Hello Darkness My Old Friend… (A War Against the Dittos)

[Noblejanobii]

Chapter 1
-The Dawn of a New Era-

I groaned as I sat in Spanish class, translating an article about the mass pandemic of Malaria in many South American countries. Hell Month’s first week was coming to a close and my stress levels were peaking. I stood up to turn in my assignment for the day, only to find my teacher standing right by my desk.

“Oh, Ms. Catherman,” I said, a little startled to find the Hawlucha there. “I finished my assignment.” I held out the piece of notebook paper to her, but my Spanish teacher merely stared at it, with an unwavering stare and an unnerving grin. I quickly took notice to this change in expression. Had she appeared like that at the beginning of class? I turned to ask my friend, Ana the Frillish, only to find her with the exact same expression. Two black eyes and a steady grin. Where had I seen that expression before? Then it struck me, as precisely as Robin Hood’s arrow. My partner in secrecy had adorned such an avatar earlier in time as a joke amongst our peers on our forum. Why would my peers be wearing the same expressions now then? I didn't get to really consider the answer before the PA system went off.

“Teachers, pardon the interruption, but it has come to my attention that several students today failed to consume the PTA provided lunch. As it was a treat for them and there are leftovers, any students who did not eat the lunch should report to the atrium immediately where they will provided their meal.” There was a click as the PA call ended. I frowned at the thought of being forced to eat. For one, I always brought my own lunch. It was cheaper and healthier for me without a doubt. But on top of that, I was allergic to the food they were providing! It was all chocolate! Of course I wasn't going to eat the stuff.

“You should go, Sloane. I'll write you a pass,” Ms. Catherman said, heading towards her desk.

“Uh, Ms. Catherman, you know I'm allergic to what they're serving.” The Hawlucha turned around and held out a pass that I hadn't seen her write, ignoring my complaint. Okay, now I knew something was up. I slapped the pass from Ms. Catherman’s hand and ducked out of my seat, bolting for the door.

“After her!” I heard Ms. Catherman call as I shot out the open door. I had to get to my car and get out of here. Good thing the path to the student parking lot was right near Ms. Catherman’s room. I began to run down the hall when an Infernape dropped from the ceiling. It was Mr. Phillips!

“Now where are you going? Your lunch is downstairs.” Crap, I couldn't hurt Mr. Phillips. I'd have to take another way to the parking lot. I spun on my heels as fast as my Shaylava body would carry me and bolted for stairwell five right around the corner. Almost as soon as I rounded the corner, I had to dig in my heels and spin around again, as the Rhyperior, Mr. Sharpless, was waiting for me. Using quick attack, I bolted down the long hall. Fine, I'd take stairwell four then! I prepared to tumble down the stairs when an ice beam froze the ground in front of stairwell four. I swerved towards the library to avoid crashing into the art room. As I turned, I caught sight of a Jynx, Ms. Franks, blocking stairwell four. I made a break for the media center, figuring they'd have blocked the third stairwell too. As I swung by though, I noticed it was empty. I quickly flipped around and dove down the stairs. I could hear Mr. Tuttle, a carracosta coming down the stairs.

“Sloane!” he bellowed as I reached the first floor. Curses, I'd have to cross the atrium now to escape. Fine. I used quick attack again and dashed through the atrium, dodging the tables and making a straight shot towards the greenery in the middle. I planned to vault over it then head for the double doors on the other side. They were the next closest doors to the parking lot. I zipped past the tables and jumped, somersaulting over the plants when a blast suddenly shook the earth below me. I hit the ground and tumbled, smashing into the legs of one of the tables. My head was spinning as I tried to stand up. I heard a growling nearby and caught sight of something brown in my blurry vision. If I had to guess, it was Principal Warren, an ursaring.

