This is my first doubleshot.
I haven't forgotten my other story. It's just that Kevin hasn't spoken to me in a while, so I don't know what is happening to them.
I don't own Pokémon.
Pokéspeak is in italics
Today's hunt has been more successful than usual. I found some leftovers that were still edible, yesterday's newspaper and a Pokéball. Not bad for a dumpster diver. Life sucks, but it sure beats not living at all. If I was a Pokémon, instead of some half-breed, I might have a trainer. I might even have a roof over my head with three square meals a day. Hell, I wouldn't mind battling once in a while. It sure beats fighting for life every single day and night. The Pokéball fell to the ground as I tried to organize the paper to get it somewhat ordered and readable. To my surprise, an actual Pokémon came out of the discarded device.
"Hello little guy. What's your name?"
The Pokémon was terrified of my appearance and quickly transformed into a rock.
"Hey now, I admit I'm not the friendliest face you'll ever see, but I am not going to hurt you. In fact, perhaps we could help each other out."
The rock shrunk back to its original size and looked at me wearily. "Ditto?"
"That's right. Here, I'll let you have some of my breakfast if you want it."
I placed the Styrofoam container on the ground, took the omelet out, tore it in half and put both halves back in the container.
"Okay buddy, I split it. Now you pick the piece you want." I explained as I licked cheese out of my furry palms.
Apparently, the pink Pokémon hasn't eaten in a while because when I looked down, both pieces were gone and the rock reappeared on top of a freshly crushed take out box.
I placed my furry hand on top of the rock.
"I'm not mad at you, I know all too well how hunger can override fear and better judgment. Since your tummy is full I was wondering if you would like to show off your abilities and keep me company."
I looked around the alley I was in and pointed out some simple stuff. First, I asked it to turn into some odds and ends that were about the same size as my new friend. Once it got that down, began to pick out bigger and more complex stuff. Every time Ditto did a good job I gave him some praise. When he didn't do as well, I gave it encouragement until it got it right. Before it was time to seek out a shelter for the night, (which won't be in this ally again; stupid cats) Ditto was able to copy a statue of some famous dead guy that was across the street from where we were at without a single flaw.
"Wow, Ditto. You did great today. Good job. Do you think you can do a few more?"
"Ditto." it replied.
"Tomorrow then?"
"Ditto!"
Before I left the alley I took cover as I heard a door creak open.
I cautiously peered around the edge of a dumpster to see a frail old lady step outside, place a bowl on the ground, fill it with milk and call out. "Here alley Skitty, time for dinner." before going back inside.
As soon as the door was closed I ran to the bowl and stealthily carried it back to my waiting Pokémon behind the refuse bin.
"Ditto?"
"They can go without for one night." I whispered before drinking and then sharing with my buddy. "Want to have a little fun?"
I placed the bowl back where the nice old lady left it and returned back to my hiding place. Within a few minutes a few strays approached the bowl eager for their treat. Of course the cats had to fight over it first, (which is what kept me up last night) before the winner got the prize. As soon as the cat's face was inches away from the full bowl, Ditto sprung upwards out of the container. The fur on those cats stood on its end before they all ran away from their dinner that was still alive.
The next day was spent training again.
"Great I want you to try something living now. I want you to copy me."
The little Pokémon stared at me and then it grew until it was my height.
"I'm impressed Ditto. You look just like me. Oops, I take it back. First, you are the wrong gender. I'm a male. And second, you have one tail while I have six." I said as I turned around. "But, other than that, you did very well. You even copied all of my scars, and my torn ear. Good job."
"Ditto!" She exclaimed as she wagged her tail.
"We need to work on your voice next. Since I can talk, and you are a copy of me, then you should be able to talk too."
The rest of the day was spent avoiding humans and searching for food. I found an old smelly trench coat and a hat. As long as nobody looked at my face, feet or my hands, I should be able to walk around in public without being harassed.
"Ahhh, what a beautiful, lousy day it is. Don't you agree Ditto?"
"Ditto!" It called from my shoulder as I walk through town.
I was near a small store that was selling pets. "Ditto?"
"Huh? Oh that's called a Chatot!"
"Huh? Oh that's called a Chatot!" The bird copied.
