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."
"Wait, this little rat can generate lightning? Are you serious?" asked Korra, her expression emphasizing her disbelief.
"Vahn, if you would be so kind," prompted Rias, spurring Vahn to produce a holographic projector at the carriage's center. A few seconds later, the light-formed projection of a Pikachu battle against a Gyarados appeared. The disparity in their sizes was extreme, but despite being much smaller, the adorable yellow mouse Pokémon had a clear advantage as it used its inordinately powerful electric attacks to assail the much larger, draconic-looking sea serpent.
"Holy...and you want people to battle with these...?" asked Korra, directing the question at Vahn.
"As dubious as it sounds, most Pokémon enjoy battling," contended Vahn. "There are even instances of Pokémon approaching Trainers they believe to be competent in order to travel, participate in Gym battles, and regional tournaments. It might sound cruel on paper, but if you watched the anime or lived within the Pokémon world, you'd quickly realize its inhabitants live alongside and greatly value Pokémon as companions who share the same dream or extensions of their family."
"Yeah, I kind of get it," affirmed Korra, adding, "Naga and I are basically sisters. She's had my back and I've had hers just about as long as I can remember. But I could never send her into a battle unless I'm right there with her."
"That could be a format," proposed Rias, expanding, "There are plenty of worlds where Trainers or Tamers fight alongside their animal or monster partners. I used to be really into a franchise called Yo-Kai Rancher when I was younger, but it pretty much disappeared when Pokémon and Digimon came into the mainstream."
"I remember those days..." chimed Venelana, a nostalgic smile adorning her face as she noted, "In particular, I remember how sad you were when you dropped your pocket Yo-Kai in the toilet and it stopped working. You were inconsolable until we took you to the Forest of Familiars and helped you choose one."
"Mother...I would thank you not to reveal sensitive information about my past so casually..." stated Rias, sitting straight and exuding the dignity of an Ojou-sama as she stared at her mother with lightly flushed cheeks and slightly furrowed brows.
"I want to catch a Snorlax..." stated Koneko, inserting herself into the conversation rather abruptly, her expression serious as she justified her choice, explaining, "His belly looks soft. Perfect for basking in the sun..."
"I'm personally more of a fan of Pokémon like Garchomp," revealed Rias, smiling confidently as she explained, "I pride myself in my competitive nature, so if I were to enter the world of Pokémon, I would aim to build the strongest team possible—short of filling my roster with Legendary or Mythical Pokémon."
"My favorite growing up was Lugia, but if we're excluding Legendaries, I always wanted to try crossing the sea atop a Lapras or flying through the sky on the back of a Charizard," revealed Vahn, sporting a broad smile as he greatly enjoyed sharing and learning more about those he cared about, especially when their interests aligned.
"I'm not particularly familiar with Pokémon, but if it's something Danna is interested in, I'm keen to learn more~" hummed Yasaka, her nine golden tails swaying behind her. As far as she was concerned, Pokémon were a bastardization of Youkai. But now that they existed within Invirtua, there was merit in learning more about them.
"Then, following the conclusion of today's events, how about we convene everyone to discuss the formalization of leagues and rating systems other than Rating Games?" proposed Venelana. "Similar to Vahn, I would greatly enjoy hosting or at least judging Shokugeki."
"I've always had a soft spot for Familiar racing," revealed Misla. "And as far as I'm aware, racing, in general, is popular in many worlds. I'm certain the residents of Termina would appreciate watching and possibly betting on them."
"My world has something called Eel Hound racing, but it's gradually being overtaken by Satomobile racing," contributed Korra, pointing out, "It takes much less time to build a Satomobile than it does to raise and train an Eel Hound, and if the specs are the same for each, victory comes down to the skill of the driver."
"A similar trend emerged in our world between automobiles and horses," stated Venelana. "But even after more than sixty years and tremendous advancements in automobile technology, we still have horse races across the globe. It's considerably less popular now, but since equestrianism is viewed as a hobby for the upper echelons of society, there's an extensive subculture surrounding it. One that cannot be supplanted by modernity as it exists almost exclusively to preserve tradition."
"Ugh...don't get me started on traditions..." groaned Korra, sitting back and slumping slightly in her seat.
