Chapter 2: The Luca Tournament

It was a big deal, going to Luca. Most of us Al Bhed rarely left the Home. It's not often that I got to go to such a big, grand city. Even though I loved Blitzball, I often had to settle for watching it on a movie sphere or watching the Psychs practice. I've only actually been to the tournament a few times in my life. As always, I looked around in amazement at how many people were there, how many hardcore fans. I saw people of all kinds–Ronso, Guado, Al Bhed, but mostly run-of-the-mill humans.

When we were getting off the ship, nearly everyone was crowding around one boat. We skirted the edge of the crowd to see what was going on. See, back in those days we Al Bhed tried to be inconspicuous, especially in big settings like this. There was no need for anybody to start a brawl because of what we are. So we tried to stay on the fringes and not talk to people. Anyway, the crowd had come to see Maester Mika descend from his ship. Maester Seymour was with him, and the two of them were giving a speech.

"Oh, I wish I could hear better what they're saying," I said to Father.

"Don't worry, tayn. We'll be seeing Maester Seymour soon enough. You can ask him then."

"We're going to see him?"

"Well, of course! I'm sure he's going to extend to us a greeting since he invited us."

It felt too good to be true. I mean, he's a Yevon priest! According to the teachings, just because we chose to use machina, he's supposed to have no dealings with us. Still, if he really did have good intentions toward us, it would be awesome to meet a Maester.

As we were heading to our seats, I first noticed that one of us were missing. "Where did Brother go?"

"Oh, he's going to be a little late." I didn't think much of this. I figured he went to the concession stand to get snacks for all of us. I always like watching Blitzball with a bag of Moogle Puffs.

It was just as we were finding our section that we crossed paths with Maester Seymour. He looked so impressive in person, wearing those blue robes. He didn't look quite as green as other Guados I've seen. In fact, at that moment, I thought he looked kinda handsome. That was way before I knew what kind of person he was, of course. I may have just been caught up in meeting someone famous.

"Cid!" the Maester said as he grasped my father's arm. "So good of you to have come." His voice wasn't really what I expected. It sounded soft and high pitched.

"Well, so good of you to invite us, Maester."

"Oh, it was the least I could do for a friend." He turned to me. "Is this your daughter?"

"Yes, this is Rikku."

I gave a short bow. "Pleased to meet you, Maester."

He bowed deeply to me. "Charmed, milady, charmed." I couldn't help but smile a little. No one had called me 'milady' before. He stood upright. "And where is your son?"

"Oh, I sent him on a little errand. He should be back to us shortly."

"I am looking forward to meeting him when he returns. Yet speaking of errands," he dropped his voice, "are the men ready?"

Father spoke softly as well. "Yes. I do have a small band of volunteers who all swear that they are ready to depart at a moment's notice."

"Excellent, because we are probably going to need them soon, perhaps as soon as tomorrow. It depends on when the Crusaders can procure the–"

"As long as you remember our agreement."

"Wonderful. I knew I could count on you, Cid." He then raised his voice back to a normal level as he performed the ceremonial bow for the Yevon prayer. "May Yevon bless you both."

I was amazed at him, that a Yevon priest would even think about blessing us outcasts. But Father raised his voice at him as Maester Seymour walked away. "Hey Priest! Save your blessings for the battlefield, eh? I want those men back alive. I need them for my own plans."

Seymour turned his head. "I assure you, Maester Kinoc and I will do all within our power to keep casualties to a minimum." He then went on his way.

Casualties? Battlefield? Maester Kinoc? What's going on here? I looked at Father, hoping for some explanation, but all he said was, "Come on, tayn we're missing the game."

Yet as we got in our seats, the game hadn't even started yet. Maester Mika was giving a speech, and they were just filling the Blitzball sphere with water. One of the sportscasters announced, "Our first game today will be the Besaid Aurochs versus the Al Bhed Psychs!"

"The Psychs?!" I cried. "But the Aurochs always play the Goers first!"

"Maybe a little change in tradition might give them a bit more luck."

"Brother's not going to want to miss the Psychs' game. You want me to go find him?"

"NO!" Father then straightened his composure and cleared his throat. "It will be alright, tayn. Your brother will be back with us soon. He's not missing the game."

That's when I understood. Brother hadn't gone to the concession stand. Father sent him on a mission. Maybe he was seeking for information about who the summoners are. Maybe he was somewhere else in the stadium. Whatever was going on, I knew I couldn't ask Father about it. Though I did make a mental note to ask Brother about it later.

I changed the subject. "I really don't like that the Aurochs are playing against the Psychs. I won't know who to cheer for."

"Well, that's easy. Cheer for the Psychs."

"But Father–"

"Let's not fool ourselves, Rikku. If you, as the daughter of the leader of the Al Bhed, cheer for any other team besides the Psychs, it will look very odd to others in the stands with us. Besides, we both know that the Psychs are going to win. If you really have your heart set on the Aurochs winning this match, you will be sorely disappointed."

