1. We live in a world
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2. so saturated with games,
that it's hard to keep up.
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3. In fact, most are released
with little fanfare
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4. and fade into obscurity.
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5. But there's one
that's captured
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6. the imagination of the masses.
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7. A fully immersive VRMMO
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8. that boasts over 30 million
players world-wide.
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9. The definitive
triple-A experience,
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10. Shangri-La Frontier!
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11. One such player,
Rakuro Hizutome,
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12. has set aside his
trash-game obsession
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13. to try his hand
at a God-tier title!
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14. With a bug-free game
on his horizon,
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15. who knows what exciting
new adventures await!
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16. On the night of the full moon,
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17. if you take a look
at the glowing moss
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18. on the wall
of the Forest Grotto,
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19. you'll notice a small part
that stays dark.
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20. Examine it closely.
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21. Whoa!
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22. A secret passage!
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23. To think I beat
the whole freakin' Grotto
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24. but missed a hidden area.
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25. Feels bad, man!
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26. Dude, how'd you even find this?
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27. Quite the discovery!
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28. With these
time-specific hidden areas
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29. it's all about luck.
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30. I just came here to look around
for a couple of items,
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31. but I found this place instead.
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32. Guess that means
the lucky ducks
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33. who find unique stuff
in-game
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34. are also hashtag blessed IRL,
huh, Kei?
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35. Ya better wipe that
look off your face
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36. or I'll wipe it off for ya!
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37. This is the look
of a great emperor
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38. high up on his throne,
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39. gazing down
with undeserved benevolence
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40. upon a struggling peasant.
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41. Nay, a filthy,
fish-faced ingrate.
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42. I will wreck you.
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43. Enough of the crappy
comedy routine.
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44. We've arrived.
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45. My, what fantastical flowers!
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46. All the unique stuff aside,
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47. I still think this area's
freaking awesome.
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48. It definitely looks pretty
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49. but it's also, like,
kinda creepy?
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50. Red spider lilies, huh?
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51. Not the best flower,
symbol-wise.
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52. By the tree! Look there!
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53. - Is she see-through?
- A bug?
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54. Always gotta be a bug
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55. and never a plot point
with you, huh?
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56. Hey! Hi, Set!
It's been a month.
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57. Ah, Arthur.
It's so nice to see you again.
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58. Her outfit.
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59. Not very "fantasy."
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60. Looks more like something
you'd see chicks wearing IRL.
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61. Maybe she's supposed to be
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62. from the game's
Age of Divinity?
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63. Huh?
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64. Holy crap,
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65. is she the key to that
unique scenario I unlocked?
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66. Your friends,
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67. they're different from
the ones you brought before.
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68. Uh-huh. Meet the new gang.
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69. Howdy!
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70. We're Pencilgon's band
of merry men! Of course, I'm—
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71. Stooge One, Stooge Two,
and their furry little mascot.
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72. Hey, man!
I'm doing a whole thing here!
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73. I even workshopped
a kick-ass pose!
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74. They're like my ace
in the hole.
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75. And together, we can finally
lay Wethermon to rest.
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76. Mm.
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77. I'm Emul, daughter of Vysache!
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78. Pleased to meet you!
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79. Dammit! Don't cut in line!
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80. And I'm Oikatzo!
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81. Seriously, bro?
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82. I see. You've assembled
quite the party.
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83. No need to worry, 'kay?
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84. I know
they don't seem like much,
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85. but I promise they'll be ready.
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86. It's not that.
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87. I've just never met
a person with Sooty's presence
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88. applied to them twice.
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89. And traveling
with Cinderella's child, too.
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90. Huh?
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91. Oh, I'm sorry.
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92. You reminded me
of someone I knew.
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93. - Huh? Uh.
- Huh?
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94. Oh, it nothing,
just some nostalgia.
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95. Ah, well.
That's ancient history.
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96. Hmm.
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97. Well, I'm sure she's been dead
for a long time by now.
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98. Huh?
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99. You've stirred up a bunch
of lovely old memories
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100. from my past today.
