Nosepass fell.
Just as Roxanne had predicted before the battle, Nosepass was indeed no match for Tyranitar. With Xia You having already used Eevee to get a general idea of Nosepass's abilities, the outcome of this battle went without saying.
Still, Tyranitar's victory had not come all that easily. Nosepass had caused Tyranitar some trouble, so the battle had not been a fruitless one.
Applause rang out from the sidelines. Seeing Xia You win, Roxanne's students all began clapping.
Although it was a little unfair to their teacher, and they were taking an outsider's side, they could not worry about that now. After all, today's challenger was just so popular!
Roxanne glanced at her students and smiled helplessly, then recalled Nosepass and walked over to Xia You.
She took out an ocher-colored Badge and handed it to him.
"Congratulations on winning the battle. This is my Stone Badge, proof that you've defeated me. Please accept it."
Xia You thanked her and took the Badge. Just then, a figure flashed beside him as Misty, brimming with curiosity, squeezed over to examine this Hoenn Region Gym Badge with him.
The Stone Badge looked like two triangular pieces of ore offset to either side, giving it a distinctive design. Almost all the Hoenn Region's Badges also featured color gradients, which made Xia You feel that they were prettier and more refined than those of Johto and Kanto.
After putting the Badge in his Badge Case, Xia You stowed the case in his backpack.
Nurse Joy had given him this Badge Case after he registered with the Pokémon League upon arriving at the Pokémon Center in Gumei Town. Though the case was unremarkable, placing the Stone Badge inside meant that Xia You had taken his first firm step toward the Ever Grande Conference!
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