Splat Force III: Bolton's Reign; Chapter 4

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W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! Today, I am back at it again with a brand new Chapter of Splat Force III: Bolton's Reign!

The last Chapter was an absolute blast to both work on and to see people react to (especially that certain someone who screamed in the comment section). Thank you so much for the ! I'm not exaggerating when I say that it means the world to me!

In this Chapter, we will see both sides of the story clash as the Splat Force Commanders go out to investigate the Splatsvile riots started by Bolton's actions at the end of the last Chapter.

So without further ado, let's get into this!

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(Previous Chapter)(Chapter Hub)

C H A P T E R  4 : D E S I R E D L I F E

Back at the rooftop, Damian opened up his eyes and slowly got back onto his feet after lying down for minutes on end.

"Welcome back!"

Anadia greeted. Avery waved at his older brother with a timid smile. Damian waved back at them as he walked to the edge of the roof and looked down at the riots. By now, the Diabolos Institution had been decimated, barely anything remained of the once great prison.

"W-What's happening?"

He asked nervously.

Both Anadia and Avery walked to the rooftop edge and looked down with him.

"Shortly after you went out, everyone broke free and now they're fighting back."

A flame ring opened behind them however they were too focused on riots to hear.

"Why are they causing mayhem?"

He wondered to himself before a bigger question dashed its way into his mind.

"Where's Bolton?"

"They're righting back after years of torment. Splatsvile is now the first to convert under the great salvation and I don't plan on it being the last."

Bolton answered as he walked through the flame ring and stood next to the three of them.

"If it wasn't for your speed none of this would've occurred. Instead, we'd be taken down and the suffering would've only gotten worse."

"I think you're missing the part where I had a really bad heartburn, which I could've avoided if I didn't take and post that many photos of the chiefs...You'll find out on the news."

Damian quickly responded, facing his new ally with a small smirk.

"So what happens now?"

"We must bring the great salvation to everywhere else in the world. Once we do that then my lifelong goal will finally be complete."

Bolton answered, staring in satisfaction at the roaring crowds below him.

"That has been the life that I've desired for too long."

Damian's eyes widened as he began to focus on a particular word that Bolton had said.

"Wait a second...We?"

"If you stick by my side, we can bring about the great salvation in no time, Damian. You have an extraordinary gift which, if used correctly, could take down anyone, just like what happened with the officers back in the courtyard."

Bolton explained. The young Speedster looked down at the riots and then back at Bolton, thinking about his offer.

"But for now, you must rest. This news will spread through the rest of the world in no time. And when it does, we'll have company..."

Damian lightly nodded at Bolton before slowly approaching his small resting spot. He laid down on the ground, with his young brother cuddling up against him. Anadia kneeled by them and stroked Damian's forehead. Bolton looked up from the riots and stared into the sky, looking determined.

M E A N W H I L E W I T H T H E S P L A T F O R C E . . .

It was another day of training for the Splat Force. The two Commanders watched from the higher platform as their students trained, mostly...

Both Ami and Samantha were both practising their aim by the target practices, something in which the latter excelled, due to her previous experiences working at Grizzco. Unlike the day before, Magnus practised his combat training against a training dummy.

S L A M , S L A M ! ! !

Unlike Emily, who sat on a table behind him and watched with mild interest, the Octoling didn't rush into throwing punches at the face. He instead got into a confident fighting posture, his feet together and clenched fists hovering over his face, and jabbed at the chest of the dummy, taking two to three seconds of break time before jabbing again.

S L A M , S L A M ! ! !

"Oh come on! Deck 'em!"

Emily exclaimed, resting her head against her knuckle whilst on the verge of falling asleep.

"These are only dummies, they are meant to test your posture and your punches. You don't need to go overkill on it."

Magnus explained, causing Emily to roll her eyes, causing the former to frown.

"Look, if you don't want my help then why did you text me at midnight about it?!"

Seeing the rise in tension, both of the Commanders began to walk to the stairs case that led down from the second platform.

"Okay, how about you two split up for a few minutes?"

Alyssa calmly suggested before looking over to the young girl.

"Emily, can you do crutches over by the corner?"

"Ugh! Fine!"

