The group had arrived at the grassy field, where the air was still fresh and clean after the rain.
The scenery put everyone in a good mood, easing away the awkwardness from earlier.
Kazuki got straight to business. He walked up to Ditto, crouched down, and extended his hand, attempting a direct touch to initiate transformation.
Fortunately, Ditto had a decent temperament and didn't react adversely to a stranger's approach.
"Ditto, from now on, you won't be listening to Duplica's commands. I'll be your trainer. Got it?"
Kazuki issued his instruction to change command authority.
Ditto, unable to speak, responded with a slight motion to show it understood.
Not being his own Pokémon, Kazuki found it a bit awkward to interact directly.
So he simply activated his Aura and began syncing with Ditto's mental energy.
Aura really is the most useful skill!
As soon as Ditto felt Kazuki's Aura, its body began to shift slightly.
With the bridge of communication established, Kazuki began guiding Ditto on the finer details of transformation.
Duplica widened her eyes in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her.
She had never seen anyone establish such deep rapport with her Ditto in such a short amount of time.
Back when her father supported her dream of performing, he had spent a hefty sum and pulled many strings to help her catch that Ditto.
But Ditto's temperament wasn't exactly easy—it took a long time for her to build even passable communication with it.
And now, Kazuki had done it in under half a day and was already instructing it in transformation training.
Shock filled her heart—but more than that, excitement.
"Kazuki really is someone the League should be scouting!"
"To think he could bond with my Ditto this quickly!"
Nearby, Misty caught wind of Duplica's admiration and a mischievous glint sparked in her eyes.
She casually strolled over to Duplica and started hyping Kazuki up.
"Kazuki's really got a way with training Pokémon!"
"And he's got a great eye when it comes to choosing them!"
"Not to mention, he has an incredibly deep understanding of Pokémon overall—"
Her enthusiastic praise made Duplica's heart flutter, and she shot Misty a quick side glance filled with both curiosity and admiration.
"So if I leave Ditto in Kazuki's hands, it'll definitely master transformation?"
"Of course it will!" Misty answered for him before Kazuki even had a chance.
However, under Kazuki's guidance, Ditto's first attempt still wasn't quite there.
Though Ditto had nearly perfectly copied Psyduck's form—and even managed to produce water from its bill—the eyes were still just those same two tiny dots, giving it a comically off appearance.
Misty glanced over at the half-finished "Psyduck," then quickly ran over to Kazuki.
"Hey, Kazuki! Why hasn't there been any improvement?"
"I practically sang your praises to the heavens in front of Duplica! You're not gonna let me down, are you?!"
Kazuki turned to her, a bit puzzled.
"Even if it were my own Pokémon, it'd take time…"
"And this one's not even mine. I told you, real progress might take a few nights. We'll keep working on it."
"Wha—? Don't say stuff like that in front of others!" Misty blushed, suddenly flustered and struggling to speak properly.
"You keep at it. I'll go get you guys something to drink."
Duplica knew how difficult training Ditto could be, so she wasn't too pushy.
But after a whole afternoon, the eye issue still wasn't solved.
During their communication, Ditto had confidently promised Kazuki it would focus entirely on perfecting its eyes next time.
But every transformation still resulted in those tiny black dots.
"Next time, for sure!"
"Definitely next time!"
Ditto kept making promises, but no progress followed.
"Don't stress about it," Duplica said, stepping forward to comfort Kazuki.
"The fact that you got Ditto transforming this quickly is already amazing!"
"I'm sure with a little more time, you'll help it overcome its flaw!"
"Let's call it a day. I'll treat you all to something delicious!"
Duplica genuinely trusted Kazuki's abilities—and she wasn't in a rush, either. This just meant she'd get to spend more days with him.
"Alright, we'll stop here for today."
Kazuki spoke lightly, but inside, he was already fired up.
Hmph! I've dealt with old Gengar, ancient Dragonites, even massively mutated Tentacruels!
And now this little shapeshifter's giving me trouble?
Don't think just cause you're pink, you can slack off!
You think you're Mew or something?
I'm not letting this slide!
In the original script, Ditto only managed a perfect transformation after falling into Team Rocket's hands.
But ever since they ran into Team Rocket at the Pokémon Preserve, there hadn't been any sign of those three.
Maybe they got caught? Or maybe Giovanni's abandoned them?
Whatever. Relying on Team Rocket as a variable isn't as reliable as solving it myself.
Alright then, Ditto…
Let's do this my way!
A glint flashed in Kazuki's eyes as a new plan formed.
Back at Duplica's performance house, everyone sat around the dining table, chatting idly.
Suzie noticed it was dinnertime and offered to help with cooking.
Duplica laughed and waved her off, just as a knock sounded at the door.
At Duplica's command, the door opened, and a line of maids entered carrying trays of steaming, aromatic food.
Misty stared at the colorful array of dishes, practically drooling.
"Miss, please enjoy your meal!"
"Heh, how many times do I have to say it? Don't call me 'Miss' when delivering food!" Duplica sighed.
"Yes, Miss! We'll take our leave!" the maids answered in unison, then filed out in perfect sync.
"Wait, delivery? This… this is delivery service?!" Misty looked at the lavish spread in disbelief.
"Duplica's dad owns a restaurant group."
"Oh! I see…" Misty finally understood. No wonder they were loaded.
She'd been scraping by paying rent, and this girl's dinner was probably worth more than half a year's savings.
But Misty wasn't too concerned about money anymore. As long as Kazuki was with her, life was perfect.
While Misty was gazing at Kazuki with stars in her eyes, Suzie was already happily digging in.
She leaned in close to Kazuki and whispered, "Honestly, Kazuki, if we can get this little rich girl on board, we'll be golden!"
