Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak.
This is the third release of the day.
Chapter 39
Lucas got up early to prepare for his trip to Fuchsia City. Because he didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to capture a Ditto, he went to the Pokemart to buy some Ultra Balls. This was one item that he hadn't found with his Itemfinder.
He had looked into Ditto further last night and discovered that they were extremely rare and notoriously difficult to capture and bond with. Even with his Pokemon Friendship skill, he wasn't entirely confident in his ability to obtain the Ditto. Who knows when he would get the next chance to acquire one?
He walked to the store to give himself time to speak with Dante and learn more about him. The first thing he found out was that the Pokemon had no desire to form another bond with a human, which Lucas understood. Dante was still not over his trainer's death, and he probably wouldn't be until he got justice for him. Fortunately, he didn't have to form a true bond with him as long as he had the pseudo bond.
"Have you been to Cinnabar Island before?" Lucas asked.
Dante responded, and Meowth interpreted for him.
"He has been before, but he has never teleported there because there is no tower," Meowth explained. "He claims to have enough energy to take you to the island if you need him to, at least from places like Pallet Town and Fuchsia City."
Lucas had told Dante about the device that would allow him to teleport a human without using a tower. As long as Dante knew of a private spot on the island where they could arrive unnoticed, they could save time and money on their journey. That meant he only needed to get the password from Professor Oak and could go straight there to access the information on the floppy disc.
"Do you have the range to teleport to the Hoenn region from here?" Lucas asked.
Dante shook his head. He went on to say that he and his trainer had travelled there by boat and didn't believe he had the range to teleport that far.
Lucas would have to conduct some experiments later to determine the limit of Dante's range at some point. He would also need to level up further in order to obtain more energy reserves. He couldn't wait until the moment Dante had the capability to travel to places like the Hoenn region. Perhaps Dante could teleport to Hoenn from one of the towns along Western Kanto's southern coast.
Regardless, he had more freedom than ever to go wherever he wanted. This would make it much easier to explore and discover new things.
Lucas arrived at the Pokemart and purchased three Ultra Balls for ten thousand Pokédollars each. They were expensive, but well worth it. They significantly increased his chances of capturing Pokemon compared to Great Balls.
As he was leaving the store, he ran into Zero.
"Greetings," Zero said, bowing to him. "It makes me happy to see you again."
Lucas frowned. "I wish I could say the same. What do you want?"
"Have you taken my advice into consideration yet?"
"You will have to refresh my memory."
"I'm speaking about ending your relationship with Sabrina Kuroi."
"I see," Lucas said, pretending to think about it. "Nope, I'm still not going to follow your advice."
Zero stared at him, expressionless. Only his eyes revealed what he was really feeling. If looks could kill, Lucas would already be dead.
"Why don't you worry about finding your own girlfriend?" Lucas suggested. "Or does the church not allow for relationships?"
"The church doesn't restrict relationships, but it does advocate abstinence. I do not require the distraction of a woman in my life."
"That is not very healthy," Lucas said, wagging his finger at Zero. "I believe that maintaining a healthy relationship prevents people from developing deviant behaviour, especially in large organisations such as the church. That would be terrible if the priests became interested in the more vulnerable individuals in society, such as kids, or Pokemon..."
"Do you think you are funny?" Zero asked, stepping closer to Lucas and invading his personal space.
"Dante!" Dante issued him a warning to back off.
"This is your final chance," Zero warned. "If we don't reach an agreement right now, our next meeting will not go well."
"I'm looking forward to it," Lucas said. "Now, if you are finished, move out of my way."
Lucas continued down the street until Zero was out of sight.
"What a persistent fellow," Meowth remarked. "I get the feeling he would have attacked if there weren't so many witnesses around."
Lucas shrugged. "Probably. We need to be more cautious in the future. He could attack us at any time."
Salem appeared before him. "Banette?"
"Salem wants to know if he should take care of him," Meowth said.
Lucas grimaced. He knew that Salem wasn't that violent, which meant Bree was currently occupying his body. She wouldn't hesitate to get rid of Zero if he asked for it. But he wasn't prepared to kill someone unless they were a threat to his own life.
"That's not necessary," Lucas said. "However, if he attacks, he may need to be eliminated."
Salem gave him a creepy smile before vanishing.
