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

[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.