The referee waved the flag and announced the result of the battle!
"I… I won?"
"Did I really win?" After her victory, Sapphire stood frozen in place, looking stunned and almost unable to believe it.
"Yes, you won," Roxanne said with a gentle smile as she recalled her Nosepass. She walked over to Sapphire and added warmly, "You did very well."
"Is this really true?" Sapphire asked, still in disbelief.
"Of course!" Roxanne nodded affirmatively and opened her arms to hug the determined young girl who had persisted through so many challenges.
Unfortunately, Sapphire didn't give her the chance. The moment the victory was confirmed, she turned and ran straight toward the audience.
"Brother Ryan… Brother Ryan!"
Sapphire threw herself into Ryan's arms, burying her face against his waist. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks as she cried, "I finally won! I finally won!"
Ryan gently stroked Sapphire's head and whispered comforting words to her.
After failing repeatedly to earn the Rustboro Gym badge, Sapphire had fallen into deep self-doubt. Especially since she was the daughter of Professor Birch, the pressure had been enormous. Now that she had finally succeeded, all that built-up tension was released at once.
...
"Okay, you silly girl. Shouldn't you be happy that you won?" Ryan patted her back gently.
"Mhm… Thank you, Brother Ryan," Sapphire said, wiping away her tears of joy. She looked up at him with eyes full of gratitude.
"Alright, the Gym Leader is still waiting to give you your badge. Go and collect it," Ryan said softly, pointing toward Roxanne.
"Hmm!" Sapphire's face lit up with a bright smile again. She jumped excitedly and ran back toward Roxanne.
...
"Sapphire, this is the Rustboro Gym Badge you've earned," Roxanne said, taking out the badge and handing it to her with a smile.
"Thank you!" The cheerful Sapphire accepted it with both hands, then immediately ran back to Ryan's side to show it off excitedly.
Roxanne's gaze followed Sapphire and landed once again on Ryan. Her beautiful eyes were filled with curiosity.
In the previous challenges, Sapphire had been repeatedly pushed back by her Nosepass. But this time, the girl seemed like a completely different person — refreshed, confident, and in control from the very beginning. She had even used clever tactics to secure victory.
"As soon as the battle ended, Sapphire ran straight to that young man," Roxanne thought. "It's obvious he was the one who taught her those tactics."
The more Roxanne thought about it, the more interested she became in the handsome young man who had helped Sapphire.
She walked over and proactively extended her hand. "Hello, my name is Roxanne."
"Hello, I'm Ryan," Ryan replied politely. He shook her hand gently, holding only the first few fingers for a brief moment before releasing it.
His handsome appearance combined with his gentlemanly manners left a very good first impression on Roxanne.
"Mr. Ryan, you're a trainer as well, right?" Roxanne asked, noticing the Poké Balls at his waist.
Before Ryan could answer, the still-excited Sapphire jumped in first. "Yes! Brother Ryan is amazing! If he hadn't told me about Nosepass's weaknesses, I wouldn't have won at all!"
After speaking, Sapphire looked at Ryan with open admiration.
Hearing this, Roxanne became even more intrigued by Ryan.
"It wasn't exactly exposing a flaw," Ryan said modestly. "I simply know some of Nosepass's characteristics and used them to create a counter-strategy."
Roxanne looked at Ryan's calm and composed expression and said softly, "I don't think I've ever given you the Rustboro Gym Badge before, Mr. Ryan."
"I wonder if you'd be interested in battling me?"
Roxanne had an excellent memory. She remembered every trainer she had awarded a badge to. Since she had no recollection of Ryan, it was clear he hadn't earned the badge yet. Combined with Sapphire's admiration, she could tell his strength was far from ordinary.
Seeing Roxanne's interest, she took the initiative to challenge him.
A battle against a Gym Leader?
It was actually a good idea. It would let Ryan test how much his Pokémon had improved during this period of training. After all, the ultimate goal of hard training was to perform on the battlefield, fight, and win. Real combat experience was essential.
However, time was tight. He had already spent the entire afternoon accompanying Sapphire at the gym, and Professor Oak's lecture was starting in less than an hour.
"Sorry, Miss Roxanne," Ryan replied politely. "I'm also planning to attend Professor Oak's lecture later. How about we battle next time we meet?"
Roxanne lightly tapped her forehead and smiled. "Oh right, if you hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten. Professor Oak's lecture is something we definitely can't miss!"
As a top student at the Rustboro Pokémon Academy, Roxanne was also looking forward to the lecture.
"Why don't we head over together?" she suggested.
Ryan checked the time and saw that it was almost time to go, so he nodded. "Alright, let's go together."