The plants I had jumped over were engulfed in flames right now, and I was tempted to use that energy against my principal, but I decided against it. Something was afoot and he was just a pawn. I turned and began to sprint off again. I barely dodged another hyper beam as I ducked under a few tables and shot towards the doors. I was almost free when the double doors opened and Mr. Tuttle was waiting for me there! But how? I had seen him struggling down the stairs not even moments before. I decided not to question it as I barely ducked out of the way of a hydro pump. I shot down the hallway to my left, going past the attendance office and towards the gym. That was my last hope of getting to my car. I ran past the fifth stairwell where I heard Sharpless and Phillips bickering from above. I burst through a set of doors that led into the gym and ran down the hall towards the locker rooms. I rounded another corner only to spot an Aerodactyl blocking my way. It was Coach Di, the defensive football coach. Well now I was screwed. An aerodactyl was my only weakness, and my mega stone needed to counter it was in the car. Crap. Coach Di backed me up against a wall, with the other administrators closing in quickly from down the hall. He prepared to use hyper beam point blank when a bone smacked him in the back of the head. Coach Di collapsed and I saw a Shiny Marowak behind him.

“Brynn?” The Marowak caught his bone and smiled. He rushed to my side and examined me.

“Are you okay, Mother?”

“Yes, I'm fine, Brynn. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the organization?”

“It's a long story, Mother, and one I will have to explain at a later time. Come on, we need to go. The others are waiting outside.”

“The others?” Brynn didn't get to answer as we heard the other administrators rushing down the hall. We exchanged a silent nod then took off towards the gym. Making a mad dash through the gym, we left through one of the emergency exits and stepped out into the wonderful sunlight where three Pokemon were waiting outside to greet us.

[Noblejanobii]

Chapter 2
-Avengers Assemble-

It was nice to see a group of mostly familiar faces, but it raised too many questions for too much comfort. Besides Brynn, a shiny marowak, my rescuers included Godiva the Chocolate Dedenne, Simba the Luxio, and an Indigo Zoroark that I had never made the acquaintance of before. It had been about a month since I had last seen Brynn, Godiva, and Simba, and while it was refreshing to see them, given the events of the day, something had to be up.

"So why are you all here? And who's the Zoroark?" Brynn held up his hand and gestured to my car.

"Let's get in your car. I'll explain on the way." I nodded and followed Brynn to my car. Unlocking it with the built in eye scanner, Brynn climbed into the driver's seat. I sat down on the passenger side and everyone else took their seat in the back. Brynn started up the car then drove us out of the parking lot. Soon enough we were blending into ordinary downtown traffic and I waited for Brynn to start his explanation.

"The Organization has fallen," Brynn finally said. My head snapped to my left and I stared wide eyed at Brynn. "We got the report earlier this morning. It's been overrun and we can't get in contact with any of the other agents. The last message we received was this." I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw Simba offering me one of our video comms. I took it and replayed the most recent message. A image projected in the air before me of a Nidoking wearing a suit. It was Agent Deko, the superior in charge of Xanthe and I's division. Except, it didn't look like him. He had that same pair of eyes and unnerving grin that everyone at school had.

"Good day, operatives. This is Agent Deko, reporting from the Organization. We have a big announcement for all operatives. Starting this hour, you are all to report back to base, no matter what your mission. We are under new management and we need to reevaluate all operatives before they can continue their employment. We looked forward to seeing you soon." The call then ended.

"So whomever it was that took over my school took over the Organization too," I surmised.

"Yes. It would appear so," Brynn replied. "But that does not end the troubling news."

"What else is there to tell?"

"Mama!" I turned around to look at Godiva. "We can't contact God Mama." I felt the color drain from my face. God Mama, or God Mother, was what Brynn, Godiva, and Simba called Xanthe.

"What do you mean you can't contact Xanthe?" I snapped, worry pulsing through my veins. Xanthe had been out on a lot of solo missions lately so we hadn't been in contact as much as we used to since our free time rarely lined up. Nevertheless, we did keep in contact when we could, and hearing she could no longer be reached was very concerning.

