Ask to Join Ditto Suits

[Evenir]

Link to Sign Up

A dark figure stepped into the small structure between Hearthome City and Route 212. The small halogen light in the ceiling cast a gentle yellow light on open area, occupied only by a lone guard who looked like they were close to dosing off at their post. The figure trudged through, hunched over slightly with hands stuffed in the pockets of their black hoodie. The guard immediately felt something off. Maybe it was the way they walked, not really with the determined or excited gate of the trainers who usually passed through, but like a zombie, or someone sleep walking. They swayed slightly as they walked, head down, dragging their feet as they went. The next thing the guard noticed was that the individual didn't have any pokeballs that he could see, either hanging from a belt or off their small black backpack, and they didn't seem to have any pokemon following them or resting on their shoulders.

"Excuse me, can I see your pokemon?" He asked, leaning forward over the desk a bit. The figure didn't even seem to acknowledge him, just continued forward. "Hey! It's dangerous without Pokemon!" he raised his voice a bit more, but still the figure didn't pause. Maybe they really were sleep walking? It was concerning enough at least that he quickly came out from behind the desk, and placed a hand on their shoulder. That made the individual jump, ducking away from the touch and whirling around to face the threat.

The girl in the hoodie had wide, terrified brown eyes that were sunken into her round face. She looked vaguely familiar to the guard, but he couldn't place it. The initial shock of her reaction wore off, and he recomposed himself.

"Miss, are you a trainer? This route has become a bit overgrown, it's dangerous to go out there without Pokemon." To his surprise, tears began to well in her eyes.

"I-I need to-" she began to protest, but was interrupted by a tall figure from behind her, who had just stepped in to the shelter from the path.

"She's a new trainer who's suppose to meet up with the Professor." The girl turned to look up at a rather serious faced young man, who wore a simple black and yellow track suit. His slightly long blond hair and blue eyes were complete unfamiliar to her. By his side was a Murkrow, but there was something odd about it... "Hannah, right?" The sound of her name drew the Hannah's attention back to the man.

"Yes," she whispered, quickly attempting to compose herself.

"Wait, that's where I know you from! You're-" the guard began, but Hannah quickly turned back to him, with a finger over her mouth to shush him. "Oh, sorry," he apologized. Considering the stranger and the Pokemon, the guard seemed satified and returned to the desk to await his replacement.

"Sorry for the trouble. I'm Luke, I work with the Professor," he introduced himself simply, face never even breaking a smile. He seemed to be quietly sizing her up. "If you don't mind, I'm expecting a few others. I'd rather ferry you all over at once than one at a time." Hannah nodded quietly, finally bothering to look around the area.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

A few moments later, the door to the building was kicked open with a loud slam. A figure entered, a teenage boy with silver hair. He wore a purple hoodie depicting a Drapion, and had a simple blue backpack on his back. Sticking out of his backpack appeared to be some sort of metal bar, but if one were to look closer they would realize it was a crowbar. Like Hannah, there were no Pokeballs on his belt or backpack. Flipping down the hood once he entered into the building, Mercury surveyed the room with a sour expression, an air similar to that of a delinquent around him. His left eye was blackened and bruised, as if he had just gotten out of a fight not too long ago.

Mercury walked in the building, approaching Luke and Hannah while ignoring the guard entirely. He looked the pair up and down, keeping his hands in his jeans' pockets.
"Move. I've got to go to the Pokemon Mansion." Mercury said, a twinge of irritation in his voice.

 

[Evenir]

Hannah looked nervously between Mercury and Luke, clearly unsure if the man’s laid back nature was going to make things better or worse. She had jumped at the slamming door, even though she had seen someone approaching on the other side, and his irritated tone only seemed to make her retreat a little more into her hoodie, as she stepped to the side. Luke, on the other hand, neither flinched nor budged.

“Not without a Pokémon.” His voice was sharp, not at all intimidated by the teen in front of him. Surprisingly, he didn’t look all that cross about it though, simply unphased by the rude demeanor. “You’re Mercury though, right?” The fake Murkrow at his feet gave a few caws, hopping around a bit before fluttering up to it’s trainer’s shoulder. “I’m Luke, a friend of the Professor. I’m suppose to escort a few of you over to the mansion tonight. Dunks here saw a few others on the way.” Dunks gave a caw of confirmation, swaying oddly happily back and forth, a stark contrast to everyone else in the building so far. “You’ll have to wait a bit until the others arrive.”

