I took a deep breath, steadying myself after my little episode with the window and the bushes. Slowly, I climbed back into the room, trying my best to avoid everyone's concerned stares. Pikachu stood by my side, offering the now half-empty bottle of water, but I couldn’t even look at it.

“Okay, I’ll explain,” I muttered, feeling embarrassed. “But let me just say first—Lance, Lorelei, Greta, Bruno... I’m so, so sorry about all the screaming.” I shot them an apologetic look. “It’s just… it’s Professor Oak, you know? And then Gary? You’re all in on this conspiracy to mess with me, aren’t you?”

Lance, still trying to hide his smirk, put a hand on his chin. "Mia, you’re something else, you know that?"

I huffed in frustration. “Sir Lance, I can’t help it. You know how my nerves get. Anyway—yes, about the pills…” I hesitated, chewing on my lower lip as I glanced at the Elite Four. I didn’t know how to explain it without sounding like I was completely losing it.

"Go on, dear," Lorelei said gently, her tone soft but insistent. “You know you can tell us.”

“Right,” I said, sitting down on the floor, trying to compose myself. "Okay, well, when you’re training with someone like Professor Oak—and Lance—and you’ve got all this pressure from the Elite Four… it's kind of hard to sleep, you know?" I glanced up at them, expecting judgment, but only saw concern. “So, yeah, I started taking sleeping pills. Just to get some rest.”

Bruno raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Mr. Workout" as I liked to call him, he wasn’t easily impressed, but his voice was softer than I expected when he spoke. "You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, Mia. You don’t need to go to extremes. You can talk to us."

I nodded slowly, feeling a lump in my throat. “I didn’t know what else to do, Mr. Workout. I thought if I could just sleep, I could make it through the next battle. But then—" I paused, thinking back to my crazy schedule, my sleepless nights, and how the stress just kept piling on. "But it only made things worse.”

Greta, or “Ms. Witch” as I called her affectionately, stepped forward. Her expression was as serious as I had ever seen it. “Honey, this kind of thing can’t go on. Your health is important. If you’re not taking care of yourself, how can you expect to take on Giovanni or anyone else?”

I bit my lip, feeling guilty. “I know. I’m sorry. I just thought I could handle it. I didn’t want to let you all down.”

Lorelei’s calm eyes softened. "Mia, no one expects you to be perfect. Not even the Elite Four. We're here to support you. But you have to take care of yourself first."

I nodded, finally realizing the truth in her words. "You’re right, Lady Lorelei. I’ve been so focused on proving myself, I’ve lost sight of what really matters."

Gary, who had been silently watching the whole scene, sighed deeply. “Mia, you’re always like this. You’re so worried about impressing everyone, you forget that we’re all rooting for you already. You don’t need to go overboard."

I glanced over at him, a bit sheepish. “Yeah, well, you know me, Gary. I tend to get carried away.”

Gary smirked, but there was warmth in his eyes. "I know. But hey, if you’re still up for it, we can finish what we started—just... maybe not in the same crazy way."

I turned to Lance, still sitting calmly, and then back to the others. “Sir Lance, you still want me to battle, right? Even after all this?”

Lance gave a slow nod. "I do, Mia. But it’s not just about winning. It’s about learning how to balance everything. And from what I’ve seen of you, I think you’ve got the strength to get through this. You’ve just got to trust yourself.”

I looked around at the faces of the Elite Four and Gary, and for the first time that day, I felt a sense of calm settle in. I didn’t have to do it all on my own. They were with me.

“Thanks, everyone,” I said quietly. "I guess I really needed to hear that." I gave them all a smile. "And I’ll try not to scream my way through the next battle, okay?"

Greta let out a light laugh. "We’ll hold you to that, Mia."

"Don’t worry,” I replied with a grin. “I’m ready now. Just... one more question."

Everyone looked at me expectantly.

"Where’s my next battle, and when do I get to stop running around like a crazy person?" I asked, a playful glint returning to my eyes.

Lance chuckled, shaking his head. "We’ll take it one step at a time, Mia. But trust me, you’ve got this."

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