Scenario:Chichiri - No Training Necessary
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No Training Necessary
Chichiri ropes the crew into training with her where they quickly find out how powerful she really is. But for all her strength, Chichiri reveals she has never bested Zhuque, and she leaves in shame. An elderly townsperson comes to chat with the crew, telling them about Zhuque's power and the tragic fate of Chichiri's ancestors. Their talk is cut short when they hear her shriek in the distance.
The sun has set by the time Chichiri returns from giving the townspeople their massages.
Vyrn: Did you even get to take a break today? Why not kick back for the rest of the night?
Chichiri: Can't. Next up on the schedule is training, and skipping that is a no-no!
Chichiri: C'mon, I'll show you to my training grounds! It'll be fun!
Chichiri: I can't wait to cross blades with my toughy-woughy guru!
Vyrn: Sheesh, that girl is all take and no ask. Now she's dragged (Captain) into sparring with her.
Vyrn: I'm still curious about why the wake for the yupei failed though.
Vyrn: I feel like figuring that out is more important than training right now...
Lyria: Hm... Let's follow Chichiri for now. Hurry, before we lose her in the dark.
The crew runs to catch up to Chichiri and falls in behind her.
(Captain) makes sure not to lose sight of her from the back of the line.
Chichiri: Ahahaha. You're gonna make me blush if you keep staring at me like that.
Vyrn: Oh, she's got eyes in the back of her head too... The moment I saw her battlin' Zhuque, I knew she was on a different level.
(Captain) agrees with a nod.
The captain comments on Chichiri's finely honed movements, noting that she seems to operate with zero wasted energy.
Vyrn: And another thing...
Monster: Grrr...
Vyrn: It's almost like the monsters don't want any part of Chichiri and are doin' their best to be invisible.
Lyria: Chichiri has such a strong presence even when she's just going for a walk. Amazing...
Vyrn: Makes sense to me. She's got a mean glare that stops Zhuque in its tracks.
Chichiri: I wha?
Vyrn: Or not?
Chichiri: Oh! Er, yeah! Ahaha. Sounds about right?
Chichiri: Wait, no! I take it back! Don't talk about me like I'm some kind of reckoning! I'm not Zhuque.
Vyrn: Except your groveling is a force to be reckoned with...
Chichiri: Hey, I bow from the heart!
Chichiri may roll with the punches, but it's as if there's an emotional wall around her, one that's unusually thick.
Sensing Chichiri's true strength, the captain's curiosity about Chichiri's circumstances deepens.
Chichiri: We're here! This is where the Cardinal Saints of Zhuque have honed their skills for generations!
Lyria: Hm? Is that decoration over there what I think it is?
Chichiri: Sharp eye! It's a feather from Zhuque.
Vyrn: No kiddin'! Seems a bit on the small side though...
Chichiri: Well, it is really old. It's proof that the very first Cardinal Saint accomplished their duty.
Lyria: Wow, from all the way back then...
Chichiri: Zhuque was revered as a god in those days, but everyone's long forgotten about that now.
Chichiri: Zhuque's flight feathers were considered talismans, you know. As the story goes, from villages to kingdoms, simply displaying those feathers was enough to spark prosperity.
Chichiri: Southern Solitary itself was seen as a symbol of good fortune, and festivals would kick off as soon as the island was spotted in the area.
Vyrn: How 'bout that... Didn't know there was another side to it. I never pictured Zhuque as anything more than a destructive fireball.
Chichiri: Yeah. Today's Zhuque only brings ruin. The heat wave radiating from its wandering island announces Zhuque's arrival, right before it swoops in on gigantic wings.
Chichiri: The era of Zhuque bringing good fortune is long gone, replaced by firestorms and droughts.
Chichiri: This island I call home got hit pretty hard too. The last time Zhuque and its island floated by, houses and monsters spontaneously combusted...
Vyrn: Holy moly... Then the sooner you perform the wake on the yupei and relieve Zhuque's power, the better.
Chichiri: Bleh... Yeah, about that...
Chichiri: The yupei seems empty...
Lyria: Oh no! How come?
Chichiri: As I suspected, I think the yupei can't be primed for the wake unless I personally defeat Zhuque.
Lyria: Which explains why the wake didn't work earlier.
Chichiri: The next time Zhuque revives, I'll be the one to slay it!
Chichiri: I'm ready for your lessons, (Captain)! En garde!
Bursting into a huge grin, Chichiri swings her twin burning axes at the captain.
(Captain) scrambles to get into stance, daunted by the girl's domineering smirk and steely eyes.
Chichiri: Witness how far I've come, my treasured, bequeathed weapons! Guide my attacks square and true!
Vyrn: Whoa! You okay there, (Captain)?
(Captain) reckons the might of the blow is akin to a cannonball demolishing a fortress wall. Rather, it's on par with a swing from a giant primal beast.
(Captain) shivers, understanding full well that had the parry failed, Chichiri's attack would've ended their spar instantly.
However, the impact from simply blocking Chichiri's strikes rattles the captain's bones and organs, and the damage begins to pile up.
Chichiri: Where could your weak point be hiding? Over here?
