"Boss, two skewers of takoyaki, please."

  The bustling street was lined with long rows of food stalls, and Nero, along with his Combusken, had a shared fondness for good food.

  Watching the takoyaki vendor skillfully prepare the dish, the enticing aroma filled the air, making Nero certain that the taste would be just as good.

  "Alright, just a moment."

  After making a quick digital payment, the vendor began cooking the takoyaki, while Combusken stared at the sizzling food, drooling in anticipation.

  "Hey, boss, what's this?"

  While waiting, Nero looked around casually and noticed a rge poster attached to the stall.

  The vendor gnced over and replied, "That's an announcement for the New Year's Eve battle event—The Battle Arena. If you're interested, you should check it out. I heard that anyone who successfully challenges the arena and wins will receive a pretty decent reward."

  In his original world, Nero felt that the festive spirit of New Year's had faded as he grew older.

  No, to be more precise, he was no longer part of the group that truly enjoyed the celebrations.

  Since middle school, his New Year's routine consisted of staying at home, rarely visiting retives, and receiving progressively smaller amounts of lucky money...

  Now, finding himself in a completely different world, Nero and Combusken decided to explore how New Year's was celebrated here.

  According to the vendor, every year on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, a Pokémon-themed event was held.

  There were competitions like Pokémon racing, Pokémon basketball, and even a Pokémon eating contest.

  This year's event, however, was a battle arena.

  Compared to his previous world, this one, with the presence of Pokémon, made life much more vibrant and exciting.

  The event's promotional materials were well-designed, and the address was clearly indicated on the flyer. Nero and Combusken, munching on their takoyaki, made their way to a nearby stadium.

  As they arrived, Nero looked up at the rge sports arena. Near the iron gates, a giant poster was dispyed.

  The rules were clearly written:

  New Year's Eve Pokémon Battle Arena

  This event is purely for entertainment, but exciting rewards await those who succeed in the challenge. Trainers are welcome to participate!

  Competition Rules:

  1v1 Pokémon Battles

  Challengers face the current Arena Leader. Defeating them makes the challenger the new leader. Winning four consecutive battles as the Arena Leader earns a grand prize.

  Different time slots are assigned based on age groups.

  Below the main rules, additional details were listed:

  17:10 - 19:00 (Trainers aged 16-18)

  19:10 - 21:00 (Trainers aged 19-25)

  21:10 - 23:00 (Trainers aged 26-30)

  The guidelines were clear, and Nero quickly understood the system.

  Simply put, only trainers within a specific age range could register for a given time slot.

  This rule ensured that competitors were evenly matched, preventing situations where younger trainers would be completely overpowered by more experienced ones.

  "If I count the initial challenge and four defenses, that's five total battles. If I win them all, I can cim a New Year's prize."

  However, each trainer was only allowed one attempt. If they won all five matches, they would receive their reward and leave, resetting the arena for new challengers.

  Checking his watch, Nero saw that it was just past 6 PM. At 17, he was within the eligible age group.

  "Combusken, what do you think? Interested in joining?"

  "Cha-mo! Cha-mo!" Combusken eagerly nodded, full of fighting spirit.

  Fire-type Pokémon were naturally competitive.

  "Alright, let's go sign up."

  With that, Nero and Combusken headed into the stadium.

  After a retively simple registration process, Nero was led into the waiting area.

  Gncing at the spectator stands, he saw a massive crowd, the atmosphere electric with excitement.

  For just twenty bucks, spectators could watch two hours of non-stop battles.

  Perhaps due to the low price, combined with the holiday spirit, many families had gathered, munching on popcorn and sipping soda while enjoying the thrill of Pokémon battles.

  At that moment, a battle was already underway in the arena.

  A Luxray faced off against a Sandssh.

  It was clear that Luxray was the current Arena Leader, while Sandssh was the challenger.

  The biggest challenge of being the Arena Leader was that opponents could select Pokémon with a type advantage, giving challengers a significant edge.

  Judging by its movements, Luxray had likely defended the arena at least once or twice already. It was visibly fatigued, while Sandssh was still full of energy, repeatedly using Rollout to deal massive damage.

  However, Luxray wasn't about to go down without a fight. After enduring a fourth Rollout, it retaliated with a Ice Fang, sinking its teeth into Sandssh.

  Since Sandssh was a Ground-type, the Ice-type move dealt super-effective damage.

  Sandssh took a hit, but Luxray colpsed immediately after.

  "And it's official! Bron's Sandssh has successfully taken the arena! A five-minute intermission follows, and then we'll welcome the next challenger!"

  The announcer hyped up the audience, and the spectators erupted in discussion.

  Many specuted about what kind of trainer would step up next and what Pokémon they would use.

  Most guessed that the next competitor would bring a Water, Grass, or Ice-type Pokémon to counter Sandssh effectively.

  Nero observed Sandssh and adjusted his gsses, activating their built-in Pokémon scanning feature.

  Pokémon: SandsshType: GroundAbility: Sand VeilGender: MaleRank: EliteCondition: Good (No Status Conditions)

  "An Elite-ranked Pokémon, huh? Not bad... but it looks like it just reached that level."

  Had this been two weeks ago, Nero might have hesitated. But now, he had no reason to hold back.

  "Any challengers willing to step forward?"

  A staff member entered the waiting area, scanning the trainers.

  There were about seven or eight trainers present, but none showed any intention of stepping up.

  Nero checked their Pokémon with his gsses.

  Most were only at the standard rank.

  It seemed they were intimidated by Sandssh's strength.

  Moreover, Sandssh was still in decent shape. They were likely waiting for others to wear it down before making their move.

  "Anyone interested in challenging?"

  The staff member looked troubled. If no one stepped up within five minutes, he'd be in a tough spot.

  Still, no one responded.

  Nero checked his watch. The arena battles only had thirty minutes left.

  If he deyed too long and couldn't complete his five matches in time, he'd lose the opportunity to cim his reward.

  If no one challenged Sandssh, the victory would default to its trainer.

  After a moment of contemption, Nero exhaled, stepped forward, locked eyes with the staff member, and decred:

  "I have a valiant Combusken, strong enough to cut through a Sandssh!"

  —————

  Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to Patreón [Madbot]. Link here and in signature.