Gary tightened his grip on my shoulders, his face a mixture of frustration and genuine concern. "Mimi, you can’t just eat whatever you think will help you battle better! You’re ten, not an Elite Four member!"

"But it worked!" I protested, blinking up at him. "I stayed awake, didn’t I?"

Gary groaned, pulling me into a hug so tight I could barely move. "Mimi, that’s not the point! You could seriously hurt yourself! Do you even know what half of this stuff does to your body?!"

I shrugged, resting my head against his chest. "Not really. But it’s not like I’m dead or anything, so what’s the big deal?"

"The big deal," Lance cut in, arms crossed, "is that you’re playing with fire, kid. Sodium oxybate? Phenobarbital? Painkillers? You could’ve had a heart attack, passed out, or worse!"

Lorelei knelt beside me, her hands trembling slightly as she held up one of the bottles. "Mia, half of these medications are dangerous even for adults. How did you even get these?"

I yawned, leaning into Gary’s embrace like nothing was wrong. "I asked around. Some guy in a Poké Mart gave me the ones for sleep, and I found the rest in the gym storerooms."

"Storerooms?!" Bruno exclaimed, pacing back and forth. "Who’s leaving this stuff lying around where kids can grab it?!"

Greta groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Mia, this isn’t just about the pills. You need to understand that your health is more important than any battle—Elite Four or not."

I tilted my head, confused by the rising panic. "But why’s everyone acting like I’m dying? I’m fine. Look!" I stood up and spun around, arms flailing dramatically. "See? Totally fine!"

Gary grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down into the chair. "Mimi, stop joking about this. You’re scaring me." His voice cracked, and for the first time, I noticed how pale his face had become.

"Scaring you?" I asked, genuinely puzzled. "Why? I’m right here, aren’t I?"

"You don’t get it," Gary said, his arms wrapping around me protectively. "If anything happened to you… I—I don’t even want to think about it!"

Lorelei sighed, her usually composed demeanor faltering. "Mia, you’re like family to us. Seeing you like this… it’s terrifying. You’re not invincible, sweetheart."

Bruno stopped pacing and nodded. "Yeah, kid. Even the strongest trainers know their limits. You can’t push yourself like this."

I glanced around at their worried faces, still not fully understanding the gravity of the situation. "You guys are acting like I ate an entire PokéMart pharmacy or something."

"You basically did!" Gary exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "And you’re sitting there like it’s no big deal! Mia, we care about you, okay? Stop scaring us like this!"

I blinked, finally noticing the tears welling up in his eyes. Guilt prickled at me. "I… I didn’t mean to scare you," I mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.

Gary pulled me back into another hug, his voice shaking. "Just promise me you won’t do this again, okay? No more pills. No more crazy stunts. Just… be safe, Mimi. Please."

I nodded slowly, my cheek pressed against his chest. "Okay, okay. No more pills. I promise."

Lance cleared his throat, his tone softer now. "Alright. First things first, we’re taking all this medication and disposing of it properly. Then we’re getting you checked out by a doctor, just to make sure everything’s okay."

"And after that," Lorelei added with a small smile, "we’ll help you prepare for your battles the right way. No shortcuts, no risks—just good old-fashioned training."

"Great," I muttered, slumping against Gary. "More training. Just what I needed."

Gary ruffled my hair, his usual smug grin returning. "You’ll thank us when you’re Champion, Mimi."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, secretly relieved by their overwhelming concern. Maybe having a crazy Elite Four family wasn’t so bad after all.