 

[Void_Nugget]

Doku ran down the road panting heavily, she was cold, afraid, it was dark out and she wasn't even sure if she was going the right way, she reached the location where the others were located and tapped the nervous looking girls shoulder gently "uh..um...i..is this where we m..meet to see the Professor b..because I got a letter a long time ago s...so I'm not even sure if this is still right" she said trembling as he voice got all quiet and she fidgeted uncomfortably rubbing her shoulder awkwardly. She watched the girl hopefully, awaiting her response.

 

[Evenir]

Hannah hadn't even noticed the girl who slipped in quietly behind Mercury, since the angry teen had been so boisterous. The tap on her shoulder, though gentle, still made her jump. Tugging her hood a little lower, she turned to look at the green haired girl. She quickly realized the girl meant no harm, nor was it someone who thought they recognized her, so she relaxed and returned her hands to her hoodie pockets. She still didn't quite meet the girl's gaze as she spoke though.

"Yes," Hannah answered quietly. "I-I don't have a pokemon anymore, so Luke is suppose to take us through the grass together." She made a subtle nod towards Luke, who was still squaring up with the teen. Dunks looked over though, clearly having heard its trainer's name, and gave a happy caw, raising their wings and nearly smacking Luke in the back of the head as they did.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Mercury looked up at Luke, glaring at the man and not seeming to respond to him. After a few moments, Mercury sighed and shook his head. The teen made his way over to one of the seats in the building, taking off his backpack and putting it in front of him. Mercury began to rub the area around his black eye, trying to do something about the bit of pain. He watched a new person appear, a woman with light green hair and light green eyes. She wore a black and green jacket, and seemed rather timid. In fact, both of the women seemed rather timid. And neither one had Pokemon either... Strange.

The two women started talking, and Mercury turned his attention back to Luke. This was... starting to get a little strange. He knew his name. There were quite a few people. And Mercury, not knowing much about Pokemon professors, had never heard of a Professor Ponderosa. Then there was that Murkrow. Mercury had seen a few lurking about outside his apartment complex before, but this one seemed... different. He looked the man up and down suspiciously once again.
"How many people are supposed to be coming?" Mercury asked Luke. "And how do you know my name?"

 

[Merciless Medic]

A young woman had finally found her way to Route 212 after navigating her way around Hearthome City. Her dark hair seemed rather snarled, as if she hadn't brushed it in a few weeks, and her brown eyes were rather cold and devoid of any twinkling curiosity a young woman her age would still have. Empty clips at her trainer belt showed the lack of Pokemon, and therefore protection, she had. She wore mainly black, her clothes slightly ragged and dirtied from a few weeks of not being able to find actual clothes. She had been power walking to the mansion, but realized some people were in the pathway right before the tall grass. A large man stood among them, with a guy and two girls standing around. An odd Murkrow that seemed rather familiar had bounced and cawed about as she arrived and the young woman walked up to the tall man before them all. The man peered down at her after looking at the young man next to him, having finished answering the man next to him.

"There will be one other person." The large man said to the young man next to him before resting his indifferent gaze on the woman, ignoring his second question. "Are you Darcy?"

The woman, known as Darcy, stiffened a bit in alarm. How did he know her? Seeing the apprehension in her face, the large man concluded that this indeed was the woman. "I'll take that as a yes."

"How did you know my name?" Darcy said rather defensively, her body taking up a defensive side posture, as if she were flinching back from a preemptive strike, her teeth gritted and lips snarled in a warning. As if she were a Pokemon.

Now having two people ask him the same question, he looked between Mercury and Darcy. "She is expecting you. That is why. I am here to escort you all through the grass to get to the mansion. We will move on once everyone arrives."

Darcy relaxed a little, looking between everyone around her. The Murkrow flapped about, cawing happily and obliviously to the tension exuding from the gothic woman. Realizing that this was where she needed to be though, Darcy relaxed a little and tried to strike up conversation with the one who looked like a delinquent with the silver hair, like herself. Probably less homeless, maybe.

