[center][h3]Power Stone Games: Intermission[/h3]
[color=Aqua]Rika[/color], [color=springgreen]Bowser Jr.[/color], [color=BC8DBF]Therion[/color], & Yayama Yama
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1382 (+3 EXP)[/center]

[color=Aqua]”Best. Tournament. Ever.”[/color] Rika quietly declared as she put the finishing touches to a cup of everything juice which, naturally, had every single drink option on offer mixed into it.

Her brother (who turned down an offered sip of the concoction) was just happy she was enjoying herself despite the earlier nerves and apparent poor showing in her matches. His pokemon too, were enjoying themselves, having shown up in other match’s item pools and now chowing down on a light bit of snackage.

He was having a good time too (and not just because he’d done very well for himself thanks to having a bunch of experience in this kind of whacky item fueled combat) agreeing that [color=SpringGreen]”Yeah! Way better than those stuffy ones the four kings are running for sure!”[/color]

From where he was sitting at the next table over, Therion surprisingly agreed. [color=BC8DBF]"The randomness and total lack of decorum was pretty interesting, I guess."[/color]

The thief was glad to retreat to the covered area as soon as Junior took the win in their game, squeezing water out of the fur of his tail and then tucking a handful of packaged snacks away before settling in to actually eat any remaining at the table. From this central spot they could see some of the next round of games already beginning with groups of four taking their turn in the chaos. It hadn't been that bad participating, but right now Therion definitely preferred to be a spectator. 

He snagged a carrot from a veggie platter, but when it looked back at him with a pair of [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/a069d67abd2f.jpg]eyes[/url] he found it less appetizing. Still he pinched the leaves between his fingers and dangled it idly as he thought about eating it anyway. Now that the Seekers' games were over and they were waiting for their next turn, Therion realized he was with the munchkins again like he'd been the day before (not a bad thing, and there were only so many of them not embroiled in the officially sanctioned tournaments after all). Compared to chasing down and fighting the robot convoy with the three of them, of course goofing off like this was a lot more enjoyable. 

[color=BC8DBF]"You guys do this kind of thing a lot?"[/color] Therion asked. Junior had definitely seemed to be in his element, but since hearing Yayama had emerged victorious in the other game maybe the short woman had some experience too. 

“Not exactly like this, no, but the Gold Saucer has its fair share of nonsense,” the lalafell replied. “That, and the odd primal with a sense of humor, or lack of sense of normalcy. Dealing with fae nonsense isn’t too far off of beers that make you explode or what have you.”

[color=SpringGreen]”We have all sorts of stuff like this back home. Not just fighting, but go-karting, tennis, basketball, soccer, the whole works all spiced up with crazy cool gimmicks!”[/color] Jr replied in turn, before turning to Rika and saying that [color=SpringGreen]”It’s gonna be so fun to have you there for it all!”[/color] getting a smile from his adoptive sister.

[color=SpringGreen]”So does your world not have this kinda stuff going on? Because you're totally missing out if so”[/color] Jr then asked Therion.

At some point the whole group of Seekers were going to have to learn that proper nouns and the like meant very little to their friends from other worlds, but Therion had spent enough time in [i]this[/i] world and with these people that he could parse Yayama's words pretty easily, and Junior's even more so. Though some of the things the koopa listed were terms he hadn't heard before, he could tell they were all games or sports just from the context (and from semi-recently learning what a go-kart was).

The thief leaned back in his chair and let out a short, impressed whistle. [color=BC8DBF]"Tennis, huh? I guess you [i]are[/i] a prince..."[/color]

He shrugged lightly before actually answering the boy's question, unconcerned whether he was 'missing out' or not. 

[color=BC8DBF]"Nothing we've got on Orsterra is as crazy as this stuff,"[/color] Therion said. [color=BC8DBF]"But if you're rich you get a lot more entertainment. Fancy games, knights to compete for you, plays and opera... us peasants get by with kick ball and tavern dancers."[/color]

He spoke casually, just stating facts. Although he did tilt his head slightly when he thought about the Seekers actually having a surprising amount of nobility among them, considering that in Therion's experience those types would rather hire someone to do the adventuring for them than risk it themselves. 

[color=BC8DBF]"Once we get out of here,"[/color] he began, his tone just a touch distant to imply that 'here' was more than just Esaka, [color=BC8DBF]"you'll be back in the lap of luxury. Make sure you take that for all it's worth, Rika."[/color]

Rika nodded earnestly in response, while Jr felt a slight need to defend his papa’s love for his people but didn't really know how to go about that.

It was hard to tell when Therion was joking around in the best of times, and now was no exception. He glanced at Yayama. 

[color=BC8DBF]"...you too, right? I mean, [i]Gold Saucer[/i] sounds pretty... extravagant."[/color] And like a place he may enjoy visiting if it was anything like what he was picturing. 

“Well, it might be the lap of luxury if there isn’t yet another world-threatening calamity in a year’s time or so. Though that, believe it or not, has little to do with my noble heritage, if that’s what you’re implying. The Gold Saucer is more or less free, too. Godbert Manderville is. . . [i]eccentric[/i], I’ll say, but a good man, and runs the place surprisingly squeaky-clean for a mega-casino.” She shrugged. “It’s not quite my thing. Too noisy. Quiet’s the main thing in short supply these days.” Her expression fell a bit as she realized she was talking about how things were, not how they are. “Or. You know what I mean.”

Having finally, sort of, gotten his words in order, Jr piped up to add [color=SpringGreen]”Yeah it sounds like a your place problem. Buncha minions get in on the sports stuff. I mean. It's always the big names coz we’re just the best but, like, ok, take tennis. Right. When tennis season comes around eeeveryone is in on it. It’s like, tennis fever gripping the land. Everyone's playing it, or watching it, or even solving totally unrelated problems with tennis, its crazy!”[/color] 

Therion blinked in surprise at the both of them. Out of all of that information the thing he was least surprised about was getting Yayama's nobility right. A mega-casino open to the public -at no cost at that- sounded like a recipe for disaster despite her words about it, regardless of whatever realm-endangering catastrophes went on or not. And as for the whole of the Koopa's kingdom being gripped by whatever sport was currently in fashion?

[color=BC8DBF]"...pfft."[/color] The thief laughed behind his teeth, his tail flicking up and down at the tip. Out of everything new he'd experienced in this crazy world, he could still scarcely imagine the scene that Junior was describing.

[color=BC8DBF]"Must be nice,"[/color] he said shortly after, though whether it was a genuine statement of the facetious remark of a self-proclaimed lower class citizen in his own ‘problem’ world no one could tell. [color=BC8DBF]"Besides the calamity thing."[/color]

Finally he snapped the carrot he'd been holding, and when no scream of pain or even wince of the eyes on it happened he felt better about popping part of it into his mouth and crunching down. [color=BC8DBF]"Maybe the next weird mini game thing we get roped into will be something like that instead."[/color]

At that moment the voice of Biff the announcer resounded through Power Stone Park. “Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you’ve enjoyed your break, because we’ve got all our new contestants signed up and ready for some fun! If you’re not out of juice just yet, find your way to a new stage, and get ready to rumble!”

[color=Aqua]”I am full of juice”[/color] Rika, who was indeed full of every kind of juice on offer, declared as she got to her feet, raring to take another stab at these silly games, unaware of the fact that the party were in the midst of being crashed by G-Corp.