Bruno dropped me on the ground of the gym, and the rest of the adults pooled in.

" Blue, we need you to explain to her why it's bad to consume pills randomly." Lorelei said flately.

I glared at her. " I'm not a toddler! I can-"

Oak glared at me. " Mia, be quiet."

Blue, who was sitting on the chair, looked up. " What's wrong now?"

* She's been taking these pills." Lance threw him a bag, and Blue caught it.

" Blue, make sure you explain to her." Oak said sternly to his grandson.

Blue nodded and did his signature salute. " You got it gramps!"

" Pay attention,dear." Greta advised as the adults pooled out.

When they left, Blue stood up and walked to me, kneeling in front of me. " Okay Mia. Speak. What is all this?"

I didn't look at him. " Stuff to keep me awake."

Blue sighed and took my hand, feeling my pulse. " Mia, your heart's beatin' real fast. You scared?"

I didn't reply.

Blue sighed again, his tone softening. "Mia, you gotta talk to me here. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on."

I crossed my arms, still not meeting his gaze. "I told you. I couldn’t sleep, so I took stuff to stay awake."

He raised an eyebrow. "For two weeks straight? That’s not normal, kid. What’s really goin’ on?"

I hesitated, then finally muttered, "I was scared, okay? The Elite Four, Lance, all of it. I thought if I stayed awake, I could prepare better… and maybe not mess up."

Blue’s expression softened as he sat cross-legged in front of me. "Mia, you don’t need to be perfect to impress anyone. Do you think Lance or Lorelei became champions without making mistakes?"

I finally looked at him, my voice quiet. "But I don’t want to let anyone down."

Blue tilted his head, studying me. "Who exactly are you afraid of letting down? Your friends? The Professor? Yourself?"

I frowned, unsure how to answer. "Everyone, I guess. People expect me to be strong and tough and... ready for anything. But I’m not."

Blue smirked, ruffling my hair playfully. "You’re tougher than you think, kiddo. But toughness isn’t about not being scared or making mistakes. It’s about keepin’ your head up and learnin’ from ‘em."

I glanced at the bag of pills he’d set beside him. "So… no more of that stuff, huh?"

"Not unless you want me and Gramps to personally babysit you every day," Blue teased, his grin widening.

I groaned, finally cracking a small smile. "Fine. I’ll stop."

Blue nodded, standing up and offering me a hand. "Good. Now, let’s get you something that doesn’t come in pill form—like a nap or actual food. Deal?"

I took his hand and stood up. "Deal. But if you tell anyone I’m scared, I’ll—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Blue interrupted, smirking. "You’ll find some dramatic way to make my life difficult. It’s your specialty."