Emily exclaimed like a moody child as she walked over to the same corner where the splat bomb incident occurred.

"While you're at it, please drop the attitude, young lady!"

Rex called out, not impressed with her behaviour towards his wife. In response, his student groaned silently under her breath. He turned towards Magnus and smiled with pride.

"Good posture, Magnus! Keep it up!"

Rex walked around the room, watching each of his students train. He silently watched both Ami and Samantha practice their aim. The Commander approached Ami and helped her into a suitable posture.

": ready, aim and then fire!"

He whispered to her, who nodded back as she carefully aimed her Duellies at the target.

B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

"Yes!"

Ami celebrated after managing to hit the far-away target.

"Awesome job, Ami!"

Rex complimented as he smiled pridefully at Ami before moving onto the centre of the room. He got out his phone and began searching for any news on the R.A.I.C's mission. However, he found something else completely from the same radio station that he had listened to the day before. The title of it was written in all capital letters.

"Alyssa, Nolan Fletcher just posted something new."

The Octoling hesitantly approached her husband and got close to his phone, listening closely. All of their students dropped what they were doing to listen, even Emily was interested.

"For years I've been saying that the gifted were crazy psychopaths who want nothing more than to spread terror across the world. Nobody believed me, until today! Splatsvile is under attack by, you guessed it, THE GIFTED! IT SEEMS THAT THEY HAVE FINALLY SHOWN THEIR TRUE COLOUR! The self-proclaimed city of chaos has been experiencing terrible riots. So far fifty people have died tragically!"

The host exclaimed in a voice that sounded both paranoid and triumphant over his beliefs seemingly coming true. Suddenly, he paused mid-sentence.

"Folks, I-I don't know what to say but, this has just come in! BOLTON VULCAN HAS BEEN SIGHTED! After disappearing four months ago, it seems that the Octarian scum himself has finally back onto the scene! I KNEW HE WAS UP TO SOMETHING ALL THIS TIME!"

Rex turned off the radio, however, he was too late for Alyssa and Magnus to hear the host's racist comments toward Octolings. He looked up at Alyssa, who looked paranoid.

"This is it..."

He whispered to her.

"Let's go!"

The two Commanders ran towards the front door, with their students following behind them. They both turned around and saw their students ready to go.

"You cannot come! If what Fletcher said is true then you could get overwhelmed!"

Alyssa told the team. All four of them felt disappointed about not being able to help.

"Awww! I want to fight tho!"

Emily groaned, feeling the most disappointed out of the four of them.

"I just want to make Dad proud..."

Alyssa approached Emily and gently stroked her freckled cheek.

"You're time will come soon enough, my darling. But now, you still need more time. Just practice your training and one day, your moment will finally arrive!"

She assured her, causing her to look down. Emily nodded, not looking into her Commander's eyes. Alyssa looked around at the remaining three of them.

"And that goes for the rest of you! I'll see you all tomorrow, hopefully..."

"Good luck!"

Ami exclaimed as Alyssa ran out, the latter winked at the former as she ran through the front doors, closing them behind her.

5 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

To the right of the Splat Force's warehouse was a large square building that towered over the base. At the very top was a large open square room with no roof. All around it was walls that covered what was in the centre of it, that being Rex's battle jet.

The black Jet was small enough to not be massive but big enough to not be small. The wings were flat and thin on each side, both holding Ink Tanks. Underneath the wings were Sting Rays to attack anything that comes in its way. In addition, machine guns had now been added close to the stingrays.

The trap door in the corner of the room opened and both Rex and then Alyssa climbed out, both wearing their Splat Force gear. Rex's gear had a similar design to the old gear he wore: the colour spread all around his chest, stomach and back whereas Alyssa's gear only had coloured up until her chest where two connecting arrows met on both the left and right side of her chest before meeting in the middle, the rest was a very dark grey.

Rex pulled out a remote control from his utility belt and clicked one of the buttons. As soon as he did that, the door at the back of the jet slowly opened for them, turning into a small staircase leading up inside it. Inside was a rectangular shaped room, containing a row of seats on each side, all of which contained a small box below it, where weapons and other accessories were stored. At the front of the jet was the pilot's seat, which had access to a full view, via the massive window, and most of the controls. Next to the pilot's seat was a second in Command seat who was in control of the weaponry.

