Chapter Text
The sleek, stone tiles Neil landed on were as cold and hard as his father. Angry shouts and shrieks erupted from the caged Pokémon around them. Despite also growing up in Team Rocket's captivity, Neil had never managed to bond with any of the Pokémon despite their similar positions. In fact, that was what had led to his current situation.
“You’re already 12, Nathaniel, but you’re weaker than I could have ever predicted,” Nathan criticized. His lips curled with disgust. “Let’s see how long you can keep up that defiance trapped down here with these beasts.”
A familiar orange form was tossed into the crate with Neil. The small flame at the end of its tail quivered.
"Pathetic." Nathan turned his back without another look in their direction as he made his way back upstairs. The grunt with him hurried to lock up Neil cage and scramble after Nathan.
As the echo of the door’s slam died, so too did the Pokémons' hollering. In the darkness, the flickering light of the Charmander’s tail was even more noticeable. It seemed brighter as the creature rolled over itself, back pressed flat against the cage door. The light in its eyes returned like a final hurrah as it bared pointed teeth and claws at Neil.
Neil scooted himself back against the opposite end of the crate. Although, that only left a foot or two between them. Nathan probably hoped they would kill each other in such a small space.
“Hey,” Neil said softly, slowly raising his hands to project his innocence. “I meant what I said in the ring. I won’t fight you. Why do you think he threw us in here together?”
Whether the Pokémon didn’t understand him or didn’t believe him, Neil couldn’t tell. He certainly didn’t want to hurt the little thing. Of all people, he knew what it felt like to feel small and weak—powerless against an enemy. But he wasn’t the enemy here. All he wanted was to survive. The Charmander seemed to feel the same as it bristled further with each of Neil's words.
Preparing for the inevitable, Neil closed his hands into fists just as the Charmander came charging his direction. The poor Pokémon must have been hanging on by a thread, because one shaky, defensive hit from Neil was enough to knock it out.
As it fell unconscious, the light at the end of its tail flickered once before the basement was shrouded in darkness. The few remaining sounds around them went silent. Neil froze where he sat. His heart pounded violently against his chest, threatening to burst. What had happened? He’d barely touched it, it was self-defense, he didn’t mean to—
A cold, gooey feeling melted around Neil’s bare foot. He squinted against the darkness as his eyes adjusted and peered at the new form lying at his feet. One of the Pokémon in the cage closest to them scuttled closer, providing a dim light for both of them to get a better look.
The Charmander Neil had been sharing a cage with was gone. In its place was a purple, amorphous blob.
“What are you…?” Neil muttered. He reached out and pressed a finger into the Pokémon. Its body sank around his finger as if ready to absorb it, but the creature didn’t move.
Scrambling to correct his mistake, Neil dug into his back pocket and retrieved the item he’d swiped from his father earlier that day. His father's barbaric teaching methods meant Neil hadn't often gotten the chance to use healing items—especially not a Revive. Ironically, he'd heard from some of the grunts that Team Rocket had been capitalizing on the item market, so resources like these were becoming harder for laypeople to get ahold of. Despite never having used one before, Neil steeled his resolve. It wouldn't hurt to try.
The blob didn’t seem to have a face as far as Neil could tell. Potions and Berries were usually consumed orally, but maybe this item was different? Neil set the bright yellow diamond in the middle of the blob. Like Neil's finger before, the item slowly sank into the Pokémon’s body. Though this time, the item actually permeated its skin—casing?—and disappeared beneath the dull violet surface.
At first, nothing happened. Then, a small, glowing light emerged from the Pokémon’s midsection. It radiated through its body, brightening the purple color from its faded hue.
Before Neil’s eyes, two small dots appeared at the top of the blob. They blinked at him.
“I won’t fight you,” Neil repeated. His words felt hollow considering he’d knocked the thing out.
It blinked again.
“Do you… have a name?” Neil tried.
It just blinked.
Slipping a hand back into his pocket, Neil pulled out a half-squished Oran Berry. He raised it between them in offering. The creature took the Berry so fast that the only evidence of the Pokémon accepting his offer was the rippling effect of its chewing across its viscous-like body. Despite their current situation, the interaction brought a small smile to Neil's face.
“Call me Neil.”
