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  "description": "An ongoing series originally posted to FA.\n\nLynda and Caria were characters I originally played in a college-setting roleplay group. This story was meant to be a celebration of it, somewhat.\n\nFeatures characters from JaimasVB and Macatack.\n\n(Inkbunny won't embed subsequent text files, so you'll have to download them to see them. Sorry! Just how Inkbunny works.)",
  "description_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>An ongoing series originally posted to FA.<br /><br />Lynda and Caria were characters I originally played in a college-setting roleplay group. This story was meant to be a celebration of it, somewhat.<br /><br />Features characters from JaimasVB and Macatack.<br /><br />(Inkbunny won&#039;t embed subsequent text files, so you&#039;ll have to download them to see them. Sorry! Just how Inkbunny works.)</span>",
  "writing": "﻿[center]Viridian City Showdown, Chapter 1[/center]\n\n\"Laaadiiies aaand geeentlemeeen!\"\n\nA voice resounds from the stadium's speakers, loud enough to be heard over the roaring crowd gathered in the stands. A high-profile event advertised two weeks in advance, the stadium was filled with nearly every local who had heard of it, and with significant enough reach to attract people from neighboring cities. Being scheduled on the weekend and the weather being clear were the perfect conditions for the stadium to nearly hit capacity, and this crowd was hungry for one thing and one thing only - battle.\n\n\"Weeelcome to the Viridian Stadium! The home of the most talented battlers this side of Kanto!\"\n\nA roar erupted from the crowd, with small chants starting up before being drowned out by the cheering. There wasn't a person in Kanto that didn't know of this stadium or its influence on the culture of battling, being where some started their journey and where others made names for themselves. It was these crossroads that made it the go-to place for competitors of all levels to gather and test their skills.\n\nIn the middle of the stadium, a pale brown clay covered the entire ground, with the stands starting out around 10 feet elevated off the ground. Chalk outlines denoted the starting positions of the combatants, with several lines near the corners for free-way battles and a Pokeball symbol in the center. The stadium itself was oval-shaped, with doors at both the ends and in the middle of the two longer walls.\n\nFrom one of the tunnels, a voice from one of the fighters; \"You sure you want to do this? Not too late to back out.\"\n\nA second voice, less masculine than the first, starts with a chuckle. \"Don't tell me you're chicken. I've been waiting to see both of them in action for months.\"\n\n\"Heh. I was hoping you'd still be on board. And that's fire chicken to you.\"\n\n\"Of course. But for the record, I could probably take them both on by myself.\"\n\n\"And that's why I'm not letting you get killed in front of the entire region. Not alone, anyway.\"\n\n\"My, haven't we become chivalrous.\"\n\nThe doors unlock and creak open slowly. A column of light bursts through the dark corridor.\n\n\"Showtime.\"\n\nThe announcer begins again. \"Today we have a special exhibition match from our very own Pokemon Combat College! May I present to you two of our finest students in the art of battling, fighting side by side despite their bitter rivalry! They've put aside their differences for this historic bout! Let's hear it for...Vaaalerie Eeeisenfaaaust and Daaante Rooothschiiild!\"\n\nAs the doors open wide, the two fighters emerge into the sunlight. The roar of the crowd picks up again as the two make themselves known: Valerie, a tall rough-looking Mawile with an intimidating presence that exudes power and ego, a slight sway to her slow walk, and; Dante, an equally-as-rough Blaziken who has taken it upon himself to run forward, throwing up peace signs to the crowd, and lighting up the fire around his wrists. Valerie rolled her eyes, but she didn't try to stop him, in fact giving a soft smile as she averts her attention to the set of doors on the opposite side of the field. The crowd's cheering died down as the two made their way to their starting positions. As they reached the chalk lines showing their starting positions, the door on the opposite side began to open, the anticipation enough to make even Valerie nearly skip a heartbeat. It was one of the few moments in Valerie's living life, these few seconds where the crowd quiets down and before the announcer speaks again, that she's experienced the closest thing to fear. Stoic as she was, Dante was showing it even less, still grandstanding until the speakers picked up.\n\n\"Our fighters in the ring will be facing off against another pair of the college's top talents - this is their first time fighting together in this stadium! What's more, they've only been here a few months, but they've already made a name for themselves around town! Make no mistake, folks, it's bold to make a challenge like this out of season! May I present...Lyyynda Eldooora!\"\n\nFrom the doors on the opposing side of the stadium grounds, a lone figure walks forward. A second Mawile, adorned with a black karategi with a red fire pattern, walks out onto the field, with their partner nowhere in sight. The crowd was quick to cheer, but upon noticing only one fighter making their way to the field, they began to converse amongst themselves, some of worry and confusion. Undeterred, the Mawile, Lynda, has her hands balled into fists, and has an even more serious look on her face than Valerie. The two Deceiver Pokemon were staring each other down, even from a long distance.\n\n\"Wha? Where's the second combatant? Their name isn't here, ah...\" The announcer seems visibly confused, though he trails off. The Mawile makes her way to the starting line, each step ending with a stomp that shook a few pebbles from the ground around her out of place.\n\nA feminine voice rings out, though it doesn't appear to be from the stadium's speakers. \"Oh, there's two of us here alright!\"\n\nLynda leaned over, her head down, before whipping her head, and the maw attached to her head, upwards, stopping with the maw directly overhead, striking a pose with her hands up. Even straight under the sun, the lights had dimmed and a quiet drumroll could be heard from somewhere in the stadium. The maw suddenly rounded out, then opened with an explosion of pink smoke and confetti billowing out above - a figure rising out of the smoke with a spotlight appearing out of nowhere focusing on the figure! They strike a pose - a Kirlia, though the styling of her hair and her outfit's purple coloring would throw off those that didn't notice the species' signature red horn atop her head. \"Caria Isole, ready to perform and dazzle!\"\n\nThe crowd was thrilled, a rising \"ohhh!\" and clapping ensued as Caria floated down next to Lynda, who had let her maw down and had taken a more casual pose. Dante was a little jealous that the two's combined opening act had the crowd reacting more positively than he did, but he couldn't help but smile knowing he's up against a fellow showboat. Valerie, meanwhile, was full-on giggling, joining in on the clapping and making Dante slackjawed with how emotive she was.\n\n\"Good show, what an entrance!\" She should have known - Caria, being a magician, would surely have wanted to pull off something like this. The little bit of surprise was enough to dispel whatever stress she was feeling, albeit for a short time before the match started.\n\n\"Tch...I mean, yeah. Gotta hand it to her, she knows how to please the crowd.\" He gave a few claps of his own. \"But they're still our opponents, Val.\"\n\n\"Heh, yeah. Don't mean I can't enjoy it.\"\n\nCaria took a bow as she landed, the spotlight fading away and the normal sunlight returning. She spoke once more, her voice echoing across the stadium once more even though it didn't appear she was able to, with no microphone in her hands and no headpiece beyond her hat she wore over one of her horns. \"Before we begin, me and my partner have a prediction to make! And no, you can check the battle screens, this isn't a pre-emptive Future Sight - just a straight-up prediction.\"\n\n\"Oh? How easy will that be to quash, huh...?\" Valerie wore a cocky grin.\n\nCaria and Lynda both rose their hands at the same time. They backed up to each other til their shoulders touched; then, when their hands reached the apex above their heads, they brought their hands down, pointing at both Valerie and Dante.\n\n\"One attack. That's all we need to take you two out.\" The audience stayed quiet for a moment, before picking up again with conversations.\n\n\"Can they really...? Valerie's so powerful, though!\"\n\n\"They're in over their heads. That magician looks like she'd fall over if you even smacked her.\"\n\n\"No way. This isn't a magic show, this is a battle! WE WANT FIGHTING!\"\n\n\"YEAH! FIGHT!\"\n\n\"...Heh, you hear that, Lynda?\" The Kirlia looked over. Lynda's face hadn't changed much since she walked out, but now her mouth was curling into a wicked smile. \"They want a fight.\"\n\n\"...yeah. Loud and clear.\" She put her arm down, then took in some air.\n\nA yell pierced the noise of the crowd. \"VALERIIIE! We even the score NOW!\" Without any enhancements, the Mawile's commanding voice reached even beyond the high walls of the stadium. A quiet lull followed, with Lynda entering a battle pose. A wind whipped up around the pair.\n\nNot missing a beat, Valerie put up a hand of her own, beckoning. \"Come make it happen, short stuff!\"\n\nSeeing the Mawile take a fighting pose, Dante took one as well. \"Hmph, you ain't hogging all the fun here. They think they're ready for the big leagues, and they're making rookie mistakes like this. Let's nip this in the bud before they even get started.\"\n\n\"Don't be too sure about that, Dante. They know their stuff. It's gonna take more than just preventing that from happening for us to win this.\" Val took a ready pose herself, her size really showing off the intimidating nature of hers.\n\nLynda gritted her teeth. Caria, however, giggled. With a flick of her hand, a ball of cool blue air condensed in front of her, ice building up and forming into the shape of a wand. The Kirlia grabbed the wand as it took shape, spinning it before taking a ready pose herself, more elegant than the other three on the field and with a more relaxed face as well. The wind whipping around the two picked up into a proper gust, as if a condensed weather event was created by the pair's presence.\n\n\"Well, with all of the fighters here, it's time for this battle to get underway! Combatants, on my mark!\"\n\nThe cheering picked back up. Chants of \"Fight! Fight! Fight!\" broke out. Lynda's gi and Caria's hair flapped about in their respective winds. Embers flew behind Lynda, and particles of ice and snow behind Caria.\n\n\"Ready...!\"\n\nVal's face became stern and serious. Dante's was less so, wearing the same look as the one he takes in all his bouts. Lynda looked as if she was about to burst in anger if her teeth didn't crack from the pressure first. Caria grinned, not appearing disturbed at all.\n\n\"FIIIGHT!\"\n\nThe gale blew.\n\n[center]Chapter 2[/center]\n\nOne second. The crowd was quiet, the air became heavy. The tension between the two teams could be cut.\n\nThen, a piercing scream. Lynda hurdles herself forward, leaving Caria behind with her purple skirt caught in the draft. A flick of her wand, and it begins charging with a blue aura. The Kirlia rose up into the air, twirling her body and wand about as if she were performing a mid-air ballet.\n\nValerie snickered. \"Headstrong to a fault.\" She charged forward with a battle cry of her own, although not nearly as fast as Lynda. Dante followed suit, not wanting to fall behind, though he could already tell the taller Mawile would be targeted more in this fight. The two Deceiver 'mon closed the distance closer to Val's side of the field, exchanging blows to each other's arms. The resulting shockwave could be seen rippling out with the two at the epicenter, blowing away the embers that had surrounded the shorter 'wile and causing sparks to fly from the impact.\n\n\"I'll handle this runt, go take care of the other one!\" The taller Mawile pressed forward, forcing the smaller one to take a step back.\n\nDante rushed forward, only turning his head to see the two clash - the few tales he's heard of Val and Lynda's encounters, they usually ended in a tie with Val having the advantage. If it were just those two on the field, Val would likely win, so it was up to him to ensure that outcome.\n\n\"Runt!?\" Lynda pushes back, the two now at a stalemate. \"You aren't getting enough blood up to your brain.\" Her maw opened slightly, letting out a flare that jettisoned its owner forward, regaining the lost ground with the force. The flames ended after a brief moment, and hoping to capitalize, Lynda began throwing punches, being met with quick blocks and punches of Valerie's own.\n\nThough Dante had to run across the entire field, his blazing speed gave him an advantage; whatever this magician had in store, he could stop simply by beating her to the punch. Considering she looked as if she was just enjoying herself, spinning around in the air without even looking at him, a fast hit might just put her out of commission.\n\nJust what Caria was expecting, of course. With Dante charging right at her, he didn't notice until it was too late, right after he committed to jumping at her, that the Kirlia's body was entirely ice; by the time Dante's kick shattered the sculpture, Caria had Teleported to the other side of the arena.\n\n---\n\nLynda! I'm behind her!\n\nOverwhelm.\nAttention focused on me. Do not hit from behind, stay away from maw. Danger.\nDefense at 95%.\nMove to her right. Strike from range. Will strike left. 75%.\n...\nStriking high. Move in. Alternate hits. 50%.\nSustaining damage to arms. Do not relent. 25%.\nDistracted. Clean hit.\nStrike together.\n...\nKick up. Guard broken.\n\n---\n\nThe entire sequence took only five seconds. After the duo's simultaneous flipkick, Lynda moved in for further attacks, as Caria used the momentum to stay airborne and prepare an attack above her head, a crystal forming. Valerie backed up, propelling her maw in front of her body as it glowed with a grey, steely aura. Lynda threw a punch at it, stopping only millimeters from it. A psychic hand had formed around the Mawile's outstretched arm, helping pull it back.