"Hey, I guess you already know my name. What's yours? I'm assuming we'll need to work together sometime soon if this is where I think it's going."

 

[Fraseandchico]

The next to arrive was a young adult, 20 at most, with blue hair, somehow smoothed, covering one of his emerald eyes, a ripped blue jacket, a sweater underneath, and a darker skin tone. Their eyes, lacking compassion yet showing glimmers of hope, darted around the area as if watching out, a sign of a harsh growing up. If anything, he resembled more of a thug than anything else, the air around feeling like the air surrounding any common thug, and like the others, no poke balls were visible.

They had been wandering the whole way here for the last 3 days to reach here, for even without breaks a travel across nearly a quarter of the region was difficult, even without the existence of Team Decay or having to avoid the wild Pokémon. Treacherous, tiring, and painful on the feet, Katsumi had made the journey... only to find this group of people here in the way. He really hoped they weren't Team Decay. Scratch that, he also hoped they weren't others who received the note, they didn't look like they could accomplish much of anything, except maybe the Large man and the Murkrow.

"You," He began, looking at the Large Man, trying to act confident. "How far away is the Mansion of the Professor?" They asked, a small voice crack betraying their confidence.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Mercury looked up as another woman approached. His black eye was starting to swell slightly. She was dressed in very dark clothes, like a goth, and seemed rather lean and tough. Her clothes did seem rather dirty and ragged, in a familiar way. And like all the others, there was no signs of Pokeballs on her trainer belt. She spoke to him, and Mercury looked up to her from where he was sitting. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke.

"Mercury." The silver haired teen said. He glanced over to Luke, before back to Darcy. "That guy called you Darcy, right?"
Mercury sighed, rubbing his head. He lowered his voice.
"And where do you think this is going?" Mercury asked Darcy quietly, so that the others might not be able to hear. "The note asked for people who had negative experiences with Team Decay, with a desire for justice. But a mansion in the middle of nowhere is a good place for people to disappear, too."

Mercury looked over to the newest person who approached, a larger man with a ripped blue jacket. Like all the others, he did not appear to have any Pokemon. The teen turned his attention back to Darcy, looking at her suspiciously.
"It wouldn't be that difficult if they didn't have Pokemon..." Mercury said. The teen took his crowbar out of his backpack, clutching it as he glanced around nervously.
"Which none of us seem to have. I mean, this guy hasn't even given us his name. And somethin' ain't right about his Pokemon either." Mercury said quietly.

 

[Evenir]

Luke had begun to lean against the wall when finally the fifth arrived. Dunks crowed merrily, letting the man know this was indeed their final party member. “Not far at all. You should be Katsumi, then?” Without waiting for a response, he pushed off the wall by the exit and looked around the room, confirming there were in fact 5 individuals now in his charge.

With Dunks happily dancing on his shoulder, Luke finally raised his voice a touch, just to be sure they all understood he was addressing the group. “That’s everyone. Let’s get going.” With out any more ceremony, he turned abruptly and headed out into the cool night air of early spring on Route 212.

Hannah glanced at the other girl briefly, before tugging on her hood again and following after, trotting just a bit to keep up. At the edge of the tall grass that had broken through the once well maintained path, Dunks fluttered down off Luke’s shoulder and disappeared. There was a strange gurgling sound, that made Hannah freeze, but Luke hardly seemed concerned. Suddenly something dark darted incredibly fast up his track suit, electricity crackling off it as it went. The sudden threat made Hannah stumble back a bit, nearly knocking into someone, before she noticed that Luke didn’t even bat an eye. The creature looked over at her with a bright white face and two little yellow spots on its cheeks. She vaguely recognized it as an Emolga, a fairly common Pokémon from her home region. Like Dunks, there was something off about it...

The Emolga chirped happily at Luke, who proceeded calmly into the waist-high grass. That’s when it finally struck Hannah what was wrong with both the Murkrow and the Emolga. In her defense, she had only encountered a Ditto once before, a few years ago during her early contest days in the Smart league. She recalled it using Transform to copy the the competing Pokémon, which was an interesting gimmick and got it a lot of praise early on, but the Pokémon really only had that one trick, so it didn’t hold up in the long run. Strange, though, she could have sworn the Pokémon was only able to imitate what it saw, but as far as she knew, Unovan Pokémon were unheard of in the Sinnoh wilds...