Kazuki chuckled and glanced sideways at Misty. "Aren't you a little rich girl too? Daughter of a gym leader?"
"Me?" Misty feigned innocence, stuffing another piece of braised pork into her mouth.
"Besides, I have to maintain my figure—I can't eat too much!"
"Traveling with you is already ruining my diet!"
She popped another bite in her mouth anyway.
Kazuki pinched her cheek and joined the others at the table.
After dinner, as the group chatted, Kazuki excused himself early and began preparing his training tools.
Late at night, once everyone was asleep, he changed into black clothes, masked his presence, and quietly slipped out of his room.
He gently pushed open the door to Ditto's room.
Ditto was curled up in the corner, seemingly asleep.
Kazuki crept forward, holding the electric baton that Pikachu had charged earlier.
He activated his voice-masking ability and whispered:
"Oh? A Ditto, huh?"
The noise startled Ditto, who immediately tensed up, shaking in fear at the sight of the masked intruder.
Perfect. Fear always works.
"Let's see you transform!"
"Don't hold back now!"
Kazuki threatened Ditto with sparks from the baton.
Ditto shook even harder, clearly not understanding the request.
"Come on! Or I'll fry you!"
Kazuki zapped the floor near Ditto, making it jump and begin transforming.
Its body shifted rapidly—but the eyes were still just two little dots.
"Psyduck again?! Are you kidding me?!"
Kazuki slammed the baton down. "Are Psyduck's eyes really that small?!"
"Fix it! Give me the real thing!"
As he moved closer, Ditto clenched itself and gave everything it had.
And finally, its eyes expanded—becoming Psyduck's iconic, vacant orbs.
Kazuki exhaled in satisfaction. "Knew it. Sometimes, a little pressure is all it takes."
"Humans only push themselves when they're cornered."
To confirm it wasn't a fluke, Kazuki had Ditto transform into Pikachu next.
This time, the eyes were properly replicated too.
But right after transforming, Ditto-as-Pikachu launched a Volt Tackle at Kazuki.
Thankfully, Kazuki teleported away just in time. "Nice! That's a real improvement! You're even copying moves now!"
"It's me, Ditto!" he said, removing his mask and speaking in his real voice, activating his Aura.
"You worked hard today, but nothing seemed to stick."
"That's why I resorted to this method. But remember how that last transformation felt!"
With Kazuki's Aura guiding him, Ditto finally calmed down and returned to normal.
Still in Pikachu form, it bowed gratefully to Kazuki.
He nodded. "Alright, remember what you learned tonight. Give your trainer a surprise tomorrow. Rest well."
He turned and quietly left the room. Stretching in the hallway, he let out a satisfied breath.
As he headed back to his room, he suddenly spotted Suzie in a creamy lace nightgown, walking slowly toward the bathroom.
A devilish idea sparked in Kazuki's eyes.
He pulled his mask back on and stealthily followed.
At the bathroom door, he heard the trickle of water inside.
Kazuki smirked, and quietly unlocked the door.
Hearing the noise, Suzie quickly pulled up her lace panties.
Kazuki altered his voice to tease her.
Suzie froze, backing up in fear. "Who are you?! Didn't Duplica say the house is guarded at night?!"
"How did you get in?!"
Kazuki stepped closer. "I'm the infamous Phantom Thief. Your security? Child's play."
"Missy, with your flawless skin and curves—how could I resist?"
"Get out! No way!" Suzie glanced at a flower pot, ready to defend herself.
"I'm telling you, my man is on this floor! If you don't leave, you're dead meat!"
"Kazuki! Kazuki!"
She began shouting.
"Dead meat? Only after I've had my fun—"
Suzie immediately climbed onto the windowsill. "Only Kazuki can touch me! Anyone else—!"
She leapt.
Kazuki instantly teleported and caught her mid-air.
"Let go! Don't touch me!"
"Alright, alright, relax! It's me, Suzie!" Kazuki dropped his disguise and revealed his face.
Suzie finally stopped struggling, letting him carry her back to the bathroom.
Once stable, she pouted and smacked his arm.
"Kazuki! You're getting worse and worse! Messing with me while I'm in the bathroom?!"
"And you even got dressed up for it!"
"You really went all out!"
"And we're in Duplica's house, for crying out loud!"
"What if one of her kung fu maids caught you?!"
Kazuki laughed and pulled her into his arms. "Kung fu? You think I'm scared of a few maids?"
"Relax. Your man can take on ten of them."
"You're impossible!" Suzie swatted him again, letting out the frustration from her earlier panic.
"This whole outfit—don't tell me you really wore it just to—"
"Heh, I'm not that bored!" Kazuki chuckled, hugging her tighter. "I was just heading back to rest when I saw you come out."
"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing—but it was thrilling!"
He looked at her with a mischievous glint.
Suzie pouted. "I don't even feel anything anymore after all that drama…"
But even as she complained, she snuggled up to him.
Later, as they whispered sweet nothings, Suzie clung to him and said:
"I don't care about anyone else. I'm your woman—only yours!"
"No, not just this lifetime—forever."
"I just want to be yours."
Kazuki, moved, began teasing her again. "You sure didn't seem scared. Didn't feel anything, huh?"
"What about now?"
"Shut up!"
"You're my woman—I like everything about you."
Kazuki gently comforted her, smoothing everything out.
Suzie's breath quickened, her eyes shimmering in the moonlight as she gazed at him.
"Okay… then tonight, where do you want me?"
Kazuki grinned. "The moon tonight… it's big, white, and round."
Suzie giggled, understanding exactly what he meant.
"Alright. I'm yours, my lord."