Well, isn’t this a
cheerful theme I randomly drew…
Title: Shi
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Ash/Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #22, Death
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, references to Phantomness’s fanon
Delia stood by Red’s side, watching the vital statistics scroll past on a multitude of screens. Most of them were on functions she could not recognize, but at the moment, he was still breathing on his own. It was a small comfort.
Even so, she took comfort in it. She had to. The call had startled her out of her preparations for dinner, and even now, supplies and perishables lay scattered over the counters at home.
She held Red’s limp hand, and shook her head. Why her son? Why Red? Why did this tragedy have to happen?
The stupidity of it was almost laughable. A drunk driver, they had said, and dragged the man off in handcuffs. But what would throwing him in jail do? Well… maybe it would protect other victims.
It was dark and cold in the place he was in, and Red looked around with a frown. Where was he? He didn’t recognize the region, but maybe he could release Pika and use Flash to take a look around…
As he reached for his poke belt though, he felt… something more than he had expected.
“Gyah!”
Bare skin…?
He was
wandering around without any clothes on?
For that matter, where was his
poke belt and backpack? All his pokémon were gone! Had Team Rocket robbed him?
Wait. They wouldn’t steal his clothes. He was reasonably certain of that assessment. He took deep breaths, but it hurt too much, so he quit.
He didn’t need to breathe?
Uh-oh…
More recent memory clicked, and Red shivered. He remembered a car, a screech of metal and rubber, and an empty feeling. No pain, that was good, right? Maybe he had dodged and hit his head really hard. Hey, maybe this was all some bizarre dream!
As he began to cheer up, the area around him lightened, and he could see. What he saw was most un-reassuring. Creatures that vaguely resembled pokemon with black coloration, growled and hissed at him from all places. The rest of the scenery seemed entirely composed of lava formations.
“You should not be here.” A voice cut in.
Red spun around, taking in the man that had appeared behind him. Long red hair, golden eyes, a black bodysuit…
“Did you kidnap me?” He demanded.
“In a sense, you could call it that, but you came here on your own.”
“Huh?”
“You’re dead, but you should not be here.” Lance frowned.
“Wait, wait. You’re telling me I’m dead?” Red gulped.
“Yes.”
“How would you know?”
Lance laughed as he opened his hands. A reddish light began to glow between them, forming into a long sickle. The curved metal blade glinted wickedly, even in the smoky air, and Red swallowed nervously.
“I’m Death, of course, but you can call me Lance.”
“O-Okay…”
Lance retracted his scythe, and patted the rock formation next to them. It shifted, becoming two chairs and a table.
“Sit. We have quite a bit to talk about.”
Red nervously sat down, and when two drinks appeared in puffs of smoke, eyed them dubiously. Still, it smelled like a chocolate milkshake, and if he was dead no one could poison him and make him die again, right?
He took a sip, and grinned. It was chocolate, and really good chocolate at that too, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and chopped pistachio nuts.
“Now then,” Lance smiled, stirring his coffee. “You’re a bit of a problem, Red. Your body is still breathing, and you’re in… I believe they call it a coma nowadays.”
Red nodded. That made sense.
“Do you know what normally happens when you die?”
“No.”
“I thought not. Well, if you’re very good, you go to the Dream Realm. However, it’s mostly pokémon that get taken there. If you’re quite normal, then you receive reincarnation, though not always as a human. And if you are horribly vile and wicked, they send you to the Astral Plane – this place.”
“… You’re saying I have to go to Hell?” Red gaped.
“Oh no. You just woke up here. You’re quite a normal trainer, with a tilt towards goodness, so you might actually get into the Dream Realm.”
“Then why are we here?”
“It’s the easiest place to transport you to, and I didn’t want to drag you through the barriers to the Dream Realm just in case the guardians ate your soul.”
Red paled.
“I do have another question.”
“Go for it.”
“You must be very busy, as Death. Why are you sitting here talking to me and drinking coffee? That’s so… normal!”
Lance sighed. “I wasn’t always Death. I used to be a trainer too.”
“Really?” That caught Red’s attention. No wonder Lance looked so human. He was human! This was fascinating!
