The mood of the group was grim, and Tori knew it was her fault. Getting separated from Oak and having to navigate on their own was a challenge, for sure, but that really didn't bother her. She trusted Aiden, and the three friends made a pretty functional team.

The problem was she felt guilty about Meowth.

She had Meowth for three days - THREE DAYS - before she lost it.

No doubt Oak would be kind to it and take good care of it. She wasn't worried about that. Tori worried Meowth would forget her…or remember her and not trust her.

She pictured one scenario after another where Oak refused to return the little Pokémon, or they were reunited and it hated her, or the school came to take it back because she wasn't responsible.

There was no way for Tori to disguise her gloom. Aiden and Hisoka tried to chat her out of it, but eventually they both gave up. As they fell into single file on more difficult terrain, they lapsed into silence completely.

Tori gratefully drifted to the back of the group where she could brood in isolation.

Also it was still important to keep an eye on Hisoka, fatigued as he was. That would be her excuse if anyone asked.

Neither did.

As the acclivity of their route grew more challenging, climbing consumed her focus and the pessimistic fantasies faded to a background static of unease.

The sun was high in the sky. There was no escape from it on the bare rock faces they traversed. The thin mountain air was uncomfortably warm in Tori's lungs and the midday glare made it impossible to look anywhere but at her feet.

Aiden took shadowed paths when possible. He doled out sunscreen and had them stop often for water.

Still, Tori's head started aching. She kept her eyes down, slitted and shielded with a hand. Even though she walked in last position, she felt like someone was behind her, watching her and judging. Now and then, the feeling got so strong she had to glance back and check. When she did, all she got were spots in her eyes and vertigo.

"Hey!"

Tori heard one of the boys call out and looked up. They weren't ahead of her on the trail. She looked around and realized they were off to her left, working up an incline, while she had kept walking straight. She circled back to recorrect, but Aiden was coming back down the rise towards her.

"You know, let's call it for today," he was saying, eyeing Hisoka up and down as he passed him.

"It's only.." Tori checked her wrist for a watch that wasn't there, then looked up to the sky. The sun was on its downward arc, but Tori didn't know if that meant it was two o'clock or four.

"It's four-thirty. We made good progress. And this is a better spot than most we've passed."

Aiden took off his pack and leaned it against a lone boulder. He put his hands on his hips and surveyed the small landing. No grass grew, but a concave in the rock offered some protection from the occasional gusts. More importantly, there were no signs of recent Pokémon activity.

Hisoka made no protest. He stepped lethargically off the trail and dropped his pack near Aiden's.

"Is it just me, or is this trail way harder than the last one we were on?" He took a swig from his canteen.

"It's not just you...we've been climbing all day. I don't think Oak's original trail ever hit this altitude."

Tori listened to her friends chat as they settled in, but she herself stood frozen. The feeling of being watched had returned.

Without processing his approach, Aiden was suddenly beside her. He put a gentle hand on her upper arm.

"Tori, come sit down. You're freaking me out."

"Sorry." She shook her head. "It's so bright out, It's hard to even think up here."

"You two…" Aiden clicked his tongue. "I thought you guys were ~all about~ a hiking trip through the mountains," he teased, "I'm the one that didn't ask to be here."

"I want to say that I was peer pressured into this," Hisoka called out to them, raising a hand.

She knew it was all in jest, but Tori had spent the day wallowing in feelings of guilt and their words felt like confirmation of her awfulness. She dropped her pack alongside theirs, then folded into herself.

"I'm sorry, guys. This was really stupid, this trip and everything."

Hisoka didn't respond, but Aiden jostled her.

"Quit apologizing, Tori, you're fine."

"Ok, but I'm sorry it turned out like this. I'm sorry you can't sleep, Hisoka, and I'm sorry we got separated and-"

"How are you responsible for any of that?"

"-I'm sorry for the difficult hike and I'm sorry I feel like crap and I can't hide it and I make it all your problem too and mostly I'm sorry about Meowth-"

When she said the Pokémon's name, she saw it: small and trembling at the foot of their next incline.

"Meowth!"

The sudden change in tone drew Aiden and Hisoka's attention.

Tori was already on her feet and hurrying towards the Pokémon. She pulled up and tried to take the last few steps carefully, but Meowth leapt away from her and further up the slope.

The interaction was everything Tori had feared.

Her Meowth hated her, or was afraid of her. It had traveled over rough terrain to find her, but it didn't trust her.

"Meowth, please! I'm so sorry!"

She scrambled after the Pokémon.

"Tori, wait! Take your time!" Aiden yelled. He watched for a bit, perhaps thinking Tori and Meowth wouldn't get too far.

Meowth had other plans. It stayed just out of Tori's reach, coming in to sniff her fingers as she pulled herself up a boulder, then leaping away once she found her feet. It didn't seem to fear Tori, but it wouldn't let her get close.

"Hey, Tori!"

She heard more yelling behind her and saw that Aiden and Hisoka were following her.

"I'll be right back! I'm going to get Meowth!"

They were cursing, but Tori had a singular purpose. Meowth was at the crest of the rise. It looked down at her, then trotted onward around a bend.

When Tori reached the same spot, she stood for a moment to collect herself and looked out at the landscape. The jagged peaks that had towered over their heads for days stood around her as peers. She could see for miles north and east, the day clear. And below her, tucked between two peaks, a wall of glass reflected in the afternoon sun. Was there something down there? Tori wondered.

Meowth caught her attention again.

"Mrow?"

Somehow, the Pokémon had gotten behind her. She turned to look back at it and it dashed past her, further up the trail, brushing her ankles before it darted beyond her reach.

The stretch of trail ahead was precarious. Tori would have to hug the wall and move sideways. It was smart of Aiden to suggest a rest before attempting it, but Tori felt nimble without her pack.

She was halfway across when several things happened at once:

Hisoka and Aiden crested the hill and caught sight of her. Aiden tried to follow her onto the narrow rock ledge.

Meowth circled back to her feet. It arched its back and bumped against her boot in a friendly way.

Tori didn't have enough room to bend down and grab it, but she felt immense relief.

Tori's relief instantly shattered as the rocks beneath her feet gave way.

She screamed as she pitched off-balance. Behind her, she could hear Aiden and Hisoka yelling her name. Base survival instinct took the wheel as she launched herself forward, snatching Meowth from the air with one hand and finding the barest of handholds with the other.

One leg and one arm against the intact rock kept Tori wedged against gravity. Rocks and skree continued to tumble around her as she hoisted Meowth back onto the intact trail.

The Pokémon felt weightless in her arms. Its paws touched solid ground and she scrabbled with her newly free hand for more purchase. But Meowth…

She gripped the rock with both hands now and tried to pull herself up, but a Pokémon hovered over her, blocking her way. It wasn't Meowth.

It floated in the air, a pink-white blur.

Tori's jaw hung open, in awe and gasping exertion.

The Pokémon spun away from her.

Its long tail whipped behind it, the end of which caught her - hard - right in her gaping mouth.

Shocked and sputtering on a mouth full of fur, Tori lost her grip. She began to fall.

Above her, the rock continued to crumble, tearing away the support under the others. Cries of terror from her friends were the last thing Tori heard before her head bounced against a ledge and consciousness ceased.