Lillie knelt beside me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “They were really worried, Mia. We all were.”
Bellis nodded. “You fought bravely, but that was a dangerous battle. It’s alright to let others help, you know.”
I bit my lip, my fingers still tangled in Nini’s fur. They were right. I knew they were. But Giovanni had gotten away. Mewtwo was still under his control. And if we didn’t stop him now…
Pikachu nudged my cheek. “Chuuu?”
I turned to her and gave her a small, tired smile. “I know, girl. We’ll rest.” I looked back at the others. “But not for long.”
Blue groaned. “Mia—”
I held up a hand. “I know what you’re gonna say, and I get it. I really do. But Giovanni’s still out there. If we don’t stop him, he’ll just try again.”
Paulo frowned. “But you did stop him. You beat him, Mia.”
I shook my head. “No. I won the fight, but I didn’t stop him. He’s still out there, and he still has Mewtwo.”
The room fell silent.
Lillie looked down. “So what do we do?”
I took a deep breath, looking at each of them. “We prepare. We train. And next time? We make sure there isn’t a next time.”
Blue smirked. “Now that’s the Mia I know.”
Bellis chuckled. “Determined as always.”
I stood up, Nido and Nini hopping off my lap. “Then let’s get to work.”
Because if Giovanni thought he could get away with this, he had another thing coming.
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Nido gave a small whimper, nodding his little head as the other Baby Pokémon huddled around me. I sighed, giving each of them gentle pats.
"Hey, hey, I'm fine," I reassured them, though I could still feel the soreness from that last attack. "I've been through worse, trust me."
Pikachu nuzzled against my cheek, her ears twitching. "Pika..."
Lillie knelt beside me, watching the Pokémon with a soft smile. "Mia, they really care about you. You should at least take a break. You’ve been through so much today."
Blue scoffed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, for once, I agree with her. You’re always charging ahead like an idiot, but even idiots need rest."
I rolled my eyes. "Wow, thanks, Blue. That was so heartfelt."
Paulo rubbed the back of his neck. "He’s right, though. You don’t have to carry everything on your shoulders alone, Mia. We’re a team, remember?"
I looked at them, then at Pikachu, who gave me the same concerned look. I sighed.