—
Shouts echoed from all directions as Neil darted and weaved through the crowded streets of Viridian City. Most chided his rudeness as he shouldered past, but he could hear his father’s people pursuing him in the distance. Despite the city being relatively small, the crowds and unfortunately-placed potted plants he had to dodge made it feel like a lot more effort to reach the border. Initially, he'd tried taking shelter and waiting until the grunts lost steam, but there weren't many good hiding spots, so he'd ended up just sprinting for the gates.
“Get down, will you?” Neil called over his shoulder to Ditto peeking out of the top of his backpack. He shivered at the cold touch against the back of his neck where it pressed a loose limb to steady itself. “They've been collecting Dittos, remember? Enough that no one can seem to find any in the wild anymore.”
Neil readjusted his bag to shuffle Ditto back inside. “We didn’t keep your true form hidden for seven years just to blow your cover now. Just wait a little longer. We’re almost out of the city limits.”
The false confidence in Neil’s tone would have fooled even himself if he hadn’t known the truth. Neil had never even been close to the city limits. As a kid, the short trips he’d been allowed through Viridian City made it seem like an endless maze. His father hadn’t brought him anywhere near the edge of the city. The one time his mother had tried to flee the city with him under the guise of running an errand had been the last time he’d seen her.
"So much for The Eternally Green Paradise," Neil scoffed under his breath as he nearly tripped over a fake plant. A pretty front to disguise the nefarious goings-on underneath. If only people knew.
Finally, the lush green bushes—both decorative and defensive—that signaled the edge of the city came into view. It reminded Neil of the warnings his mother had told him about the wild Pokémon hiding in the tall grass outside the city. She had told him stories about all kinds of wild Pokémon all around the world. Despite having never left the city, Neil was keenly aware of how cautious he would have to be without Pokémon of his own to protect him. But he would rather die than become like his father. In fact, no one should have been allowed to capture and use Pokémon for their own gain. The world would be better off if there were no Pokémon trainers.
Even after breaking through the decorative walls of Viridian City, Neil didn’t stop running until there was nothing but nature surrounding him. Gradually, he allowed himself to slow to a stop, peering over his shoulder every few seconds to ensure no one had followed them out of the city. Sure enough, there was nothing but a sweet breeze blowing past.
It took a few minutes for Neil to catch his breath. In the meantime, he’d put his bag down, allowing Ditto to roll free. It sank into the earth happily, smiling as the wind rolled waves against it.
“We did it,” Neil said, breathless. Less from running and more from disbelief. “We escaped.”
The words didn’t feel real, so Neil ran his fingers over the grass like Ditto. The blades were soft against his fingertips.
After seven years of being forced to participate in Pokémon "training"—or suffer the consequences themselves—they were free.
“Ditto,” Ditto agreed.
A hollow feeling tugged at the edge of Neil's smile. They were free. Ditto was free. Neil's only companion would be roaming the wild while Neil… He wasn't sure what he would do. He hadn't realized freedom would feel so lonely.
“Where do you think you’ll go?” Neil asked, pushing down the bittersweet feelings swirling in his stomach. He stood up, scooping up the bag and settling it on his back. It would be best to get further away from the city as soon as possible.
Ditto’s smile slipped where it lay. It blinked.
A twinge of discomfort rose back up and pricked in Neil’s chest like thorns.
It could go wherever it wanted. It could do whatever it wanted. So why was it looking at him like that?
Ditto sat up from the grass. It waddled over to Neil and gently tugged at the loose fabric of his shorts where it stood only a foot tall.
Neil shook his head. “You’re free to go. You don’t have to stay with me anymore.”
“Ditto! Dit- Ditto,” it argued.
“We did make a good team,” Neil agreed, yet he took a step away from Ditto. "But I'm not like them. I won't be a trainer." He made a show of lifting his shirt just enough to show his empty waistband—no Pokébelt or Pokéballs.
Wriggling forward to close the distance, Ditto morphed itself into a lopsided Pokéball with the colors inverted. It never had been as good at copying from memory as it was at copying from a model. The deformed ball bounced unsteadily on the ground, nearly disappearing within the tall grass. When Neil finally gave in and picked it up, its beady eyes stared into his own atop a quivering grin that threatened to slip and fall at any moment.
"Ditto?" it asked weakly.
The tightness in Neil's chest constricted his insides hard enough to make his next breath shake.
"Fine," Neil agreed, slipping the Ditto-ball into the side pocket of his bag. The heaviness in his chest lightened. Selfishly, he wondered how long Ditto would want to travel with him. "Tell me when you need a break."
The "Pokéball" vibrated happily as Neil led them as far away from the city as they could get.