#heyo and sorry this is late!! got thrown off by so many assignments ^^'

[kalosian-woods]

Um. Form your scene subvert ask thing. I bestow upon thee XY084 ("Adventures in Running Errands!") or XY037 ("The Cave of Mirrors!")

“Ash! We’ve been looking for you!”

The boy turned around, his face feeling like it froze in place for a few seconds. His body too. Maybe even his mind, right? It sounded like his friends… but it couldn’t be, right? He fell through the portal. Or the wall. Or…

He glanced behind him, feeling his brow furrow. The smooth surface of the crystal winked at him. His face flushed, and his chin ducked into the collar of his jacket. He didn’t like looking at his reflection much, after all. “’M here,” he mumbled, voice seemingly louder than it actually was and bouncing off the walls.

Somehow his friends find him, incredulous looks etched on their faces as they finally meet. There was Clemont, looking strangely winded, and little Bonnie next to him, shooting her brother an annoyed look… and…

Ash turned his gaze away, that rising feeling choking up his throat once more. He couldn’t bear to hear what she has to say—

“Thank goodness you’re okay, Ash!”

His heart stopped. “Huh?”

Her shoes shifted forward, her voice tapering off in an uncertain question. He knew that there was something wrong with this place, but it couldn’t have been that wrong, right? “You know you’ve got to stop running off like that!”

And there it was. Somehow he felt his breath flow out of him again, the reprimand a soothing action. “Iwasjust… I dunno where Pikachu is.”

“Pikachu?” Clemont rubbed his chin in thought, his glasses glinting. Ash expectantly turned to Bonnie, waiting for that praise that she always lauded her brother with, but somehow… that was absent. Strange. “We could probably just stay put and wait for him to come to us, instead of running about in here.”

“You… think?” Geez, was everything strange around here? Clement passing off an opportunity to show off his speed? So unlike him. “I mean, I guess. I just don’t want him to be in trouble, of course.”

“Don’t worry!” Bonnie cheered, pumping her hand up. “You know Pikachu can handle himself in a fight!”

An angry burst of lightning that struck all around it, eyes narrowed and teeth clenched and that screechy laugh filled the air, burnt ozone stuck in his nose.

Ash shrugged, looking down again as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “That’s not what I’m worried about,” he mumbled under his breath, before closing his eyes.

There was such a strange feeling of wrongness permeating the space around him. His breath felt stilted, like the very air was wrong.

But his shoulder felt empty. He opened his eyes and stared at the ground, clear as diamonds. “I’ve… gotta find Pikachu.”

The group in front of him glanced at each other, and it was all fine until the looked back at him. Shifting the bag on his shoulders, Clemont awkwardly added, “Are you going to lead the way then, Ash?”

“Wha? I—”

“Are you actually okay?” Her voice again. Ash stiffened and bit his lip, feeling the pressure spread through his body.

Okay (she is never this considerate). “I’ll do it,” he finally said, shaking away that temporary paralysis as he shuffled his way forward, keenly feeling those eyes marking his back. It’s strange, it’s weird, and he would honestly prefer it if they would stop trying to trick him out now of all times, especially since he let them find him instead of leaving them as he said he would.

But for now? The silence was its own gift. It allowed him to think, to map out the area in his mind, to try to feel out where his partner may have gone,

After all—

Sharp claws scrabbling on his body, pointed teeth bared in a savage grin as he looked up at the Legendary and roared.

—It was never a good thing to leave Pikachu alone.