A/N - here is the first chapter of a long comedy I am re-writing for the purpose of sharing it up here. I've written the first two chapters to get the ball rolling. It's filled with a lot of humor, randomness and banter... and a whole host of colourful characters. I've delayed re-writing this as it was difficult to decide where to put it. In some sense, it's a crossover, but it has so MANY crossovers in it that there is nowhere suitable for it in that section. But since it is more heavily Pokemon based, I am putting it here. It IS a Mystery Dungeon fic, and the other characters are merely referenced and renamed something else anyway. So...

Now for the exciting part... this is where YOU come in. Have a character you'd like to see as a cameo? An adventurous mission you want to send the main cast on? Then post it in a review! =D I would be delighted to add some customization to this crazy story! The characters you request may well be cameos... but there are also going to be some Goofing Off chapters that deviate away from the plot to just be outright crazy (cos we all need to goof off from time to time... don't we?) as such, these characters may have bigger rolls in side stories!

Here is the application:

Name and Species:
Anime Character (if applicable):
Personality:
Interesting traits:

Or for missions... just follow the example for the missions in Mystery Dungeon games ;)

I hope this excites all you as much as it does me! I've been wanting to revisit this story for quite a while!

Disclaimer - I do NOT own Pokemon or any of its critters or ANY animes or video games referenced in this fanfic. It is all purely for fan enjoyment and nothing more!

1 – It Starts

First there was a flash of bright light.

Then the faintest memory of a handheld console making a strange sucking noise.

Then there was the motion sickness.

And then... wetness.

"Argh!" Flailing. "Who on earth put a lake there?!"

"Jimmy..." Arms crossed. "It's a puddle."

Jimmy stopped flailing. Then stood up. The ground seemed a lot... closer than normal. Shaking a foot... a bare foot I might add... he stepped out of the puddle and looked down.

"Oh yeh, so it is... wait..." He raised an eyebrowless brow. "Since when was I green?" He looked over at his friend. "Del! Don't take this the wrong way or anything but... why are you an Oshawott?!"

Del, for the first time since landing on solid ground, looked down at her... paws. "What?" She then ran over to the puddle and looked down to see the white, round face of an Oshawott peering back at her. "I'm a Pokemon?! Since when did that happen?!"

"You tell me!" Jimmy crossed his small arms. "And why am I a Snivy?"

Del pondered this for a moment and smirked. "Kinda suits you actually."

"You sayin' I'm smug?"

"No..."
"You are, aren't you?"
"I think we have bigger things to be worrying about than if I think you're smug or not." Del sighed, patting the scalchop on her stomach anxiously. "I feel very nude."

"Don't worry, you have fur." Jimmy stuck his nose in the air. "I, however, have no fur. If you ever wondered what a Snivy felt like... it's scaly."
"I imagined they were scaly. They're lizards."

"Well anyway, I can't say I'm pleased about this."

"Neither am I. We were only playing a game." Del sat down. It was a rather different experience than normal. For one, she had flippers and they were attached to very stubby legs, which made the act of 'sitting down' more of a 'flop onto the backside' and both stubby legs stuck out in front of her, absolutely impossible to cross. "Did we... get sucked into the game?"

"Dunno." Jimmy also sat down, and crossed his legs as if to mock her. "You were showing me the new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game. You took the test... and then this happened."

Del's eyes widened. "Those words... it was going to tell me what Pokemon I was-"

"Yes. I believe it said 'I see... you must be...' then there was a flash-"

"And a sucking noise-"

"Then the motion sickness-"

"And you landed in a puddle."

"Yes. And got my tail wet." Jimmy reached over to his tail and beat it with his paws. "Stupid puddle."

"So, I'm an Oshawott." Del sighed and leant back on her paws. "I suppose there's worse things."

"Yeh. You could be a Snivy."

"What's your beef with Snivy?" Del crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Well... nothing, but... I mean... couldn't I have been something better? Like... I dunno... something more big and manly. Like..." He spread his arms wide. "A Tyranitar?"

Del blinked. "They're tall."
"I'm tall."

"Yeh but..." Del blinked again, her eyes widening. "They're tall. Like tall tall. So tall they make normal tall things look tiny."

