Chapter Fifteen: Realm D1995
Gigi went into the Pocahontas
realm with blind confidence; she had no idea where Steve Rogers was exactly.
Sensing others’ presence in the Disneyverse was one thing, but pinpointing
their location was an entirely different task – one that required much more
training from Yen Sid. Thinking about her master as she trekked through the
forest within the realm, she wished that he was there to help her with the
current mess that she had gotten herself into. The re-emergence of the Sphere became a recurring nightmare for her – one that could not have come at a
worst time. There was something unsettling that she detected in the
Disneyverse; a force of evil that she hadn’t felt since the Evil Queen.
Something happened to Bruce Banner, and the evil force she detected had a
connection to it.
Halfway through her journey in the forest, she heard a
loud splash from her left. Turning her head in the direction, she found someone
fighting to keep their head above the surface while maintaining control over
their swimming. Gigi abandoned her initial mission and rushed to the rescue of
the swimmer in peril. While running to the river’s edge, she quickly removed
her sorcerer hat and robe, throwing both down on the ground, and dove into the
water. Once she got close enough to swimmer, she discovered that it was a woman
with blond hair, green eyes, and tanned skin and wearing a red overcoat, which
might’ve been the source of her swimming trouble.
“Hold on. You’re gonna be okay. I gotcha.” Gigi assured
her as she got a hold of the woman and swam back to shore with her.
As soon as both women reached the shore, they took a
moment to catch their breath. Gigi sat beside the woman and noticed how tall
she appeared even while lying down. Her feet were still in the water while the
rest of her was sprawled out on the shore to dry. Judging from her attire, Gigi
figured that she was not of that world, which led her to ask…
(Authorial Note: In real life, Sheryl Lau is exceptionally tall for a female, standing at 5'9 1/2". For her character, Livingston brought emphasis to her stature whenever possible in the narrative, providing readers with a visual that shows how much of a powerful figure she is in the story.)
“Where did you come from?”
The woman turned her side, spitting out the bits of water
from her mouth and letting it hit the dirt beneath her. “My name’s Sheryl. I
come from the same world as Master Yen Sid – the one you call ‘Fantasia.’”
Gigi smiled; after having just thought about getting help
from Yen Sid, she was delighted to have someone from the same world as him
there to help. “He sent you? Does that mean he knows about the trouble growing
in the Disneyverse?”
Sheryl nodded with a grin. “Oh, he knows, alright. He’s
back at the Project Geo Base as we speak.”
That news surprised Gigi. “W…Wait. You mean he was there
with me the entire time?” Even though it was welcoming news, Gigi was slightly
perturbed by it. “Why didn’t he show himself? Was he even there when I got beat
down by Ciciley Livingston?”
“That’s not what’s really important right now.” Sheryl
said.
“No, it is
important!” Gigi angrily exclaimed. “For the past hours, I’ve been scared that
I was completely alone in this. The
Sphere’s still in existence and I died, losing my life, my family, and my
identity. I don’t even know who I am anymore!”
“You are the Guardian of the Disneyverse.” Sheryl
reminded her.
Gigi shook her head. “No…I’m Joanie Navarro-Thomas…or I’m
supposed to be.”
“You’re not the only one who has lost their original
identity. I wasn’t born like…this.” Sheryl gestured to herself as she uttered
the word “this.”
“Oh, really? And who did you use to be?”
(Narrative Note: This conflict of identity is a trait common between the reincarnations of Joanie and Sean. Each one occasionally faces the difficulty reality of being a totally new person, and some are unable to cope with it throughout their life cycles. Ironically, in this scene, Gigi - Joanie's reincarnation - and Sheryl - Sean's reincarnation - are facing this dilemma together.)
Sheryl seemed all too ready to answer, but she stopped
herself before the words escaped from her mouth. She just was not ready to tell
Gigi that she used to be Sean Thomas – her (Joanie’s) son in a new,
reincarnated body also. There were already enough surprises in the conversation
with Yen Sid having been revealed to be back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base; she
hadn’t even told her about Mickey being there as well.
(Narrative Note: Gigi should already know about Sheryl being the reincarnation of Sean Thomas, as it was revealed to her when she was Joanie Navarro in Tales of the Disneyverse. Unfortunately, due to her own reincarnation and the fact that her spirit temporarily shared a body with one of Sean's reincarnations, memories of those events were expelled.)
“Look, like I said, that’s not what’s important right
now. You’re here to look for…”
“Steve?”
“Well, I was going to call him ‘Cap’ or ‘Captain
America,’ but…”
She noticed Gigi stand up and look away from her.
Following her gaze, she discovered Steve Rogers himself standing near the shore
with Pocahontas by his side. He was donned fully in his Captain America regalia and also wore a huge grin on his face. “It worked,” he happily exclaimed while
looking upon Gigi. “You’re here!”
Gigi immediately ran up and embraced him. “I’m so glad
you’re alright.”
Her embrace took Rogers by surprise. “Didn’t know we’ve
grown so close in such a short time, Gigi.”
“Let’s just say after what I’ve been through, finding you
is more than a sight for sore eyes. I heard
you…calling out to me. Grandmother Willow is quite the teacher, isn’t she?”
Gigi’s spot-on observation baffled Pocahontas. “How did
you know…?”
“I’m the sorceress,” clarified a smiling Gigi, who let go
of Rogers long enough to set her eyes on Pocahontas. “Wingapo.” She accompanied her Native greeting with the common
gesture for it, waving her hand reverently from left to right, which surprised
Pocahontas even more.
“You know of the language of my people?” Pocahontas
remarked.
“I know all languages of this world and others around
it.” Gigi then demonstrated by speaking Chinese, French, German, and finally
the native tongue of Pocahontas’s tribe. “Your world is just one of many,
Pocahontas.”
(Disney Note: The four particular languages Gigi chooses to demonstrate represent Disney films of which the cultures they are based on. Chinese is for Mulan, German is for Snow White and Tangled, and French is for Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Aristocats, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Ratatouille. Each of these films also represent worlds that Joanie has visited in her time as Guardian.)
The young native girl of legend smiled. “I would like to
see all of them.”
Her response stupefied Gigi. “What?”
“Steve Rogers promised that I could go with you…to your
world – with Grandmother Willow’s permission.” Pocahontas said.
(UP NEXT: Yes, there is a fart joke.)
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