Title: To Market
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #6, Market Economy
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, fluff
“That will be thirty pokeyen.”
Red grinned as he handed over the coins. The kind old lady behind the counter smiled at him as she handed over a plastic bag full of chocolate muffins. “Thank you and have a good day!”
The Champion nodded as he left the bakery. Outside the door he released his Charizard and hopped on. It was a quick flight back to his house.
There was a note on the dinner table, and he sighed as his eyes flickered over the lines of printed text. Of course his mom was gone. She was probably out with her new boyfriend again. Seriously, he couldn’t understand it at all…
Weren’t his parents still married?
Well, he could debate that later. For now, he went upstairs to his room and turned his computer on. He had an email to send off to Lance, and the latest Viridian City gym report.
It wasn’t bad – less stressful than being Champion, and Giovanni had needed a replacement anyway. The only downside was that he couldn’t visit the Elite Four as much as he wanted to, but it mattered little.
He sent off his report – no badges lost in the quarter, the two days he had taken off as vacation, and then went downstairs and got a glass of milk.
Half an hour later, there was a ring at the doorbell. Red frowned as he ran downstairs to answer the door, seeing the Dragon Master waiting with a smile.
“Hi, Lance.”
“Yo,” The former Champion grinned. “I got your report, though I did have a suggestion.”
Red blinked, twice. “Oh.”
“You don’t have to stay at the Viridian Gym daily, you know. As long as you keep your Pokémon in good battling condition and deal with challengers within twenty-four hours after arrival, no one’s going to call you on it.”
“… That makes sense.” He said slowly, before he grinned. “Does that mean I could travel?”
“Sure,” She smirked. “As long as, say, you took Espeon, who could teleport you back to the Gym whenever a challenger showed up, you could totally not stay there. Do you have any Junior Trainers?”
“I fired them all.”
“Good thinking. They were probably part of Team Rocket.”
Red grinned, surprised by the praise. “Thanks!”
Lance smiled, before she coughed. “So, did you want to talk about anything? I got your email…”
The Viridian Gym Leader blushed to match his namesake. “Um… yes. But first, would you like a muffin?”
They were chocolate. She liked chocolate. “Sure,” She said, taking one from the plate and biting into rich, gooey fudge. “Wow, these are good.”
As the redhead busied herself with the muffin, Red steeled his emotions. Finally, he sighed. It was now or never!
He might not get another chance!
“I-I like you, Lance.” He stuttered out.
“I see?” She tilted her head to the side. “I like you too.”
“No.” Red shook his head. “I mean I really like you. More than friends… That kind of like!”
She smiled knowingly. “You’re cute, Red, I won’t deny that, but I can’t say if I love you yet. It’s just too sudden.”
Red deflated, and that was when she pulled him into a hug.
“But I didn’t say I wouldn’t try,” His friend whispered, and Red colored as the Dragon Master kissed him.
End Fic
Completed 1/4/07
Edited 6/1/09
So! It’s fluffy, ne?
Red: *Blush*
Lance: *Smirk*
A Market Economy is an economy that allocates resources through the decentralized decisions of many firms and households as hey interact in markets for goods and services. (Brief Principles of Macroeconomics, 4th Edition by N. Gregory Mankiw) Capitalism is a type of this. The fact that Red could buy cupcakes from a store not run by the government is an example of market economy.