Rex and Alyssa sat down in their assigned seats as the back door closed behind them. Rex equipped himself with pilot goggles as he prepared for lift-off.

"Lifting off in three, two, one..."

He muttered. And just like that, the Jet was off the ground and into the sky.

B A C K A T S P L A T S V I L E . . .

An hour had now ed and the riots showed no sign of slowing down. Damian woke back up from his rest and nudged Avery to get up with him. Anadia was gone but Bolton remained, looking down at everyone.

"How long have you been standing there, man?"

"I'm thinking about everything right now. Every life we saved and changed, the state of this messed up city and the future of everything."

Bolton responded, not giving the answer that Damian wanted, nor the answer he expected.

"That doesn't answer my question!"

Damian replied as he sat up. In the distance, he noticed something approaching from the sky.

"Wait, is that a Jet? When did they get a Jet?!"

"That Jet does not belong with them."

Bolton snarled in response before looking back at the two brothers.

"Get your brother to safety, I'll take care of them..."

Damian nodded. He picked Avery and held him in his arms before running away. Bolton turned back to the Jet and squinted his eyes as his blade emerged from its scabbard.

Noticing the powerful riots, Rex knew that they couldn't take the fight from below. He glanced at Alyssa and nodded. As soon as they reached the city level, they fired at the riots.

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

The machine guns shot down at the ground, clearing the pathways. Alyssa purposely missed the attacks on the gifted in an attempt to not cause any unnecessary casualties. Although the attack stopped the attacks against civilians, they were now alerted of their presence.

The magnetic Inkling reached his arm out and stunned the Jet.

"What the-"

Rex whispered before looking down to see what he was doing.

"Down there!"

Upon noticing, Alyssa aimed the Ink Tanks at an area that was close enough to knock him off guard. However, before she had the chance to shoot, Steve Scott launched himself from the top of the building at the window, giving both Commanders a jump.

"Squit!"

Rex whispered panic before pressing the eject button. The window blasted off the Jet, alongside the driver's seat, blasting both Rex and Steve high into the sky.

Whilst at their highest point, Rex barely managed to throw one splat bomb at the window that Steve still cling onto. Noticing that the bomb and the window were too close to him, Rex quickly unfastened his seat belt and flipped forward off his seat.

B O O M ! ! !

The detonation destroyed the window and badly damaged Steve, who barely survived thanks to his strong skin. He quickly crashed down to the ground, forming a hole that looked as if it came from a meteorite.

S L A M ! ! !

Steve groaned in the pain before resting his head against the sandy stone floor, now unconscious. Back in the air, Rex was slowly plummeting down to the ground, he had barely been hit by the splat bomb and struggled to move around in the air. Alyssa jumped out of her seat and tried to move the Jet on Rex's seat, but it didn't move. Just as Rex reached her level of height, she jumped out of the open window in an attempt to catch him...she missed.

"Rex!"

Alyssa screamed in panic as her husband plummeted to the ground. With no one to control the Jet, the magnetic Inkling released it, gasping out in agony as the Jet began to fall.

C R A S H ! ! !

The Jet crash-landed on the ground, busting the tires and nearly everything inside of it. Alyssa landed on both of her glowing feet. She couldn't stop breathing heavily. She glanced up at Rex, who was still falling. The ground grew closer and closer. Rex felt as if his end was slowly creeping upon him. Alyssa dashed over to where he was falling, hoping to catch him in time. Rex shut his eyes, waiting for the impact, however...It never came.

Seconds before his death, a flame ring opened from below the Commander. He fell through. The other side of the flame ring came from its normal angle. Rex fell through and hit the ground, rolling on his side for nearly ten seconds.

As soon as he stopped, Rex groaned loudly, his whole body felt that crash. He was surprised that he was still alive. Alyssa watched from afar with a sigh of relief until she noticed the flame ring ahead of him. Alyssa dashed over to her husband and helped him back onto his feet. The married couple stared ahead as the flame ring closed with Bolton standing behind it.

"I had an idea you two would show up!"

Bolton told them as he took several steps forward.

"I see that you've come by yourselves, a wise move on your part."

