Pokémon: Starting with Ash's Mom

After helping Kazuki tidy up, Suzie leaned on the sink to stand.

"Tired?" Kazuki looked at her with concern.

"I'm fine. If it's for you, I'm happy to."

Kazuki gave her a kiss on the cheek and said gently, "Let's go back and rest."

"You… you go first. I… I'll clean up a bit more." Suzie glanced nervously at the floor.

"This is still Duplica's bathroom, after all…"

"Hehe, alright then. Clean up and get some rest early." Kazuki stroked the back of her head and left the bathroom.

---

The next morning, Misty entered the washroom and saw Suzie washing her undergarments.

Toothbrush still in her mouth, she blinked in confusion.

"Suzie, why are you washing your undies so early in the morning?"

"Uh… um… I slipped last night in the bathroom and got them dirty!" Suzie quickly rinsed them one last time and tossed them into the dryer.

"?" Misty smirked and leaned in close to whisper in Suzie's ear, "Was it Kazuki?"

"W-what?!" Though Suzie wasn't too worried about Misty knowing she was close with Kazuki, this was still Duplica's house—she felt a little shy.

"Did you dream about Kazuki last night?" Misty raised an eyebrow teasingly.

"Dream?"

"Don't be embarrassed! Kazuki gets busy sometimes. When I was just off my period, I even dreamt about him!" Misty lightly nudged Suzie's shoulder.

"Truth is, remember when I said I was going out early to forage for berries?"

"I was really down by the river washing my clothes!"

"Wha—?" Suzie's eyes widened in shock. That was one of those unspoken, intimate confessions between sisters.

Now that it was out, Suzie took a deep breath, smiled, and said, "Then we've got to keep each other's secrets!"

"Otherwise, if Kazuki finds out, he'll never let us live it down!"

"Of course—pfft!" Misty spit out her toothpaste and laughed. "Let's go, Suzie! Kazuki said today Ditto will make a huge breakthrough!"

"We've got to be there to cheer him on! If he still doesn't succeed, we're going to have to keep giving him that extra motivation!"

"We can't let him embarrass himself in front of that rich girl!"

After freshening up, Suzie and Misty dragged a sleepy Duplica out with them and headed to the front yard.

---

By the time the three of them arrived at the training ground, Kazuki was already there, focused and commanding Ditto in training.

"Kazuki!" Duplica's eyes lit up the moment she saw him.

"You started training Ditto this early?"

She walked up, surprised and filled with gratitude.

"Ditto was very motivated yesterday. I couldn't let your generous favor go to waste!"

"Today's Ditto is not the same as yesterday's!" Kazuki said, deliberately keeping it mysterious.

"Is… that so?" Duplica frowned slightly, half-believing, half-skeptical, as she looked at Ditto.

"Just wait and see. Go join Misty and Suzie and be a spectator!"

"Okay!" Duplica nodded and stepped back to stand beside the two girls.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now's the time to witness a miracle!" Kazuki announced theatrically.

"Ditto, resume yesterday's training—transform into Psyduck!"

Ditto wiggled its body, and it began to shift rapidly.

Its form elongated, feather-like textures appeared, and in a matter of seconds, a lifelike Psyduck stood before them.

"Whoa! It transformed way faster than yesterday!" Misty was once again Kazuki's number-one hypewoman.

But Duplica's eyes were on the most important detail—

The eyes.

This time, they weren't tiny black dots.

Ditto had successfully replicated Psyduck's wide, vacant, soulful eyes.

Duplica stepped forward excitedly, her eyes wide, face full of joy.

"The eyes! The eyes!"

She nearly choked on her words.

"Ditto finally mastered the eyes!"

"Kazuki, how did you do it?!"

Kazuki gave a mysterious smile and replied with mock depth, "Actually, I gave it some special training last night. Ditto now is a whole new Pokémon!"

"Last night…" Suzie immediately latched onto those two words, and images of last night in the bathroom with Kazuki flashed through her mind. Her cheeks instantly flushed red.

Misty noticed her expression and asked, "Suzie? Your face is red—did you catch a cold from the rain yesterday?"

"Huh? N-no, I'm fine!" Suzie waved her hands frantically, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Maybe it's just… the sun! I didn't put on sunscreen today!"

"Yup, it's a sunny day!"

Misty squinted suspiciously at the sky but didn't press further. It was time to celebrate Kazuki's success, so she turned excitedly toward him.

"Well, Duplica, what do you think?"

"One day and one night, and he fixed your Ditto! This is a flawless transformation, right?"

Duplica nodded rapidly, fully convinced and beyond satisfied.

After thanking Misty, she turned back to Kazuki, eyes shining.

"Thank you, Kazuki!"

"Now that Ditto can transform perfectly, I can finally perform again!"

"This time, I can boldly invite my parents to watch me command Pokémon on stage!"

She excitedly pulled out her communicator and called her parents, bouncing on her toes as she extended the invitation.

On the other end, her mother's gentle voice came through: "Really? That's wonderful! We'll definitely come!"

After hanging up, her mother turned to her father and warned, "If you say anything to embarrass our daughter this time, I swear I'll never forgive you!"

Duplica's dad raised his hands helplessly. "I only said that because…"

"You said you'd suggest music school when the time was right!"

"Well, We'll support her fully this time!"

Duplica's mom ended the call with a few more loving questions about her daughter's health.

Even though the maids gave daily reports, a mother's worry never rests.

After hanging up, Duplica turned to the others, eyes bright with excitement.

"My mom agreed to come see my performance!"

"This time, I want to show them how much I've grown!"

Misty and Suzie cheered and promised to help draw in a bigger crowd.

—

After a few days of promotion and preparation, Duplica's performance house reopened.

