Xia You had no real connection with Cilan and the others, nor did he want one, so there was naturally no need to say much. He simply nodded, put the badge into his Badge Case, then turned and headed straight out of the field.
The others in the stands hurried after him.
As they watched the group leave, the three brothers-Cilan, Burg, and Cress-and the girls from the restaurant all silently followed them with their eyes.
Having witnessed Xia You's strength, the three brothers were naturally filled with emotion and realized how badly they had overestimated themselves earlier. As for the restaurant girls, seeing the brothers defeated so easily had shattered much of their rosy image of the three.
Whether they would continue supporting or idolizing the three as fervently as before was not something Xia You cared about.
Still, given how the three ran their Gym, even if these girls left, another wave would gather around them, so it did not really matter much.
Once they stepped through the doors and into the sunshine again, leaving the slightly awkward and tense atmosphere of the Gym behind, everyone felt much more relaxed.
"It's finally over." Dawn stretched, then turned to Makomo and Songlu with a chuckle. "Now you've seen how a Gym battle works. What did you think?"
Makomo adjusted the glasses on her nose, her eyes behind the lenses sparkling with a scholar's distinctive excitement and curiosity.
"It was... incredibly impressive! And completely different from what I imagined, especially that Tyranitar that came out later. It was so strong!"
Seeing the admiration on her older sister's face, Songlu couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Sis, how come Pokémon battles have caught your interest? Didn't you dislike them before? Still, rather than the battles, I thought those three Gym Leaders were