To Garfield, Asgard was lively… but nowhere near as comforting as his own cat bed.
Right now, he was home, surrounded by family, enjoying a seafood hot pot feast.
On the table sat ingredients worthy of legend… one-meter-long Norwegian lobsters bred by Hela herself, abalone slices as large as millstones, oysters the size of folding fans, and all manner of rare seafood gathered from both the mundane world and the wizarding realms.
The dipping sauce was simple and perfect, light soy sauce, rock sugar, aged vinegar, minced garlic, and chili oil.
For those with different tastes, sesame paste and sesame oil with garlic were set aside as well.
The soup bubbled, bright red and glossy with oil.
Thin slices of seafood were swirled through the pot, cooked just until tender, half a heartbeat from raw, exactly where flavor peaked.
One bite.
The texture, the sweetness, the burst of brine against tongue and teeth.
Another sip… ice-cold beer.
Life was good.
The family ate happily together, laughter mixing with steam.
When the massive dining table had been cleared of everything edible, Garfield sprawled contentedly in a reclining chair beneath the rooftop gazebo.
Beside him, a small stone table overflowed with rare fruits gathered from across the human world and the wizarding realms.
Ice cubes nestled beneath the fruit to keep everything perfectly chilled.
Garfield took a sip of freshly squeezed iced juice, then accepted a piece of cold fruit fed to him by Queenie.
This, he thought lazily, was what a cat truly wanted.
…
When Loki descended to Earth, New York was not his first destination.
After all, New York fell squarely within Karma Taj's sphere of influence and there was even a temple there.
Loki had no desire to announce himself so openly.
Instead, he emerged in a nearby city, one connected to New York by rail. His plan was simple, conceal himself with magic and travel by train.
Coincidentally, the moment Loki arrived, a train bound for New York was preparing to depart.
With a subtle illusion to cloud mortal perception, Loki boarded unnoticed, found a quiet and luxurious private compartment, and settled in.
In truth, even without magic, he could have achieved the same result. As the God of Deceit, vanishing among mortals was effortless.
The spell was merely an extra layer of caution, covering his tracks.
As the train sped forward, Loki caught sight of something unpleasant in one of the passing cars.
A vampire.
One of those parasitic abominations crawling out of hell itself.
If not for the risk of exposure, Loki would have gladly buried a dagger in its skull and sent it back where it belonged.
"Disgusting." He muttered. "Ugly things… no better than Surtur."
Mentioning the name stirred old irritation. That flame-headed brute.
When Loki was younger, exploring Asgard's hidden passages between realms, he had stumbled into Surtur's domain more than once.
Every time, the fire giant had sent entire armies after him. If Loki hadn't been quicker and smarter, he might never have escaped.
The worst part was the fire dragons.
One day, Loki swore silently that he would return the favor.
Someday.
With that thought, Loki leaned back, closed his eyes, and imagined pressing Surtur into the ground and beating him senseless.
Hmph.
Satisfied, he allowed himself to rest.
No one would disturb him here. The train was running nonstop to its final destination, there was no need to worry about passing stations.
The night train thundered across farmland and rivers, devouring distance, until at last it arrived in New York.
The station sprawled underground, its ceiling soaring high above.
Loki glanced around, faintly impressed.
"Not bad." He murmured.
Stepping out into the city, Loki extended his senses, locking onto the location of the High-Claw Gold shop and the Exorcism Store.
They weren't far.
Still… he had no intention of walking.
Using a subtle spell, Loki confused a driver who had come to pick someone up at the station, smoothly redirecting the poor man's colleague instead.
By the time the illusion faded, Loki was already seated in the car, giving a polite address.
Everything proceeded flawlessly.
The vehicle soon stopped in front of a familiar storefront.
Loki stepped out, lifted his gaze, and saw the sign he remembered clearly, a stylized cat paw etched above the door.
He walked up and pushed.
Nothing happened.
He pushed again.
Still nothing.
Loki narrowed his eyes and glanced at the notice hanging beside the door:
Closed for rest. If there is an emergency, please shout for help.
If you feel unwell, you may also shout "Meow."
"…?" Loki paused, thought for a moment, then calmly pulled a dagger from his sleeve.
He aimed at the door.
And struck.
Ding
A transparent barrier flared into existence, blocking the blade effortlessly. Loki didn't get angry.
"Interesting." He murmured. "Very well. Let us see what you can do, orange cat."
He whispered an incantation and began dismantling the spell layer by layer, weaving a complex breaking curse.
Minutes passed. The shield did not even flicker.
Loki's smile faded. "Who do you think you're looking down on?"
"I, Loki, refuse to believe I can't break this today."
What Loki didn't know was that these defensive formations had been reinforced while Garfield was away, personally crafted by the Ancient One and others.
While they weren't on the level of full Karma Taj wards, this place was the residence of Ancient one's sole disciple.
Even a secondary defense was far beyond an ordinary temple.
Unless one stood at Odin's level, brute-forcing the barrier was impossible.
And Loki… wasn't there yet.
By the time Loki stabbed the door the first time, the entire building had already been alerted.
After confirming it was Loki, Garfield stopped Izuna and the others from acting immediately.
He wanted to see just how capable Odin's second son was.
So inside the shop, a whole group gathered at the windows and balcony like spectators at a street performance.
Garfield.
Shōkyū.
Queenie.
Baima.
Rin.
Izuna.
Kumatarō and Kumajirō.
Lilith and Vivienne.
Everyone leaned forward, heads poking out. Below them, Loki was still very seriously trying to open the door.
Shōkyū was the first to lose patience.
"Can I fire a Tailed Beast Ball at him?" She asked irritably. "He's too noisy. I can't sleep."
Garfield shook his head. "No. You've already missed every single one you fired."
"What about me?" Rin raised her hand eagerly.
Garfield shook his head again. "Not strong enough. At least Kage-level."
Rin immediately pointed at Kumatarō and Kumajirō. "What about them?"
The two bears straightened up, clearly excited.
Garfield thought for a moment… then shook his head. "No."
"They'd miss the door, tear up the street instead, then fix it themselves. That wastes money and mana. And if things get serious and one of them dies, it's not worth it."
Kumatarō and Kumajirō stared down at Loki with regret.
They really wanted to fight.
But they didn't dare argue.
"What about me?" Queenie raised her hand next.
Garfield rolled his eyes.
Queenie squatted down and began drawing circles on the floor.
Baima peeked out, then quietly withdrew her head. She knew her limits.
Lilith and Vivian exchanged glances. Odin was not someone to provoke, and Loki was a prince of Asgard, an existence their status couldn't afford to offend.
Gradually, everyone's attention turned toward Izuna, who was calmly eating snacks.
Kage-level.
Smart enough.
Knew when to stop.
And most importantly…
Garfield, the Sorcerer Supreme's direct disciple and future Third Prince of Asgard, was backing him.
Fighting Loki even seriously wouldn't be a fatal mistake.
"…" Feeling all eyes on him, Izuna swallowed.
"Are you saying I should go?"
Shōkyū nodded, "Go."
"Come on!" Rin clenched her fists.
Kumatarō and Kumajirō raised their paws. "Master Izuna is mighty!"
Queenie looked on with envy. Baima said nothing, but her eyes were full of encouragement.
Izuna turned to Garfield.
Garfield thought for a solid three seconds. Then he pointed down at Loki.
"Go on." He said seriously. "Show him the might of the greatest Pokémon of… King Garfield Pando Godzilla Pendragon's prestige."
"…Why does your title keep getting longer?" Izuna:.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream