The snow crunched under Spark's boots as he crested the hill that marked the northern edge of the village. Behind him, Trichroma Town was waking up. Lights appeared in windows, clusters of astonished townspeople shuffled onto icy sidewalks, totally underdressed for winter weather, their mouths slack in awe of their transformed streets. He hated to turn his back on them, but the night's snowstorm hadn't been like the disastrous thunderstorm the previous month. Only a few flakes continued to fall, and the snow underfoot was already melting and creating dirty patches of slush in the places that received the most morning light. The town would be fine, provided they didn't mind digging out their winter gear for a little while.

Ahead of Spark, the sun sat on the horizon and painted the snowy fields and trees in soft pinks and purples and blues. A broad band of woods sprawled between Trichroma Town and the Akanoir mountains, but it was nothing a couple hours of hiking couldn't conquer.

Blanche led the way toward the woods across a field that would normally be brimming with wildflowers, which were now bowed beneath layers of ice. Spark wasn't sure how Blanche was keeping warm, as they wore the same flowing, blue coat regardless of season. Candela, meanwhile, wore fluffy white earmuffs and red mittens that Spark recognized from her knitting phase. She picked up hobbies like most people picked up groceries, and often had a knack for them.

Spark worried that he may have overdressed for the adventure, as he lagged behind his friends, weighed down by the puffiest, most vibrantly orange parka that had ever been manufactured. Every step felt like stomping in his giant snow boots, which he couldn't see past his tightly-wrapped teal and yellow scarf, also a product of Candela's knitting kick. He'd even donned snow pants as an extra measure against the elements, and they swished with each clunky step.

By the time the group entered the woods, Spark was sweating and trailing Blanche and Candela by a good 20 feet. Blanche paused for him to catch up while Candela covered her mouth to hide a giggle.

"Sure you don't need a few more layers, Sparky?" she taunted.

Spark tugged the scarf away from his mouth. "I may have been too prepared."

A clump of soggy snow slipped from a branch above Spark and splattered on his head. He frantically brushed it off and jerked as a bit of ice somehow made it past his scarf and slid down the sensitive skin of his back.

"It's heating up out here. You should at least remove the snow pants before you cook yourself," Blanche suggested before continuing down the trail.

"You'll regret it when we're all dying of exposure later," Spark said. "You'll be so sad when you need a pair of snow pants, but you made me throw them away."

Blanche ignored the comment, and continued down the trail. Though removing one of the suffocating layers of clothing sounded appealing, Spark wasn't about to let Blanche be right. Maybe the temperature was rising, but he had a feeling that leaving the heavy clothes behind would be a mistake.

For the most part, they walked in silence. Blanche had suggested going on foot in order to pay close attention to anything unusual in the environment, and too much chatter would have been a distraction. Every so often, Candela wandered away from the trail to investigate a sound, only to come back emptyhanded. Spark was breathing too heavily from marching in his winter gear to strike up a conversation, so he admired the peculiar landscape instead. The thick canopy of summer foliage had prevented most of the snow from reaching the forest floor, but every so often, some would plop to the ground. At one point, Spark noticed a metapod clinging to a tree that had received a snow cap. He stopped to wipe away the snow as the bug pokémon observed him with a lazy eye.

"Keep up, Spark," Blanche instructed, and he hobbled along the trail after them again.

Spark's closest layer of clothing stuck to him with sweat, and he found it increasingly difficult to match pace with Blanche and Candela. He could stuff a couple layers into his backpack if he needed to, but he wasn't ready to concede defeat. So he plodded along as best he could as his friends moved further and further ahead of him.

Blanche and Candela rounded a thick stand of trees at a bend in the trail ahead, and they disappeared from sight. Of course Spark knew they hadn't vanished, but the panic still rose in his chest. He reminded himself that they were just around the bend, probably waiting for him, ready to tease him for insisting on his cumbersome wardrobe. But the panic persisted, tightening his chest, forcing his breathing into a dangerously quick, shallow pattern. This was ridiculous. There was no reason for the doubled pace of his heart, for the irrational fears that they'd leave him behind, that they were tired of him being a burden, always in need of looking after, being the weakest link in the lab…

Spark's lips and fingertips tingled from lack of oxygen. This was exactly like his nightmares. They were gone, and he was alone, and he couldn't hope to keep up. He couldn't get enough air. He slipped, caught himself with his knee and a flailing hand. He wanted to shout for them, even though the thought of crying for help embarrassed him profoundly. He reached for the pokéballs on his coat pocket, but his hands wouldn't obey him.

