Chapter: 6
The Chosen One

    Ash’s first impression was that he’d been hit on the head very hard, and his next one was of lying down with a weight on his chest.  He woke up to find Pikachu sitting there watching him, and Oak standing over him, waiting for something.  “What happened?”
“I’m not quite sure what exactly occurred, but from what I can tell, your spell backfired on you.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Only about an hour, it’s a lucky thing Pikachu managed to catch both of you.”
“Both?”
“Yes, it’s very strange; you managed to turn yourself into two stone statues.  It was a mess to fix, since every time someone got close to one, it would fire a laser out its eyes.  I assume you’ve now learned not to cast spells you learned from watching an archmage unless you’re sure you’ll get it right.”
“I could do it, I thought that was the main thing.”
“In most spellcasting, yes, you don’t usually get to use a spell that’s too powerful because you’re not good enough to pronounce the syllables or make the motions.  In this case, though, it was an easy spell to cast, but not one that could be so easily controlled.  You’re lucky you didn’t disintegrate yourself.”
“At least I won’t miss dinner.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s a fair consolation to you.”  Oak said sternly “well, here’s something to look forward to, Gary forgot to ask Jenny’s number and wanted me to ask if she’d meet him outside the Pallette gym tomorrow about eleven.”
“I assume I must accept.”
“Naturally.  And I’ve also gotten you this temporarily.”  He gave Ash a cell phone.  “Tell him the number for this unit if he asks.”
“Right.”
“Well, you’re pretty much fine, so I’d suggest you get back to your house before Delila returns.”
    The next day, Ash set out like he had the morning before, and was lucky enough to catch Gary as he was passing the lab.  This was, as it turned out, lucky since as Gary was passing, he said, “Hey, Ashy-boy, I’ll be seeing you later today.  Be prepared for a beating in a different way.”
Ash gave him the eye and replied, “In what way?  Wussmanship?”
“For one thing, that isn’t a word, and for another, I plan to introduce you to my new girlfriend in front of Misty and all your lieutenants.”
Ash attempted to fight down the feeling of panic that elicited and, attempting to escape, said, “under normal circumstances, I’d let this go on for awhile yet, but I have pressing business with your grandfather, so if you’ll excuse me early from this argument...”
Gary made a sweeping gesture “but of course, it makes little difference if I cream you now in debate, or later in good taste.”
    When he was sure Gary wasn’t looking, Ash ran full out towards the lab, and crashed through the front door, making a great racket.  “Professor!  Duplica!  Anyone!”
Duplica came in through another room.  “What’s with all the ruckus?”
“Gary intends to introduce Jenny to me in my gym this afternoon.  That’s what!”
“Calm down, Ashy-boy, this isn’t as bad as you seem to believe.”
“Oh?  What happens when I don’t show?”
“You will.  Remember whom you’re dealing with.  With your early warning, I have time to prepare myself as best as I can to replace you today.  Just tell me of all your dealings with Gary recently, and I'll take care of the rest. ”
    As Ash left, relieved, Oak stepped into the room behind Duplica.  “I’m impressed that you can take this so well.  Trying to replace a person in an advanced psychokinetic relationship takes more ability than I thought you gave yourself credit for.”
Duplica quirked her lips, “is that a way of saying you think I can do it?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
Duplica exhaled slowly “I’ve been training for an eventuality like this.  It’s a way of seeing just how far I’ve gotten.  After all” her voice took on Ash’s tones “I never refuse a challenge.”
Back at his house, Ash looked in the mirror and sighed, Gary would be expecting him in a half hour.  Opening the special section of his closet, he pulled out the Jenny suit, and the vulpix costume, which he threw to Pikachu.  "No trouble this time."
Pikachu shrugged one shoulder and attempted to burrow into the costume, Ash watching and keeping his amusement as silent as possible.  With one last disgusted noise, she changed to her human form and picked the costume up.  While she was putting her legs into the costume, Ash got back to what he was doing and pulled the Jenny suit on.  As she was pulling the mask on, Pikachu commented, "I can't wait to see this, watching you duck ricocheted insults between Gary and Duplica's version of you is going to be great."
