Title: False
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red/Ash)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #23, False
Rating: PG-13
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. Zensho-verse

Warnings: AU, Shonen-ai, shota

Red should feel bad for lying but he doesn’t. When he told Green that he still thought of Green as his best friend – that was a lie then. Ever since Green had killed his Jigglypuff in that night-time attack on Pidgeot…

Charizard and Lapras had survived, Ditto just barely, and Pikachu only because she had chosen to evolve to Raichu the next day. But Jigglypuff had never had good endurance – she had lingered for a few hours, but only that much, and now, she was dead.

No, he had not told Green that, and he doubted Professor Oak would have. That lecture about Green treating his pokemon as tools instead of friends had gone in one ear and out the other, especially since Daisy had stood up for her brother, saying that he was only in shock from having lost to Red.

Liar.

He thinks about this, and so, when Green comes before the Pokemon Review three months later, to replace Giovanni as the new leader of the Viridian City Gym, he vetoes – votes against it.

He can see Green looking at him, stunned, but he doesn’t care. Lance smiles, and adds his vote, and where Lance votes, Lorelei and Agatha follow.

Green looks crushed but Red doesn’t feel it, and afterwards, he purposely stages a conversation with Lance when he knows perfectly well Professor Oak is eavesdropping on them.

Payback time.

“Lance?”

“Yes, Red?”

Red sighs, and leans into the Dragon Master’s chest, causing a faint look of surprise to flash across his face. But Lance is the most sympathetic of the Elite Four; and so he’ll play his cards right. Lorelei loves Agatha like her grandmother, and since Agatha still has feelings for Oak, it wouldn’t work as well with them. And if he tried to hug Bruno…

Red hides a shudder, but raises his voice. “What would you do to someone who kills pokemon?”

Lance’s smile was sharp-edged, nothing like his normal calm façade. “I’d kill them.” He said simply.

Red gasped in mock horror, and clutched the man a little tighter. “You would? Even if it were an accident?”

“Yes. Why, Red? Do you know someone like that?”

Red nodded.

“Will you tell me?” Lance coaxed. “Was it one of your pokemon?”

Red nodded again, twice.

“I am so sorry… I lost one of my Dragonite to a poacher, two years ago… was it Team Rocket?”

Red shook his head. It was not hard to cry, all he had to think about was Jigglypuff, deflated and lifeless, and he crying over her body. It was so easy to recall those feelings – the grief was still fresh.

“Then was it a gym leader?”

Here, Red hesitated.

Oak edged closer. True, he should not barge into a private conversation, but this was important!

“It is, isn’t it?” Lance asked. “It’s all right, Red. You can tell me.”

“G-Green…” Red sobbed, as Lance patted him on the back soothingly, feeling rage coil beneath skin. “H-He killed my Jigglypuff…”

Lance nodded. “That would tally with my observations. He cares nothing for his pokémon.”

“T-That’s why I don’t want him to be a gym leader…”

“Perfectly understandable. Even as a replacement for Giovanni he would be a blemish on our League. No worries, Red.” Lance grinned. “I will not allow it.”

Inwardly, Red smiled, while Oak felt his heart stop.

Green had killed pokémon?

He slipped away, and Red mentally cheered. Now everyone would know…

Lance kissed him then, and Red blinked at him, stunned.

“Felling better?”

“A little…” Red murmured, and Lance kissed him again. He gasped, but said nothing, even as Lance pulled him closer and kissed him one more time.

That… felt nice.

He had been right to trust Lance…

End Fic

Completed 1/27/07

Yes, I wouldn’t forgive Green for attacking me – unprovoked, too, and while I didn’t want to battle and my pokemon were dead-tired. And Jigglypuff is never seen afterwards in the Hall of Fame, so… ^_~

And Red *can* be a manipulative child, ne? ^^