Title: Not what they appear to be
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #62, Appear
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. Special-verse

Warnings: AU, shonen-ai, conspiracy theories

“Lance…”

There was a voice whispering in his ear. The Dragon Master ignored it, and closed his eyes.

“Lance…”

There it came again. Who was it? His pokemon were all happily sleeping in their friend areas, and he was pretty sure there weren’t any other humans around…

“Lance! Wake up!”

Lance yelped as something cool pressed against his body. He opened his eyes to see Red standing there with his arms crossed, tapping his foot.

“Come on, Lance. It’s time for us to go to the Pelipper Post Office.”

Lance rubbed his eyes sleepily as he climbed out of bed, stifling a yawn. “All right. Give me… ten minutes. And don’t peek!”

Red grinned at his friend as he exited the house, yawning. A few minute later, Lance emerged, his hair neatly brushed and dressed in his customary blue bodysuit with Team Blue written in gold cursive on the back. They bought a few Apples from the nice Kecleon twins, waved to the Persian at Felicity bank and the Kangaskhan running the storage shop, before they made it to the billboard.

“You didn’t check your mail this morning.”

Lance sighed. “There wasn’t any new mail this morning. I’m supposed to go save a Scyther in the Buried Relic, but I’m not ready, so I’m not answering it.”

Red nodded sympathetically. “So have you already picked your partner?”

“Not yet.”

Red scratched his Pikachu behind the ears with a smile. “I always bring Pika with me, no matter the dungeon!”

Lance chuckled, as he waved hello to the Blastoise leader of Team Hydro. The Octillery leader of Team Constrictor was talking to a Charizard from another team. Gengar of Team Meanies was nowhere to be seen, but that was expected. Ever since he had been revealed as a human who had left his Gardevoir behind – selfish, no one had applied to his Rescue Team for help.

It was none of their concern, anyway.

Lance scanned the titles for a second, before he picked two. A baby Teddiursa and a Skiploom both needed rescuing in the Fiery Field, though they were a few floors apart. “I’ll take these two.”

Red nodded. “Then I’ll deliver a Giga Drain to Mudkip in the Frosty Forest. I’ll see you tonight, Lance.”

“All right, Red. Take care!”

Even though they were the Leaders of different teams, they were still friends. After all, the more rescue teams, the better. There did not seem to be any shortage of jobs, and he didn’t need that much money anyway.

Lance stopped by the Mystic Lake to pick up Dragonair, and then set off for the Fiery Field. He checked his pack – he had enough Oran berries to last them, so without further ado they entered the dungeon.

On the thirteenth floor they located Teddiursa, and it was a simple matter to save her with the rescue team badge, but when they reached the twentieth floor, they found Skiploom in an island of lava.

Lance sighed. “I should have brought a fire-type to cross lava with.”

Dragonair nodded, feeling slightly put out, but accepted his reasoning. We’ll come get her tomorrow, Master. I’m sure she’ll be fine.

With a smile, Lance agreed, and the two of them headed onto the next floor in search of the dungeon exit.

Skiploom shivered.

At the post office, Teddiursa’s mother happily gave them hugs and 300 pokeyen, and then they headed home. Lance thanked Dragonair, gave her a good grooming, and then took her home to Mystic Lake, where Dragonite and Dratini and Lapras waited.

Red showed up half an hour later, accompanied, as always, by Pikachu. He had changed out of his bright red uniform with his Team Red logo, and was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. Pikachu waved from his backpack.

“Hey, Pikachu.” Lance greeted, as he set the sandwiches on the table. “How did the mission go?”

We couldn’t reach Mudkip. He was in the middle of a pond and I can’t swim. Pikachu said sadly. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

Lance nodded. “Same. Skiploom was trapped in a lava flow, and I didn’t think to bring a fire-type.”

“Well, at least you saved Teddiursa, right?”

“True.” Lance acquiesced, taking a bite of tuna with a smile. Pikachu helped himself to an apple while Red smiled at Lance.

It had been odd, when he had woken up here, all his pokémon missing and with a Pikachu perched on his lap and talking to him, but he had adapted…

This new world seemed to have only pokémon, but they had been accepted without too much trouble after they have proved their worth in rescue missions. And it was nice to have human company to talk to…

Lance smiled at him, and Red flushed slightly, pink tinting his cheeks.

He and Lance had been… well, not quite enemies, but opponents, but after Cerise Island, everything had been blank and they had been here, and they had called it truce.

Now, they were even friends!