Ash pulled on the outfit he’d worn in Duplica’s lab and replied, "I'm glad you find my problems so amusing.  Just try not to snigger in front of Gary."
"Right, and you’re all tarted up to cool Gary down, I suppose." was the sarcastic reply.
Jenny spun around on one foot and smiled “I have to make a good impression on myself.”
“Vul.” Pikachu snorted.
    When he arrived at his gym, Ash was surprised and, he was a little scared of this, delighted that as soon as he got close to Gary, he was grabbed around the waist and kissed.  Without letting go, Gary said, “ready to show off a little?”
“Careful, or I’ll think you just want me as a trophy.”  Ash teased.
“I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”  Gary teased back.
    The way the gym was laid out today reminded Ash that he and Misty were training a new set of lieutenants today, and he almost felt guilty that he’d left Misty alone.  He corrected himself when he saw what everyone else in the room believed to be Ash Ketchum, in a similar position that Gary was keeping him, with Misty.  He scanned the set of new brass lining the positions reserved for those in training under the Gym leaders and noted Jesse, James and a rather attractive black haired woman in her mid twenties that Ash didn’t recognize.  Strangely, when he and Gary entered fully, the woman looked straight at him, her gaze flickering first with desire, and then with recognition.  It was much the same effect as he’d gotten from the disciples in Celadon, but this time neither scrutiny with eye nor his techno vision could find anything out of the ordinary.  Since trying to see her magically was impossible with so many spellcasters were watching, he could only smile and wave.  The trainer’s eyes narrowed into slits as she watched Ash come in, but relaxed back into a normal look towards Gary when Misty happened to turn towards her.  James, meanwhile had leaned over and said something to Jesse, Ash could just make out the word ‘twerp.’
The faux Ash stepped forward and said, "So this is your new girl?  I can't fault you on your taste for looks, but there's more to a girlfriend than a good body."  He pulled a pokeball from his belt "can she battle?"
Ash disengaged himself from Gary and said, "I wasn't expecting a battle here, and all I have is this vulpix."
Pikachu growled for a moment, angered by Ash's manner towards her, but saw the look in his eye.  No one but she, Ash and Duplica would know, but an unofficial power struggle was about to occur, and he knew something.
Duplica threw the ball she was holding "go poliwrath."
"Go vulpix"
    Pikachu was having trouble not laughing, but managed to get onto the field and focus.  This was going to be way too easy.  Ash, sounding ridiculous in his Jenny voice said, "As a fan of the League Battle show, I know about how you invent attacks.  I once spent time with a persian trainer and some of their abilities rubbed off on my vulpix.  I've been creating my own moves to take advantage of this.  Vulpix, thunder blast."
Pikachu wasn't sure if this would work, but she was used to his primitive command structure and knew what to do.  Priming her power sacs, she shot the energy out of the mouth of the costume, combining it with the fire blast that was already being formed.  The effect that was created looked like a normal fire blast attack, but when the poliwrath took the attack, thinking it wouldn't do much, he got the brunt of a normal fire blast charged with a meta-level thunder.  Duplica recalled the fried pokemon saying "good work anyway." and looking over to Ash "so, the girl has some skill in her.  Let's see how far that goes.  Pikachu..."
    A pikachu with white hair identical to that of the one disguised as a vulpix entered the field.  Gary made as if to protest, but Ash turned to him and said, "don't worry, dearest.  If the League Master wants to use the First Pikachu, it's an honor for me to face her."  Ash wondered if this obvious ditto had any secrets to it, but had to assume that he would find out soon as the battle started.  Meanwhile, Duplica really wanted to start by using EM barrier, but that wasn't Ash's style and everyone in the room knew it.  Instead, she called for a thunderbolt and was unsurprised as her opponent dodged it with no problem.  "Electric fire spin!" Ash called.  The attack this time showed its true nature quickly, as a cyclone of flame and lightning, which, though quite large, was also slow moving, and easily dodged.  Pikachu ignored Ash's next command in favor of exerting a magnetic pull on the attack, pulling it back and catching her opponent off guard.  The faux Pikachu was commanded and attempted to escape the twister by scaling the walls with magnetic repulsion, taking damage often.  Meanwhile, Ash wasn't too happy Pikachu hadn't obeyed him, but also knew she'd done the far smarter thing.  His next command had no hint of reprisal "Think you can manage a spoked flame wheel?"