"Mother," Brynn said in a steady voice, "do not fret. You have her emergency contact number, do you not? Call her. Tell her you are safe and see if she is too."

Brynn was correct. I did have her number. I opened the glovebox of my car and pulled out one of the many disposable cellphones I kept in there. Dialing in the secret number, I held the phone up to my ear and listened to it ring. It rang once, twice, three times, then there was a click.

"This is Solo Charcoal. You make art, we've got the part. How may I help you today?" Relief flooded within me. She was okay! Translation: "This is Agent Xanthe. I am currently in a position where I cannot speak freely. What is your message?"

"I would like to order the jumbo charcoal special with three logs and two brushes, please." Translation: It is your partner speaking and I am requesting to meet with you at the usual place in two hours.

"That sounds fine. Though we are quite busy today so expect a few delays." Translation: The job has me tied up but if I can get out I'll be there.

With that, I hung up. The time and place were set. I signaled to Brynn and he adjusted our course accordingly, heading out of town towards the midpoint of our fair county.

***

Glasses clinked as low murmurs echoed in the dimly lit bar. I traveled quietly across the hardwood floor towards the spinning chairs right in front of the bar, the designated meeting place. My team and I had already given our suspicions of the situation, about how it was very well possible the call I placed to Xanthe had been monitored and that the whole situation could quickly be turned into a trap. I knew this was a distinct possibility and was glad to have backup behind me, even if I didn't entirely know who my backup was.

In the car ride over from my high school to the Bar in the Middle of the County (yes that's literally what it's called), I had been introduced to the indigo Zoroark. He was apparently from the Prismatic Kingdom, a group of which I had worked for before and still kept in contact with some of its members, specifically the red Umbreon, Die in a Fire, leader of the tribe that had aided Xanthe and I in our mission that day. Somehow the Prismatic Kingdom had been afflicted with this disease as well and the citizens were now split in half. Those that were unaffected by the disease were given special zoroarks by one of the rulers one of the Prismatic Kingdom to protect them from the ditto infiltration. These Zoroarks had also been deployed outside the kingdom with the goal of finding members of the Organization and enlisting their help. The Zoroark that was helping us now was known as Lonely Road.

The plan was simple. Lonely Road would sneak in disguised as an agent that frequented the bar often at this hour approximately two minutes after I entered the bar. He would keep an eye on me as I spoke with Xanthe and, if anything suspicious were to occur, he would evacuate one or both of us from the scene immediately. Brynn, Godiva, and Simba would be waiting around the corner in my car, ready for a quick getaway. It wasn't a flawless plan, but on short notice, it was the best I had.

I climbed up into one of the swivel chairs by the bar next to the only other person seated there. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lonely Road slip in, disguised as Agent Mason, a Wartortle. The person in the seat beside me took a sip of their drink, then gestured to the one in front of me.

"I went ahead and ordered your drink. Sweet iced tea, just the way you like it." I smirked and looked over my sunglasses at my partner in crime. I was glad to see her well, despite having been busy on a mission when we had called. Then again, it was very possible she had just been using the code to protect against the pandemic. The thought of the Ditto Pandemic, as Lonely Road had called it, made my stomach churn. Some many civilians were being harmed by this. It made me feel sick. Suddenly the sweet tea didn't seem as welcoming as before. I decided not to drink it for now.

"Thanks. Do you have any intel as to the status of this pandemic? Any other surviving agents?" Xanthe merely shook her head.

"No, you are the first I've found. They even took out our eye in the sky from what I can tell." I frowned. Our eye in the sky was Xanthe's chocolate Shaymin. It served as surveillance and if it was down then we didn't have much of a good way to survey from the skies. Lonely Road could do it, sure, but I wasn't ready to announce his prescience just yet. Something told me to do otherwise.

"That does not bode well. Do you know what's going on?" I decided to play dumb for now. Who knows, maybe Xanthe knew something I didn't.