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101. So, thank you.
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102. You're welcome?
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103. So, Set, if you don't mind,
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104. I think it would help them
to hear
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105. the entire story from you.
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106. Very well.
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107. That's it!
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108. You see, Wethermon
was my one true love.
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109. There was a misunderstanding,
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110. and I passed away.
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111. Ever since that day, he...
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112. He's spent all of his waking
moments guarding my grave.
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113. Your grave?
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114. Hence why he's called
"Tombguard," huh?
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115. To be quite honest,
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116. I'm not sure how much time
has passed since my death.
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117. But next thing
I knew, I was here.
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118. I don't feel any resentment
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119. about the way
my life ended, though.
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120. Death is an end.
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121. Things that end
should lie in the past.
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122. Not in the present.
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123. And definitely not the future.
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124. It hurts to know
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125. that Wethermon is still
tied down by the past,
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126. and by me.
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127. He created a powerful barrier.
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128. He used a program,
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129. rather, a spell I once wrote.
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130. Huh? Hold up,
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131. did an NPC straight-up
say it wrote a program?
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132. By using
the mana in moonlight,
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133. and flipping the coordinates
of the dimension he's in,
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134. he's made it impossible
to reach him.
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135. But one night per month,
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136. when the new moon
loses its light,
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137. there's a crack,
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138. right where he's waiting in
the underside of the dimension.
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139. So we just gotta jump
through the crack
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140. and merc him then, right?
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141. I'm asking for your help.
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142. My love, give him
the rest he deserves.
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143. Just leave it all to us!
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144. We're leagues above the noobs
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145. who've failed you in the past.
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146. If that prick
is making you suffer,
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147. we'll put his ass
six feet under!
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148. You heard that, right?
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149. For real, is that Pencilgon?
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150. The Pencilgon I know
dragged an NPC king
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151. behind her carriage
in Unite Rounds,
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152. to try to lure in enemies!
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153. Yahoo!
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154. And the Pencilgon I know,
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155. straight-up strung up
a terrified
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156. NPC princess to a chandelier,
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157. to bait the other players
into trying to rescue her!
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158. But this Pencilgon's
buddy-buddy with an NPC?
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159. Has her shriveled-up
heart grown three sizes today?
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160. Oh, my God, what is that?
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161. Could it really be a soul?
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162. Wow, I guess we've finally
found the limit
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163. of how much crap I can take
from you two bozos.
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164. Well, it's time for you
to learn a lesson
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165. about exactly how easily
I can pwn you!
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166. Hey, time out!
My HP's already at critical!
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167. Watch out bro, she'll PK us!
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168. She's totally triggered!
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169. Your lucky day.
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170. If I didn't need you idiots for
the upcoming Wethermon fight,
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171. spawn-killing you would be
my new favorite hobby.
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172. Ah, now there's
the soulless Pencilgon
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173. that we all know and love.
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174. That was too easy.
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175. Maybe I actually will kill you.
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176. Ugh, whatever.
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177. Yeah, sometimes I play it
straight with an NPC.
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178. After I heard her name
and backstory,
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179. I guess I just kinda started
getting invested.
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180. Okay? So? Happy now?
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181. Am I not allowed to let myself
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182. get emotionally invested
in a game
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183. every once in a while, too?
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184. Sure. Fine by me.
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185. Games become way better
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186. when you stop treating them
like jokes!
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187. When it all starts
feeling real,
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188. there's nothin' like it.
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189. True that!
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190. Taking your playtime seriously
makes it fun.
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191. Then again,
that's basically my job,
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192. what with me being
a professional gamer and all.
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193. Right.
You're a real Esports pro.
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194. That totally explains
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195. why you haven't found
a single unique thing!
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196. That's it, bird brain!
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197. Come here! I'm gonna
pluck all the feathers off
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198. your stupid head!
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199. Dude, stop it!
Just one more hit, I'm dead!
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200. Oh! Oh, dear!
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201. Please cease this
superfluous skirmish!
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202. Stop. I beg of you!
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203. It almost slipped my mind!
