Lance held up the green bottle of Modafinil, his expression a mix of anger and concern. "Mia, this is serious. This isn’t some candy to keep you awake! This is a medication meant for people with sleep disorders!"

I blinked, utterly confused. "So? I had trouble sleeping, and it worked, didn’t it?"

Gary groaned, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Mia, that’s not the point! You don’t just… casually take something like this!"

Lorelei crouched down beside me, her voice soft but firm. "Sweetheart, where did you even get all these pills?"

I scratched my head, trying to remember. "Uh… a friend of a friend? I think they said their uncle was a doctor or something."

Bruno, who had been pacing furiously, stopped in his tracks. "You think?! Mia, you’re putting your health at serious risk here!"

Greta snatched another bottle from my bag and read the label aloud. "Caffeine tablets… in bulk?!" She turned to me, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How many of these have you been taking?"

"Um…" I hesitated, holding up two fingers.

"Two a day?" Lorelei asked hopefully.

I shook my head. "No, two… at a time. Maybe three. Or four. Depends on how tired I was."

"FOUR?!" Gary shouted, throwing his arms up. "Are you trying to kill yourself?!"

I flinched at his outburst. "I wasn’t trying to die! I just… didn’t want to sleep when I had so much to do!"

Professor Oak sighed heavily, fanning himself with his hand. "Mia, these medications aren’t toys. Mixing them can have serious consequences. You could have—" He stopped himself, clearly not wanting to say the worst out loud.

I glanced around, feeling overwhelmed. "Why is everyone making such a big deal about this? I’m fine! Look at me! I’m wide awake, and I even beat the Elite Four!"

Lance stepped forward, his Dragonite at his side. "That’s not the point, Mia. Just because you feel fine now doesn’t mean your body isn’t suffering. What you’ve been doing is incredibly dangerous."

Gary’s face softened, though his worry was still evident. "Mia… we care about you. That’s why we’re freaking out. You’re our friend, and seeing you treat yourself like this—like you don’t matter—is painful."

I blinked at him, taken aback. "You care about me? But… you’re the Elite Four. You guys are like… super important. I’m just some trainer."

Greta knelt beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And you’re more important to us than you realize. We’ve been watching you grow and overcome challenges. You’re not just some trainer, Mia. You’re family."

Bruno nodded, his arms crossed. "You’ve got heart, kid. But you’ve also got to take care of yourself. What’s the point of winning battles if you’re not around to enjoy the victories?"

I looked down at my bag, suddenly feeling guilty. "I didn’t mean to scare everyone. I just… I didn’t want to fail. I thought if I worked hard enough, I could handle it all."

Lorelei smiled gently. "Mia, it’s okay to ask for help. No one expects you to do everything alone. And it’s definitely okay to rest."

Gary sighed, sitting beside me. "You’re not a machine, Mia. You need to take care of yourself. Promise us you’ll stop taking these pills."

I hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Okay. I promise."

Lance handed the bottles over to Professor Oak, who put them away in a safe place. "Good. Because if we ever catch you doing this again, we’re grounding you from battling," Lance said, half-joking but still serious.

I laughed nervously. "Got it. No more pills. Just… maybe some naps?"

"Pika pika!" my Pikachu exclaimed, jumping into my arms.

Everyone laughed, the tension finally easing. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe again. Maybe they were right—taking care of myself wasn’t such a bad idea after all.