\n\n\"You'll have to be faster than that.\" Valerie had already anticipated a blow coming, but hadn't thought that she'd be fast on the reaction time. As if to tease her, Lynda scraped her finger across the steel-laden maw, bursts of light and scraps of shrapnel sparking from the touch. The friction was enough to light a flame on the finger, something that she found amusing.\n\nThe crystal above Caria's head was reaching around her body's height in size, and it looked as if she was just about to throw it, stretching...before a blur knocked her away. She yelped, tumbling away on the ground before pulling off another Teleport, leaving an ice sculpture in her body's place once more, shattering on the next impact.\n\nThe blur then made its way towards the unsuspecting Lynda before she could turn her head, launching her maw upwards before a kick sends her flying, head over heels in a rather vicious roll. Dante stood where Lynda last was, with Valerie taking a quick look at him before focusing on the Mawile being sent off. She quickly took her maw over her shoulder, channeling the steel energy already gathered in it into a pulsating red-and-white ball, and shot it after a brief moment towards Lynda. \"Faster than WHAT,\" Dante yelled.\n\nWith terrifying precision, the tumbling Mawile kicked the ground, slid over her maw, landed on her palm, and spun in place to right herself upwards and land on her feet in a quasi-breakdance maneuver. The Flash Cannon Valerie fired was only feet from her at this point, but the fiery Deceiver wasted no time...punching the ball of energy away into the sky. Readying her own maw, Lynda shot three orange balls up to the Flash Cannon. The Focus Blasts twisted and turned in their own unique directions before landing on the ball at the same time, making it explode in a spectacular flash of colors, orbs and smoke.\n\nFrom the middle of this explosion, beyond the smoke, a form floated - Caria, who blew the dust away and struck a pose. Waving a hand, she took control of the energetic debris of the attack, forming it all into a black swirling ball of smoke as she lowered herself to the ground beside Lynda once more, the duos staring each other down.\n\nThe crowd broke into cheers at seeing Caria appear from the explosion, proving there were more than just battle maniacs spectating the bout. Still she wore her unwavering smile. Lynda clutched at her fist, blackened and singed with sparking energy by being in contact with the Flash Cannon. Valerie and Dante stood firm, though the Blaziken had yet to put his foot down, keeping his knee up.\n\nVal chuckled. \"You know, Dante, they keep this up and I might need to pull IT out.\"\n\n\"Nah. We won't need to go that far. Just one of your signature Hyper Beams will be enough to put them to bed.\"\n\nCaria suddenly appeared between the two with a white flash of light, leaning on Dante's knee in a taunting gesture. \"Quite frankly, I expected more of a challenge either way.\"\n\nDante quickly took a swiping kick at the Kirlia, who then Teleported back to Lynda's side at the reaction, again leaving an icy image behind. The ice sculpture had its top half knocked clean off by the kick, momentarily stunning Dante who thought he had actually torn her in two. The Kirlia herself gave a chortle.\n\n\"Y-you...! Val, let's-\"\n\n\"No, Dante. Playing our cards too early won't win this fight. We'll need to think of a way to break their combination. They work so well together despite not saying a word to each other...\"\n\nA muffled voice. \"But cards are MY specialty!\" Caria was covering her mouth on the other side of the field. Val could feel the voice coming from somewhere - where? A second or two later, her maw moved on its own, coughing up something that clanked against the ground. A gust of wind blew the object up and towards Caria, leaving a trail of ice where it bumped the ground, and small icicles sprouting up as if they were plants.\n\nCoordinating the gust to bring the wand back to her, Caria caught it without missing a beat. \"Among other things, of course, but cards are a favorite.\" As if on cue, she generated a card from behind her wand, transferring it to her other hand with a twirl of the wand, and finally another tricky hand motion to vanish it from existence.\n\n\"..Mrrgh. She can still hear us talk, so far away.\"\n\n\"So? Let's just take them down so fast that they can't form another strategy like that again.\"\n\n\"Your optimism pains me, Dante. But like I said before, I got the runt.\"\n\n\"Tch. Not if I get her first.\"\n\nLynda's hand sparked, still brimming with energy. After a moment, her hand got brighter, and she stood with her legs apart, crouching a bit. She stared down Valerie, the black pattern of her hand eventually all becoming bright and amorphous. She growled with a deep voice. \"Enough with the warm-up. I'll enjoy putting you both down.\"\n\nCaria brought her wand around in a circular motion. The black ball floated eerily around the two, following it. Still smiling. Not a hint of worry or seriousness etched in her expression.\n\nVal's maw began glowing, gathering a charge within it, again mounting it on her shoulder. Dante's cuffs lit aflame before charging forward, faster than before.\n\nThe black ball floated up with a flick of Caria's wand. \"The show's only just started, after all.\"\n\n[center]Chapter 3[/center]\n\nDante rushes forward towards the duo. Valerie opts to stay behind and charge a Flash Cannon. Lynda and Caria hold their ground, with the latter floating up the ball of debris from the last attack.\n\nThe Mawile whips her arm around, still aglow. The length of her radiating forearm seemed to grow as she flings it around above her head, doing so again to extend it further before cracking it down in front of her, anticipating the Blaziken to run straight into it.\n\nHe didn't, of course, pulling the brakes and stopping just inches short of getting a severe lash on his leg. \"Whoa-whoa-whoa, c'mon, did you really think I'd just fall for that? Your wind-up is horrendously long. Saw it coming for miles. No way in hell would I just waltz into an attack like that.\"\n\nLynda raises an eyebrow, not straying far from Caria as she reels in her new whip-arm. An icy blue gust ices the ground from behind the Mawile. \"Hmph. I made the fire chicken play chicken. How amusing.\"\n\nDante's eyes dart from the duo to the ground in front of him, judging the distance. He begins to walk slowly around them, putting his hands behind his head as he saunters around the calculated diameter of reach. \"Oh, far from it. I'm just taking advantage of the weaknesses you now have. Like your range.\"\n\nLynda scoffs, following his movements and placing herself between him and Caria. The Kirlia glances over towards Valerie, still having not approached. \"No distance is enough to protect you from my fists.\"\n\nDante gave a single laugh, rocking his upper body side to side. \"Or your Flamethrower. But that's only if you can catch me.\"\n\nThe Mawile growls. Though she was circling Caria, she hadn't budged an inch forward, and was primed to strike at a moment's notice should the Blaziken approach.\n\nBut he did not. He was just out of reach, and both of them knew it.\n\n\"I've been taunted better by Mareep.\" Stern eyes pierce through Dante.\n\nCaria readies a hand with electric energy. Lynda hunches slightly, preparing to strike. Dante, now having rotated Lynda around Caria, stops in his tracks and merely smugly grins.\n\n\"Oh, have you?\"\n\nThe next few seconds were a blur.\n\nFirstly, Caria's hand extends towards Lynda, with electricity connecting the two together. Lynda didn't seem hurt by this, instead charging icy energy in a ball in front of her mouth. She snaps her head towards Valerie, who was seconds away from firing off a fully-charged Flash Cannon, in that time gaining enough energy to fire off a fast-travelling icy bolt.\n\nDante had to act fast to capitalize on this, and so he did, running forward while the Mawile was momentarily distracted and delivering a backwards kick to her head. But if his intent was to stop the attack from coming out, he was too late; even as Lynda reels from the kick, being knocked out of the way, the bolt had made its way to Valerie in the blink of an eye. The bolt froze her maw in place as the ice zig-zags around her, as if it was concentrated to hit just the maw. The Flash Cannon couldn't be stopped at this point, so Valerie hunkers down to break through the ice with the blast.\n\nDante, now having an opportune time to strike Caria, jumps at her.\n\nAnd that's where time fully stopped, with the two staring each other down. Dante in confidence, and Caria in an expecting smile.\n\n---\n\n\"...let's see here, battle knowledge, hm...\"\n\nA blue ghostly being in a black expanse. Though blinded, it looks like she knows what she's doing, darting about as if there were objects around she was trying to avoid, and objects she was interested in.\n\n\"History, relationships...ah, close with Val, are we? Hm...hobbies...acting? Oooh...\"\n\nIt comes to a stop, taking in...something. As if she were reading a book.\n\n\"...hey, you're...!\" A voice. Dante's, piercing through the black void.\n\n\"...hee! I've been found out. I'm almost out of time already. Your mind's like a fortress; I'm only just now piercing through to your surface-level thoughts.\"\n\nThe two are still sharing their glances from before, a picture in black and white. One consciousness facing another.\n\n\"How did you...? Where are we?\"\n\n\"This is the landscape of your consciousness. In your head, basically. This is all happening in a very small amount of time. Not completely stopped, just slowed down. I thought I'd take a moment to look around in here since you decided to close the distance between us, but you're quite protective of your inner thoughts. I won't be sticking around for much longer; your presence means time is flowing.\" The ghostly figure hadn't moved from its spot.\n\n\"Huh? Wait, you can't do that! This is MY head! These are MY thoughts!\"\n\n\"Hehe...oh, I've learned all that I can already. Just the relevant stuff. Now, since you're here...I have a proposition to make. And based on what I've seen, I think you'll find it quite attractive...\"\n\n\"...And why should I trust you?\"\n\n\"You like to act, right? Just as much as fighting.\"\n\n\"Well, I do like a good fight, but we do have a crowd...\"\n\n\"Hehehe...well, you'll like what I have in mind. So...\"\n\n---\n\nTime flows once more. Dante flies towards Caria with an attack primed, but all he kicks is an ice statue. As he continues forward with his momentum, the ice is sucked up into the dark ball above. He takes a moment to reflect on what just happened, feeling a pain in his head.\n\nBut he didn't have long to think for himself as a sudden cracking noise brings him back to reality. Valerie, nearly a quarter of the arena away, shatters through the ice blocking her maw with her Flash Cannon, although the backblast causes some damage to her maw. \"GYARGH!\" Steel energy and ice mixed in the air, with some of the ice remaining on her maw, chilling it.\n\nCaria teleports in near the tall Mawile, waving a hand and gathering up the debris. \"I'll be taking that, thank you.\" She floats around Val, sharing a cursory wink before heading back towards Lynda.\n\n\"Rrgh! You brat! I've had enough!\" Before the Kirlia could accelerate away, the Mawile was onto her. Showing a surprising amount of speed, Val leapt after her prey before turning and delivering a downward blow with her maw. Caria had only just turned around at this point, intending to slow down the Mawile with an Icy Wind, but her clairvoyance had turned up short here, taking a direct blow.\n\nAs the two were fighting, Lynda had gotten up after being knocked away from before. A glow from behind earns Dante's attention, as shortly after Val had freed her maw, Lynda was melting her own. She ducks towards the ground, dipping her maw and un-transformed hand into a pool of lava that she forced to the surface, not even wincing in pain. Her entire maw is enveloped in a yellow light from being heated, up to the stalk on her head, before she pulls it out.\n\n\"You're full of surprises, Lynda.\" Dante stood his ground, not bothering to take a fighting stance. Instead, he watched the Mawile's melting maw take form. The hand she was using to hold onto the maw fused with it, taking shape as a large, draconic head. Its color returned as it cooled, with the lava pool disappearing from below; it was as if she had pulled a Charizard's head from the ground, with how she held it to the side.\n\nLynda took a few casual steps forward, sneering: both of her hands were now transformed. \"I do whatever it takes to win. And that means adapting to my foes' strategies...with my whole body, if necessary.\" She held the misshapen head up, its mouth open and aimed right at Dante. A purple energy forms in the mouth.\n\nDante takes a second, then chuckles. \"Been trying the spicy malasada, I see. Leave it to you to use indigestion as a viable battle strategy.\"\n\nLynda focuses her gaze with a furrow of the brow. The purple energy shot forth in a slow but wide stream of flame and sparks; Dante casually walks to the side to avoid the attack. She tilts the head to its side, keeping the flame going, adjusting her stance for her next move. The Blaziken watches with earnest, allowing her some time.\n\nThe Mawile then pivots on the spot, spinning the head around her. As the purple flames were still spraying out, the attack gathers in a fog around her, and with how fast she was picking up speed, she was making the area around her a danger zone. Dante backed away a few steps, thinking of how to best approach her as she was in the flashiest way possible. He could feel the paralyzing power of the Dragon Breath tickle his nose, prompting another step back.\n\nThrough the cloud of purple smoke that the Mawile had created, she had stopped the move, though the fog remained. In the middle of the cloud, she charges another attack, red flames building up in the dragon's mouth. It vibrates with the intensity of the flames and how quickly she had to build up heat, with the eye sockets lighting up.\n\nDante made a long leap above, a white aura surrounding his limbs. By the time he had begun to descend, he had already been spotted.\n\n\"Bad move!\" Lynda flicks her whip up, but Dante expertly twists his body around to avoid the strike. Just as she went to fling her dragon head forward to fire off her Fire Blast, Dante slams his foot down on its nose, cracking its rocky material and forcing it to shut.\n\nWith his appendages still cloaked in white, he pivots to spin kick at Lynda, who leans back just in time to keep from getting her head kicked off. She attempts to ensnare the Blaziken with her whip, but it was slow at such close range. Slow enough that he was able to catch it before he could get whacked with it, still having one hand and foot to work with. The Mawile growled in frustration.\n\nThat growl turned into a sinister grin with a snicker. Heat built up in the forced-closed dragon mouth, steam spilling out the hollow eye holes. The head itself was turning red from how hot it was getting.\n\n\"Gotcha now, buttercup.\" He brought the whip close, wrapping both of his hands around it before placing his foot on Lynda's face, tugging at the extended arm. As she was restricted in her movement, the Deceiver couldn't very well dodge in her current state. He wagged a finger in her face, confident in his advantage.\n\nBut she was good at adapting. Getting out of pickles like this was how she survived, after all. As helpless as she is, she couldn't help but cackle, even if her face was under Dante's foot. \"You keep up better than Val. But your technique is lackluster.\"\n\n\"Oh?\" Dante kept a tight grip on the rocky whip, having pulled it as close as he was able. He builds up power in his free hand, turning it red - not from heat, but from power. \"School me, 'tutor'.\"\n\n\"Arrogant little...fine. Count with me, boy. One-\" Lynda heats her whip, and quickly at that. So quick in fact that the rest of the whip didn't visibly heat before she was able to separate the rocky whip from the rest of her arm, pulling it away and leaving her with a lava-emitting stub. Of course, this meant that Dante's hold on the whip was now negligible, and the loss of resistance made him stumble a bit.\n\n\"Two-\" Through sheer force of will, Lynda grunts - turning into a screech - as she hefts the dragon head attached to her up and over her head, its open mouth spewing its built-up flames at last. Dante was catapulted overhead, having to cancel out the move he was about to unleash. He flips until he lands on the ground safely - the dragon head's unfinished attack spouting above and trickling down as embers.\n\nLynda turns around, rotating herself so the flipped head was upright. In the time she did so, a new arm formed where her whip was previously, solidifying from the lava being created by seemingly nothing from the stub it was before. It was distinct enough to have fingers already, though they were unfinished and melty.\n\n\"And if those don't work? Three.\" She points, with her unfinished hand, at her mouth with a cocky grin. She took a deep inhale, white light cloaking the inside of her mouth as her eyes, too, shone white. Dante didn't have to wait to know what was coming next, going on the move before the attack came out.\n\nA thin, silver beam shoots out from Lynda's mouth at extraordinary speed, with Dante running perpendicular. She rotates her head to try and nail him, but the Blaziken was too fast. Eventually the beam crosses over where Valerie and Caria were fighting, missing both of them as Valerie had ducked for an attack of her own and Caria was floating in the air.\n\nVal punches the ground to send a Stone Edge flying up to Caria, who taunted and teased by staying just out of reach. \"If you won't stay still...!\" A second punch to the ground, grabbing and pulling up a slab of rock. \"...then I'll MAKE you stay still!\" She takes the boulder into her hairmaw, and throws it with terrifying force at the fleeing Caria.\n\nThe Kirlia ducks low to avoid it - putting her right in the way of an angered Mawile with a fist crackling with dark energy. Another ice statue trick would have needed more time to set up; she had to defend against this one. She crosses her arms, hardening herself with ice as the fist makes short work of the impromptu defensive measure, knocking the Kirlia away with a clean hit.\n\nOf course, one hit alone doesn't decide a fight, much less one like this. Caria rights herself after being sent a distance...coming to a stop back-to-back against Dante. As Valerie stares down Caria, so too did Lynda size up Dante, both on opposite ends with the Kirlia and Blaziken right in the middle. Caria and Dante looked surprised as they bumped into each other, but instead of turning on each other, they share a knowing glance, and kept to looking at their respective opponents.\n\n\"...Dante, I don't know what's going through that thick skull of yours, but by Arceus if you don't move-\"\n\n\"Aw, what's the matter? Afraid of a little friendly FIRE?\" Lynda retorts. \"Because I'll take a two-for-one anytime, any day.\" Her dragon head lights up, heat again building in its mouth.\n\n\"Hmph...\" Crackles of energy surround Valerie as the ground begins to rumble. \"You don't know when to quit. How 'bout I snuff out your flames for good?\" An evil grin spreads across her face.\n\nThe flame-adorned Mawile responds with her own grin and an equally unsettling laugh. \"It'll take more than a Water Gun to douse me. Not even Caria's ice can withstand my heat when I'm like this.\"\n\n\"It's true!\" Caria pipes up. \"The coldest ice I can make stands no chance against her fire. That's why we're a team: to keep each other in check.\"\n\nDante had to scoff, whispering. \"Aw, c'mon. You can be cooler than that.\"\n\nThe Kirlia gave a short laugh. \"All part of the act. Have you decided your role in this as well?\"\n\nHe sighs, trying not to lose his pose - for the audience, of course. \"You drive a hard bargain.\"\n\n\"A second act needs a villain and a hero.\" The Kirlia twirls her wand, flashing a smile over to Dante.\n\nHe was quick to shoot a grin. \"Between the two of you, I think I'd trust the one with the brain cells to come up with something like that.\"\n\nShe giggles. \"Who's counting?\"\n\n\"Heh. Well, I hope you don't mind if I go off-script.\" The Blaziken walks forward, shrugging and raising his voice, now aiming at Lynda. \"Hey, hotshot. I thought you said you only needed ONE attack to take us down. But so far, everything you've thrown's been fizzling out.\"\n\nThe fiery Mawile spat flames with her retort. \"Never said when. Now stay still so I can roast you!\" She raises the dragon's head up, roaring and releasing embers all around, the blackened skin taking in solar energy with a faint glow.\n\n\"Last chance, Dante!\" On the other side, Valerie's maw is building up a dark, crackling power in its mouth, holding it up at Lynda, with their partners between.\n\nDante sighs, shaking his head. He spreads his arms out, as if he was going to take the full brunt of the attack. \"Alright. Then fire at will.\"\n\nA green beam shoots up and out of the dragon's head, but unlike the energy beam it was expected to be, it seemed to be an extension of the head, like a tongue. The bulbous end snakes around in the air, dipping towards Dante, who didn't flinch at all as it drew near.\n\nVal reached a fever pitch. \"NOW!\" The sphere that had grown in her maw shrunk briefly before exploding outwards with power, a black-and-white monster of a beam firing from it that had the heavy-set Mawile recoil a few feet from the power, and yet she didn't falter in her aim.\n\nCaria, with as sly a grin as ever, employs another ice statue to act as a decoy, instantly torn apart by the incoming beam as she teleports elsewhere.\n\nLynda pulls the green beam-tongue back into the dragon's head along the path it travelled in the air, gathering the energy at its maw as she pulled the head behind her, as if winding up a punch. \"SOLAR...\" Her voice had become the essence of crackling fire itself.\n\nDante would have loved to dodge her attack at the last second...but Val's Hyper Beam had reached him first, feeling the tickle of its force as it approaches from behind. He had to settle with watching from the sidelines; he leaps out of the way with incredible speed, reaching the side of the arena in record time.\n\nThe green beam coils together into an amorphous sphere, and the dragon's head was bright with power and heat. Just as the power was about to explode, she juts the head forward just in time to meet Valerie's Hyper Beam, firing an attack within the green sphere that seemed to expand around it, two attacks in one. \"...BURN!\"\n\nLynda couldn't be seen from behind the shower of sparks and flames as she held off the Hyper Beam. Green and red energies swirled in a spectacular display of color against the opposing Mawile's black and white energy. Steadily, the Hyper Beam is pushed back by the combination attack, the point between the beams becoming increasingly unstable.\n\nNeither side waned. Caria was nowhere in sight, and Dante was watching the fireworks from the sidelines. The Solar Beam-Blast Burn eventually pushed so far that Lynda could be seen behind the streaking lights. With one final push, she made their struggle equal. A ball of energy forms between the beams, growing as it was fed.\n\nA few more seconds of their struggle, and the glowing sphere grows unstable enough that the energy ruptures, causing a massive explosion in the middle of the arena. The Mawile were pushed back as the resulting shockwave reaches them, followed by a giant cloud of ash and smoke that takes over their senses. Luckily for the crowd, a Psychic barrier stopped most of the debris from flying into the stands, but they could still feel the awesome power from the shockwave quaking the ground and the heat that bore through.\n\nThe smoke rose up high, but the astute could tell not all was right. The cloud dissipates eventually, not spreading around to mix with the air but being sucked inwards, courtesy of the ever-present black hole that Caria had formed before. It grows with the debris, crackling with energy itself and bending light at its edge, large enough to swallow a person whole within its depths.\n\nLynda and Valerie were pushed back from their initial positions, but standing and obviously worn from their energy usage. The ground between the two bore the marks of their struggle, torn asunder and uneven. They stood staring at each other, breathing heavily to recover.\n\nLynda was the first to take a knee. The power of her attack disintegrated the dragon's head her maw and hand made up, reducing both to a flowing, dripping lava-like substance. Her hand was first to reform, albeit slower than her previous hand reformation, but her maw will need more time to do the same. Smoke rose off of her entire body, having grown slightly more orange in color from the heat.\n\n\"...Heh. All this power of yours... *cough* ...and you're still the weaker between us.\" The taller Mawile walks forward, uncaring of the uneven ground.\n\nLynda lifts her head up with a smirk, though her malice did not wane. \"...that...was only a taste.\"\n\n\"Come now, Lynda.\" A voice from behind. Dante's incredible speed let him slip behind the Mawile, though with how she was already looking behind her, he wasn't trying to be stealthy about it. \"Don't tell me you're running out of steam now.\"\n\n\"Tch. Hardly.\" Her gaze met Dante's, eyes aglow. An icy gaze - nay, that was the work of something else. Specifically, Caria, who had teleported in with a gale of Icy Wind surrounding her; with this sudden attack, she was able to slow Dante down just enough to grab his hand and take him to the air, spinning 360 degrees before flinging him over to Valerie.\n\nThe Blaziken skid across the ground, stopping short of Valerie. One might say with how fluid his movement was that the maneuver was choreographed, but such devices were lost on Valerie, who merely scoffs at him.\n\n\"You know, Dante, if you'd just stop showboating for two seconds you could've finished her off right then and there.\"\n\nHe ran his thumb against his nose. \"What, and ruin your victory? Perish the thought. That's your glory to earn.\"\n\nVal made a 'hmph' in his general direction before looking at their opponents at the other side of the arena. The black hole floating above them was more prominent now than before, and she couldn't help but look up at it.\n\nCaria didn't even glance over to Lynda as she floated down to the Mawile's, and not when she stood there after; Val could only guess that even as tired as the Mawile was, their bond and mental communication was such that vision was unnecessary. Evidenced further when Caria twirled her wand and showered Lynda with an icy mist from its tip without averting her gaze.\n\nThe Mawile got onto her feet, still taking deep breaths but not showing her fatigue from her body language. She immediately took a battle-ready pose again; even with her maw and one of her hands still reforming, she looked ready for another round. Anger never left her face, as if the sneer and gritted teeth was just her normal expression.\n\n\"...still standing after all, Val. You lose.\"\n\nEven though pushing her to use her Hyper Beam was extraordinary enough, it was Lynda saying that which made her lose her composure and show disgust. \"Oh, would you [i]stop[/i] with that already? Drop the act. Honestly, this ain't life or death.\"\n\nBut that only made Lynda scrunch her face further. \"In the wild, if you stop fighting, you die. The beasts that roam the mountains care not for your fainting. Why should I spare any expense otherwise?\"\n\nDante wasn't sure whether to compliment her on her commitment, or chide her for attempting to kill on the battlefield. But he held back, knowing Valerie was capable of just as much. \"Val, I get the feeling she's gonna do worse than tear off your maw if she gets ahold of you. And we might need to do worse to keep her down.\"\n\nThe Mawile readies her maw at her side, charging up a Flash Cannon once more. \"Whether she's a Mawile or sentient magma, I don't care - she's going down one way or another. Get me a good shot. And no funny business this time.\"\n\nLynda forced a grin, her hands shaking in anger. Caria pulled her wand arm behind her, ready to sling a spell. \"It's time for the show to really start.\" \"You can't stop us now! Caria, go!\" She barrels forward with a war cry, leaping in bounds.\n\nDante matches her gusto with a sigh; Caria's proposal was still bouncing around his head, but he at least had to put in some effort. He wasn't as fast as before; with Valerie following behind, he closed the distance between the two parties.\n\nCaria points her wand forward, still in her spot as she fired off blue orbs, faster than Lynda. They exploded in a fast-moving gust of Icy Wind aimed to slow Dante and Valerie down, which they pushed through.\n\nBut Lynda wasn't aiming for them, just as those gusts weren't meant to damage. As Dante approaches the fiery Deceiver, readying an attack to subdue her, she leaps up with incredible force. She wasn't intending on a jumping attack, however, with her maw and one of her hands still recovering. No - she jumped straight into the black hole that was overhead, an echoing laugh becoming distorted. Her body disappearing from view as it was sucked inside.\n\n\"What?!\" Valerie stopped in her tracks, dispelling the energy in her maw. Dante was equally surprised, backing away from the black hole.\n\nCaria took on a more focused grin. She teleports away from her spot, appearing above the black hole as the tension mounted in the stadium. Audible gasps of horror from the crowd were silenced as she held up her hands. The daylight shining down disappears, with a spotlight on the Kirlia, as if a roof was placed on the stadium in a fraction of a second.\n\n\"Ladies and gentlemen of Viridian! You are about to witness a grand illusion, worthy of the successor to the Bleuvoir Group!\" Feeling a sense of foreboding, Dante retreats to Val's side. Caria told him a little bit about this, but he wasn't sure what other tricks she was planning. And by the looks of it, they were in her world now.\n\n\"Generations of magic, combined with the thrill of battle! Behold as space warps before your very eyes!\" With a midair flip, the Kirlia teleports away as the black hole becomes unstable, crackling with electricity. It begins to expand outwards, bulging, a purple tint at its edge. Light appears at the center.\n\nThe sphere collapses momentarily before exploding outwards to envelop the entire stadium in its pitch-blackness. An entire spectacle of sparkling cosmic dust and miniature nebulae fill the air, no doubt the debris of the attacks used in the fight thus far put under special effects. The dust was relegated to the center of the arena, however the lights shining on the crowd, reminiscent of a disco ball, was just as enthralling to look at as the nebulae passed by certain sections.\n\nDespite the show, Valerie and Dante looked around in anticipation. Though the ground was made black, their bodies were still lit, the only figures in the arena still visible at this point. \"Be ready for anything.\" Val looked around for any sign of Lynda or Caria amongst the clouds of sparkling dust.\n\nCaria's voice rings out in the arena once again. This time, it had an echo to it, obfuscating her location. \"Space is our home. It acts on a larger scale of time than we ever will. The creation of our civilization, our planet, is not but a blink in the eye of the universe.\" Large images of stars appeared at several places in the stadium, then fizzled out into dust, joining the swirling mass rotating around. It was hard for Valerie to tell if those were also debris, or an illusion.\n\n\"We cannot hope to comprehend events on such a macro scale. But that ends today! For you will witness the birth of a star - here and now, right in this very stadium!\"\n\nThe dust and images of nebulae and galaxies concentrates to the center, all light dimming out except for the Dante and Valerie's bodies and the growing mass. It collects, growing brighter and brighter before all that is left is the blackness of space and a single, small speck of light. Not even the crowd can see themselves at this point.\n\nThat small sphere of light bulges outward, taking a humanoid shape. Indeed, it took the shape of Lynda's body, although the brightness made it hard to tell. Floating, looking down at the two.\n\nValerie didn't need to think twice. She hunches over, a small pink light shining from her maw before her entire body became enveloped in white light. Her form grew, maw splitting in two, as her Mega form came to be. She posed, breaking out of the light surrounding her, the hulking Mega Mawile looking up at the light-based Lynda.\n\n\"Well done, you scurrilous imp. You've forced my hand.\" Her voice was deep and distorted. The light figure, adorned only by red glowing eyes, didn't respond. It merely brought up its own hand, pausing to look at it as plasma arcs between her limbs, lightly floating up from her form otherwise.\n\nDante took a few steps behind Valerie in her new form. If what Caria said was true...\n\n\"...This is my power, Valerie. What I'm capable of. There won't be [i]scraps[/i] of you after this.\" Lynda's voice, too, was distorted; where Valerie's voice was deeper, Lynda spoke in two pitches at once, her normal voice plus one that was higher pitched, though it still was warped in its delivery. The Mawile-turned-light energy hunches over with her arms crossed over her chest, tucking her legs up and in, with rays of light beginning to escape from her body.\n\n\"STEL...LAR...\" Plasma arcs from her body outwards, becoming unstable. Her plasma aura grows.\n\nValerie crosses her arms and maws in front of her, a slow but powerful motion. Even a few feet behind her, Dante could feel the tremendous energy inside Valerie being put to use on the defensive, as her body solidified with an Iron Defense. \"Dante! Take cover!\"\n\nLynda uncurls her body, raising her arms up. All of the flashing lights briefly stopped and concentrated on her form, becoming so bright it was impossible to look at her. Even sound was sucked up by her presence, before exploding outwards. \"[b][i]NOVAAAA![/i][/b]\"\n\nA great implosion jets out from Lynda's body, streaks of flame and dust showering everything with such force that even the protective field surrounding the arena was bending. This wasn't just in one place, too; it was all-around, orange rings turning to white and shattering against the barrier. The only dark spot was right behind Valerie's enhanced form, but even there the heat was intense and the gaps in her form let streams of the explosion's power through.\n\n---\n\n\"So? Have you made your decision?\"\n\n\"Eh? How the heck did you get in my head again?\"\n\n\"You're so focused on Lynda you didn't hear or see me teleport in behind ya. That's the beauty of illusions, ain't it?\"\n\n\"You say that, but this power is real. Not sure if Val can hold out against this, even as a Mega. She never was the best against heat.\"\n\n\"Oh, she'll be fine. You, on the other hand...hiding behind her only softens the blow. And while I'm behind you, I can just...\"\n\n\"...Ah, I see what you're trying to pull. If I don't agree, you'll shove me into it. Devious AND evil.\"\n\n\"Hee! And I wouldn't be sorry about it! But a chance to really show off my ice skills to the public without it being a mere sideshow doesn't come along every day. Are you in or what?\"\n\nA moment of silence. Then, even though it was in his mind, his consciousness sighed. \"You're a tricky devil. Don't expect to be this lucky again, now that I know how you operate. But in the meantime...count me in.\"\n\n\"Great! Now hold still for a moment. Can't have you too bruised for round two.\"\n\n---\n\nDespite the blinding light, it was a spectacle of color and power. It went on, the sound deafening and the barrier bending under the explosive force. Whites blending with vibrant oranges and yellows, filling every space in the arena. Cracks appeared in the barrier, rays of light and heat pouring from them, threatening to break loose.\n\nThe barrier was unable to withstand the force and shattered. But instead of the attack continuing and assailing the spectators, the attack stopped then and there. The light from the attack cleared, removing the shade of night that covered the arena before. Lynda still floating in the air with her arms held out, fully regenerated, and Valerie still defending in her Mega form.\n\nTime held still as the sound from the attack cleared. Lynda slowly fell from her position, stuck in her pose, but it was Valerie who hit the ground first with a resounding [i]thwomp[/i]. Her body glows, two maws merging back into one, reverting to her non-Mega form.\n\nLynda squints, barely able to keep her eyes open. The smallest of sincere smiles laces her face.\n\n\"Looks...like...\"\n\nHer body began plummeting towards the ground, changing to dive head-first. Her regenerated maw flaps behind her like unkempt sails.\n\n\"...I...win...\"\n\n[i]THOOOMFH![/i] A cloud of dust obscures her impact, with several nearby unstable rocks falling into place from the impact, though not atop her.\n\nFrom behind separate blind spots between rocks where most people would not be looking, out came Caria and Dante, who surveyed the wreckage. The air was still, only filled with the gasps of the audience who couldn't believe anyone would be able to survive such an attack.\n\nThe announcer, who had been silent the whole time, came over the speakers. \"Valerie and Lynda are unable to battle! Holy smokes, people, I was at the edge of my seat the entire time!\" This spurred a few in the crowd to start clapping in applause, then a few more. Caria, not missing a beat, floated up and took a bow.\n\n\"Where is...ah, Dante is still standing! The fight isn't over yet, folks!\" The Blaziken didn't count on being taken to a relative safe spot during the all-out attack, and most certainly didn't expect to be just thrown into a random pile of rubble afterwards, but it did serve Caria's illusionary purposes well. Still, he raised a hand to the crowd. He was still standing and able to fight, and he had to be thankful for that.\n\nAs the crowd was cheering, a few of the college nurses - including one particular green fairy - took to the damaged battleground to collect the fainted Valerie. Dante stood atop a particularly high rock, watching her get carried away as he parsed the situation. Val's one of the toughest gals he knows, and that one attack devastated her Mega form. An incredible display of power he had to respect, now that he's seen it. That much wasn't an illusion.\n\nHe then looked over and saw that none of them were going to assist Lynda. Caria hovered over her partner eerily, waiting for the nurses to take their leave and waving off the few that approached. He couldn't hear what she was saying to them through the noise in the crowd. As the nurses closed the door to the arena, one gave a worried look over to the Kirlia. She held her hands up once more, signaling the end of the applause.\n\n\"Oh, my partner, Lynda...without your flames, who will keep the ice queen at bay? Who will warm her cold, desolate heart?\" Her voice reaches far. She spins slowly, raising into the air. Ice forms in a snowflake-like pattern around her.\n\n\"Isn't that simple? You need someone who melts you all the same.\" Dante points to Caria. \"Someone like me, who can put you on ice. Hah!\"\n\nCaria pointed her wand up above her head. \"Nay! Lynda was the only one who could match me! And without her...\" She then pointed her wand down, where the Mawile lay. A beam shot from the end of the wand, encasing Lynda in a gigantic ice formation. A circle spread on the broken ground, transforming the scarred and torn battlefield into ice. Even after she raised her wand back up, it continued 'til it reached the arena's edge, with Dante jumping forward to avoid getting frozen himself.\n\n\"...the world shall turn to a frozen wasteland!\"",
  "writing_bbcode_parsed": "<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>﻿<div class='align_center'>Viridian City Showdown, Chapter 1</div><br /><br />&quot;Laaadiiies aaand geeentlemeeen!&quot;<br /><br />A voice resounds from the stadium&#039;s speakers, loud enough to be heard over the roaring crowd gathered in the stands. A high-profile event advertised two weeks in advance, the stadium was filled with nearly every local who had heard of it, and with significant enough reach to attract people from neighboring cities. Being scheduled on the weekend and the weather being clear were the perfect conditions for the stadium to nearly hit capacity, and this crowd was hungry for one thing and one thing only - battle.<br /><br />&quot;Weeelcome to the Viridian Stadium! The home of the most talented battlers this side of Kanto!&quot;<br /><br />A roar erupted from the crowd, with small chants starting up before being drowned out by the cheering. There wasn&#039;t a person in Kanto that didn&#039;t know of this stadium or its influence on the culture of battling, being where some started their journey and where others made names for themselves. It was these crossroads that made it the go-to place for competitors of all levels to gather and test their skills.<br /><br />In the middle of the stadium, a pale brown clay covered the entire ground, with the stands starting out around 10 feet elevated off the ground. Chalk outlines denoted the starting positions of the combatants, with several lines near the corners for free-way battles and a Pokeball symbol in the center. The stadium itself was oval-shaped, with doors at both the ends and in the middle of the two longer walls.<br /><br />From one of the tunnels, a voice from one of the fighters; &quot;You sure you want to do this? Not too late to back out.&quot;<br /><br />A second voice, less masculine than the first, starts with a chuckle. &quot;Don&#039;t tell me you&#039;re chicken. I&#039;ve been waiting to see both of them in action for months.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Heh. I was hoping you&#039;d still be on board. And that&#039;s fire chicken to you.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Of course. But for the record, I could probably take them both on by myself.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;And that&#039;s why I&#039;m not letting you get killed in front of the entire region. Not alone, anyway.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;My, haven&#039;t we become chivalrous.&quot;<br /><br />The doors unlock and creak open slowly. A column of light bursts through the dark corridor.<br /><br />&quot;Showtime.&quot;<br /><br />The announcer begins again. &quot;Today we have a special exhibition match from our very own Pokemon Combat College! May I present to you two of our finest students in the art of battling, fighting side by side despite their bitter rivalry! They&#039;ve put aside their differences for this historic bout! Let&#039;s hear it for...Vaaalerie Eeeisenfaaaust and Daaante Rooothschiiild!&quot;<br /><br />As the doors open wide, the two fighters emerge into the sunlight. The roar of the crowd picks up again as the two make themselves known: Valerie, a tall rough-looking Mawile with an intimidating presence that exudes power and ego, a slight sway to her slow walk, and; Dante, an equally-as-rough Blaziken who has taken it upon himself to run forward, throwing up peace signs to the crowd, and lighting up the fire around his wrists. Valerie rolled her eyes, but she didn&#039;t try to stop him, in fact giving a soft smile as she averts her attention to the set of doors on the opposite side of the field. The crowd&#039;s cheering died down as the two made their way to their starting positions. As they reached the chalk lines showing their starting positions, the door on the opposite side began to open, the anticipation enough to make even Valerie nearly skip a heartbeat. It was one of the few moments in Valerie&#039;s living life, these few seconds where the crowd quiets down and before the announcer speaks again, that she&#039;s experienced the closest thing to fear. Stoic as she was, Dante was showing it even less, still grandstanding until the speakers picked up.<br /><br />&quot;Our fighters in the ring will be facing off against another pair of the college&#039;s top talents - this is their first time fighting together in this stadium! What&#039;s more, they&#039;ve only been here a few months, but they&#039;ve already made a name for themselves around town! Make no mistake, folks, it&#039;s bold to make a challenge like this out of season! May I present...Lyyynda Eldooora!&quot;<br /><br />From the doors on the opposing side of the stadium grounds, a lone figure walks forward. A second Mawile, adorned with a black karategi with a red fire pattern, walks out onto the field, with their partner nowhere in sight. The crowd was quick to cheer, but upon noticing only one fighter making their way to the field, they began to converse amongst themselves, some of worry and confusion. Undeterred, the Mawile, Lynda, has her hands balled into fists, and has an even more serious look on her face than Valerie. The two Deceiver Pokemon were staring each other down, even from a long distance.<br /><br />&quot;Wha? Where&#039;s the second combatant? Their name isn&#039;t here, ah...&quot; The announcer seems visibly confused, though he trails off. The Mawile makes her way to the starting line, each step ending with a stomp that shook a few pebbles from the ground around her out of place.<br /><br />A feminine voice rings out, though it doesn&#039;t appear to be from the stadium&#039;s speakers. &quot;Oh, there&#039;s two of us here alright!&quot;<br /><br />Lynda leaned over, her head down, before whipping her head, and the maw attached to her head, upwards, stopping with the maw directly overhead, striking a pose with her hands up. Even straight under the sun, the lights had dimmed and a quiet drumroll could be heard from somewhere in the stadium. The maw suddenly rounded out, then opened with an explosion of pink smoke and confetti billowing out above - a figure rising out of the smoke with a spotlight appearing out of nowhere focusing on the figure! They strike a pose - a Kirlia, though the styling of her hair and her outfit&#039;s purple coloring would throw off those that didn&#039;t notice the species&#039; signature red horn atop her head. &quot;Caria Isole, ready to perform and dazzle!&quot;<br /><br />The crowd was thrilled, a rising &quot;ohhh!&quot; and clapping ensued as Caria floated down next to Lynda, who had let her maw down and had taken a more casual pose. Dante was a little jealous that the two&#039;s combined opening act had the crowd reacting more positively than he did, but he couldn&#039;t help but smile knowing he&#039;s up against a fellow showboat. Valerie, meanwhile, was full-on giggling, joining in on the clapping and making Dante slackjawed with how emotive she was.<br /><br />&quot;Good show, what an entrance!&quot; She should have known - Caria, being a magician, would surely have wanted to pull off something like this. The little bit of surprise was enough to dispel whatever stress she was feeling, albeit for a short time before the match started.<br /><br />&quot;Tch...I mean, yeah. Gotta hand it to her, she knows how to please the crowd.&quot; He gave a few claps of his own. &quot;But they&#039;re still our opponents, Val.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Heh, yeah. Don&#039;t mean I can&#039;t enjoy it.&quot;<br /><br />Caria took a bow as she landed, the spotlight fading away and the normal sunlight returning. She spoke once more, her voice echoing across the stadium once more even though it didn&#039;t appear she was able to, with no microphone in her hands and no headpiece beyond her hat she wore over one of her horns. &quot;Before we begin, me and my partner have a prediction to make! And no, you can check the battle screens, this isn&#039;t a pre-emptive Future Sight - just a straight-up prediction.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Oh? How easy will that be to quash, huh...?&quot; Valerie wore a cocky grin.<br /><br />Caria and Lynda both rose their hands at the same time. They backed up to each other til their shoulders touched; then, when their hands reached the apex above their heads, they brought their hands down, pointing at both Valerie and Dante.<br /><br />&quot;One attack. That&#039;s all we need to take you two out.&quot; The audience stayed quiet for a moment, before picking up again with conversations.<br /><br />&quot;Can they really...? Valerie&#039;s so powerful, though!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;They&#039;re in over their heads. That magician looks like she&#039;d fall over if you even smacked her.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;No way. This isn&#039;t a magic show, this is a battle! WE WANT FIGHTING!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;YEAH! FIGHT!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;...Heh, you hear that, Lynda?&quot; The Kirlia looked over. Lynda&#039;s face hadn&#039;t changed much since she walked out, but now her mouth was curling into a wicked smile. &quot;They want a fight.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;...yeah. Loud and clear.&quot; She put her arm down, then took in some air.<br /><br />A yell pierced the noise of the crowd. &quot;VALERIIIE! We even the score NOW!&quot; Without any enhancements, the Mawile&#039;s commanding voice reached even beyond the high walls of the stadium. A quiet lull followed, with Lynda entering a battle pose. A wind whipped up around the pair.<br /><br />Not missing a beat, Valerie put up a hand of her own, beckoning. &quot;Come make it happen, short stuff!&quot;<br /><br />Seeing the Mawile take a fighting pose, Dante took one as well. &quot;Hmph, you ain&#039;t hogging all the fun here. They think they&#039;re ready for the big leagues, and they&#039;re making rookie mistakes like this. Let&#039;s nip this in the bud before they even get started.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Don&#039;t be too sure about that, Dante. They know their stuff. It&#039;s gonna take more than just preventing that from happening for us to win this.&quot; Val took a ready pose herself, her size really showing off the intimidating nature of hers.<br /><br />Lynda gritted her teeth. Caria, however, giggled. With a flick of her hand, a ball of cool blue air condensed in front of her, ice building up and forming into the shape of a wand. The Kirlia grabbed the wand as it took shape, spinning it before taking a ready pose herself, more elegant than the other three on the field and with a more relaxed face as well. The wind whipping around the two picked up into a proper gust, as if a condensed weather event was created by the pair&#039;s presence.<br /><br />&quot;Well, with all of the fighters here, it&#039;s time for this battle to get underway! Combatants, on my mark!&quot;<br /><br />The cheering picked back up. Chants of &quot;Fight! Fight! Fight!&quot; broke out. Lynda&#039;s gi and Caria&#039;s hair flapped about in their respective winds. Embers flew behind Lynda, and particles of ice and snow behind Caria.<br /><br />&quot;Ready...!&quot;<br /><br />Val&#039;s face became stern and serious. Dante&#039;s was less so, wearing the same look as the one he takes in all his bouts. Lynda looked as if she was about to burst in anger if her teeth didn&#039;t crack from the pressure first. Caria grinned, not appearing disturbed at all.<br /><br />&quot;FIIIGHT!&quot;<br /><br />The gale blew.<br /><br /><div class='align_center'>Chapter 2</div><br /><br />One second. The crowd was quiet, the air became heavy. The tension between the two teams could be cut.<br /><br />Then, a piercing scream. Lynda hurdles herself forward, leaving Caria behind with her purple skirt caught in the draft. A flick of her wand, and it begins charging with a blue aura. The Kirlia rose up into the air, twirling her body and wand about as if she were performing a mid-air ballet.<br /><br />Valerie snickered. &quot;Headstrong to a fault.&quot; She charged forward with a battle cry of her own, although not nearly as fast as Lynda. Dante followed suit, not wanting to fall behind, though he could already tell the taller Mawile would be targeted more in this fight. The two Deceiver &#039;mon closed the distance closer to Val&#039;s side of the field, exchanging blows to each other&#039;s arms. The resulting shockwave could be seen rippling out with the two at the epicenter, blowing away the embers that had surrounded the shorter &#039;wile and causing sparks to fly from the impact.<br /><br />&quot;I&#039;ll handle this runt, go take care of the other one!&quot; The taller Mawile pressed forward, forcing the smaller one to take a step back.<br /><br />Dante rushed forward, only turning his head to see the two clash - the few tales he&#039;s heard of Val and Lynda&#039;s encounters, they usually ended in a tie with Val having the advantage. If it were just those two on the field, Val would likely win, so it was up to him to ensure that outcome.<br /><br />&quot;Runt!?&quot; Lynda pushes back, the two now at a stalemate. &quot;You aren&#039;t getting enough blood up to your brain.&quot; Her maw opened slightly, letting out a flare that jettisoned its owner forward, regaining the lost ground with the force. The flames ended after a brief moment, and hoping to capitalize, Lynda began throwing punches, being met with quick blocks and punches of Valerie&#039;s own.<br /><br />Though Dante had to run across the entire field, his blazing speed gave him an advantage; whatever this magician had in store, he could stop simply by beating her to the punch. Considering she looked as if she was just enjoying herself, spinning around in the air without even looking at him, a fast hit might just put her out of commission.<br /><br />Just what Caria was expecting, of course. With Dante charging right at her, he didn&#039;t notice until it was too late, right after he committed to jumping at her, that the Kirlia&#039;s body was entirely ice; by the time Dante&#039;s kick shattered the sculpture, Caria had Teleported to the other side of the arena.<br /><br />---<br /><br />Lynda! I&#039;m behind her!<br /><br />Overwhelm.<br />Attention focused on me. Do not hit from behind, stay away from maw. Danger.<br />Defense at 95%.<br />Move to her right. Strike from range. Will strike left. 75%.<br />...<br />Striking high. Move in. Alternate hits. 50%.<br />Sustaining damage to arms. Do not relent. 25%.<br />Distracted. Clean hit.<br />Strike together.<br />...<br />Kick up. Guard broken.<br /><br />---<br /><br />The entire sequence took only five seconds. After the duo&#039;s simultaneous flipkick, Lynda moved in for further attacks, as Caria used the momentum to stay airborne and prepare an attack above her head, a crystal forming. Valerie backed up, propelling her maw in front of her body as it glowed with a grey, steely aura. Lynda threw a punch at it, stopping only millimeters from it. A psychic hand had formed around the Mawile&#039;s outstretched arm, helping pull it back.<br /><br />&quot;You&#039;ll have to be faster than that.&quot; Valerie had already anticipated a blow coming, but hadn&#039;t thought that she&#039;d be fast on the reaction time. As if to tease her, Lynda scraped her finger across the steel-laden maw, bursts of light and scraps of shrapnel sparking from the touch. The friction was enough to light a flame on the finger, something that she found amusing.<br /><br />The crystal above Caria&#039;s head was reaching around her body&#039;s height in size, and it looked as if she was just about to throw it, stretching...before a blur knocked her away. She yelped, tumbling away on the ground before pulling off another Teleport, leaving an ice sculpture in her body&#039;s place once more, shattering on the next impact.<br /><br />The blur then made its way towards the unsuspecting Lynda before she could turn her head, launching her maw upwards before a kick sends her flying, head over heels in a rather vicious roll. Dante stood where Lynda last was, with Valerie taking a quick look at him before focusing on the Mawile being sent off. She quickly took her maw over her shoulder, channeling the steel energy already gathered in it into a pulsating red-and-white ball, and shot it after a brief moment towards Lynda. &quot;Faster than WHAT,&quot; Dante yelled.