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The Psychedelic Chateau had been heating up as of late, with just as many challengers as it had visitors to catch a glimpse of all the magnificent sprouts and winding vines that encroached the castle's columns. It was by no means as populated as the major league gyms that dotted the Hoennian landscape, but the thought was flattering nevertheless; quite the change of scenery than what befell the swamps and shores those many days before, an escape from all the turmoil. Gliding down the steps from her private chambers, Desiree was eager to meet the challenger who was set for a hallucinogenic sparring match. The name that was registered was one that she had not been able to recognize, an identity hidden behind motives of challenging not yet made known. Perhaps a new friend, she desperately hoped.[break][break]

Turning the corner with a hand held by a Shiinotic's sprout, her gaze met the enthusiastic words of the trainer who made their appearance, soon realizing that the name that matched the face was one that she should have indeed known. It was none other than the girl she'd found the ear with on the night of the blood moon, a fleeting interaction, but one that brought emotions to stir nevertheless. "I didn't expect it to be you, your name has quite the charm to it ♡," she said, clasping her hands together and bringing on a smile, ".. let's walk to the battling chambers then, you're just so full of energy~!" There was a bit of ingenuity carefully hidden behind her bubbly words, for the musician was embarrassed and ashamed for what had been brought upon in her psyche the last time they were in the same forest.[break][break]

She wished for it to be different this time, especially with how improved she'd felt she'd become in the month and a half since. "I hope you've been well since the night we bumped into each other, it was.. a lot. I'm sorry I hadn't been able to catch your name, so much happened so fast." She said, slowly walking down the halls, guiding the challenger to where the battle would soon unfold. Each clack of her heels brought more hesitation, as she wished to talk about it so badly but also wished not to meddle in such visceral waters; it was once a complicated subject. But her feelings towards it were set in stone, embedded in the herba mystica that sprouted through the cracks.

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[attr="class","star2tsu"]"Honestly, Des, it's been a lot to take in. Haven't been able to sit still since 119."[break][break]

She doesn't know how familiar she should be with her. It's one of those situations where she's far more familiar with the musician than the musician is with her, like when she met Melody for the first time. Hell, she even recognized who was singing the song on that earbud way back in the swamp, and picked her out of the crowd. [break][break]

It was awkward any way you looked at it. But going for making a strong first impression couldn't be the worst thing, could it?[break][break]

"Didn't realize you were based out here. Didn't know who's Gym this was til yesterday, actually. But it makes sense. Evergrande seems like a place anyone who's somebody goes. Or a place people go to become somebody. Everyone else just watches from the outside."[break][break]

That line could probably speak volumes about the girl's intentions here if Desiree cared to read into it. Not just her taking on the Gym here, but working for the Council as well. She had asked Navy for an in, and she got it. She wasn't gonna waste that chance.[break][break]

"Oh, and... you can call me Baki. Everyone else does. Kitakami names don't roll off the tongue here in Hoenn like they do back in Kanto."[break][break]

She offers her hand with a confident grin as she stops at the edge of the arena. [break][break]

Her heart burns like it's on fire, ready to let out all her aggression already, but Michael Navidson 's done a pretty good job reacclimating her to polite society. She won't start swinging til she's introduced herself with a smile.[break][break]

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"So much to take in, I understand that well, ♡" she responded softly, guiding the challenger up the stairs to their destination with echoing steps, ".. it was what pushed me to open this gym here, my home is actually in Fortree. A little fail-safe if something like it happens again, and an excuse to visit the bigger cities while I'm at it- at least, other than Slateport. And thank you, that's so nice to say!" A lighthearted chuckle escaped her lips as they continued, having not necessarily thought about the motives of much of this city's temporary or permanent dwellers. But with that came a thought that Baki could be one of those chasing dreams like that, especially after their brief encounter the night of the blood moon.[break][break]

