It wasn’t until I heard Lance’s voice again, calm and steady, that it really clicked.

"Your heart could have stopped, Mia," he’d said.

And in that moment, my mind exploded. I didn't just hear the words. They echoed in my brain like some terrifying warning, an alarm bell ringing non-stop in my head.

I froze.

Then, before anyone could say anything else, I screamed. And when I screamed, it was like all the chaos from earlier had been a warm-up for the main event.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I shrieked so loudly I swear the entire building trembled. Without even thinking about it, I bolted out of the room, my feet barely touching the ground as I ran straight through the wall. Literally straight through the wall.

Everyone in the room stared, mouths agape, while the debris of broken drywall rained down behind me. Oak had just enough time to gasp before I was already out the door, across the lawn, and heading towards Cerulean City at full speed.

"MIA, WAIT!" Lance yelled after me, but I didn’t hear him.

I was already gone.

I burst into Cerulean City like a storm, making a beeline for Misty's Gym. I didn’t stop. I didn’t think. I just ran.

When I threw open the Gym doors, Misty was at the counter, talking to a trainer. Her eyes widened as I entered, still screaming and flailing my arms. "MIA?!"

"YOU'RE ALL TRYING TO KILL ME!" I howled.

Misty blinked. "What? Who’s trying to kill you?"

"THEY SAID MY HEART COULD STOP! DID YOU HEAR THAT?!"

I was pacing now, practically bouncing off the walls, my hair wild and my eyes wide as saucers. Misty’s Psyduck, who had been casually waddling around in the background, stopped and stared at me. I was too panicked to notice it at first.

"Misty, what should I do?!" I yelled, clutching at her shoulders.

"Calm down, Mia! No one’s trying to kill you!" Misty tried, but I was having none of it.

"No!" I shouted, "I’m not listening! It’s too late for calm! They let me take drugs, Misty! And then they said my heart might stop and then I—"

Misty’s hand shot up, trying to get me to stop. "Okay, okay, just... slow down! Psyduck! Use... something! Please help!"

Psyduck stared at her blankly, the usual confused look plastered on its face, then blinked slowly. It looked at me for a moment, cocked its head, and finally... did absolutely nothing. Its only response was a soft, "Psyduck..." before it went back to waddling around like nothing was happening.

I froze. "Uh. Thanks, Psyduck."

Misty ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. "Psyduck doesn’t do anything unless he’s really, really confused or about to have a headache that’s actually useful."

I sighed dramatically, sinking to the floor. "Great. The one time I need help, and he’s just... living his best life."

Misty knelt beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Mia, calm down. You’re fine. No one’s trying to kill you. You just need to take a deep breath."

I let out a high-pitched, shaky breath and glanced up at her. "But... what if it’s too late?"

"Too late for what?" Misty asked, still trying to figure out how to soothe me.

"My heart!" I gasped. "What if it already stopped?!"

I pressed my hand to my chest, as if trying to hear it beat.

Psyduck waddled over, clearly confused by my antics, and tapped my foot with his tiny, webbed paw.

"Why are you even...?" I trailed off, confused by Psyduck’s sudden attention.

Misty sighed, facepalming. "I think Psyduck’s more concerned about your dramatic energy than your heart rate."

"YOU’RE RIGHT!" I screamed again, leaping up. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

Misty jumped back, startled. "MIA, CALM DOWN!"

But before she could finish, I grabbed her by the arm and started spinning in circles. "WHAT IF IT'S TOO LATE, MISTY? WHAT IF MY HEART JUST—"

"Okay, okay!" Misty pulled me to a stop. "Let’s take a breath. You need to breathe, okay? Just breathe and listen to me. You’re fine. You didn’t die from Modafinil, and you’re not gonna die from... whatever else you’re freaking out about."

"I’m going to have a heart attack!" I yelled, eyes wide as I started to pant. "I CAN FEEL IT!"

Misty groaned, and then to my absolute shock, she pulled out a bar of chocolate. "Here. Eat this."

I stared at it, confused. "Chocolate?"

"Yeah, chocolate. It’s gonna help you calm down," Misty said with a grin. "When in doubt, chocolate solves everything."

I blinked. "But I’m freaking out, and—"

Misty shoved it into my hands. "Eat it, Mia. Trust me."

I hesitated, then tore open the wrapper and took a bite. It didn’t solve everything. I was still a nervous wreck, but... it was pretty good chocolate. Maybe this was a little bit helpful.

Misty leaned back and watched me with a grin. "See? I knew it would help. Now, do you want to talk about why you’ve been taking random pills, or should I get you a whole box of chocolate?"

I slumped down again. "I’m going to have a panic attack in front of everyone and ruin the whole Elite Four challenge."

Misty shook her head. "Mia, you’re gonna be fine. You just need to stop worrying so much."

I took another bite of chocolate, still unsure about the whole situation. "But... I really don’t want to die."

Misty snorted. "You’re not going to die, you drama queen."

"Drama queen?! You’re the one feeding me chocolate like I’m some stressed-out celebrity!"

Misty just laughed. "I know. But seriously, Mia, you’ll be okay."

I sighed. "I hope so. If my heart stops, can you at least tell Lance I screamed my head off in your Gym?"

"Sure, Mia. I’ll make sure he knows. And I’ll even throw in a Psyduck rescue mission."

I laughed weakly. "Thanks, Misty."

And for the first time in what felt like forever, I started to calm down. Psyduck gave me a blank stare, clearly still unsure if he was supposed to help. But that was fine. I was just glad to be surrounded by friends, even if they thought I was completely insane.