" GARY?!" I screeched as the Champion turned. " YOU'RE THE.... THE.... THE...."

Before I coutsah anything else I swayed faintly.

Gary blinked and stepped forward. " Mia? A... Are you okay?"

" Oh yeah." I breathed.." I'm... Fiiiiiine."

Next thing I know my surroundings blackened.

I had fainted.

" Mia? Wake up, Mia, wake up!"

I groaned. " A... Ash?"

" Yeah Mia."

" I... I just had a nightmare. That.... Gary... Gary was the one I had to defeat. The love of my life..."

Ash didn't reply.

" Ash?"

I opened an eye and found myself on the bed of the Pokemon center room. " Ash?! Ash, answer me!"

Ash looked down. " Mia... That wasn't a nightmare."

The life came out of my face. " You mean...."

Then I blacked out.

Again.

When I came to, I could hear voices faintly. 

"She's going to be so mad," Ash whispered. 

"Mad? She's going to flip," Gary muttered. 

My head was pounding, and I groaned, blinking against the harsh light. "What… happened?" 

Ash leaned over me, looking sheepish. "You fainted. Twice." 

"And why did I faint, exactly?" I asked, already knowing the answer but dreading it. 

Gary stepped closer, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Because, uh… yeah. I'm the Champion now." 

I saw Pikachu looking at me, concerned.

Then I fainted.

Again again.

And I knew the next time I would wake up, Red and Blue would be there.

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the sound of two very familiar voices arguing.

"I’m telling you, Blue, she’s going to lose it when she finds out for the fourth time!" Red said, exasperated.

Blue scoffed. "She’s already fainted three times. What’s one more?"

I groaned, slowly opening my eyes. "Could you two not bicker over me while I’m unconscious?"

Red leaned over me, looking relieved. "Mia, you’re awake! Finally."

Blue smirked. "About time. Thought we’d have to wait until next year."

I sat up, holding my throbbing head. "Why are you guys even here? And why does my head feel like I’ve been hit with a Snorlax?"

Gary stepped forward sheepishly. "Uh… you fainted. Again. After I told you I was Champion."

I stared at him, my face blank. Then I turned to Ash. "Why didn’t you stop him from telling me?!"

Ash threw his hands up defensively. "Hey, don’t blame me! He wanted to tell you!"

Blue crossed his arms, grinning. "Honestly, Mia, I thought you’d take it better. Gary being Champion isn’t that shocking. He’s actually competent."

I glared at him. "You’re not helping."

Red chuckled, kneeling next to me. "Look, Mia, it’s not that bad. So what if Gary’s the Champion? You’ve got the skills to beat him. Just… you know, stay conscious this time."

I groaned, flopping back onto the pillow. "This is the worst. First, my boyfriend becomes Champion, and now I have to hear it from all of you."

Gary smirked, leaning closer. "C’mon, Mimi. Don’t you want to test your skills against the best?"

I shot him a glare. "Oh, it’s on, Gary. You’re going down."

Red grinned. "Now that’s the Mia we know."

Blue laughed. "Yeah, just try not to faint again before the battle starts."

Pikachu hopped onto my lap, chirping, "Pika pi!"

I sighed, petting her. "Thanks, girl. At least you’re on my side."

Gary crossed his arms, still smirking. "You’re going to need more than Pikachu’s support to beat me, Mimi."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Ugh, can you two not flirt while the rest of us are in the room?"

I grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked it at him. "Shut up, Ash!"

Red and Blue burst out laughing as Gary and I locked eyes, the challenge clear between us. No matter what, this was going to be one epic battle.

Assuming I didn’t faint again, of course.

But then his words hit me.

He. Was. Champion.

He was going to kill my pokemon.

He was going to do who knows what to my Pokemon.

As Gary’s smirk stayed plastered on his face, his words began to echo in my mind like a broken record.

"You’re going to need more than Pikachu’s support to beat me, Mimi."

He was Champion. The strongest trainer in the region. He could annihilate my Pokémon with ease. My poor Growlie, my Pikachu… they didn’t stand a chance.

Before I could even react, the room spun. My knees buckled, and everything faded into darkness once again.

This time, I hit the floor hard.

“MIA!” Gary’s voice was panicked as he darted forward.

Ash groaned. “Oh no, not again! She’s gonna have brain damage at this rate.”

Red knelt beside me, checking my pulse. “She’s fine. Just dramatic as always.”

Blue smirked. “Man, she really can’t handle pressure. You sure she’s not not secretly related to you, Ash?”

“Hey!” Ash snapped. “She’s tougher than she looks!”

Gary glared at both of them. “Will you two stop making jokes and help me get her back on the bed?”

