The moon has a creepy face and an even creepier voice, and as Tuesday sees it, there’s only one appropriate response: "Good fucking lord, this is like a Méliès movie or something."

A reference probably only hipsters, try-hards, and cinephiles would get, considering it’s from 1902. Then again, not like there’s much time to respond. Round and round they go, like this is an amusement park within an MMO. Suddenly, Tuesday finds herself really regretting those realistic pain settings, because being asked to answer questions in rhyme while dizzy is a painful experience.

Good thing she stopped talking out of rhyme before they were given that rule!

She can do this! She's got this! It's fine!

Sure, there’s no time to bother with measuring perfect iambic pentameter, but Mars has always loved poetry, so he’s set on making this work. He may be much more fond of reading it than writing it, but how hard could this be? Maybe a sonnet or something…

So, as you can imagine, Tuesday takes a moment to give her response, trying to consider carefully. And, as she does, she also does her best to listen to the answers given by those who go before her. Okay! Cool, cool, cool! She’s really got this! Although, if she wants this to truly work, she may need a couple of "victims"…

Bergamot Gristleborg had gone first, so with a hand firmly on her hip, the petite catgirl points at the other woman, and the smile she gives her right there and then is wicked.

"Damn, girl, look at you, spittin' those great bars."

Then she turns to Finnegan Fjord, and shrugging visibly and dramatically, that wicked smile of hers turns into a smirk.

"Although, dude, I didn't hear who's caught your eye."

At least the attention is turned away from Finn quickly enough, for Tuesday then looks up, raising an arm and pointing upwards.

"Fine, it's whatever, just look to the sky.
Check it, by horizon, my namesake Mars."

Martín Marco Marzán. Mars Mars Mars. In this statement there is no lie, but of course he won’t bother with revealing himself as someone whose actual name they would be able to look up or might even know easily enough.

"That's right! Of Mars, for Mars, by Mars, to Mars.
I'm taking this game high and you'll see why.
Thief took my heart, Natalia she went by,
My Venus, my muse, my love, sun and stars."

There’s no fear, no hesitation, no shame at all. The octave had been spoken in a melodious soprano akin to the whistling of birds, certain intonations being marked by a subtle Spanish accent. Then comes time for the sestet and its change in rhyme scheme, so fittingly, Tuesday turns her attention to the moon, pointing at the satellite.

"Volta! Give it for the queen of the night!
Planets, sun, stars… Just forget all of that.
Silver, plata, Selene like her light.

No, never mind, get a Roman theme stat!
For you, the moon, only one name is right.
By Luna! You're getting beat by a cat!"

Cat ears twitch, a lion-like tail sways, her stance is firm and her arms are crossed over her chest. A power pose, the only way to end this properly.

Luna. Not exactly the most original name choice out there, but it’s the one that fits the theme of the ever so cheesy impromptu Petrarchan sonnet, and Tuesday will stick by it proudly. She does everything proudly.

LAST STONE STANDING

⠠⠝⠁⠍⠑⠀⠽⠕⠥⠗⠀⠏⠗⠊⠉⠑

SPOILER: Click to show

{DUNGEON THEME}

As the players rhyme, a smile rises on the face of the moon spirit. Tuesday 's elaborate wordplay makes it clap its ribbons together in excitement, whereas manish 's simple yet heartfelt words bring a glistening tear to its eye. Finnegan Fjord 's brusque words make it frown, but the mood quickly passes.

"Let's have a prize, for rhymes well done, of course it falls on number one!"

1. Bergamot Gristleborg - Piplup, Gyarados, Mudkip (750 HP)
2. manish - Zorua, Espurr, Sceptile (1000 HP)
3. Tuesday - Fennekin, Cryogonal, Petilil (950 HP)
4. Finnegan Fjord - Shinx, Croconaw, Piplup (650 HP)
5. diva - Sobble, Rufflet, Nidoran F (700 HP)
6. Allotta Bambooga - Sobble, Litten , Wurmple (550 HP)

A five-pointed star falls from the sky, landing burning at Morgana's feet. It shimmers with trapped light. It looks delicious.

"Well done my friends, what handsome names! Now to choose which one to claim." The spirit laughs, a fleeting, gleeful refrain, and it points at Finnegan Fjord with one of its long ribbons. "Your look is quite sharp, though your manners could be better. Let's see how you fare without your first letter!" 

The stars above Finnegan Fjord ignite, and lines of silver fire draw a clear constellation in the sky: Skorupi. The celestial creature descends on Finn in a rush of starlight, plucking a gleaming letter F from deep within his body. His player name changes to display

Innegan Jord

If Finnegan Fjord tries to speak the letter F he will find his mouth twisted, incapable of making the sound. If he fights the charm, he can use F at the cost of 25 HP.

