Title: Meeting Red
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red/Ash)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #76, Red
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

Warnings: Shonen-ai, fluff, shota

Red hissed, clutching at his arm. The Raticate sprang forwards for another attack, crimson glinting on his sharp teeth. The boy whimpered. It had been a bad idea, coming out of Pallet Town alone, but he’d wanted a pokemon very badly, and surely, if he just got one it would be all right.

But… his mom had been right. The wild pokemon out here were dangerous! What was he going to do?

He was too young to die!

He screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to look, as he heard wind rushing past him overhead.

Strangely enough, it didn’t hurt.

Red cautiously blinked his eyes open, seeing the Raticate struggling in the coils of another pokémon – a dragon, he realized numbly.

“Good work, Hakuryuu.” A male voice said. Red turned around completely, seeing a young man in dark clothing holding a poke ball out.

He was safe!

“Thank you!”

Lance shook his head. “And what were you doing out here without a pokemon to protect you?”

Red colored. “Well, I wanted a pokemon, but I’m not old enough to get one from Professor Oak yet, so I thought if I caught a wild one no one would mind…”

“I see.” Lance grinned. “Well, what’s your name?”

“I’m Red! And you?”

“Lance.” The Dragon trainer inclined his head. “I suppose I can’t just leave you out here, and you seem a nice enough kid. I’ll help you catch a pokemon.”

“Really?” Red asked, startled.

“Sure.” Lance said. He recalled his Dragonair in a flash of light, before handing Red another poke ball. “Try this one.”

Red threw the poke ball forwards, seeing a pokemon materialize. For a few seconds, he blinked, before recognizing it with a gasp.

“A Charmander!”

“Yes.”

“It’s so cute!” Red hugged the Charmander, who sneezed, before smiling at him. He looked around, keeping his eyes peeled for any wild pokemon. Spotting a rustling in the tall grass nearby, he smiled.

“Let’s go see what it is, Charmander!”

Charmander nodded, as they ran forwards. A burst of wind and the wild pokemon charged out. It was some type of bird, Red guessed, grinning.

“Charmander, use Flamethrower!”

The little fire pokémon nodded, scrunching up his face in concentration, before breathing out a large stream of fire. The unidentified bird twitched, before falling to the ground in a black charred heap.

Red reached into his belt for an empty poke ball and threw it forwards. It shook twice, before the bird was captured.

“All right!” Red cheered, before running back and hugging Lance – though he gave Charmander a hug too, first. “Thank you so much!”

“It’s no problem.” Lance said with a smile.

Red grinned. “That’s not true! If you hadn’t come by I might have been a Raticate’s lunch.” He shivered.

Lance chuckled, before something caught his eye. He grinned.

“Red, why don’t you keep Charmander? He seems to like you.” Charmander nodded, clutching on to Red’s leg with a smile.

“What?” Red stared at Lance incredulously. “But he’s your pokemon! I was just borrowing him!”

“It’s all right.” Lance reassured the Pallet trainer. “I already have a Charizard – he’s her son. I’ve been looking for a good trainer to leave him with, since I’m too busy to take care of a baby pokemon. So will you take him?”

It took Red about a millisecond to make his decision. “Of course I will! You’re really giving him to me then? But I don’t have anything to give you…”

“That’s all right.” Lance winked, before he leaned forwards and kissed the surprised boy. “I’ll just take this for now. I’m sure you’ll become a wonderful trainer, Red. See you around!”

With that, he released an Aerodactyl and was off before Red could say anything else.

Red touched his lips in surprise, before a blush spread across his cheeks. “He kissed me!” His first kiss, and it was with another boy…

Charmander nodded.

“Oh well. It wasn’t really icky. Felt kind of nice.” “Red smiled, before scooping Charmander up. “Let’s go home then. We don’t want to get into any more trouble!”

Needless to say, Professor Oak was quite surprised when Red knocked on his door and asked to borrow the healing machine. But he obligingly lent it, eyes widening as he saw that Red had *two* pokemon – a Charmander and a Pidgey.

How had that happened?

Red looked down, and admitted he’d been wandering outside trying to find a pokémon, and had gotten attacked, but this really nice trainer named Lance had saved him and given him his new Charmander!

That was quite shocking. Lance… the name sounded familiar. Oak checked his trainer database, eyes widening as he realized that Lance was the Leader of the new Elite Four that had been sworn in two weeks ago.

That was very interesting. Lance was rumored to have a good eye for potential trainers, and the fact that he had helped Red and given him a pokemon – maybe Red would grow up to be a wonderful trainer.

Red of course, didn’t know this, but he wondered if he’d meet Lance again.

Three years later, when Red was the new Kanto League Champion, both of those wishes were fulfilled.

End Fic

Completed 4/18/07

So much cuter with Lance and Red than Red and Yellow! *Shudders* in the PokeSpecial manga. Yellow *sucks*. She is such a Mary-Sue! And… apparently in the Shinou region there are lots of Kanto and Johto pokemon, and some from Houen too… since I saw a Dunsparce, Pidgey, Rattata, Zigzagoon, Weedle, and Ninjask all caught in an Ariados’s web in the first D/P episode…