Playful Land - Whale Escape
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Man... How do the freshmen have so much energy? |
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No kidding. Even after the workout they got on stage, they've been trying to drag me to every tide under the sun.
It's as exhausting as when my nephew follows me around. I'm at my limit. |
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Haha... It definitely reminds me of the times I've got to theme park with my siblings. |
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I could go for a nap on one of these benches... but there's barely any shade.
What's a good indoor spot where I could get some decent rest...? Oh, hey. |
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I see one attraction on the map that might work. Come with me, Trey. |
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Wait, me? I mean I don't have any particular plans, so I guess I could tag along, but... |
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Great, then come one. |
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What could possibly possess Leona to invite me somewhere in a theme park...?! |
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A pool hall, huh... |
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Quiet — check. Working AC — check. Just as I thought: the perfect place to hang out in for a while. |
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Ah, now I see why you invited me along. You wanted someone to play pool with to justify spending more than a fex minutes here. |
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How much do you know about pool? |
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Hmm... I've only played a few times, but I understand the basic gist. |
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Great, that saves me needing to explain.
For the ruleset, hmm... Let's go with rotation. |
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I don't think I'm familiar with that one. Is that different from eight ball? |
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In rotation pool, the number on the ball corresponds to the number of points you get when you pocket it.
So the one ball is worth one point, and the 15 ball is worth 15 points.
You compete against other players pocketing the objects balls, and whoever reaches the predetermined score first wins. That's it. |
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Ahh. In eight ball you just have to be the first to pocket the eponymous target. This sound trickier, but in a fun way. |
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Normally the target score's around 180 points, but... that'd make for some tedious scorekeeping.
Let's keep it simple — whoever scores more points in the first 15 balls wins.
All right, time to rack. |
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I'll go first. In the ruleset, you start with a break shot, just like in eight ball...
But here's the fun part of rotation pool. |
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Yeah...? |
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You have to hit the balls in order from lowest number to highest, unlike in eight ball. |
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The early game has more balls in play, so shots are harder and worth fewer points, while late game shots are easier and worth more points.
So you could make a comeback even if you fall behind early on — and conversely, no advantage is set in stone.
All of which means it's a game where even beginners have a chance at winning. Pretty player-friendly, right? |
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Sure, but I can't help but wonder why you're going out of your way to tell me this now. |
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Because I don't wanna deal with any sulking when I build up a huge lead in the front half.
I set things up so a beginner could enjoy it too. You'd better be grateful. |
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15 ball, left-rear. |
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Hm. Some of those shots had tricky positioning, but I managed well enough. |
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Grk... You pocketed another one... |
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Oh, sorry. Almost forgot you were there. How rude of me to monopolize the game for so long. |
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You sounded pretty confident in your skill starting out, but man...
I was completely out of my depth. I didn't score a single point all game. |
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I was worried about losing for a little while there. I only realized it was a complete shutout when I tallied up the scores. Good game. |
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You where worried? In what way?! You were yawning every time I took a turn. |
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So, wanna play again? I could give you a handicap next time. |
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I can't just let that stand after you played circles around me...
Give me one more game, Leona. But I don't need the handicap, thanks. |
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Whatever you say. I'll rack up, then. |
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Give me one more game, Leona. But I don't need the handicap, thanks. |
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Whatever you say. I'll rack up, then. |
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Eight ball, left-rear. |
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Hm. that eight ball positioning was pretty tricky, but I landed the shot. |
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The score's 36 to 0... There's theoritically room for me to make a comeback, but that's a lot of points. This is heading for a shutout again... |
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Go for safeties. |
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What are safeties? |
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Those are calls you make when you knock a ball somewhere other than a pocket, instead of changing the order of shots. |
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Ah, I get it. It's a way to safely move a ball without having to try to sink one... I didn't know you could do that. |
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Well, it's your turn. Make this an entertaining one for me, Trey. |
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Next... 10 ball, right-rear. |
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Okay, landed the 10 right after the 9. That put us at 36 to 19. Are you starting to sweat yet? |
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Oh yeah, I'm suddely feelin' the pressure. Got a cold sweat breaking out all over and everything. I'm real scared of losin'. |
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Haha. That's not too convincing from the guy kicked back in his chair like a king on his throne... 11 ball, left-rear. |
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... That's not gonna do it. |
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Oof, you weren't kidding. How'd you know before the whole shot played out, though? |
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C'mon, now. I AM the Spelldrive Club's playmaker. You should give me a little credit.
The way you angle the cue stick can tell the whole story.
That's enough to gauge which way the ball will roll, what it'll hit, where it'll stop... You get the idea. |
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You have to constantly be thinking two moves ahead in competitive games, little Clover. Now it's my turn. |
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And, that's game. Final score: 87 to 33. I win. |
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I knew you were good, but you wiped the floor with me. How long have you been playing, Leona? |
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Ever since I was a kid. Had the game drilled into me so I wouldn't embarrass myself in public.
I mastered the ins and outs, which meant I stopped getting decent competition in the palace before I enrolled in school.
Nowadays, the only guy who plays me is an old chamberlain who's more chicken bones than man. Hardly satisfying. |
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I'm not royalty, so I can only imagine...
But I could see games in public going pretty sour for someone at your skill level if you don't exercise a little discretion. |
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There's nothin' more tedious than games where you have to handle the competition with kid gloves.
It's as constrictive as having your hands and feet strung up. S'like being a marionette. |
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Yeak... Makes sense. I guess I'll have to up my game, if I wanna be decent competition for you next time. |
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Hah. Next time? After you got dragged along for someone else's entertainment and summarily stomped? You must be a glutton for punishment. |
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We sould invite the other juniors to join us. I bet Vil and Lilia could give you a good run for your money. |
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I dunno about that. But if that's what you really want, I'll wait with bated breath... |
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... for the moment I get to watch all of you stomping your feet on the floor, doing the Sore Looser Shuffle. |
