"I… lost…? Waaaaah!"
Duplica looked somewhat dazed, then suddenly burst into tears.
"This… You only lost a simple battle. There's no need to be so upset about it," Tetsuya said.
Duplica's sister walked over and said to Tetsuya, "My little sister isn't crying because she lost this battle. Sigh… she probably hates that she isn't strong enough."
Duplica's sister walked over, stroked Duplica's head, and comforted her. "Don't cry, honey… You already did very well. You're still young and have plenty of room to grow. One day, you'll bring Brodie back to the family to answer for his crimes!"
However, once Duplica had started crying, there was no stopping her so easily. She continued sobbing uncontrollably, and her sister had no choice but to let her cry for a while.
What caught Tetsuya's attention was the name "Brodie". It seemed "The Man of a Thousand Faces" had already betrayed the Imite Family. Because of Brodie's betrayal, it would certainly be even more difficult for Tetsuya to learn their disguise arts.
Duplica also said between sobs, "Sniff… I-I promised okaasan that I would capture Brodie and bring him back to be punished… sniff… But I'm… I'm so weak right now… When will I ever be able to fulfill that promise…?"
Should he tell her that it would be more than twenty years from now…?
"You still have a long road ahead of you. One day, you'll be able to help okaasan shoulder her burdens. It isn't just about capturing Brodie. There are many matters within the family that will require your help, so you need to make yourself stronger as soon as possible! And more importantly, you need to be resilient." Duplica's sister patiently guided her step by step.
A little girl's tears were fleeting, after all, and soon the storm passed.
"Tetsuya, we promised earlier that we'd take you to our home. Let's go now," Duplica's sister said.
"Mm, thank you."
After that, Tetsuya followed the two sisters.
They wound their way through the forest, and without paying attention, it would not take long to lose all sense of direction. Fortunately, Tetsuya had come prepared and had long since committed all kinds of landmarks to memory.
---◓---
After walking for a little over half an hour, a small town appeared deep within the mountains. There were around a hundred households, and the town had everything from rivers to orchards. Its most distinctive feature was that everyone had a Ditto following behind them.
After the sisters entered the town, everyone they encountered greeted them, their expressions cheerful and their manner extremely warm.
At the deepest part of the town stood an old castle. Although its architectural style was antiquated, it possessed a unique character.
Under the sisters' guidance, Tetsuya entered the castle, where a middle-aged woman walked over.
"And this is…?" The woman asked.
"Okaasan, we met him in the forest. He's staying with us for the night," Duplica's sister said.
'So this woman was Duplica's mother…'
"Oh, a guest~ Welcome! Have a seat. I'll go make some Moomoo Tea." After saying that, Duplica's mother went off and returned with a pot of Moomoo Tea.
"You're also one of those shadowy families, aren't you?" Tetsuya asked directly.
Duplica's mother was quite surprised. "You actually know about us…"
"Yes. I noticed that everyone in this town has a Ditto. Is this a Family that primarily trains Ditto?"
"Un." Duplica's mother gave him a thumbs-up, then continued, "We are indeed a Family that trains Ditto. I am the family head, Imite Yuri. I can sense the presence of a Ditto on you as well. Could you bring it out so I can take a look?"
"What!? Tetsuya, you have a Ditto too? Why didn't you bring it out!?" Duplica said impatiently.
"It's right here." As soon as Tetsuya finished speaking, Ditto slid from his wrist into his palm and returned to its original form.
The moment Tetsuya's Ditto appeared, it caught the attention of Duplica, her sister, and their mother. The three of them carefully observed it. They really were extremely interested in Ditto…
"I can tell you've put a great deal of effort into this Ditto. Mmm, its cells have fused with Quick Powder righy? So after Transforming, its Speed must be superior to others.
And judging from your Ditto's physique, its stamina already far surpasses that of other Ditto. Tche… it's been a long time since I've encountered such an outstanding Ditto."
Yuri clicked her tongue in admiration, making no attempt to mask her praise.
"How about letting my Ditto battle your Ditto this time?" Duplica made another request.
"Hm?"
What Tetsuya was thinking about was still how to become a "student" here and learn their disguise arts. He also didn't know to what extent this family could strengthen Ditto, so for now he could only wait and see. Duplica's request had caught him somewhat off guard.
"Your Ditto isn't Tetsuya's opponent. There's no need to force it." Yuri directly told Duplica to step aside, then said to Tetsuya, "How about we have a battle in the backyard?"
"Please," Tetsuya said.
The castle's backyard was extremely spacious. At its center was a huge pool surrounded by artificial rock formations. Berry trees lined the courtyard, while the remaining areas were covered in grass.
"The entire backyard will be our battlefield. Whether it's in the water, on land, or in the sky, bring out your full strength." With a wave of Yuri's hand, a Ditto appeared in the center of the backyard. It immediately jumped into the central pool and Transformed into a Feraligatr.
"Ditto, Transform."
Tetsuya directly flung Ditto toward the pool. Just as it was about to hit the water, Ditto Transformed into a Gyarados.
One had Transformed into Gyarados and the other into Feraligatr. The two Pokémon plunged into the water and began their battle.
Ever since Tetsuya had been on Shadow Island, his Ditto had been training its movements after Transforming into Gyarados. It dove beneath the water, and Gyarados immediately fired a Hydro Pump.
Although Gyarados was better at physical Attacks, Yuri's Ditto had now Transformed into Feraligatr. This ferocious beast's jaw force was simply too powerful. If it found an opportunity to catch Gyarados, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Feraligatr merely used Hydro Pump to counterattack. The two moves collided, immediately creating a column of water that surged out of the pool.
At this moment, Feraligatr rode the surging water out of the pool, preparing to finish off Gyarados in the water.
"Aqua Tail."
Tetsuya immediately gave the command. Naturally, he would not give his opponent the chance to create favorable conditions. This was where Tetsuya's capacities showed itself.
Sure enough, what Feraligatr was met with was not Gyarados poking its head out of the water, but a spiraling ring of water sweeping toward it.
"Slash."
Duplica's mother calmly gave the command. Duplica and her sister, who were watching from the side, were already dumbfounded. They had only ever seen a battle like this when Brodie was still around, and it had also been a long time since their mother had personally battled.
Feraligatr crossed its claws and stared directly at the Aqua Tail sweeping toward it.