Title: Rationally
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #15, Rational People
Rating: R
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: Het, Bruno bastardization, rape, angst, fanon references

“Do you love me?”

Lance sighed. “Must we go over this again, Red?”

The Champion nodded. “I need to make sure.”

“Look, I didn’t encourage Bruno or anything. The bastard raped me, and now instead of comforting me you’re going all ‘did you love me?’” The Dragon Master stood, cape rustling behind her, and stalked off.

Red frowned, wondering if perhaps he had pushed too far this time. True, he would never have suspected Lance would cheat on him, but Bruno…

Bruno had said… that this was not the first time.

That Lance had wanted it…

That Red was just a child…

He was pretty sure he had punched Bruno in the face after that, and the fighting type trainer had just laughed.

He sat down on a chair and drew his knees up to his chest, and tried hard not to worry too much.

“He thinks I did it just for kicks?” Lance hissed. “He thinks I suffered because I enjoyed being beaten to a bloody pulp?”

Master…

“Perhaps this will teach him the truth then!” Lance said; her eyes blazing angrily as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. However, before she could move into the next sequence, Ptera stopped him with a screech.

Master… please… not yet… don’t take the Sword…

“What else am I to do, Ptera? It’s been three months and he still doesn’t trust me. For heaven’s sake, I’m his wife. Does he think I think so little of my wedding-vows?”

She sighed. “I can’t keep going… I should not have yelled at him, but it was too difficult not to care.”

* And so I care… *

Master…

“Love is never enough, is it?” Lance asked. “In the end, love really means nothing. I love him but he doesn’t care. And love does not heal, because he refuses to believe me. And if he cannot trust me, then he cannot love me, and if he does not love me, then I really have no reason to stay with him. He might as well find another…”

Master?

“Shh, Ptera. I will not take the Sword. I promise you. Not today.”

Aerodactyl frowned and watched as Lance slowly walked away. There were no nearby cliffs, and she was fairly sure her Master was not contemplating suicide, but…

What was she to do?

“I just can’t take it any more…”

She stood in front of her vanity mirror, staring at her reflection. With a sigh, she reached for her cosmetics. She had never really needed them before, but now…

The woman brushed the foundation over her skin to hide the dark circles under her eyes, and carefully adjusted the golden bands at her throat.

She doubted Red would notice the changes.

“Looking good, princess,” Bruno leered as she walked past. She ignored it. So did Red. The Champion was studiously ignoring his presence, feeling angry.

Why had Lance yelled at him anyways?

It wasn’t his fault!

Besides, Lance should love him most.

Stupid Bruno. They should have sent him off to jail for what he did, but no, it was bad for public relationships, so this had to be kept a secret.

Red growled and turned another page in his magazine.

Lance made a cup of tansy tea and retreated to her room, not saying a word.

There was no reason to speak.

Time passed. Battles were fought, legislation was passed, Goodman was re-elected… and Red and Lance barely spoke, barely acknowledged the other’s presence. He was still fuming and she was barely there.

Relationships could fall apart so easily.

Then it happened.

Red was walking down the hall when he heard Bruno speaking to Lance. The Dragon Master’s office door was slightly ajar, and Bruno did have a carrying voice.

“Yes, that’s it you little slut, that’s all your good for. Take it!”

He edged closer, only to see Bruno push Lance to the ground with a leer. “You know you want this, slut. So don’t go running to your little boyfriend with stories, now. You wouldn’t want me to hurt him, now would you?”

“You’re despicable.” Lance hissed.

“Whatever.” Bruno backhanded the Dragon Master casually. “Now are you going to make me do all the work or are you going to be good?”

“I’ll never let you do this to me again, Bruno.” Lance said calmly, far too calmly, Red thought detachedly, for someone in her position.

“Like you can stop me.” Bruno huffed. “Clothes off. Now.”

“No.”

“Look, I can hit you again. Or perhaps…” Here Bruno’s leer became more pronounced. “Maybe Machamp should warm you up first.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me. Now do it!”

Lance closed her eyes, and Bruno laughed, thinking that he had won, when a sudden unseen force pushed him away, sending him sprawling against the far wall. He got up angrily, advancing on Lance, but that was when he noticed who was standing in the doorway.

“Vee.” Red growled. “Hyper Beam.”

The Espeon nodded, forehead jewel glowing red, as a powerful pressurized energy blast smashed into Bruno.

Red was already moving, as Venusaur’s Stun Spore drifted over Bruno’s body, paralyzing him. The fighting type trainer froze in place, before Venus casually bound him tightly with her vine whips so he could not escape.

“Lance!”

The Leader winced as she stood. “Thank you for your assistance, Champion.” He said softly.

“He-he…”

“I believe he will go free again. President Goodman seems disinclined to press any charges. Tis terribly unfortunate – I shall have to be more careful.” With that, Lance moved past Red.

It was almost as if she didn’t even see him.

Red stared after Lance’s retreating figure, before he ran after her. He followed Lance into her bedroom (and what had once been their bedroom), and watched as the Dragon Master turned in surprise.

