Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ The Me You See ❯ Sacrifice ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4: Sacrifice

Ash had calmed down a bit when Duplica returned. He wondered if holding Togepi had a soothing effect on him, and decided to hang onto the little Pokémon for a while.

Duplica suggested that they go to Misty's room, so no one would disturb them.

At first, Ash hesitated, but gave in when Duplica gave him a pleading look. No, she wasn't Misty, but she'd been awfully close, and for years, no less. And they had been friends even longer. He owed her this much.

Ash chose a chair by the wall, while Duplica sat across from him on the bed. Pikachu sat down by Ash's foot.

"Where should I start?" Duplica asked, raising her gaze to meet his.

Ash thought for a moment. "Did anyone else know?"

"Yes. Misty's sisters and Sabrina knew. They were the only ones."

"Sabrina?" Ash asked. "Why her?"

"Because I knew I'd have to be very good to fool you, Ash. Sabrina helped me understand how the mind works, and how to make my imitations more precise."

"Did she teach you the hair trick, too?"

Duplica smiled slightly. "No. Actually, I have Ditto to thank for that."

Ash blinked. "Where is he?"

Duplica placed a hand over her heart. "Right here, where he's always been. Just…more so now than before…"

Ash's eyes widened. "You…didn't…"

"No. It was his choice, really. It was either that or let me die…with…with Misty."

"You…you were there?"

"Yes. And if I hadn't needed help, no one else would've found out."

"Tell me how it happened. And don't leave anything out. Well…anything else."

Duplica looked away, knowing the hurt would register in her eyes. "It was just after you'd won your Earth Badge. Once the Indigo League found out that Team Rocket had been controlling the Viridian City Gym, they shut it down and started looking for a new gym leader."

"Who'd they pick?" Ash asked.

Duplica almost failed to hide her smile. "Me."

* * * * *

"Oddish! Absorb!"

"Ditto! Poison Powder!"

The challenger's Oddish struck first, sucking a tiny bit of Ditto's power. But then Ditto waved its leaves and poisoned its opponent.

Duplica smiled. "Good work, Ditto. Finish it!"

Ditto leaped back and began to build its power.

"Oddish, use your Acid and don't let up!" the trainer shouted.

Oddish kept hurling Acid, but Ditto merely shrugged it off. Suddenly, Ditto's leaves rustled.

"Good boy," Duplica said. "Now…FIRE!"

Ditto squealed and let loose with a wide Solarbeam. The Oddish tried to leap away at the last moment, but just being clipped by the beam was enough to finish it off.

The trainer's face fell as he recalled his last Pokémon. "I can't believe I lost…again…"

"Don't feel bad," Duplica said. "No one's gotten a badge since I became Gym Leader here."

"That's about to change," said a voice from above.

Duplica looked up to see something floating above her.

"What…is that thing?" the trainer asked, backing up.

"Your destruction," the creature said, its eyes glowing bright blue behind the metallic helmet.

* * * * *

Duplica stopped and looked at Ash. "Do I…really need to go into detail? I don't want to relive this next part."

Ash shook his head. "That's fine. Just tell me what happened to Misty."

"Okay. Well, Mewtwo had been toying with us for a while, and he was about to finish the job…"

* * * * *

"I think you've suffered enough." Mewtwo raised his pawlike hand. "You won't feel a thing."

Duplica closed her eyes and waited for the final blow. It never came. Slowly, she risked a peek.

There was a second cat standing between her and Mewtwo. She started to wonder where it came from…and then she realized. "Ditto!"

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her outside of the building into the cool grass. Duplica was blinded by sunlight for a moment, but soon caught sight of a familiar face. "Misty!"

"Are you all right, Duplica?" Misty asked.

"Misty, what are you doing here?! We've got to get out-"

Before Duplica could finish, there was a huge explosion. Both girls were caught in the blast and thrown into the air.

Minutes later, Duplica was the first to awaken. Though her vision was cloudy, she could make out a purple blur directly in front of her. "Ditto?" she whispered, reaching out for it. "Is that you, boy?"

"Ditto!" squealed the formless Pokémon, rubbing against her palm.

"Ditto…go find Misty," Duplica said, shaking her head to clear it. "Make sure she's okay. Hurry!" She heard Ditto sliding away across the grass, and tried to get up. Each time, her stomach ached in protest, and she could feel a warm, spreading dampness there after a few seconds.

Suddenly, there was a shrill wail a few feet away.

"Ditto? What's wrong?!"

Ditto came hurrying back, tears rolling down its face. Then it caught sight of Duplica's stomach and began to wail again. Without warning, it threw itself over her, trying to stop the blood flow.

"Ditto, no! Get off!" Duplica protested, pushing him away.

But Ditto continued to hurl itself at her stomach, determined to help its trainer.

Duplica finally gave up, realizing she needed to conserve her strength. "It's no use, Ditto," she muttered sadly, staring down at her Pokémon as it wept over her. "I'm going to die."