<br /><br />With terrifying precision, the tumbling Mawile kicked the ground, slid over her maw, landed on her palm, and spun in place to right herself upwards and land on her feet in a quasi-breakdance maneuver. The Flash Cannon Valerie fired was only feet from her at this point, but the fiery Deceiver wasted no time...punching the ball of energy away into the sky. Readying her own maw, Lynda shot three orange balls up to the Flash Cannon. The Focus Blasts twisted and turned in their own unique directions before landing on the ball at the same time, making it explode in a spectacular flash of colors, orbs and smoke.<br /><br />From the middle of this explosion, beyond the smoke, a form floated - Caria, who blew the dust away and struck a pose. Waving a hand, she took control of the energetic debris of the attack, forming it all into a black swirling ball of smoke as she lowered herself to the ground beside Lynda once more, the duos staring each other down.<br /><br />The crowd broke into cheers at seeing Caria appear from the explosion, proving there were more than just battle maniacs spectating the bout. Still she wore her unwavering smile. Lynda clutched at her fist, blackened and singed with sparking energy by being in contact with the Flash Cannon. Valerie and Dante stood firm, though the Blaziken had yet to put his foot down, keeping his knee up.<br /><br />Val chuckled. &quot;You know, Dante, they keep this up and I might need to pull IT out.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Nah. We won&#039;t need to go that far. Just one of your signature Hyper Beams will be enough to put them to bed.&quot;<br /><br />Caria suddenly appeared between the two with a white flash of light, leaning on Dante&#039;s knee in a taunting gesture. &quot;Quite frankly, I expected more of a challenge either way.&quot;<br /><br />Dante quickly took a swiping kick at the Kirlia, who then Teleported back to Lynda&#039;s side at the reaction, again leaving an icy image behind. The ice sculpture had its top half knocked clean off by the kick, momentarily stunning Dante who thought he had actually torn her in two. The Kirlia herself gave a chortle.<br /><br />&quot;Y-you...! Val, let&#039;s-&quot;<br /><br />&quot;No, Dante. Playing our cards too early won&#039;t win this fight. We&#039;ll need to think of a way to break their combination. They work so well together despite not saying a word to each other...&quot;<br /><br />A muffled voice. &quot;But cards are MY specialty!&quot; Caria was covering her mouth on the other side of the field. Val could feel the voice coming from somewhere - where? A second or two later, her maw moved on its own, coughing up something that clanked against the ground. A gust of wind blew the object up and towards Caria, leaving a trail of ice where it bumped the ground, and small icicles sprouting up as if they were plants.<br /><br />Coordinating the gust to bring the wand back to her, Caria caught it without missing a beat. &quot;Among other things, of course, but cards are a favorite.&quot; As if on cue, she generated a card from behind her wand, transferring it to her other hand with a twirl of the wand, and finally another tricky hand motion to vanish it from existence.<br /><br />&quot;..Mrrgh. She can still hear us talk, so far away.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;So? Let&#039;s just take them down so fast that they can&#039;t form another strategy like that again.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Your optimism pains me, Dante. But like I said before, I got the runt.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Tch. Not if I get her first.&quot;<br /><br />Lynda&#039;s hand sparked, still brimming with energy. After a moment, her hand got brighter, and she stood with her legs apart, crouching a bit. She stared down Valerie, the black pattern of her hand eventually all becoming bright and amorphous. She growled with a deep voice. &quot;Enough with the warm-up. I&#039;ll enjoy putting you both down.&quot;<br /><br />Caria brought her wand around in a circular motion. The black ball floated eerily around the two, following it. Still smiling. Not a hint of worry or seriousness etched in her expression.<br /><br />Val&#039;s maw began glowing, gathering a charge within it, again mounting it on her shoulder. Dante&#039;s cuffs lit aflame before charging forward, faster than before.<br /><br />The black ball floated up with a flick of Caria&#039;s wand. &quot;The show&#039;s only just started, after all.&quot;<br /><br /><div class='align_center'>Chapter 3</div><br /><br />Dante rushes forward towards the duo. Valerie opts to stay behind and charge a Flash Cannon. Lynda and Caria hold their ground, with the latter floating up the ball of debris from the last attack.<br /><br />The Mawile whips her arm around, still aglow. The length of her radiating forearm seemed to grow as she flings it around above her head, doing so again to extend it further before cracking it down in front of her, anticipating the Blaziken to run straight into it.<br /><br />He didn&#039;t, of course, pulling the brakes and stopping just inches short of getting a severe lash on his leg. &quot;Whoa-whoa-whoa, c&#039;mon, did you really think I&#039;d just fall for that? Your wind-up is horrendously long. Saw it coming for miles. No way in hell would I just waltz into an attack like that.&quot;<br /><br />Lynda raises an eyebrow, not straying far from Caria as she reels in her new whip-arm. An icy blue gust ices the ground from behind the Mawile. &quot;Hmph. I made the fire chicken play chicken. How amusing.&quot;<br /><br />Dante&#039;s eyes dart from the duo to the ground in front of him, judging the distance. He begins to walk slowly around them, putting his hands behind his head as he saunters around the calculated diameter of reach. &quot;Oh, far from it. I&#039;m just taking advantage of the weaknesses you now have. Like your range.&quot;<br /><br />Lynda scoffs, following his movements and placing herself between him and Caria. The Kirlia glances over towards Valerie, still having not approached. &quot;No distance is enough to protect you from my fists.&quot;<br /><br />Dante gave a single laugh, rocking his upper body side to side. &quot;Or your Flamethrower. But that&#039;s only if you can catch me.&quot;<br /><br />The Mawile growls. Though she was circling Caria, she hadn&#039;t budged an inch forward, and was primed to strike at a moment&#039;s notice should the Blaziken approach.<br /><br />But he did not. He was just out of reach, and both of them knew it.<br /><br />&quot;I&#039;ve been taunted better by Mareep.&quot; Stern eyes pierce through Dante.<br /><br />Caria readies a hand with electric energy. Lynda hunches slightly, preparing to strike. Dante, now having rotated Lynda around Caria, stops in his tracks and merely smugly grins.<br /><br />&quot;Oh, have you?&quot;<br /><br />The next few seconds were a blur.<br /><br />Firstly, Caria&#039;s hand extends towards Lynda, with electricity connecting the two together. Lynda didn&#039;t seem hurt by this, instead charging icy energy in a ball in front of her mouth. She snaps her head towards Valerie, who was seconds away from firing off a fully-charged Flash Cannon, in that time gaining enough energy to fire off a fast-travelling icy bolt.<br /><br />Dante had to act fast to capitalize on this, and so he did, running forward while the Mawile was momentarily distracted and delivering a backwards kick to her head. But if his intent was to stop the attack from coming out, he was too late; even as Lynda reels from the kick, being knocked out of the way, the bolt had made its way to Valerie in the blink of an eye. The bolt froze her maw in place as the ice zig-zags around her, as if it was concentrated to hit just the maw. The Flash Cannon couldn&#039;t be stopped at this point, so Valerie hunkers down to break through the ice with the blast.<br /><br />Dante, now having an opportune time to strike Caria, jumps at her.<br /><br />And that&#039;s where time fully stopped, with the two staring each other down. Dante in confidence, and Caria in an expecting smile.<br /><br />---<br /><br />&quot;...let&#039;s see here, battle knowledge, hm...&quot;<br /><br />A blue ghostly being in a black expanse. Though blinded, it looks like she knows what she&#039;s doing, darting about as if there were objects around she was trying to avoid, and objects she was interested in.<br /><br />&quot;History, relationships...ah, close with Val, are we? Hm...hobbies...acting? Oooh...&quot;<br /><br />It comes to a stop, taking in...something. As if she were reading a book.<br /><br />&quot;...hey, you&#039;re...!&quot; A voice. Dante&#039;s, piercing through the black void.<br /><br />&quot;...hee! I&#039;ve been found out. I&#039;m almost out of time already. Your mind&#039;s like a fortress; I&#039;m only just now piercing through to your surface-level thoughts.&quot;<br /><br />The two are still sharing their glances from before, a picture in black and white. One consciousness facing another.<br /><br />&quot;How did you...? Where are we?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;This is the landscape of your consciousness. In your head, basically. This is all happening in a very small amount of time. Not completely stopped, just slowed down. I thought I&#039;d take a moment to look around in here since you decided to close the distance between us, but you&#039;re quite protective of your inner thoughts. I won&#039;t be sticking around for much longer; your presence means time is flowing.&quot; The ghostly figure hadn&#039;t moved from its spot.<br /><br />&quot;Huh? Wait, you can&#039;t do that! This is MY head! These are MY thoughts!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Hehe...oh, I&#039;ve learned all that I can already. Just the relevant stuff. Now, since you&#039;re here...I have a proposition to make. And based on what I&#039;ve seen, I think you&#039;ll find it quite attractive...&quot;<br /><br />&quot;...And why should I trust you?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You like to act, right? Just as much as fighting.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Well, I do like a good fight, but we do have a crowd...&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Hehehe...well, you&#039;ll like what I have in mind. So...&quot;<br /><br />---<br /><br />Time flows once more. Dante flies towards Caria with an attack primed, but all he kicks is an ice statue. As he continues forward with his momentum, the ice is sucked up into the dark ball above. He takes a moment to reflect on what just happened, feeling a pain in his head.<br /><br />But he didn&#039;t have long to think for himself as a sudden cracking noise brings him back to reality. Valerie, nearly a quarter of the arena away, shatters through the ice blocking her maw with her Flash Cannon, although the backblast causes some damage to her maw. &quot;GYARGH!&quot; Steel energy and ice mixed in the air, with some of the ice remaining on her maw, chilling it.<br /><br />Caria teleports in near the tall Mawile, waving a hand and gathering up the debris. &quot;I&#039;ll be taking that, thank you.&quot; She floats around Val, sharing a cursory wink before heading back towards Lynda.<br /><br />&quot;Rrgh! You brat! I&#039;ve had enough!&quot; Before the Kirlia could accelerate away, the Mawile was onto her. Showing a surprising amount of speed, Val leapt after her prey before turning and delivering a downward blow with her maw. Caria had only just turned around at this point, intending to slow down the Mawile with an Icy Wind, but her clairvoyance had turned up short here, taking a direct blow.<br /><br />As the two were fighting, Lynda had gotten up after being knocked away from before. A glow from behind earns Dante&#039;s attention, as shortly after Val had freed her maw, Lynda was melting her own. She ducks towards the ground, dipping her maw and un-transformed hand into a pool of lava that she forced to the surface, not even wincing in pain. Her entire maw is enveloped in a yellow light from being heated, up to the stalk on her head, before she pulls it out.<br /><br />&quot;You&#039;re full of surprises, Lynda.&quot; Dante stood his ground, not bothering to take a fighting stance. Instead, he watched the Mawile&#039;s melting maw take form. The hand she was using to hold onto the maw fused with it, taking shape as a large, draconic head. Its color returned as it cooled, with the lava pool disappearing from below; it was as if she had pulled a Charizard&#039;s head from the ground, with how she held it to the side.<br /><br />Lynda took a few casual steps forward, sneering: both of her hands were now transformed. &quot;I do whatever it takes to win. And that means adapting to my foes&#039; strategies...with my whole body, if necessary.&quot; She held the misshapen head up, its mouth open and aimed right at Dante. A purple energy forms in the mouth.<br /><br />Dante takes a second, then chuckles. &quot;Been trying the spicy malasada, I see. Leave it to you to use indigestion as a viable battle strategy.&quot;<br /><br />Lynda focuses her gaze with a furrow of the brow. The purple energy shot forth in a slow but wide stream of flame and sparks; Dante casually walks to the side to avoid the attack. She tilts the head to its side, keeping the flame going, adjusting her stance for her next move. The Blaziken watches with earnest, allowing her some time.<br /><br />The Mawile then pivots on the spot, spinning the head around her. As the purple flames were still spraying out, the attack gathers in a fog around her, and with how fast she was picking up speed, she was making the area around her a danger zone. Dante backed away a few steps, thinking of how to best approach her as she was in the flashiest way possible. He could feel the paralyzing power of the Dragon Breath tickle his nose, prompting another step back.<br /><br />Through the cloud of purple smoke that the Mawile had created, she had stopped the move, though the fog remained. In the middle of the cloud, she charges another attack, red flames building up in the dragon&#039;s mouth. It vibrates with the intensity of the flames and how quickly she had to build up heat, with the eye sockets lighting up.