Chichiri tosses her axes upward, drawing (Captain)'s attention. As the axes spin, she closes in and jabs one of (Captain)'s pressure points, grinning all the while.
A sharp pain, as if having been stabbed by a knife, rips through (Captain)'s body, causing muscles to contract.
Chichiri: Zap!
(Captain) fights mightily through the spasms, somehow managing to mount a counterattack.
Chichiri: Haha! I knew that wouldn't be enough.
However, (Captain) drops stance and pleads for the sparring to end.
Chichiri: Why?
Vyrn: This fight's gonna get way out of hand if it continues!
Lyria: That's right! It's not even training anymore! Someone's going to get hurt...
Chichiri: B-but (Captain)'s way stronger than me. All I wanted was to see if I could pick up a few pointers.
One of (Captain)'s hunches has been proven correct. Chichiri doesn't need anymore practice; she's already massively powerful.
Vyrn: There isn't anything else we can teach ya though. As far as we're concerned, your power is off the scale!
Chichiri: You're overestimating me.
Lyria: Not at all! We've met lots of strong people on our travels, and you're definitely one of them.
Chichiri: If that's the case, then how come Grampy... How come I've never beaten Zhuque?
Vyrn: Never? Not even once? But you're so strong...
Chichiri: Ah, what am I doing? I'm so sorry! You've all been kind enough to spend time with me, and this is how I repay you...
Chichiri: I... I need some time to think!
Lyria: Chichiri...
Vyrn: Ah, that's right. She did mention she hasn't been able to fulfill her duty...
Lyria: It's hard to believe someone of her ability hasn't been able to beat Zhuque...
Old-Timer: Ahem.
Lyria: Yeep! Wh-where did you come from?
Old-Timer: Hohoho. I've been secretly keeping tabs on you young'uns. I look out for Chichiri after all.
Vyrn: Ah... Guess that makes you the Grampy she's always goin' on about?
Old-Timer: Wrong guy.
Vyrn: What the! Then who in the skies are you!
Old-Timer: Just one of her loyal fans is all. Her massages are famous for extending one's longevity.
Old-Timer: Anyway, it seems I was right. The suffering in Chichiri's heart still hasn't healed yet.
Lyria: What happened?
Old-Timer: Ten years ago, Zhuque claimed the life of her grandfather.
Vyrn: Oh...
Old-Timer: He wasn't the only one. She lost both her parents before she was old enough to understand the concept of death. Her great-grandfather was killed too, as was every predecessor before him.
Old-Timer: Every Cardinal Saint tied to Zhuque had been immolated by the beast.
Vyrn: No way... Is that what she meant when she said she can't beat Zhuque to fulfill her duty?
Old-Timer: Let me ask you this, skilled skyfarer. You slew Zhuque, didn't you? What impression did you get from it?
Choose: No way Chichiri could lose to Zhuque.
Old-Timer: My thoughts exactly. She's a... toughy-woughy, as she likes to put it. Yet she's never won.
Old-Timer: Hohoho. Bold words. But you're not wrong.
Continue 1
Vyrn: Okay... So what are you tryin' to say?
Old-Timer: Zhuque's power has a habit of erupting in the presence of a Cardinal Saint. Chichiri's grandfather told me that.
Vyrn: Huh? Birdo flamed out faster than a candle in a tornado. I swear it looked tougher than that.
Lyria: Maybe it's just my imagination, but Zhuque's power seemed to weaken as soon as it saw (Captain)...
Vyrn: So Zhuque only powers up versus Chichiri's family.
Old-Timer: So it seems, though I don't know why. What I do know is that Zhuque was once felled by an anonymous skyfarer according to town records.
Old-Timer: But Chichiri hasn't been able to best the beast. She always comes home injured, though that's a far cry better than not coming home alive at all.
Lyria: Gosh, I feel so sorry for her...
Old-Timer: By the way, have you noticed that quirky habit of hers?
Vyrn: Like the way she talks? How she calls us "toughy-woughy" and all that stuff?
Old-Timer: Haha, isn't it endearing? No, aside from that, I meant her massages.
Old-Timer: Whenever she's down in the dumps or injured, she'll impulsively give a massage to herself or whoever's around.
Vyrn: Talk about random...
Lyria: Is that why the massages she gave us were so intense?
Old-Timer: In her mind, she sees herself as a worthless, pitiful coward who's always getting bailed out by others.
Lyria: I see. She did seem to be down on herself.
Old-Timer: As to why I'm bringing this up, it's because I want you youngsters to lift Chichiri out of her rut.
Old-Timer: Fear controls her; it's shaped her into becoming a crybaby. She tries to hide it, so none of us have the heart to speak up.
Old-Timer: Bless her heart for trying her darnedest to overcome those demons, but I just can't bear watching her suffer anymore. Isn't there anything you can do?
Old-Timer: All we townsfolk are good for is offering up our tired bodies for massages in order to give her a temporary distraction.
Vyrn: The townspeople really care about Chichiri.
Lyria: Let's go see how she's doing—
Chichiri: Eeyaah!
Vyrn: Hey, that yell came from Chichiri! And it feels like Zhuque's here too!
The crew instantly dash toward the source of the young girl's cry.