Sturdy barricades had been set up around the enormous open-air main stadium in Slateport City's seaside park today.
Enthusiastic spectators who had come to watch packed every open space around the arena.
Television crews from various stations had set up their cameras along the edges, waiting for this Masters Tournament match to begin.
The Master Class held matches every year, so ordinarily, it would never have drawn this much attention.
But the ice-cold beauty's retirement match had given this contest all the publicity it needed.
Although this was the Hoenn Region, Poni's home turf, nearly a third of the spectators still held up banners supporting Lorelei.
Young Master Mao sat calmly with Max in the friends-and-family seats behind the field, the best seats in the house.
"As expected of a battle between Elite Four members. The crowd is unbelievably fired up." Max looked around excitedly.
"Stay calm." Young Master Mao leaned back in his seat with a smile. "In terms of world rankings, an Elite Four-level Trainer would probably fall into the Great Ball tier.
"That means there are at least a hundred people in this world who could be considered Elite Four-level.
"But becoming a member of the Elite Four means something different.
"The four strongest people out of tens of thousands of Pokémon Trainers in each region-that carries an entirely different weight."
"Wow... That's amazing." Longing filled Max's eyes.
"Keep working hard. I don't think Mr. Norman's son will be a nobody." Young Master Mao patted Max on the head and spoke earnestly.
"Yes! I'll do my best." Max nodded, slipping into daydreams about his future.
"Next, let's welcome our two Elite Four members!" The commentator's voice suddenly rose.
Click! Click! Camera flashes kept going off all around. Accompanied by two spotlights,
a blonde lady in an elegant