The spirit moves on, dancing between the stones. It twirls, seemingly on a whim, and the circle turns again. Thankfully, the stones don't even grind out half a circle before stopping.  

3. Bergamot Gristleborg - Piplup, Gyarados, Mudkip (750 HP)
4. manish - Zorua, Espurr, Sceptile (1000 HP)
5. Tuesday - Fennekin, Cryogonal, Petilil (950 HP)
6. Finnegan Fjord - Shinx, Croconaw, Piplup (650 HP)
1. diva - Sobble, Rufflet, Nidoran F (700 HP)
2. Allotta Bambooga - Sobble, Litten , Wurmple (550 HP)

"I'm sorry that your heart was broken," says the spirit to diva , "please take from me this simple token. To remember better times, and lose your pain in lunar shines."

A second set of stars ignites, this time a mighty Ursaring. It falls to earth, embracing diva in its light.

Whenever diva is hurt, she will think of a large, cuddly Ursaring giving her a hug.

The spirit dances over to manish . "I've never heard that name, strange man. It must be from a foreign land! I'd love to take it for my while, and your voice too, I'll also trial." 

A third and final constellation, this time a silvery Murkrow, burns in the sky and swoops down to land on Manish's shoulder.

manish 's voice has been switched with the Spirit's. When he talks it comes out all squeaky and annoying. (#e1a2ec)

"With my new voice, we'll forge ahead," the spirit says, now speaking in Manish's voice, "it's time for Chanda Mama Says!" 

"Chanda Mama Says, cross your eyes. Now wiggle your nose. Now please reply.
Which of you is first to die?"

The spirit gestures around at the circle. "And don't forget to tell me why."

Round 3 begins in 24 hours.

Finnegan Fjord wants to snarl, but without the use of the letter he's unable to properly express his anger. Instead, he presses his lips together and crosses his arms, his mood hardly improved by the twisted game.

Do we still have to rhyme? diva certainly seemed to think so, and he doesn't want to get eliminated. So he crosses his eyes, silly as it makes him look, and wiggles his nose, and then carefully constructs an answer without the missing letter.

"Without the entire alphabet, I might say something I'll soon regret." As if poetry wasn't hard enough on the spot! But again, he can hardly say no. Nor swear at the spirit, as he so badly wants to. "Not personal, but I'll pick manish. He's the one I'd call to banish. This is a competition, his HP is highest. That's the reason for my bias."

He casts manish an apologetic look. Really isn't personal.

”Assume anything is possible.”

Deus ex machina. In this case, literally true. When in a game, everything that happens to their characters is in the system’s full control, and when dealing with a challenge like this, that should mean that the only answer is to make choices that trigger that right response written in the game’s code. Would thinking like a game developer help at all or is UNOVR equipped with AI that factors beyond human cognition? Martín Marzán is a media proprietor, a tech mogul, so this should be easy for him, no?

”It’s Pokémon. Think about Pokémon.”

But, see, the thing is that the only Pokémon game Mars ever played was Pokémon Red, and so when the constellations begin to descend and give boons and banes, Tuesday does not recognize any of the forms they take. Sure she can guess that the one who steals poor Finnegan Fjord’s F’s is supposed to be Scorpio (F in chat for that one), that the one who’ll bring comfort to diva is Ursa Major, and that the one that swaps manish’s voice is probably Corvus. But, what about the pokémon?

While the others give their responses, Tuesday opens her UI, tabbing to the WorldScreen’s own browser and searching through a complete pokédex – since her own is so empty – in an attempt to find something that matches the pokémon they’ve seen so far (is the moon one?). In the process of it, she overhears diva reference “Simon says” and the realisation comes that she’s probably right. Ever prone to overthinking, Mars had been focused on the trickery pokémon could be used for, but ruse is likely also in the words themselves. This is a game about paying attention to detail, and Mars is good at that, but even he would admit that he’s not good at thinking like a child.

Simon says, then.

It feels silly to cross her eyes, but diva better be right.

After Allotta Bambooga declares that the moon should be the one to die, Tuesday chimes in with a smile:

"Chanda Mama you wish us to say who'll succumb?
Or, is it perhaps that you're playing tricks some?
Limerick sure comes in a clutch,
Listen here, of your silver stars I'll tell this much:
Workrum, Workrum—bad luck, don't come"

See, the Murkrow Pokémon Legends: Arceus Pokédex entry says the follow:

Widely shunned as a bearer of ill fortune. Upon crossing paths with this creature, I've been told one must chant “Workrum, Workrum—bad luck, don't come” as a protective incantation.

It’s the latest one, so it should be right, right?!

As mentioned before, Mars doesn’t know much about Pokémon games, their plot, or their setting.