Title: Game Over
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Ash/Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #46, Game Over
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, shonen-ai

Red curses as the words flash up on the screen. They are plain, but it still hurts. With a sigh, he disconnects the wires from his visor and wrist units, and turns off his touch screen.

“Good game?” His friend Sabrina asks, from her position perched on a different couch. Her new wrist units are a pretty lavender shade.

He nods, and she smiles and goes back to her playing.

He leaves the door, and at the exit, the receptionist waves goodbye. He heads home, knowing that his father will shout and wonder why he spends all his fee time at the arcade instead of studying for the Indigo exams.

He doesn’t care.

When he goes home, he logs in online, and almost instantly, the avatar of his character appears on screen. It’s their little secret.

Lance might not be human, but he’s certainly real, and he keeps Red company. Red isn’t sure where he came from, but that doesn’t matter.

The most important thing is that he has a friend.

“Are you all right?” He asks anxiously.

Lance smiles. “I’m only a hologram, Red. I can’t feel pain.”

“I know.” Red admits, sliding his visor back on as he attaches his wrist units to the computer’s virtual reality sockets. After a moment, he appears next to Lance. It’s not his computer desktop any more but a completely different place, with green grass and a brilliant blue sky and the sun shining down.

“I never want you to leave.” Red murmurs, as Lance kisses him.

Lance half-smiles at that, and Red does not say more, because he’s afraid, that if one day, he loses a game, an important game…. Lance will disappear.

And that can’t happen!

So he’s always very careful when he plays in the arcade, and he buys lots of potions and weapons and armor for Lance to make him stronger and keep him safe.

And Lance does love him for it, which makes everything better.

So he drowns, and that night, his Father comes homes and curses as he untangles Red and puts him to bed, muttering about how technology has corrupted his son.

If only he knew…

End Fic

Completed 10/21/06

Yep, kind of creepy ficlet!

Red: *Shivers*

Lance: *Smirk*