Yes… and Ash trees have lance-shaped leaves. Hehehe, okay, I am being quite random now!

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

Chapter 3

Lance returned a few moments later with a string of fish, which he had grilled over a small fire. He handed a stick to Red, watching with amusement, as he did not relinquish his death-grip on the cloak.

“Here.”

Red smiled and ate slowly at first, but hunger got the better of him and he wolfed down the fish in moments, bones and all. Lance looked vaguely amused as he handed Red another stick.

“You’ll have a stomachache if you keep this up.” He said calmly.

Red glared for a second but relented. Now that the edge of hunger had vanished, he felt cold, and a little bit guilty too.

“Lance… I’m sorry.”

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re taking care of me, and I’m being so rude.”

Lance handed him another stick of fish. “Think nothing of it.” He began to eat the last one himself, slowly.

“But why are you doing this?”

“It’s not for money.” Lance retorted dryly.

Red decided that it would be better not to ask. After all, there were lots of nice people, like Misty and Erika, so maybe Lance was just being nice.

He finished the fish and felt a lot better, now that he could think properly.

“Lance?”

“Hmm?” Lance asked, a half-eaten fish still in hand.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You are free to, though I may choose not to answer.”

Red nodded. “Why do you live here?”

“That is an odd question.”

“You don’t have to answer!” Red said, when Lance went silent. It would be really stupid to make the only other person here with him mad. Things could get uncomfortable really fast that way!

Lance half-smiled. “It is just my home, Red.”

“But you don’t have central heating or electricity or anything here…”

“So?” Running water was really all that he needed to be comfortable. Everything else could be termed a luxury.

Hmm. Maybe it wasn’t that important to him. Red asked another question.

“But Johto is not very cold. Why is it so cold here? We are not in Seafoam…”

Ah, now that was more like it. He shrugged. “The currents just flow down this way. This is the coldest island in the chain.”

Red shivered, and Lance frowned.

Perhaps keeping Red here had not been the brightest of ideas. “Red, why don’t we go back to bed?”

“To bed?” Red squeaked, turning redder than his name.

Lance rolled his eyes. “There are blankets there.”

“Oh!” Now that Lance mentioned it, it was a very good idea… and he would be warm there, he was quite sure…

Red reluctantly handed Lance his cloak back as he climbed beneath the covers. Sure enough, it was very warm here.

Lance half-smiled and made a mental note to buy Red new clothes. Or he’d have to make them. Otherwise, Red would be spending the next few weeks flat on his back.

… Not that the Dragon Master minded, of course.

Lance booted up his computer, thanking the stars for wireless Internet all over the regions, and checked his email. There was nothing from Lorelei or Agatha, but they might be playing it safe, just in case he had died.

He did find an advertisement for Viagra, which he deleted. Even Elite Four had to deal with spam mail. How ordinary.

How irritating, to boot. Still, as he scanned the Daily Kantonian for news, he found nothing about Cerise Island.

Instead, there were rumors of divine pestilence, and punishment.

He almost laughed out loud. So they had not been blind to the destruction after all…

Their armies had returned to Cerise by now, he saw; though they were lauding the Gym leaders with praise for having driven the vicious mad pokémon away.

Lance closed his computer down and pondered what to do next.

Red lay in bed and waited for his shivering to abate. The seconds ticked by, as if time were mired in lead, but slowly, the chill left his bones.

Lance frowned and left the room. He returned shortly with a mug. Steam rose from black porcelain in visible wisps.

“Here, drink this.”

Red had expected tea, or maybe coffee, but as the taste registered, his eyes widened. “Hot chocolate? Thanks!”

“No worries.” Lance murmured, as he looked at Red. “Is something wrong?”

“My… my pokédex is missing.” Red had started to sort through the contents of his pack more thoroughly now, and discovering that his pokédex was missing was quite a severe blow.

At least his pokémon were all there, with the exception of Pika.

His Pikachu was gone!

He had sent Pikachu to escape from… Bruno, yes, now he remembered.

However, trying to remember more than that caused his head to ache unmercifully. Red winced in pain and sipped his hot chocolate slowly.

Perhaps he should not stress his body till he was better.

He hoped he got stronger soon!

But what exercises could he do in bed?

End Chapter

Completed 6/18/06

Don’t die plotbunny!

Damn, Red’s an innocent little virgin isn’t he? Smirk