Lance held up the bottle, his expression shifting from concern to outright alarm. "Mia, this isn’t just bad—this is a stimulant! You can’t just take this like candy!"

I tilted my head, genuinely confused. "But it helped me stay awake! I couldn’t sleep, and the Elite Four battle is super scary, so I thought—"

Lorelei knelt in front of me, her voice soft but firm. "Mia, taking random medication can be really dangerous, especially when it’s not prescribed to you. Where did you even get this?"

I shrugged. "Uh, my bag? It was just there."

Gary groaned from across the room, dragging a hand down his face. "You’re a menace, Mia. A menace to yourself."

Bruno, who had been pacing nervously, stopped and glanced at the pile of bottles I had dumped onto the floor. He picked one up, squinted at the label, and muttered, "What even is this one? Sleep aid? And this one? Painkillers?! Mia, why do you have all of this?"

I frowned, crossing my arms defensively. "Because I needed them, duh. The Elite Four battles are scary! Everyone’s so strong, and I thought maybe if I stayed awake longer, I’d get better at battling."

Greta looked utterly baffled. "Honey, that is not how training works."

Lance pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, everyone, let’s calm down. First, Mia, we need to know exactly how much of these you’ve been taking."

I shrugged. "I dunno, a couple a day? Sometimes more if I felt sleepy."

Gary exploded. "SHE’S TEN YEARS OLD AND SHE’S TAKING ‘A COUPLE A DAY’?!"

Professor Oak, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly turned pale and sat down. "Mia, my dear girl, your body is still growing. Overdosing on things like this could have serious consequences. You need proper rest, not… this madness."

I blinked. "But I feel fine."

Lorelei raised an eyebrow. "Do you? You literally ran around screaming and then threw up in the bushes. That doesn’t exactly scream ‘fine’ to me."

Bruno looked over at the still-open window. "And let’s not forget you almost jumped out of a window. That’s not normal behavior, Mia."

Gary threw his hands up. "I’m telling you, she’s going to give all of us heart attacks before she even turns eleven."

I yawned, stretching out on the floor like I didn’t have a care in the world. "You guys are overreacting. It’s not that big of a deal."

Lance glared at me, his arms crossed. "Not that big of a deal? Mia, do you understand how dangerous this is?"

I shrugged again. "Nope."

Lorelei sighed, looking genuinely upset now. "Mia, we care about you. You can’t just put your health at risk like this. What if something happened to you?"

I blinked at her. "Wait, you guys care? Like, for real?"

Greta gave me a pointed look. "Of course we care! You’re not just some random kid to us. You’re part of this crazy little family we have."

I tilted my head, still skeptical. "Even you, Mrs. Witch?"

"Stop calling me that," Greta muttered, though she was smiling a little.

Gary groaned again. "I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yeah, Mia, we all care about you. Even me. And I think you’re the most annoying person alive."

"Thanks!" I said brightly.

"That wasn’t a compliment," Gary shot back.

Meanwhile, Professor Oak was inspecting the bottles with increasing concern. "Mia, half of these medications are not suitable for someone your age. Where did you even get all of these?"

I shrugged. "Found them."

Everyone froze.

"You found them?" Lance echoed, his voice dangerously calm.

"Yeah, like… lying around and stuff," I said nonchalantly. "People leave things in weird places."

Lorelei buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Arceus help me. This child is going to be the death of me."

Gary pointed accusingly at me. "You’re insane. Completely insane. And I have to battle you?!"

"I mean, you don’t have to," I offered.

Bruno, who had been pacing again, stopped abruptly. "Okay, enough. We need a plan to make sure Mia doesn’t, you know, accidentally poison herself."

Oak nodded gravely. "Agreed. First, we’re confiscating all of these bottles."

"Wait, what?!" I protested. "You can’t just take my stuff!"

"We can and we will," Lance said firmly, holding the green bottle up. "This is for your own good, Mia."

I huffed, crossing my arms. "You guys are so dramatic."

Gary snorted. "Says the girl who screamed and ran in circles for ten minutes straight."

Bruno chuckled, shaking his head. "Kid, you’re something else."

I yawned again, suddenly feeling sleepy. "You guys are exhausting. Can I nap now?"

Greta placed a hand on my shoulder. "You’re definitely taking a nap. But first, we’re going to make sure you’re okay."

As the adults continued to fuss over me, I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit surprised. For all their scolding and panicking, they really did seem to care. Even Gary, who was still muttering about how I was going to drive him insane, seemed genuinely worried.

"Man," I mumbled, leaning back against the wall. "The Elite Four are crazy."

Bruno chuckled. "And you’re crazier, kid."

I grinned. "Thanks!"

"Not a compliment," everyone chorused.