Her thoughts were interrupted by more crackling electricity. In a flash, Dunks had leapt off Luke’s shoulder and glided in for the attack on something rustling up ahead of them. Amazingly, Luke didn’t even break stride. There was a short scuffle, before the Ditto-Emolga returned, looking no worse for wear. A bit more excited chittering, but neither trainer nor Pokémon seemed to have broken a sweat. Even if the Pokémon around here weren’t that strong, the pair had to have a very tight bond for the Pokémon to battle completely on its own. Hannah could feel memories threatening to bubble to the surface, causing her chest to tighten almost painfully. Clutching one hand over it, she focused her attention on the grass ahead of them instead, forcefully directing her thoughts elsewhere. Thankfully the walk wouldn’t be long, as she could already see a warm light from the mansion through the shrubs on their left. The grass ended not far ahead of them, but there would be a bit more before they reached the mansion.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Darcy noticed a young man in blue hair walk nearby and up to the large man, asking him a question. Though, her attention was instantly pulled back to Mercury, who introduced himself and asked if the name was correct. She nodded curtly and leaned subconsciously closer as he whispered to her about where this is going. The thought process he was going was something Darcy also had nagging at the back of her head. It wasn't in her nature to trust people, but having someone who had a similar viewpoint made her want to trust the guy and then again not trust him. She shrugged lightly, brows furrowed in concern and contemplation as she also lowered her voice.

"I don't know. We can't know what else will happen in that mansion. If anything, we could probably right the wrongs that team had done to us." She looked as the man stood up from his leaning position and told confirmed who the blue-haired guy was and then leaving. She walked alongside Mercury as they followed the guy, making sure to keep her voice low so as to not raise suspicion or to freak out the more shy ones. "On the other hand, I'll do what I can to make sure all of us get out. I may not know anyone here, but being brought in with the hopes of taking back what was ours or taking revenge just to have it ripped away from us so cruelly is something I expect and I don't care who these people are. That's wrong and I'll make sure we all get out. Though, after that and I'm on my own. Again." There was a solemn sound at the end, clearly not happy to be alone again, but accepting it as her new life now that Team Decay ruined it.

Darcy noticed that Mercury was getting antsy and had pulled out his crowbar in defense, saying how untrustworthy and closed off the large man had been to them. She has met people like that before. He was probably saving the explanation for later, but she really did feel like there was room for all the suspicion. And how it wouldn't be difficult to take them and make them disappear due to a lack of Pokemon. She grimaced at the thought. She shook her head, trying to keep her cool. He was riling her up and it was starting to make her more wary. "Well, yea, his Pokemon seems a little off. I mean, if they wanted to do something to us, then the mansion would be the great place to do it, but I think we should just wait it out. See what happens while we keep our guard up."

It was then that she noticed the Murkrow had flown off and made this weird glooping noise before an Emolga came out of the grass. Its face was rather off. Wait... How did it change? Wasn't it a Murkrow before? And the large man didn't even make mention of it, like it was a common occurrence. "It's a Ditto." Granted, she's only met a few Ditto, but they were just traveling companions to those around here. They aren't exactly the most common creature in existence, but she at least knew a little bit about it due to wanting one of her own to make her life on the streets a little easier. Until she realized that Ditto could only transform into whatever it sees and it has to be that moment.

So how come it turned into an Emolga, when that specific Pokemon aren't found in Sinnoh at all? And then the Emolga found something in the grass and attacked it, keeping whatever it was away from them before the creature came back. Whatever it was, the Ditto was rather strong. "So, got anymore theories about this? Because I have no idea who this Professor Ponderosa is, but I'm getting the hunch she did some research on that Ditto in particular. I mean, it shouldn't turn into an Emolga out here when there is no other Emolga out here, right? Unless this thing is able to retain photo memory of the creature."

 

[Void_Nugget]

Doku quickly hurried after the others trembling and jumping at all the different sounds, she hated the dark and pokemon makingnlits of noise didn't help things at all. She sped up her pace a bit to stay with the group muttering about different things as she walked her eyes shifting back and forth at every little footstep or scuffle of grass. She hoped they would reach the mansion soon, the quicker they were inside the better.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Mercury walked with the group, sticking with Darcy and keeping an eye on his surroundings. He forced himself to breath and calm down. At least he wasn't the only one walking in with suspicions of his own. He still held onto his crowbar, but kept it at his side instead of at the ready. Well, if things went bad it seemed like this lady knew what she was doing.