I sighed. "Yes, Father." But just when the Aurochs entered the stadium and I saw Wakka smiling and pumping his fist at the crowd, I couldn't help but cheer quietly.

It turned out that it didn't matter which team anyone was a fan of. This match was full of excitement. It was actually very close. Most of the game, we were tied. In the middle of the match, though, I got really worried. Wakka was hit hard by three Psych players at once, and it looked like he passed out. I cried out, "Oh no!" Father, however, sternly nodded, almost as though he had expected it.

With Wakka out of commission, I looked intently at the other players. It didn't look like there was a change. I didn't see Tidus anywhere. I wondered, since he was starting out, if Wakka just made him one of the two reserves. But if that was true, why wasn't he taking over for Wakka? He probably could. I started to suspect the worse. Maybe Sin did kill him.

Quite suddenly, at the end of the match, however, Wakka revived. He got possession of the ball, rushed to the Psychs' goal, and made a shot. It was good, right a buzzer. The Aurochs finally won a game. I stood up and screamed. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! THEY WON! THEY FINALLY WON!" Then, I noticed other fans stared at me. "Um, and the Psychs lost. Unbelievable! How can anybody beat the Psychs, especially the Aurochs?" I sat down. Father looked very disappointed. He had his head buried in his hands. "Are you alright, Father?"

He looked up. "It was a good game. I'm glad it made you happy, 'tayn.'" Obviously, he was not thinking about the game.

The announcer said, "Ladies and gentlemen, there will be a fifteen minute break before Round 2: The Besaid Aurochs versus the Luca Goers."

"What I miss?" I looked and saw Brother sitting next to me.

"BROTHER!" I gave him a hug. "Oh, you didn't miss much, just the best game in all of Blitzball history!" Brother groaned. "Oh yeah, the Aurochs just beat the Psychs."

Father gave Brother a stern look when I said that, and Brother looked away. "Yes, I heard. Incredible."

"Now, they're going to play against the Goers. Maybe they can finally put them in their place, now that the Aurochs have a victory."

"So, did you see your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend! And no, I haven't seen him. I hope he's alright."

Brother gave me a look as though he wanted to tell me something, but he didn't say anything.

"Oh, and Father and I met Maester Seymour Guado! That was pretty cool, though it was kinda weird. I'm going to have to tell you about that."

"I'm not surprised. He's Guado, after all."

"He's only half Guado."

"Well, the other half isn't Al Bhed. He's still a black circle."

"Brother, don't say that. He's a Maester!"

"And a Yevon priest, who hates us."

"I don't think he does hate us, Brother. That's the weird part."

Then we heard the announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Besaid Aurochs!" I looked as the team took the field and gasped.

"LOOK! THERE HE IS!"

I pointed to the player leading the rest of the team to the field. It was Tidus.

"That's the young man you rescued?" Father asked.

"Yep, that's him! I'm sure of it!"

"Well, good! Now we know Sin didn't get him!"

"Where's Wakka?" Brother asked.

I knew he asked just to annoy me, not because he was interested. But I looked down, and I didn't see Wakka anywhere. "Hey, where is he?"

"He must still be hurt from that injury from last game," Father said.

"Oh yeah. But he played through it. He was well enough to score the winning goal."

"Well, let's see if after two encounters with Sin this new guy can still remember to play Blitzball."

Tidus was amazing. He maneuvered very quickly through the water and made some great shots. Once, he even scored. His only problem was defense. He made some rather weak tackles. His endurance could also stand to be higher. And I kinda wish some of the weaker shooters had the sense to pass to him more often. Still I cheered very loudly for them, and Father allowed it this time. We all disliked the Goers.

After halftime, the Goers were ahead by a point. Tidus got the ball and made it to the goal. Three of the Goers blocked the way to the goal. It didn't look good. I knew they were going to pounce on him.

"Looks like he's going to shoot," Brother said. "He'll never make it."

Tidus shot the ball, but it didn't hit the goal. It hit the head of one of the Goers blocking him. It ricocheted off of him, and Tidus shot again harder. The ball hit the next Goer. It came back to Tidus, and he shot again. It hit the last Goer. Then, Tidus spin swiftly around and around and around and kicked the ball extra, extra hard toward the goal.

"Whoa!" I said. "Did you see that tech? That was amazing!"

"Is fluke," Brother muttered.

"No, that was genius!"

"Is no good," Father said.

I looked back to the field and saw the catcher throw the ball back in. "He didn't make the shot?! Come on!"

"See? Is fluke," Brother said. "He couldn't possibly have meant to make that shot."

"No, I think it goes to show that a bunch of flash don't mean nothing," Father said. "He had that shot carefully planned, but if it doesn't make the goal, it's all worthless." He gave Brother another look, and Brother looked down. What was going on?

