Title: Nostalgic
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #68, Nostalgic

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

Warnings: AU, het

 

            Red sneezes as he peers into another box. He doesn’t know why they’re cleaning the attic. In fact, he’s not even sure why they still have a house in Pallet Town. It lies empty most of the year, and they certainly aren’t getting anything out of it. Besides, he’s preferred living at Indigo Plateau or camping out, and since he’s Champion, he can stay with Lance all the time and no one will raise an eyebrow.

            He hears his wife chuckle, and turns around.

            “What is it?”

            Lance holds up a raggedy stuffed Pikachu, and Red colors.

            “Is there something you would like to tell me?”

 

            “Wow… I didn’t know I still had old Pika-chan! I wonder what she would think if she saw me now.” Red said, tenderly picking up the animal and trying to wipe the dust on it away.

            “Who knows?” Lance shrugged. She pushed her bangs out of her eyes. “You have a real Pikachu now.”

            “Yes.” He can still remember telling stories of his adventures to his mother, when she was still alive. She always said he had an active imagination. Who could imagine putting Pokemon in cards of all things?

            It makes him a bit sad, that he’s not as innocent as he was then, in more than one way. He’s seen corruption and evil and other things no child should see, during his journey, and later on, as a Champion’s duty, but there have been some good changes too.

            Being married is one of them.

 

            He puts Pika-chan in his backpack carefully, to take with him back to the Plateau. Something tugs at the edge of his mind, and he understands.

            “We’re selling the house, aren’t we?”

            “Do you mind?” She asks. “I mean, unless you would prefer to rent it out…”

            “No,” He says. They could use the money, anyway.

It doesn’t hurt Red as much as it should, probably because he has not lived here for a while, so now it’s just a building and not a home.

And, it just isn’t right without Mother.

 

            “It’s all right.” He adds, and they get back to work, boxing up the items. There are many things that he no longer wants to keep – a box of knitted sweaters that are much too small, one of his mother’s fur coats, a stack of old children’s books repaired with clear tape…

            There is a lot of furniture that is still in good condition, though dusty, so they donate that to the local charity.

            The next day, the house is put up for sale, and they fly away, not looking back once. That night, they have a date at the Roserade Restaurant, with delicious food, and then head back to their apartment for some time together.

 

            Red kisses her, and doesn’t feel so nostalgic anymore. And on the nightstand, Pika-chan’s beady button eyes seem to wink at him.

 

End Fic

Completed 9/21/06

Edited 9/25/09

Pika-chan is actually the ‘Eternal Winged Pikachu of Greatness’ from Card Captor Ashura, and my fluff muse, so I gave her a bit of a cameo in this one. ^^
Pika-chan: *Preen*

Lance: *Smirk*

Red: *Grins*