"Not much. From what I understand, there's been an infection, and it originated on Crossroads." I had to stifle a gasp, and Xanthe took note. "How long has it been since you check Crossroads?"

"Not since second period so several hours. Does that play a role into it?"

"It might," Xanthe answered before taking another sip of her drink. "You remember the user, Fate?" I gave a short nod. "My information tells me that he was the source of this. He's spread it to many members of the community, including Gemma, Sam, and Max." She cleared her throat a little and watched as the bartender refilled her drink silently. When he finished, she continued, "Sarah and Neo seem to be some of the only survivors right now. But I haven't checked the forum in an hour or two, so I have not tracked the progression since then. Nevertheless, it is simple to identify victims. They have two black beady eyes and a suspiciously straight smile. You don't have any of these qualities so you are trustworthy." I watched Xanthe take another sip of her drink. Good, she trusted me. But something was really off about this. Something in the back of my head was nagging me hard. Then it hit me.

Xanthe never drank more than approximately five sips from her drink unless we were going to be here a while. She would certainly never order for a refill either. She had just done both of those things right in front of my face. Come to think of it, her glasses and clothes were doing well hide her face. While this could be just typical spy stuff, in this time of impending war, I had to be suspicious. I looked back at my drink and realized I had been staring the biggest piece of evidence in the face this whole time. Xanthe never ordered anything for me, food, drink, or snack. She always knew how picky I was!

My instincts reacted before I could stop them. I smacked the glass of sweet iced tea away from me. It slammed into Xanthe and she cried out. As she recoiled, I caught view of her face. Sure enough, I was correct, she had the eyes and mouth. Which meant this was a trap. The bartender began to reach for me but I ducked out of the way in time. I jumped onto the alcohol shelf and grabbed one bottle before leaping off the shelf. It crashed into the bar. By now I noticed everyone in the room was looking mighty ditto like. Lonely Road moved closer to my side and I removed the cork from the wine. We had to move, fast, and fighting wasn't the answer here. Grabbing Lonely Road's arm, I yanked the Zoroark down the hall, letting the wine pour out as I did. Right as we reached the door, the wine ran out. I sucked in a deep breath and unleashed a torrent of green flames. It caught onto the wine trail and shot into the back of the store. Lonely Road and I dove for shelter as part of the back of the building exploded.

I heard the screech of tires and looked up to see the get away car round the corner. It pulled up and the passenger doors flew open. Lonely Road and I clambered in and Brynn didn't wait for us to settle. We were out of there before anyone could grab us.

"So I'm guess God Mother is one of them too?" Brynn asked softly. I sighed and gave a short nod. Now I wasn't sure what to do. I had hoped my partner in crime would be able to help guide me, but alas, I was in my own for this one. But what was my next move? Fortunately, a little Emolga decided to answer that for me.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I loved reading this Noble! I think it's really cool that your event Pokemon are involved!

[Noblejanobii]

I loved reading this Noble! I think it's really cool that your event Pokemon are involved!

Well I had to include Brynn because he was involved with the ERR (who appear in the next chapter) and it would be rude to exclude Godiva and Simba. Plus, before the whole Zoroark Intervention thing started, I wanted to have a Zoroark as back up anyway and since LD was giving out Prism ones I thought I'd just use the one I got.

The next chapter will hopefully be coming out soon!

[Noblejanobii]

Chapter 3
-Back in the ERR-

The car idled as we waited several blocks away from the bar. I was currently in a phone conversation with a part of my past I never thought I would have to confront again: the Electric Rodent Regime. I knew Godiva, Simba, and Lonely Road were very confused in the backseat, and I'd explain everything to them later. But first, I needed to handle this.

"So you're calling me back in for duty? You know I swore to never come back," I said quietly. There was a crackle on the other end, then the voice answered.