It was endearing to theorize such things, seeing a bit of herself in her challenger. Shaking her hand with a smile, her following footsteps led her to tap on the ledger next to an ornate bowl, contents minuscule but far from empty. "It's great to really get to meet you, Baki, outside of the terrors in the swamp. ♡ Ah, I figured the schpeal of the gym challenge was too much of a mouthful, so I put it all into writing if you'd like to read what can make the battle more special, and dazzling! ♡" She said with a smile, continuing to the other side of the arena behind the similar ledger and bowl. On each side embedded in winding rose stems was a microphone, a much more relaxed way to command. This matched the decorum of the castle's middle grounds, an open arena with walls and columns filled with empty paintings and plants growing in every crevasse.[break][break]

If she were to look at the ledger, 2Baki would be able to find that it read:[break][break]



[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass][break][break]

"It could be good for the soul, a practice for all the difficult situations that have been popping up more and more as of late! ♡" Desiree said into the microphone, tapping on a ball to release her Hatterene, Gloss. Hand with the ribbon sprawled with its hat, the Shiinotic joined the fellow fairy as they walked into the arena's grass. "You get the first move, too~" If the challenger was willing to indulge in the psychedelic heart of the challenge, Desiree would be quick to pop her pill into her mouth and swallow. There would be no harm in diving headfirst into it quickly, as since she'd lost sight of Baki for most of their visit to the swamp, she was eager to see what she brought to the table.

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[attr="class","star2tsu"]"Like the Ultra Deep Sea, huh?"[break][break]

Baki looks up from the ledger at the pill. [break][break]

Condensing everything about that horror into the size of something so small was ironic. She had to smile at that. She wondered just what Michael Navidson would have to say about the very notion.[break][break]

"Don't tell Navy or you'll get a lecture. But, well... here goes nothing."[break][break]

She swallows the pill. Feels nothing at first. But that's alright, the core never seems to have immediate effects. Eternatus always bides its time. Twenty years could pass in the blink of an eye if you went by its schedule.[break][break]

"Hey, Des. Interested in how you got this. You'll have to give me the recipe later, I'd love to play around with it."[break][break]

Poisons like this were her bread and butter. Whether they made you feel good, whether they made you feel bad, everything was just a matter of dosage. Even the deadliest poisons could have positive effects when applied lightly, just depended on how much your body could handle. The radiation of the Sea was something she was intimately familiar with.

But that was for later. Her mind was in battle mode. Cutting loose after a tense few months. Letting go of everything, all her inhibitions, all her worries, she was able to focus on the only thing that mattered.[break][break]

"For now... Sakura, Momiji, you're up!"[break][break]

Two Toxtricity appear, doused in the visible infinity energy of illumina. Their skin and sweat glows in the dark, glows even in the spotlight. Sakura's glare shoots venom through the fae, while Momiji gives an angry holler, tongue lolling out of him mouth. [break][break]

"Aight, you two! Let's douse 'em in acid! Let 'em feel our malaise! [break][break]

"One, two, three...!"[break][break]

The two toxtricity violently rake their chests and a menacing snarl erupts from their bodies, dissonant chords of a rebellious punk rock song echoing around the gym. In sync, their bodies spray venomous sweat, creating waves of acid that assail both of Desiree's pokemon in turn. There's no sense of grace, no beauty here. Just raw aggression, the condensed malcontent of wasted youth.[break][break]

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What a small world the two lived in, Desiree had not expected so many of those that she crossed paths with to know Michael Navidson. Though all of those thoughts were trivial to think about now, alongside the hallucinogenic effects that were slowly creeping into the cracks and crevasses of her mind. Having got to know the recipe with personal testing and harvesting, she knew it wouldn't be that long until the effects took root. "It's a simple recipe, but taking it in higher doses might wreck you, ♡" she giggled, blissfully unaware at how giving someone so young the knowledge of how to cultivate psychedelics was quite questionable, ".. I'll consider it, for sure~!"[break][break]

The eagerness brought by Tsubaki was seemingly matched with the mannerisms of her pokemon, those which she recognized to be the evolutions of the lil' baby Toxel she had at home. Having only remembered she had a little fox with her on the night of the blood moon, creatures acquainted with poison had not been accounted for in her strategies- they were a bane to blossoms and beautiful fairies alike, proven by the waves of sludge that brought the battle to unfold. Hitting both the Hatterene and the Shiinotic, the two would seethe in whimsical agonies.[break][break]