“Champion?”

“I-I think we need to talk.”

“Are we not conversing already, Champion?”

“That’s not it! I mean really talk. Like… friends.” Red groped for a word that wasn’t too intimate and came up with something that made him flush in shame.

He could hardly call her his wife after what had happened.

The shame of being a cuckold was too much for his pride to bear.

Lance cocked her head to one side. “Are we not friends, Champion?”

If he would not mention their relationship, neither would she.

“Well of course we are, but!”

“Then what reason is there to discuss this friendship?”

“Isn’t it important?”

“Decidedly so. You were quite instrumental in preventing sexual assault.” Lance said, voice and expression perfectly tranquil. It was too perfect, Red thought. “Though… perhaps you were expecting recompense for your heroic actions.”

“… What?” Red asked, still trying to parse Lance’s formal speech.

Red was reasonably stunned when Lance knelt down and kissed him. He responded eagerly – of course they had had no physical contact since the incident, but now things were looking up!

He moved quickly, and they made it to the bed in a tangle of limbs, and then stars exploded behind his eyes and he cried out in relief. He leaned against Lance, feeling perfectly sated and happy, and soon fell asleep.

Lance slipped out of bed without a word, and very calmly showered, dressed, and left the room.

She had to keep Red safe, after all. And there seemed to be only one path left.

Needless to say, Bruno was surprised when Lance entered his room in the middle of the night. It only got worse when Lance very quietly pulled a sword out of midair and rammed it through his chest.

The Dragon Master calmly wiped the blade on the sheets, and then returned the sword to its sheath and quietly walked down the hall, before climbing back into bed.

Red did not even stir.

When Red woke up the next morning, he found Lance still asleep, cuddling against him. It was so nice. He supposed that now things had been patched up, and pushed the sheets down as he got up to shower. However, as he glanced over at the Dragon Master again, he paled.

He hadn’t noticed last night, but Lance looked… shriveled, for lack of a better word. Her skin was pulled taut over her ribs, her breasts looked droopy, and Red swore that he could see just about every bone in her body, after he pulled Lance’s clothing up to check. Her eyes were closed, but with makeup washed away, Red saw dark circles beneath them, and her hair, normally thick and glossy, was quite thin.

… What?

What was going on?

* She’s like a skeleton… *

It was frightening.

When he shook Lance awake, the Dragon Master stared at him with blank eyes, and whispered that she didn’t have the energy for another round, could they wait until tonight? And that was what really clicked.

“Lance, what are you saying?”

“I cannot pleasure you currently, Champion. I am afraid you will find my efforts poor quality.”

A wife must be able to please her husband, after all.

“… What?”

Lance stood slowly, and shook her head. “My apologies. My appearance must be quite distressing, Champion. Needless to say it shall be perfectly dark and you shall have no opportunity to glimpse this again.”

“That wasn’t what I meant! Why are you so skinny? Are you sick?”

“Tis not transmittable so you shall have no worries, Champion.” Lance wrapped a sheet around her body and smiled, but to Red, it seemed more like a grimace. Her once-pretty golden eyes were terribly hollow, and her cheeks thin. “Tonight then?”

“But… what about breakfast?”

Lance blinked at him, confused, before she nodded. “It shall be prepared shortly.” Fifteen minutes later, Red was sitting before a tray covered with all his favorite foods.

She watched him eat, but made no move to try anything herself. Red finally slammed his hands down on the tabletop, rattling the cutlery.

“Lance, what’s wrong with you?”

“Champion?”

“Quit calling me that! You know my name! We’re hardly strangers, and…”

Lance did not reply.

“I mean, aren’t you hungry at all? You need to eat something, Lance. You look terrible.”

Lance stared at Red for a moment, before she came back with another plate and fork, took a single pancake, and began to eat.

* This is just prolonging the inevitable, Red. You shouldn’t bother. *

Red eyed her like a hawk, but it didn’t seem like Lance was going to make any other moves, so finally, he just finished breakfast and left the room, not sure what to do or say.

At lunch, Lance made him peanut butter sandwiches cut in angel shapes and adamantly refused to eat any.

In the afternoon, the League council meeting went off without a hitch, but afterwards, he found Lance staring off into space, the legislation on her desk half-completed.

What in God’s name was going on? Had his spouse gone completely insane?

At dinner, Red snapped. “Look. I don’t like what you’re doing, Lance, and it’s not good for you! You can’t afford to lose all that weight and there’s no reason you should be trying to! If this keeps up you’ll really get sick and-!”

He cut himself off, not wanting to say the fatal word.

* I won’t let her die! *

Lance’s eyes were vague and unfocused, and as Red watched in horror, the Dragon Master smiled.

“Die, Champion?” She asked dreamily. “Yes, it would be nice.”

“Nice?”

“It’s almost time.” Lance continued. “Soon it won’t hurt any more. I should have died that day so long ago, so there’s no point…”

Red just stared at her in abject terror. Who was this stranger? Where was his wife? “Why-why are you doing this to yourself, Lance?”