"But that wouldn't be any fun!" said a voice behind her.

Duplica looked around wildly, but she couldn't see anyone else in the clearing. Then something soft, furry, and wondrously pleasant curled around her neck.

Ditto stopped crying and looked up, its face frozen in awe.

"Wha…what is it, boy?" Duplica asked slowly.

"It's just me!" the same voice replied happily.

Now Duplica felt warm hands-no, definitely paws-on her cheeks. "Who are you?"

"Oh, you've got a big boo-boo!" the stranger cried as it finally noticed her condition. "Does it sting?"

"No, I can't feel much of anything now," Duplica replied, forcing herself to relax. The voice sounded friendly enough. "I don't think that's a good sign…"

The voice giggled. "You just need a big band-aid! A soul band-aid!"

"Soul…band-aid?"

"Yup! Those NEVER come off, they stick so good! Not even when you wash!"

Something told Duplica that asking for a soul band-aid wouldn't get her anywhere. Fortunately, she didn't have to.

"You're lucky Ditto loves you so much," the voice added matter-of-factly. "He can be your band-aid!"

Duplica had thought the voice was joking. But then the part about the band-aid "never coming off" sunk in. She knew then what the voice meant…and that once Ditto figured it out, he'd agree instantly. Going by the way Ditto had become strangely still and silent, she guessed he had figured it out. "You don't have to do this, boy. You can always find another trainer…"

Ditto let out an angry squeal and glared at her. Then it flattened itself over her stomach.

"Hold still!" the voice suggested, patting Duplica's cheeks. "This might tickle!"

Duplica was shocked to find that it did tickle. The dull, throbbing pain she'd been feeling earlier slowly faded away.

"All better?" the voice asked after a long moment, sounding hopeful.

Duplica carefully drew up her shirt a bit. The blood was gone, and she couldn't find any sort of wound. She pressed her hand against where the wound should've been, finding that the skin felt as it always had. Except she knew that it wasn't all hers anymore. "Ditto," she whispered faintly.

"You can do Ditto stuff now," the voice pointed out helpfully. "Just like me!"

"Who…are you?" Duplica asked, though she was starting to suspect.

"Me!" A pink, furry head came into view, followed by a pair of sky blue eyes.

"You're…a Mew?" she whispered.

"Yup!" The cat bounced lightly on her knee. "Well, gotta fly! Bye!" Before Duplica could stop it, the cat flew into air, waving with its tail as it vanished into the clouds.

Duplica suddenly got an empty feeling in her stomach. At first, she thought something had gone wrong with the patch-up job. Then she realized that Ditto was trying to communicate with her. Whatever he was saying, it wasn't good.

The word flashed into her mind, and Duplica's lips spoke it before she realized what she was saying.

"Misty…"

* * * * *

"I couldn't tell if she'd gotten the worst of the blast, or if Mewtwo had done it. All I knew was what she told me to do."

"Look after Togepi?" Ash guessed.

"Well, that was the first thing," Duplica replied. "She told me…to go to you."

Ash froze. "You mean…she told you to…do this?"

She shook her head. "No. She only wanted you to hear it from me. But on my way here, all I could think about was how upset you'd be when I told you. So I thought…maybe if you could see Misty one last time, it'd be easier to accept. I figured I'd pretend to be her for a night, then come to you as myself in the morning. But I didn't realize how much you loved her…and I didn't take my own feelings into consideration."

Duplica sighed and looked away, and when she turned back, there were tears in her eyes. "That first time you kissed me…I almost broke down right there and told you everything. I was betraying Misty, and worse yet, deceiving you. But I couldn't say it when you looked me with so much love in your eyes. Before I knew it, I wasn't just doing it for you. I wanted to be with you and to make you happy. I began to think that maybe I wouldn't have to tell you the truth.

"Then you proposed to me, and everything just came rushing back: all the guilt in a single moment. I couldn't take it. I couldn't give you my hand…not when you thought it was Misty's. As much as I want to be with you, Ash, I couldn't spend the rest of my life…our lives…lying to you just by looking at you…looking like her."

Ash remained silent.

Duplica wiped her face and tried not to let on how much the quiet was getting to her.

"Did you love me?"

Duplica blinked and looked up. "What?"

Ash was staring at her. "Before you became Misty, when we were friends. Did you love me then?"

"Well…not exactly. Actually, I always thought of you as a brother or a friendly rival. But I guess I was just fooling myself because you were traveling with Misty. Maybe I was really in love with you and afraid to admit it. All I can tell you is how I feel now."

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I must be losing my mind. I HAVE to be."

"Why do you say that?"

He almost smiled. "Because I'm actually thinking of forgiving you. Eventually."

"I am sorry for lying, Ash. But…I'm not sorry for what I did. I was trying to protect you from the truth. I thought…if you lost Misty that way, without knowing how or why…you'd do something terrible to yourself."