Pikachu thought a moment and nodded once "Vul!"
"Put it on top of the spin."
Pikachu grinned wolfishly, greatly aided by her current state, and breathed a huge ring, with four lines of flame going from one side to the other.  It landed just as the opposing pikachu got to the top, knocking it back down and burning it badly.  Ash had an expression mirroring Pikachu's, knowing that he couldn't let himself win, but enjoying showing Duplica why he was still League Master.  Duplica, easily Ash's equal in inventing attacks called "EM shield blast in all directions."  His opponent slowed its hard breathing and sat in the direct center of the attack.  Crackling energy traced its body and leaped out into a sphere, which began expanding.  It struggled against the walls of the twister, then broke through, showering the field with fire and doing minor damage to Pikachu.  Ash laughed, "You've forgotten one thing."
Duplica gave her best clueless Ash look "What?"
"The top of the twister didn't have any electricity in it."
The flame wheel crashed to the floor, scoring a minor hit to the faux pikachu.
Ash struck a pose with his hand on his hip "give up?"
Duplica knew a cue when she heard one "Never!  Pikachu, finish it with thunder cannon."
As Duplica's pikacu began charging the atmosphere, Ash shouted "vulpix!  Break her concentration with an electropyro shield rush!"
Pikachu also realized that this was her last round, and that the attack was meant more to keep from frying her than anything else, but maybe she could make it interesting nonetheless.  Charging up an EM shield, she breathed flame into it, making it surround her.  Trusting that her opponent was as immobile as she doing this trick, she levitated and shot as fast as the magnetically fortified walls of the gym would let her.  She hit just as the cannon charged fully, blowing herself and her opponent out of the ring.  She was fine, but feigned being beaten, no matter how much she knew it would hurt Ash to see this, she also knew he understood the need.
    Gary was amazed, he hadn’t even lasted that long against Ash last time, and he was the third of four.  He’d also been writing furiously on his PDA when Jenny was building that fire spin attack.  The only other person he knew who could do that on the fly was Ash.  Come to think of it, Jenny possessed many of Ash’s qualities... no, it was impossible, Ash was right there, fighting her.  But then...Duplica was in town.  Gary shook his head, it was a moot point since he’d never be able to prove it, and he didn’t want to.  He really loved Jenny, and she couldn’t be the rival that was standing across the room.  He walked up to Jenny, who was holding her vulpix and petting its head, “I think we’ve caused enough trouble here for one day” he said with a half smile.  He took her hand and walked towards the exit.  As they were going through the door, Jenny turned around for a moment and waved, “thanks for the battle, I really enjoyed it,” she shouted.
    Inside the gym, Duplica let out a long, stressed-out breath.  That was hard, and she wasn’t sure Ash would remember she was he today.  Nevertheless, the entire show was brilliant, especially him figuring out how to combine attack elements.  The rest of the day looked like just being there while the lieutenants dealt with any challengers, until Professor Ivy ran through the door.  “The world is in trouble, Moltres just fell in the sea, and Zapdos claimed its island.  All three are now fighting, and Lugia cannot be found, you must hurry.”
Misty immediately ran after the professor, who’d gone out the door and back to her helicopter.  She saw that “Ash” hadn’t followed and yelled, “what are you waiting for?  This is serious.”
Duplica followed, but muttered, “I am not.”  A voice in her head whispered multitonally “you are the chosen one.”
She’d made it to the helicopter and sat down, so they didn’t notice as she stiffened and muttered, “who are you?”
“I am the prophecy keeper.  You are the chosen one, you can stop it.  We know it is you, you were on the very spot you have always occupied, you are the Pallette gym leader, you are Ash.”
“I only look like him, I don’t have his mind.”
“If we ordain it, it is so.  Go now and finish your quest!”
Authors note: The people have spoken, Gary is no longer going to the dance as an Arcanine, he is an umbreon.  On another note, so no one is confused antro = anthropomorphic version.