“I used to be a Dragon Master, oh, ages and ages ago. I dipped a little too much into the dark arts in an effort to strengthen my dragon pokemon and save the world…”
“Did you succeed?” Red breathed, interested.
“Almost. Mew thwarted my plan, thinking it was too dangerous. But since I had… proven my worth, so to speak, in the eyes of the legendary pokémon, they appointed me to this post.”
“Cool.”
“Actually, I just think they were too lazy to deal with all these people themselves.” Lance shrugged. “I don’t work with pokémon that much – they’ve got other guardians for it.”
“I see.”
“So what are you going to do? Will you go back?”
“Back… to life?”
Lance nodded.
Red stirred his milkshake with a straw, frowning. “I don’t know.”
“Really? But I thought you had a wonderful life up there. Was I mistaken?”
“No. I’m just… not ready.”
“Why? Your mother and your pokémon are anxiously awaiting your return.”
Red narrowed his eyes. “Are you a stalker?”
“Oh no. I know the details of everyone’s life, so nothing you say or do could shock me, pretty much. But you see… the legendary pokémon have also taken an interest in you…”
Red blushed. So he had saved Mew and the legendary birds a few times, but…
“And they are considering you for a post of your own.”
“Ah!”
That might be interesting, but… “How much time would I have to consider it?”
“To be wholly honest, Red, not much. Even if this incident had not killed you, your life-thread is almost out. The weavers are ready to cut it loose.”
“Why?”
“That… is Fate and something I have no control over.”
Red coughed. “So…”
“You’d have a few weeks left at most. Then, you’d go before the judges, and they’d test you for reincarnation versus the Dream Realm… and offer you a job.”
“T-This is too much, Lance. I can’t deal with it.”
“Hey, take as much time as you want to ponder. We’re outside the Realm of Time, so to speak, while you’re here, but as soon as I take you back – if I take you back, the clock starts ticking.”
Red nodded, understanding. He finished his milkshake, and when Lance asked if he was hungry, ordered pizza.
It was odd, seeing it appear out of thin air, but it tasted like normal pizza, and he ate while he pondered.
< Well, well… quite an interesting choice Mew has selected this time. >
Lance relaxed, recognizing the voice. < Father. >
< Child. How goes the hunt? >
< I suspect he is the one. After all, those who ascend to guardianship always have a hint of legendary blood in their veins. >
< You have quite a bit more than a hint. > Lugia admonished.
< Yes, Father… >
< I am not scolding you. But this is the first time in years I have seen you hope. It is quite startling. >
< My memory is not perfect – I had to suppress it, ere I would go mad seeing life-threads for lives past and future. But I think… I love him. >
< You only just met him. >
< Fate again, Father… I trust him. Isn’t it funny? >
< I simply hope he proves worthy of your admiration – and your affections… >
What was it about Lance that made him so different, Red questioned? Lance was pretty, and bloody powerful, since he controlled life and death – or at least helped regulate it. Still, as Red chewed on his pizza, he had to admit that the attraction ran far deeper.
He felt an odd sort of déjà vu. Had he ever known Lance? Had they been friends in the past, perhaps?
It couldn’t be.
“Will you go back now?” Lance asked, looking up from his computer.
Red nodded, repressing a giggle at the mundane nature of the machine. Even supernatural entities needed technology. How amusing!
“I will see you again soon,” Lance held up his scythe, and the air in front of them rippled, opening a doorway back to life. “Go.”
“Wait.” Red took three steps forwards, gave Lance a quick kiss, and jumped through the portal, leaving Death dumbfounded as he touched his lips.
…Wow…
The second day after he left the hospital, Red wrote his will, explaining to his pokémon what would happen soon. Of course they were all very sad but they knew enough not to struggle against the inevitable. It was the way life cycled, and maybe in another life, they would meet Master Red again…
And when the legendary pokemon asked him to aid them, he said yes, because now, he would be able to see Lance as much as he wanted to.
End Fic
Completed 9/10/06
I should not feel wide-awake at 4 A.M. in the morning… I hope the side effects go away soon. I want my sleep damn it!
But doesn’t Lance work well as Death?