"I'm aware. You left for the Organization. But I'm also aware that the Organization has fallen. Thus, without that allegiance, I thought you might be willing to aid us in our cause against the STDs." I sighed. Neo, the Emolga on the other end of the call, made a valid point. I had left the ERR because the Organization had offered me work. With the Organization now in shambles, it is only natural to see my allegiance would shift back to the ERR. Clever one, that Neo.

"You're lucky you know me so well. If anyone else had come after me, even Commander Raichu himself, I would have said no. But for you, I'll make an exception." I heard a snicker on the other side.

"I knew you'd come through. You should remember where the nearest safe house is to you. I'll meet you there." There was a click as the call ended. I sighed and stared at the screen of my iPhone.

"Care to explain who that was?" Lonely Road asked, waves of annoyance coming off him. I glanced over my shoulder at the backseat.

"That was a voice from my past. Brynn, take us to the nearest ERR safe house."

"ERR?" Lonely Road frowned. "I only agreed to protect Organization members, not members of the ERR."

"Well that's unfortunate for you, because I'm both. Brynn and I were agents for the ERR during the great Ground Wars. It's only natural in this type of crisis they would call me back into service." I looked at Godiva and Simba. "It was before I adopted either of you. Nevertheless, you can cease your protections of me at any time. I don't require your aid, but I appreciate it." Lonely Road remained silent as the city fell far behind us. The country rose up and silence lapsed over us.

I closed by eyes and remembered the times of the ERR. It had been a rough time for Brynn and I during the Ground Wars. Brynn wasn't trusted and had to be sent undercover. He ended up being safe, but for much of Brynn's mission I had been worried sick about him. I left the ERR after that. Now I was returning and I feared what could happen to us all.

Several hours passed before I felt the car come to a stop. I opened my eyes and looked up to see an empty plot of land with a barn in the distance. I exited the car and began to start towards the barn before realizing I had forgotten something. I went back to the car and opened the console in the middle. In a black case at the bottom where my two mega stones. I picked it up and placed it in a bag. Securing it on me, I left the car and caught up to the others. Brynn locked the car and then we led the way.

"This is an ERR safe house?" Godiva asked, watching us move closer to the barn.

"Out of sight out of mind," I replied simply. I pushed open the barn doors and stepped inside the barn. It was pitch black inside. The five of us treaded inside, and I could tell that besides myself and Brynn, everyone else in our group was on edge. It was reasonable given they were new to this. I wasn't though.

I pushed my paws through the straw that coated the floor. I was searching for a switch and I couldn't remember exactly where it was, but it was around her somewhere. I continued to sift through the straw when I heard a sudden click. I smirked as the floor of the barn disappeared from beneath us and gravity suddenly took hold.

I heard Godiva and Simba scream as we all began to fall and the floor closed above us. We dropped quickly into darkness then suddenly light flooded the tunnel we were in. Beneath the barn was a huge base for the ERR. As far as the eye could see were machines and Pokemon working on various weapons, plans, and who knows what all else. It was a familiar sight that had long ago been an everyday thing for me. I felt a bit of nostalgia but only for a moment as I saw the floor closing in on us.

The wind in the tunnel suddenly picked up from below us and slowed our descent from free fall to a gently landing as we all touched down on the floor below us. The tube we were in slid open with a hiss and I spotted an Emolga awaiting us outside.

"Sloane! Good to see you! Ah and Brynn too. Oh and some new faces. Well the more the merrier. We take all the help we can get. These are dark times after all. Come, Commander Raichu is awaiting your arrival." I stood up and shook off a little, my fur settling back into place. Brynn seemed unfazed by the fall as well, by our other three companions seemed to still be in shock. Simba and Lonely Road took a little over five minutes to recover, but Godiva didn't seem like she'd be back to normal anytime soon, so Simba just carried her.

