As the last of the bottles were tossed into the trash, I suddenly remembered what Lance had said earlier. My eyes went wide in horror. "Oh no... I didn’t... I didn’t think about the battle! I was gonna battle him! But what if I'm too tired now?!"

And just like that, I felt the panic rise up again. Without warning, I leapt up, threw the door open, and—CRASH!

"WHAT THE—" I didn’t wait for anyone to finish their sentence. I bolted out of the room, sprinting down the hallway at full speed. The sound of my feet pounding against the floor echoed behind me, but I barely registered it. All I could focus on was getting to Cerulean City—now.

The moment I reached the door, I threw it open, knocking it off its hinges. "MISTY! MISTY, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The air in Cerulean City was fresh, but I couldn’t appreciate it. I ran past houses, people shouting after me to slow down, but I didn’t care. I had to get there.

As I burst into the Cerulean City Gym, the first thing I saw was Misty standing behind the counter, raising an eyebrow. "Mia? What—"

I didn’t wait for her to finish her sentence. I ran straight up to her, nearly tripping on a rock. "MISTY! I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T! I'M GOING TO LOSE, MISTY, I CAN’T—"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down!" Misty grabbed my shoulders, trying to steady me, but I was already vibrating with stress. "What are you talking about?"

I looked at her with wild eyes. "Lance said I had to battle Gary! I can’t do it! He’s my rival! I can’t—!"

"Hold on!" Misty said, taking a step back as I continued flailing my arms like a windmill. "Why are you freaking out? And why are you running around like you're trying to outrun a Beedrill swarm?"

"My heart! It’s... it’s a heart thing! I need to be strong and not... not pass out, Misty!" I said, practically hyperventilating.

Misty blinked, totally lost. "Mia, what are you—"

Before she could finish, I was screaming again, clutching my head. "I CAN’T HANDLE THIS! I’ve been training so hard and now I’m gonna collapse! I’m... I’m... I’m not ready, Misty! I just ate a bunch of pills and I didn’t even know what they were! What if I can’t even fight anymore?!"

Misty rubbed her temples. "Mia, calm down! What pills?!"

I grabbed her by the sleeves and shook her with all my might. "STIMULANTS! PILLS! MY BODY IS A TIME BOMB, MISTY! I’M GOING TO BLOW UP LIKE A VOLCANO AND—"

At this point, Misty’s Psyduck waddled over and let out a long, confused "Psyyyyduck?"

"PSYDUCK!" I cried, pointing at it dramatically, as if it was going to suddenly understand me. "CAN YOU FIX THIS?!"

Misty, now completely baffled, looked at Psyduck. "Uh... maybe you should try asking it? It's a psychic type, right?"

"Psy-y-y-y-yduck!" Psyduck responded, scratching its head, looking like it had no idea what was going on. It gave me a weak, tired glance, as if saying, "I don’t know how to handle this level of chaos either."

I fell to my knees in the middle of the gym, my arms spread wide. "WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO ISN'T GETTING HELP HERE?!"

Misty glanced around, clearly unsure how to handle the madness. "Okay, Mia, take a deep breath. Let's figure this out one step at a time. You’re just stressed, and I get it. But running around like this isn’t helping anything."

I stood up abruptly, grabbed her by the arms, and shook her once more. "BUT I’M GOING TO LOSE! WHAT IF HE BEATS ME AND I CAN’T EVER BE A GREAT TRAINER LIKE YOU?!"

Misty blinked, clearly taken aback. "Mia, that’s ridiculous. You’re already a great trainer. You’ve got a big heart and a ton of potential, but you can’t let yourself get carried away like this. Just focus, and breathe."

"Psyyyyyyyyyyyyyduck." Psyduck yawned, clearly done with the whole situation.

Misty sighed, rubbing her forehead. "And he thinks I’m crazy," she muttered, then turned to me with a smirk. "Alright, Mia, you want to beat Gary, right? You’ve got this, but you’ve got to calm down first. Maybe... maybe start with breathing like normal people?"

I stood there for a second, then... I had an idea. It was revolutionary. "I’m gonna run in circles until I figure it out!"

I didn’t wait for her reply. Before Misty could even blink, I started running around the gym in tight little loops, like a hyperactive toddler at recess.

"Wait, Mia!" Misty shouted, but I was already zooming around in my little panic circle.

Psyduck, looking more and more exhausted, flopped down on the floor with a dramatic "Psyyy" of defeat.

Misty, though, couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. "Mia, you’re unbelievable!"

"I KNOW! I KNOW! THIS IS WHY YOU LOVE ME, MISTY!" I yelled as I zoomed past her again, nearly knocking over a few chairs.

The sound of Misty’s laughter filled the gym, and despite my spiraling panic, I felt a little calmer. "Okay," I muttered to myself. "Maybe I don’t need to run away. Maybe... I just need to stop being so... me."

Misty rolled her eyes, still laughing. "I’m never going to let you forget this one."