Title: Copycat

Author: Shadow/Phantomness

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: Championshipping (Manga! Lance x Red) and (Anime! Lance x Ash), others implied

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

Summary: What if the anime characters were only clones of the manga characters? What happens when the manga characters wake and discover the world has changed?

I’ll use the Japanese names for the Pokemon Special manga characters and the English names for the anime characters.

Warnings: Fanon, anime-bashing, shonen-ai, fluff, angst

Chapter 1

Lugia shifted uneasily as he watched the humans through the scrying pool. He cast a sharp glance over to the pale coffins that lined the walls, made of clearish glass in varying shades of red, blue, and yellow. They were predominantly blue, though one each of the secondary hues glowed.

< They have done it. > He said sorrowfully.

Serebii floated next to him, shaking her head. Even she had never… < This life will be such a trial for them. > She whispered. < I wish I could ease their suffering just a little. >

< I as well… it was fortunate that the true traits of a Realm Guardian did not carry through their process. > Mew sighed. Mewtwo laid a comforting paw on her shoulder, a stark reminder of what cloning could do.

< They are but pale imitations of our precious guardians. > Articuno sighed.

< I do not see why we cannot simply set fire to their factories and destroy their labs! > Moltres squawked. Zapdos nodded in agreement, his feathers standing up on end.

< I agree! They have no right to hurt our Guardians like this! We should kill them for their experiments! >

Honou shook his head. < It is not that simple… that is why the Guardians were created. Because they are human – at least partially, they may understand humans and try reason before force. >

Zapdos gave him a nasty look and fluffed his feathers. < So you say. >

< Enough. > Serebii glared at the assembled company. The legendary cats of Johto flicked annoyed looks her way. They had behaved respectfully and quietly.

< We will allow the Guardians to deal with the bleeding between lives when they awake. For in nine years they shall all wake. Then, we shall see how the false pales before the true, and how the gold shall always outshine the dross, and should the humans not learn from this most grievous error, we shall carve their sins in the letters of the Unown to endure for eternity. >

And that was that.

Lugia watched as the figure rode here on his Dragonite. So it had begun. The sun glittered off pink – such a pasty imitation of brilliant crimson – hair and reflected in brown – an ugly shade of mud, nothing like the brilliant gold of his Child’s – eyes. Even the Dragonite was inferior, a tiny specimen unlike the magnificent one his Child had commanded at Cerise, who slept as his Master slept.

He did not come singly alone though, he could see the others following him… the busty woman with bright red hair, the giant of a man, too dark, the wizened old woman, too pale and small and shrunken…

And then on a Gyarados of pink – pink! Hue came three more he recognized well. Mud-brown and carrot-orange and stark black that was not stone…

And the others poured into the caves, and he watched.

He heard gasps of surprise, and he relaxed as the first of the coffins split open.

Wataru opened his eyes, feeling the warning of danger as his hands brushed his poke balls open, releasing his dragon team. He heard inhalations of surprise and he nodded. It was always nice to frighten the enemy – and then he looked up and stared into what looked like a taller, paler version of him self! His blood hummed as he realized what had happened, even as the other guardians slid out of Sleep of Death behind him.

His hands flashed and then he was flying at the duplicate, his dragon blades singing their song of death and destruction in their wake.

Kanna glanced in disbelief as she released Jynx. This imposter dared mimic her, even going so far as to have the same pokémon! Rage boiled in her heart as she took out her lipstick. Four quick X’s on Jynx’s ice doll and her double was curled up on the floor, ice cuffs locked around her wrists and ankles as she tried to stand but could not.

Shiba simply grunted, as he and Bruno began to do battle. Their pokémon were fairly well matched, though Shiba quickly discovered that his clone had obviously not bothered to train with his special maneuvers, and quickly, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee overpowered the others.

Kikuko simply faded into shadow and watched her double try in vain to discover her. So, there was no true Ghost Mastery. Pity. She nodded to her ghosts and a scream sounded, causing several of the combatants to pause mid-fight.