As soon as Rex managed to regain his focus and stability, he looked at Bolton, unable to recognise him at first.

"Wow, you look different..."

He muttered out loud.

"Having a new look isn't gonna help you, you know?"

"Neither will interfering with the great salvation, yet here we are now!"

Bolton responded.

"Salvation? Is this what it is?"

Alyssa asked, looking all around her, seeing nothing but destruction.

"You're destroying the city!"

Both Octolings began to circle each other.

"A city made only of chaos. Do you see what I'm doing here, Alyssa?"

He asked her, who refused to give him a response.

"I'm saving them! The gifted can finally rise against the mistreatment that they've faced for decades! This is finally their moment!"

"If this is your idea of saving, you're lost!"

Alyssa exclaimed before glancing back at Rex, who nodded at her. She grabbed a flash grenade from her utility belt and threw it in the middle of them. Both of them were quick to put up their respective flame and energy barriers.

B O O M ! ! !

As soon as it detonated, both Alyssa and Bolton were temporarily blinded and deafened, more so the latter than the former. Using the small window of opportunity, Rex dashed forward and open fired using his N-Zap.

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

Bolton was too dizzy to notice the bullets coming toward him, causing him to be unable to block the attack. As soon as the bullets were right up to his face, a gust of wind blew by and they were pointed in different directions. Not even a second later, Rex had vanished, his N-Zap had fallen to the ground.

Regaining her consciousness, Alyssa frantically looked around her, trying to find her husband.

"Rex?!"

She called out worryingly but to no prevail. Bolton knew what was going on and the smallest smirk went onto his face.

Suddenly, Rex appeared out of nowhere, crashing down to the ground, feeling incredibly light-headed. Alyssa ran over to him and tried helping him up. Upon doing so, he turned around and threw up.

"Rex, are you-"

Alyssa asked but this time, she was the one who was abruptly taken away.

Alyssa was taken across the entire city five times over within ten seconds she was thrown back next to Rex. Unlike him, she didn't throw up from the dizziness. Alyssa got back onto her feet and took notice of the dark-skinned Octoling with the silver afro.

"Who are you?"

She asked as she came back to her senses.

"Someone who's about to kick your sweet-looking ass!"

Damian answered in an attempt to both threaten and flatter the Octoling Woman.

He prepared himself for another run however Bolton placed his hand on his right shoulder and shook his head at him.

"That's enough, Damian."

He told him before looking back at the two beaten Commanders, specifically at Rex.

"The great salvation is upon us, Commander Allen. And there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

"T-This isn't salvation, Bolton! Ugh!"

Rex yelled before falling onto one knee. Alyssa reached down and tried to get him back onto his feet.

"It's more than salvation."

Bolton replied, turning around and waving his blade in a circle three times, summoning a flame ring.

"It's my dream."

Bolton walked through the flame ring. Damian looked back at the city of chaos and then glanced through the ring, seeing Bolton in a forest-like environment. He shivers before running through, the flame ring closed behind him.

Both Rex and Alyssa were now left on their own, out in the open. They both had small cuts on their face from being rolling onto the ground from high above, super speed or both. The former grabbed his N-Zap from the ground and looked back to the Jet.

"The streets look clear to me."

He said calmly.

Seconds after he had said that, a group of ten rioters began to charge at them.

"You had to jinx it, didn't you?"

Alyssa mumbled before the two glanced at each other, nodding before running forward towards the rioters.

Rex threw another splat bomb with Alyssa blasting it with a light blue energy arm beam, pushing it forward towards them. They all stopped moving and began to hurry back before the detonation.

B O O M ! ! !

Most of the rioters were taken down from the explosion, leaving only three of them left. The duo dashed at two of them, taking on one each.

S L A M , S L A M , S L A M ! ! !

S L A M , S L A M , S L A M ! ! !

Rex punched his foe twice in the chest, one in the head before forcing his head down so he could knee him in the nose before finishing him off with a roundhouse kick to the stomach.

S L A M , S L A M ! ! !

Alyssa took care of her opponent with two supercharged punches the both of her rioter's cheeks, knocking her out using her glowing knuckles. There was only one opponent left to take care of now.

