"Koga!"
The huge wave collapsed, and the super-effective Aura Sphere shot Greninja straight off its crest. Cheng Tian let out a muffled groan and fell onto his backside on the floor.
That hit had hurt so much he felt as though his skull would split apart. Clawitzer silently withdrew its arm. It had used roughly eighty percent of its power for that attack.
"A-Tian!" Su Han hurried over anxiously. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Cheng Tian shook his head, his vision still swimming with stars. He forced himself to his feet and walked over to Greninja.
"Koga..."
Greninja struggled into a slumped sitting position. That super-effective hit had made it feel as though its head was about to be shot clean off.
Cheng Tian reached down and pulled Greninja up from the floor with a wry smile. "The two of us really have it rough. It's not just you-I'm hurting pretty badly too."
"Cheng Tian, I've never seen Greninja look like that before. Could you tell me what was going on?" Na Youyou asked curiously.
Cheng Tian shook his head. "I'm not too sure myself."
"I see..." Na Youyou did not press him. Whether he genuinely did not know or simply did not want to say, he had his own reasons. All she needed to know was that Cheng Tian was Sister Lu's student.
"Oh, right. Please take this." Na Youyou held out a water-drop-shaped Badge.
Cheng Tian froze. "A Gym Badge? But... I lost..."
"You don't necessarily have to beat the Gym Leader to complete a Gym challenge," Su Han explained. "Gyms award Badges based on an overall assessment. You just need to earn the Gym Leader's recognition."
"That's right." Na Youyou smiled and nodded. "Your performance was excellent. You can accept this Badge."
"Thank you, then." Cheng Tian