As Larry stepped onto the challenge platform for the first time, something strange happened— A hatch bar suddenly appeared in his mind. Larry wasn't surprised. He had been expecting this. The Sky Arena was the birthplace of many strong Pokémon, so naturally, one was about to be born from his Enemy Pokémon System.
'Since this place is known for fighting, it has to be a Fighting-type Pokémon, right? It wouldn't make sense for a Flying-type to appear just because the name had "Sky" in it… or would it?' Larry considered the possibility of a Flying-Fighting hybrid for a moment but dismissed it. 'No, it'll probably be something stronger. Something more stylish.'
Images of various powerful and heroic Fighting-types flashed through his mind. His anticipation grew. But before he could get too lost in thought, his first opponent walked onto the stage. A loud, booming voice broke through the air. "Boy! Today, you'll be the first stepping stone on my path to martial arts greatness!"
Larry turned his head and saw a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard, standing confidently with his hands on his hips. He wore an ordinary martial arts robe, his posture filled with arrogance. He had zero presence.
At first, Larry dismissed him entirely. But then, something caught his attention— The man's name. Bakuzan.
Larry froze for a second. Wait. Bakuzan? The Bakuzan?
As in, the Dragon-level monster from One Punch Man? The supposed "Strongest Man in the History of Super Fight"?
Larry's eyes narrowed slightly as he took a closer look. '…Nope.' This guy was nothing like the Bakuzan he remembered. Neither the human version nor the monster form from One Punch Man matched the guy standing in front of him.
At best, he looked like some budget knockoff of the real thing. For a split second, Larry entertained the ridiculous idea that someone from a completely different universe had wandered into his. But no. This was just some delusional martial artist with an inflated ego. It was almost disappointing.
Seeing that Larry still wasn't taking him seriously, Bakuzan's face twisted in rage. He yanked out a handful of his own beard in frustration, his temper flaring as he decided to teach this arrogant kid a lesson. The surrounding audience buzzed with excitement. For the average spectator—those who hadn't awakened to Nen—the only way to judge a fighter's strength was by appearance.
To them, Bakuzan, with his bulging muscles and martial artist's robe, looked like the clear favorite.
His opponent?
Just some kid standing there completely still, as if he didn't even take this fight seriously. Bakuzan stomped the ground, launching himself forward with explosive speed, his hands stretching out like iron pincers to seize Larry's neck. "Take this, brat!" he roared, his voice filled with confidence.
BAM!!!!
"No. 777 wins!" Bakuzan's body was now embedded in the arena wall, his arms and legs splayed awkwardly, his head tilted at an unnatural angle. His unconscious face drooped against the cracked surface, completely at peace, as if he had mistaken the wall for a luxury mattress and fallen into a deep sleep.
Larry, meanwhile, didn't spare him another glance. He turned to the referee, waiting for the next announcement. "No. 777, your next battle will take place on the 50th floor!"
A fter just one match, Larry had been directly promoted to the 50th floor.The Sky Arena had 251 floors, with every ten floors acting as a different ranked division.
Every challenger had to start from the first floor, where countless battles were held simultaneously. Depending on their performance, the judges would assign them to the appropriate floor. To immediately get assigned to the 50th floor, a contestant had to demonstrate overwhelming dominance in their first fight. In other words, they had to end the battle in a single move. Larry had done exactly that.
Without waiting any longer, he turned and left the ring. Behind him, the audience erupted into frantic discussion. Those who had been coming to the Sky Arena for years understood what it meant to skip 50 floors on the first day. It meant that this challenger had the potential to reach the pinnacle of the arena. Someone like that could very well end up becoming one of the top floor masters. But the most unsettling thing was that they still didn't know how he won.
Bakuzan had flown backwards as if struck by an invisible force. Larry had barely moved. What kind of technique was that?!
For winning his first match, Larry was awarded 152 Jenny—an amount so insignificant that it wasn't even worth considering. It was just enough to buy a drink from a vending machine. And conveniently, there was one right next to the payout counter. Sky Arena's management was clever—they wanted fighters to spend their earnings immediately, encouraging a cycle of gambling and spending.
To regular fighters, this sum was barely pocket change.
To Larry?
It wasn't even worth acknowledging. Not just the 152 Jenny—even the millions earned at higher floors meant nothing to him.
For reference, a few antique gems stored in Gengar's belly were worth far more than everything the Sky Arena could offer. So naturally, Larry didn't even bother collecting his winnings. What he really cared about wasn't the money. It was the Pokémon and the experience points.
A can of juice clattered from the vending machine. Larry popped the tab and took a sip. The packaging looked familiar—it was the same brand of juice that Tonpa had handed out back during the Hunter Exam. 'It must have been a widely sold product.'
***
Evening fell. Larry had spent the entire day bulldozing his way through the Sky Arena. After a relentless series of one-hit kills, he had already qualified for the 200th floor.
Now, he stood on the 190th floor, casually sipping his drink. Under normal circumstances, the Sky Arena wouldn't schedule so many fights for a single challenger in one day. But Larry had insisted on advancing as quickly as possible. And with the audience roaring in excitement, the officials happily obliged.
With his rapid rise, the spectators had already begun the traditional Sky Arena ritual—giving strong fighters a nickname. The problem was, they couldn't think of one. Larry's fights ended too fast. Men, women, young, old, tall, short, fat, thin—none of it mattered.
The moment his opponent stepped onto the stage, the battle was already over.
And the most frustrating part?
No one could see how he was winning. To the audience, his opponents were just suddenly defeated. It was unnerving. Before the crowd could come up with an answer, a sickening chuckle echoed from behind him. "Hehehehehe…." Larry turned his head slightly, his gaze locking onto the big screen displaying his own battles on a continuous loop.
It made sense. With how overwhelmingly he had dominated today, anyone paying attention to Sky Arena would have noticed him by now. Which meant this guy had been waiting for him. Larry exhaled, already irritated.
"Hisoka." The magician grinned, his lips stretching unnaturally wide. "If you make that disgusting laugh one more time…" Larry's voice turned ice-cold. "I'll tear your mouth off." He crushed the empty can in his hand and tossed it into the trash before heading toward the elevator. His destination was the 200th floor.