"Right. Let's head to Fuchsia City."
Lucas headed for the tower and teleported to Fuchsia City.
Fuchsia City was a vibrant coastal city. It was home to the famous Pokemon Safari Zone, where trainers could catch a wide range of rare and exotic Pokemon. The city also had the Fuchsia Gym, which was led by the poison-type Pokemon expert Koga. The city's tropical climate and beautiful beaches made it a popular retreat for trainers looking to unwind and train their Pokemon. Unfortunately, he was visiting the city during the winter, so he was unable to fully appreciate its amazing scenery.
Unlike Vermillion City, the city was located a short distance from the coast, making it less vulnerable to attacks from Pokemon in the sea. The Safari Zone, on the other hand, was located outside the city and bordered by the sea on the west and south. However, no Pokemon had attacked it ever since its inception.
With only a day to find the Ditto, Lucas didn't have time to explore the city. He retrieved his bike from his inventory and set off towards the eastern entrance. He exited the city and travelled west along Route 15. Lucas noticed the heavy traffic on the road and assumed that most were heading to Route 14 in search of the elusive Ditto. Though it was highly sought after by Pokemon Breeders due to its unique qualities, he knew others would be interested in capturing it and selling it for a high price.
He was able to navigate through all of the carriages on the road and avoid getting stuck since he was riding his bike. Some people had the same idea as him or were walking along the roadside. There was a row of trees on either side of the road, and he noticed several berry tree farms growing a variety of berries. When it wasn't wintertime, the climate was ideal for growing trees.
It took him a few hours to get to Route 14, which split from Route 15 and headed north. More trees lined the eastern side of the road, with the sea a short distance beyond. The western side of the road was more expansive, with a lot more wild areas that had not been developed to provide the local Pokemon with their own territories to call home. There were fields of wild grass and a strip of forest beyond it.
Lucas got off his bike. He could already see dozens of people searching the fields with their Pokemon. They were randomly attacking wild Pokemon, and he felt sorry for them. Ditto could transform into any Pokemon, allowing them to disguise themselves easily. They would only revert to their original form if they were rendered unconscious.
It was going to be difficult to find and capture the Ditto with so many people present. As soon as the Ditto was found, others would notice it, and conflict would ensue.
Lucas had the Pokemon Search feature, but it had a five-mile radius and could only be used once a week. He opened his menu and spent ten thousand Pokédollars to improve it further. It extended the range to ten miles and increased the number of searches per week to three. He considered spending another fifty thousand Pokédollars to improve it further but ultimately decided against it. If he didn't get results from his first two searches, he could upgrade it again.
"They are going to scare the Ditto away," Meowth snorted. "What a bunch of yahoos!"
Lucas looked around. "Do you think the Ditto has already moved on from this area?"
"It's not called the elusive Pokemon for nothing."
Lucas activated Pokemon Search, but he found nothing. "Let's keep heading north until I can use the Pokemon Search again."
Meowth pointed to a taxi carriage waiting nearby. "Why don't we ride the carriage? Route 14 doesn't have as many carriages on it, so it should be much faster than cycling."
Lucas nodded. He approached the carriage and asked if it was in service. When the driver confirmed that it was, he climbed aboard, and the carriage drove north. The Rhyhorn pulling the carriage was fast, so it only took them forty-five minutes to travel twenty miles, which would give Lucas the optimum range to perform another search for the Ditto.
He used Pokemon Search again, and this time he received a response. An arrow appeared, with numbers beneath it indicating the distance to the target. The distance indicator was added after he upgraded the function.
"Awesome!" Lucas exclaimed. Now he only had to find the Ditto before someone else did.
He opened his menu and checked the map. Although the surrounding area remained obscured, he was able to get a rough estimate of Ditto's position from it. It was no longer on Route 14, but rather a short distance down Route 13, where there were more fields of overgrown grass. If he was lucky, there shouldn't be too many people searching the area yet.
"Drop me off on Route 13," Lucas told the driver.
When they reached Route 13, he paid the driver and exited the carriage. He looked around and was relieved to see that there were only a few people present. The arrow pointed roughly half a mile north of his location.
He summoned Icarus and he flew up into the sky.
"Have you found your target?" Icarus asked.