Red glared at his double, especially at the Pikachu on its shoulder. Well, he may no longer have Pika but that did not mean he was weak! Vee flashed in his mind as he summoned her and her Psychic attack blasted them both backwards.

What had they done?

… These… were not human either… but…

Kasumi and Takeshi stood back to back, their Kabutops and Kingler working well together to drive the fakes back. Surely…!

Kasumi ducked a waterfall attack from the other one’s Seaking, and growled low in her throat as she ripped Starmie’s poke ball off her belt and pointed him forwards with Hyper Beam. Meanwhile, Takeshi gasped as his Onix reeled back from a Explosion attack – what was that pokémon he didn’t recognize – as Kabutops neatly sliced the Crobat’s wings, causing it to fall down. The other one swore and recalled the Crobat.

Natsume laughed as she danced away from the other. This was the most fun she had had in ages, not counting the times when she and Matsuba and Karin and Itsuki battled each other in a free-for-all.

Sabrina cursed as her Kadabra missed again. Was this other woman psychic as well? But… but she had an ‘R’ on her dress, so she supported Team Rocket…

Will shook his head. That freak looked like him! But it couldn’t be! He ordered another attack from Xatu, but it was blocked as an Umbreon jumped in front of the way.

Itsuki nodded to Karin in thanks, as his Xatu bashed its wings against the other Umbreon’s head, causing it to break off its roar attack. Karin smiled.

Karen growled and released her Houndoom. “You’re not getting away with this! Flamethrower!”

Itsuki frowned, but a sudden wall of water stopped the attack. He turned and saw Wataru’s Gyarados towering above them and nodded his thanks. He and Karin nodded to each other, and began attack again. Their clones were quite surprised to find that their ‘parent’ humans were attacking, so they pressed their advantage quickly.

Meanwhile, Green watched Blue and Silver dealing with a girl in a bandanna and a bug-eyed boy with glasses. He did not bother to talk to his own copy as he released Scyther and Charizard. The other him released Blastoise and Dodrio.

The battle raged.

The legendary pokémon watched impassively. They had no doubt that their Chosen ones would win. It was only a matter of time. For some, the difference in skill was great – Charlotte had disabled Flannery easily with her Flareon and Ninetails soundly whipping the other girl’s Magcargo and Torkoal – and Wataru’s Hakuryuu had with astonishing ease taken out his counterpart’s pokémon. Even Red had knocked Ash out swiftly, even though Ash’s pokémon were still growling, they could no longer fight.

Red stroked Vee’s forehead and ears as he watched them. “I cannot believe people would clone us.” He whispered in horror.

Wataru simply snarled as he looked at Lance.

End Chapter

Completed 7/26/06

Yes, I know tis a weird idea. And you know, it was quite fun trying to write it! After all, I love the manga version of them all much more than the anime version… well, except Will’s a bit insane in the manga, and Karen’s not that pretty… and Charlotte’s an OC, but I made her manga! Flannery. Because I needed someone who used fire-types and had long hair. I am quite aware there already is a Flannery in the Houen manga, but you’ll notice that all the others are Kanto or Johto. And Blue and Silver I made Max n’ May equivalent. Yellow is missing because I despise her. And I hate Gold, so he isn’t here either… and I didn’t mention all the gym leaders, because I didn’t feel like it.

JAPANESE to ENGLISH names so y’all know whom I’m talking about (or Manga to Anime for those few)

Red/Ash Ketchum

Green/Gary Oak

Blue/May

Silver/Max

Wataru/Lance

Kanna/Lorelei

Kikuko/Agatha

Shiba/Bruno

Natsume/Sabrina

Matsuba/Morty

Itsuki/Will

Karin/Karen

Kyou/Koga

Anzu/Janine

Katsuya/Blaine

Sakaki/Giovanni

Ibuki/Clair

Aya and Erika have the same English to Japanese names. How unfortunate.

And yes, I know Wataru is done in katakana, but when it’s not, it’s a girl’s name. *Cackles* so I suppose me writing het championshipping was preordained? Authors are a lil’ bit psychic after all!