Ariados and Duplica's Ditto looked exactly the same. If one of them were not his own Pokémon, there would have been no way to tell them apart.
"You can attack first," Tetsuya said.
'Hmph~ Don't think I don't know Ariados's moves…'
"Use Cross Poison," Duplica commanded.
"AriaDittos" crossed its forelegs, sending out purple blades of energy that headed straight for Ariados. Their power was in no way inferior to Ariados's.
"String Shot."
Tetsuya gave the command. The way he used Ariados was by no means as simple as attacking and dodging. Ariados used String Shot to wrap silk around the trees behind Ditto, then immediately pulled itself over.
AriaDittos's Cross Poison did not touch Ariados at all!
Ariados perched on a tree and looked down at Ditto from above, its gaze sharp.
"Ariados, Pin Missile."
At this point, Ditto's entire back was exposed before Ariados. Silver needles shot out like a violent storm.
"Let's use String Shot too!"
Duplica was completely learning and applying the tactic on the spot, which was also what Ditto excelled at, Mimic[1]¹.
In the blink of an eye, AriaDittos copied the tactic Ariados had just used with String Shot. It also used String Shot to wrap silk around the trees opposite it and began pulling itself over.
Tetsuya smiled faintly…
This was a tactic he specialized in using, so naturally, he also knew exactly how to counter it. This time, Duplica could only blame her own bad luck.
" 'Ariados'."
Tetsuya merely called Ariados's name, and it knew exactly what it needed to do next. Pin Missile shot directly toward AriaDittos's thread.
One silver needle after another headed straight for the thread created by Ditto's String Shot!
"T-This…"
Duplica became extremely anxious and had no countermeasure at all!
Using String Shot for movement relied on the instantaneous pulling force together with inertia, making it impossible to control one's body during the process. Therefore, once the thread snapped, what would happen to "Ariados" was obvious.
…Bang!
Once the thread was severed, AriaDittos fell to the ground!
"Spider Web."
The instant it fell, Tetsuya gave the command. Ariados was already hanging high from a tree trunk, looking down. It launched a Spider Web, and before AriaDittos, which had fallen to the ground, could react, it was caught in the sticky web.
Trapped by Spider Web, AriaDittos was unable to move!
Duplica gritted her teeth. She had originally intended to defeat Tetsuya using Ditto Transformed into Ariados, but before Tetsuya's, hers was like an elementary school student, completely incapable of fighting back!
Trying to win simply by Transforming into Ariados was clearly impossible…
"D-Ditto, Transform into Charmander and use Flamethrower!"
Duplica finally could not hold back any longer. If she wanted to break through Spider Web, she had no choice but to rely on another method, and the first thing that came to mind was naturally relying on a Fire-type Pokémon.
Spider Web truly could do nothing against a Fire-type…
After Transforming into Charmander, Ditto used Flamethrower and immediately burned the web away.
However, Tetsuya would not let things go so smoothly for Duplica. Although Ditto was extremely versatile and could Transform into many different Pokémon, an ordinary Ditto could generally only Transform into the Pokémon battling against it.
But Duplica's family specialized in raising Ditto.
From the day it was born, it had begun practicing Transforming into all kinds of Pokémon. This was also what made this Ditto exceptional.
Duplica's disguises naturally also required this Ditto's cooperation. For example, if Duplica disguised herself as Nurse Joy, having a Chansey beside her would certainly make the disguise more convincing. Officer Jenny, meanwhile, generally worked together with Growlithe.
"Toxic Spikes."
While Ditto was Transformed into Charmander and using Flamethrower, Tetsuya had already ordered Ariados to use Toxic Spikes, covering the entire field.
Ditto had indeed successfully burned away the Spider Web, but now it could hardly move a single step. As soon as it moved its feet, the Toxic Spikes would pierce its body.
Duplica found herself caught in a dilemma. Although the forest was cool and shaded, beads of sweat the size of beans still rolled down Duplica's cheeks. She had only just had Ditto Transformed into Charmander before finding herself in another deadlock…
Tetsuya gave her no chance to catch her breath!
Tetsuya could now have Ariados launch an all-out assault, but after observing Duplica's expression, he could tell that something was weighing heavily on her mind. Although this was only a simple "roadside battle", Duplica seemed to take it extremely seriously, as though she absolutely had to win.
She was only a ten-year-old girl, after all.
Duplica's sister was also closely watching the changes in the battle. She was quite impressed by Tetsuya's capacities and believed that she would not be his opponent either. Throughout this battle, Tetsuya had completely led Duplica by the nose!
"Transform into Ariados again!" At present, the only thing Duplica could think of was that by Transforming into Ariados and gaining the Poison type, Ditto would no longer be poisoned.
At such a tense moment, the first thing that came to mind was naturally the Poison type rather than the Steel type, which had an even greater advantage against Poison-types.
If Duplica had actually ordered Ditto to Transform into a Steel-type Pokémon, it truly would have been somewhat troublesome for Ariados to deal with at its current capacities. But since Ditto had Transformed into Ariados again, things were much easier…
AriaDittos stood on the field of Toxic Spikes.
Duplica did not notice the changes occurring in Ditto. Although Ditto gained the Poison type after Transforming into Ariados, Tetsuya's Ariados was the embodiment of "poison". Even if the opponent was also a Poison-type Pokémon…
In his previous life, when facing Koga, who was likewise a Poison Elite Four, the toxins from his Ariados had entered Koga's Arbok's body and even ruptured Arbok's poison sac.
In other words, poison with greater toxicity was still effective against Poison-type Pokémon with weaker resistance to, redundancy aside, poison.
Now AriaDittos had been standing on the Toxic Spikes field for a long time. The toxins gradually spread throughout its body, causing it to begin convulsing.
Ariados's Toxic Spikes field was, after all, a combination of Toxic, Toxic Spikes, and Venom Drench. This Transformed Ditto's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed had now all fallen, so its combat power had certainly been greatly reduced.
"…What's going on? How can a Poison-type be… poisoned? That's impossible…" Duplica simply could not accept the scene unfolding before her eyes.
"There's nothing impossible about it. Ditto is still Ditto. It isn't a Poison-type." After Tetsuya finished speaking, he had Ariados launch its attack.
A strand of silk wrapped around AriaDittos, and Ariados rapidly flew toward it. The horn on its head extended to more than twice its original length, and using its momentum, Ariados struck it directly with Megahorn, sending it flying!
By the time it landed, it had already returned to its Ditto form and was incapacitated.
Ariados completed the entire sequence of movements in one smooth motion, defeating the poisoned Ditto in the blink of an eye.
Duplica remained standing there in a daze…
•.
•.
¹. Before Generation IX
[1] Before Generation IX