"That's right. I will rely on you to take down Ditto. This will allow us to see how we fight together while communicating telepathically."
Lucas summoned Max before leaving the road and entering the overgrown grass. He needed the protection because who knows what was hidden within its depths. The grass only reached his knees, but it was enough for many wild Pokemon to hide in.
A few minutes later, he came across a level 24 Skiploom, which exploded out of the grass and flew in his direction. Max used a Protect, and the Skiploom bounced off the shield, shattering it but protecting them from the attack.
Icarus arrived and decimated the Pokemon. With their ability to communicate telepathically, their battle efficiency had improved a lot. Icarus received four hundred experience points and two speed EV points. The rest of his team would receive half of the gains thanks to the Exp Share patches.
He came across more Pokemon on his way to his destination, including a Venomoth, a Bellsprout, and a Nidorina. It felt like the overgrown grass was alive with Pokemon.
Lucas entered a small clearing containing a fallen tree. The arrow indicated that this was the location of the Ditto, and now all he had to do was find it.
"There is something hidden inside the hollowed-out trunk," Icarus reported, then flew down to inspect the tree.
Lucas summoned both Icaria and Saphira. He wasn't going to give Ditto a chance to escape.
"Get ready," Lucas instructed his team. "The Ditto is here, and it's probably disguised as another Pokemon."
Icarus poked his head into the trunk, only to retract it as a Venonat exploded out of it, but it didn't attack. Instead, it attempted to flee. Lucas noticed the text above its head, revealing that it was the Ditto in disguise.
"Don't let it escape!" Lucas shouted.
His team surrounded the Venonat. The Pokemon reverted to its original form before changing into a Spearow, which surprised Lucas. It took flight into the air. But Icaria reacted quickly, and knocked it out of the air with a Quick Attack.
There was little suspense after Ditto hit the ground. It could imitate other Pokemon, but it wasn't particularly good at it, and Icarus caused it to faint shortly after.
Lucas approached the downed Ditto and reached out to touch it, wanting to take advantage of his Pokemon Friendship skill before he tried to catch it.
Ditto suddenly stood up and changed into a Voltorb. Lucas cursed and jumped back as the Voltorb was engulfed in light. He understood what the light meant. Max stepped in front of him quickly, producing another Protect as the Voltorb exploded.
Lucas instinctively closed his eyes and covered his face with his arm, but he was unharmed. When the dust settled, he discovered Ditto unconscious inside a small hole in the ground left by the explosion. To figure out what was going on, he used Insight on Ditto. He didn't want another unpleasant surprise.
Species: Ditto; Transform Pokemon
Gender: Neutral
Status: Wild
Favourability: -
Favourite Food: Lum Berry
Condition: Perfect
Level: 31
Next: [25%]
Exp Cache: [0]
Stats obtained from EV's [15/100]
Current Level Potential Met?: Yes
Special Ability: Limber
Attack: 29
Special Attack: 21
Defence: 71
Special Defence: 69
Speed: 62
Luck: 18
Moves:
Transform
Description: Ditto is a Pokemon capable of transforming into any Pokemon it encounters. It has the ability to save several Pokemon transformations and summon them at will. Ditto are prized for their reproductive qualities, which significantly increases the chance of producing eggs with most Pokemon.
Hidden Stats
Intelligence: 7
Endurance: 4
Energy: 7
Aptitude: 2
Affinities
N/A
Move Proficiency
Transform: 100%
Traits
Inherent (Can be passed onto offspring)
Bestow Type Aptitude: passes on a type aptitude trait specific to the Pokemon.
Bestow Stat Aptitude: passes on a random stat aptitude trait to the Pokemon.
Bestow Parameter Boost: passes on a random stat or type boost trait specific to the Pokemon.
Auto-Revival: It can revive itself in critical condition once per day.
Freeze Resistance: - 50% chance to resist the freeze status condition.
Burn Resistance: - 50% chance to resist the burn status condition.
Paralysis Resistance: - 50% chance to resist the paralysis status condition.
Poison Resistance: - 50% chance to resist the poison status condition.
Sleep Resistance: - 50% chance to resist the sleep status condition.
Confusion Resistance: - 50% chance to resist the confusion status condition.
Learned/Acquired/Unique (Cannot be passed onto offspring)
Transformation: It can transform into any Pokemon it encounters if it's at least ten levels below its own.
