I stood there, holding my flute in my hands as Pikachu sent the electric shock toward it. The wooden flute soared into the air, and I couldn't help but watch it as it cracked and splintered, the sound of it shattering echoing in my ears. My heart dropped into my stomach, but I pushed it down. At least I wouldn't have to hear Blue’s scolding now. Or hear Red’s silence, which felt like the worst kind of disappointment. And Leaf… I couldn’t even imagine what she’d do to me for wasting time when I was supposed to be training.

"Good," I muttered, trying to sound indifferent as I turned away. "Now I don’t have to hear Blue's lecture about how I’m wasting time. I can avoid Red slapping me, Blue calling me a disgrace... and the fact that Leaf's gonna ground me." I let out a small, humorless chuckle. "Good times, huh, Pikachu?"

Pikachu tilted her head, clearly confused by the situation, but she didn’t ask questions. She just gave a soft "Pika" in agreement, her eyes still wide from the blast. I could tell she was still processing everything, probably wondering why I was acting so defeated. She didn’t know the half of it.

But as I stared at the remnants of my flute on the ground, I heard a familiar, sarcastic voice from behind me.

“Well, that was a brilliant display of emotional maturity, Mia.”

I froze. That voice. I knew it all too well.

I turned slowly to see Blue leaning casually against the tree, arms crossed, looking at me with a smirk plastered across his face. He had been listening the entire time.

I couldn’t even bring myself to glare at him. Instead, I just sighed and looked away, focusing on the cracked pieces of my flute on the ground. I didn’t want to face him right now, especially after everything. I had thought I could avoid him. But of course, Blue always had a way of showing up at the worst possible moments.

“You know,” he continued, clearly enjoying himself, “I didn’t think you were the type to destroy things out of frustration. But I guess we all have our breaking points.” He stepped forward and kicked a small piece of the flute lightly, sending it rolling away.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. I was already so tired. Tired of trying to be someone I wasn’t, tired of everyone pushing me, and mostly, tired of hiding.

“You do realize,” Blue went on, “that the only thing you’re avoiding by doing this is your own potential, right?” His eyes glinted with that challenging spark I knew all too well. “You’re avoiding what you could be by pretending it doesn’t matter.”

“Leave me alone, Blue,” I muttered under my breath. I didn’t want to hear it.

“Can’t do that,” he said, his tone shifting slightly, a little less teasing and more… serious. “You’ve been running from yourself for so long, Mia. It’s starting to get old.” He tilted his head, eyes narrowing as if he was assessing me. “You want to play? Play. You want to battle? Battle. But stop acting like you’re not capable of both.”

“I can’t,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I can’t handle it all. I can’t be perfect. I can’t be what everyone expects me to be.”

Blue’s expression softened, just for a moment. He reached into his bag and pulled out a Pokéball, tossing it into the air. His Pidgeot appeared, flying gracefully around us.

“You’re right, Mia,” Blue said, his voice surprisingly gentle. “You’re not perfect. But that’s not what anyone expects from you. They just expect you to try.” He glanced at me, a glint of understanding in his eyes. “But you’ve been hiding, thinking you’re not good enough. But you are. You always were.”

I shook my head. “You don’t get it. You and Red... you both think I’m supposed to be this... this... amazing trainer. And I’m not.”

Blue raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly makes you think that?” His voice was low, calm, almost like he was trying to get me to realize something. “I think Red’s been pretty clear about how he feels about you. And me? I wouldn’t waste my time with someone who I didn’t think had potential.”

I looked away. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to believe it.

“You don’t have to keep proving yourself to anyone, Mia,” Blue said softly. “Not to me. Not to Red. Just to yourself.” He stepped closer, eyes locking with mine. “You want to throw everything away? Go ahead. But don’t do it because you’re scared of what might happen if you don’t. Do it because you genuinely don’t want it.”

“I don’t want it,” I whispered, but even as I said it, a part of me knew it wasn’t true.

Behind us, I heard a soft, almost imperceptible sound. It was Red. He had been silent this whole time, watching from the shadows, as he usually did. He didn’t say anything, but his presence alone was enough to make me feel like I was suffocating.

“... ... ...”

The silence between us was deafening. I felt the weight of his words, or lack thereof, pressing down on me. I had spent so long trying to figure out what Red thought, trying to measure up to him. But now, I felt like I was losing something I couldn’t even name.

Pikachu nudged my leg, reminding me she was still here, still with me, still by my side.

But the weight of everything was too much. My insecurities, my fears, the pressure to live up to expectations—it all came crashing down.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I muttered, tears threatening to spill over again. “I can’t be a Pokémon trainer. I’m not strong enough. I’m not good enough.” I took a deep breath, my voice trembling. “I just want to be done with it all. Maybe... maybe I’d be better off doing something else. Like medicine. I liked that more than this.”

But even as the words left my mouth, I felt something inside me falter. Did I really mean that? Was I truly done with everything? Or was I just scared?

Blue’s expression turned serious, and he took a step closer, not teasing anymore. “You can’t quit just because things are hard. You can’t just give up on something because you’re afraid of failing. You’ve got more fight in you than that.”