"Spark?"

With blurry vision, he saw Blanche and Candela's feet approaching him. The sensation of relief was equaled only by his sense of immense shame. Blanche's firm hands guided him back and into a seated position. They pulled the scarf from around his neck and unzipped the parka, allowing a flood of cool air to wash across his chest and chill his sweat-soaked shirt.

"I told you this would happen. Why didn't you listen to me?" Blanche asked. Spark couldn't meet their eyes. He was a problematic child being chastised by a parent. Mortifying.

"Spark, what's wrong?" Candela asked as she leaned over him.

"N-nothing, just overheated," Spark stammered, forcing his half-numb mouth into a smile. "Little bit embarrassed, that's all."

Candela offered him an arm, which he begrudgingly took. She easily pulled him to his feet and caught him as he swayed. They both laughed, though Spark's heart wasn't in it.

"Don't be embarrassed," Blanche said.

If only it were that easy. Spark fluffed his unzipped coat to circulate more air before he slipped out of his snow pants, which had been on top of his everyday clothes. He wadded them into his backpack. His heartrate still felt fast, but it was nowhere near the pace it had been before.

"Seriously, Spark, that looked like a little more than heat exhaustion," Candela said, helping him zip his backpack when his shaky hands couldn't manage it on their own.

Blanche's attention focused on Spark's face, and he tried his best to appear distracted by tucking his scarf into his coat pocket, where it definitely didn't fit and left a long tail hanging out. He knew that look. Blanche's expressions were subtle, fleeting things, but Spark had picked up on some cues during the time they'd spent together during the first week of his back injury. He recognized the uneasy concern that created tiny creases in their forehead, a minor downturn of their lips. And he hated it.

"It's nothing," Spark said, waving Candela off. "Don't worry about me. I was being a stubborn idiot. We should keep going."

Blanche frowned and took a step toward him, but he had already started down the trail, leading the pack this time. He made an extra effort to appear bouncy and energetic, even though all he wanted was to lie down somewhere out of sight for a while. He had to do all he could to not be a burden to his friends. He had to remain cheerful. There was no time for self-pity and panic. He heard their footsteps behind him, so kept his focus ahead.

The peak for which the Akanoir mountain range was named loomed above the group, and Spark caught brief glimpses of its icy surface through the branches of the trees. The tabletop projection had not done the formation justice. Its slopes were steep and jagged, reminding Spark of a fang. Where there wasn't snow, the exposed stone was a dark color that seemed to suck up light. Spark couldn't shake the menacing feeling he got from the place. There was a reason he didn't like training in those mountains, despite the promise of strong, hardy pokémon that thrived in such environments.

"Spark, slow down!" Candela said, trotting to keep up.

Spark hadn't realized that he'd been accelerating. "Oh, so first I'm too slow, and now I'm too fast? Make up your mind, Candela."

Candela responded with a fake laugh. "You're the one who can't make up your mind today. If something's off, you know you can talk to me about it, right?"

"And me," Blanche added. They'd managed to close the gap without appearing to walk any faster than before.

Spark made a show of rolling his eyes. "You guys are making a big deal out of nothing."

"You've been acting weird," Candela said. "I mean, weirder than normal."

Spark quickened his stride intentionally this time. "I'm just excited! When have we ever gone on such a high stakes mission before?"

Blanche still didn't seem to change their gait as they matched pace with Spark. "True, but-"

"But nothing!" Spark interrupted, wondering if his tight smile was coming across as inauthentic as it felt. "I'm good! I'm happy! Everything is fine!"

Just as the last word passed his lips, something mechanical clicked, and the ground fell away beneath the group, dropping them all into darkness.