Pikachu, Squirtle, and Charmander all looked down at me, their faces filled with mischievous glee.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped, clearly enjoying the breeze from the fan.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle laughed, spinning on the fan blade like it was some sort of merry-go-round.

"Char!" Charmander was clinging tightly to the base of the fan, his tail dangerously close to the spinning blades.

I slapped my forehead. "Why are you all like this?!"

Blue crossed his arms, leaning against the doorway with a smirk. "You’re asking them why they’re like this? Shouldn’t you be asking yourself the same question?"

I glared at him. "Very funny, Blue. Can you help me get them down?"

He shrugged. "Not my problem. You’re the trainer."

"Ugh, fine!" I grabbed a chair and tried to reach them. "Pikachu, get down before you break the fan!"

"Pika!" Pikachu stuck out his tongue and jumped to another blade.

"Charmander, stop swinging your tail around! You’re going to set something on fire!"

"Char!" Charmander just grinned.

"Squirtle, you’re not a Flying-type! Get off the fan!"

"Squirtle squirt!" he replied, clearly having the time of his life.

Blue burst out laughing. "This is gold. Your team’s a circus act!"

I shot him a look. "If you’re not going to help, can you at least stop laughing at me?!"

Bulby tugged on my shirt and pointed to a nearby Poké Ball. "Ivysaur!"

I blinked. "Oh! Good idea!"

I grabbed the Poké Ball and held it up. "Bulby, use Vine Whip to grab them!"

Bulby nodded, extending vines that wrapped around the three troublemakers and gently pulled them down one by one.

Pikachu pouted. "Pika pi..."

"Don’t ‘Pika pi’ me," I scolded. "You know better than to play on a fan!"

Squirtle crossed his arms, clearly annoyed, while Charmander looked at his tail, as if checking for any damage.

Blue clapped slowly, still smirking. "Well, that was entertaining. You should charge tickets for this kind of show."

I glared at him again. "Why are you even here, Blue?!"

He pointed to the clock on the wall. "Because it’s past noon, and you’re supposed to be battling me for your badge."

My jaw dropped. "WHAT?! Why didn’t anyone wake me up?!"

Bulby, Pikachu, and the others exchanged sheepish looks.

Blue chuckled. "Maybe they wanted you to sleep in so I’d have an easy win."

I narrowed my eyes at him, quickly gathering my team. "We’ll see about that! Let’s battle right now!"

He grinned, walking toward the arena. "This should be good. Try not to fall asleep halfway through, okay?"

I clenched my fists. "You’re going down, Blue!"

As I marched after him, Pikachu snickered on my shoulder. "Pika pika!"

"Don’t encourage him," I muttered. "We’re winning this."

As the battle raged on, things started strong. Bulby was holding his ground against Blue’s Pidgeot, and Pikachu was zipping around with her usual spark and sass.

"You’re not half bad," Blue called out, smirking as he sent out Gyarados.

"Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet!" I replied, pointing dramatically. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pika-pika-CHUUU!" Pikachu unleashed a massive bolt of electricity, taking Gyarados down in one hit.

Blue winced but quickly recovered. "Alright, you’ve got some skills. But let’s see how you handle this!" He sent out his Arcanine, the powerful Fire-type roaring with determination.

"Bulby, your turn! Razor Leaf!" I yelled.

Bulby charged forward, but as the battle continued, I started to feel… off. My eyelids grew heavy, and the sounds of the battle began to blur.

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

"Bulby, dodge and use Vine Whip!" I shouted, but my voice lacked its usual energy.

"Uh, Mia?" Blue called, noticing something off.

I waved a hand dismissively. "I’m fine… I just need… a minute…"

And then I collapsed onto the floor, snoring softly.

"WHAT?!" Blue yelled, running over. "Did she seriously just fall asleep in the middle of a battle?!"

"Pika?!" Pikachu ran to my side, nudging me with her little paw. "Pika pi!"

Bulby looked equally concerned, standing protectively in front of me.

