Lance held up the bottle of Modafinil with a mix of anger and concern. "Mia, this is not something you should be taking! It's a stimulant meant for specific medical conditions, not for staying awake to train or battle!"

I blinked at him, confused. "But it kept me awake. Isn’t that the point?"

Gary threw his hands in the air, pacing to the other side of the room. "Mia, you don’t just take random medication because you think it’ll help! What were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't!" I replied honestly. "I just needed to stay awake! You have no idea how stressed I’ve been! I thought if I kept practicing and working, I’d be ready for anything!"

Lorelei stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. "Mia, stress and sleeplessness are normal when you’re competing at this level, but taking random medication is dangerous. Your body needs rest, not pills."

"I wasn’t trying to hurt myself!" I said, now feeling defensive. "I just… I needed to stay sharp."

Professor Oak sighed deeply, placing a hand on his forehead. "Mia, do you even know the side effects of these medications? Combining them without a doctor’s supervision could have caused serious harm. What else have you been taking?"

I hesitated, looking down at my bag. "Uh… well…" I began pulling out bottles and packets.

The room fell silent as I placed them on the desk one by one. A mix of painkillers, caffeine pills, melatonin, more Modafinil, and even a strange herbal supplement from Celadon City piled up.

Lance’s Dragonite let out a low growl, almost as if it, too, was disapproving.

Bruno pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, "Arceus help us…"

Gary picked up one of the bottles and read the label. "Mia, half of this stuff is either completely unnecessary or outright dangerous! You’re lucky you didn’t collapse in the middle of a battle!"

I crossed my arms, frustrated. "Why is everyone acting like this is such a big deal? I’m fine, aren’t I?!"

"No, you’re not!" Gary snapped. "You’ve been pushing yourself so hard that you’ve resorted to THIS!" He motioned to the pile of medication. "Do you even realize what could’ve happened if one of these reacted badly with another?!"

Lorelei knelt down to my level, her eyes softening. "Mia, we’re not mad at you. We’re worried. You’re under a lot of pressure, but there are healthier ways to cope. You can’t just ignore your body’s needs."

Greta nodded, pacing the room. "You’re young, Mia. You shouldn’t be this stressed out already. If this is what it’s doing to you now, what happens when things get even tougher?"

Bruno crossed his arms, his usual stern demeanor slightly softer. "Mia, you’ve got potential, but if you burn yourself out like this, you won’t make it far. You’ve got to take care of yourself first."

I looked around the room, finally starting to feel the weight of their concern. Even Professor Oak, who was usually so calm and collected, looked shaken.

Gary sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Mia, I’m going to make this simple. You scared the life out of us. And I don’t want to lose you to something preventable. Do you get that?"

I nodded slowly, my voice quiet. "I… I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I just wanted to be ready."

Lance stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You’re already strong, Mia. But strength isn’t just about battles. It’s about knowing when to rest, when to ask for help, and when to let go of things that are harming you."

For the first time, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "I didn’t want to disappoint anyone."

Lorelei pulled me into a hug. "Sweetheart, you’re not disappointing anyone. We’re proud of you, but we want you to be okay."

I sniffled, feeling a strange mix of guilt and relief. "Okay… no more pills. I promise."

Gary smirked, but his eyes were still filled with worry. "Good. Because if I catch you pulling something like this again, I’m throwing every bottle into the sea myself."

"Deal," I said, managing a small smile.

As the room finally began to calm down, Lance looked at the group and sighed. "Alright. Let’s get her checked out, make sure everything’s fine, and then… maybe we can all sit down and breathe for a moment."

"Sounds good to me," Greta said, rubbing her temples.

As we left the room, I glanced up at Gary. "So… you’re really that worried about me, huh?"

He smirked. "Of course. You’re my partner, and I’m not letting you go down like this."

I smiled, feeling a warmth in my chest despite everything. Maybe, just maybe, I was starting to understand that taking care of myself wasn’t a sign of weakness—it was part of being strong.