The day after the battle with Zorah Magdaros, and the Commission's success in repelling him to save the New World, Grogar found a few things of interest to him and his companions, of which Ava'jiiva was a part of now since Shepard was holding him responsible for the Elder Dragon that was joining them. Nergigante, of course, had flown off after the party, which meant she still had something to do and didn't want him or his companions to get in her way, though he had a feeling that they would run into each other again at some point in the future. The next thing he discovered was that the Captain was planning on traveling between the Old World and the New World far more often, meaning more supplies would be flowing into Astera in the future, possibly even more Hunters and members if the Guild decided to send more people to aid them in their efforts. The last thing he found was likely the most shocking of them all, Shepard informed him that they were setting him up with a new room, a larger one that happened to be near the peak of Astera, at a height that was below the ship that was resting between the two rocks, and showed him the path to it.
What he and the others discovered was that it was a chamber fit for a king, with a bed that was far nicer than the rest he had seen so far, the floor was made of polished tile, there was a fireplace with some chairs, a few paintings and even a stained glass window that depicted the story of the Sapphire Star, and an outside area that seemed like a little oasis, an area to relax in when he wasn't busy.
"Doesn't this seem a little much?" Ava asked, maintaining her humanoid form while she was in Astera, since she didn't want to worry the others with her true form, though she, Sherry, and Patches joined Grogar as he looked at the chamber, as they had been interested in what sort of room Shepard was giving him, "This seems like a place that was made for a king or something."
"Commander Shepard values Grogar's powers, both magical and physical, and its natural for one to offer something like this to such a powerful figure," Sherry replied, though she recalled what she had seen back in the Everstream and knew that since Grogar had recovered his another near death experience his power must have grown, especially his magic, so she was interested in what he might do in the future, "I wouldn't be surprised if the Commission starts referring to him as the 'Sapphire Star', a title of respect for one's skill... there hasn't been one for a long time, so don't feel worried that you'll be taking someone's place if it starts getting used all the time."
Grogar said nothing to that as he shifted his right arm, once more into Nergigante's, as he considered the fact that they might have another name for him, before considering what to do next, as they had to figure out the other half of the odd puzzle that was the New World. Something was drawing the aging Elder Dragons to the island, that much they knew, but none of them had any ideas on what might be causing it, meaning they had to head out and search the regions for a time, as there had to be some clues left behind by the other Elder Dragons. As he thought about that he returned his arm to it's normal form and beckoned for his companions to join him, as there would be time to relax when they weren't busy, or at least that was the plan since they had no idea what sort of dangers the New World would throw at them. Based on what he and the others were seeing he knew that there had to be another region that they hadn't explored, even though all of the ones they had passed through so far were rather large, so there was a chance that he was wrong and there were only four, but he knew only time would tell which option was right.
After that he headed down into the training area with Sherry and Patches watching him, while Ava found herself pulled off to the side by the Researchers who wanted to know more about her, to which he braced himself for a moment as he used his new power, deciding to get used to how to all the various powers felt. Each monster he had seen had some sort of skill, ability, or even innate power that they were capable of using to defend themselves and take down either their prey or the monsters attacking them, so if he was going to continue from where he left off, as in the mindset of fighting monsters to save the land, he needed to wield his new power to it's full potential. Of course there were some odd powers that he was able to use, such as the bloated belly of the Great Jagras and the Pukei-Pukei's elongated tongue, the latter one felt weird when he tried it out and struck some barrels that had been set up as targets, where Sherry raised an eyebrow as he used it, though after a while he switched it out for another power. There was no telling what the rest of the New World had to throw at him and the Commission, so training with the abilities of the other monsters, learning their ins and outs with the aid of several of the Researchers, would improve his chances of surviving whatever the future held for them, while aiding the Commission in learning the secrets of this land.
Ava, on the other hand, found that the Researchers were far more interested in her than she thought they'd be, as one of them had her revert to her true form so they could get her measurements, while she informed them that she was an only child and she had no parents, meaning she had no idea what monsters lead to her creation, nor where they might be in the vast world they lived in. Grogar, upon hearing that, guessed that she must have been wondering if she might run into one or both of them during her time with the Guild or the Commission, but she was focused on their mission and less on her personal problems, even though it gave the Researchers new information to add to their tomes. Of course they had to see what sort of forms she could take, as she was a shapeshifter and they were interested in seeing how a dragon could condense itself down into a much smaller form, one that looked nothing like her true form, and she was fine with showing them what she was capable of. The Researchers agreed with her given title of the 'Deceiving Dragon', even though she did nothing put tell them the truth, though they were also considering another one to counter it, since the first one made her out to be an enemy and not an ally, despite her explanation that the title was because of her power.
On the second day after the battle with Zorah Magdaros, which Grogar and his companions spent resting and getting to know his new power, he found that Shepard wanted to speak with them about something and they walked down to where his table was resting without wasting time.