On the day of the performance, her parents arrived early, bringing along a team of bodyguards and stylists to back her up.

But this time, it wasn't just invited actors and security—real audience members had come too, thanks to Kazuki and the girls' efforts.

The venue was packed, a perfect blend of hired extras and genuine fans.

"Wait, did I arrange for this many people?" Duplica's dad looked at the crowd outside the venue in disbelief.

"C'mon, let's go! Duplica saved us front-row seats!" Duplica's mom tugged at her stunned husband.

Backstage, the stylists finished prepping Duplica's look.

Off to the side, Misty rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Duplica, maybe it's just me…"

"But I think your outfit from a few days ago—the garter belt with the over-the-knee socks—looked better."

Duplica adjusted her collar and smiled. "That one's for private only."

"My mom says outfits that look too good should be worn only for your man."

Suzie blinked. "Then… you've been wearing really pretty things in front of Kazuki lately, haven't you?"

Her innocent question made Duplica blush. She muttered softly, "Kazuki's different."

"Alright, alright! I'm just the performer—the star today is Ditto!"

"Misty, Suzie, let's go!"

—

The performance began. Duplica stood on stage, directing Ditto through a fantastic show.

She knew every beat and movement by heart.

Before, the lack of audience was all due to Ditto's imperfect transformations.

Now, with that flaw gone, Ditto's mimicry was vivid and full of life.

The show was a resounding success.

In the audience, a portly middle-aged man shot to his feet, clapping with shining eyes full of pride.

Kazuki and the girls didn't even have to guess—it was Duplica's dad, disguised under a cheap wig.

After the performance, Duplica happily pulled Kazuki and the girls over to meet her parents.

"Mom, Dad, this is Kazuki, and this is Misty and Suzie. They're my dear friends!"

"I wouldn't have been able to perfect Ditto's transformation without them!"

Kazuki took a moment to observe her parents—Duplica's mom was an elegant beauty, and clearly the source of her daughter's good looks.

Her dad, on the other hand…

Well.

Duplica's mom gave Kazuki a warm smile.

"Thank you for helping Duplica. I can tell she's changed a lot."

Her father stepped forward, clapped Kazuki on the shoulder, and said heartily, "Handsome young man!"

"If you're willing to partner with Duplica, I'll invest everything I've got into building your careers!"

Kazuki smiled politely, about to respond, but Duplica beat him to it.

"Dad! Kazuki's going to be a Pokémon Master! He can't stay in performance with me forever!"

Her dad paused, then burst out laughing. "Oh? A Pokémon trainer, huh?"

"Well, in that case, I won't force it."

Then he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Wait, didn't I say I wanted you to study music?"

"You're not making me quit performing?"

"Hehe, I never said that outright," he began, but his wife elbowed him sharply.

"Ahem. Your mom supports you too!"

She smiled warmly. "We've thought it through—as long as you're happy, we'll support you."

"From now on, we'll be your managers and back you fully."

Duplica was touched.

Then, overcome with emotion, she suddenly dove into Kazuki's arms like a bird taking flight. Her lace gloves trembled slightly, her rapid breaths pressing against his chest.

"Kazuki, thank you! If it weren't for you, I might never have fixed Ditto's flaw."

"I might never have achieved my dream of Pokémon performance."

Kazuki was caught off guard by her sudden hug. Normally, he was fine with this kind of affection when they were alone.

But her dad was right there, eyes sharp with suspicion—as if staring down a punk dating his daughter.

In truth, her dad actually liked Kazuki—a capable, tall, talented Pokémon trainer with great genes.

But seeing his daughter run straight into another man's arms before even hugging her own father?

What dad could take that?

"You worked hard too. And your parents are really supportive," Kazuki whispered in Duplica's ear, gently reminding her.

She blinked and turned to embrace her parents too.

Only then did her father's murderous aura subside.

—

The performance was a hit. Duplica's father treated Kazuki and the girls to a celebratory meal at his restaurant.

Afterward, Duplica prepared to return to her performing career, and had to say goodbye.

They exchanged heartfelt well wishes, then parted ways to pursue their dreams.

—

On the road again, the trio traveled peacefully. Wild Pokémon were scarce, so as night fell, they set up camp in the forest.

After dinner, while Misty and Suzie tidied up, Kazuki went to the tent to claim his mission reward.

[Mission Complete: Helped Duplica's Ditto Overcome Transformation Flaw!]

[Reward: Magical Transformation Outfit has been added to System Inventory]

Kazuki took it out and examined it.

It was a multicolored, egg-shaped orb. Looked pretty ordinary.

Just then, Misty poked her head through the tent flap. "Kazuki, what are you doing?"

Kazuki's eyes lit up. He looked up and grinned. "Just checking out this new gear. Want to try it?"

Curious, Misty came in and sat beside him. "Transformation gear? What's that?"

"Something I bought earlier—a special outfit that changes form."

He used Ditto as a cover story to explain its origin.

"You do research too?" Misty leaned closer, intrigued.

Kazuki smiled, then pressed the orb to her chest. "Try it. It'll change based on your thoughts."

Misty gave him a skeptical look, then closed her eyes and thought.

Moments later, the outfit transformed—

Into a sexy maid costume.

White straps, thigh-high lace stockings, a plunging neckline—it left little to the imagination.

Misty looked down and shrieked, "Ah! Kazuki!! N-no! I didn't think of this!!"

She panicked, but Kazuki just smiled calmly.

Because that seductive maid outfit?

Was exactly what he had been thinking of.

Hah! So it only responds to my thoughts?

Wait—there's more!

Kazuki gently lifted the ruffled skirt.

Whoa! Perfect detailing—white see-through lace!

A glimpse of beauty, half-hidden, half-revealed.

----

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