Palletshipping: Always and Forever

Sunshine Mixed with a Little Hurricane

A/N: Okay, so this is my first Palletshipping story here, so please be kind ^_^. Reviews are love.

This one-shot is based on the episode 'Illusion Confusion'...y'know, the one where Ash and co. get lost in a forest and see illusions, and Gary comes with his HootHoot and helps them. Well this one starts from there and then takes a completely different direction, because..well..for obvious reasons. *coughs*

Also, I know Ash and the rest don't age in the anime, but in this story (and probably all the rest of stories that will follow), they age a year per region. So Ash is currently currently thirteen (and a few months).

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"Ash, where are we now?!" Misty cried, the half-asleep Togepi in her arms jolting awake at her sudden loud outburst.

"Now...we're lost."

The sheepishness in Ash's tone was not lost on his red-haired friend, whose scowl deepened.

"It's close to midnight, and we're lost in this stupid forest, and it's all your fault!" Misty screeched.

"We're in the middle of nowhere," Brock added - although a lot less accusingly than Misty - looking around at his surroundings.

They were in a little clearing somewhere deep inside the forest that Ash had so confidently said he would navigate without getting them lost. And then he'd gone ahead and, well...gotten them lost.

"Everywhere's somewhere," Ash replied to Brock's earlier comment - somewhat timidly. He didn't want Misty to get all riled up again.

"Pika pi!"

Ash looked down at Pikachu, who was surreptiously taking in their surroundings, not seeming too happy about the fact that Ash had gotten them stranded practically in the middle of nowhere.

"What is it, Pikachu?"

By now Ash had been with Pikachu long enough to pick up on its slightest intimations, and he could sense that Pikachu was now extremely wary and on its guard.

Misty shifted from one foot to the other, her temper now replaced by trepidation and apprehension instead. "I don't like this place. Its...spooky."

A loud clap of thunder sounded in the sky, and all three - and Pikachu - looked up at the sky. Dark, ominous clouds were beginning to roll in, completely obscuring the moon and leaving them in an eerie darkness. The wind began whistling around them, and a jagged bolt of lightning ripped the sky in half, reverberating around the clearing and right through the trees, which seemed to groan in protest.

"Great, this was all we needed," Ash deadpanned, beckoning to Pikachu to take its usual perch on his shoulders so they could get going.

But before they could take even one step, a creepy, groaning noise stopped them right in their tracks. Misty and Brock exchanged worried looks even as Ash stepped up and shouted "Who's there? C'mon out!"

But neither human nor Pokemon replied, and the creepy, groaning noise slowly began intensifying and becoming more ominous.

"I said who's - " Ash's voice caught in his throat as a flash of lightning lit up the trees the clearing was surrounded by. It almost looked like the trees had...evil, menacing grins on their faces. Am I seeing things?

But a quick glance around at Brock and Misty's faces - even in the almost pitch-black darkness - confirmed they'd seen what he'd seen too.

No one needed any further spurring. They began running blindly, trying to get away from whatever creepy shit was happening back there in the clearing. The clouds watched with omniscient eyes as they continued to run through the forest, brushing against shrubs and bushes; receiving some cuts and bruises that no one really seemed to care about.