"
"Ever hear of a Zorua?" The Pokemon asked.
"That's a made-up word!" Jessie snapped at it.
"No, it's not!" the so-called "Zorua" claimed.
"Stop lying! You're clearly a Vulpix!" She insisted.
"I am not!" It stomped its foot. "Have you ever even seen a Vulpix before? I look nothing like them! Nickit looks closer to Vulpix than I do! At least they're the right color!"
He paused. "Mostly."
"Stop making up fake Pokemon Vulpix!" Jessie scrambled and pulled out a sack. "Now both of you get in the bag! We'll take you to the Boss and figure out what to do with you!"
"Seriously there were a bunch of us here just a few…" It sighed. "You know what? Forget it, you guys are hopeless."
"Says the Pokemon surrounded and outmatched!" The rest of Team Rocket's Pokemon came out. "Now come quietly and no one has to get hurt… yet."
"You." Spearow hissed with venom when he saw Ash.
"Vulpix" sighed. "Alright, Ditto, follow my lead."
"Wait Ditto?" James recognized that Pokemon name.
Vulpix exploded in a sudden wave of darkness that hurt far more than darkness should. As the villains recovered from that unexpected blast a second one hit them and Meowth felt himself bowled over as something used him as a springboard to get past them.
"They's gettin' away!" He shouted and the group quickly raced down the halls after them.
"Who were those guys?" Ditto asked as they raced down the hall back to the others.
"Team Rocket!" Ash answered, "Group of criminals, kidnap Pokemon, steal stuff, cause problems, they're really annoying."
Also annoying was that he'd ditched his hat when he heard Jessie shout. Dumb as they were, they might be stupid enough to make the connection and come to the right answer.
As they approached the costume room, Ash switched back to his human disguise, grabbed Ditto, and burst inside, startling the others.
"What did you do?" Pikachu immediately asked.
"Wait, are they both Ash?" Art asked looking at the two disguised Pokemon.
"Technically yes," Pidgeotto claimed.
"Team Rocket's here!" Ash announced. "The dumb ones!"
"Again?" Misty groaned.
"Who?" Duplica asked.
"It's a long story," Karen told her.
"What are they up to?" Brock asked Ash.
"They're still after that "Black Vulpix."" He rolled his eyes. "They saw him and decided to make their move."
"Ash." Selene patted his leg. "We are never leaving you alone again."
Oddly comforting; yet worrying.
They heard racing down the hall. "They still just have the five Pokemon right?" Misty checked.
"That's all I saw," Ash told her.
"Shouldn't be a problem then." She grinned savagely and cracked her knuckles. "It's been a while since I've had a chance to let off steam."
"They're all yours." Ash gestured and stepped aside. He glanced down at Ditto, still Transformed into his twin. "Oh, Duplica! We solved Ditto's facial disguise issue!" He handed the other Pokemon off.
"...why are they a Zorua?"
"Hah! You recognize them!" Ash was pleased, especially after getting called a Vulpix and being told his species was made up.
"Seriously what is happening?" She begged for an answer and Karen just placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"A really long story. Like, more than forty chapters."
Team Rocket should have been right behind them, but as soon as Misty came through the door they started backtracking.
"IT'S DA CRAZY ONE WITH DA SWORD!" Meowth shrieked.
"I'm not risking that one!" Jessie fell backward trying to stop her sprint.
James wasn't ready to give up that easily. Not when their prize was literally around the corner. "Kabuto use Water Gun! Koffing give us some cover!"
"Koffing!" The poison-type spewed a Smokescreen as the Water Gun shot at the trainer.
"Staryu Protect! Starmie, Light Screen! Clear away the cloud!" Huh, guess you could teach an old twerp new tricks.
Then again she wasn't exactly old…
"Acid Spray Koffing!" James followed up!
"Ekans help them out! Use Bite!"
"Squirtle, Starmie, Ice Beam! Freeze them in their tracks!" The girl called and twin beams of Ice shot down the hallway.
"Guys this ain't going our way," Meowth told them and James clenched his fists. When had this happened? It felt like only a few months ago a battle could go either way, the twerps had only won in the Pokemon Center through luck!
But… when had they been on equal terms since then? Even when they had the TRUTHMC the twerps had been able to outmaneuver and outsmart them. Before that, they'd been forced to run time and again!
How were the twerps so much better than them?
As the twerpette called for another attack James returned his Pokemon. "James?" Jessie shot him a confused glance.
"We can't win." He said simply.
"So you're just going to give up?!" She shouted. "Surrender?"
"Who said anything about surrender?" He grabbed Meowth under an arm. "Let's go!"
The balloon was hidden in the trees outside, it was still pouring rain but James would rather risk rain than jail right now. He needed to think, he needed to plan. He heard Jessie shouting something behind him but he was lost in his own thoughts.
His companions of course demanded answers when they got to the balloon.
"We could not win." he explained his reasoning. "They're better than us."
"Like heck they are!" Jessie stomped her foot. "You're a coward!"
"They… kinda were kickin' our butts, Jess." Meowth admitted.
"This time." James nodded. "And most of the times before that. They got better. We didn't."
"So what?"
"So…" James paused, thinking of a few different ideas, more Pokemon, more moves, more training. "So it's time to fix that."
