The three figures were Reiji, representing the Cerulean Gym; Hayata, representing the Saffron Gym; and Kajiyama, representing the Cinnabar Gym.
Together with Tetsuya, they were the four strongest competitors representing Gyms rather than Gym heirs.
What could he say? It was hard not to suspect that the earlier draw had been tampered with.
The other three likely thought the same, their expressions all somewhat strange.
The four of them had been perfectly separated during the quarterfinals. Tetsuya and Hayata had faced the remaining two Gym heirs, each of whom had an Elite Level Pokemon.
Reiji and Kajiyama had been luckier, facing opponents whose two Pokemon were both only Normal Level.
Still, it was not something they could not accept.
After all, it was good not to face one another before the semifinals. At least they would not have to worry about being eliminated too early.
Otherwise, the Gyms behind them would lower their evaluations of them.
And looking at the spectators around them, Tetsuya felt that this exchange event was, in a sense, also a way for the Kanto Gyms to display their reserve strength.
If the semifinalists were all too weak, it would be embarrassing for them. Even one weak participant would not look good.
As the four stepped onto the stage, the cheers from the surrounding audience grew even louder.
Having watched the quarterfinals, they naturally knew that all four were outstanding among their peers, and their expectations for the matches rose accordingly.
Most of the cheers seemed to come from girls, with comments like, "That young man in the black sleeveless shirt is so handsome!" and "Yeah, the other three are just so-so by comparison."
There was even a rough male voice shouting, "Boy in the black sleeveless shirt, want to work out with me?"
Reiji, Hayata,