Blue groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Unbelievable. This is why she was late, isn’t it? She’s sleep-deprived!"

His Arcanine tilted its head, letting out a low growl of confusion.

The referee stepped forward, raising a hand. "Uh… does this count as a forfeit?"

"Absolutely not!" Pikachu declared—or at least that’s what it sounded like to her team as she hopped up and pointed at Blue. "Pika pi!"

Blue blinked. "What are you gonna do, Pikachu? Battle me yourself?"

Pikachu’s eyes narrowed as she sparked with electricity. "Pika… CHUUUUUU!"

A small bolt zapped Blue’s shoes, making him yelp and jump back.

"Okay, okay! I get it! Let’s just call this a time-out until she wakes up!"

Bulby nodded in agreement, his vines gently lifting me onto a bench at the side of the gym.

As I snoozed peacefully, completely unaware of the chaos I had caused, Blue shook his head in disbelief. "This girl is something else. How did she even make it this far?"

Pikachu and Bulby exchanged looks and shrugged.

"Well," Blue muttered, leaning against the wall, "guess I’ll wait. She owes me a rematch when she wakes up."

"Squirtle!" My Squirtle, who had been watching from the sidelines, sprayed a small jet of water at Blue’s leg, snickering mischievously.

"HEY! Knock it off!" Blue yelled, glaring at my Pokémon as they laughed.

Meanwhile, I snored on, dreaming of chocolate and victory.

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Blue looming over me. And, oh Arceus, he looked absolutely hideous. His hair was a mess, his face was covered in random streaks of marker, and someone had stuck what appeared to be a wad of gum to his forehead.

I screamed. Loudly. "AAAAAAAAAHHHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!"

Blue flinched, then glared. "Your Pikachu happened!"

I looked around at my Pokémon. Pikachu, Squirtle, and Charmander were sitting in a smug little row, their expressions practically screaming, 'Mission accomplished.'

Pikachu gave me a cheeky grin. "Pika-pi!"

Charmander waved a charred stick that had been used as a marker. "Char-char!"

Squirtle flexed his tiny arms like he’d done all the heavy lifting. "Squirt!"

I stared at them, my mouth hanging open, before turning to the one Pokémon who wasn’t part of the chaos. "Bulby, what’s going on here?"

Bulby sighed and shook his head as if to say, "Don’t look at me. I tried to stop them."

Blue crossed his arms and scowled. "While you were busy napping, your delightful team decided to 'teach me a lesson.' Apparently, this is what happens when you fall asleep in the middle of a gym battle!"

I blinked at him, then turned back to my Pokémon. "Guys. Did you seriously prank Blue while I was out?"

Pikachu and the others nodded proudly, their smug expressions never faltering.

Blue groaned. "And now I look like an idiot! How am I supposed to take you seriously after this?!"

I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing. "Blue, you look ridiculous!"

He glared at me. "You think this is funny?!"

I nodded, tears of laughter streaming down my face. "Absolutely! This is the best thing I’ve ever woken up to!"

Blue muttered something under his breath about "never letting challengers bring prank-happy Pokémon again" while Pikachu and the rest basked in the glory of their mischief.

Eventually, I wiped my tears and stood up, still giggling. "Alright, alright. I’m sorry about my team, but to be fair, you kind of deserved it for letting me fall asleep in the middle of our battle."

Blue threw his hands up. "How is that my fault?! You’re the one who passed out!"

I shrugged. "Details, details. Anyway, how about we clean you up and finish this battle? I promise I’ll stay awake this time."

Blue gave me a long, exasperated look before finally sighing. "Fine. But if your Pokémon pull another stunt, I’m disqualifying you."

"Deal!" I said with a grin, mentally noting to keep an eye on my troublemakers.

As Blue stomped off to wash his face, Pikachu and the others high-fived again, clearly proud of their handiwork. Bulby just sighed and shook his head again, as if to say, "Why do I even bother?"