Up ahead of her, she saw Rex tackling the magnetic Inkling, who had taken control of Rex's N-Zap. Using the metal within it, he made it float in front of the Commander, ready to pull the trigger. Thinking fast in the moment, Rex went into his squid form briefly to avoid the first shots.

B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

On the third shot, the N-Zap was aimed down at him. Rex went back to his regular Inkling form, the N-Zap was now aimed at the Commander's chest.

B A N G ! ! !

The hit landed in the very centre of his bulletproof vest, preventing the fatal blow. Just as the N-Zap began to rise towards Rex's face, the magnetic Inkling was blasted away by Alyssa's arm beam.

"Come on!"

She yelled before the two ran towards the Jet, with Rex grabbing his remote to open it.

They both climbed back inside of the Jet, shutting the back door behind them. Alyssa ran to her seat and buckled up, Rex grabbed one of the spare seats and placed it where his old seat was before sitting down and taking off without a moment to lose. The Jet took off into the air and flew away from the ruined city of chaos.

M E A N W H I L E W I T H T H E S T U D E N T S . . .

The Stewart Sisters' Diner home was a newly opened, small restaurant just west of Inkopolis Square. The building blended into the many shops and restaurants on the city streets. The logo of the place was a yellow text bubble with a magenta background.

Inside the restaurant was the standard black and white checkered floor with two rows of three small tables of six spread across the room. On the walls were small drawings of fires, rolls, meat, fruit and vegetables and a beautiful photo of one of the deserts that were to lust for. In the back of the room was a counter where people could order food. Behind the counter was a small kitchen which consisted of ovens, microwaves, grills, and sinks. On the right-hand side, there was a storage door in the corner. On the left-hand side was a backroom door which led to a small bedroom. To the left of the counter was the entrance to the bathrooms.

Due to it only being open for a couple of months, hardly anyone had tried it out, there wasn't even a professional review of the place yet. However, on this day there were only four people inside, with two of them being the owners, the others were Magnus and Emily, both of which were back in their causal clothing, except Emily now wore a black hoodie.

"You know, this is the first time I've been here."

Magnus told Ami and Samantha from across the counter. He looked around the place and ired the aesthetic.

"It's very impressive how far you've come already!"

Both of the sisters were now out of their gear and wore fully black, short-sleeved clothing with a magenta apron over them.

"Thank you, Magnus!"

Samantha exclaimed before handing him a tray of food, which included fries and nuggets.

"Here's your food!"

Magnus placed money on the till which Samantha took and placed in the till.

"Thank you!"

He exclaimed cheerfully as he walked over to the furthest table at the far right. He placed the tray on the table between him and Emily, who was staring out the window.

"Are you sure that you don't want anythin'? Not even some ice cream?"

"Magnus, if I had Ice Cream, I would be stinking up this place in seconds."

She answered, acknowledging her lactose intolerance to the Octoling.

"Oh right..."

He whispered as he sat down and began to eat, feeling bad that she wouldn't be able to eat anything.

Back at the counter, Ami and Samantha checked their bills. Worryingly, they were still behind on their rent.

"Anything we can handle?"

Ami asked her sister.

"I'm not too sure. I just hope we can at least get a small following at least."

She replied before one new customer arrived. She waved at her before looking back at Ami.

"Just gotta be hopeful, huh?"

Ami told her with a smile as she placed down the bill sheets.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom because I've been needing to go for a number one since I got here. Make sure to keep an eye on those two."

Samantha nodded before taking in the customer's order as Ami went to the bathroom.

"So why is it you ed the Splat Force?"

Magnus asked Emily, hoping to get some sense of who she is.

Emily squinted her eyes at the Octoling.

"I don't want to talk about it."

She answered.

"Why do you care?"

Magnus leaned forward and looked into her charcoal eyes.

"Look, you and I have gotten off on the wrong foot-"

"No squit!"

Emily scoffed, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"Look, maybe we could try and repair it all."

He suggested, offering his hand for a handshake. Emily stared at Magnus for two seconds and then back at his hand.

S L A M ! ! !

"Ow! Really?!"

Magnus exclaimed loudly after Emily punched his hand, grabbing the attention of everyone in the restaurant, including Samantha.

