Frontier Town Old Town

[Chibi Pika]

Virga blinked.

"'Fancy... place'?" the Rookidee repeated incredulously. Still, there was no mistaking the tone, or what it signified: your mannerisms do not match your appearance. As she was all too aware.

Virga glanced away. "I come from the sea. I was the sea, for whatever meaning that holds here." Likely none. "I'm aware that such... lofty claims as godhood hold a degree of absurdity in this form, so it's not something I've been eager to announce to the world, but it is the truth."

Very unlike that Buizel character. But then, he still had some degree of hold over his power. Why?

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, the sea?" repeated Mhynt, tilting her head thoughtfully. It didn't even faze her. Zena and Mhynt's shadow, too, didn't seem too taken aback.

"I was friends with a Lugia for a time. We still talk," Zena said. "Were you one? Or... oh, what's another sea Legend... Kyogre?"

"Could also be a Voice of Life," Mhynt theorized. "Oh, hm, wait, you were with... no, probably not one of those, then. What does godhood entail in your world?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

The claim, rather than being met with derision, or scorning, was immediately accepted. This gave the Rookidee some pause, but hardly in a bad way. Quite the contrary—this was much easier than anticipated.

"Yes. I am... I was Lugia. I took the name Virga here because the title felt inappropriate, stripped of that power and role." A pause, and then, with genuine curiosity: "You were... friends with a Lugia. What sort are they?"

It was a strange feeling, being forced to ponder what another filling the same role might be like. Virga had already been forced to contend with another world's Lugia being here, on Forlas, and as a fellow Wayfarer no less. The concept should not have been so alien now. If other worlds might have sky or sea, then why not guardians to match?

 

[Namohysip]

"She's very kind," Zena explained. "She didn't have a lot of strength, you know, to harm. But she was nearly indestructible in body for as long as I knew her. She saved people out at sea."

"She had a bit of a checkered past," Mhynt hummed, "but that was due to the classic tale of demonic possession and the like. I'm sure you have similar tales... fact or otherwise."

Zena gave Mhynt an odd look, but then shook her body as if to set the thought aside.

"So," Mhynt said. "I don't know much about humans. And this is a rare opportunity to ask a god about humans of their world. What is their... position?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Nearly indestructible. Well, Virga had always prided herself on endurance in her true form, but… Little strength to do harm. That must have been the trade-off. Instinctively, she would not taken the trade, and yet… if one were truly indestructible, would the strength to strike back against enemies be unneeded?

“Demonic posession…” Virga repeated. “Assuming that to be a real phenomenon, it’s not unlike what befell some legends I’ve known, whose will was stolen from them.” Another world’s Lugia had been subdued… the thought was uncomfortable.

Virga regarded Mhynt’s question with some interest. “So this ‘Kilo’ is like Forlas then, and lacks humans?” In the flesh, anyway.

The Rookidee took a moment to consider how to answer. Her own human was not here. “The humans of my world see themselves above all others. Masters of nature, and of their own fates.” And… “And of the gods.”

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt nodded. "I personally have never met a human before," she explained. "Not in the flesh. But I have learned that some I knew in the past were humans transfigured. Permanently, perhaps even down to the soul..."

"Above the gods?" Zena asked. "Hmph. Not much higher, then," she muttered.

"Uh--not--not to insult you!" Owen quickly popped out of the ground, bowing at Virga. "It's just our gods. We know other worlds are different, but... um..."

"Owen here," Mhynt explained, "had defied the gods. Directly. He could also fight toe to toe against them. Though, now that here's merely my shadow, he's obviously not that strong here. A shame, really. It would have been useful... I imagine you'd have desired the same."

Mhynt crossed her arms, the Sceptile's tail dragging spikes along the dry soil.

"Humans certainly have egos, don't they? That appears to be a constant. In our world, they often took leadership roles, too." She looked at the sky. "And even here in Forlas, the same seems to be true... I wonder why. What makes them so special."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"A Charizard with the strength to match the legends," Virga mused, meeting the shadow's eye. Now that was interesting. "I'm sure there's quite the tale behind that."

The Rookidee preened a few stray feathers, more out of instinct than anything. "As for humans, the way they tell it, it's their ingenuity at work behind their pride. I suppose I can't deny their ability to devise cunning schemes. I was told that some number of them managed to claw their way here across timespace, months back." Such a thing defied all reason, and yet the humans had done it. Now that was a recurring theme.

 

[Namohysip]

"I suppose so," Mhynt said grudgingly, like she didn't want to give humans any credit at all. "What do you think about... your human, then?" she asked. "The one you are associated with in Forlas, I mean. Is she an exception, special, or... just happened to be there with you?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Virga hesitated for a long moment. "We were allies of circumstance, opposing the same enemy. It was practical for us to join forces. My associate Mew believed in the value of human allies." And then, when their goals were no longer aligned...

Virga ruffled her feathers. "In any case, we have experience fighting alongside one another, so I imagine that is why I was called here. I suppose you were allies as well?" She glanced between Mhynt and Zena.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt's face was like stone. Zena's eyes were faintly more sunken.

When neither immediately replied, Owen boldly broke the silence.

"Mhynt and I... are... no longer together. In... intimate ways. And as time passed... Zena and I became mates instead."

Mhynt amended, straight-faced, "Our physical circumstances in Forlas could be better."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Virga squinted at them, processing. Then processing some more.

"Ah. So the common thread of connection is... Owen." The Feebas, summoned here by connection to the Charizard, who was reduced to inhabiting a shadow.

That was, indeed, less than ideal. It also made her own situation with her summoned partner feel moderately less unfortunate by comparison.

"I see. At least it is merely temporary." Presumably the Charizard being a shadow would not extend to their home circumstance.

 

[Namohysip]

"I hope so! I have a world to save!"

"Yes, yes, we all do," Mhynt dismissed, using her foot to shove Owen back into the ground. Zena frowned at Mhynt from behind, saying nothing.

"Well," Zena said, "I'm hoping that we can at least get some training in. I need to... see of being 'pretty' will work, and well, you need to train."

"You know, Owen thinks you're prettier when you're fighting."

"How'd you know that?!" the ground asked.

"I didn't, but thank you for confirming. Why don't you two train together?" Mhynt offered Virga.

 

[Chibi Pika]

(He wasn't denying it...)

"Mm. Well, I suppose battle can be... beautiful." Virga felt out of her depth with this. "And I do require more training. It seems that some of our number retained certain abilities from their previous forms, so I must try to do the same."

With any luck, it would not be much longer before she could bid this diminutive form farewell.

Virga spread her wings. "Let's make for the river training grounds, then."

 

[Namohysip]

"Yes, of course," Mhynt said with a faint, entertained smile. "Maybe by the end, you'll be a feathery, borby Lugia in this world."

She led the way. Zena trailed after her, humming thoughtfully.

"What's... a borby?"

"You'll understand when you're older."

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