"You came prepared," she observed aloud, plucking a flower from the podium beside her, ".. their pursuit reminds me of the Nihilego in the Ultra Deep Sea. Have you been there before? ♡" As the pinkette wondered, she held out her rose-hued tera orb and brought a radiant beige crown of crystalline upon the Shiinotic's head; a little trick that would hopefully buy it a bit more time, as mushrooms were often susceptible to blight. With graceful movements, the Hatterene began to weave PSYCHIC energies, attempting to bestow a barrage of fuschia upon Sakura. Meanwhile, the Shiinotic attempted to shoot a TERA BLAST toward Momiji.

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[attr="class","star2tsu"]"Prepared ain't got nothin' to do with it."[break][break]

Baki watches intently as a wave of toxic sludge collides with the opposing side of the field, a tsunami that pushes them back. But of course they hold. Waves of burning acid won't solve every little problem you've got, can't just burn it all away. She doesn't hold those illusions. Not anymore.[break][break]

"Always got my pick of acids, toxins, venoms, hallucinogens. Just gotta keep your apothecary stocked up, keep your options open."[break][break]

She says it, but even now, the familiar sickening numbness spreads through the tips of her fingers. Her body fights against it, but something so potent is impossible to inoculate against. No matter how many times she's dosed herself with this venom, it's as effective as ever. [break][break]

"So yeah, got some of that myself. The real deal. Know just how foggy it'll make ya if you're not careful."[break][break]

Her vision begins to blur in time for the counterattack. Des turns all momentum on its head immediately, pursuing tactics over brute strength. Sakura lets out a death rattle, a scream befitting a death metal's frontman. Momiji smashes his fist into the ground, bracing his echoing chords against the grounding influence of the tera crystal.[break][break]

And yet, they hold. One bad attack won't lessen their fighting spirit. On the contrary... [break][break]

"Sometimes, though... you gotta just power through! Momiji, Sakura! BOOMBURST, and cut through the noise!"[break][break]

The both of them can't suppress their wicked smiles. [break][break]

The two pokemon regroup, feedback screeching off their punk rock attitude bolstering each other's strength. Two dissonant chords, and the floor's torn up by the shockwave sent in both of the opposing pokemon's direction, tearing a hole in tactics, strategy, and dreams. [break][break]

Sometimes power's all you need. Just turn the volume up and drown out everything else. [break][break]

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"In a world like ours, keeping your options open is the best, no? ♡" Desiree smiled, plucking one of the petals off the rose and releasing it into the scuff before her eyes. As her gaze followed its fluctuation through the air the effects of the pill slowly began to take root; they started as blurriness but seeped color into the devoid cracks, similar to the tera crystals sprawled throughout the underbelly of the swamp. Fogginess came with the consumption and indoctrination of such ethereal things, but she still had enough grasp to recognize there was no need to flee in the name of safety and being vigilant. Yet it was still an intense, flickering feeling.[break][break]

Tsubaki seemed to be taking it much better than herself, as following the strikes of the fairies, her verbal commands still held authority and vigorous power within them. Despite the efforts made by both of the fairies, their attempts at dodging the commanded twin pokemon's reinforced boombursts had lagged just enough to be struck. Seething in agony and whimsical rage, the two flung backward and were quick to help each other up with their respective tendrils.[break][break]

Seeing colors shift as the pressure kicked up from the floor at the attack, Desiree remained calm within her psychedelic haze as the two prepared for another array of attacks. "I'm very fond of that mentality, powering through and all ♡," she said into the microphone beside her with a soft discordance of her vocals, ".. but we won't be giving up any time soon, Tsubaki~! Let's get the sound cranked up, shall we?" Clicking the button on a removed remote control from her dress pocket, an unreleased song of hers would begin to play over the castle's wall speakers.[break][break]

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"Overstimulate them~! ♡" She shouted from the microphone, bringing the two fairies to showcase wicked smiles of their own. Reaching into its mushroom cap and pulling out seeds, the Shiinotic attempted to blow an array of shimmering seeds at Momiji, an attempt to INGRAIN it into the ground. As for the Hatterene, it would push through the fluttering field of seeds with its sharpened hand raised, imbuing it with pink, ethereal energies. If the slash of the hand were to make contact with Sakura, the PSYCHO CUT would surely bring the fairy to giggle.

