The Ditto vendor saw that Tetsuya was just a kid and couldn't help thinking, 'So easy to fool at that age… otherwise, who would buy this Ditto?' But then a new concern arose; what if his family found out and came here to cause trouble?
The vendor hesitated, stuck in place, unsure of what to do.
Tetsuya had already seen right through him.
"Bah! You selling or not? If not, I'm leaving." Tetsuya looked impatient.
"Maa maa, I'll sell… But you can't go back on it after buying!"
"I can guarantee I, won't regret it."
There was deeper meaning in Tetsuya's words. He wouldn't regret it, but whether his 'family' would or not… that wasn't something he could guarantee.
Still uneasy, the vendor added, "We'll need to put it in writing. Once sold, this Ditto is yours forever, no returns."
"Fine… but I'm only offering two thousand Pokédollars!" Tetsuya replied.
"W-What? Two thousand!!!? Nuh-uh. Not happening." The vendor waved his hand.
Tetsuya snorted and turned to leave.
"W-Wait, wait!"
Seeing him go, the vendor quickly ran after him. "Alright, two thousand it is… I'm selling at a loss here! Sigh… let's write it up."
Tetsuya knew "the business" too well. Dittos had zero market right now. The buyback price was only around fifteen hundred, and they ate only liquid food, not easy to care for. The vendor was desperate to offload it.
If Tetsuya had said fifteen hundred, he would've sold it too. But the extra five hundred gave him more of a safety margin~
Some people were just stubborn; better to let it rot in their hands than sell it cheap.
The vendor and Tetsuya drew up a contract. One hand exchanged money, the other handed over the goods.
Tetsuya took the Poké Ball containing Ditto and left without looking back.
The vendor felt a load off his shoulders, let out a long sigh, and looked at the two thousand Pokédollars in his hand. "Not bad, still made five hundred~"
---◓---
By the time Tetsuya left the Pokémon Market, it was already late. He rode his Bicycle home.
Buying this Ditto today had been completely unexpected, a pleasant surprise.
Of course, Ditto would never be a main battler…
With his knowledge of Pokémon, he could maybe use it to push around some third-rate Trainers.
But against real experts? Using Ditto was asking for trouble!
Could he really predict what moves his opponent's Pokémon had?
Ditto was still Ditto. An "Expert-type" Trainer would know every detail of their own Pokémon. How could a copy outperform the real thing with years of battle experience and seamless teamwork?
Don't kid yourself. Speed-based pros could take you out before you even finished transforming.
But for Tetsuya right now, Ditto was absolutely essential. Its greatest value was "disguise". In the coming years, he would need to live under multiple identities in this world.
With his current level, he could use Ditto to deal with many Trainers and Pokémon. That was an advantage no other Pokémon could offer.
Now he finally had his first Pokémon. It might play a small role, but it was irreplaceable.
At last, some progress; his first real step forward. In his past life, it had taken him four years to get his first Pokémon…
When he got home, the air-conditioning from the afternoon chilled him to the bone.
He opened the door and checked on the old man's body.
'Nothing unusual…'
Back in his room, Tetsuya released Ditto and pointed to the side of the bed. "There's some milk over there. Go ahead and drink."
Starved all day, Ditto finally smelled food and gulped down five bottles of milk in a row. It must've been starving.
Tetsuya walked up to Ditto. "Had enough to drink?"
Ditto nodded.
"From today on, I'm your Trainer. I'll make sure you're well-fed, but in return, you must be loyal. And you'd better prove you're useful. …I don't keep useless Pokémon."
Ditto blinked and stared at the stern-faced Tetsuya.
Seeing that, Tetsuya barked sharply, "Did you hear me?"
Ditto flinched in fear and quickly nodded.
"Alright. Rest. We've got things to do tomorrow."
◓---
Tetsuya lay in bed, trying to force himself to sleep. But Xerneas and Yveltal had played such a cruel joke on him, it was hard to adjust.
'Since I'm here, I'll make the most of it. No matter how tough the road ahead, I'll walk it with my head held high!'
He drifted off into a shallow sleep…
---◓
The next morning, Tetsuya quickly took care of his daily routine and drank a bottle of milk. Ditto gulped down three more.
Just as he was about to leave, Tetsuya said to Ditto, "Ditto, can you turn into a ring?"
Ditto shook its head.
"A bracelet then?"
It shook its head again.
"…A sunhat at least?"
Only then did Ditto nod and transformed into a sunhat, resting atop Tetsuya's head.
'Looks like this Ditto hasn't reached the level where it can freely transform into physical objects… I'll deal with it later after I finish these matters.'
Tetsuya had a very clear goal today.
He hopped on his Bicycle, destination: Eggseter in the northwest of Ecruteak City.
Eggseter had a large Pokémon Breeding Daycare. Its owner was Shellby, his lifesaver in his previous life.
Back then, when he had been kicked out of the orphanage at ten years old, Tetsuya had lost everything and was nearly starved to death in the streets. It was Shellby who took him in and brought him to the Daycare, helping him regain his confidence. He had stayed there for a year. His first Pokémon, Spinarak, had also been a gift from Shellby.
When he first arrived in this world, he used to wonder what his starter Pokémon would be. He thought it had to be chosen with great care; after all, a starter Pokémon was significant!
But after everything he had been through, he realized just how naïve he had been back then.
'A Starter Pokémon… Hehe, yeah, right.'
Did he really think everyone got to start with Pikachu? Ash was Professor Oak's literal next-door neighbor's son.
For people like them, a so-called starter Pokémon was nothing but a brief companion. Just having one at all was good enough. There was no room for high expectations; much less sentimental value.
It was merely a tool to help catch Pokémon with better potential and stats. If the day ever came when it was no longer needed, then it shouldn't be allowed to drain any more of his resources. Let… let it go back to where it belonged!
So yes, Tetsuya still felt gratitude toward Shellby. But right now, he had to take advantage of the man's kind nature and ask him for a Work ID…
---◓---
He had left early, and when he arrived in Eggseter, the Daycare was just opening.
Tetsuya went straight in without hesitation.
"Excuse me, is Mr. Shellby here?"
Hearing someone call out, a man of about fifty walked out, full of energy.
"I'm Shellby. What can I do for you, young man~?"
Tetsuya explained the situation, but due to his age, Shellby turned him down.
Still, Tetsuya didn't give up. If even someone as kind as Shellby refused him, then his chances really were grim.
Was he really going to end up back in the orphanage, repeating the same tragic path…?
Backed into a corner, Tetsuya launched into a full sob story, tears and all!
He listed every dark aspect of the orphanage, to the point that Mr. Shellby began to believe that going there would be a death sentence for the boy!
Looking at the pitiful child before him, Shellby's compassion surged, yet he still hesitated, bound by the League's regulations.
•
•
Reading Guide.
"Dialogue"
'Toughts'
[Systems, Special Moves, Special Tags, Special Pokémon, Voice through devices.]
"Telepathy" Italics for telepathy
"Whoaaa!" Bolds instead of CAPS for SHOUTING!