Lance held up the bottle of Modafinil, his face a mix of disbelief and concern. "Mia, do you even know what this stuff does?"

I shrugged, still kneeling on the ground. "Keeps me awake, right? It's been working, hasn't it?"

Gary groaned, pacing the room as he ran his hands through his hair. "Mia, that’s not how it works! You can’t just take pills like candy!"

Lorelei knelt beside me, her tone calm but firm. "Mia, this medication is meant for people with specific conditions. It’s not safe for you to take it without a doctor’s supervision. You could seriously hurt yourself."

I blinked at her, tilting my head. "But I feel fine! I needed to stay awake to prepare for the battles. What’s the big deal?"

Oak let out a shaky breath, fanning himself with a nearby clipboard. "Oh, my dear girl, you don’t understand the potential side effects! Heart problems, anxiety, even fainting spells—this is serious!"

I looked at him, confused. "But I didn’t faint. I just ran around screaming, and now I’m wide awake! See? All good."

Gary shot me a glare before storming into the next room, muttering something about needing to "scream into a pillow."

Meanwhile, Greta crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Okay, but what else have you been taking?"

I froze. "Uh… define 'what else'?"

Bruno, who had been pacing furiously, stopped in his tracks. "Mia, you’d better spill it. Now."

With a sigh, I reached into my bag and pulled out a handful of bottles, dropping them onto the floor. They clattered loudly as everyone stared, their expressions ranging from horror to outright panic.

Lorelei grabbed one and read the label, her eyes widening. "Mia! This is melatonin. And this one… caffeine pills?! You’re mixing these?"

Lance grabbed another bottle. "Energy supplements? And… what even is this herbal stuff?"

I shrugged again. "It’s all natural! I read it boosts energy, so I figured it would help me train harder."

Bruno groaned, rubbing his temples. "Natural or not, you can’t just take random things and hope for the best!"

Greta picked up a bottle of bright blue pills and squinted at the label. "This one says it’s for horses. Mia, are you serious?"

I blinked. "Oh, that one? Yeah, it was on sale."

"ON SALE?!" Gary’s voice echoed from the other room as he stormed back in. He pointed a finger at me, his face red with frustration. "Mia, you could’ve seriously hurt yourself—or worse!"

I tilted my head at him. "But I didn’t. I feel great!"

Lance sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mia, the fact that you don’t feel bad right now doesn’t mean you’re fine. Your body isn’t meant to handle all of this."

Lorelei nodded, her voice softer now. "You’ve been under so much stress, haven’t you? Trying to live up to everyone’s expectations and prepare for these battles."

I looked down, fiddling with the strap of my bag. "Maybe… but I didn’t want to let anyone down."

Oak knelt beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Mia, no battle is worth risking your health. If something happened to you… we’d all be devastated."

I glanced around the room, seeing the worry etched on everyone’s faces. Even Gary, despite his yelling, looked genuinely upset. "I didn’t realize it was that bad," I muttered.

"It is," Lance said firmly. "And we’re going to make sure you’re okay. No more pills, no more shortcuts. You’ve got us to help you now."

"Yeah," Gary added, his tone softening. "You don’t have to do everything on your own, Mia."

I gave a small nod, finally understanding the gravity of the situation. "Okay. No more pills. I promise."

The room let out a collective sigh of relief, though I could still feel the tension in the air. Lorelei patted my shoulder, smiling gently. "That’s a good start, dear. We’ll get you checked out just to be safe, okay?"

"Okay," I said, managing a small smile.

As the adults started organizing my medication into a pile labeled "DO NOT USE", I turned to Gary and whispered, "So, uh… about that battle..."

He rolled his eyes but grinned. "Later. After we make sure you’re not about to drop dead."

"Fair enough," I replied, leaning back with a sheepish laugh.