The afternoon sunlight was just right, filtering through the treetops to dapple the street leading to the Pokémon Center.
Walking beside Xia You, Makomo faltered slightly when she heard him say, "As long as I consider him a friend, he can become my companion."
She lowered her head and looked at the tips of her shoes, the corners of her mouth lifting unconsciously.
Friends...
Coming from Xia You, that word seemed to carry more weight than usual.
"What is it?" Xia You noticed something different about her.
"Nothing." Makomo shook her head, her voice soft. "I just feel... well, pretty happy."
Xia You glanced at her and smiled, saying nothing more.
The two soon returned to the Pokémon Center and pushed open the door. Dawn was playing catch with Piplup in the lobby, and she immediately jumped up when she saw them come in.
"Xia You! Makomo! You're back!"
Cheryl came over from the vending machines, holding several cups of freshly heated milk tea.
"Thanks for your hard work." She handed the milk tea to them. "How did it go? Did you win?"
Xia You nodded and opened his Badge Case. The warm light fell across it, making the Badges seem to shine.
"How could I possibly lose?"
"Wow!" Dawn leaned closer, her eyes sparkling. "They're so pretty! This Badge looks really intricate, too!"
Piplup chirped happily on her shoulder, seemingly agreeing.
Indeed, just as Dawn said, regardless of the Gym Leaders' strength, most Gyms had beautiful Badges worth collecting, aside from a few people with "unique" tastes.
In fact, Xia You had already decided that once he retired, he would set aside an entire wall to display all the Badges he had earned for people to admire, letting outsiders see the glorious victories he had achieved!
It'll be spectacular!