Lyle trudged out of the stadium with Spinel riding on his hat. The pokemon was somewhat less cheery than usual, since they had just lost a tournament in the first round. Lyle looked at the small envelope that contained his winnings. It wasn't much, but it was the first thing Spinel had won him, and he wanted to buy the pokemon a reward. Should he get a pokeball? He still didn't have one yet, and he might be able to bring hos pokemon more places if he did. But he thought it might make the Sableye happier to get a treat. There was a museum gift shop with amethysts he could afford. But there wasn't enough for both.

He finally noticed that his pokemon was somewhat slumped on his hat and reached up to pat the pokemon. "You did good, Spinel. I heard the guy we were fighting has battled a lot, so he's got a lot of experience. And his pokemon got lucky with that freezing. You did your best, and we'll get better. We just need more practice, too!" His pokemon perked up a little, but still seemed dejected.

Maybe a gem would be better, to cheer him up. He'd find the money for a pokeball later.