<br /><br />Dante made a long leap above, a white aura surrounding his limbs. By the time he had begun to descend, he had already been spotted.<br /><br />&quot;Bad move!&quot; Lynda flicks her whip up, but Dante expertly twists his body around to avoid the strike. Just as she went to fling her dragon head forward to fire off her Fire Blast, Dante slams his foot down on its nose, cracking its rocky material and forcing it to shut.<br /><br />With his appendages still cloaked in white, he pivots to spin kick at Lynda, who leans back just in time to keep from getting her head kicked off. She attempts to ensnare the Blaziken with her whip, but it was slow at such close range. Slow enough that he was able to catch it before he could get whacked with it, still having one hand and foot to work with. The Mawile growled in frustration.<br /><br />That growl turned into a sinister grin with a snicker. Heat built up in the forced-closed dragon mouth, steam spilling out the hollow eye holes. The head itself was turning red from how hot it was getting.<br /><br />&quot;Gotcha now, buttercup.&quot; He brought the whip close, wrapping both of his hands around it before placing his foot on Lynda&#039;s face, tugging at the extended arm. As she was restricted in her movement, the Deceiver couldn&#039;t very well dodge in her current state. He wagged a finger in her face, confident in his advantage.<br /><br />But she was good at adapting. Getting out of pickles like this was how she survived, after all. As helpless as she is, she couldn&#039;t help but cackle, even if her face was under Dante&#039;s foot. &quot;You keep up better than Val. But your technique is lackluster.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Oh?&quot; Dante kept a tight grip on the rocky whip, having pulled it as close as he was able. He builds up power in his free hand, turning it red - not from heat, but from power. &quot;School me, &#039;tutor&#039;.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Arrogant little...fine. Count with me, boy. One-&quot; Lynda heats her whip, and quickly at that. So quick in fact that the rest of the whip didn&#039;t visibly heat before she was able to separate the rocky whip from the rest of her arm, pulling it away and leaving her with a lava-emitting stub. Of course, this meant that Dante&#039;s hold on the whip was now negligible, and the loss of resistance made him stumble a bit.<br /><br />&quot;Two-&quot; Through sheer force of will, Lynda grunts - turning into a screech - as she hefts the dragon head attached to her up and over her head, its open mouth spewing its built-up flames at last. Dante was catapulted overhead, having to cancel out the move he was about to unleash. He flips until he lands on the ground safely - the dragon head&#039;s unfinished attack spouting above and trickling down as embers.<br /><br />Lynda turns around, rotating herself so the flipped head was upright. In the time she did so, a new arm formed where her whip was previously, solidifying from the lava being created by seemingly nothing from the stub it was before. It was distinct enough to have fingers already, though they were unfinished and melty.<br /><br />&quot;And if those don&#039;t work? Three.&quot; She points, with her unfinished hand, at her mouth with a cocky grin. She took a deep inhale, white light cloaking the inside of her mouth as her eyes, too, shone white. Dante didn&#039;t have to wait to know what was coming next, going on the move before the attack came out.<br /><br />A thin, silver beam shoots out from Lynda&#039;s mouth at extraordinary speed, with Dante running perpendicular. She rotates her head to try and nail him, but the Blaziken was too fast. Eventually the beam crosses over where Valerie and Caria were fighting, missing both of them as Valerie had ducked for an attack of her own and Caria was floating in the air.<br /><br />Val punches the ground to send a Stone Edge flying up to Caria, who taunted and teased by staying just out of reach. &quot;If you won&#039;t stay still...!&quot; A second punch to the ground, grabbing and pulling up a slab of rock. &quot;...then I&#039;ll MAKE you stay still!&quot; She takes the boulder into her hairmaw, and throws it with terrifying force at the fleeing Caria.<br /><br />The Kirlia ducks low to avoid it - putting her right in the way of an angered Mawile with a fist crackling with dark energy. Another ice statue trick would have needed more time to set up; she had to defend against this one. She crosses her arms, hardening herself with ice as the fist makes short work of the impromptu defensive measure, knocking the Kirlia away with a clean hit.<br /><br />Of course, one hit alone doesn&#039;t decide a fight, much less one like this. Caria rights herself after being sent a distance...coming to a stop back-to-back against Dante. As Valerie stares down Caria, so too did Lynda size up Dante, both on opposite ends with the Kirlia and Blaziken right in the middle. Caria and Dante looked surprised as they bumped into each other, but instead of turning on each other, they share a knowing glance, and kept to looking at their respective opponents.<br /><br />&quot;...Dante, I don&#039;t know what&#039;s going through that thick skull of yours, but by Arceus if you don&#039;t move-&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Aw, what&#039;s the matter? Afraid of a little friendly FIRE?&quot; Lynda retorts. &quot;Because I&#039;ll take a two-for-one anytime, any day.&quot; Her dragon head lights up, heat again building in its mouth.<br /><br />&quot;Hmph...&quot; Crackles of energy surround Valerie as the ground begins to rumble. &quot;You don&#039;t know when to quit. How &#039;bout I snuff out your flames for good?&quot; An evil grin spreads across her face.<br /><br />The flame-adorned Mawile responds with her own grin and an equally unsettling laugh. &quot;It&#039;ll take more than a Water Gun to douse me. Not even Caria&#039;s ice can withstand my heat when I&#039;m like this.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It&#039;s true!&quot; Caria pipes up. &quot;The coldest ice I can make stands no chance against her fire. That&#039;s why we&#039;re a team: to keep each other in check.&quot;<br /><br />Dante had to scoff, whispering. &quot;Aw, c&#039;mon. You can be cooler than that.&quot;<br /><br />The Kirlia gave a short laugh. &quot;All part of the act. Have you decided your role in this as well?&quot;<br /><br />He sighs, trying not to lose his pose - for the audience, of course. &quot;You drive a hard bargain.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;A second act needs a villain and a hero.&quot; The Kirlia twirls her wand, flashing a smile over to Dante.<br /><br />He was quick to shoot a grin. &quot;Between the two of you, I think I&#039;d trust the one with the brain cells to come up with something like that.&quot;<br /><br />She giggles. &quot;Who&#039;s counting?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Heh. Well, I hope you don&#039;t mind if I go off-script.&quot; The Blaziken walks forward, shrugging and raising his voice, now aiming at Lynda. &quot;Hey, hotshot. I thought you said you only needed ONE attack to take us down. But so far, everything you&#039;ve thrown&#039;s been fizzling out.&quot;<br /><br />The fiery Mawile spat flames with her retort. &quot;Never said when. Now stay still so I can roast you!&quot; She raises the dragon&#039;s head up, roaring and releasing embers all around, the blackened skin taking in solar energy with a faint glow.<br /><br />&quot;Last chance, Dante!&quot; On the other side, Valerie&#039;s maw is building up a dark, crackling power in its mouth, holding it up at Lynda, with their partners between.<br /><br />Dante sighs, shaking his head. He spreads his arms out, as if he was going to take the full brunt of the attack. &quot;Alright. Then fire at will.&quot;<br /><br />A green beam shoots up and out of the dragon&#039;s head, but unlike the energy beam it was expected to be, it seemed to be an extension of the head, like a tongue. The bulbous end snakes around in the air, dipping towards Dante, who didn&#039;t flinch at all as it drew near.<br /><br />Val reached a fever pitch. &quot;NOW!&quot; The sphere that had grown in her maw shrunk briefly before exploding outwards with power, a black-and-white monster of a beam firing from it that had the heavy-set Mawile recoil a few feet from the power, and yet she didn&#039;t falter in her aim.<br /><br />Caria, with as sly a grin as ever, employs another ice statue to act as a decoy, instantly torn apart by the incoming beam as she teleports elsewhere.<br /><br />Lynda pulls the green beam-tongue back into the dragon&#039;s head along the path it travelled in the air, gathering the energy at its maw as she pulled the head behind her, as if winding up a punch. &quot;SOLAR...&quot; Her voice had become the essence of crackling fire itself.<br /><br />Dante would have loved to dodge her attack at the last second...but Val&#039;s Hyper Beam had reached him first, feeling the tickle of its force as it approaches from behind. He had to settle with watching from the sidelines; he leaps out of the way with incredible speed, reaching the side of the arena in record time.<br /><br />The green beam coils together into an amorphous sphere, and the dragon&#039;s head was bright with power and heat. Just as the power was about to explode, she juts the head forward just in time to meet Valerie&#039;s Hyper Beam, firing an attack within the green sphere that seemed to expand around it, two attacks in one. &quot;...BURN!&quot;<br /><br />Lynda couldn&#039;t be seen from behind the shower of sparks and flames as she held off the Hyper Beam. Green and red energies swirled in a spectacular display of color against the opposing Mawile&#039;s black and white energy. Steadily, the Hyper Beam is pushed back by the combination attack, the point between the beams becoming increasingly unstable.<br /><br />Neither side waned. Caria was nowhere in sight, and Dante was watching the fireworks from the sidelines. The Solar Beam-Blast Burn eventually pushed so far that Lynda could be seen behind the streaking lights. With one final push, she made their struggle equal. A ball of energy forms between the beams, growing as it was fed.<br /><br />A few more seconds of their struggle, and the glowing sphere grows unstable enough that the energy ruptures, causing a massive explosion in the middle of the arena. The Mawile were pushed back as the resulting shockwave reaches them, followed by a giant cloud of ash and smoke that takes over their senses. Luckily for the crowd, a Psychic barrier stopped most of the debris from flying into the stands, but they could still feel the awesome power from the shockwave quaking the ground and the heat that bore through.<br /><br />The smoke rose up high, but the astute could tell not all was right. The cloud dissipates eventually, not spreading around to mix with the air but being sucked inwards, courtesy of the ever-present black hole that Caria had formed before. It grows with the debris, crackling with energy itself and bending light at its edge, large enough to swallow a person whole within its depths.<br /><br />Lynda and Valerie were pushed back from their initial positions, but standing and obviously worn from their energy usage. The ground between the two bore the marks of their struggle, torn asunder and uneven. They stood staring at each other, breathing heavily to recover.<br /><br />Lynda was the first to take a knee. The power of her attack disintegrated the dragon&#039;s head her maw and hand made up, reducing both to a flowing, dripping lava-like substance. Her hand was first to reform, albeit slower than her previous hand reformation, but her maw will need more time to do the same. Smoke rose off of her entire body, having grown slightly more orange in color from the heat.<br /><br />&quot;...Heh. All this power of yours... *cough* ...and you&#039;re still the weaker between us.&quot; The taller Mawile walks forward, uncaring of the uneven ground.<br /><br />Lynda lifts her head up with a smirk, though her malice did not wane. &quot;...that...was only a taste.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Come now, Lynda.&quot; A voice from behind. Dante&#039;s incredible speed let him slip behind the Mawile, though with how she was already looking behind her, he wasn&#039;t trying to be stealthy about it. &quot;Don&#039;t tell me you&#039;re running out of steam now.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Tch. Hardly.&quot; Her gaze met Dante&#039;s, eyes aglow. An icy gaze - nay, that was the work of something else. Specifically, Caria, who had teleported in with a gale of Icy Wind surrounding her; with this sudden attack, she was able to slow Dante down just enough to grab his hand and take him to the air, spinning 360 degrees before flinging him over to Valerie.<br /><br />The Blaziken skid across the ground, stopping short of Valerie. One might say with how fluid his movement was that the maneuver was choreographed, but such devices were lost on Valerie, who merely scoffs at him.<br /><br />&quot;You know, Dante, if you&#039;d just stop showboating for two seconds you could&#039;ve finished her off right then and there.&quot;<br /><br />He ran his thumb against his nose. &quot;What, and ruin your victory? Perish the thought. That&#039;s your glory to earn.&quot;<br /><br />Val made a &#039;hmph&#039; in his general direction before looking at their opponents at the other side of the arena. The black hole floating above them was more prominent now than before, and she couldn&#039;t help but look up at it.<br /><br />Caria didn&#039;t even glance over to Lynda as she floated down to the Mawile&#039;s, and not when she stood there after; Val could only guess that even as tired as the Mawile was, their bond and mental communication was such that vision was unnecessary. Evidenced further when Caria twirled her wand and showered Lynda with an icy mist from its tip without averting her gaze.<br /><br />The Mawile got onto her feet, still taking deep breaths but not showing her fatigue from her body language. She immediately took a battle-ready pose again; even with her maw and one of her hands still reforming, she looked ready for another round. Anger never left her face, as if the sneer and gritted teeth was just her normal expression.