Title: Efficiency
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #2, Efficiency
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

Smoke drifted across the arena, as the two combatants waited. Who would win? Alas, both combatants were still standing, though one was panting more heavily than the other.

“Dragonair, use Hyper Beam.”

The yellow cone of light slammed into the opponent’s Scyther, sending it crashing to the ground. The Dragon Master smirked as he recalled his Dragonair with a flick of his wrist.

Bob stared at his brother in shock. “Y-You…”

Lance shrugged as he turned around. “Please leave now.” With that, he turned in a swirl of dark cloak and stalked down the hallway.

“Now just wait a minute!” Bob protested. “Don’t you have anything to say to me? We haven’t met in forever!”

“What should I say? Good try?” He called back. “You failed.”

Without another word, he vanished. It was none of his concern, really, what his family did. He had his own life, his own bank account, and his own family now. They were much more important.

He checked his watch. There was another forty-five minutes until his shift ended.

Red was still hunched over her desk, busy scribbling away at the mountain of paperwork. She smiled brightly as Lance came in.

“Did you beat Bob?”

“No contest, really…” Lance smirked. “How are you doing?”

“Quite well,” His wife said cheerfully. “Anything I don’t finish before the work day ends, gets burned tonight.”

He goggled at her. “Is that being efficient?”

“Well, sure. That way I won’t waste my valuable time!” She grinned. * And I know what I want to do… *

“Ohhh, and what about my time, Champion?” He teased.

Red winked, knowing what he was thinking about. “I’ll make it up to you. Thanks for taking care of all the challengers for me!”

“Ah.” Lance smirked. “I see.”

She hugged him tightly, and said no more as they both went back to work.

Night could not come soon enough…

When the sun finally sank below the horizon, they had sandwiches for dinner, and then promptly disappeared into the bedroom.

Payback time…

End Fic

Completed 1/3/07

Edited 6/1/09

Efficiency is the property of society getting the most it can from its scarce resources. (Gregory Mankiw, Brief Principles of Macroeconomics) In this fic, if time is the resource, Red is paying Lance… in her own way. *wink*