Ditto doesn't move

"Boring, I want to see rivers of blood!" That's usually what the fiery monkey says.

"Go for it, Boss! I want to see you humiliate that woman properly!"

"If you disappoint the leader, you'd better obediently give up the title of one of the Four Heavenly Kings!"

The most popular choice is for the two Lycanrocs to stand upright and act as guards on either side of Ditto.

Representing the daytime and nighttime forms are the Four Heavenly Kings under the Emperor's command. The last of the Four Heavenly Kings, besides the Mosquito Coil Frog, is a duckbill fire beast that is roasting tree fruits.

Riolu, lost in thought, looked up and realized that nearly a hundred Pokémon had gathered around it without it noticing.

Riolu felt a vague sense of unease, and then he saw a familiar figure among the weak Pokémon that could only watch from the sidelines.

That's Dr. Kukui's pet rock dog?

The latter, crouching among a group of weak Pokémon, looked up at the group of powerful Pokémon in the arena, revealing a clear look of longing and expectation in its eyes.

Judging from the scars on his body, he must have been a regular at this place for a long time.

"Caw! (You wretched woman! You neither fight nor retreat, what kind of logic is that?)"

The mosquito coil frogs waiting in the area were already croaking impatiently:

"Quack quack quack! (If you don't want to fight, then leave and just watch quietly from the sidelines, you weakling!)"

Weak?

Ha, what a clueless guy.

In the past, Riolu would have been furious at such provocation, but this time he merely chuckled, slowly walked into the arena, and beckoned with his hand in a provocative gesture.

The mosquito coil frog, which had been waiting for a long time, attacked with lightning speed as soon as the battle signal was given.

Riolu's skin crawled with goosebumps in that instant!

The Poliwag attacked so fast, it was as if it had used Quick Attack!

However, instead of the familiar white light representing Normal-type moves, the opponent displayed a light blue light representing Water-type energy moves.

The mosquito coil frog, which had seemed frantic before the start, now appeared to have shed its disguise and charged in with an icy, cold attitude.

"Croak! (Interesting, it actually managed to dodge my Emperor-inherited Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist.)"

Mosquito Frog witnessed firsthand how the opponent simply turned slightly to the side to dodge its lightning-fast punch, which was launched using the water jet as a weapon. Even its cold expression showed a slight change.

"Quack (Looks like you're not exactly nobody after all.)"

"The road (stop rambling.)"

"Ribbit (Not bad, though born in an era without emperors, you still have some passion for battle.)" Poliwag's powerful fists began to swirl with a deep, chilling blue aura: "Ribbit (After I defeat you, you'll train with me in fighting techniques!)"

It's Ice Punch! Poliwag used Ice Punch!

With a step and a twist of the waist, a powerful uppercut slammed directly at Riolu with the same incredible speed.

Only when they were almost touching did Riolu finally discover the secret in his opponent's fist—

While throwing a punch, this mosquito coil frog actually creates a water jet in the opposite direction to accelerate its punch.

Fast! Extremely fast!

Powerful! Strong and forceful!

Riolu had no time to think about counterattacking; just dodging was exhausting all its energy!

But why... why, with my current level of control over my body, did I make a mistake at this crucial moment?

Volume 1 Happy Little Ditto: Chapter 48 Ice Arm Style - Magic Spear!

Before the pain even reached Riolu's brain, the first thought that popped into his head after being punched into the air was this.

Fortunately, although she is not a one-in-a-million genius, her talent in combat is not weak.

When the strange sensation accompanied by pain reached his mind, Riolu suddenly realized a fact.

—It wasn't that I made a mistake in controlling my body, but rather that something was affecting and interfering with my judgment.

That's right, the true form of that thing is the deep blue mist that clung to the mosquito coil frog's fists and the surrounding area like breath...

Freezing air!

The Frozen Fist can be used in such a way?

Upon realizing this, Riolu couldn't help but recall what that guy had said:

The Pokémon you encountered before were just inexperienced newbies, hardly trainers at all.

Just like Pikachu that can generate electricity, the opponent in front of me is obviously a seasoned Pokémon who has a deep understanding of type energy and can control it at will!

What even made Riolu shudder was that, until this moment, only the weak Pokémon on the outermost edge, who had never seen the world, were whispering among themselves.

But the Pokémon standing slightly inside the circle remained unmoved, as if such a powerful technique for manipulating type energy was nothing to worry about.

It's really not worth mentioning.

Only now did she notice some details that she hadn't noticed before.

For example, the Duckbill Fire Beast, which had been roasting tree fruits without even glancing at the battle, actually formed a tiny flame vortex in its hand, enveloping the tree fruits within it, remaining stable and unmoved.

Compared to the unrestrained and explosive flames that the Duckbill Firebeast usually gives people, it's like a muscular strongman embroidering with a steel needle – a stark contrast.

In addition, the two mane-wielding werewolves each possessed unique abilities.

The daytime Lycanroc and the nighttime Lycanroc each stretched out a hand to hold onto the rock where Ditto was lying, refusing to let go.

The rock, following the direction of the two claws, emitted conflicting grayish-brown light from time to time, gradually shaping and changing its form.

It's unclear whether the stone was shaped by a rockfall or a sharp stone attack.

Bang.

Riolu landed back on the ground, the impact and pain bringing her back to the scene before her.

The mosquito coil frog waited patiently for her to land again, but the freezing air on its fists was surging even more, giving people a feeling of powerful ocean waves.

Even though you are several meters away, it feels like you are in an ice cellar, making your movements unconsciously stiff and numb.

