Pokemon Fan Fiction / Death Note Fan Fiction / Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ 15 Minute Ficlets ❯ Theme #108 ( Chapter 108 )

Title: Xenophobia
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: None
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #108, Xenophobic
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: Xenophobia

 

“You don't belong here.” She says. His smile falters, and she frowns. “We don't like people from Johto here! Go back to where you belong!”

He sadly leaves her. She looked like a nice enough girl with orange hair in a cute little pigtail, but he is a stranger here, and Cerulean City is not very tolerant of strangers.

They don't like foreigners, because people from Johto are supposed to be different. He decides not to talk to anyone, then, and goes to the library. The librarian at least is nice as long as he's quiet, and he spends several years ensconced in dusty books and fantastic tales.

His mom decides they should move to Pallet, and he doesn't complain.

 

Then he's old enough to leave, and journey, and he doesn't expect anyone to be nice to him, since he has ugly black hair and black eyes and people don't like that, but the other boy saves him, beats off the Team Rocket trainer that knocked out his poor little Bulbasaur, and flashes him a smile.

Lance, he says, afterwards, and thank you, and the Dragon trainer just ruffles his hair and tells him to keep his chin up, almost as though he understands what Red is going through.

Red doesn't quite understand, because Lance surely never suffered the way he did, but he seems so understanding that Red is quite willing to be friends, and more.

And time passes, and soon enough, he's standing in the Hall of Fame, new Champion of the Pokemon League, and he's proved all his detractors wrong, and he smiles, because he may be different, but he's strong, and that's what counts.

And Lance really seems to know what's wrong, but Red doesn't mind, because Lance is holding him and it's nice and comfortable and not wrong and all, and he finally feels like he belongs.

 

End Fic

Completed 5/10/07

So I look at this word, and I go… huh? What does this mean? Thank goodness for dictionaries… and apparently being xenophobic is “an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.” Thanks, dictionary.com! ^^ 9 minutes

Remember, boys can be just friends just as a boy and a girl can be just friends. This is not shonen-ai!