Chapter 316: Carriage
Following breakfast and his usual morning routine, Vahn departed the cottage aboard a floating carriage with Grayfia, Venelana, Rias, Misla, Yasaka, Koneko, and Korra—their destination the arena that had been prepared for the tournament.
"What the heck? Is that a giant mechanical turtle...?" asked Korra, her eyes wide and sparkling at the sight of Atlas’s mobile fortress, parked a short distance from the arena.
"It’s called Aspidochelone Green. If you’re interested, I could get you permission to tour the interior," stated Vahn, seated between Grayfia and Venelana.
"Mmn...maybe some other time..." responded Korra, causing Vahn to raise his right brow as she wasn’t exactly known for her self-restraint. However, as her child was due any day, it was understandable that she was being a little cautious.
"We should host events like this in the palace or tower," commented Rias, staring out of the carriage’s window with a smile as she added, "Everyone looks happy."
"I’ve been thinking along those exact lines," stated Vahn, smiling as he submitted, "How about, instead of focusing on Rating Games to determine who’s the strongest, we host events covering a variety of trades and skills to motivate people to broaden their horizons? I wouldn’t mind judging the occasional food war, card game duel, or Pokémon battle."
"Oh? Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Pokémon frolicking about the palace or wandering Termina," affirmed Rias. "My only concern would be people taking things too seriously, experimenting on, or mistreating their Pokémon to secure a competitive edge."
"Then we need only to make the punishment for doing so severe," stated Venelana, adopting a somewhat scary smile that caused the air within the carriage to feel tense and several degrees colder.
"Am I the only one here who doesn’t know what a Pokémon is...?" asked Korra, tilting her head curiously.
"They’re much like the hybrid animals from your world, but with more marketable appearances," explained Rias, holding out her right hand palm-side up and using her Devil Magic to create a three-dimensional representation of a Pikachu.
"That’s a Pokémon?" asked Korra, raising her right brow and adopting a playfully challenging smile as she contended, "Naga would eat that little rat in one bite."
"I wouldn’t be so sure," countered Rias, adopting a smile of her own as she revealed, "Despite its small size and adorable appearance, this little mouse, which we call Pikachu, can move hundreds of kilometers per hour and generate lightning. And it’s arguably one of the weaker Pokémon with a BST of 320 in the games."