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204. - Huh?
- Huh?
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205. But now I remember you guys
are as stupid as I am!
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206. We face a unique monster,
who forces a handicap.
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207. No other game has a boss battle
as tough as this one.
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208. Wethermon the Tombguard.
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209. But in my heart I know
we've got this!
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210. So let's go for broke
and beat him!
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211. - Yeah.
- Yeah.
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212. Morning already, huh?
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213. I've been grinding non-stop
since the day we met Setsuna.
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214. Even losing out
on beauty sleep.
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215. Last night I killed a crapton
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216. of Lifestide Lake Serpents,
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217. which got me to level 51.
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218. But Katzo's still stuck
at level 46.
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219. My skills need work.
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220. Emul said that Rabituza's
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221. got one of those
Skill Garden places
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222. where you can link 'em
together or whatever.
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223. Maybe she can take me.
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224. If you're
worried about not being
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225. high enough level.
That won't be a problem.
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226. No more messin' around.
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227. For this fight,
I need to bring real skills.
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228. Guess it all comes down to
my chops as a player now, so.
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229. - Morning.
- Good morning, sunshine!
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230. I know that you're enjoying
your summer vacation,
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231. but it still makes me
really happy
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232. you're sticking
to our agreement.
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233. Yeah, well, I don't need you
unplugging the router
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234. to log me out again.
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235. You did have it coming though.
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236. Ew, what the heck, Mom?
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237. You said you'd keep your
gross bugs in a different room!
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238. Awww, but he's such a cutie!
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239. Right? Aren't you cute,
Augustus the third?
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240. And don't give that
disgusting thing a name!
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241. If I try to eat in here,
I'm gonna puke.
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242. Huh?
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243. Oh, it's Towa Amane.
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244. Wait, what? I had no idea
that you're a fan of Towa too!
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245. Towa Amane is the megastar
model Japan gave to the world!
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246. But her beauty
needs to be shared,
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247. 'cause she was literally put on
this planet to be admired!
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248. You could easily fill
a whole fashion magazine
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249. with just one day of her life!
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250. A fan of hers took pictures
of her in secret
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251. and uploaded them
to social media,
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252. and even though she didn't know
it was happening,
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253. she looked like
a flawless Goddess
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254. in every single one!
Like, yaaas, queen!
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255. Towa?
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256. After I heard
her name and backstory,
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257. I guess I just kinda
started getting invested.
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258. The name
Towa means "eternity,"
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259. and the name Setsuna
means "a moment."
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260. Yeah, it's just
a clever coincidence.
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261. And, yeah,
it's just a fictional game.
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262. But I guess the NPC
was so realistic
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263. that Towa saw herself in her.
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264. Huh? What's up?
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265. Pencilgon, uh,
I mean Towa Amane
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266. deserves her privacy too,
ya know.
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267. It's not cool to screenshot,
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268. uh, take pictures of her
without permission.
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269. Yeah. You're right.
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270. Actually, I'm part-timing
as a model later today!
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271. Wow, like some sorta extra?
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272. I'll have to stop people
from taking candid pics of me!
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273. Ah, and I'll have to ask dad
for publicity!
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274. Where is dad? You know?
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275. He went night fishing
yesterday. Huh...
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276. I'm home!
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277. It sounds like
he just got back.
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278. Look! A striped beakfish!
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279. - It's fricken' huge!
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280. Oh, dear God!
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281. Yeah, and I almost
didn't get this fella.
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282. I caught him just as
I was about to head home!
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283. My psychic powers say
it's fish for dinner tonight.
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284. There's
an agreement in our house.
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285. One of mom's rules.
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286. For Sunday breakfast
and dinner,
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287. we all gotta be home to eat,
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288. talk, and hang out together
as a family.
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289. The idea behind it is this,
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290. if we didn't have
scheduled family time,
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291. we'd all be basically
no-lifing our hobbies
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292. and we'd never see each other.
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293. I actually made friends with
a marlin fisherman this time,
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294. so maybe he'll invite me out
with him one day!
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295. Uh, Dad, what exactly
are you doing?
