Early the next morning.
The four of them got up and ate breakfast. After feeding their Pokémon, they headed straight for the Silver Conference Hall.
On the way, Chen Shi spotted vendors selling signs bearing his name, along with flags and shirts featuring his shiny Dragapult.
Of course, he was not the only one with merchandise. Steven, Cynthia, Lance, and the others had theirs too.
He glanced over and found that the merchandise was selling surprisingly well. It was popular with the crowd, and people surrounded every stall.
Pheobe muttered, "They don't even have anything with me on it!"
Chen Shi shot her a speechless glance, sorely tempted to say, Don't you have any self-awareness?
You forfeited and got eliminated. Who's still rooting for you?
All this merchandise is clearly for the contestants who advanced. What does any of it have to do with you?
But that would have been hurtful, so he ultimately kept it to himself.
Before long, the four returned to the lounge on the third floor of the Silver Conference Hall.
Even though Pheobe had been eliminated, she was still full of enthusiasm. She eagerly grabbed the remote, wanting to see whether today's matchups had been announced.
But when she turned on the screen, it was only showing advertisements.
"It's still early," Steven said calmly. "The audience hasn't all arrived yet, so they won't draw the matchups this soon. Let's wait a little longer!"
"All right, then!" Pheobe sat down, looking a little disappointed.
She was actually very curious about today's matchups. After all, everyone left was ridiculously strong. No matter who faced whom, they would be in for a good show.
The four sat together and chatted. Before they knew it, it was eight o'clock, and the audience gradually finished filing into the venue.
The