Shimatta… stupid economics midterm!

Title: Purchasing Power
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #17, Purchasing power
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. Game-verse

Warnings: AU, het

“Five thousand pokeyen for a Potion? That’s ridiculous.” The Dragon Master said, putting the item back on the shelf. Red had to agree. Ever since Silph had reduced their supply of healing items, the price had skyrocketed and now, even the Elite Four were feeling the sting.

Red nodded silently, before he turned to his wife. “Should we just not buy these anyway? We’re going to be in Mt. Silver for a while, and it might be too far from the Pokemon Center to heal.”

Lance shook her head, a secret smile playing on her lips. “I think it will be all right, and it will be good to get away from this for a while.”

“…? Okay.” Red concurred, and took her arm in his as they walked to the rooftop terrace, where they released their flying Pokémon and flew off – Dragonite for Lance and Charizard for himself.

They landed outside the Pokemon Center at the foot of Mount Silver. Lance waited until she and Red were deep inside the caverns, before she let Red ask the question that had been bothering him ever since they had arrived.

“What are we going to do?”

“The Mount Silver hot springs are special. They have natural healing powers, love.” She whispered. “So though it is dangerous I doubt we shall be in actual danger.”

His eyes widened, and he nodded. No wonder Lance refused to make the knowledge public. Some company or the other would probably try to bottle the water, and then that would leave them with nothing – and all the wild Pokémon here probably depended on the springs too.

It made sense now.

Lance kissed him then, and he quit thinking with a grin. They might as well make the most of their vacation…

Deep down inside, however, she knew that it was only a quick fix. Until the economy recovered, there was little they could do, except perhaps emigrate, and she did not want to consider that option yet.

The price of deficit spending had finally caught up.

End Fic

Completed 1/10/07

Edited 8/12/09

Purchasing Power is how much you can buy in terms of goods/services with every dollar you have. If there is inflation, you have less, and if there is deflation you should have more.