"Grogar, Sherry, Ava, I hope you aren't planning on resting anymore, because I've got something for you, the best team in all of Astera, to check out," Shepard stated, speaking when they reached his table, finding that he must have been working on the report for the Guild, as there were papers and scrolls being readied for the Captain to take with him, no doubt to explain the Elder Crossing to those back home, "One of the Fourth's Researchers was injured while investigating some odd tracks, and they also claimed that there's a Pukei-Pukei out in the Wildspire Waste... since there's a chance it might be the one you talked to some time ago, I want you three to go out and see what you can discover, and see if you can't figure out what's going on."
"What sort of tracks are we talking about?" Sherry asked, showing them that she was serious and would be taking her role as the Handler seriously, more than Ava did when she was impersonating her, while at the same time Grogar was curious if this was related to the disappearance of Zorah Magdaros, that whatever had shown up was hiding while he wandered the land and emerged after he was pushed out of the Everstream.
"Honestly, we're not entirely sure yet. Could be a brand new monster, or maybe a subspecies has arrived," Shepard said, informing them that he didn't have enough information to pass on and that was part of the reason why he was asking that they head out to see what they could find, just to give them an idea of what might be out there, before he sent the pack of information to the Guild, "I'd like a report by noon, if possible, since that's when the Captain will be leaving and taking our report back to our fellows in the Old World... in the off chance that this is connected to the other half of the Elder Crossing, about what might be drawing all the Elder Dragons here, I have written a note that will tell them that more information will be coming in due time."
"Then we'll head out to the Wildspire Waste and see what's going on." Grogar replied, as that seemed to be the best thing right now, seeing what sort of tracks the Researcher had found, before they were attacked by the sounds of it, and with his new power he had a feeling he could handle a great deal of the dangers that the New World possessed.
Once Shepard knew that they were going to check out what was going on Grogar and his companions departed for the edge of Astera so Sherry could call a Barnos down for her to use to get to their camp in the Wildspire Waste, as she didn't want to weigh down either of them, even if she felt that Ava deserved it. The moment she was airborne Grogar and Ava did the same thing, unfurling their wings before taking off, heading for the region that the Researcher had been attacked in earlier, even though they knew that the person in question was receiving treatment in Astera. Despite the events that caused the awakening of this power Grogar had to admit that flying through the air was quite nice, instead of using one of the Barnos to travel from place to place, though he wasn't too disappointed in Sherry turning down his offer to carry her to the camps, as he was a total stranger to her. Other than that thought he glanced around the parts of the New World that they were flying above and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, not that he was expecting to see anything as they flew over the covered Ancient Forest, hence why he was focusing on whatever might be lurking in the Wildspire Waste and what he had to do to make sure they were safe.
It didn't take them long to land in the camp that they had set up in the Wildspire Waste, where Grogar checked the area for any signs of danger before beckoning for the Barnos to land, though once it was resting he and Ava landed as well, as they tucked their wings in as they stared out at the rest of the area from their camp.
"So this is the Wildspire Waste... I heard about it from the others, but wasn't expecting to see it so soon," Sherry said, as she was getting used to how things in the New World worked, especially after Ava stole all the experience from her, before taking a moment to glance at Grogar, who was staring out at their surroundings, "Any idea where you'll start looking for the tracks the Researcher found?"
"A few, but we won't know until we start looking." Grogar replied, as that was something he was getting used to, studying the various tracks of the monsters by looking at the notes that the Researchers and Scholars shared with him during his time off, allowing him to know what they were tracking, though instead of waiting for someone to say something he just jumped forward and started his search.
Ava, as he guessed, jumped out with him and Patches, where she landed nearby and walked behind him as he scanned the land that was currently around them, finding the tracks of multiple monsters, mostly the small ones, before spotting what he was looking for, the signs of a Pukei-Pukei. As he studied them he decided to try something that he hadn't tried back in Astera, since it was hard without a monster nearby, as he wasn't counting Ava in that thought since it would be near cheating in that situation, where he closed his eyes and readied himself. In the following moment he snapped them open as he activated the power he wanted to use, as he was trying to see if he could use the power of the Scoutflies with his eyes, before seeing that the area around him was the same color as it was a few seconds ago. As he waited he found something interesting, a faint green aura appeared in front of him, on the tracks that were in front of him, and that it went off towards the forest section of the Wildspire Waste, causing him to chuckle as he realized that his test had been far more successful than what he had been planning.
With that in mind he started to follow the path in front of him and found that Ava was surprised that he was able to track down the tracks without using the Scoutflies, where Grogar discovered something interesting, that the tracks brought him to where he had found the Rathian earlier, which just so happened to be where the Pukei-Pukei was resting, along with a set of tracks that looked similar to what a Rathian had.
"A different Rathian trail... a subspecies, here in the New World?" Grogar commented, studying the tracks he had found at the front of the path and pulled out his journal to make a note of what it looked like, so the Researchers in Astera could make a note of it and figure out what was going on.
"How did you do that? Track the trail without using the Scoutflies?" Ava asked, as that was something she wanted to know, because Grogar had walked around like he knew what he was doing, far more than when she was pretending to be Sherry and was constantly being saved by his powers, but every time she thought she had a handle on his powers he went and did something different.