Misty was a it annoyed by Team Rocket up and running in the middle of the battle but the rain was made it hard to see which way they went. You'd think it would be hard for two people in white outfits and a Meowth to hide.
Especially when they had a giant hot air balloon.
But the fact they had run for it was still a win, and Ash was able to retrieve his hat without any problems.
After things had calmed down and they were able to give a bit more of a detailed explanation, Ditto and Duplica thanked Ash excessive for solving Ditto's issues.
The rain did eventually stop and the travelers prepared to move on, Duplica came to see them off to thank Ash once more, and thank Misty for driving off her home invaders.
"Don't worry about it!" He told them. "But I was serious before! I think you guys should try the gym challenge! I know you said you didn't have a sponsor but I bet Professor Oak might do it if I asked him!"
"Professor Oak?" She stared at him. "The Professor Oak?"
"Yeah." Ash nodded. "I know he's kind of famous but he's a nice guy! I thought he was a little goofy sometimes."
"Ash has a weird habit of knowing people." Misty told the other girl. "But now with Ditto's issue fixed I guess you could start doing your shows again."
"For now." She nodded. "But maybe I will try the league. It could be fun."
"Good luck." Ash shook her hand. "You guys have a lot of potential!"
"...about your parents." Brock started again and Duplica quickly hurried them out, wished them good luck, and closed the door.
"Is there someone we can call about that?" Karen asked.
"I'm sure there is." Brock pulled out a notebook and started flipping through the pages.
"I don't get it sometimes." Pikachu grumbled. "Ten-year-old Pokemon? Perfectly able to take care of themselves! Ten-year-old trainer? Allowed to travel wherever! Ten-year-old performer? How dare she live alone?!"
"She's not really in trouble." Storm pointed out. "Brock is just worried about her."
"Brock is a bit of a worrier." Pidgeotto nodded in agreement.
"Still muddy out." Karen complained with a frown. "But we should be able to make it to the port by tonight."
"Yep!" Ash agreed. "I'm glad we came this way though. I'm glad I was able to help Ditto!"
"And as annoying as they are I think it's good to keep tabs on Team Rocket." Misty admitted.
They walked in silence for a few moments. "But seriously, why do they think I'm a Vulpix?!" Ash began ranting. "I even TOLD them I was a Zorua."
"Some people just can't be helped, Ash." Brock comforted the poor Pokemon.
Tada! Chapter done!
Been wanting to do something with Duplica and Ditto for a while, this seems to be their correct placement. Geographically.
Maybe. Kanto got a bit weird sometimes.
Ash helped Ditto out and Team Rocket make a return! And what's this? Character development of sorts? What could come of that?!
Stay tuned!
So two big things. Yes! This is the sixth anniversary of Zorua Trainer! Chapter one was posted on fanfiction on November 26th, 2017! Admittedly I stopped writing for a few years there and then had another hiatus after that, so it's not like it's been six years of consistent updates.
Which is a convenient segue into my next topic. Updates. As mentioned last chapter I got a new job! I have started that job! And oh my Arceus in the Hall of Origin it drains me. Like not in a bad way. I don't hate the job and quite like my coworkers. It's just a full time job and by the time I get home I feel incredibly drained of energy.
And when the weekend rolls around I get caught between things I no longer have time to do during the week and writing requires a lot of time and enthusiasm.
I still have been writing, but much, much slower. I think this is only my third posting since I started.
Speaking of which, the last posting, Zorua Trainer, But Spookier! A halloween special! It's a separate fic and is a sort of AU. Hisuian Zorua Ash, along with some other creepy modifications.
Feel free to check it out!
Now then, let's get to the reviews!
Shine375: I'd certainly like to!
LEGOBRICK13: Squirtle is not the best at ideas. See his scheme of digging holes to punish trainers. But a Wimpod or Dewpider could help, or not. Depends on how the idea would be introduced I think. Ah yes, torment the child by turning her into a bug. A tale as old as time. And yes! Ash got to fight Koga! After he didn't get to fight Misty I thought about what other gyms he'd get that opportunity and the two that came to mind were Sabrina and Koga, albeit for very different reasons. Blaine is coming next chapter! I guess it could have been this one if it hadn't been my desire to include Duplica and do some stuff with the TRio. As for Mina, wait and see!
PecanCrisp: As I said to LEGOBRICK13, it might come down to how they were introduced to her.
Vulpixtales: Glad you liked the chapter! And Mewtwo is in for a few surprises certainly!
Phantom's Darkness Light: I felt it myself in a few places but I wasn't sure how to expand without making it boring. Fight scenes are tricky and I've tried quite a few different ways of writing them.
Strike Wyvern: fanfiction seems to have stayed stupid. A lot of issues right now. Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
LiteralTrash001: Thank you I think!
Phaleon: He absolutely would have thrown down if Ash tried to use that trick on him.
Guest: Good question that I haven't 100% decided on myself!
GenericPjoName: THANK YOU! Finally someone noticed!
PokeDan: Ash fighting was a treat! And Art is a bit of a glass canon for the moment, we'll see if he can fix that.
All for now guys. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out a bit sooner. We'll see. Maybe I should try setting another deadline for myself…
Bye!
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~FriTik
R&R