Where was that sound coming from?

Spark scanned the dense green forest for the source of the loud wailing. He walked quickly toward the noise as he worried about finding someone injured. Spark turned the corner along the forest trail to discover a young girl cradling her crying Squirtle.

"It's okay," murmured the girl to her Pokémon. "There's no reason to be upset. It's all going to be okay." Spark stared at the girl puzzled. Was her Squirtle injured? Why was it so upset? She obviously did not do anything to harm Squirtle. Spark could tell by her gentle voice and the tears welling up in her eyes that this trainer would never harm her Pokémon.

"Excuse me," said Spark as the took a step toward the trainer and Squirtle. "Is there something wrong with your Squirtle. Maybe, I can help."

The girl looked up at Spark startled. She did not notice his presence before he spoke. She hugged Squirtle closer to her. Then, her eyes widened when she recognized Spark.

"You're Spark!" the girl exclaimed. "You're the leader of Team Instinct and work with Professor Willow. I got my Squirtle from the professor yesterday. I'm Cassie." Cassie beamed through her tears. She was excited to meet the team leader. Spark, however, was still concerned about Squirtle.

Squirtle calmed down as it recognized the man who used to care for it. "Squirtle, squirtle," it said as it held its arms out to Spark. Spark picked up Squirtle and chuckled.

"That's right," said Spark. "I remember this Squirtle being an emotional one. Does it miss the lab or something?" Squirtle's face fell, and Cassie stared at her feet when he asked the question.

"No," answered Cassie. She pushed back a strand of long brown hair. "We keep trying to catch another Pokémon, but it's no use." Cassie stomped her foot and crossed her arms. "Every time, I either miss when throwing the Poke ball or the Pokémon is too strong for Squirtle. I am convinced that we are just not cut out for this training thing. Squirtle is taking the struggle harder than I am."

Cassie took Squirtle out of Spark's arms and hugged it. "I still love you no matter what, Squirtle," she said to her Pokémon. Spark smiled as he watched Cassie and Squirtle. They had the potential to become powerful trainers. They just needed some practice and training.

Spark knelt in front of Cassie and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You just started your journey yesterday. It's going to take some time and intense training before you reach the place you want to be at. You just need to be patient."
Cassie nodded her head. "You hear that, Squirtle? We just need to train more." Squirtle perked up and beamed. It needed the pep talk. Spark remembered taking care of the Squirtle at the lab. It was smaller than the other Squirtles, but it was more determined to become powerful, like Candela.

Spark made up his mind. "I'm going to help you," he said. "We are going to catch your first Pokémon today."

Cassie squealed and jumped up and down. She hugged Squirtle even tighter as she cheered. Other Pokémon, Pidgeys and Butterfrees, flew out of the leafy trees away from the noise. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" exclaimed Cassie. "You don't know how much this means to me."

Spark laughed and placed his hands on his hips. "Calm down now. You're scaring the rest of the Pokémon. There won't be any left for you to catch."

"Right," said Cassie as she settled down. "Where do we begin?"

A few minutes later, Spark, Cassie, and Squirtle stood next to a pond right off the path. Spark brought them there, because the water draws many Pokémon out of hiding. They waited quietly. Cassie held a Poke ball in her hand ready for her opportunity to catch a Pokémon for the first time. It was not long before a Bellsprout appeared moving toward the water.

"Alright," whispered Spark. "Here is your chance. What do you usually do first?"

"I tell Squirtle to use Bubble to weaken it," answered Cassie. Spark shook his head.

"For another Pokémon, maybe, but this is a grass-type. Bubble will not work as well. Tell Squirtle to use Scratch."

Cassie nodded. She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Squirtle," she called to her Pokémon," use Scratch on Bellsprout." Squirtle pounced on the unsuspecting Bellsprout and scratched it two times. Bellsprout fell shocked.

"Don't let it get up," said Spark. "Grass moves will be super effective against Squirtle."

"Use scratch again," called Cassie. Squirtle scratched Bellsprout before it could get back up. This time, Bellsprout fainted, but it wasn't a Bellsprout laying there.

Spark held his hands to be forehead as he stared at the fainted Pokémon in disbelief. He could not think straight. That was not a Bellsprout. It was a Ditto. "Throw the ball," he finally yelled.

Cassie threw the Poke ball at Ditto and caught it. She picked up the Poke ball and danced in circles with Squirtle. "We did it! We caught a Pokémon!" Spark fell to his knees as he stared at nothing. He did not know Dittos were in this forest. Even he had never caught one before. What was going on?

Cassie stopped dancing to hug Spark. "Thank you so much! I could not have done this without you." Spark hugged her back.

"You're welcome. It's all a part of my job." Cassie threw her Poke ball next to Squirtle. "Come on out," she said. The purple glob that is Ditto came out of the ball and smiled. Cassie tilted her head. "That's not a Bellsprout. What is it?"

"Ditto. They can transform into any Pokémon and use those Pokémon's moves. They're special Pokémon that everyone back at the lab is going to love hearing about."

"Then, I'm lucky to have caught one," said Cassie admiring both of her Pokémon.

"No, Cassie," said Spark. "You're not lucky. You are going to be the strongest trainer we will ever see. Keep training hard, and you will be the champion one day."

After saying goodbye to Cassie, Spark headed back to the lab. He listened to every snapping twig and rustling leaf in the forest. He wondered where other Dittos could be. No one would believe his discovery. There are Dittos near the lab hiding as other Pokémon. Trainers are going to go crazy catching Pokémon to have a Ditto for themselves. What a time to be a Pokémon trainer.

Author's Note: Wow! I am amazed by all of the readers and followers for these stories. Thank you so much! I'm sorry for not posting in a very long time. School nearly killed me this semester. I heard about Dittos in Pokemon Go this morning, so I just had to write this short story. This will most likely be the last one unless something awesome happens in the game. I want to focus on other writings, the holidays, and finals. Thank you again so much! Y'all are awesome!