"Now I'm just picturing a Tyranitar on stilts."

"Ahh!" Del flailed her arms and fell onto her back.

Jimmy stood up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine just... the image startled me."

"Oh uhm... okay, think about Bunearies."

Del sat up. "Okay I'm better now. Let's have a look around."
"S'pose. No point in sitting around here is there?"

"I guess not."

Jimmy helped her up. "Hey! I've just noticed something."
"What?"
"I have a type advantage to you now. HAH! Beat that! Finally! After all those times you kicked my ass with your team of overpowered monsters, I now have the upper-"
He was cut off as Del sprayed a water gun in his face. He wiped a paw across his face, scattering droplets everywhere.

"What was that for?!"

Del placed her paws on her hips. "Cooling down your hot head."

"So you spat at me?"
Del looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess so, yeh."

Jimmy snorted. "Whatever, let's just go. Wet tail... wet head... what next?"

With that, they shuffled away from the puddle towards what appeared to be a dirt track leading up a not-so-steep hill. It was seemingly deserted, and rather quiet. Even more so as neither of them had much to say, still rather shell-shocked to have had their forms changed so drastically (and in Jimmy's case, feeling rather too soggy).

"Oh look!" Del pointed a paw. "There's a building there!" She clapped her paws together. "Oh what a cute little hut!"

Jimmy paused next to her and stared at the building. It was made almost entirely out of soil, leaves and twigs. But one wouldn't think that to look at it, as it was a rather extravagant structure. It rose up from the ground in a form that greatly resembled the head and torso of a giant Pikachu, even down to the colour. Wooden steps ran up its front so those who wished to enter did so through a doorway beneath its chin.

"What do you think it is?" Jimmy asked. "A museum for the awesomeness that is Pikachu? Erected by Ash Ketchum?"
"It's a bit small for a human building." Del scratched her chin. "I think... this may be built by Pokemon."

Jimmy's jaw dropped. "You're saying Pokemon have architectural skills?"
"Apparently so."

"And they can talk and everything?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, yes. Let's face it, you don't sound to me like your speaking anything that could pass off as remotely Snivish."

"Snivish?"
"Yes. Do I sound... Oshish to you?" Del looked at him.

Jimmy gave her a blank stare, cocked his head on one side and fought the urge to burst into fits of laughter. "Osh... Oshish?"

"Sorry, do I amuse you?"

Jimmy let a snort of laughter escape his pointed nose before bringing it back under control.

Del sighed and turned to walk away. She waved her arm at him. "Go on, laugh if you must."

Jimmy fell to the floor in fits of giggles, gasping out the word 'Oshish' between breaths.

"When you're quite done," Del called over her shoulder, "I'll be waiting at the gate."
"I'm done." Jimmy appeared next to her. "Wait, I don't see a gate."

"The gate at the top of the stairs." Del waddled onto the first wooden step.

"Wait!" Jimmy grabbed her shoulder. "You're going inside that thing?"

Del looked back at him. "Well of course. Where else are we going to go?"

"I dunno, but freakish English speaking Pokemon that build giant Pikachu shaped buildings just isn't settling very well with me!"

"Jimmy. Look at me."

Jimmy looked at her.

"What am I?"
"An Oshawott..."

"And what are you?"
"A Snivy..."
"Therefore we are...?"

"Pokemon?"
"Exactly. So if freakish English speaking Pokemon did build this giant Pikachu shaped building we have no better disguise than what we have now."

Del turned to move up the stairs, but was stopped as a green clawed hand grabbed her shoulder once more.

"Del, wait!"

She looked back. "What now?"
"What if it's not freakish English speaking Pokemon with architectural skills but instead... evil wicked humans who wouldn't bat an eyelid at making us their entertainment-duo-slash-talking-Pokemon-slaves?"

Del gave him an exasperated stare. "Jimmy... your imagination is working in overtime again isn't it?"

"No. I'm thinking logically. I might be a Snivy, but I'm a very scared Snivy. I'm supposed to be a human. I don't even know how to get my vine whip out – oh wait, there it goes."