"It looks silly." Ditto said. Even though I am a Pokémorph, I can't understand what a normal Pokémon is saying unless it is speaking English.
"Ditt o dotit." The Chatot repeated.
"Hey, quit coping me!" Ditto yelled.
"Dit, dit dittodit to!" Chatot yelled back.
"You want copying? I'll show you copying!" Ditto yelled in frustration as it used transform.
"Squawk! That's not fair!" Chatot complained in English.
"Squawk! That's not fair!" Ditto copied, also in English.
"Good job Ditto. You can talk!" I cheered.
"You stay out of this." Chatot complained.
"You stay out of this." Ditto laughed.
"Help! Help! This trainer is harassing me! Help! Help!" Chatot screeched as it jumped around in its cage.
Because of the noise, the proprietor of the small business ran outside to see what was happening to his merchandise.
"What's going on out here?" The owner yelled while shaking a broom in a threatening manner.
"I am terribly sorry, sir. Your Pokémon was teasing mine, and my Pokémon decided to tease back." I explained while keeping my hybrid face hidden under my hat by looking toward the ground.
Apparently, the shopkeeper thought I found something on the ground and he also looked down, and found my small red feet.
"What's with the footwear?" He demanded of my furry feet that the tattered coat didn't conceal.
"I'm going to a costume party." I said with confidence.
"That's bull shit." He said as he swung the broom and knocked off my hat. "You're one of those monsters!"
"We got to run Ditto." I said to my transformed Pokémon as it flew off of my shoulder to safety while I took my coat off and threw it in the man's face. I was tired of wearing it anyway, it was hot and smelled like it had been sent marked by an ornery Skitty.
I ran to the park. I figured that Ditto could find me if I stayed in one place. I took a seat on one of those benches and pulled out another newspaper from the trash. This issue was missing the comics section and the front page. There was a food section, which I don't read because I can't afford the ingredients, and it reminds me of my breakfast or in most cases my lack of. The sports page leaves for some dry reading but I look through it anyway. At least the battle page is interesting, I try to follow this Ash Ketchum guy whenever I get the opportunity to. I bet he would be the kind of person to accept me for what I am. While I read the details of his latest battle, I heard some footsteps approach me.
"Hello lady," The voice said "Would you like to be my Pokémon?" The child asked while holding out a Pokéball.
Normally I would yell at the person for calling me a lady, but I had to remind myself that she's just a kid, and one of the few humans that would actually approach me without a bad intent.
"That sounds like fun, but you need to ask your mommy or daddy if I can come with you." I sweetly explained.
"Ahhh! What are you doing with my daughter? Get away from her now you vile monster!" A woman screamed.
"I was here first, and she came to me. I'm not moving." I growled as I went back to reading my paper.
"I don't care! You stay away from my daughter!" She repeated and then proceeded to hose my face with pepper spray.
"Yaaa! Man that burns!" I exclaim as I fall off of the bench and try to rub the painful potion off of my face.
"Are you okay Miss?" the child asked me.
"Ashley! Don't! Touch! That! Monster!" The mom slowly yelled out as she grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her away before I could ask her if I looked like I was okay.
The nerve of that, that thing going near my daughter, I think I taught it a lesson it won't be forgetting any time soon. As we walked away I looked back in satisfaction to see that creature still writhing on the ground. While my head was turned I bumped into something.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you standing there." I said.
"Don't mention it, sweet thing." The haggard man I bumped into sneered as he pulled out a long, sharp, knife.
I quickly pulled out my can of pepper spray.
"Go ahead; try your luck, lovely." The mugger smiled. "I saw what you did to that monster over there. With it out of the way there is nobody around to help you. We are all alone."
I did as the decrepit man suggested. As soon as I pressed down on the trigger some foam appeared at the tip of the nozzle just to dribble down my hand. "Quick honey, run away! Get help!"
"I didn't say you could talk, baby. Now my needs aren't that great and all I want is your money. You can talk now. But if you scream then that's it. Oh look, your daughter is running toward that freak on the ground that you took out for me. Normally I'd just take your money and run, but I'd like to see if that animal is going to do anything to her. Maybe it will slit her cute little throat like monsters are known to do."
