Inside the Lounge.
Mr. Matsumiya was sitting at the coffee table, talking with Miss Matisse and Ramos.
Meanwhile, Hualian, Shione, Shizuka, Richard, and the other Gym elites sat on a ring of sofas farther out. Having already taken part in a Gym Ranking Tournament together, they were fairly familiar with one another, so the atmosphere among them was reasonably friendly.
"So, this time, Roco is the only Elite Class participant from Lumiose City?"
Ramos looked at Mr. Matsumiya and said regretfully,
"If you hadn't run into that monster of a boy, the Lumiose Gym could have placed higher. What a shame... Matsumiya!"
Mr. Matsumiya took it in stride. He really did get along well with the other Gym Leaders, and he still wore a smile as he replied,
"There's nothing to regret, old Ramos. Even if I hadn't faced Gym Leader Ishida, with my strength, I could only have climbed one place at most... and even that would have taken tremendous luck."
Miss Matisse smiled faintly, her eyes bright as she said,
"Gym Leader Matsumiya, it's not just you. Apart from Korrina and Wulfric, I'm afraid any of the rest of us would have had to accept defeat if we faced Yong."
Miss Matisse gathered up her hair and said with a slight sigh,
"The gap just keeps growing..."
At her words, the others fell quiet.
Yes, the gap was still growing.
Since they were both Pokémon League Loyalists and both came from the Eastern Hemisphere, Yong and Matisse were much closer and knew each other far better than they did the Gym Leaders representing Kalos's local forces.
Compared with the distant Kalos Region, Yong was clearly far more renowned in the Eastern Hemisphere! Even some ordinary residents knew his name.
Of the other two Gym Leaders representing the Pokémon