Stored transformations: It can hold a maximum of ten Pokemon transformations at any one time
Specialist: It has the ability to learn and retain moves from the Pokemon it transforms into. They cannot be used when Ditto is in its original state.
Null Affinity: It cannot gain type affinities, but it doesn't require affinities to learn specific moves.
Ditto: Breeding Type: All
Breeding Conditions
Same Species: -100%
Egg Group: All: n/a
Base Compatibility:
Type A - 100%
Type B - 100%
Type C - 100%
Type D - 100%
Type E - 100%
Lucas browsed through the Ditto's parameters and found the reason for its unusual anomalies. It had several traits that allowed it to retain Pokemon transformations, and even learn and use moves from those Pokemon. It was an amazing ability, because it essentially gave him the capabilities of ten Pokemon in one. Too bad its aptitude was extremely low, which affected its stats significantly and its ability to be useful in battle. The Auto-Revival trait was also amazing, and fortunately, it could be passed down to other Pokemon.
It appeared that it didn't have a Pokemon with the capability to use teleport; otherwise, the Ditto would have been almost impossible to catch. It was too bad it had a limitation on the Pokemon it could replicate, as he might have gained early access to a flying Pokemon capable of carrying him. Maybe there were Pokemon out there that had the capability which was in the level twenty range, but he didn't think it was worth the effort to track them down. He would rather evolve Icarus and Icaria to their final form and use them instead.
The information shown in the Breeding Conditions tab demonstrated why Ditto was sought after by Pokemon Breeders. With it, they could reproduce with any species of Pokemon. The only limitation it had was that it cost levels every time to produce an egg. If he had several more Ditto, then he would be set for life. Unfortunately, Ditto weren't born from eggs, and their origins were shrouded in mystery. He couldn't use this Ditto to reproduce more of them.
Lucas didn't spend any more time examining Ditto's parameters. It was possible the explosion had attracted the attention of others, so he needed to get out of there. He reached out and touched the Ditto, and activated Pokemon Friendship, before pulling out an Ultra Ball. He touched the ball to the Pokemon, and Ditto was sucked inside.
He held his breath as the ball shook. Even though it was unconscious, Ditto fought hard. After half a minute, the ball finally stopped moving, and he could let go of the breath he had been holding. He was greeted with a prompt, asking him whether he wanted to form a real bond with the Pokemon, or a pseudo bond. He chose the latter.
"That was easier than I thought," Meowth said. "Your ability is really a cheat."
"Yes, let's ignore the exploding Ditto, as if it wasn't a threat to my life," Lucas snarked, patting Max on the head. "Great job. I may have been coughing up some organs if you hadn't reacted so fast."
"Kid!" Max grinned.
Lucas put all his Pokemon away and summoned Dante. After teleporting him to Fuchsia City, his condition was depleted. Lucas fed Dante a Super Potion, and his condition was almost fully restored.
"That should be enough to get me back to Viridian City," Lucas said. "Dante, do you remember the location we decided on to use as an arrival point?"
Dante rolled his eyes. Okay, maybe he was insulting Dante's intelligence a little.
Lucas activated the device and grabbed onto Dante. After looking around to ensure no one was observing them, Dante teleported him straight back to his house, to a concealed location in the back garden. He was pleased to discover that he didn't feel any difference when teleporting without the aid of a tower.
He made his way back up to the house, where he could hear the shouts of Brock's siblings coming from inside. Bracing himself, he opened the door, only to feel something slam into his legs. He reached down and picked up the little girl, who was grinning at him, appearing unharmed by their collision.
"Your name is Tilly, right?" Lucas asked, and the little girl nodded. "Please don't run around in the house, as you may injure yourself."
"Okay!"
Lucas carried her into the kitchen, where Brock and Yolanda were preparing lunch amid the chaos of their siblings running about. Salvadore was trying to maintain order, but it looked like it was having little effect.
"How do you even manage these hooligans?" Lucas asked. "I would go insane if I had to take care of all of them."
Brock grinned at him. "A lot of patience and plenty of bribes. Did you manage to capture the Ditto already?"
"Of course."
Brock shook his head. "I don't want to even know how you found it so fast. You must be the luckiest man alive."