The child's mother started to scream out Ashley's name but the knife at her throat reminded her to keep silent, along with a warning from the bum not to interfere. The woman could do nothing as her pride and joy ran toward the creature that was writhing in pain.
"Hey doggy lady, I need your help. Mommy is in trouble." The child cried as she tugged on my arm.
"I'm not a lady and I can't help you." I growled as my tears were slowly trying to ease the pain of the foul spray.
"Hey, mutt. Why don't you come to the rescue?" The mugger sneered.
"Where do I start? Firstly, I can't see anything but blurry shapes. Second, I can't smell anything either. And finally, I have never, ever, seen a movie or read a book where a monster helps a human. Therefore, since I don't want to hurt such a well known stereotype, I can't help you." I explained through the pain.
"I'm sorry, I called you a monster. Now please help me!" The woman quietly begged.
"This is so touching; I wish I had some popcorn." The mugger faked a tear while rubbing in the lady's situation now that he knew I was no longer a threat.
"Oh sure, you say that now that your life is on the line. But would you be saying that if that mugger never appeared? I think not. Just give the man what he wants and you'll be alive to belittle other morphs another day. Just keep in mind that many morphs wouldn't let you get close enough to get into the situation I'm in now."
"The fox is actually pretty smart for a freak. Just like it said; give me your money and you'll live."
"Fine. You win. Here's my purse. Take it."
"Well, I think I wasted enough time here. Thanks for the cash toots." The man with the knife laughed as he pushed the helpless woman into a mud puddle before running away with her pink accessory.
"I hate humans like that. They give the real monsters, like me, a bad name. If I could see I would have come to your aid, but I can't, so I couldn't." I explained.
"I was wrong! Okay? Are you happy now?"
"No. I'm still in pain. If you want to apologize, some water would be a nice start. Then follow that with a real meal at a restaurant, and-."
"You didn't help me so I won't help you."
"Fair enough." I replied as a blurry object approach my head.
The Pokémon landed in front of me and reverted back to its original form. "Ditto!" It called.
"Hey buddy, I am in a bit of a bind right now and I can't see worth a darn. Could you lead me to one of those metal boxes?"
"I'll do it!" The little girl called as she ran toward me.
"Ashley, don't you dare touch that thing."
"Mom, you hurt him and he didn't deserve it. I'm going to help." She said as I felt a small hand take mine. "You're soft."
"Thanks for noticing." I replied as she led me up to a steel box on a post that is used to cook food with. "Now stand back, I don't want you getting burnt."
I put my face in the firebox, took a deep breath and blew a stream of fire into the box. The fire had no place to go so it exited around my head and burnt off the pepper spray that the morph hater put on me.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Ashley asked as I blinked away the residual blurriness.
"Flash fire is a special ability of some Pokémon that makes them immune to fire. That's why I still have fur on my face." I explained but then I whispered, "And if you still want me as a Pokémon for your journey, I would be honored to go with you."
As my Pokémon and I left the two humans alone in the park, my ditto led me towards a bush that was off of the beaten path.
"Where are we going? This isn't the way home."
"Ditto! Ditto!"
"That's that woman's purse," I said as I looked inside, "and it looks like she's going to buy us that nice dinner after all."
I praised my Pokémon as I emptied the purse of all of the money that was inside of it.
"But why is there money in it, not that I am complaining, but I would have though that the thief would have taken it."
Just as I voiced my concern, Ditto started to glow and grow. I was amazed because standing in my Pokémon's place was the very human that snatched the purse in the first place.
"You were the thief the whole time?"
The human just smiled and nodded his head.
I put a furry hand on his shoulder and said, "What you did today was wrong, but I'm glad you did what you did. I'll do the right thing and drop the purse off at the police station, but we'll keep the money for the pain she caused me. From now on, with your help of course, the people that treat me like an animal, will be shown how much of a real animal humans can be to their own kind. I think it's time that two wrongs do make things right. Now let's go eat something fresh tonight."
"Great!" Ditto cheered before he transformed back into a harmless Pokémon.
This was a soundtrack inspired story
Song: Animal I have Become
Artist: Three Days Grace
Let me know what you thought.