Neo led us towards the heart of the facility, past experiments and conveyor belts, past pikachu and pachirisu, to the very center where Commander Raichu's office lay. Neo knocked on the door three times, paused, then twice more. There was a gruff "come in" and Neo pushed the green button beside the door. The door made a clanking sound as it unhinged and dropped below the floor. The six of us traveled inside before the door replaced itself and locked itself into place. In front of us, a long wooden desk stood in the center of the room. Behind it was a large black chair and on the wall were several maps, pictures, and files. The chair spun around and in it was seated the Pokemon in charge, Commander Raichu. Brynn, Neo, I immediately saluted him; Simba and Lonely Road caught on in a second, but Godiva was still out of commission so hopefully Commander would excuse that. Commander Raichu stepped down from his chair and stepped out in front of us.

"At ease." We all dropped out salutes. Commander Raichu looked over all of us, a serious look on his face as he surveyed us like pieces of meat being tested for poison. Then a large smile broke across his face. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd see the day when Agent Sloane returned to the Electric Rodent Regime. I wish it were under different circumstances though. I am sorry for the loss of the Organization, I would like to state that, no matter what, you and anyone associated with you have a home of safety in the ERR." Commander Raichu looked us over again then asked, "Might I ask where your partner is?" My ears drooped and my gaze fell to the floor. Commander Raichu immediately picked up on the unspoken message. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't aware of the situation." He cleared his throat and walked back to his desk. There was a long pause before Neo finally spoke up.

"Commander, should we explain to them what the plan is?" Commander Raichu nodded his head and pointed to the wall of maps.

"As you have witnessed first hand, these Dittos are everywhere. We haven't exactly figured out how they are infecting people. All we know is that there are different methods behind it. It can be anything from consuming an infected food or drink to just flat out replacement. If we could track a common trend, it would be easier to protect everyone, but this is not so. That's where you come in, Sloane." Commander Raichu turned back around to face us. "We have several leads across the world about the source and possible cures. We've tried to trace them but our agents are somewhat… identifiable in case you hadn't noticed." I knew what he meant. While not all electric rodents were members of the ERR, the vast majority were, so when an electric rodent shows up in a town out of the blue one day, it's a dead ringer that they are more than likely an ERR member. "Our agents get taken out quite easily. We've already lost our two best agents, the Pika Pair themselves, Chakra and Gemma."

I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs as if someone had just punched me right in the gut. That couldn't be true! Chakra and Gemma were both on the side of the Dittos now? They were the best pikachu operatives the ERR had to offer. How had the Dittos gotten to them? Surely if they could take down the legendary Pika Pair, just myself wouldn't be enough against them. Commander Raichu noticed my pained expression and shook his head.

"The reason, we suspect, they were taken down is because they were caught off guard by familiar faces." Commander Raichu pulled a few pictures off the wall. He walked back to his desk and spread them out, signaling for us to come closer. I recognized the Pika Pair immediately. In the first photo, they were exiting what appeared to be a restaurant, and Chakra was carrying a brown bag. The next one showed the two peering down a nearby alleyway, as if they had heard something. They entered the alleyway in the third shot. The fourth shot showed the two being approached by two Pokemon, a flareon and absol. I recognized the two immediately. It was Fate and Xanthe! The next few shots showed Xanthe and Fate catching the Pika Pair off guard and knocking them out before they could attack, then dragging them off.

"These were all we could get of the incident. Our eye in the sky couldn't track the group, claiming they seemed to disappear into thin air. We were not prepared for this kind of tactic, and I had assumed until now that a ditto had merely taken the guise of Xanthe but…"

"Given recent developments, it's very well possible that actually was her, and Fate too," I finished for him. Commander Raichu nodded.

"I plan to split you up into different teams to tackle what leads we can. I'll ensure that you'll have a way to tell friends from foes. Our head scientists are currently working on that and I'll make sure you get your hands on it before you head out. In the mean time, I want you to meet the other three operatives that will be helping out on our missions."

[Noblejanobii]

Chapter 4
-Sandy Towns-

One thing I hate more than anything else is being stuck in an familiar place, with an unfamiliar person, to capture an unfamiliar target. I mean, I would consider Lonely Road completely unfamiliar, but I knew everyone else that had been assigned to my teammates better than I knew Lonely Road.