As they hiked down the route, Mercury listened to Darcy and watched as the Murkrow jumped off their guide's shoulder. After a few moments, another Pokemon returned. Its small form and crackling of electricity reminded Mercury of Pikachu and Pachirisu he had seen, but it certainly wasn't one. For a moment Mercury was concerned as it jumped onto their guide's shoulder... and started acting a lot like the Murkrow?

The goth woman pointed it out as a Ditto. Mercury had seen a few before, an opponent of his sister utelizing one in battle. Darcy called the new Pokemon an 'Emolga' and pointed out a supposed difference, but Mercury shrugged.
"I... I don't know. I haven't really had a lot of experience with that Pokemon before." Mercury said. "Maybe she works on Pokemon moves or something, makes them stronger? Or figured out a way to make Pokemon even more powerful?"
He wasn't too certain what it was this all meant....

"I'm... sorry. I'm just a little nervous about this whole thing. It's weirding me out." Mercury said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.
"Maybe we'll get some Pokemon or something..." Mercury guessed. He glanced over to the other members of the group. "What do you think about the rest of these guys?"

 

[Evenir]

Luke pressed forward without any pause. He occassionally glanced around to make sure nothing was attempting to sneak up on the group in the dark, but otherwise seemed quite confident in the pokemon on his shoulder. He paused just long enough to make sure everyone cleared the first patch grass before continuing left down the path, keeping the wall of shrubbery to his left. The grass wasn't as dense here, but still fairly tall, enough that pokemon could still hide. But perhaps the pokemon of the route had learned not to bother them, because the last stretch was entirley clear for them, allowing them clear access to the open gates to the property. From there, a short path led past a small garden to a covered patio and pair of large wooden doors. Dunks jumped from Luke's shoulder and clung to the gate, watching their guests go by and ensuring no wild Pokemon tried anything sneaky, although perhaps the way it overwatched the group could be taken less like a guardian and more like a guard watching over its prisoners to some.

Hannah felt a knot twisting in her stomach as she stood and waited while Luke knocked on the front door. The sound of a Pokemon barking came from inside the mansion, and only a few seconds later the front door swung open wide. The man who stood there was taller than Luke, but significantly less intimidating, with his pencil thin figure that looked like a strong gust of wind could snap him in half, compared to Luke's broader build. He was at least about the same age as Luke though, and the lab coat suggested he too worked for the professor. A Growlithe slipped around his feet and darted out to sniff at the guests' feet.

"Jeez, Luke, these guys look scared half to death!" The other man commented, smiling brightly despite the clearly tense scene outside the door. Dunks weaved through the ocean of feet and zipped up the other man, rustling his dark hair with it's tiny hands. "Dunks!" John smile faded a bit, before he clearly realized he was blocking the doorway. "Please, come in everyone! The salon is here on the right- er, your left. The Professor is in the lab, she'll be right there! Luke-"

"I got it, John," Luke huffed, taking over the duty of posting by the door while the five entered, as John trotted off further into the mansion, Dunks still clinging to his head.

Hannah carefully made sure the Growlithe was done thoroughly sniffing at her shoes before she stepped into the rather ornate tile hall. Luke motioned toward the room to her left, inside of which was a large, crackling fire place. The red carpet, glow of the fire, and the dark wood finish on all the crown moulding and furniture came together to make a warm and inviting feel. A lone arm chair and one long sofa were clustered around the fire, so Hannah picked out a seat on the edge of the sofa, closest to the fire so hopefully there would be enough room for all the others. She wasn't oblivious to the unease that a few of the others were feeling, but frankly, if this was some sort of trap, she couldn't care less. At least, so she told herself.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Mercury followed the group. The mansion was... Well, it was a mansion. It was massive. Mercury walked into the patio, glancing up at Dunks suspiciously as he passed. The large wooden doors opened to reveal another man, dressed in a lab coat. He seemed rather thin, and called the first man 'Luke'. Luke then called the scientist 'John', and the group made their way into the mansion.

