Pokemon: Reborn As Ditto

I rushed out of the Pokémon Center, still in Misty's form, and almost bumped into a familiar face - Ash, with Pikachu perched on his shoulder. They both looked like they'd finally become BFFs, which was great for the plot, I supposed. Ash's eyes lit up when he saw me, and he approached with a curious expression.

"Hey, Misty! Where did you disappear to earlier? Office Jenny wanted to ask some questions." Ash asked curiously.

I played it cool. "Oh, I had stuff to do."

Ash looked confused, but he didn't pry. Instead, he asked, "Hey, you know anything about that strange Ditto from before?"

I chuckled, sounding laid-back. "Oh, that Ditto? It probably wandered off. Didn't see it again after it...uh, left." I shrugged, playing it casual.

Ash seemed to buy it. "Okay, okay. See ya, Misty!"

I waved goodbye. "Later!"

As I walked away, I could feel Ash's eyes on me, probably thinking about Misty's weird silence.

...

*chirp chirp*

I decided to explore the Viridian Forest a bit, soaking in the sights and sounds of Pokémon doing their thing. I had hurried out of Pewter City, but what was a little more time? I was gonna get scolded anyway, might as well enjoy the view.

I ambled through the forest, taking in the lush greenery. I gazed up at the canopy, lost in thought, when suddenly...

"WEEEE!"

A high-pitched squeal cut through the air, and I saw a squishy, yellow thing under my foot. Ugh, a Weedle. With a needle on its head and tail, it was ready to impale me.

The Weedle's beady eyes glared up at me, its tail twitching, ready to strike. I didn't hesitate - I stepped on it, feeling a slight squish beneath my foot. The Weedle let out a tiny shriek as I kicked it away, but it didn't take the hint.

The Weedle shot out a stream of sticky silk, wrapping it around my hand. I tried to pull back, but the silk held tight. The Weedle started to pull me towards it, its beady eyes glinting with a sinister intent. Not today, little guy.

I hadn't taken those martial arts classes for show. 

I pulled my hand back, but the Weedle came with it, stuck to my arm like a bad tattoo.

I used my other hand to give it a hard punch to its head, feeling a satisfying crunch beneath my fist. The Weedle let out a pained squeak as its head jerked back, dazed.

I quickly transformed my hand into a slimy appendage, slipping out of the silk's grasp with ease. I shook off the remaining silk, then tossed the disoriented Weedle away like a rag doll. It stumbled, dazed, before finally scurrying off into the underbrush.

I stood up, brushing off my hands. Well, that was fun.

I froze, my whole body on high alert.

What. The. Hell. Was. That?

A Déjà Vu-like feeling washed over me, and I couldn't shake it off. It was as if I'd felt...something. A spark, a flicker, a surge of strength that had coursed through my veins.

As a being made of slime, I was intimately connected with my own body. I knew every twitch, every quiver, every weird-ass sensation. I couldn't have missed it - whatever "it" was.

I scanned my body from head to toe, searching for any signs of what had just happened. My senses went into overdrive, probing every inch of my slimy self.

The more I focused, the more convinced I became that I wasn't imagining things.

A tiny, almost imperceptible current-like sensation lingered, making me feel...different. Stronger. Weird.

I replayed the scene in my mind, wondering if that Weedle had done something to me. Nah, it happened after it scurried off with its tail between its legs.

Coincidence? I wasn't buying it.

A shiver ran down my spine as a crazy thought began to form. Could it be...? No way. That was impossible. This wasn't some Pokémon game, was it?

I chuckled, shaking my head at the absurdity of it all. But my brain refused to let go of the idea. It was like my mind was stuck on this ridiculous notion, refusing to dismiss it.

Then I remembered that strange sensation I'd felt after beating that Spearow earlier. I'd written it off as an Oran Berry high, but...

What if it wasn't just the berries?

I whispered to myself, "Need more data to be sure."

My heart raced with excitement, mixed with a dash of trepidation. This was getting weird, and I wasn't sure I was ready for it.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come. I needed to investigate this further, no matter how crazy it seemed. And I knew just the way to do it - find another Pokémon and see if I could replicate that sensation.

"Best not to mess with too strong of a Pokémon for now," I muttered to myself. I needed a test subject, not a nightmare.

I remained in Misty's human form, sacrificing some power for the sake of mobility. It was a calculated risk, but I had to move quickly and quietly if I wanted to catch a Pokémon off guard.

I veered off the forest trail, walking into the dense underbrush. The trees seemed to close in around me, their leaves rustling ominously in the breeze.

Weirdly, I was also hearing crickets chirping among other sounds. Does that mean they exist here too? 

Good thing to know. That means other normal animals might also exist in this planet.

How weird is that they never showed that either in the anime or the numerous game titles, but never shied away from Pokémon having Pokédex entries giving animal references for their shape. 

But then again, surviving when their competition is goddamn Pokémon themselves, it won't be a big thing if they would have gone extinct. 

That reminds me to check out any library or internet (if that exists) to see the world's history and geography. 

Those damn people at Nintendo and Game Freak just keep adding new regions and mechanisms to the world that even I couldn't keep track of everything through the years.

*rustle*

My eyes scanned the underbrush, searching for test subject 01.

A small, purple furry creature that I was quite familiar with, peeked out from behind the foliage. A Rattata!

Not too strong, even seemed somewhat weak if I judged by its size. Tch, let's just try it.

I crept forward, trying not to startle it.

