" Mia?"

I turned from the sunrise to see my mother carrying two cups of hot chocolate.

" Morning mom." I said as I turned back to the sun. " I couldn't sleep."

My mom handed me my chocolate. " I know. Ash told me about it."

I blinked. " You talked to Ash?"

Before mom could reply two arms wrapped around my chest, and I turned. " Ash!* I exclaimed, happy to see my twin brother.

Ash Hughes me back. " Hi Mia! How's it going?*

" Well it's going pretty good, actually! Today looks like a sunny day, an-*

" I mean life as a champion."

" Oh, that's good too."

Ash raised a brow but didn't indulge. " Why are you awake?"

" Cause I like to see the sun rise."

Ash nodded slowly. " It's beautiful isn't it?*

I nodded. " Yeah. It is, isn't it?"

" Pikachu use Zippy Zap!" I commanded as my Pikachu executed the move.

The opposing Ratata fainted, and I quickly ran to the opponent and handed him a potion.

" This should help heal your Ratata." I said. " It's a really nice Pokemon."

The boy smiled. " Thanks Miss Champion."

" Please, call me Pokemon Trainer. Even if I am champ, I'm still a trainer."

" Will do Ma'am."

I smiled and walked to the nearest Pokemon center to heal my pokemon.

When I entered, Nurse Joy took one look at me and gasped. " Have you been sleeping well?"

I shook my head. " No not really."

Nurse Joy grabbed my hand and pulled me to the back. " You need a spa day."

Ten minutes later I found myself soaking in a hot springs with my Pokemon.

" Thanks Nurse Joy...." I muttered as I sank in deeper.

Joy chuckled. " You're very welcome! Enjoy!"

I sighed contently as I closed my eyes. " Ah, this is the life."

" Saur."

" Char."

" Squirtle."

" Pika pi."

Suddenly I heard footsteps. " We need to talk."

I didn't even open my eyes. " Blue not now. I'm busy."

I could hear Blue's footsteps getting closer, and his voice getting louder. "No, Mia, you don’t get it. We need to talk now."

I opened one eye, only to see Blue standing at the edge of the spring, arms crossed and looking all serious. I groaned, sinking a little lower into the water, hoping he’d just go away.

"Blue, seriously. Can't you see I'm trying to relax?" I muttered, glancing at my Pokémon, who all seemed to be enjoying the warmth of the springs as much as I was. Pikachu was perched on a rock, Squirtle was floating in the water, and Ivysaur was lounging by the edge, looking far too content for my taste.

Blue wasn’t having it though. He stepped closer, tapping his foot impatiently. "Mia, you can't keep running away from everything. You think you’re fine, but you’re not."

I shot him a glare. "I'm not running away, Blue. I’m just—"

"You’re just ignoring everything that matters," he cut me off, his tone sharp.

I bristled, sitting up in the water and looking him dead in the eye. "I’m fine, Blue. Really. I’m just… balancing things, okay? Being champion is not all it's cracked up to be, but it’s not like I’m struggling with it."

Blue didn’t seem convinced. "That’s not what Ash said. He told me you’ve been having trouble sleeping. And now I’m hearing about you going off to random Pokémon battles just to distract yourself."

I stood up, infuriated. " So?"

" So you have to-"

I grabbed Blue tightly. " Listen here Blue Oak. Get out of here before I yeet you. Now."

" Bu-"

I yeeted him.

Blue let out a startled shout as he was thrown into the air and sent flying backward, his arms flailing wildly before he landed with a splash in the nearby shallow end of the hot spring. The impact sent a small wave across the water, causing my Pokémon to stir in surprise. Pikachu let out a startled "Pika!" and scrambled back onto a rock, while Squirtle looked like it was about to burst out laughing.

I crossed my arms, staring down at the soaking wet Blue as he sputtered, splashing around in the spring. "I told you to leave, Blue," I said with a smirk, my frustration simmering down just a little. "I warned you."

Blue’s face turned red, both from the cold water and the sheer embarrassment. "That was… that was uncalled for, Mia!" he yelled, his voice half-laughing, half-annoyed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? You just wouldn’t listen. Maybe next time you'll think before pushing me like that."

He climbed to his feet, drenched but somehow still managing to look like he was trying to retain some sense of dignity. "I’m not done, you know. We are talking about this."

I rolled my eyes. "Not today, Blue. If you’re gonna lecture me, at least wait until I'm out of the springs. You’re just lucky my Pokémon didn’t decide to help me out and toss you further."

Pikachu, as if on cue, let out a little "Pika!" in agreement, adding fuel to the fire. Blue gave Pikachu a glare but quickly decided it was better to let it go.

