PALACE GAME: Round 3

[cultfavorite]

You open your eyes—

You're standing in the vast lobby of a corporate building, facing the reception desk, where a Team Galactic Grunt is stationed—she's currently on the phone, though, and occupied. A few other grunts move through the lobby, looking as if they're on their way to their next assignment. All of them look identical. And if you watch their paths for a while, none of them actually end up leaving the room.

The walls are a bright, metallic, sterile blue with white, and the floor is made up of gleaming silver metal tiles emblazoned here and there with a gold logo. The reception desk is slightly to your right, and to the left of that there are three doors in the far wall in front of you.

To the right of the reception desk, there's a little area with a vending machine, a large ottoman to sit on, a potted plant, and . . . a dotaku? With a face? It's sitting resting on the floor next to the vending machine, and it's staring right at you with those red eyes.

Directly to your right, closer to the front door, there is a glowing green circle on the floor with a sign on the wall next to it.

What will you d—

Wait. Your phone is buzzing. Whether or not you had it with you back in the prison, you do now, whether in your pocket, in your hand, whatever. It's on your person, and it's vibrating demandingly for attention. If you choose to ignore it, a mechanical voice emanating from it begins literally saying the word buzz! buzzzzzz! buuuzzzzzz! in an increasingly irritated tone.

Check your phone?

Comments

[cultfavorite]

Maybe you don't check your phone. That's legal. It's going to keep hassling you for a while, but you're free to explore the lobby without caving in to technological peer pressure. Where to?

If you do take out your phone, you'll find that there's a new app on it, represented by this icon:



Don't worry about opening the app. It helpfully opens itself as soon as you're looking at the screen, bringing up a screen that displays that same face from the icon, and it begins to speak to you:

Greetingzzzzz, User! Took you long enough! Pah. I'm Rotoron, your new personal assistant and granter of wise advice. If you choose to listen to it, that is. I don't get an ounce of respect around this place. All my genius, wasted on these youths!

The voice does sound somewhat like someone ran an old man's voice through a Vocaloid type program. It continues:

But no matter. Maybe you've got a good head on your shoulders! Please select from the following options:

A menu appears on the screen. Rotoron also reads these options out loud, and will repeat them if asked or if they're tapped. The same applies to any text that appears on the app throughout the Palace:

Pokedex Information
Battle Basics
Exploration Advice

[terribletwos]

[Is not really used to anyone calling him on his phone so the vibrating startles him initially. Until he connects it with the same reaction that happens when people send group texts here. So he's taking it out.

And immediately confused. But since he's an information connoisseur, he'll start with Pokedex Information and work his way down.]

[cultfavorite]

A display pops up! There is a single icon right now for you to tap on, and it shows your own face. Hmm.

[terribletwos]

[Frowns and narrows his eyes]

... that's weird. It must need access or something.

[Goes to swipe back to the first screen but accidentally brushes the icon]

[cultfavorite]

The screen pops up with the following information, which Rotoron also reads aloud:

Nikkou
Mystery Universe Pokemon
Type: Electric/Steel
Moves: Fury Cutter, Bolt Strike, Electro Ball, Steel Wing

[terribletwos]

Hey, what's going on?

[thisisalie]

[ ... Well then. ]

[ Battle Basics it is. ]

[cultfavorite]

The display it brings up is an explanation of type advantages. It's not as in-depth as this article, but it is more in-depth than I want to write or you want to read. Thankfully, Rotoron is here to help:

Well? Any questions?

[thisisalie]

What am I supposed to do with this?

[cultfavorite]

You could start by checking your Pokedex entry! That might shed some light on things for you.

Will it. Will it really.

[thisisalie]

[ WILL IT. ]

Please show me that then.

[moonlit_knight]

[welp. May well embrace this, let's tap.]

Thank you for your assistance Rotoron. Exploration advice please.

[cultfavorite]

The device croaks out a mechanical chuckle at you.

Seeking advice from this old man already? Get off your duff and start looking around already! There's my advice. Oh, but those Grunts are useless. You won't get anything good out of them. After all, they're the ones who were stupid enough to stay with Saturn instead of making their own way in the world with me!

[moonlit_knight]

What have you got to offer that's so much better?

[cultfavorite]

Take a look around you, lass! What wouldn't be better than this? Adventure! Money! Especially that last one!

[moonlit_knight]

Money is pretty great, true, but I'm currently paid very well so I dunno if you could afford me.

[Heading over to the vending machine to see what's in it and say hi to Bronzong]

[peacetalks]

[blinking for a few moments at his surroundings, looking bewildered, until he feels his phone buzzing and takes it out]

Oh, ah. Greetings to you, Master Rotoron. Might I hear of your 'Exploration Advice'?

[cultfavorite]

Hehe! Master Rotoron. Keep that up, my good man! But try digging in yourself a little before I go spoiling everything you need to do. Start by taking a look around you!

[peacetalks]

[glancing around]

Well, I cannot say any of these surroundings are familiar to me at all... moreover, there was an odd sensation when I awoke... am I correct in assuming that this place is a creation of one's mind--what we know as a "Palace"?

[cultfavorite]

Exactly so! I see we're starting from the very beginning here. Can you guess whose Palace you might be in? Ooh, this is going to be so funny if you can't! I wish I could see the lad's face!

[peacetalks]

I have a few thoughts, but I think I shall save them until I've gleaned more information. Thank you for confirming, Master Rotoron. Oh, where are my manners? Please, call me Aymeric.

Might I hear more information about this "Pokedex"?

[menphina]

[ Fun. She's just staring at this... tomephone?? Agh. Technology.. ]


Battle Basics...? Of course I'm going to have to fight, why couldn't we just shake hands or dance off...


[ Muttering.. ]

[cultfavorite]

The display it brings up is an explanation of type advantages. It's not as in-depth as this article, but it is more in-depth than I want to write or you want to read. Thankfully, Rotoron is here to help:

Well? Any questions?

[menphina]

... where's Saturn. He knows Pokémon better than I do.

[ Deadpan... ]

[cultfavorite]

Gehehe! That's quite a question! If you want to see your pitiful Saturn, look all around you! Where do you think you are right now, lass?