My heart raced with trepidation as I reached out a hand, preparing to grab it. 

I am not here, I am not here...

With a deep breath, I lunged forward, grabbing the Rattata with a swift motion. The little creature squeaked and struggled in my grasp, but I held tight.

The Rattata thrashed about, trying to bite and scratch me with its claws, but I held it firm. I watched as its teeth began to glow and elongate, preparing to strike.

Bite attack? In your dreams, bitches.

I sneered, my grip tightening around the Rattata's squirming body. With a swift motion, I bashed its head against a nearby rock. The creature's eyes went glassy, and it slumped limp in my hands.

Isn't this a bit too weak?

For a moment, I just held it, feeling... nothing?

Did I do something wrong? I mean, not morally, of course, sneaking up on a Pokémon and bashing its head was wrong, but currently, I was more concerned with finding the cause of the sensation.

A minute passed, but nothing happened. Sigh...

I gently placed the Rattata on the ground, sitting down on a nearby rock to observe it. Leaving it in this state in the forest was as good as killing it, so I waited for a few moments until it regained consciousness.

As soon as its eyes fluttered open, it sprang into a fighting posture, ready to pounce on the sneaky attacker that was me. I held up my hands in a calming gesture, trying to appear non-threatening.

"Whoa, whoa, little guy, I'm sorry, okay?" I said, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

The Rattata's beady eyes narrowed, its fur still standing on end from the adrenaline rush. It didn't seem to believe me, but it didn't attack either. Instead, it took a cautious step back, its gaze fixed on me like a wary predator.

With a final glance, the Rattata turned tail and scampered off into the underbrush, disappearing from view.

I got up from the rock too, brushing off my pants(not that I needed to) and taking a deep breath. The forest was quiet once more, the only sound being the distant chirping of Pokémon and the rustling of leaves.

"Test Subject Number 2, where are you?" I whispered, scanning the surrounding area for my next experiment.

After what felt like an eternity of searching, I finally spotted two Pokémon playing together in a small clearing. An Oddish and a Bellsprout, completely carefree and enjoying each other's company.

The Oddish was circling around the Bellsprout, its long, thin body weaving in and out of the Bellsprout's vines. The Bellsprout, meanwhile, was giggling and making playful jabs at the Oddish with its tendrils.

Suddenly, the Oddish jumped on top of the Bellsprout, landing with a soft thud. It started tickling the Bellsprout's vines, making it squirm and giggle even more.

"Oddish! Oddish!" the Oddish chimed in, its high-pitched voice squeaking with excitement.

"Bell! Bell! Bellsprout!" the Bellsprout responded, its voice rising to a crescendo as it tried to wriggle free from the Oddish's grasp.

I watched them for a moment, my initial intention of using them as test subjects slowly fading away. They seemed so... innocent, so joyful. I couldn't bring myself to ruin their fun, to beat the crap out of them just for the sake of my experiment.

With a strange sense of guilt, I decided to let them be. I turned around, leaving the two Pokémon to their playful antics.

As I made my way back through the forest, I noticed the sun was setting, casting a warm orange glow over the trees

"Better to leave now," I muttered to myself. "Wouldn't wish to be sleep in a forest."

Peering up, I spotted a Pidgeot circling overhead. With a small click of my tongue, I detransformed back into my blob form. Then, in one swift motion, I mimicked the glorious bird. 

There was a slight annoyance that came with this particular ability. Mimicking required me to start in my default Ditto form, which was always a bit jarring. 

Extending my newly acquired wings, I took a running leap and soared into the air, feeling the wind rush through my "feathers." 

---

Viridian City

Police Station

The trio of Team Rocket sat in their dingy jail cell, their faces still smoldering from the electric shock they'd received earlier. Jessie rubbed her singed purple hair, while James nursed a bruised ego. Meowth, on the other hand, looked like he'd seen the Pokémon gods themselves.

"That... that Ditto was a beast!" Jessie exclaimed, her eyes wide with awe. "I've never seen anything like it! That blue thunderbolt was insane!"

James nodded vigorously, his face still flushed from the shock. "I know, right? I thought we were a goner for sure! That thing packed some serious punch!"

Meowth, who'd been quietly brooding, suddenly slammed his fist on the metal bench. "We need to catch that Ditto, pronto! Imagine the looks on the boss's face when we present him with that kind of power!"

Jessie's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh, we'd be the heroes of Team Rocket! The boss would be so proud of us!"

James's face lit up with a goofy grin. "We'd be showered with promotions, riches, and... and... Poké Balls galore!"

The three of them started salivating at the prospect, their minds racing with the possibilities. Meowth began to pace around the cell, his tail twitching with anticipation.

"We need a plan, a strategy, a masterpiece of a scheme to catch that Ditto!" Meowth declared, his voice rising to a crescendo.

Jessie and James high-fived each other, already imagining their triumphant return to Team Rocket HQ.

"Yes! We'll catch that Ditto and show the world what we're made of!" Jessie cheered.

"But first," James said, rubbing his sore head, "let's just get out of this dump."

They vowed to catch Ditto, no matter what it took, and bring it back to their boss as a token of their unwavering loyalty.

The trio cackled maniacally, their evil laughter echoing off the cold, gray walls of the jail cell, sending shivers down the spines of the other inmates.

---

For those who like long chapters, this one is for them, 2.2k words *sighhh*

I am experimenting a bit with scene-based chapters, so that scenes are mostly self-contained in one chap, do give your thoughts how that goes.

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