The three of them managed to lift me onto the Pokémon Center bed. My Pikachu hopped up beside me, chirping worriedly, “Pika pika!”

As my senses slowly started to return, I could hear bits of their conversation.

“She’s really not handling this Champion thing well,” Red said, shaking his head.

“Maybe you should’ve kept it a secret,” Blue added, smirking. “Though I guess it’s kind of funny watching her faint every five minutes.”

Gary sighed, running a hand through his hair. “This isn’t funny. She’s stressed. I shouldn’t have teased her.”

At his words, my eyes fluttered open. I groaned, my head pounding worse than ever. “What… happened?”

Ash leaned over me, grinning sheepishly. “You fainted. Again. And hit the floor harder than a Geodude using Self-Destruct.”

I glared at him weakly. “Not. Funny.”

Gary stepped closer, his expression softer now. “Mimi, are you okay? I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I sat up slowly, rubbing my head. “I’m fine. Just… overwhelmed.”

Blue smirked. “Overwhelmed? Girl, you’re terrified.”

“Blue,” Red warned, shooting him a look.

Gary knelt beside me, taking my hand. “Mimi, listen to me. I’m the Champion, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to hurt your Pokémon. I know how much they mean to you. I’d never go too hard on them.”

I blinked at him, my face heating up. “You mean that?”

He nodded, his eyes serious. “Of course. This battle is going to be fair, and it’s going to be about strategy. Not brute force.”

Red crossed his arms, smiling slightly. “See? Told you he’s not so bad.”

Blue rolled his eyes. “Ugh, you’re all too soft.”

Ash grinned at me. “So, are you ready to take him on? Or are you going to faint again?”

I threw a pillow at him. “Shut up, Ash!”

Gary chuckled, standing up. “Whenever you’re ready, Mimi. I’ll be waiting.”

As he walked out, I took a deep breath. This was it. No more fainting. No more panicking.

It was time to prove myself.

Unfortunately Gary barely made it out the door before my vision blurred again. The weight of the battle ahead, combined with Gary's calm confidence, hit me like a Hyper Beam.

My knees buckled.

“Uh oh,” Ash muttered as he darted forward. “Gotcha!”

I collapsed into his arms, and he groaned dramatically. “Mia, seriously? That’s like the fourth time today!”

Blue snorted from the corner. “I’m starting to think she’s allergic to stress.”

Red shook his head. “Nah, she’s just really dramatic.”

Ash carefully shifted me in his arms, glancing over at the others. “Yeah, okay, we might actually need to take her to Nurse Joy this time. If she keeps fainting, she’s gonna end up in worse shape than her Pokémon!”

My Pikachu hopped up onto Ash’s shoulder, looking worried. “Pika pika!”

“Don’t worry, buddy,” Ash reassured her. “We’ll get her checked out.”

Blue rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure, let’s waste Nurse Joy’s time because your sister can’t handle finding out her boyfriend is Champion.”

Red crossed his arms. “She’s got a lot of pressure on her, Blue. Cut her some slack.”

Ash carried me toward the door, muttering under his breath. “This is going to be a long day.”

As they stepped out, my eyes fluttered open briefly. “Ash…?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” he said, looking down at me.

“Tell Gary…” I mumbled weakly.

“Yeah?”

“…I’m still gonna kick his butt.”

Ash grinned. “That’s my sister.”

Then I passed out. Again.

When I woke up two hours later, the soft beeping of a machine and the faint murmur of voices greeted me. My head pounded, but I managed to sit up slightly.

“Ash?” I croaked, my voice hoarse.

My twin's face appeared in my line of sight, looking both relieved and mildly exasperated. “Finally! You’re awake.”

I blinked groggily, glancing around. We were in a quiet room in the Pokémon Center. “Ash… please tell me it was all a nightmare. Tell me Gary isn’t really Champion.”

For a split second, the room went completely silent.

Ash opened his mouth to respond, but for once, he seemed to think better of it. Instead, he smiled faintly. “You’ve been through a lot today, Mia. Let’s not worry about that right now.”

I sagged in relief, letting out a weak laugh. “Oh, thank Arceus. I thought… I mean, I couldn’t handle that right now.”

From across the room, I noticed Red and Blue exchange a glance, their lips twitching as if holding back laughter.

“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Nothing,” Blue said quickly, though he didn’t quite meet my gaze.

“Absolutely nothing,” Red added, biting the inside of his cheek.

Suspicious but too tired to argue, I laid back down. My Pikachu hopped onto the bed and nuzzled my cheek comfortingly.

Ash patted my shoulder. “Just rest up, Mia. You’ve got plenty of time to figure things out.”

Gary’s voice came from the doorway, startling me. “Yeah, plenty of time to prepare for our match.”

