Whis nodded once.
"If Raune admitted that he caught the ball after it struck the ground, then I don't see why Cuki should be out."
Vegetto's confident smirk immediately vanished, his scowl returning at the reverse of the events.
"Damnit Whis...why can't you be on our side for once?"
Whis kept a flat expression.
"I didn't make up the rules, nor do I really enforce them. Perhaps you want to argue with the head referee on the matter?"
Vegetto grunted.
"No. But you wouldn't be so impartial if there was food involved."
Whis perked his eyebrows.
"Oh yes, that reminds me. About Cuki's earlier statement."
He turned slightly to Bernkastel, smiling warmly.
"I would like to inform you that towards the end of this competition, you should consider an aspect about Vegetto here. He may seem like a brute in most scenarios, but according to his wife, his cooking is quite excellent. It would serve everyone well, even his own teammates, if he were to lose this competition."
===========
Kassava had already lunged forward slightly, but stopped at the blow of the whistle. She frowned, her attention still trained on Demi-Fiend a few meters away. She stood relaxed as the referees deliberated, but narrowed her eyes slightly at Demi-Fiend's conversation with the other opponents, unable to hear what they're saying. She glanced down, noticing her staring possibly giving her intentions away, and slowly turned on her heel to move up to Spina's side.
"Think they figured out our plan, the damn ref blew the whistle at the worst time. We'll let the other guy go after Demi, but aim for Cuki when the game starts again. She won't expect the rush for sure."