"Actually, loath as I am to admit it, my mother has a point..." conceded Rias, drawing everyone's attention as she explained, "We may be at the beginning of our journey as the Dragon's Pavilion, but we've conceived it as an organization that will endure millennia. The decisions we make now will shape tradition across countless generations, not just in Termina, but across our affiliate worlds."
"Can traditions even last that long...?" asked Korra, brows furrowed and mouth twisted as she revealed, "And, don't get me wrong. I'm excited to be a part of all this, but even if we could macro-manage tens, hundreds, or even thousands of worlds for millennia, do we want to? I'm still caught up on the idea of living for more than a hundred years, much less tens of thousands..."
"It can be daunting..." affirmed Venelana, nodding sagely. "But so long as you have a purpose or a goal to pursue, even ten thousand years may feel like a brief period. A relevant example of this is the Klaxosaur Queen from DF-2995. By the time we made contact with her reality, she had sat as the principal guardian of her world for more than fifty million years. And while that might sound like an astronomical sum, it's a blink of an eye compared to the billions of years some Gods have lived."
"Yeah...I get what you're trying to say..." lied Korra, exhaling from her nose before staring down at her pregnant belly and adding, "But I'm not a God. And when I think about the future of my children, their children, and their children's children across thousands of years..."
"Ah...are you concerned that your progeny will multiply to such an extent you can no longer keep track of them~?" asked Yasaka, finding the notion both novel and enticing. Were it not for Vahn, she'd be lucky to have a half dozen children in the next thousand years. Now, she could have as many as she desired...
"I mean...think about it..." said Korra, grimacing slightly as she contended, "Even if each of our kids only had one kid of their own, that could turn into hundreds of descendants in the span we're talking about. Don't you think that might complicate things?"
"You have a point," conceded Rias. "But you're also assuming that each of our children and their children will stay within the palace. More than likely, they will venture out to other worlds. And with Invirtua having functionally infinite realities to explore, there's a good chance we won't even meet the vast majority of our descendants."
"And that's supposed to be a good thing?" asked Korra, crossing her arms and frowning.
"If you look at it from a different perspective, most people never meet the majority of the descendants," commented Misla, sporting a relaxed smile and using a patient, placating tone as she added, "In the same vein, their descendants never meet their ancestors. Ours are lucky in that regard, as they will be able to trace their ancestry to a single point and have a place to turn if they encounter difficulties..."
With Misla directing the last half of her statement at Vahn, everyone in the carriage turned to face him. In turn, he stared at Korra, staring deeply into her bright blue eyes and smiling affectionately as he revealed, "I would be lying if I said I didn't share your concerns, Korra. But we're not alone. We have one another, everyone here, and who knows how many others we've yet to meet who will cherish and support us moving forward. I don't doubt that we'll face difficulties or even soul-shaking tragedy at some point, but I sincerely believe there's nothing we can't overcome together..."
"Vahn..." muttered Korra, looking like a starstruck maiden before promptly regaining her senses after realizing that everyone was staring at her with supportive or amused smiles.
"Ahem..." appended Korra, pretending to cough into her right hand before adopting a serious but lightly flushed expression as she met Vahn's gaze and reiterated, "As I said before, I'm happy with how things are, even if I feel tired and restless all the time. Once little squirt pops out, I'll be back to my usual self in no time."
"You're mistaken," refuted Vahn, shaking his head before meeting Korra's gaze with a broad smile and asserting, "You'll be even more amazing than you were before. Because there's nothing more badass than a strong and committed mother."
Hearing Vahn's words, the eyes of Grayfia, Venelana, Rias, Yasaka, and Koneko flashed. Misla, on the other hand, maintained a relaxed smile as she caressed her belly with her left hand. She was already happier than she ever expected to be, so while others vied for the position on Vahn's most cherished, she was content with her current lot.
Inciting a change in atmosphere, the view through the carriage's windows abruptly darkened as Erza, serving as their coachwoman, navigated into a tunnel leading to the arena's complex interior. From there, they made their way through a curving corridor and up a spacious elevator that connected to an even more spacious viewing area. Looking through the slanted glass outside revealed a mostly empty stadium, but since it could seat upwards of seventy thousand spectators, and there were fewer than three hundred and fifty people in the training room, that was to be expected...
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