Well, that Direct was... something. Pyra and Mythra look pretty cool.
Still fucking seething over the fact that Mario Golf was announced, but alas, what can you do?
Within the now-healing world of Alrest, Pyra, one-half of the legendary Aegis, sat atop of the minor Titan Azurda. Staring out into the expansive Cloud Sea, she asked, "Say Azurda, when do you think Rex will return from that salvaging job?"
"Mmm... it's hard to say, apparently the group he's salvaging with is going to be at the foot of the World Tree..."
Pyra shifted her form and personality to that of Mythra, the original half of the Aegis, who huffed before saying, "Figures. Of course there'd be people looking to salvage all that ruined technology from the Rhadamanthus for a quick buck."
Turning to face the back of Azurda's head, Mythra switched back to Pyra and asked, "Azurda, do you think we could take on a salvaging mission while we wait for Rex to get back?"
Chuckling, the old Titan rumbled, "I don't see why not," before descending to a much lower altitude that left only the top of his back and neck above the Cloud Sea. Looking back at Pyra, Azurda asked, "Are you sure that you don't need any of Rex's old salvaging gear?"
Mythra emerged and responded, "Relax, we're the Aegis, we don't need any of that," before diving into the depths of the Cloud Sea.
Upon entering the murky darkness, Mythra's first thought was, "Huh. How did Rex ever find his way through this-" before facepalming and thinking to herself, "Right, I have light... duh!" before extending her hand, causing a small ball of light to form in her hand and illuminate the ocean. Looking around, Mythra noticed a large safe on the ocean floor and swam towards it, occasionally changing to Pyra to scare away any Krabbles that dared to walk close to her.
Grabbing the safe, Mythra swam up to the surface before climbing up onto Azurda's back. Mythra then switched to Pyra, who said, "Wow, I did not know just how hard this job was..." before quickly frying a Krabble that had scaled Azurda's tail while Mythra had gone diving. Summoning a small concentrated jet of fire on two of her fingers, Pyra began to melt down the steel of the safe... revealing a tiny black box within.
Mythra's annoyed voice said, "That's it?!" before quickly switching back to Pyra, who retrieved the black box and opened it, revealing an envelope that was sealed with a distinct red wax seal. Pyra switched back to Mythra, who opened the letter and began reading its contents:
To Pyra or Mythra (or the Aegis),
Congratulations! The two of you have been selected to participate in our multiversally renowned Super Smash Brothers tournament!
Now, given the special relationship the two of you have with your Driver... I specifically request that it just be the two of you, given the incredible amount of power the two of you exude when fully bonded with Rex. It's a tad overpowered for the tournament's standards, I'm afraid... but I can remove the limitation of you two needing your Driver for now.
Anyways, the tournament will give the two of you chances to meet new friends and test your strength against some of the greatest warriors this side of the multiverse (and even some that are beyond our reach). Additionally, due to the sheer volume of competitors for this iteration of the tournament, we have provided everyone a Fighter's Pass to serve as a form of identification... we have bequeathed a pair of them to the two of you.
We hope to see the two of you participating in the tournament!
Sincerely,
Master Hand
P.S.: Please touch the seal on the envelope to be taken to the tournament's location.
"The name sounds familiar... isn't this that little fight club that Shulk was telling us about?" Mythra asked as she took out two small cards, one of which was decorated with red and green markings and designated with the number 81 (which she assumed was for Pyra), and one in gold and green highlights that was marked with an 82.
Rumbling, Azurda mused, "Ah, I've heard rumors of the tournament... hidden away in the center of the universe, helmed by a pair of gigantic disembodied hands, and host to some of the most powerful beings ever... there are even literal gods among normal men," before turning back to Mythra and asking, "Do the two of you wish to participate even without Rex? I'll break the news to him myself if you choose to participate."
"Yeah, we'll do it!" Pyra said before changing back into Mythra, who nodded with a confident smirk on her face, indicating that she agreed with Pyra.
"Very well then, I'll tell everyone else," Azurda said before turning to Pyra and saying, "Good luck, you two," as they touched the seal on the envelope and were subsequently whisked away in a flash of light.
Several hours later, Rex exited the main building of the Argentum Trade Guild and found Azurda waiting for him at the docking bay. With a hearty "Hey Gramps," Rex hopped onto the Titan's back and began eating the meal he had picked up from a food stand within the guild.
"Rex, m'boy, how did the salvaging trip go?"
"Eh, it wasn't particularly interesting, as far as salvaging trips are concerned..." Looking around on Azurda's back, Rex asked, "Gramps... where's Pyra?"
Chuckling in amusement, Azurda, ever the gadfly, replied, "I'll tell you once we gather everyone," before beginning to fly to the continent that was formerly the Titan of Gormott.
Pyra materialized outside of a large house, remarking, "Wow, this place is huge..." as she stepped through the door, revealing that the mansion was completely deserted. Walking around, Pyra then bumped into a table with four small black buttons.
Pyra switched to Mythra, who murmured, "Hm, these seem important," before picking one up and pressing it, transporting her to a cliffside that had a dark portal in front of it. Thinking to herself, Mythra mused, "Pyra, are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Yeah, let's do it!"
Mythra leapt towards the portal, vanishing to an unknown location.
Mythra landed on top of a clock tower, which she used to briefly survey the area before hopping down... only to be met with a spiked paw resting just inches from her face.
"Show us your Fighter's Pass. NOW." When the newcomer didn't move, Lucario snarled as his spikes flashed with a silvery sheen, demanding, "Answer me!"
"Alright, fine," Mythra showed the small card that she had obtained from the letter before switching to Pyra, who cheerfully said, "Here you go!" as she handed Lucario her Fighter's Pass and promptly switched back to Mythra.
The Aura Pokémon looked at both cards before tilting his head in confusion, asking, "...What?" When he looked back at the woman, he saw that she had changed from blonde to a redhead and almost dropped the Fighter's Passes out of shock.
Apologetically chuckling, Pyra said, "Sorry about that, it's just that we share the same body, but-" before being interrupted by switching to Mythra, who finished, "We're our own person."
Lucario's face looked a tad less confused as he lowered his paw, saying, "My apologies for the rough greeting, we've been on edge as of late and we can't trust anyone until we know their allegiance for sure," gesturing towards Min Min and the others attempting to find a way to break into the clock tower.
Pyra said, "Oh, it's no problem!" before asking, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Well, we've been trying to break into the clock tower over there, but-"
"Say no more," Mythra interrupted as she snapped her fingers, causing a single Sacred Arrow to rain from above and obliterate the clock tower.
When the shockwaves from the explosion subsided, everyone else in the immediate vicinity unbraced themselves to see Sheik standing on top of a piece of rubble.
Mythra summoned the Aegis sword in her hand, saying, "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."
I may have beaten Xenoblade Chronicles 2 but that doesn't mean I have an all-encompassing knowledge of the game (for the record, I chose Mythra at the end).
Apologies if this seems rather short for a chapter.