I froze, my eyes snapping open to see him leaning casually against the frame, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

“Gary!” Ash hissed, throwing a hand in his direction. “Seriously?”

Gary shrugged. “What? I was just checking in on her. You said she was fine.”

I blinked. " So he's....."

Then I fainted on the lamp.

" MIA!" Red and Ash screamed as the ran to my side.

Gary raised his hands defensively as Ash and Red scrambled to my side. “Okay, okay, maybe I shouldn’t have come in so soon.”

Ash shot him a glare while cradling my shoulders. “You think?! She fainted on the lamp, Gary. The lamp!”

Red shook his head, checking my pulse. “She’s out cold. Again. What even possessed you to come in here and rub it in?”

Gary crossed his arms, looking slightly offended. “I wasn’t rubbing it in. I just… wanted to see if she was okay.”

Ash sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, great job. Now we have to wake her up before Nurse Joy thinks something worse happened.”

Blue strolled in at that exact moment, taking one look at the scene—me sprawled against the lamp, Red and Ash panicking, and Gary looking awkward—and burst out laughing. “What did I miss? Did Mia faint again?”

Gary shot him a look. “Not helping, Blue.”

Blue ignored him and leaned casually against the wall. “You guys might want to put some cushions around her at this rate. She’s dropping faster than a fainted Rattata.”

Ash groaned. “Not funny, Blue.”

Red shook my shoulder gently. “Mia? C’mon, wake up. You can’t keep passing out every time you hear Gary’s Champion status.”

I stirred faintly, my eyes fluttering open. “Is… the lamp okay?”

Ash blinked. “Seriously? You’re worried about the lamp?”

I sat up slowly, wincing. “It was a good lamp.”

Gary stepped forward cautiously. “Mia, look—”

I pointed at him with all the energy I could muster. “Stay. Over. There.”

He froze, hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. No sudden moves.”

Red sighed in relief as I fully regained consciousness. “You good now?”

“No,” I grumbled, glaring at Gary. “But I’ll survive. Barely.”

Blue smirked. “You sure you don’t want me to get a helmet or something for her? Just in case.”

“Blue!” Ash and Red shouted in unison.

Gary, meanwhile, tried to stifle a laugh. I shot him another glare. “You’re this close to me yeeting you like I did Giovanni.”

That sobered him up real quick. “Point taken.”

As I attempted to steady myself, Growlie trotted over, barking with concern. “Not now, Growlie,” I mumbled, waving a hand dismissively. “I need to make sure I don’t—”

And just like that, the room spun, and I was out cold again.

“Oh, come on!” Ash shouted, diving to catch me before I hit the floor.

Red rubbed his temples. “This is getting ridiculous.”

Gary sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay, I really didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Blue snickered from his spot by the wall. “You sure about that, champ? ‘Cause this is looking more like a trend.”

Ash gently placed me back on the bed, glaring at Blue. “Do you ever stop joking?”

“Not when it’s this funny.”

Growlie jumped onto the bed, sniffing at my face and whining. Pikachu hopped up beside him, patting my arm with her tiny paw.

Nurse Joy poked her head in, looking concerned. “I just heard she fainted again. What’s going on in here?”

“She’s having… a lot of feelings,” Ash said, exasperated.

“A lot of feelings,” Red confirmed.

Joy sighed, stepping in to check my pulse. “This is the fourth time she’s fainted today. Has she eaten anything? Drunk water?”

Everyone went silent.

Gary cleared his throat. “I mean… we were kind of busy dealing with the whole ‘Champion’ revelation.”

Joy gave him a sharp look. “She needs rest and proper care. If this keeps up, I’m going to have to keep her overnight.”

Blue couldn’t resist. “Maybe keep Gary out of the room, too.”

Gary groaned. “I said I was sorry!”

Growlie barked, tail wagging as if to agree with Blue. Pikachu nodded sagely.

Joy finished her check and looked at the group. “Let her rest. No more shocking revelations for today.”

Ash held up his hands. “Trust me, I’m done with surprises.”

Red muttered under his breath, “Unless she wakes up and faints again.”

Joy sighed as she left. “Let’s hope not.”

Meanwhile, Growlie curled up at my side protectively, and Pikachu stood on guard, determined not to let me faint on anything else—even if Gary tried to explain himself.

I groggily opened my eyes, and the first thing that hit me was the chaos that had been building in my mind. Slowly, the pieces started to come together. And then... it hit me.

“Gary is Champion?!” I screamed, eyes wide in disbelief. My brain was still foggy from all the fainting, but this? This was too much to process. “GARY IS CHAMPION?!”

Before anyone could say a word, I grabbed my pillow and shoved my face into it, screaming bloody murder. I could hear Ash, Red, and Gary rushing into the room, but I didn’t care. I was on a full-on mental meltdown mode, and nothing could stop me.

