Title: Suspicious
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #101, Suspicious
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: AU, het

Sooner or later, someone has to notice that the Elite Four don’t age.

For a while, it’s easily explained. After all, Agatha is old and white-haired, and at that age, it’s hard to tell how old people are anyway, and Lance and Lorelei and Bruno and their Champion Red are young, teenagers and early twenties, and so they look young for quite a while.

But then, people start getting suspicious. Bruno starts showing a bit of gray in his hair, and Lance develops streaks of silver, and Lorelei’s hair changes to a lighter shade of vibrant purple, but Red…

Red is still as chipper as ever, not a wrinkle to be seen.

It’s hair dye, and the fact that he’s never out in the sun, people explain, but that leads to further contemplation.

One of the challengers brings a Venusaur that knows how to synthesize Garlic powder when he comes to fight the Elite Four, and Lorelei comes out in hives, and that seems to be all the suspicion they need.

“They think we’re vampires?” Red asks incredulously.

“I guess so,” Lance flashes a fanged smirk. “I guess my looks aren’t helping.”

Lorelei sneezes, and gulps down two more antihistamine tablets with a glare. “It’s not my fault I’m allergic.” She coughs.

Agatha brings her herb tea, tansy, and an assortment of chocolates with soft fillings, because if you’re going to be miserable, you might as well eat well.

The rumors spread, and the Elite ignore them, because there’s no point in fighting fire with fire. It’s so hard to fight whispers on the wind, and as long as it doesn’t change their status, they don’t mind.

However, if people are trying to force their resignation, that matter becomes very complicated indeed!

Agatha knits and sips herb tea as she frowns. Lance goes out at night and comes home with a crazy grin and blood on her hands. Red will pet Lance, and take her inside and they will make love until she gasps surrender. Lorelei makes ice sculptures, and Bruno heads out to the mountains to train until he is exhausted.

It will not hold, and they know it, but until their failsafes break, they will cope.

They barricade the Plateau, and their Pokémon are strong, stronger than people can imagine, fed on the blood of the wicked and the hate of the world.

Lance laughs, a high, keening cry, and the wild dragons come, for their Dragon Master has called them. Lorelei smiles and she summons the Ice Pokémon and the Water Pokémon from the seas. Agatha wanders through the shadows, and calls the Ghosts to their aid, while Bruno’s Fighting-types pour out of the mountains to defend their Caller.

They know.

They can defeat Kanto itself if they need to, and they prove it.

The Gym Leaders escape.

The bureaucrats remain.

Red holds Lance close, because he knows without knowing, that he is all Lance has left to stay sane. So he kisses the Dragon Master, and runs his hands down smooth flesh, and ignores the madness pooling in golden light, ignoring everything except the love he feels.

She gazes up at him, as if daring him to complain, but he has no words of reproach for his wife.

He cares for her, and only her. At this point, the rest of the world can go to hell.

End Fic

Completed 10/6/06

Edited 10/6/09

Yes, this isn’t really on the 100_moods list, but we’re allowed to do a few of our own, so I decided to just lump it together, since it’s an emotion, isn’t it? ^^