The crowd's cheers still echoed as both of you made your way to the end of the parade, Niu animatedly guiding the suit. The performance had been their most successful yet.
Staff have to stop your antics, and marvel at your vigor. "Brilliant work out there! You are extra hyper today, do something good happen?" oblivious to Niu's true influence on the mascot suit.
As Niu walked to the dressing room and dragged you along, Niu regaled tales of guardianship. "While Elder Brother Shu thinks, Niu acts! These arms kept siblings safe through anything." he boomed proudly, flexing the suit's flabby arms for emphasis despite their inaccuracy.
As Niu recounted guarding his siblings, you found parallels in his own role protecting family. Where Niu spoke with wistful affection, memories of happier times comforting worried loved ones arose unbidden.
Niu's tales painted an image of a steadfast guardian giving all to shield the helpless - a calling you knew well. Though circumstances differed, the spirit's joy in keeping others safe resonated deep in your resolute heart.
Weariness crept through your body and spirit, dulling your concerns as Niu's booming voice wove an absorbing tapestry of brave deeds. You were happy to listen, soothed by visions of loved ones smiling thanks to the guardian at their side. You somehow forgot your situation amid Niu's enthusiasm.
As both of you entered the dressing room, the suit's reflection from the full-length mirror gave Niu a pause. You watched him working on the poses that reminded you of weightlifters and bodybuilders, only to find the lack of definition in his generous padding laughable.
You heard Niu sigh sadly, a sorrow out of place for Niu's joyous spirit. "This form served fun, nothing more, could not shelter the helpless as I once did. We must become more, stronger, bigger to shield the young from harm," he rumbled wistfully.
His words gnawed at your heart, reminding you of your day and night training, not only to achieve in sports but also to help your family. Hearing the protection of others as Niu's aim, you automatically agreed, didn't realize the hidden meaning of Niu's words.
Niu interpreted this as agreement, his words brimming with joy and thrill. "That's the spirit, together we will protect the innocent, fight evil, and inspire awe!"
"We?" Before doubts arose, energy suffused the suit once more. Instinct told you to resist, but you could do nothing actually.
The ox-like mascot suit starts to upgrade, subtle changes rippled outward from the suit's core, its cartoonish appearance slowly transforming into a more realistic one. First of all, the suit’s fur becomes more detailed and lifelike, and wheat and gold become coarser and messier, like the hide of a mighty ox.
When the transformation begins, you feel a strange sensation wash over you, as if your body is being remade. The suit's fur becomes more detailed and lifelike, and you can feel the fur as if it were your own hair, feeling like each hair is sprouting out of the skin underneath.