"Now we'll never know," he pointed out. Ash blinked slowly. "There's one more thing that I have to know."

"What's that?"

"When you first told me about this, you said…that you wanted to get married, if I still wanted to afterwards."

"Yes," Duplica said hesitantly.

"Exactly whom would I be proposing to?"

"Just me." She sighed heavily. "I won't be her anymore. I just don't know what to do about poor little Togepi…"

Ash smirked and placed the little Pokémon in her lap. "You're not giving Togepi enough credit, Duplica. He's young, but he's not stupid."

Her eyes widened in surprise as she lifted Togepi to her eye level. "You mean…you knew?"

"Briii!" Togepi squealed happily. ("It's fun when you play Dress Up!")

"…maybe you give him too much credit, Ash," Duplica laughed weakly.

Ash sweatdropped. "Well, he knew…and now I know. That's the important thing."

"I really am sorry, Ash," she whispered, her eyes filling up with tears again.

"C'mon, don't do that," he pleaded gently, cupping her face in his hands. "I told you I'd forgive you. I just need some time to think. So do you. I might have something that could help you think, too." With that, Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.

Duplica choked back a gasp of horror. "Ash…please don't…not now…"

"Stop worrying; I'm not. Not right now, anyway." He pressed the box into her hand. "I just want you to think about it, Duplica. You can always say no. Just promise me you'll think about it."

"But…how could you ever ask me to…?" she began before he placed a finger against her lips.

"Is it so hard to imagine why? I loved Misty, and I would do anything for her. What you did for me, no matter what you ended up feeling in the end, you did out of love. It was the most unselfish thing I've ever seen. I couldn't think of a better woman to make my wife."

"But I tricked you!" she cried.

"You had good intentions and I understand why you did it. I am angry about being deceived, especially about something like this. Still, I know Misty would want me to be happy, and I think being with you would make me very happy. The fact that I'm willing to work through this should prove that."

"But…you love Misty, Ash. I'm not her."

"No, you're not," he agreed with a grin. "But you gotta admit you came closer than anyone else ever has."

Duplica couldn't help smiling a little. "Then…you really do want to marry me…?"

"I wouldn't have given you the ring if I didn't, Duplica. But you need some time to think, so-"

"I thought about it," she interrupted, smiling wider.

"And you're sure? I mean, really sure?" Ash asked. "I don't want you to regret thi-"

"Ash, just put the ring on my finger so I can kiss you."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied meekly, doing as she ordered.

"It doesn't match my eyes anymore," she observed, "but I still like it."

"Can I assume you like me, too?" Ash wondered.

"I think that's a safe bet, Ashy-boy. But if you're having doubts…" She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him closer, kissing him passionately.

Ash gasped for breath a few seconds later. "Do you always kiss like that when it's you?"

"Nope. Just when I'm really excited. I am, by the way."

"Yeah, I noticed. So…we're really going through with it this time?"

"Yup. Cool, huh?"

Ash smiled. "Yeah. Really cool."

Just then, Pikachu jumped up in alarm. "Pipipi!!!" ("Togepi!!!")

Ash & Duplica turned to see Togepi engulfed in a white light. As they watched, he grew taller, and two thin wings sprouted from his back. When the light faded, he flapped his wings experimentally, chirped happily, and flew into Duplica's arms.

"I think that's his way of saying the wedding's on," Ash said.

"Well, we can't disappoint him," Duplica murmured. "Do you think…this means that Misty wants it, too?"

"What I think," Ash replied, "is that Misty wants us both to be happy, and this is her way of saying it. She always did like to show off…"

"Lucky you, so do I." She stood up and cuddled her new Togetic. "I promise to take good care of him, Misty. You don't have to worry."

"Somehow, I don't think she will," Ash added, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Kachu!" Pikachu said as he hopped onto Ash's shoulder. ("I'll help, too!")

Duplica tickled his chin. "Thanks, Pikachu. Really." She turned to Ash and grinned. "Oh. Almost forgot something. I have to do it, since it's tradition."

"Tradition?" Ash asked, obviously confused.

Duplica spun around and flashed a victory sign. "I got a Togetic…AND Ash!"

"HEY! Why wasn't I first?!" Ash shouted.

"He's cuter," Duplica replied.

"Aw…well…that's not fair!"

"Sure it is. He's going to bring us happiness, and you're going to be the frustrating one."

"Very funny. That is not what marriage is all about."

"No? Then it's all about mind-blowing sex, then?"

Ash turned bright red. "Well, no…"

"Isn't it?" she pressed, winking at him.

"Um…well, a lot of it is, I guess…"

Duplica grinned. "Good boy."

Pikachu shook his head and sighed. "Chu, Pikapi…" ("And I thought trainers only tamed Pokémon…")

"Briii!" Togetic squealed. ("Yay! We're getting married!")

The End

I've worked on this on and off for over a year. I could've made it longer, but decided this was the best place to end it. Not my best, but not my worst, either.