Dian immediately put the documents away, then glanced around out of the corner of his eye and spotted several tiny badges scattered across the ground... Sure enough, they were here.
A faint smile crossed his face. He had known there would be some here.
That was one of his reasons for coming.
But now was not the time.
He looked up and saw four more figures appear before him: Misty with her short orange hair, a girl with twin ponytails, a short-haired young man in a green shirt, and an old man with white whiskers at his temples.
"Thank goodness!"
Misty ran over, panting. "Thank you. These are the thieves who stole the badges."
After speaking, she took another careful look at the young man before her. She felt as though she had seen him somewhere...
"Ah! From Alto Mare..."
Misty thought a little more, then gave an embarrassed smile. She had forgotten.
"Dian."
Dian did not mind. It wasn't as though he was outrageously handsome. How could he be as universally adored and unforgettable as Ash?
He smiled faintly. "The Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym?"
He reached out and shook her hand... What a shame. If he could travel back, he could probably make a tidy sum holding a handshake event.
"Yes. Are you here for a badge, then?"
Misty sheepishly pointed at the blue, droplet-shaped Cascade Badges on the ground. "As you can see, the badges are still being made, so I'm afraid..."
Dian was about to introduce himself when he noticed that the girl with twin ponytails running up behind her looked familiar... Not because he had met her, but because he seemed to have seen a photo of her before, though she had been wearing a kimono in it.
"Sakura?"
"Huh?"
Sakura blinked, then pointed