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[attr="class","star2tsu"]The corners of her vision vibrate, a spectrum of colors like light through a prism cast over her. Even so, she holds against the woozy feeling in her head, pushing through as best she can with grit teeth.[break][break]

"Momo, Sakura! Go all-out offense, use--!"[break][break]

Fuck.[break][break]

Angelic music fills her ears, pours into her very soul and dyes it more than the black she's insisted upon. Her eyes well up with tears, and she feels like she can't breathe for a moment, struck by something she thought she'd excised after all this time... [break][break]

The thought something could be beautiful.[break][break]

It stops her in her tracks. Only for the violent attitude of her pokemon do they respond of their own accord. [break][break]

Sakura flashes blue, an overdrive summoned as an axe-shaped lightning bolt to clash against the psychic-type's psycho cut, creating reverberating clanging dissonance like two swords.[break][break]

Momiji struggles against the vines that encroach around his feet at first, before he lets out a screech and flickers with golden blinding light himself. Like turning a spotlight toward himself he becomes a beacon to bring his enemies to him. [break][break]

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Watching the commands of Tsubaki become cut short by the resonance of the music, a shaky, vivid sight of tears welting upon her cheeks, took Desiree back to the sole moment they had become acquainted with one another. The finding of the ear that sprawled her delicate soundscapes through its severed drum, a moment which had provoked rage against whatever may have caused such an unsightly feat- a part of her was relieved that she had been bound by the Nihilego, as in those moments she wished to kill Doug in the name of preserving love in revenge against her listeners. She was unsure if the fate of that woman was fictitious, a ploy of the Megalopolans to draw their meal closer. It hurt to know she left that day without being in the know.[break][break]

"I made the song.. while testing the effects of the compound," she replied softly, eyes widening when she looked down into her palms, ".. ah!" When she looked down she saw the severed ear, a trick of the mind that felt all the more realistic; it brought her to chuck it across the room, even though nothing was truly there other than a flower petal. It drifted down and down, vibrating to the music projected from the loudspeakers.[break][break]

The wretched, graceful yet vicious forest witch of a pokemon giggled when the psycho made its impact- on the manifested electric guitar sword, no less. Its toothy grin was accompanied by a feeling of accomplishment, not for itself but for its opponent; the Hatterene wished above all else to face off against the strongest of the strong, and with such a clever yet boundless reaction time, it could only jump backward in a wish to push the gap. It was never one fond of close combat, only when executing sneak maneuvers- but the overdrive did bring pain to its ribbon hand, that which stung.[break][break]

Yet the spotlight summoned by the ingrained Toxicitry caused both of the eyes of the fairies to wander, casting light outward that the two were only able to focus on- like a trance of their own, despite their lack of taking the psychedelic substance. Waving their appendages outward with whimsical twirls of each their own, each attempted to cast a spell of the forest. First, the Shiinotic attempted to hit the poison-type with a barrage of DAZZLING GLEAMS, spinning light from its illuminated mushroom cap. Following this, the Hatterene attempted to channel wildfire- a tangerine and violet swirl of blistering flames, a puff of MYSTICAL FIRE directed toward Momiji.[break][break]

Spinning, ethereal notions of bright colors were all Desiree could see through her eyes- yet she was paranoid upon seeing the ear, a few post-traumas manifesting in the pit of her stomach. "We didn't.. ever find out what happened to the listener, did we? The one.. on the night of the blood moon," she paused, biting her lip, ".. the poor soul that was missing all but an ear."

