I could feel it—the way their eyes kept flicking to where my shirt had lifted earlier, the way their expressions had subtly changed. Blue, especially, looked like he wanted to strangle me. May’s face was stuck somewhere between shock and concern.
Red…
Red’s gaze hadn’t left me since I sat down.
I refused to look at any of them.
I focused straight ahead, arms still crossed, waiting—begging—for this to end.
When the ceremony finally wrapped up, and they called for the winning team to step forward for a final bow, I didn’t move an inch.
Blue sighed heavily. "Ladies and gentlemen, our fearless leader—" he gestured to my very-much-seated self, "—who refuses to acknowledge anything we’ve said today."
There was laughter from the audience.
I groaned and sank even lower into my seat.
Pikachu patted my arm sympathetically. "Pika..."
At least she understood.
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I sank into my seat in the stands, arms crossed tightly as the ceremony continued without me. The lights were bright, the crowd was cheering, and my Pokémon settled around me like a barrier between me and the attention I desperately wanted to avoid.
Pikachu hopped onto my lap, flicking her tail as she stared up at me with an unimpressed look. "Pika…" she muttered, shaking her head before slapping her little paw against her forehead.
I shrugged. "What?"
She sighed, but being the loyal partner she was, she simply climbed onto my shoulder, deciding that if I was going to make a fool of myself, she would support me regardless.
On stage, Steven cleared his throat, clearly trying to keep things moving despite the unexpected turn of events. "Well, despite her… modesty, the PML would not have been won without Mia."
I stiffened. Oh come on.
May, bless her stubborn heart, stepped forward, taking the mic with a determined look. "Mia, I know you’re probably ignoring us right now—"
I slouched deeper into my seat.
"—but let me make one thing clear," she continued. "You didn’t just help win this tournament. You didn’t just stop Team Rocket multiple times—seriously, does everyone just forget how she single-handedly infiltrated a Rocket base and took them all down without backup?"
I muttered under my breath. "That was a slow day, honestly."
Leaf snatched the mic. "Right?! And what about the time she walked into an abandoned Power Plant, found an angry Zapdos, and somehow convinced it to not electrocute everyone? Oh, and let’s not forget how she took on an entire group of elite trainers without breaking a sweat."
