The room fell silent as I limped out, head held high despite my less-than-graceful exit. The gym leaders exchanged glances, each one trying to decide whether to laugh, argue, or intervene. Finally, Blue broke the silence.

“She does realize she’s the Champion, right?” Blue muttered, crossing his arms.

Misty sighed, rubbing her temples. “Barely. I think the stress is getting to her. Did you see that climb?”

“I’d call it a disaster,” Erika said with a small smile. “But… charming, in her own way.”

Brock cleared his throat. “Alright, everyone, I think we need to address this more seriously. She’s clearly overwhelmed.”

Meanwhile, outside the gym, I trudged along the pathway, muttering to myself. “Ugh, stupid meeting. ‘Your habits, Mia.’ Who cares? I’m the Champion; I can have weird habits if I want to.”

Pikachu trotted alongside me, ears twitching nervously. “Pika pika…”

I stopped walking and squatted down to pet him. “I know, buddy. They’re just worried, but I’m fine. Really. Who cares if I don’t sleep well or take a few shortcuts to stay awake? It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.”

Behind me, a voice called out, “You sure about that?”

I spun around to see Misty, arms crossed and looking very much like an older sister about to lecture a younger sibling. “What now?” I groaned.

“You are hurting someone,” she said, stepping closer. “Yourself. And we’re not just going to sit around and watch you crash and burn.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not crashing, Misty. Look at me—perfectly fine.”

“Yeah, you looked real fine when you fell off that rock wall,” she shot back, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

“Hey, that was Squirtle’s fault!”

“Squirtle wasn’t the one taking pills to stay awake or skipping meals because you’re ‘too busy,’” Misty countered. “You’ve got to take better care of yourself, Mia. You’re the Champion, sure, but you’re also just… a kid.”

Her words hit harder than I wanted to admit. I looked away, suddenly fascinated by the ground. “I don’t have time to be a kid,” I muttered.

“You’re always going to have responsibilities, Mia. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. We’re here to help you.”

Pikachu nuzzled my leg, and I sighed. “Fine. I’ll… try. But no more meetings about my habits, okay? It’s embarrassing.”

Misty smiled. “Deal. But only if you promise to actually let us help.”

I grumbled something unintelligible but nodded, earning an approving pat on the shoulder.

As Misty walked me back toward the gym, I couldn’t help but think that maybe—just maybe—having people worry about me wasn’t the worst thing in the world.