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[attr="class","star2tsu"]Shining gleam and cursed flames lick Momo's hide, but he grits his teeth and smiles. No pain in this world will be enough to contest the pain in his cold, dead heart, the pain with which he strums his axe. Roots plant him onto the ground, but he manages to coax all their attention onto him. That's what matters.[break][break]

Sakura lets loose with them distracted, amplifying the feedback arcing off each of their bodies as their lightning takes the shape of guitars in either hand, boosting one another's strength as they both strum wicked guitars licks in time with Desire's beat. Two boosted Overdrives, aided by the interplay of plus and minus polarity and the two toxtricity's punk rock sensibilities echo back onto the two fae.[break][break]

There's nothing to do but surrender to the music.[break][break]

Baki clutches her chest, caught in the reverie. The angelic sound of Des's voice reminds her of the voices of the angels at the bottom of the Deep Sea, her precious Nihilego. The way they gleam with starlight matches the way the light of her pokemon's electricity bounces off the woman's pale, perfect skin, and she freezes for a moment, only to answer slowly.[break][break]

"... Actually, Des... I saw 'em in the swamp. Megalopolans had taken their faces."[break][break]

The way she's dissociating, it makes this all feel unreal. Like a dream. Like she's submerged in the Sea again. She looks down at her hand, and it's already becoming transparent again. Made of glass, just like the angels. Just like Desiree. [break][break]

"They ate 'em, Des. I'm sorry."[break][break]

What would it be like, to eat someone and become just like them?[break][break]

Had it happened to her, once, long ago? Had it happened to Desiree as well?[break][break]

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The music was like an anchor, one that was able to temporarily hold Desiree's mind from spiraling into depths that she did not wish to face; for being one to encourage discovering and conquering traumas through the consumption of mushroom spores, her brain was beginning to convince her that she was unable to handle it. Ears stared and eyes listened upon the cracks of her mind, manifesting outwardly as she tried to watch through the blur of lights shone from the battle. Those which had been severed, ultimately cast away as remnants of a bigger, darker scheme of cosmic forces. She wanted to to handle it, she needed to be able to handle it- but traversing the rotted blooms of the past was a dark journey, and it hurt to feel like it had been allowed to blossom once more.[break][break]

Spells of the forest could only do so much facing off against a set of twins with a bond brought by the strumming of electric guitars, resonating, giving an edge to what unfolded. The soundwaves and reverberation of the overdriven licks cut through the air, striking the fairies of the deep treelines and bringing them to falter backward. It was a force the likes of which they had seldom encountered before, something that brought the tera crown of the mushroom to dilapidate like shattered glass. A winding spectacle of vines and sprouts appeared in front of the two trainers, manifesting a plate with an artifical fungus cap made of petals- that which would tear into two, symbolic of the unconscious state the Shiinotic had fallen into.[break][break]

A way to let them know within their psychedelic trances, especially Desiree, that a force had been quelled in the battle. Taking a deep breath, she was quick to draw it back into its orb upon her belt with a shaky hand- but another had been watching from an icy nest near the bends in the floral castle ceiling, refraining the gym leader from sending out another. It arrived with a glistening pink snowstorm beside the Hatterene, an illuminant Ninetales channeling its SNOW WARNING with each graceful, timid step it took into the fray.[break][break]

Fluctuating auroras danced within the icy gale, the snow fox casting an AURORA BEAM toward Sakura through its fluffy maw. Meanwhile, the forest witch felt as if it had something to prove, much like its trainer during her haze; shooting upward in a rapid levitation, it attempted to unleash a fluttering PSYCHIC array of magenta toward Momiji. An instinct to protect the mushroom pokemon even after it had been pulled back into its pokeball.[break][break]

Bitter dreams and ruthless nightmares soaked into her brain as she listened to the harsh words that had left Tsubaki's lips- it was a possibility she wished not to entertain as a means of preserving the little hope she had left. It felt as if her face had been torn from her all the same, left to become dinner to the Megalopolans just as the beautiful, innocent souls had been forced to endure. "They.. ate them? Just like they wanted to do to all of us..?" A tear dripped down her cheek to her stomach, which churned and stabbed.[break][break]

She fell to her knees at the proclamation, covering her eyes as a wish not to believe it further. But the grotesque imagery existed in her mind just as it did outwardly, explicit, ready to present itself.[break][break]

"This is bad, Baki..," she cried out, ".. do you see them, too? What.. do you see?"