"Turns out I can use the power of the Scoutflies with my eyes, meaning I see green tracks for the monster I'm tracking and I'll likely see blue for Elder Dragons," Grogar replied, keeping his voice low as he studied the track and finished his sketch so the others in Astera would know what he and Ava found, though as he finished Ava lifted her left hand and changed it into her true left hand, where she lightly pressed it into the ground and pulled back, only for his senses to change when he glanced at it, "Correction, I can see the blue coloration of an Elder Dragon."
"Freaky." Ava said, taking a moment to change her arm back as she studied Grogar, who was looking around with an odd glow in his eyes, the power of the Scoutflies at work when she thought about it, though in that moment she understood that this power made him a unique being, one capable of learning any power and adding it to his arsenal, making him far more dangerous than anything else.
Grogar said nothing as he focused on the Pukei-Pukei that was down in the Rathian's area, at least where she rested since the log area seemed more like a small hunting area, where he was able to see that it seemed stronger than the one he had seen some time ago, meaning it was either a new one or the same one but stronger. He didn't have much time to come to his own decision on the matter, as he found that this Pukei-Pukei had a bronze aura, meaning he had to check one of the other monsters to figure out what was going on, not to mention the fact that it spotted him and lobbed a bit of poison in his general direction. Since he didn't want to use a wing or tail to stop it, as such a thing would hurt him, Grogar used a bit of magic and summoned a barrier in front of him, stopping the poison from hitting him or Ava, though once the poison was taken care of he leapt into the air and altered his form, adding Odogaron legs and the backside of a Radobaan, complete with short bones. Such a thing stunned his foe as he spun around like a wheel not a few seconds later and hit the Pukei-Pukei in the face, before he forced himself away and rolled around the area a little, leaving small indents where his small bones touched, allowing him to put some distance between them so he could see what the monster did next, as the attack had stunned it for a few moments.
While he waited to see what the Pukei-Pukei did he found some red skinned figures, small like the Felynes he was familiar with, emerging from a small passage in the side of the area, wearing odd red masks and wearing some sort of attire, like a war brand he guessed, especially since they had obsidian tools, who fled after looking at him. Part of him wanted to learn more about the new species of Felyne, as they weren't any of the clans he had seen so far, but his focus was on the foe in front of him as it rushed at him, causing him to use the power of his Odogaron legs to leap into the air and avoid it, like he had seen the bloody monster do when it fought other monsters. Such a thing reminded him of something as he turned in the air, touched the side of the stone wall he had leapt towards, and propelled himself back into the battle, where he spun around once more and stuck the backside of the Pukei-Pukei before it had a chance to do anything. In the next moment he forced himself backwards and altered his hands into Rathalos claws, causing the monster to pause for a second, which was the point, to confuse his opponent as he gathered another aspect of a monster's power inside him, causing him to loose a large fireball downwards, blasting the Pukei-Pukei into some of the thick vines that were nearby.
Such a thing confirmed one thing for him, this monster was stronger than those he had run into when he first arrived in the New World, meaning that each region had to be larger than they assumed and that the stronger monsters were now taking control of each area, even invading other regions for some reason. Part of his reasoning came from the fact that the Pukei-Pukei, despite taking that fireball to the face, especially since it was something a Rathalos could use, it shrugged off the attack and continued attacking, even though he could see that it did a bit of damage to his foe. Of course he found that his foe tried to use it's tongue to knock him backwards, as he had landed after launching the fireball, to which he took a moment to shift his stance as he used a Rathian wing to block the tongue, surprising the Pukei-Pukei as it stared at him and his altered body. In that moment he decided to try something else as he armored his body in the style of a Diablos, all the horns and hardened body, before diving into the ground like it was water, finding that while he was unable to see the area around him, as underground was dark, his hearing was vastly improved and explained many things to him, though in the following moments he surged upwards.
Ava watched as Grogar burst out of the ground, from below the Pukei-Pukei, and pushed the surprised monster up into the air, which surprised her since she didn't think his mimicked power could be this strong, despite what she saw earlier, before he turned around and smashed the monster into the ground, knocking it out in a matter of seconds.
"While that was exciting, it means we need to be careful," Grogar commented, where he summoned his magic and made a cradle of sorts for the downed Pukei-Pukei, so he could carry it back to Astera and keep it sleeping so the Researchers wouldn't have to be worried about it attacking them, before he glanced at Ava as he reverted to his base form, something he was still getting used to, "we have 'high rank' monsters to deal with, which are stronger than the ones we've fought since our fleet reached the New World."
Ava really had no idea what Grogar was talking about, as she only knew monsters by 'normal' monsters, like the Odogaron for example, and the Elder Dragons, like herself, but, at the same time, she had a feeling that he'd explain himself in due time, to which she nodded her head and returned to the camp so Sherry knew it was time to head home... and see what the Researchers and Shepard had to say about this discovery.