<br /><br />&quot;...still standing after all, Val. You lose.&quot;<br /><br />Even though pushing her to use her Hyper Beam was extraordinary enough, it was Lynda saying that which made her lose her composure and show disgust. &quot;Oh, would you <em>stop</em> with that already? Drop the act. Honestly, this ain&#039;t life or death.&quot;<br /><br />But that only made Lynda scrunch her face further. &quot;In the wild, if you stop fighting, you die. The beasts that roam the mountains care not for your fainting. Why should I spare any expense otherwise?&quot;<br /><br />Dante wasn&#039;t sure whether to compliment her on her commitment, or chide her for attempting to kill on the battlefield. But he held back, knowing Valerie was capable of just as much. &quot;Val, I get the feeling she&#039;s gonna do worse than tear off your maw if she gets ahold of you. And we might need to do worse to keep her down.&quot;<br /><br />The Mawile readies her maw at her side, charging up a Flash Cannon once more. &quot;Whether she&#039;s a Mawile or sentient magma, I don&#039;t care - she&#039;s going down one way or another. Get me a good shot. And no funny business this time.&quot;<br /><br />Lynda forced a grin, her hands shaking in anger. Caria pulled her wand arm behind her, ready to sling a spell. &quot;It&#039;s time for the show to really start.&quot; &quot;You can&#039;t stop us now! Caria, go!&quot; She barrels forward with a war cry, leaping in bounds.<br /><br />Dante matches her gusto with a sigh; Caria&#039;s proposal was still bouncing around his head, but he at least had to put in some effort. He wasn&#039;t as fast as before; with Valerie following behind, he closed the distance between the two parties.<br /><br />Caria points her wand forward, still in her spot as she fired off blue orbs, faster than Lynda. They exploded in a fast-moving gust of Icy Wind aimed to slow Dante and Valerie down, which they pushed through.<br /><br />But Lynda wasn&#039;t aiming for them, just as those gusts weren&#039;t meant to damage. As Dante approaches the fiery Deceiver, readying an attack to subdue her, she leaps up with incredible force. She wasn&#039;t intending on a jumping attack, however, with her maw and one of her hands still recovering. No - she jumped straight into the black hole that was overhead, an echoing laugh becoming distorted. Her body disappearing from view as it was sucked inside.<br /><br />&quot;What?!&quot; Valerie stopped in her tracks, dispelling the energy in her maw. Dante was equally surprised, backing away from the black hole.<br /><br />Caria took on a more focused grin. She teleports away from her spot, appearing above the black hole as the tension mounted in the stadium. Audible gasps of horror from the crowd were silenced as she held up her hands. The daylight shining down disappears, with a spotlight on the Kirlia, as if a roof was placed on the stadium in a fraction of a second.<br /><br />&quot;Ladies and gentlemen of Viridian! You are about to witness a grand illusion, worthy of the successor to the Bleuvoir Group!&quot; Feeling a sense of foreboding, Dante retreats to Val&#039;s side. Caria told him a little bit about this, but he wasn&#039;t sure what other tricks she was planning. And by the looks of it, they were in her world now.<br /><br />&quot;Generations of magic, combined with the thrill of battle! Behold as space warps before your very eyes!&quot; With a midair flip, the Kirlia teleports away as the black hole becomes unstable, crackling with electricity. It begins to expand outwards, bulging, a purple tint at its edge. Light appears at the center.<br /><br />The sphere collapses momentarily before exploding outwards to envelop the entire stadium in its pitch-blackness. An entire spectacle of sparkling cosmic dust and miniature nebulae fill the air, no doubt the debris of the attacks used in the fight thus far put under special effects. The dust was relegated to the center of the arena, however the lights shining on the crowd, reminiscent of a disco ball, was just as enthralling to look at as the nebulae passed by certain sections.<br /><br />Despite the show, Valerie and Dante looked around in anticipation. Though the ground was made black, their bodies were still lit, the only figures in the arena still visible at this point. &quot;Be ready for anything.&quot; Val looked around for any sign of Lynda or Caria amongst the clouds of sparkling dust.<br /><br />Caria&#039;s voice rings out in the arena once again. This time, it had an echo to it, obfuscating her location. &quot;Space is our home. It acts on a larger scale of time than we ever will. The creation of our civilization, our planet, is not but a blink in the eye of the universe.&quot; Large images of stars appeared at several places in the stadium, then fizzled out into dust, joining the swirling mass rotating around. It was hard for Valerie to tell if those were also debris, or an illusion.<br /><br />&quot;We cannot hope to comprehend events on such a macro scale. But that ends today! For you will witness the birth of a star - here and now, right in this very stadium!&quot;<br /><br />The dust and images of nebulae and galaxies concentrates to the center, all light dimming out except for the Dante and Valerie&#039;s bodies and the growing mass. It collects, growing brighter and brighter before all that is left is the blackness of space and a single, small speck of light. Not even the crowd can see themselves at this point.<br /><br />That small sphere of light bulges outward, taking a humanoid shape. Indeed, it took the shape of Lynda&#039;s body, although the brightness made it hard to tell. Floating, looking down at the two.<br /><br />Valerie didn&#039;t need to think twice. She hunches over, a small pink light shining from her maw before her entire body became enveloped in white light. Her form grew, maw splitting in two, as her Mega form came to be. She posed, breaking out of the light surrounding her, the hulking Mega Mawile looking up at the light-based Lynda.<br /><br />&quot;Well done, you scurrilous imp. You&#039;ve forced my hand.&quot; Her voice was deep and distorted. The light figure, adorned only by red glowing eyes, didn&#039;t respond. It merely brought up its own hand, pausing to look at it as plasma arcs between her limbs, lightly floating up from her form otherwise.<br /><br />Dante took a few steps behind Valerie in her new form. If what Caria said was true...<br /><br />&quot;...This is my power, Valerie. What I&#039;m capable of. There won&#039;t be <em>scraps</em> of you after this.&quot; Lynda&#039;s voice, too, was distorted; where Valerie&#039;s voice was deeper, Lynda spoke in two pitches at once, her normal voice plus one that was higher pitched, though it still was warped in its delivery. The Mawile-turned-light energy hunches over with her arms crossed over her chest, tucking her legs up and in, with rays of light beginning to escape from her body.<br /><br />&quot;STEL...LAR...&quot; Plasma arcs from her body outwards, becoming unstable. Her plasma aura grows.<br /><br />Valerie crosses her arms and maws in front of her, a slow but powerful motion. Even a few feet behind her, Dante could feel the tremendous energy inside Valerie being put to use on the defensive, as her body solidified with an Iron Defense. &quot;Dante! Take cover!&quot;<br /><br />Lynda uncurls her body, raising her arms up. All of the flashing lights briefly stopped and concentrated on her form, becoming so bright it was impossible to look at her. Even sound was sucked up by her presence, before exploding outwards. &quot;<strong><em>NOVAAAA!</em></strong>&quot;<br /><br />A great implosion jets out from Lynda&#039;s body, streaks of flame and dust showering everything with such force that even the protective field surrounding the arena was bending. This wasn&#039;t just in one place, too; it was all-around, orange rings turning to white and shattering against the barrier. The only dark spot was right behind Valerie&#039;s enhanced form, but even there the heat was intense and the gaps in her form let streams of the explosion&#039;s power through.<br /><br />---<br /><br />&quot;So? Have you made your decision?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Eh? How the heck did you get in my head again?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You&#039;re so focused on Lynda you didn&#039;t hear or see me teleport in behind ya. That&#039;s the beauty of illusions, ain&#039;t it?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You say that, but this power is real. Not sure if Val can hold out against this, even as a Mega. She never was the best against heat.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Oh, she&#039;ll be fine. You, on the other hand...hiding behind her only softens the blow. And while I&#039;m behind you, I can just...&quot;<br /><br />&quot;...Ah, I see what you&#039;re trying to pull. If I don&#039;t agree, you&#039;ll shove me into it. Devious AND evil.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Hee! And I wouldn&#039;t be sorry about it! But a chance to really show off my ice skills to the public without it being a mere sideshow doesn&#039;t come along every day. Are you in or what?&quot;<br /><br />A moment of silence. Then, even though it was in his mind, his consciousness sighed. &quot;You&#039;re a tricky devil. Don&#039;t expect to be this lucky again, now that I know how you operate. But in the meantime...count me in.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Great! Now hold still for a moment. Can&#039;t have you too bruised for round two.&quot;<br /><br />---<br /><br />Despite the blinding light, it was a spectacle of color and power. It went on, the sound deafening and the barrier bending under the explosive force. Whites blending with vibrant oranges and yellows, filling every space in the arena. Cracks appeared in the barrier, rays of light and heat pouring from them, threatening to break loose.<br /><br />The barrier was unable to withstand the force and shattered. But instead of the attack continuing and assailing the spectators, the attack stopped then and there. The light from the attack cleared, removing the shade of night that covered the arena before. Lynda still floating in the air with her arms held out, fully regenerated, and Valerie still defending in her Mega form.<br /><br />Time held still as the sound from the attack cleared. Lynda slowly fell from her position, stuck in her pose, but it was Valerie who hit the ground first with a resounding <em>thwomp</em>. Her body glows, two maws merging back into one, reverting to her non-Mega form.<br /><br />Lynda squints, barely able to keep her eyes open. The smallest of sincere smiles laces her face.<br /><br />&quot;Looks...like...&quot;<br /><br />Her body began plummeting towards the ground, changing to dive head-first. Her regenerated maw flaps behind her like unkempt sails.<br /><br />&quot;...I...win...&quot;<br /><br /><em>THOOOMFH!</em> A cloud of dust obscures her impact, with several nearby unstable rocks falling into place from the impact, though not atop her.<br /><br />From behind separate blind spots between rocks where most people would not be looking, out came Caria and Dante, who surveyed the wreckage. The air was still, only filled with the gasps of the audience who couldn&#039;t believe anyone would be able to survive such an attack.<br /><br />The announcer, who had been silent the whole time, came over the speakers. &quot;Valerie and Lynda are unable to battle! Holy smokes, people, I was at the edge of my seat the entire time!&quot; This spurred a few in the crowd to start clapping in applause, then a few more. Caria, not missing a beat, floated up and took a bow.<br /><br />&quot;Where is...ah, Dante is still standing! The fight isn&#039;t over yet, folks!&quot; The Blaziken didn&#039;t count on being taken to a relative safe spot during the all-out attack, and most certainly didn&#039;t expect to be just thrown into a random pile of rubble afterwards, but it did serve Caria&#039;s illusionary purposes well. Still, he raised a hand to the crowd. He was still standing and able to fight, and he had to be thankful for that.<br /><br />As the crowd was cheering, a few of the college nurses - including one particular green fairy - took to the damaged battleground to collect the fainted Valerie. Dante stood atop a particularly high rock, watching her get carried away as he parsed the situation. Val&#039;s one of the toughest gals he knows, and that one attack devastated her Mega form. An incredible display of power he had to respect, now that he&#039;s seen it. That much wasn&#039;t an illusion.<br /><br />He then looked over and saw that none of them were going to assist Lynda. Caria hovered over her partner eerily, waiting for the nurses to take their leave and waving off the few that approached. He couldn&#039;t hear what she was saying to them through the noise in the crowd. As the nurses closed the door to the arena, one gave a worried look over to the Kirlia. She held her hands up once more, signaling the end of the applause.<br /><br />&quot;Oh, my partner, Lynda...without your flames, who will keep the ice queen at bay? Who will warm her cold, desolate heart?&quot; Her voice reaches far. She spins slowly, raising into the air. Ice forms in a snowflake-like pattern around her.<br /><br />&quot;Isn&#039;t that simple? You need someone who melts you all the same.&quot; Dante points to Caria. &quot;Someone like me, who can put you on ice. Hah!&quot;<br /><br />Caria pointed her wand up above her head. &quot;Nay! Lynda was the only one who could match me! And without her...&quot; She then pointed her wand down, where the Mawile lay. A beam shot from the end of the wand, encasing Lynda in a gigantic ice formation. A circle spread on the broken ground, transforming the scarred and torn battlefield into ice. Even after she raised her wand back up, it continued &#039;til it reached the arena&#039;s edge, with Dante jumping forward to avoid getting frozen himself.<br /><br />&quot;...the world shall turn to a frozen wasteland!&quot;</span>",
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