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[attr="class","star2tsu"]"Yeah, Des. I see 'em."[break][break]

Splayed faceless corpses, suspended from the ceiling. Likely the same way they were suspended in the waters of the swamp. Many more bodies float among them, victims of the megalopolan hunger. Desiree. Howard Slayte. Freya Morningstar. Michael Navidson. Melody Miro. Tsubaki herself.[break][break]

"See a buncha people that're important to me too, floating in that swamp. They don't have their faces either."[break][break]

The sight is sickening, but it does not quell the music. The show must go on. She swallows all her despair, vents it toward the battle, summoning all the venom she can in her voice as she calls out.[break][break]

"... Sakura, Momiji! Tear 'em down!"[break][break]

Frost collects on Sakura's axe, but she swings it wildly, smashing it into the stage and sending feedback in the form of rising voltage back at the ninetales.[break][break]

The roots clinging to Momiji's legs free him, the only things that had kept him standing. He falls to his knees, with a last, desperate Boomburst that makes the visions overhead dance. Both the Ninetales and Hatterene are targeted by the wall of sound. Dust falls from overhead, and then Momiji falls with it.[break][break]

Baki calls him back before he face-plants on the stage.[break][break]

"Damnit... Sumire! You're up!"[break][break]

Her arbok emerges from her ball, hissing wildly. Reveling in her intimidating presence, she stares the two pokemon down with a hunger in her eyes.[break][break]

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Visions of the past fluctuated at the proclamation of that which Tsubaki saw; the words reinforced the specks of disbelief and grotesque, encapsulating the very thing that Desiree feared the most. The loss of all those that she loved- much like what her challenger said she could see, the shells of all those dear to her heart floated in the false waters with greenery and Nihilego arms holding onto them. Reaching to feel her face as she looked at all those who had been deprived of their outer shells, she wept as the grandeur of the music shone down upon the both of them in their personal, fictitious psychedelic worlds.[break][break]

Why was it, that living through the dreariness of the past was so difficult for her to remain composure during in comparison to her younger counterpart? "We can't let this happen in the real world," she said softly, her nails leaving dull etches on the castle's floor, ".. it's too painful to see, even when it's just our minds playing tricks on us.." As if Tsubaki truly needed to hear such wishful thinking within the hellscape of the blood mud; she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. One that could push through the swamps just as she did now when they splashed once more, yet one that Desiree felt guilt for subjecting to such baneful visions all the same.[break][break]

The dance of the fairies and frost cut through the psychedelic imagery with vivid lights, almost enough to distract her from the lifeless scene as she sat upon granite stepping stones. Yet, the pain that coursed through the ice princess's veins as it was struck with the rising voltage only made her heart beat faster, resonating with the pokemon that fought on her behalf. A timid creature, it attempted to sulk in the snowstorm it had kicked up while watching the similar electric guitarist release its last efforts, but both had been inevitably struck. So much so that the forest witch, Gloss, had fallen within the same likeness as the one that had unleashed the final attack.[break][break]

"Your presence is unfaltering," Desiree said, retaining the Hatterene within its ball, ".. you and your creatures battle well.." She wished that focusing on kinder, softer things would cast out the wrenching picturesque imagery the mushrooms wished to present. Her words brought buds to bloom near the bodies, yet they remained, becoming encased in ice and waves of light.[break][break]

Princess, the Ninetales, bore its fangs as it gracefully surveyed the two opponents it was made to face alone. Jabbing its paw into the floor and bringing its tails to wind back and forth, its decadent glow pulsated as the snowstorm around it began to intensify. It attempted to summon a BLIZZARD, one that could partially skew the perception of the poisonous and provide a setup for a pick-off.[break][break]

"What do you fight for, Baki?"

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