Two long vines came out of the leaves on Jimmy's neck.

"Well done. Put them back in, we don't want to scare whoever is on the other side of that door."

"I don't know how! How?!"

"Why are you asking me? I'm not a grass type!"
Jimmy looked desperate, grabbing the vines in his paws and trying to shove them back into his neck.

"Fine," Del sighed. "Can you suck them back in?"

Jimmy made a sucking noise as he puckered his lips.

Nothing happened.

"Nope," he said flatly. Then he panicked again grabbing at the vines which seemed reluctant to obey.

Del placed her head in her paws. "You're hopeless. Try... try talking to them?"

Jimmy stopped what he was doing (which wasn't much as now the vines were tied around his paws, tail and head) and looked at her. "Talk to my vines? Are you kidding me?!"

Del threw her arms in the air. "I'm out of options!"

"Is there a problem?"

The voice came from behind Del, causing her and Jimmy to freeze and look over at the speaker.

A lone Pokemon – a Teddiursa to be exact – was stood in the doorway sucking on her paw. And her voice sounded remarkably like...

"Peg?" Jimmy asked.

The Teddiursa blinked in surprise. "Yes... I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"I don't know. Do you?" Del looked from the Teddiursa to Jimmy and back.

"I've never met you," the Teddiursa went on. "Yet you seem to know my name. How curious."

Del and Jimmy exchanged confused glances then looked back at Peg.

"I guess I'm just good at guessing names? Erm..." Jimmy stopped and tugged at his vines. "Oh sheesh I'm stuck."

"You don't seem to know what you're doing," Peg told him as she descended the stairs towards them. "Would you like a hand?"
"Please," Jimmy said, giving up. "I'm in a bit of a tangle."
"You know what?" said Del, pointing at Jimmy haughtily. "This is because you laughed at me earlier."
Jimmy gave her a blank stare. "You're going to laugh at me aren't you."
"I'm thinking about it."

A painful untangling session later

Jimmy sat rubbing the leaves on his neck, looking rather relieved.

"Well, I'm glad that's over," he said, looking over at Peg. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." The Teddiursa sucked noisily on her paw as she stared at the two Pokemon. "What did you say your names are?"

"We didn't," said Del. She stuck out a paw. "I'm Del. And this clueless buffoon here is Jimmy."
Peg stared at her paw as though she was expecting something to be in it, then looked up at Del. Del withdrew her paw and hid it behind her back, filing a mental note about Pokemon and handshakes away under 'possibly not'.

"So what is this place?" she asked the Teddiursa, looking up at the tall Pikachu shaped building.

"This is Pika's Place," said Peg. "Haven't you heard of it?"
"No, we're..." Del paused, "not from around here."

"Oh?" Peg looked from Del to Jimmy and back again. "Pika's Place is known far and wide. Where are you from?"

"Far away," Jimmy explained. "Like so far away you probably haven't heard of it."
Peg sucked her paw a few more times before lowering it slightly and saying, "Okay."

Del and Jimmy exchanged glances and silent sighs of relief.

"Well, let me take you inside." Peg stood up and led them up the wooden stairs.

Del and Jimmy followed after her, Del much more hesitant this time. It could be assumed that the appearance of another talking Pokemon had made her feel somewhat uneasy – or it could be the uncanny resemblance to a friend in their own world.

Whatever the reason, inside Pika's Place caused Jimmy to let out a long, impressed whistle. "Swank!" he exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Peg looked back over her shoulder.

"Erm..." Jimmy shuffled his feet. "I'm impressed?"

Peg stared at him for a moment, causing him to visibly shrink away, then turned back to where she was going, leading them down a long corridor lined with thick luxurious leaves and trimmed along the tops of the walls with ornamental berries.

"You have to agree," Jimmy whispered to Del, "It does look very-"

"Don't say 'swank'," Del growled, flashing her canines. "It sounds rude."

Jimmy blinked. "Does it?"

Peg stopped at a door mid way down the corridor and opened it. "This way."
The two Pokemon followed after her cautiously. Inside the room almost took their breath away. It was filled with various Pokemon either playing some kind of chess-like board game on the floor, nattering over cups filled with assorted berry juices or looking over what appeared to be fliers.

