Sorry that took a bit.
>>5449920You head towards Pantea, Hado, and Sala for a bit, Cocoa meeting with her friends. “So yer helpin’ out with this whole thing, ey Knickers?” Sala questions Pantea.
“Yeah, mom and I have even designed one of the attractions that’ll be featured in the contest.” She pats the simulator for emphasis. “It’s sorta a beta test for the thing as a whole, being honest. We’ve had some people try it out previously, but this will be the first actual chance to get a lot of people trying it.”
“Huh, that should be fun then. How’s it gonna work?” Hado questions.
Noticing you approach, she gives you a nod to come closer. “It’ll be a one-round match, the pair picking a figurine each and going up against an AI opponent. Scores are determined by how much damage done vs. received, with a bonus given to those that beat the AI.”
“It’s actually really fun.” you comment. “A degree of strategy’s involved, though this variant should be more of a showcase than a full match.”
“Huh, that does sound interesting.” Hado nods, looking over the machine.
“So, you gonna be participatin’ in all this too, Knickers?” Sala asks with a bit of a smirk on her face.
Pantea shakes her head. “Nah. More here for support. Besides, not really up for these kinds of competitions.”
“Bit of a shame. Wish me luck then!~” the blonde girl replies and winks at Pantea before she and Hado walk off, the boy rolling his eyes at her.
Pantea is… a little caught off-guard by that. “Um. Sure?”
You slowly blink and then look up at her. “…Well. That’s smoother than I was.” you comment.
“Eh?” She is definitely confused now. She’s probably catching on too.
You pat her arm and shake your head. “Don’t worry about it. Later Pantea.” Next stop, the entrance. You see Idasa and Ikose walk out of it, dressed more casually than you recall. With them is… a tall man in a red suit with a pompador. You don’t really recognize him. He checks his watch and tells the boys to hurry along, adding that he will be back 30 minutes after the event is over. The boys nod at him, and he heads back down the elevator.
(cont.)