Title: Phobia
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #8, Phobia
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: Shonen-ai, shota

Summary: Red is afraid of public speaking.

The most common phobia is the fear of public speaking. Red is not exempt, and as he rattles the pages of his prepared speech nervously, he glances around the room at the Elite Four, who are all watching him with varying degrees of interest. Lance is half-asleep, sprawled over the couch, Agatha is busy knitting something white and fleecy, Bruno seems to be doing finger exercises, and Lorelei is reapplying her lipstick.

"Red…" Lance drawls, "You've already practiced fifteen times."

"Besides, you'll have the teleprompter up." Agatha says gravely, not missing a beat as her needles click against each other.

Lorelei closes her compact and gives her a smile. "It'll be fine."

"B-But what if I mess up and everyone hates me?"

"You're cute enough for them not to care too much." Lance said, point-blank, while Bruno choked and Red blushed pink.

"Besides, you're still little." Lorelei shrugged. "You'll have more speeches to make in the future. They can't take away your Champion position over something like this."

"Really?"

"Really, really." Lance smirks. "But if you really want to keep practicing, I guess one more repetition can't hurt."

"Oh yes it can!" Bruno bangs his fist on the couch, startling everyone. "I'll be able to give your speech in my sleep now!" He stomps out of the room, and Red squeaks a bit nervously.

Lance just smiles, and pulls him into a hug, while Lorelei grins and Agatha rolls her eyes.

"Just pretend I'm the only person in the audience." Lance whispers, and Red nods, feeling the Dragon Master pet his hair and give him soft butterfly kisses.

It's a different story when he's on stage four hours later, standing behind a lectern on a stool so he can see over the top, but as he takes a deep breath and sees the Elite Four waving from their box, he feels better and the speech goes off without a hitch.

And afterwards, Lance treats him to dinner and a dessert, and as he polishes off the last of his German chocolate cake, he grins.

Maybe Lance is right, and it's not that scary… but in any case, he survived it!

Lance nods, and holds him close in a hug, and they smile.

End Fic

Completed 12/5/06

We went over phobias in Psychology class. How you cure them is with systematic desensitization or flooding/implosion. The first method involves presenting the stimulus but not allowing the individual to feel fear, over and over until the individual is classically conditioned to stop panicking. It's the nicer way. Flooding is exposing the patient to an overdose of stimulus (example, if you were afraid of spiders you'd be locked in a room full of live tarantulas), trying to shock the fear away.