"On certain days. On other days, I feel like the unluckiest person. Overall, it balances itself out."
"Uh-huh. Lunch is almost ready, so pull up a chair at the table."
Lucas set Tilly down in a chair and sat down beside her. He tried to ignore the screaming in his ears from his siblings as they ran around the table. Maybe he should have gone out for lunch.
"Can I see the Ditto?" Tommy ran up to him.
"Hang on, I need to revive him," Lucas said. He pulled out a Revive and summoned Ditto onto the table.
If he had given it enough time, Ditto would have revived on its own, since the habitats could heal Pokemon over time. But that would have taken several hours at least. He applied the Revive to Ditto, and the Pokemon opened its beady little eyes.
Tommy gasped, and he reached out to touch Ditto, but Lucas stopped him. "Let me see if he's safe to touch first. I just caught him, so he may be feeling a little grumpy."
Fortunately, Ditto wasn't that bothered by being captured, but he was hungry. Lucas just happened to have some Lum Berries on hand, which was his favourite food. The rest of the siblings gathered around to play with the Ditto, but it appeared to be a little shy from all the attention. It transformed into Spearow and took root on top of the refrigerator.
"That is amazing," Brock said. "I thought it could only imitate Pokemon that are right in front of it."
Lucas shook his head. "It's a little more special than that."
He went on to explain its capabilities, which amazed Brock. Lucas made sure to remind the siblings not to tell anyone about the Ditto, but he didn't know how effective the request was for the younger kids. It would come out eventually, regardless.
Lucas asked Ditto to show him the other transformations it had stored away. All ten of its available slots were filled up, and it would have to throw away one if it wanted to gain another transformation. The Pokemon were: Venonat, Spearow, Electrode, Pikachu, Mankey, Seel, Sentret, Scyther, Bulbasaur, and Lapras.
The latter was particularly exciting because it would allow him to explore the sea while riding on Lapras' back. Although, he didn't know how safe it would be, given the variability in wild Pokemon levels living in the sea.
He would have to look into it later to find out what moves Ditto knew from its various forms. It might know some moves that it could teach his other Pokemon. Furthermore, as it progressed in levels, Ditto would be able to add more powerful evolved Pokemon to its available transformations. This would dramatically increase its usefulness.
After lunch, he thought about what he could do with the rest of the day. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket that contained the contact information for the Eevee supplier. Bill had assured him that the person was legitimate, but Lucas doubted his word because of how fanatical he was about his Eevees. He wouldn't be surprised if Bill purchased them from the black market.
He rang the number.
"Who is this?" A female answered, sounding annoyed.
"This is Lucas Walker. I'm looking for Amelia."
The woman sighed. "Speaking. What do you want?"
"I'm interested in purchasing some Eevee from you."
"Right, Bill told me you would be calling at some point. Do you realise how expensive my Eevees are to purchase?"
"How much?"
"110,000 Pokédollars each."
Lucas whistled. "They certainly aren't cheap. But judging from Bill's Eevees I met, they are worth it."
"Damn straight."
"How many Eevees do you have available to sell?"
"Six at the moment," Amelia replied. "Their eggs require a lot of effort to produce, and they are always in high demand."
"Are you a Pokemon Breeder?"
"None of your business."
Lucas grinned. It sounded like Amelia was quite the character. "I would like to purchase all of them."
It would deplete his Pokédollars by half, but it would give him a great foundation for his breeding business.
There was a pause. "You will need to come in person so we can make the transaction. I trust Bill to care for his Eevees, but that doesn't mean I'm going to trust his word about your character."
"Right. When is a good time for you?"
"In three days. I will be away until then."
"Perfect. I will see you then."
Amelia hung up without bothering to say goodbye.
Lucas put his phone away. The rest of his day would be spent making potions. He would have Brock focus on making the next batch of growth potions while he focused on making more of the trait-shedding potion. He needed to prepare enough for when he returned to Pallet Town, so he could cure the rest of the Pokemon.
The weather the next morning was mild, making it ideal for a trip to the mine. Lucas met Cassidy and the mining team outside the mayor's office, and they took carriages west out of the city. They disembarked when they came to the point where they needed to enter the forest.
"How far away is the mine?" Cassidy asked.