He finished his sandwich, before he and Lance sat on the Dragon Master’s bed, not really saying anything, just taking comfort in another’s presence.

Soon, Pika reminded them that it was getting late, so they parted ways. The next morning, Lance collected Arcanine and together they went after Skiploom.

The cottonweed pokémon was still in the same position they had left him last, but he was very grateful to be rescued, and thanked them, before flying off.

Lance frowned, something whispering in his mind, but decided to ponder later and went for a run with Arcanine to keep his spirits up.

He waved to Red as he passed him. Red was sitting in his front yard, accompanied by Poliwag and Zigzagoon, and of course, Pika. Zigzagoon and Pika were playing tag, while Poliwag just blew lots of bubbles with a happy expression.

Red waved back, and said that he’d take care of dinner tonight. Lance thanked him, and then followed Arcanine back to the Scorched Plains. Vulpix and Cyndaquil napped happily amidst dried grass and burnt trees.

“I’ll see you later.”

The pokémon waved goodbye, and no more was said. Lance didn’t need to speak, really. His Viridian Power was almost painful, linking him with every new pokémon he caught – most unfortunately not limited to dragons alone – he’d nearly had a heart attack when Magnemite had started following him and his starter Torchic around, but he’d gotten used to … friends, he supposed.

Friendship… meant so much more with pokemon.

Red was waiting at his Rescue Team base with a steaming cream stew, filled with bits of broccoli and carrot – Lance vaguely wondered how he had managed to cook it, but admitted there was a lot he didn’t know about the Kanto Champion.

Ever since this transition, they had become much closer. It was nice, though Red had almost had a heart attack when Xatu declared him the Chosen One who had come to save the pokémon world.

Perhaps he was a tad jealous, but Red was pure of heart, and he was not.

They ate silently for a while, before Red pushed his plate back with a troubled expression.

“Is something wrong?” Lance asked.

Red nodded.

“Well, tell me about it.”

The Dragon Master could become very persuasive should he need be, and without a word, Red pushed his chair back and sat in Lance’s lap, never mind that he was technically too old for this sort of thing and it could be taken the wrong way. He sighed as he leaned against Lance’s chest.

“I… when we went to rescue Mudkip, it was gone…”

Lance blinked. “Gone? As in missing?”

“Yes. We’d checked all the earlier floors, of course. Pika thought maybe she had retreated to a higher floor, but after we had cleared the whole thing… there was still no sign of her!”

“That’s strange…” Lance frowned. “Perhaps her friend sent another message, and so, some other Rescue team saved her?”

Red brightened. “It’s possible.” He declared happily.

Lance chuckled. “No worries than.”

“Nope!”

Pikachu just smiled as he ate another apple, not commenting.

Poor humans. They were trying hard, but they did not know what really went on. Only the purest of heart stayed human, the others were automatically transformed into pokemon upon entry to this dimension. The new pokemon were then stranded in various dungeons, and their rescue notices put up.

If a Rescue Team saved them in time, they lived to die another day. If not, their bones littered the dungeons. The truly lucky, who survived three or four missions, were allowed to live as pokémon.

It was a wonderful way to clean the earth, silently, so the legendary pokémon could purify it. There was an endless supply of humans after all.

Someday, the humans might realize it. Pika doubted it. Red was too innocent and Lance would never think of such a thing, and they were the only two who had come to this place and survived.

He helped himself to another apple as Red blushed cutely and Lance kissed him, sliding a hand underneath his t-shirt. They would probably mate soon, so he went outside to talk to Pelipper.

Do you regret it?

Of course not. The bird said, depositing another letter in Lance’s mailbox. If they die, so much the better. If they become like us, they will forget their human lives soon enough. Things are better this way.

Pikachu smiled in agreement, and closed his eyes, never remembering that once upon a time, he was known as Ash Ketchum.

End Fic

Completed 12/29/06

I’ve been wanting to do a Pokemon Dungeon fic for a long time, ever since I got the game and after several hundred missions, well, the game got a bit boring… it’s odd to have a game with just pokemon in it… and then I thought, what happens to the pokemon you don’t rescue? Every day the bulletin board is full, right? But you can only do a few missions each day – one dungeon. Even if you do two or three missions in the same dungeon, that’s only saving 2 or 3 pokemon. Are the rest helped by other rescue teams? If not, do the pokemon die? And if humans can turn into pokemon, that would explain why the pokemon population never runs out… I know, I’m rambling but it was fun to think about!