I turned to my Pokémon, ignoring Blue’s attempts to regroup, and grinned. "Alright, guys. You hear that? I think it’s time we get some real relaxation in."

Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charmander all seemed to agree, splashing happily in the water as I sunk back in, finally letting the tension from the morning melt away.

Blue sighed, stepping out of the spring, drenched but grinning. "Okay, fine. You win, Mia. But you’re not getting off that easy."

I leaned back with a satisfied smile. "Fine, I’ll take a break. But on my terms."

" What do you want?" I sharply asked the right gym leaders as I entered the Cerulean Gym. " And if this has anything to do with my habits I will text you. I already yeeted an eighteen year old into a spring. I'll take you guys on any day."

The gym leaders were gathered in a circle, their expressions a mix of seriousness and slight amusement, though none seemed particularly fazed by my sharp entrance. Brock, standing at the front, looked me over and gave a small, almost understanding smile. "Mia, we just want to talk. No need to go all... 'yeet' on us."

I raised an eyebrow. "Talk? About what? I already made my stance clear this morning. If this is about my habits, I’ll say it again—I’ll text you."

Blaine, standing off to the side, smirked. "You're quite the fiery one, Mia. That’s why I like you."

"Yeah, well, my patience is just as fiery," I snapped back, crossing my arms. "You think I don’t know what you’re doing? You’re all here to tell me how I should handle my so-called ‘habits’ or whatever, right?"

Misty sighed, stepping forward slightly. "Mia, we don’t want to give you a hard time, but we’ve noticed some concerning things. Your sleep patterns, your behavior, it’s a bit much for anyone to handle. Especially for a Champion."

"Well, guess what?" I shot back, voice colder than ice. "I’m handling it. I’m *fine.* You don’t see me complaining about my role, about the pressure. You think I don’t know what’s at stake? What it took to get here? But I don’t need a babysitter, and I don’t need any of you coming here to lecture me on what *I* should do."

Koga raised a hand to calm the tension. "Mia, no one’s here to lecture you. We just want to help. You’ve been pushing yourself really hard. Champion or not, everyone needs a break now and then."

Sabrina, always cool and collected, stepped in with a more measured tone. "We’ve all seen it before. Champions who push themselves past their limits. The stress catches up to them eventually. You don’t want that for yourself, Mia."

I glared at her. "I’m not one of those champions, Sabrina. I know how to keep things under control."

Erika, sensing the brewing storm, softened her voice. "Mia, we only care about you. All of us. If you need help, we’re here."

Blue crossed his arms, not backing down but clearly sensing the gravity of the situation. "Look, I don’t like getting involved in personal stuff, but I’ll say it—I don’t want to see you burn out, Mia. You’ve got a long road ahead of you."

I clenched my fists, ready to snap again. "I *said* I’m fine. Just... stop making it seem like I need to be fixed. I’m not broken, okay?"

There was a pause. The gym leaders exchanged glances, but none pushed further. Brock gave a small nod. "We’ll drop it for now, but don’t think we won’t check on you again. We care, Mia."

I grabbed Blue and yeeted him again. " Anyone want that to happen to them?"

As Blue splashed into the nearby pond for the second time that day, the gym leaders stared, wide-eyed, at me. I wiped my hands off, clearly not in the mood for their well-intentioned concern. My patience had hit its limit.

I turned to face them, my voice cold. "Anyone else want that to happen to them? I don’t care if you’re gym leaders or what. I’ve had it with everyone thinking I need help when I don’t. I’m fine. Just stop treating me like I’m some charity case."

Brock opened his mouth, but I cut him off. "No. Don’t say anything. You’ve all got your own lives, your own things going on. I don’t need to be babied. If I need something, I’ll ask. Until then, just let me do things my way. Got it?"

Misty stepped forward, a little more cautiously now. "Mia, we didn’t mean to push you this far—"

"Then stop!" I snapped, pointing a finger at her. "I get it, okay? You care. But I’m not some helpless little kid. I can handle being Champion. I can handle everything on my own. I’m not weak."

There was a silence as the gym leaders took in my words. They could see the fire in my eyes, the frustration that was bubbling over, but no one dared to challenge me. They had seen my temper before, but this was something different. It was like everything—the pressure, the expectations, the constant need to prove myself—had finally broken through.

I exhaled sharply and turned to walk away, the gym leaders staying silent as I passed by them. My Pokémon followed me without a word, sensing the tension in the air.

Before I could leave the gym, I heard Blue’s voice from the pond, muffled by the water but still audible. "You’re gonna regret that, Mia!"

I didn’t turn around. "Not a chance," I muttered under my breath.