During the ride, Xinhai spotted quite a few dojo apprentices in town. They were training hard with their Pokémon beneath the setting sun.
A smile spread across Xinhai's face at the sight of the dojo apprentices, but he didn't slow down. His bicycle continued along the town roads.
After riding for more than ten minutes, Xinhai gently applied the brakes outside the Pokémon Center.
Once Eevee and Gardevoir jumped off the bicycle, Xinhai put it away in his Spatial Backpack and walked toward the Pokémon Center's entrance.
The glass doors opened automatically. Nurse Joy at the front desk looked up when Xinhai entered, froze for a moment, then broke into a delighted smile.
"Xinhai? Long time no see!"
Xinhai walked up to the desk and handed over his Pokédex with a smile. "Nurse Joy, long time no see. Sorry for the trouble, but could you get me a room?"
Nurse Joy accepted the Pokédex and looked Xinhai up and down before giving a light laugh. "Xinhai, you've grown quite a bit taller. You must be about one hundred ninety centimeters now, right?"
"No, I measured myself a few days ago. One hundred eighty-seven centimeters." Xinhai shook his head with a smile. "I think this height is just fine. Getting any taller would actually be inconvenient."
"Still, you're almost there. At your age, reaching one hundred ninety centimeters shouldn't be a problem." Nurse Joy covered her mouth and giggled. Her gaze fell on the computer screen, then suddenly stopped, and a hint of surprise entered her voice.
"Xinhai, you've already obtained eight badges!"
"Yeah, I got the last one not long ago." Xinhai nodded. "I'm planning to go to Rustboro City, so I thought I'd stop by Dewford Town and see Brawly while I was passing through."
"Really? Then congratulations are