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296. Are you about to gut that here?
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297. Yeah, of course, I am!
The fresher the better!
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298. Ew, just go to the kitchen!
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299. Goodness me.
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300. If you took a poll,
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301. the outside world would
probably say
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302. that our family's kinda nuts,
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303. but truth is,
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304. we're all sucked into
our own little worlds.
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305. I'd say we're sane enough.
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306. Ugh, gross!
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307. You got the juice on me!
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308. I'm literally on my way
to a photo shoot!
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309. Can't you say something
to him, Mom?
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310. I need
to go feed my butterflies.
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311. Hey, honey?
Don't forget to clean up
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312. when you're done, okay?
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313. - Okay!
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314. Still, I'd say
I'm the most normal one.
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315. Ready!
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316. Now it's time to head back
to my little world.
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317. Two weeks till we
face off with Wethermon.
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318. It's gonna be a tough match.
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319. Based on the stuff
Pencilgon told me,
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320. Wethermon's a non-stop source
of single-digit frame attacks,
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321. area attacks,
and insta-kill moves.
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322. Unluckily for him,
I know just where to train.
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323. A trash game with a special bug
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324. that makes attacks
come way too fast.
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325. Berserk Online Passion.
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326. The cool kids call it BERP!
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327. Man. It's not
exactly poppin' here, huh?
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328. I know it's kinda early
but it's still Sunday.
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329. Whatever, I'll just fight
the final boss of story mode.
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330. - Huh?
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331. Hey! It's another player!
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332. And he's got his versus icon
switched on.
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333. - 'Sup!
- Hey, nice to meet you!
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334. "Dragonfly?"
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335. Haven't seen that name before.
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336. So, uh. Your fight icon.
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337. - You wanna PVP? Or?
- Oh!
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338. I'd love to!
I'm a total noob
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339. who hasn't beaten
the final boss yet,
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340. so I'd appreciate any
combat tips you have for me!
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341. Huh?
He hasn't beaten the last boss?
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342. Holy crap, a new player!
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343. Talk about a rare specimen!
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344. Yeah, it might not be
the best training.
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345. But screw it!
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346. How often do ya get
a chance like this?
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347. Bugs are fair game, right?
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348. Okay! Thanks for doing this!
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349. Looks like
an all-rounder build.
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350. He'll be able
to cause mad bugs,
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351. but using them's another story.
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352. All right, kid,
let's see what you got.
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353. Battle start! Round one, fight!
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354. He's charging?
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355. But he's not a speedster!
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356. Newbies do use
some out-there strats.
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357. Twist, yer hand back and...
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358. Is that?
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359. If you yank back your fist
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360. at the exact moment
you start a punch,
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361. you'll cause a bug that
stretches your arm like rubber!
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362. And if that bugged-out
hit lands, it'll deal an OP,
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363. two-hit combo
with double the damage!
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364. It's called...
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365. Pile Bunker!
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366. He's gone!
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367. Uh, your leg's, like...
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368. This here bug move's the Yo-Yo.
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369. It throws off your texture
and hit box at the same time.
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370. Looks like ya got the hang
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371. of a few basic bug moves.
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372. Well, that's just the tip
of the iceberg.
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373. I originally came here to train
for my fight against Wethermon.
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374. But this game's filled
with way more player
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375. discovered bug attacks
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376. than the one I came here
looking for.
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377. How about a hands-on
lesson?
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378. Dear Sunraku.
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379. I hope this letter
finds you well.
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380. And that you're staying cool,
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381. despite this
frightful heatwave.
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382. As you may know,
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383. you recently accepted
my friend request.
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384. With this correspondence,
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385. I wanted to
express my gratitude.
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386. Oh, no, it's way too formal!
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387. All I wanted was to ask him
to play the game with me!
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388. But if I talk to him like that,
it's gonna freak him out!
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389. It has to be more friendly.
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390. All right, just make yourself
seem approachable!
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391. That way he'll definitely
accept your invite!
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392. Yo, Sunraku!
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393. What's up, my dude?
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