It seems I can't keep this to myself anymore.

Riolu's gaze hardened, and amidst the clamor, it made its choice...

Close your eyes?

"The power of waveguides is a magical power that can give you the ability to perceive your surroundings and read minds, almost like cheating."

"But this ability isn't all good. From sensing other people's thoughts to assessing the surrounding environment, then to the brain issuing commands, and finally to the body making the move, these two extra steps will greatly delay your punching speed."

"Even if there are too many voices around you, or the other person's thinking is too active, you will be like a child trying to study in a noisy city, finding it difficult to find the information you really need."

"So how can we make better use of this power?"

"This is the unique skill I'm going to teach you, called the Three Firsts tactic: First to the opponent, first to the follower, and first to the knower."

"However, don't be too ambitious. With your current level, you can probably only use the later stages in actual combat."

Riolu reopened its eyes, a deep blue color, unlike the freezing aura on its opponent's fist, covering its pupils.

Because she is still too young, she cannot control her innate aura power well. She must close her eyes and meditate to calm her mind in order to have a chance to synchronize with the aura power.

It seemed that heaven couldn't bear to see her suffer such a crushing defeat, or perhaps it was the extreme concentration brought about by the pressure of the battle.

Despite having tried many times before to close his eyes and meditate to sense the power of the waveguide without success, he managed to sense the waveguide in one go!

But just as the trainer said, the moment the aura was activated, the surrounding whispers seemed to become deafening.

The information gleaned from following the ripples flooded my mind all at once, much like a security guard facing a wall full of dozens of screens—a chaotic and unsettling experience.

Poliwag seemed to realize it had given its opponent enough time to prepare and was ready to end the battle. With a push of its hind feet and a slight boost, it charged straight at Riolu.

In the world of waveguides, this action is akin to throwing a boulder, and the resulting ripples almost completely suppress all other noise.

Caught!

It's a jab! A jab with a jet of water and freezing air!

Following the waveguide's sensing, Riolu's brain seemed to see a phantom of a Poliwag rushing towards him at a speed faster than the real thing.

The bridge of the nose, throat, and chest—three vital points—will all be struck by the lightning-fast punch.

The trajectory of each punch was clearly visible to Riolu, and even the pain of being hit seemed to be simulated by the power of the Aura.

The next instant, the real entity followed closely behind the phantom, unleashing a freezing fist that paralyzed and slowed reaction time!

Bang!Bang!Bang!

Three consecutive, sharp, clattering sounds grabbed the eardrums of all the Pokémon present, and even the other three Elite Four members, who had been dismissive of the battle, finally looked up in surprise.

In the midst of the battle, Mosquito Coil Frog fell silent as it looked at the tiny fist that blocked its wrist, deflecting every punch it threw. Then it burst into hearty laughter.

"Quack! (You really gave me a pleasant surprise! Ever since Emperor Empert taught me, no Pokémon other than the Elite Four can even withstand a single punch from me!)"

"Caw! (You actually saw through my punching pattern and launched a counterattack first?)"

"Road! (Sigh, the same trick won't work on me!)"

Politoed Frog turned to look at the still lazy and unmoved Ditto Warrior, and directly requested:

"Quack! (Boss, she's already broken through my freezing fist. May I use the move you taught me?)"

The Ditto Warrior, who had only spoken a few words since the beginning, finally showed interest:

"Change? (Oh, you actually touched upon the move I envisioned? Despite being plagued by illness, you've already grasped the edge of this divine skill before them?)"

The Magmar and Lycanroc looked at their companion in disbelief. Having become familiar with Poliwag's personality, they knew that their companion would never stoop to lying!

Despite being an outsider and extremely calm thanks to the power of Aura, Riolu suddenly felt a great sense of crisis upon hearing the words of these Pokémon, and cold sweat poured down its back!

Impossible. What kind of move could be called a divine skill?

"Quack! (This move of mine was named by the Emperor. As a sign of respect for my opponent, I will now let you die in peace.)"

"Quack! (Ice Arm Style: Demon Lance!)"

Book 1 Happy Little Ditto: Chapter 49 Mosquito Coil Frog (Male), eight years old, is an adventurer

Poliwag, a Pokémon that can be found everywhere.

From Kanto to Padilla, these Pokémon can be found living in the wild in every region. If you had to describe them in one word, it would probably be...

Unremarkable.

Although some people have jokingly said this:

There are so many Pikachus, it's like there are stray dogs on the roadside.

But that's just a joke. In regions like Alola, Pikachu is extremely rare and quite popular.

—The Pokémon that are truly as numerous as stray dogs are rarely mentioned.

This is what the mosquito coil tadpole, with its not-so-outstanding wisdom, realized after leaving its hometown.

So, why embark on a journey?

Is it because you enjoy receiving praise from your teammates after defeating your opponents?

Is it because you get a reward after defeating your opponent?

Or was it because of the child I saw crying while holding a sniffer snake that I saw in the sunset that day?

Oh, poor child.

So young, and the Snivy in her arms is only a newborn, is she already embarking on a journey alone to face the dangerous world outside?

She was just crying, but now she's patting her cheeks and forcing a smile, saying she must work hard and is doing special training with Tentacles.

But that won't work.

The mosquito coil tadpole knew why she had failed.

Ultimately, it's unwise to use a Grass-type Pokémon to battle a Fire-type Gym Leader.

Some might question the strength of the first Gym Leader in each region, believing that with a little training, one could obtain a badge from them and become a full-fledged Trainer.

But the mosquito coil tadpole knew that the human named Bert was incredibly strong.