“MIA, STOP!” Ash shouted, his voice filled with worry as he rushed over. “This is not how we planned this—”

I muffled another scream into the pillow and kicked my feet in the air. “I can’t believe this! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!”

Gary stepped back, hands up in defense. “Look, Mia, it’s not like I chose to be Champion. It’s just... happened, okay?”

“YOU'RE THE CHAMPION!” I screamed again, this time with enough force to almost send me into another faint.

Red looked at Ash and sighed. “Yeah, she’s not handling this too well.”

“YOU THINK?” Ash replied, clearly panicking. He grabbed my shoulders, trying to shake me out of my frenzy. “Mia! Mia! It’s not that big of a deal!”

“It’s a huge deal!” I yelled back, voice muffled but still loud enough to make the room feel smaller.

In the midst of my yelling, my vision blurred again. “I can’t... breathe...” I gasped, my body collapsing back onto the bed. It wasn’t a dramatic faint—more like a slow slide into unconsciousness from sheer exhaustion.

Ash leaned over, panicked as ever. “Oh no. Not again.”

Gary stepped back, helpless. “Is she okay?”

Red gave Ash a side-eye. “Well, she fainted... again. You might want to check her brain, Ash. I don’t think she’s taking this whole ‘Champion Gary’ thing too well.”

“Gee, thanks for the advice, Red,” Ash muttered, checking my pulse. “I think we need to get her some kind of brain check-up—maybe after we deal with this whole ‘Gary’s the Champion’ situation.”

Gary nodded hesitantly. “I swear, this was not how I wanted things to go down...”

Pikachu gave a concerned "Pika!" as she sat next to me, clearly frustrated with all the fainting drama. Growlie whined too, curling up next to me in a protective manner.

Meanwhile, Ash and Red exchanged looks, still unsure of what to do next. The whole Champion thing was clearly too much for me.

And as I lay there, unconscious for the umpteenth time, I wondered if this was how I would always react to surprises in my life... or just to Gary becoming Champion.

Long story short, Red and Ash were quick to take me to Nurse Joy, who was probably getting used to seeing me at this point. They needed to figure out what was going on with my brain after, well, all the fainting. Meanwhile, my poor boyfriend, Gary, was left to fret, pacing around outside the room like a worried puppy.

“Mia's going to be fine,” Ash reassured him, trying to stay calm despite everything. “She’s just... overreacting. We’ll figure it out.”

Red stood next to Gary, arms crossed, giving him a knowing look. “You’re in big trouble, you know that, right?”

Gary raked a hand through his hair, visibly stressed. “I didn’t ask for this! It just... happened!” He groaned. “I didn’t think it would affect her this much. Why didn’t she tell me this was going to be such a big deal?”

“Well, we were all pretty surprised by it,” Red said, trying to lighten the mood a little. “I think Mia’s the most shocked, though.”

“Mia’s always full of surprises,” Ash muttered, glancing back toward the room where Nurse Joy was probably running some tests. “But this... this is a whole new level.”

Meanwhile, in the other room, Nurse Joy was carefully examining me, making sure I was okay. “She’ll be alright,” Nurse Joy reassured Ash and Red as they entered. “It’s just... emotional stress. Seems like she can’t quite process the fact that Gary’s the Champion. Honestly, it’s not all that unusual to see someone faint over a big shock like that.”

I groggily opened my eyes as the words registered in my brain, feeling a little embarrassed but still frustrated. “You mean... I fainted over that?” I croaked, my voice hoarse.

Nurse Joy chuckled softly. “It happens more often than you’d think. Just take it easy for a while, okay?”

I nodded, sitting up slowly and glancing around, spotting Gary in the doorway. He immediately rushed to my side. “Mia...”

I sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t... I didn’t think I’d react like this. You’re Champion, and it just hit me like a truck...”

Gary gave me a soft, understanding smile. “It’s okay, Mia. I didn’t want to upset you, really. But you’re gonna be okay, right?”

I gave him a weak smile back. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. I just... need a little time to adjust.”

Ash leaned against the wall, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll never understand how Gary always manages to get the biggest reactions out of you.”

Red gave Ash a look. “It’s not always Gary. She’s just dramatic.”

“I’m not dramatic!” I snapped back, still a little flustered. “I just... I wasn’t expecting it, okay?”

Gary chuckled, ruffling my hair. “It’s alright. It’s just... me. Champion Gary, apparently.”

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. “Yeah, you’re impossible. But... I guess I’ll survive.”

And as Gary and I sat there, with Ash and Red giving us both amused looks, I knew one thing for sure: this was going to be one unforgettable chapter in my journey. And maybe, just maybe, I’d survive the next big shock without fainting again.