Brynn had been paired up with Agent Grumpy, a pikachu friend of mine from the ERR, most noticeable by her jeweled ring that circles her right ear. Godiva had been paired with Agent Blue, a Minun from the ERR and brother of my former ERR partner. Speaking of former ERR partner, that's who Simba was paired with, Red the Plusle. I think Lonely Road would have been better off with someone else, but he had insisted that his assignment was to protect me, so I got him as a partner. It wasn't all bad though. His disguise was brilliant really.

After I covered up my flower with a cloak and doused out my green flames, I looked just like a regular Quilava, mostly. Lonely Road used his illusion ability to appear as my older brother, a Typhlosion. Our cover was that we had a little sister at home who was sick, and supposedly the herbal cure was in this desert town. Not as unfathomable as one might think. The town we were currently in, Cahana Village, was known for its herbal cures and remedies for a variety of diseases. Plus the cover was not too far from the truth. Lonely Road and I had been sent here to see if we could find a cure for Ditto-fying. I had to wonder if the reason I was sent on the least combative of the missions is because Commander Raichu didn't want to risk me just yet. I wasn't sure if I should be flattered or angered, so I chose both.

As we walked through the desert town, I scrunched up my nose as sand blew into my face. Lonely Road didn't seem to care that sand was constantly blowing in his face but that could just be his illusion at work. For all any of us knew, his eyes could be bright red and watering from the sandy winds. As of right now, we had already visited three apothecaries, none of which had anything that we were looking for. I was growing bored very quickly and I wanted to know if this trip was truly worth it.

"Let's take a break." I looked up at Lonely Road, the Typhlosion's eyes briefly flashing concern. "You seem tired, sister." We walked over to a bench next to an oasis fountain. Lonely Road had been partially right. The sun was draining my energy much quicker than normal. I may be used to the heat but even I had my limits. This was too hot even for me. Lonely Road left to go fetch me something to drink and I pulled my cloak over my face and flowers a little more. I sighed and closed my eyes, letting the sounds of the city wash over me. I could hear the bustling oasis life around me, shops, customers, and all walks of life. It was quite calming to a person like me since silence only brought discomfort. Then, something else caressed my ears. I frowned and strained my ears to listen closer, as I was pretty sure I recognized this sound. I was right, for as soon as the sound came clear to me, I knew what it was. Street fights. My favorite kind of fights.

I opened my eyes and stood up. Lonely Road would find me, right now I was more interested in these street fights. I followed the sounds to a nearby alleyway and saw an entry board where people were signing up where others warmed up. Tying my cloak tight, I walked over to the sign up board and signed up. The tournament began soon after but overall, I was disappointed. Each fighter was really predictable. Even after Lonely Road showed up, he agreed that these fighters posed no challenge. We were able to leave when a scraggy ran up to us.

"Hey! You can't leave yet! The head of the tournament wants to see you?"

"He does?" I asked curiously. The scraggy nodded.

"Follow me!" He scurried off with Lonely Road and I right behind him. The scraggy led us to a tent then slipped away as we walked inside. The figure had his back to us but I recognized him instantly.

"Jacob? Is that really you?" The Latios turned around and nodded.

"Indeed. It is I, Jacob. Sloane, what brings you here?"

"We come in search of a cure for the ditto pandemic. Do you know of one?"

"Perhaps. What are you willing to give?"

"Depends on the price," I replied.

"Always so cryptic. You see, I do not have the cure, but I know of where one might be. However, you would not like it there so I recommend you turn back now." I opened my mouth to protest when Jacob interrupted, "Now, Sloane. I already know about Xanthe. Too much further and you'll end up just like her. They weren't here before today but now I've seen several ditto faces. Stop digging. They're coming after you and you won't be prepared for when they strike."

And he was right, neither of us were.