Pokémon XYZ: Life, Death, Order, and Chaos (book 2 of the HBoD series)

Chapter 36: The Ditto Corporation

"You sure you two are enough?" I asked as we all stood in the alleyway, the Ditto Corporations building across the street outside the alley. 

Looker nodded and Anabel said, "Looker and I are the finest the International Police have to offer. Besides, most of the Kalos division are currently trying to locate the Cult at the moment. What we do have though are the operatives lined and waiting around the building. Any who try to escape will be caught."

"Sounds good enough," Alex said, looking at the building. "Can we be sure how many Dittos are in there?"

"No," Looker narrowed his eyes. "Anyone and everyone, including the Pokemon, could be Dittos. So it's essential we stick together."

"Robert?" I looked at my friend, who was tinkering with his Pokedex. "Any ideas?"

"Yeah," He looked up, holding up his device. "This."

"This?" Looker and Anabel both asked, but Alex and I both knew Robert enough to understand this would be game changing.

"I had Clemont make some modifications himself," Robert said proudly. "Then I made a few of my own. With this, we can scan anyone to see if they're a Pokemon or not."

"What about Pokemon?" Looker asked, keenly interested in the device. 

"If I adjust the settings," Robert pressed a few buttons. "It can identify the true identity of a Pokemon. Dittos copy everything about a Pokemon, right down to their DNA. But it's all copies. So if I can isolate the gene that makes a certain species of Pokemon, say a Snorlax, then I can compare that gene to the gene of the Pokemon I'm scanning. There should be a telltale sign it's a copy. Research on Dittos have confirmed that. I even had Clemont boost the speed of the scanners themselves, so it'll take only a second to confirm the results, give or take."

Looker and Anabel both blinked. 

"Just go with it," I advised. "We've been trying to understand how Robert can do all this ever since we met him."

"Say," Looker rubbed his chin. "Ever consider a career in Forensics? I dare say the International Police would love to recruit you."

"Nah," Robert waved his hand. "I would prefer to stay away from that kind of life. I want to use my brain for Pokemon Research and that alone."

"I see," Looker nodded, and I had a feeling he would still try to recruit our friend somewhere down the road.

"Enough with the needless chatter," Anabel spoke. "We have the authorization to go right in and take into custody any Ditto we find."

She held up a bag. "We have specially made Pokeballs in here that'll help in capturing the Dittos."

I held the bag open with my hands, my eyes widening. "Aren't these..."

"Master Balls," Looker confirmed, Robert and Alex both gasping. "Require a ton of money to make and a lot of resources. This is a good portion of the stock in the IP's care. We'll of course be able to reuse them once we release the Pokemon inside, so as long as they don't break, using them shouldn't be a problem."

"30 total," Anabel said, passing them out. "6 for each of us. If there turns out to be more Dittos than Master Balls, just faint them. We have another team coming in later either for back-up or clean-up. They'll handle everything then."

"Now before we go," Anabel stared each of us in the eye. "You're just trainers. This could get very dangerous. Your lives could be at risk. Are you sure you still want to do this?"

"Of course," Alex and Robert said before me.

Smiling, I said, "Yes. You both probably know what we've managed to do in Alola. Stuff like this is nothing new."