A growlithe greeted the newcomers, and Mercury couldn't help but to smile at the small dog Pokemon. Cute, but it was also capable of spewing flames. Probably best to keep his distance. The teen looked around the mansion in awe. This place was just as massive on the inside as it was on the outside! He took a seat on one of the couches, sticking his crowbar back into his bag. While still on guard, Mercury was beginning to think this wasn't an elaborate deception. The teen let out a breath. Maybe it was the fact that they were out of the danger of wild Pokemon attacks, but Mercury was beginning to relax a little.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Darcy shrugged at Mercury's probable research that the professor could have done, nodding in agreement. She looked around around the same time Mercury explained how nervous he was. She looked at him for a moment, sympathy on her face. She knew what that was like. A little too well. "You'll be fine. It's weirding me out, too. I'll make sure nothing happens." For some reason, she felt like she needed to protect Mercury. She pushed it far from the forefront of her mind, trying not to admit to herself that she somehow 'cared' for anyone. At Mercury's hope to get a Pokemon, Darcy shrugged once again. Honestly, she didn't want another Pokemon. She didn't want to lose another one. At his question, she looked to the other members, studying them closely before sighing heavily and keeping her voice low so as to not enact suspicion from the others. "All I know is that they are scaredy-cats or really shy. Not sure if they have the sanity to keep up with this life. Though, they carry themselves like they have had a tough life, so maybe I'm wrong. Regardless, I feel like I'm going to be babysitting them, too."

As they pressed closer towards the mansion, Darcy felt her entire body stiffen up as they walked through the gate and out of the tall grass. The mansion felt foreboding and she subconsciously stepped a little closer to Mercury as they got up to the door. Once the front door was knocked on by the large man, a barking sound from a Pokemon within was heard. It sounded oddly like a home and it warmed something within Darcy. Something alien, yet something she yearned to have. Thoughts and memories of what could have been with her family flashed before her mind, but she shook them out of existence. She sniffled a little, trying to keep her emotions in check. Finally managing to keep herself pulled together, she looked up to see that the one opening the door was a guy much skinnier than the large man and he wore a lab coat. A quadrupedal red furred and black striped canine came out to sniff their feet, and she felt two sides of her get repelled and attracted at such a simple, yet cute sight. She heard the conversation between the two and a ghost of a smirk curled up a corner of her lip. The Pokemon she identified as a Ditto went into the mansion and climbing up the lanky man to ruffle his hair.

From this, she now knew that the larger man was named Luke, the Ditto was called Dunks, and the lanky man was John. John welcomed them inside while Luke waited for everyone to get inside. First, Darcy crouched, putting her hand out for the Growlithe to have a better read on her scent (not like he needed it anyway). The Growlithe pulled his head back from the sudden movement, but maintained his curiosity and got a good sniff of her hand. Her usual scent of dirt and gravel made him think of a rough life, while there was a lingering scent of a Pokemon upon her hands. She reached out to pet the Growlithe's head, but he growled a little and sniffed the remaining feet of those who haven't entered, leaving Darcy to stand up and walk inside.

Once she got inside, she marveled at the exquisite beauty of the mansion. In all of her life of living in squalor and committing petty thievery just to survive, she didn't think she'd ever be somewhere so beautiful. She found several couches lining a room and found Mercury sitting on one. Feeling her feet ache at just the sight of the couch, she sat on the other side of the couch Mercury was sitting in. She noticed Mercury didn't seem to wary before, and that eased her a little. She realized there was quite the feedback loop between them, her getting nervous whenever he got nervous. Maybe it was because of the ghostly hints of their past hold themselves differently telling her he was similar and to be there for him. She looked to the girls and found them quite pitiful, and she was forced to see herself in them. A sadness overtook her.

If they all received the same letter and they all had dealings with Team Decay, then that meant they were here for enacting revenge. They were chosen due to their pasts. No wonder the looks on their faces and in their eyes and how they held themselves made Darcy think of herself in a similar situation. She didn't lean back in the couch, finding complete comfort something she didn't want to get comfortable with. She leaned forward, propping her body up via resting her elbows on her thighs and staring at the floor, balling her hands into fists and using them as a chin rest.

What did this professor need them for?