" Sorry, guys." Blue said. " We had to let him go, even after we had him cornered...." Blue trailed off.

" There's no need for you to apologize." Erica replied.

" Yeah! At the very least, this should help calm all those Pokemon down. " Misty agreed

Then she sighed. "I hate his methods.... But Giovanni was actually able to control Mewtwo 's strengthened psychic powers, wasn't he?"

" Yeah. That's the scary thing. Now we know what can happen if you misuse a sync stone." Blue replied.

Then he growled. " According to him, there's no good or evil when it comes to power, huh?"

" ... ... ...." Red replied.

" Yeah, Red. I know. We'll stop him no matter how many times we have to do it."

" We should head back and tell
Professor Bellis know what happened." Misty pointed out.

Red nodded, but then noticed I was nowhere to be seen.

" ... .... ....?"

Blue raised a brow. " You know you're right. Mia's not here."

Paulo sighed. " Where could she be?"

Suddenly they heard an agonized cry.

And Red knew exactly who it was.

Red's eyes widened, and without hesitation, he bolted in the direction of the cry. His heart pounded in his chest as he raced through the dense forest, weaving between the trees. The others called after him, but their voices were muffled by the sound of his own heartbeat.

"Red, wait!" Misty yelled, but he didn’t slow down.

"What's going on?!" Blue asked, chasing after him.

"That was Mia!" Red finally shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

The group exchanged worried glances and picked up their pace, following Red’s lead.

----

When Red burst into a small clearing, he froze.

There I was, kneeling on the ground, clutching my arm. Surrounding me were shards of a broken sync stone, faintly glowing with residual energy. My Pikachu stood protectively in front of me, electricity sparking from her cheeks as she growled at the remnants of a mechanical device nearby.

"Mia!" Red cried, running to my side.

I looked up, tears streaming down my face, and managed a weak smile. "R-Red... you came."

"What happened?!" Blue demanded as he and the others caught up.

I winced, clutching my arm tighter. "Giovanni... he left something behind. A trap. I thought... I thought I could disarm it before it activated, but—"

"You could’ve been killed!" Misty exclaimed, kneeling beside me.

"It was meant to hurt Mewtwo," I said quietly. "I couldn’t just leave it."

Erica examined the scene, her expression grim. "This must’ve been a backup plan of his... to ensure no one could stop him next time."

Paulo frowned, his fists clenched. "Giovanni doesn’t care who gets hurt, does he? As long as it gets him what he wants."

Red gently placed a hand on my shoulder, his gaze soft but firm. " ... .... ...."

I shook my head. "I know, Red. I shouldn’t have done it alone. I just... I couldn’t stand the thought of someone else getting hurt because of me."

He sighed and, without a word, scooped me into his arms.

"Red, I can walk—"

" .... .... ...."

I blinked at his stern expression and sighed. "Okay, fine. You win."

Misty smiled softly. "Red’s right. Let him take care of you for now."

As Red carried me back toward the Pokémon Center, I glanced over his shoulder at the shattered sync stone.

Giovanni may have escaped again, but one thing was certain: no matter how many traps or tricks he left behind, we’d face them together.

Because that’s what family does.

As we entered the Pokémon Center, Red still held me close, his grip firm but gentle. I looked up at him, my head resting against his shoulder.

"Red... are you mad?" I asked softly, my voice trembling slightly.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he carefully set me down on one of the chairs in the lobby and knelt in front of me. His crimson eyes locked with mine, and I could see a mixture of emotions swirling within them—relief, worry, frustration.

" ... .... ...."

I tilted my head. "Red, please... I need to know."

He sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment before finally speaking. "I’m not mad... I was scared."

That caught me off guard. Red didn’t speak much, but when he did, his words always carried weight.

"Scared? Of what?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. " ... .... .... You could’ve been hurt worse... or worse, Mia. What if I didn’t get to you in time?"

My heart sank, and guilt washed over me. "I didn’t mean to scare you, Red... I just—"

"I know," he interrupted gently, his voice softening. "You’re brave... too brave sometimes. But you don’t have to do everything alone."

I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I nodded. "I’m sorry, Red. I didn’t think... I just wanted to help."

He pulled me into a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of my head. " ... .... .... Just promise me you’ll call for help next time, okay?"

I sniffled, hugging him back. "I promise."

The others watched from a distance, their expressions softening as they saw the interaction.

"Red really cares about her," Misty whispered to Blue.

Blue smirked. "Of course he does. She’s his little sister. And, knowing Mia, she’s probably his biggest headache too."

I heard that, of course. "Hey! I’m not a headache!" I called out, my voice muffled against Red’s shoulder.

Red chuckled softly, and for the first time that day, I felt like everything was going to be okay.