Lance stared at the bottle in his hands like it was a ticking time bomb. "Mia, this is serious! Modafinil isn’t something you just... take casually, especially not for two weeks! It’s a prescription drug for sleep disorders!"

I blinked at him, confused. "Sleep disorders? But it worked fine for me! See? I’m wide awake!" I spread my arms dramatically to emphasize my point, nearly knocking over a chair in the process.

Gary facepalmed so hard I was worried he’d bruise himself. "Mia. That’s not the point. Do you even know what could happen if you keep taking stuff like this?!"

I tilted my head. "Uh… no? What’s the big deal? I’m alive, aren’t I?"

Lorelei knelt beside me, her expression soft but serious. "Mia, honey, it’s not just about being alive right now. Medications like these can have serious side effects, especially for someone your age. Where did you even get this?"

I hesitated, my gaze darting toward my bag. "I… uh… found it?"

Lance’s eyes narrowed. "Found it where, Mia?"

"On a counter. Somewhere." I mumbled, shrinking under his intense stare.

Gary threw his hands up. "Unbelievable! You just saw pills and thought, ‘Oh, these look fun!’ and started taking them?!"

"HEY!" I snapped back, pointing a finger at him. "I couldn’t sleep for TWO WEEKS because of all this Elite Four pressure! What was I supposed to do? Just sit there and count Mareep?!"

Bruno, who had been pacing like a caged Machoke, stopped abruptly. "Wait, what other pills have you been taking, Mia?"

"Uh…" I scratched the back of my head nervously. "Just, you know… some stuff for energy… and focus… and maybe one for anxiety?"

The room went dead silent.

Lance’s face paled. "Show us."

"Do I have to?"

"NOW."

Sighing, I reached into my bag and started pulling out bottles. One by one, I set them on the desk: green, blue, orange, pink… The pile grew larger, and the adults’ expressions grew darker. By the time I was done, Lance looked like he was about to faint, and Lorelei had a hand over her mouth in shock.

Professor Oak picked up one of the bottles, adjusting his glasses to read the label. "Mia… half of these medications are completely inappropriate for children. Some of them aren’t even legal without a prescription!"

Gary, meanwhile, was staring at me like I’d sprouted another head. "Are you kidding me?! What were you thinking?!"

"I WASN’T THINKING, OKAY?!" I shouted, standing up. "I just wanted to feel better! To stop being tired! To be ready for all this stupid pressure!"

Bruno crossed his arms, his expression unusually serious. "Mia, we understand that this journey can be overwhelming, but this…" He gestured to the pile of pills. "This isn’t the way to handle it."

Greta sighed, sitting down beside me. "Sweetheart, you’re just a kid. You’re not supposed to be carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. That’s our job."

Lorelei nodded. "Exactly. And if you’re struggling, you need to talk to us, not… self-medicate."

I crossed my arms defensively. "Why do you even care? You’re the Elite Four! You’ve got bigger things to worry about than some random kid!"

Lance placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice soft but firm. "Mia, you’re not ‘just some kid.’ You’ve made it this far, and that’s incredible. But you’re also still learning, and we’re here to help you, not watch you hurt yourself trying to prove something."

Gary, who had been pacing angrily, finally stopped and looked at me, his voice shaking. "Mia, do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw you pull out all those pills? You could’ve gotten really sick, or worse."

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped when I saw the genuine worry in his eyes. For the first time, I realized just how much I’d scared everyone.

"I…" I hesitated, looking down. "I didn’t mean to make anyone worry. I just… I didn’t know what else to do."

Oak sighed, walking over and placing a hand on my head. "Mia, the fact that you felt you couldn’t turn to us is what concerns me the most. From now on, no more pills, understood? If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you come to us. Promise me."

I nodded reluctantly. "Okay. I promise."

Lance smiled faintly. "Good. Now, let’s get rid of these, and we’ll figure out a better way to help you manage everything."

As the adults began gathering the pills, Gary sat beside me, his voice quiet. "Next time, just talk to me, okay? I’m your partner, remember?"

I looked at him, surprised by the sincerity in his tone. "Yeah… I’ll remember."

For the first time in a while, I felt a little less alone. Maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to carry all this pressure by myself after all.