Disclaimer: I don't own Psych or anything else recognizable.
Shawn and Gus were at an anime convention, there mainly for the Pokémon since they didn't know much else about Japanese entertainment. Shawn looked around at the various people dressed up as strange personas. But as the girls were primarily hot and most of the hotties were showing a lot of skin, neither minded.
"You have a girlfriend, remember?" Gus whispered curtly.
"I'm just looking," Shawn reassured his best friend, smiling widely at a cat girl in pink. "A guy can look."
"Not the way you are," Gus scoffed, but as he didn't have a girlfriend he felt free to smile smoothly at the very same cat girl. She rolled her eyes and went back to her four friends. As they continued to walk, he asked, "Where are the Pokémon?"
"Over there," a teen covered in obviously fake armor pointed to their left. "Games, movies, toys, merch, all clustered together. The rest of Nintendo's stuff is nearby."
"Whatever." And Shawn moved off to find himself some Pokémon. Thanking the teen, Gus hurried after his best friend.
As they entered an aisle where the booths were centering on Pokémon, Shawn halted Gus. Smirking widely yet disbelievingly Shawn said, "Look who it is."
Near a booth was a group of five or so people dressed up as various Pokémon characters, except for one who was a ballerina. Among them, dressed as Professor Oak, was Carlton Lassiter.
"He's the last person I would have thought would do something like this," marveled Shawn.
"No, because the last person we would have thought would do something like this would be your dad," Gus corrected him.
Shawn thought it over and made a noise that conceded the point. "Come on, let's go say hi to Lassie!"
Gus looked unsure of that course of action, but Shawn was already on the move.
"HEY! Here's Lassie!" Shawn laughed, joining the group. A man dressed as Brock rolled his eyes. "Carlton doesn't like that nickname."
"No, I do not," Lassiter affirmed. "Spencer, what are you and Guster doing here?"
"Same thing as you," Shawn smiled innocently. "Right, Gus?"
Gus looked as if he would rather be far, far away from this conversation.
"I doubt that, Spencer," Lassiter told the younger man frigidly. "I'm here to enjoy evoking a respected and knowledgeable character, to be with others who evoke those they admire and want to emulate, and to learn about and discuss various anime, manga, and games. You and Guster are here to pick up some items that you'll forget about in a month and leer at pretty women."
The two females in the group (dressed as Misty and Elesa) giggled.
"Well, I find it hypocritical that you sneered when Gus and I dressed up as vampires, but you dress up as a character from a video game!"
Lassiter rolled his eyes. "You two were melodramatic and it was a crime investigation. That is not the time for cosplay. Especially not girly vampires. All you two needed was some glitter!"
Lassiter's companions snickered, but stopped upon realizing Shawn was actually considering the idea.
"We would stand out, and it'd be fun to put on!"
"Is he serious?" whispered 'Misty'. Lassiter sighed, saying, "Until proven otherwise, save everything he says as idiotic. It saves brain cells."
"Does not!" whined Shawn.
Refusing to take the bait, Lassiter stated, "Go away and buy your stuff, Spencer. I get enough of your antics at work."
"Whatever, I'm totally telling everyone you play dress up," Shawn smirked, taking a photo with his iphone. "And I'll have proof!"
'Brock' shook his head in disbelief. "Wow."
"I know, it's brilliant," grinned Shawn before leaving.
Lassiter watched the duo disappear into the crowd. "I wish I had a real Charizard. Especially one that knew Flamethrower."
"Carlton!" 'Elesa' scolded him, but the effect was ruined by her laughing.
The next day, Shawn arrived at the police station and clambered onto McNabb's desk. McNabb didn't mind. Lassiter was nowhere in sight, which didn't matter to Shawn since that meant Lassiter wouldn't tackle him for what he was about to do. Gus was sure he was off plotting revenge in his apartment, or off complaining to Marlowe prior to plotting his revenge. All he knew was that revenge was going to be involved.
"Officers of Santa Barbara! I have discovered a terrible secret of one Carlton Lassiter!" Shawn proclaimed loudly. Everyone turned to look at him. Even Chief Vick poked her head out of her office to see what was going on. Getting out his iphone Shawn continued, "For you see-"
Then, with a bang, the front door opened and Carlton Lassiter strolled in, cool as a cucumber. If cucumbers cosplayed as Ash Ketchum, that is.
Shawn stared as Lassiter calmly took his seat at his office, seemingly ignoring all the looks he was getting. But Shawn saw via his honed senses that Lassiter was not only aware of the attention, but enjoying it.
"I learned, that," Shawn mumbled anticlimactically, jumping off of McNabb's desk. Wandering over to Jules for sympathy, he saw her hide her iphone from view.
"Jules!" he gasped, betrayed. "You told Lassiter when exactly to steal my, MY thunder?"
"Sorry, Shawn," she winced. "But it was his secret to tell, not yours."
"It was totally my secret to tell! I learned it!" Shawn protested. He knew that he would have to get back Lassiter somehow. Then again, the man was a mass of angry management issues with high skill using weapons. Leaning against Jules' desk, Shawn grumbled, "I'm totally going to paint him green and then he'll be dressing up as the Hulk."
"It's called cosplay, Shawn."
"Gus, that's just a fancy term for dressing up."
"No, it's not."
Shawn grinned. At least someone around here knew how to take bait. "Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
The two best friends wandered off to find food. At his desk, 'Ash Ketchum' started to whistle the original Pokémon theme song as he dove into his pile of paperwork.
The End