"In what world was that even necessary?"

"Every world! Every world in this Universe! Every world in the Multiverse, assuming there is one!"

She growled before she stood and began bolting to the door.

"Can you at least tell me what's going on with you, please?"

Magnus called out as he too stood. Emily stopped walking and turned around. Samantha snuck her way behind her, preparing herself for a potential outburst.

Ami exited the bathroom and saw what was going on between them. She ran in between them and held both arms out.

"Break it up!"

She yelled.

"I'm sorry..."

Magnus muttered as he sat back down.

Ami glanced at Emily, who slowly began to ease her clenched fist.

" what I told you yesterday?"

"Oh I know, I just don't want him invadin' my privacy!"

She responded aggressively before looking around the restaurant. Everyone now stared at her, it was making her feel uneasy.

"I-I'm gonna-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she ran out the front door as the pressure overtook her.

"Emily!"

Ami exclaimed. Unfortunately, she was already gone. She looked back at the young Octoling man, who seemed worried about her despite her attitude towards him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Would I be able to take the food out?"

Magnus asked, feeling too shocked to keep eating publicly.

"Of course! I'm happy to put it all in a bag for you!"

Samantha answered before walking over to his table. As she picked up his tray, she turned to Ami with a concerned look on his face.

"Would you be able to speak with Emily whilst I sort Magnus out?"

"Yeah, I can do that!"

Ami replied as she took her apron. She quickly walked to behind the counter and hung it up against the peg before running out the front door and turning right.

3 0 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

After following the arrogant Inkling's foot trails, Ami found her way to the Lilo Cemetery. By now, the skies had become cloudy and colourless. Nobody was at the Cemetery, nobody except her and Emily, who was kneeling over a grave. She had a straight face on. She didn't have any tears in her eyes yet she looked as if she had been holding them back.

"Emily?"

Ami called out as she walked closer to the sensitive girl until she stood just above her to her right.

Ami looked at the grave and saw a name that she was vaguely familiar with:

'Here Lies:

Oscar Rogue

Beloved Father and Hero'

The only memory that Ami had of Oscar was the night before the Battle of Pulpo City.

"He was a good man, Dad."

Emily muttered out loud, staring at the grave.

"I feel like he was the only one in the world who understood me, not even Mum does, but Dad did. He went out of his way to comfort me."

Ami kneeled next to her and gently stroked her shoulder. She knew exactly how it felt to not have a father. The difference was, that Ami never got the chance to know her father whereas Emily did.

"I'm so sorry, I-"

"Why are you apologisin'?"

Emily asked, finally turning around.

"Because I hate when people deal with tragedy, just like any of sane Inkling would."

Ami answered.

Emily paused. She had the urge to cry but decided to hold back on it.

"Thanks..."

She sighed.

"It's just a lot to carry, especially since it's only been a couple of years since I lost my cousin, Zane."

Ami's eyes widened at the mention of Zane.

"Wait, Zane was your cousin?!"

"Yeah...Wait, how did you know him?"

Emily asked, squinting her eyes at her.

"I-I dated him for a couple of months before Bolton...You know."

Ami explained with a sorrowful look on her face.

"Oh..."

The white-haired girl responded silently.

"Don't worry, I've gotten over it now."

She assured her before changing the topic.

"To cheer you up, maybe we could hang out sometime like yesterday."

A small smile formed on Emily's face.

"That would be great!"

She whispered with a small sense of excitement.

Ami smiled. Emily reminded her of herself from a few months back, back when she was still processing everything that had been going on in her life. The last thing she wanted was for Emily to end up just like her.

Emily held her right hand on Ami's left hand. They both smiled at each other, lighting up the sour mood that the scene at the restaurant had caused. They both remained by the grave as the sun began to shine in the sky once again.

T O  B E  C O N T I N U E D . . .

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T H X  F O R  R E A D I N G ! ! !

Thx for reading the fourth Chapter of Splat Force III: Bolton's Reign! Everything is slowly coming together now! From this moment on, the countdown towards the execution of Bolton's lifelong goal has now begun. Next week, we'll be reintroduced to three misfits from the previous stories, so stay tuned to find out what happens next! Until next time, stay safe out there! ^^

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