She'd never seen a trainer cry at losing before, much less a gym leader. Even the youngsters she'd fought had gotten cranky at worst, and Lyra suddenly felt guilty for winning.
"Hey..." She reached out and awkwardly touched Whitney's arm. "I'm sorry."
"Aaah..." Whitney didn't look up, her shoulders shaking as tears continued to run down her cheeks. "You're so mean! Why did you have to be so rough?"
"I didn't mean to," Lyra said. "I just...wanted to give it my best, that's all. I didn't mean to hurt you." She sighed. "I...I guess I'll go now." But as she turned to leave one of the trainers she'd fought before stopped her.
"Don't worry about it," the girl said. "Whitney always cries when she loses, but she'll get over it."
So Lyra stayed and patted the gym leader's shoulder until she'd cried herself out. Finally, Whitney looked up and rubbed her eyes.
"Um...thanks." She sniffled. "Oh, wait, I was supposed to give you something, wasn't I? Here's the Plain Badge." She pressed it into Lyra's hand, then suddenly seemed to brighten. "Oh yeah! And take this, too!"
"This is..."
"The technical machine for Attract," Whitney said, handing Lyra a small disc. "It makes pokemon of the opposite gender fall in love with yours, so they'll be less likely to hit!"
"Thank you," Lyra said. "So...you're not mad at me anymore?"
"Oh, I wasn't mad, I always get upset when I lose," Whitney assured her. "Don't worry! You're a good trainer and I'm glad you beat me!"
Lyra smiled as they shook hands.
"Maybe someday we'll battle again," she said, gathering her exhausted pokemon and heading out of the gym. "Thanks again, Whitney!" she called as she glanced over her shoulder one last time to see the gym leader wave to her.