>Provide her estate with a boot to the head.
> You channel your inner Captain Falcon as you take flight. Once at a suitable altitude, you descend on Marisa and bequeath her noggin with the aforementioned boot, knocking her cleanly off her broom. Mari swears in pain and agony, but she's a big girl, she can take it. You recover from the recoil and dive on Marisa again, this time to tackle her into the ground, a good ways from your house.
> "W...What the hell, ze?!" Marisa stutters as you pin her. "It's me, dammit! Your roommate?!"
> You say that you may sound like Marisa, but you act nothing like her. You demand an explanation...Politely, of course.
> "I don't need to tell you anything!"
> That's not an explanation, you reply. You decide to refer to "Mari" by her real name... Medicine.
> "Wha...? How did you--"
> You say it's pretty obvious, given the inactive doll's body and the toxin you smelled earlier.
> "Oh...Crap." Realizing she's caught in a corner, Mari-Medi stops struggling and sighs. "I needed Marisa for something...I needed her body."
> You ask why. Medicine refuses to answer immediately.
> "I...I just...Want you to know that..." Medi's frown suddenly curls into a wicked smile. "That I have a very good sleight of hand!"
> Before you can ask her what the hell she means, you hear the flick of a spell card...Suddenly, you're blasted off of Medicine by an explosion of stars and lasers. You jump to your feet just as you hear a familiar charging sound right afterwards...You try to dive behind a tree to avoid the incoming Master Spark, but it's not quite quick enough--you're scorched by the blast and sent careening off of the forest path, behind some bushes. You lay there, twitching in searing agony, as you hear Medicine mutter "Good riddance," before the forest grows silent.
> You can't recall being in this kind of pain before. Sure, being humiliated by Marisa in combat is one thing, but this is something different...Flat-out betrayal. Medicine didn't seem like the most endearing type, but she was willing to help you...You wonder, was she ever sincere to you? Was she really just willing to help, or was this her plan all along...?
> You and Marisa didn't always get along, but you still cared about her and vice-versa...You knew she was jealous of your skill and you were jealous of Mari's charming social graces...And yet...You both completed each other in a way that brought you closer together...Yin and yang...Plus and Minus...Roger and Ebert...
> Your bond has been violated.
> The one person you truly care about in this world is in danger, as is your promise to Mima.
> Thoughts about what happened to poor Marisa fill you with anguish and anger.
> This isn't the same kind of rage you felt as a child...
This is personal.> You clench your teeth and grip the ground, expecting to grab dirt but instead capturing a rock. You crush it with your bare hands. If it comes to that, you'll do the same to Medicine...How DARE she betray you like this! All you and Marisa wanted to do was to spend some time together...
> You gasp. If you hadn't gone through the trouble to get Medicine while the game downloaded, this might not have happened...Your heart aches. For a second, your resolve wavers...
> No, you tell yourself.
This isn't your fault. You'd never do this to Marisa personally.
> With that in mind, you growl (almost in an inhuman fashion) and try to get back on your feet. Your skin screams in pain, still charred from that laser earlier, but you don't care. Marisa needs your help.
> If guardian angels exist, you wonder...Why not a guardian demon...?
> With some effort and coaxing from your mind to not give into the pain, you slowly but surely get to your knees, then to your feet...Your legs feel like Play-Doh, with the very real possibility of keeling over...But you take that first step anyways.
> *SNAP*
> Was that a twig? it must have been, but...Suddenly, all has gone silent yet again. You can hear someone breathing...You turn your head to try and find the source of the noise, but see nothing. You ask if anyone's out there in a weak voice.
> "Uh...Yes?" a voice nervously responds. It's male, but it doesn't sound at all like Rinnosuke's voice. Said voice also sounds distinctly European in nature. "Are you human or are you beast?"
> You groan in reply, saying you're not entirely sure. You try and turn towards the voice, but your leg gives out as you step and you take a tumble through the brush, landing back on the forest path. You wince as you look up to see the owner of the voice...A young man in midnight-blue robes, but you can't make out the exact details; your eyes are all watery and your vision has blurred as a result.
> "My gods, what happened to you?" the man asks.
> You weakly reply with the words "Massive" and "Laser."
> "Hmm...Unfortunate, that. At least you're still alive." He pauses for a second, before speaking in a somewhat careful and deliberate tone. "Do you...Need a lift, or something of the sort?"
> _