"It took me a few hours to stumble across the mines," Lucas replied. "But I was exploring the forest at the same time. So, it won't take as long if we head straight for the mines."
Cassidy nodded. She retrieved a Poké Ball from her belt and summoned a Raticate.
"Raticate." The Pokemon nuzzled Cassidy affectionately.
Species: Raticate
Level: 51
Condition: Perfect
Threat Level: Zero
Cassidy approached the miners and spoke with their team leader. Lucas didn't know his actual name, but everyone called him Bear, for a couple of reasons. He was a massive man, standing six feet seven inches tall with bulging arms that were covered in hair. Furthermore, he had just summoned a Level 41 Ursaring, who stood next to him, looking intimidating. The man apparently liked Pokemon that resembled actual bears.
Meowth leaned in close and whispered into Lucas' ear. "Why did she have to have a Raticate? One of them has left me with unpleasant memories. I think this confirms Cassidy is a part of Team Rocket. They always appear to prefer certain Pokemon."
"Does this mean you are a member of Team Rocket as well?" Lucas asked, smirking. "The boss has a Persian."
"That is very insulting," Meowth huffed. "I am perfect just the way I am. In my opinion, Persian is a downgrade."
The group left the road and entered the forest. Lucas summoned Icarus to patrol the skies as they headed north to the mines. Without distractions, they covered a lot of ground in no time. They didn't have to waste time battling any of the wild Pokemon because they had powerful Pokemon to deter them. Cassidy stayed by his side and engaged him in conversation.
"The Prime Minister must hold you in high regard," Cassidy said.
Lucas glanced at her. "What do you mean?"
"I received a call from him yesterday. He told me to negotiate the contract so you get a sixty per cent share rather than fifty per cent. He also asked that you get an advance payment once the mines have been evaluated."
Wasn't Shichiro favouring him a little too much? Maybe he wanted to ensure that he could take care of Sabrina once she joined him, but it was hardly necessary. He already had plenty of funds, with the potential to earn more. If he were to negotiate a price for the growth potion recipe as well, then he would be set for life. He could set up his Pokemon Breeders' facility a lot sooner than he had planned.
Sabrina, as the heiress to a wealthy family, must have a lot of Pokédollars as well, so she didn't really need him to take care of her. He suspected she would be offended by the suggestion.
"How much of a down payment?" Lucas asked.
"A couple of million Pokédollars, maybe. It depends on the evaluation."
Lucas almost tripped over himself, hearing such a large amount. "I'm sure there are going to be people pointing out that I'm being given special privileges because I'm Sabrina's boyfriend."
"People can complain all they want, but it's not going to affect the Prime Minister much," Cassidy snorted. "The next election isn't for another two years, and by that time, people will have forgotten about it. Besides, there is plenty of corruption within the government, so you aren't alone in that regard."
Lucas rolled his eyes. He felt so honoured.
"So, how did you get into the Prime Minister's good books so easily?" Cassidy asked. "You haven't been dating his niece for long."
Lucas pointed to his face. "That is because I come across as honest and trustworthy."
Cassidy snorted.
They arrived at the rocky area where the mines were located, and Lucas directed them to the boulder that concealed the shaft. The Ursaring effortlessly pushed the obstacle out of the way, and Bear shone a torch down the shaft.
"It goes down about sixty feet," Lucas told him. "I have only explored the first level, but I know there is at least a second level."
Bear nodded. "You mentioned there were some tremors while you were down there?"
"Yes. At first, I suspected that the tremors were caused by wild Pokemon. But it is equally likely that it is due to some volatile, unrefined evolution stones."
"We have to be careful," Bear said. "Mayor Cassidy, it may be prudent for you to stay up here while we investigate the mines."
"Not a chance," Cassidy protested. "I have been stuck in my office for too long, and I'm itching for some adventure. I'm not going to miss out on a chance to explore some mines."
Bear sighed, then turned to one of his team members. "You stay up here and keep a lookout."
They began to descend into the mines, completely unaware that they were being watched. A person was standing at the treeline, hiding behind a bush.
"So, this is where the mines were located," the person muttered. "No one will take away what is rightfully mine. I have already got blood on my hands. What's a little more?"
So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Lucas and the mining team enter the mines and encounter something unexpected.
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Thanks for reading.