As Sabrina walked over to Xia You, Clair took the Blackthorn Gym Badge out from inside her clothes.
"Please accept this. This is the Rising Badge, proof that you defeated me."
Xia You thanked her, accepted the still-warm Badge, and turned it over in his hand a few times.
The Rising Badge was shaped like a blue dragon's head, but its smooth, mirrorlike surface had no facial features or distinguishing characteristics, making it impossible to tell which Dragon-type Pokémon's head it depicted. At first glance, it looked more like a dark-styled steel mask!
Once he put the Badge into his Badge Case, Lance casually asked, "Where are you headed next? Are you going to challenge another Gym?"
Xia You weighed it up inwardly.
Since Lance had fought alongside him against Team Rocket before, he told him that he was heading to Mahogany Town next to deal with Team Rocket.
With Lance's position as a member of the Elite Four and a Pokémon Ranger, telling him these things hardly counted as leaking secrets anyway.
"What!? There's a Team Rocket Base there!?"
Lance, Clair, and Kabu were all shocked to hear the news!
Mahogany Town was not far from Blackthorn City, extremely close to the Blackthorn Gym. In other words, the enemy had been hiding right under their noses, yet they had failed to discover them even now!
"That's frightening!" Lance rubbed his chin and sighed. "Team Rocket was right on our doorstep, and we didn't notice a thing! Have they already infiltrated that deeply!?"
Something suddenly occurred to Clair, and she frowned deeply. "If there really is a Team Rocket Base in Mahogany Town, then Vicious's hideout is very likely there! And after escaping this time, there's a good chance he'll flee back to that base!"
"Yes, you're right." Lance pondered