December 16 soon arrived.
It was already time to count down on their fingers as Christmas and the New Year slowly drew closer.
But before the long holiday arrived, the year's final Great Ball event-the Dragon-type Masters Tournament-began under the eyes of countless battle enthusiasts.
Central Plaza, Mesagoza.
Since Mesagoza's design incorporated so many elements of a battle court, Paldea's largest city was itself one enormous battle court.
Countless spectators had therefore arrived early at the spectator area, waiting patiently on raised platforms or nearby open ground.
Anyone who could command Pokémon as powerful as Dragon types had to be a formidable Trainer, let alone this gathering of "Dragon Masters" from around the world, many of whom were Gym Leaders and Elite Four members.
Even the Sinnoh Region's Champion had come to compete.
How disappointing would it be to miss such an exciting spectacle?
"Paldea seems to have a pretty good atmosphere for battling."
Cynthia, who had arrived at the battle court early with Qingyu, smiled faintly as she watched the dense crowds in the elevated stands.
"It's decent. Probably not quite on Galar's level, but there are plenty of Trainers here."
Qingyu nodded, acknowledging Cynthia's assessment.
Unlike Galar, where the stadium battle culture had been passed down through generations, Paldea had long grown accustomed to taking things easy. They even used the entire city as their venue...
Still, Mesagoza had one unique advantage-
Thanks to Naranja Academy, at least eighty or ninety percent of the Paldea Region's young Trainers were concentrated in Mesagoza. The Masters Tournament held an enormous appeal for these hot-blooded youngsters.
There were also plenty of devoted fans who had traveled from other regions specifically to watch, raising their support signs early as they waited for the tournament to officially begin.
"So? Seeing a crowd like