" Heh. You would have been. But there's one more person you need to battle."

I blinked at Lance, confused." Oh? Who?"

The person stepped into the room, and I turned.

" PROFESSOR OAK?!" I shrieked.

" Hello, my gi-"

I turned to Lance. " I HAVE TO BEAT HIM?!"

" Well, actu-"

I didn't let him finish.

Because at that moment I screamed.

" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHYYYH!" I screamed, running around Lance's dojo.

My screaming was so loud Oak and Lance and Lance's Dragonite had to cover their ears.

It was also so loud it summoned Greta, Bruce and Lorelei from their rooms.

" What happened?!" Bruno asked.

I grabbed Greta's shoulders. " YOU TOLD ME PROFESSOR OAK DIDN'T BATTLE ANYMORE!"

" he doesn't." Greta replied, confused.

" THEN WHY DO I HAVE TO BATTLE HIM?!"

Lorelei covered her mouth. " Dear, Professor Oak isn't the one you have to battle."

" BUT SIR LANCE SAID SO!"

Lance cleared his throat." you didn't let m-*

I didn't hear him

Because I had went back to screaming while flailing my arms and running in a circle.

The adults just stared.

Lorelei pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stifle a giggle. "Mia, calm down! You're misunderstanding the situation."

Greta and Bruno exchanged looks, clearly baffled but amused by my chaotic energy.

"Why is she like this?" Bruno muttered under his breath.

"Because she’s Mia," Greta replied matter-of-factly.

Professor Oak, who had been standing calmly through the chaos, finally raised a hand. "Mia, my dear girl, if you would listen for a moment..."

I skidded to a halt, panting but still flailing my arms for dramatic effect. "WHAT?! WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY SAY TO MAKE THIS LESS HORRIFYING?!"

Lance stepped in, arms crossed but smirking. "If you had let me finish earlier, I was going to say that I was joking. Professor Oak is not the final opponent you have to battle."

I blinked at him, confused. "Wait, then who is?"

Oak smiled, adjusting his lab coat. "Not me, my dear. You’ll be battling… him."

Before I could process his words, a figure stepped into the room. My jaw dropped as I recognized the familiar face of… Gary.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," I whispered, frozen in place.

Gary grinned. " What, you scared of me?"

"YES," I said without hesitation. "YES, I AM."

Bruno burst out laughing. "She’s honest, I’ll give her that."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you’re going to run around screaming like a banshee, this will be over faster than I thought."

I opened my mouth to reply, but then I felt weak.

" SIR LANCE?!" I screamed. " WHERE'S THE WINDOW?!"

Lance blinked. " Uh... Why-"

" JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!!"

Lance pointed to it, and I didn't waste any time throwing the door open, tumbling out and....

Well, getting sick in the bushes.

" Is.. is she okay?" Lance asked

" Oh yeah she's fine." Oak replied, though even he looked unconvinced.

" Pika."

Everyone turned to see Pikachu holding a bottle.

Professor Oak took it from Pikachu and gasped.

" Mia?!"

I peeked from the window. " Yes?"

" Have you been eating sleeping pills?!"

I froze. " Uh.... Nooooo....."

Gary shot me a look. " Mia."

I sighed. " Fine. I couldn't sleep for two weeks so I... Well I ate pills. And see? I'm awake."

" But why were you eating pills?" Lorelei asked gently.

" The elite four. Why else?"

Greta blinked. " Dear,.you're gonna need to go into more detail than that."

I let out a dramatic sigh, sitting on the windowsill like I was about to deliver a soliloquy. "Well, it all started when I realized I had to battle you guys—the Elite Four. Do you know what kind of pressure that is?!"

Lorelei tilted her head. "Go on."

"Okay, so first, I was like, 'Mia, you got this!' But then I thought, 'Wait, no you don’t!' So I stayed up all night planning strategies, and then another night trying to perfect them. And then another night after that—because, obviously, perfection takes time!" I flailed my arms for emphasis.

Greta raised an eyebrow. "And the sleeping pills came in where, exactly?"

"I couldn’t sleep because every time I closed my eyes, I saw your Cloyster, Lorelei! It was terrifying!" I pointed accusingly at her.

Lorelei blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing. "My Cloyster? That’s what kept you up at night?"

"YES!" I threw my hands in the air. "That thing is a fortress with spikes, and it haunts me. So, I figured, 'Hey, if I can’t sleep, maybe sleeping pills will help!' But…"

"You kept taking them because they didn’t work right away, didn’t you?" Gary asked, crossing his arms and giving me that infuriating smug look.

I pouted. "Maybe…"

Professor Oak sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mia, you know how dangerous that is, right?"

"I know! But I didn’t have a choice. It was either that or continue running on zero hours of sleep and risk passing out mid-battle. Which, by the way, almost happened when I faced Bruno."

Bruno rubbed his temples. "Wait, what?"

I waved dismissively. "Don’t worry about it. I rallied."

Gary smirked. "You rallied, huh? Is that what we’re calling the time you tripped over your own Pikachu and nearly ate dirt?"

"HEY!" I pointed at him, fuming. "That was a strategic move to throw my opponent off!"

"It threw me off, that’s for sure," Bruno muttered.

Lance sighed, his Dragonite chuffing in agreement. "Mia, you’re… something else."

"Thank you!" I said, taking it as a compliment.

Lorelei shook her head, clearly amused. "So, let me get this straight: you’ve been running on no sleep, eating sleeping pills like candy, and somehow still managed to beat Giovanni and half the Elite Four?"

"Exactly!" I grinned. "Because I’m just that awesome."

Gary groaned. "How are you still alive?"

"Luck," I replied without hesitation.

Oak stepped forward, holding up the bottle of sleeping pills. "Mia, you need to promise me you’ll stop taking these. They’re not meant to be used like that, and it’s not good for you."

I sighed dramatically but nodded. "Fine. I promise."

"Good," Oak said, looking relieved.

"Now," Gary said, cracking his knuckles, "about that battle…"

I groaned, slumping over the windowsill. "Can’t we just call it a day? I’ve already proven I’m amazing."

"Nope," Gary said with a smirk. "You’re not getting out of this one, Mia."

"Pika!" my Pikachu chimed in, looking ready for action.

I glanced at her, then at Gary. "Fine," I muttered, hopping down from the windowsill. "But if I lose, I’m blaming Lorelei’s Cloyster for traumatizing me."

Lorelei laughed. "Deal."