Peg cut through them, leading Del and Jimmy to a door on the other side of the room where she stopped abruptly and knocked twice.

"Who's there?" said Jimmy.

Peg looked at him.

Jimmy shrank back behind Del.

A male voice came from the other side of the door.

"Enter."

Peg opened the door and took one step inside.

"You have visitors."

"Really?" The voice sounded a little more excited this time. "Well bring them! Bring them in!"

Peg smiled at Del and Jimmy and ushered them inside.

Del and Jimmy were less than keen however and edged inside as slowly as they could. The door closed behind them, the Teddiursa deciding to leave them alone with whoever was in the small room. The walls were filled with book shelves lined with various manuscripts, and sat in a black leatherette chair at a small desk was a Pikachu with his back to them. He span round in his chair and opened his arms wide with a grin.

"Hello!"

Jimmy screamed.

Del jumped then cuffed Jimmy over the head. "You startled me!"

Jimmy gave her the 'wounded puppy' look. "Sorry..."

"It's my fault," said the Pikachu. "I was a little enthusiastic. We've not had visitors in a while." He stood up and approached them. They eyed him up and down, taking in the fact he was wearing a black waistcoat finished off with a little blue tie around his neck. "The name's Pika, and this, as you have probably guessed, is my place. Hence Pika's Place. Get it?"
"Genius," said Jimmy sarcastically.

Pika seemed to not get his use of sarcasm as he beamed. "Well, welcome! What brings you here?"
"We're lost, actually," Del explained.

"Really? Where are you from?"
"Far away," she said before Jimmy could interject. "We came here hoping you could help us. It was the first building we saw, if I'm honest."

"Well, any Pokemon lost or otherwise is very welcome here. You see, we send out rescue teams to help Pokemon like you. Lost, wounded in battle, affected by the crimes of those more hostile, whatever the cause we help them! Does that sound like something you might like?"
Jimmy blinked. "You sound like a salesman."

"Oh..." Pika blushed, a small bead of sweat forming on his left ear. "I'm terribly sorry. I'm promoting my little business! I'm trying to recruit members, and I've not even asked your names! You might even be completely unqualified!" He scratched the back of his head and giggled. "I guess I got carried away."
Jimmy leant over to Del and whispered, "I think this guy might be a little bit mad."

Del nodded and whispered back, "I couldn't agree more."

"What do we do?" Jimmy asked.

"What else can we do? Just follow my lead. I've played these games." Del straightened up and smiled at Pika. "I'm Del, and this is Jimmy."
Jimmy stood to attention. "Yes, I am Jimmy."

"Well Del, Jimmy." Pika sat back in his chair. "Let me tell you a bit about what we do here. Like I said, we send out groups to help those who may need help. We get adverts from other Pokemon asking us to help their friends or relatives. As such, our teams have to be good at solving these problems or we don't get our rewards, you see. So good combat skills are necessary, bravery, positive attitude, a preferable knowledge of the area but that's not necessary so long as you have good survival skills." He looked at them. "Do you have rescue team experience?"

Jimmy looked over at Del, waiting for her to answer this question.

"Uhm... yes..." Del nodded. "We... we are a rescue team."
"Really?" Pika asked, drowning out Jimmy's equally confused remark.

"Yes." Del looked over at her friend. "Right Jimmy?"

Jimmy shuffled his feet and looked over at Pika. "Y-yes."

Pika spread his paws slightly. "What is your rescue team's name?"

"Uhm..." Del shrugged. "The Explorers of..."
"Of...?"

"Of..." Jimmy looked up. "Stuff!"

Pika raised a yellow eyebrow. "The Explorers of Stuff?"

"Yes," Del nodded. "And Things." She tried to look proud. "The Explorers of Stuff and Things."

An awkward silence passed between the occupants of the small room.

"The title's a work-in-progress," said Jimmy.

Pika beamed. "Okay. Well then, if you are happy to join then you can."

"Really?" Del and Jimmy said simultaneously.

"Of course!" Pika stood up and gestured to the door. "Well... shall I show you around?"

...

Please R&R! =D I do read them!