“Because.” Lance said, as she clasped her hands in front of her chest, “It’s pointless to live without love.”

“W-Without love…”

“Do you love me, Champion?” Lance asked quietly. “You don’t, do you? I’m hideously disfigured and useless in bed. Of course you wouldn’t.”

“What are you talking about, Lance? Of course I love you!”

“You have peculiar methods of expressing affection, Champion. One would conclude you hated me from your actions of the past few months. But perhaps all I deserve is pain, is that not what you said yourself?”

“I-I…”

“Do you wish to kill me, Champion? You could do it so easily – and I’m too weak to stop you.” Lance smiled, sending a shiver down Red’s spine. “Will you kill me?”

“Of course not! You’re not making any sense!” Red exploded. “Quit… quit doing this!” He knocked his chair to the ground, towering over the Dragon Master as he stalked over to her.

Lance only nodded. “See? You want to, don’t you?” She tilted her head back, exposing her throat. “Enjoy.”

Red suddenly felt very ill.

After a moment, Lance blinked at him. “No?”

“No.” Red said firmly.

Lance sighed, a bone-weary sound. “Then I will have to do it myself.”

“What? That wasn’t what I meant either!”

Lance paused, a strange bloody light playing over her fingertips. “Do you not want the Sword, Champion?”

“…The what?”

“Yes… you should take the Sword…” Lance guided Red’s hand to her chest, and Red was startled to feel cold, almost like metal, which was odd, and had she lost a cup size or something from dieting? She was so different. “But Bruno is already slain, and you may have no need of it.”

“You can’t die!” He exclaimed. * She can’t… *

“Is that an order, Champion?”

“Yes.”

Lance nodded dully. “Very well, Champion.”

That was it? Why wasn’t Lance protesting? Why was she just sitting there and taking it? Why wasn’t she trying to live? Why was she trying to die? Was it because of him? Had he done something to cause this complete one-eighty?

A cold lump settled in Red’s stomach. “T-This is about Bruno, isn’t it?”

“The Champion did not wish for me to engage in a sexual relationship with him so I disposed of him.” Lance said calmly. “After all, you own me.”

“That’s all?”

“I am yours to command, Champion.”

“But why?” Red asked. “Why are you being so submissive? It’s not like you at all, Lance. And why do you say I don’t love you? I do!”

“Sex, while pleasurable, does not indicate love.” Lance said. “Neither does marriage. That is all I have to say, Champion.”

Red wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “I don’t understand.”

Lance refused to say more, and finally, Red walked over to her. He knelt next to the Elite trainer and met her eyes, and instead of the insanity he had expected, he saw despair and a love that frightened him.

“Kill me.” Lance whispered. * Please… *

“No.”

“Free me. I cannot love and I cannot live.”

“No!”

“Why must you torment me so, Champion? Does it give you pleasure? Why will you not end this farce?”

“Because it’s not a farce! I do love you!”

And he had married her, but he had not been acting a proper man at all.

“So you say and yet your actions belie your words. I cannot trust you any longer, husband.” She stated coldly. “You have never trusted me. Love between us will never live. A divorce would free us both.”

* Yes… this is the best way. *

“That’s not true!” Red protested. “I… trust you.”

“Do you, Champion? I wonder.” Lance exhaled slowly. “I wonder…”

Red kissed him, but she pulled away.

“Enough! I’ll not allow this. Champion, may you find another to love, for my heart loves no longer.”

She was proud that her voice had held steady, but Red refused to budge, keeping a firm grip on her arm.

“No. That’s not it at all, Lance. You still love me. I see it in your eyes. So why are you hurting? Is it… my fault?”

It was, wasn’t it?

He had doubted Lance’s love for him after Bruno had raped Lance, and now Lance was broken, for she had never healed. How could she have healed? Red had never accepted her, or comforted her, or cuddled her or any of the other things he should have done. Instead, he had pushed Lance away – reduced her to this.

A sick feeling welled up inside of him. * What have I done? *

Lance looked startled as Red pulled her close, refusing to release her. She tried, really she did, but her strength was well nigh nonexistent and there were tears on her cheeks, as Red kissed her.

How could Red love her, broken as she was?

Wasn’t she used goods? Now, how he even bear to touch her?

It was a lie, wasn’t it? But if Red was lying, why did she want to believe it? Was she that desperate?

Or was Red telling the truth…

“Do you love me?”

“Yes.”

Lance shuddered, and tried to believe him, even as Red called for the nurse. Recovery would be a long, painful process, but at least they had taken the first step in the right direction.

End Fic

Completed 1/1/07

Edited 2/27/09

Rational people systematically and purposefully do the best they can to achieve their objectives. (Brief Principles in Macroeconomics, 4^th Edition by N. Gregory Mankiw) So if Lance’s objective is to make Red love her, or to die, she’s getting there… and adultery is BAD, but rape is certainly not the victim’s fault!

Red: *Cries*

Lance: *Sigh*

Phantomness: Wow, I need to go to sleep now. It’s like, dawn. I’m such an owl…