I love dragon pokémon!

Title: Intimidated
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #54, Intimidated

Rating: PG
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. Game-verse with Special influences

Warnings: AU, het

 

            Red watches, as Lance half-smiles. The Trainer standing across from him is beaming arrogantly, but Red knows better than anyone how truly powerful she can be.

            They decided to go the full five, so Gyarados takes the field. Of course, everyone thinks Gyarados is weak, but really, it’s easy for a strong Pokémon to pretend. And as a Thunderbolt attack from the Nidoking strikes, Gyarados falls and Lance recalls him.

            He is the only one who knows that they are faking.

            Hakuryuu and Ptera fall, because Kairyuu – Dragonite – is Lance’s most powerful Pokémon. Everyone knows that, and it is no surprise when all of the challenger’s Pokémon fall, one by one, as the dragon roars.

            Red watches as he stomps out, saying how that Pokémon is so illegally strong it should be banned.

            If only they knew.

 

            The Elite didn’t become Elite by being weak…

            If Lorelei used her full power, she could freeze Cinnabar Island solid.

            If Agatha wished to, all the ghosts in Kanto and many from Johto (and not only the ghosts of Pokemon, at that…) would respond to her call.

            If Lance wished to use it, she could summon all the Dragon Pokémon that live to follow her – even those that technically belong to other Trainers.

            But they don’t show off.

            The Elite hide their true power. Red knows this, because now, he is one of them.

 

            They used to frighten him, and he mistakenly believed them weak at first, but when he saw Lance take a Hyper Beam attack without flinching – when he saw Lorelei freeze eight men solid from fifty yards away, without using a Pokémon – when he saw Agatha channel for the first time…

            He understood.

            They were just like him. They were strong, but pretended to be weak.

            That way, no one would ever know their true power. No one would try to control them. People would not stalk them, with killing intent. Laws would be made, so weak men could take over. Insipid humans would swarm like rodents around them, begging for aid they had no need to give. Even the Church could condemn them as demons.

Keeping it a secret made perfect sense.

 

            If people did know, Team Rocket and collectors alike would hunt the Elite Four. They might even be killed.

            Power was dangerous, and the government was twitchy.

            As Champion, Red hid too. He hid the fact that he had captured Mew and other Legendaries. He hid his Pokémon, using the same tactics the Elite did, allowing the challengers to get lucky shots in and making mistakes any rookie could spot a mile away, withdrawing his Pokémon before they could get a good look.

            His Pokémon became superb actors.

 

            Sometimes, it hurt him to pretend. When that happened, he would challenge Lance to a battle, and she would smile at him, and they would walk into the Stadium and rage until the elements themselves roared in the heavens. It always took hours, and the victor was never sure.

            Afterwards, thoroughly drenched with sweat and bone-weary, they would sit together, and Red would sit as close to her as he dared.

            The Dragon Master was frightfully powerful, and he didn’t feel worthy to be near her. But she never coaxed, and it was fairly peaceful.

            Until the day when … well, he wasn’t sure what had happened. Perhaps it was hormones, perhaps Fate, but in any case, he had suddenly realized that she was more than strong. She was… pretty.

            She had long crimson hair and golden eyes, and she was Dragon Master.

 

            Red had sat next to her then, and hugged her on impulse.

            For a moment, Lance had looked at him, almost frightened, which was ridiculous, but Red couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

            Did she not like him?

            Was he unworthy of her?

            He did not want to believe that!

 

            No, the Dragon Master whispered, and kissed him, which was a lot better than hugging, though Lance kept a firm grip on him.

            “It is because you…. I never expected you…”

            It wasn’t that hard to piece out.

            Lance didn’t think Red would love her?

            Well, he himself didn’t know why he liked – no – loved, Lance, but did it matter? When it all came down to the wire, explanations didn’t matter…

 

            So now Red loves Lance, and Lance doesn’t pressure him, and they can pretend many things but they don’t have to pretend to be in love.

            That’s… wonderful.

            Championships, after all, are hollow by themselves.

 

End Fic

Completed 10/13/06

Edited 8/3/09

Kind of fluffy in a vague way…

Red: You look tired

Phantomness: I have memorized the brain! Mwahahaha!

Lance: Ahh, cramming for your psychology midterm…