"What is it you always like to say, Pop? 'Risk big, win big?'" Father only grumbled, so I decided to change the subject. "If only Wakka was still out here," I said. "If they played side by side, we'd have game in the bag." The more I thought about it, the more I thought that Wakka should be out here. He had enough time to rest. So I stood up. "HEY! BRING BACK WAKKA!" Some spectators stared at me, but soon others were applauding me, and they started chanting Wakka's name. Tidus suddenly stopped playing and stared all around him. Then, he started swimming out of the sphere. "HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? COME BACK!"

"I thought you want Wakka," Brother jeered.

"No, I want them to play side by side."

"Looks like you have to choose."

Moments later, Wakka swam back to the field. All the Aurochs' fans cheered, but I was upset because Tidus wasn't with him. Wakka made some great plays, but it was too little too late. The Aurochs couldn't catch up to the Goers.

"I can't believe it. After all that, we lost again."

Brother nodded sadly. "Always next year."

I thought, he was right. If Tidus kept getting better, he could be unstoppable. Maybe he'll pick up some more techs, and maybe he could play with Wakka. Then the Aurochs could finally have the victory they deserve.

Suddenly, we heard screams everywhere. I looked up and saw a great number of underwater fiends in the Blitzball sphere. Only Wakka and Tidus were in there. Tidus drew his sword, though it was a different sword than the one I saw. It was long and blue and glittery. He fought them rather easily. Wakka could also fight the fiends, using his Blitzball as a weapon. I had no idea he could fight like that. They got rid of them all. I breathed a sigh of relief, but people were still screaming. Now there were fiends in the stands!

"Where are all these fiends coming from?" I asked.

"I don't know, tayn," Father said. "Let's get out of here."

"Father, look!" Brother cried. He pointed to the opposite side of the stadium. I had to get out my oscillating eyeware to see clearly where he was pointing. It was a very tall man with dark hair. He wore a red cloak with a high collar that obscured his face. He held his left arm funny, as though it was broken. But in his right hand, he carried the biggest sword I had ever seen. "CEN AURON!"

"That's Sir Auron?" I asked.

Father grabbed his oscillating eyeware and looked where Brother was pointing. "Looks kinda like him, but it's impossible. No one's seen him in ten years, not since Rin treated that wound."

"Perhaps he is fiend?" Brother suggested.

"Could be."

A couple of really tough fiends came toward Auron, but he struck them both with that huge sword. In a blink of an eye, the fiends were nothing more than pyreflies.

"Leaping chocobos, it is Auron!" Father yelled.

I don't know if anyone else in the stands saw him. I'm sure if they did, they would have felt encouraged. But I was terrified. In fact, I was more scared of him than I was of the fiends. Auron was known around Spira as the greatest guardian in history, the guardian of High Summoner Braska. But Father told Brother and me a story about Auron that no one else knew.

"Sister, do you see that?" Brother pointed again. Auron was now fighting a flying fiend, and fighting next to him were Tidus and Wakka. "They're on his side."

"No!" I cried. "It can't be!"

"Look out!" Father pointed to fiend heading toward us! I pulled out my targe and claw and prepared to fight. But then, Maester Seymour stood, lifted a summoning staff, and performed a summoning. An anchor fell out of the sky and pulled out of the ground a huge beast wrapped and chained. Whenever the beast opened its eyes and groaned, all the fiends disappeared, including the one that was about to attack us.

"Was that . . . an aeon?" I asked as I caught my breath.

"That's right," Brother answered.

I couldn't remember when I last saw an aeon. I think I saw one summoned when Sin was here before, but I was only five then. "So, Maester Seymour is a summoner?"

"Yeah, but he's not going on a pilgrimage," Father answered. "He told me so himself. Well, we better take this opportunity to make a break for it. Come on."

Again, on the way out, we met Maester Seymour. "Maester, thank you for taking care of the fiends," Father told him. "I was thinking we'd have to we destroy the stadium and all the fiends with it!"

The maester laughed. "Destroy the stadium? You always are so extreme, Cid." But then his face turned serious. "I have been meaning to ask you something. I've heard a rumor that during the first match, there was an incident involving Lady Yuna. It was my understanding that the Al Bhed were involved. Do you know anything about this?"

Father's face also turned stern. "I am neither confirming nor denying that."

Maester Seymour nodded coldly. "I see. Very well. I think I understand your intentions, Cid, but I have intentions of my own. If you must take her into your custody, I only ask that you do her no harm."

"Oh, I have no intention of doing that."

"That is good to hear. It would be helpful after you are done with her if you turned her over to me."

"I can make no promises."

"Oh." Maester Seymour only nodded. "So, that is where we stand."

"The only place I stand is in Lady Yuna's safety!"

"Well, I can assure you, Cid, I will keep her very safe."

"I don't believe that for a second. You'll still send her off after Sin."

"True, but we will go together."

"Why? You think that aeon of yours will defeat Sin? Like I was telling my son, a lot of flash don't mean nothing if it doesn't make the goal!"

Maester Seymour glanced at Brother for a moment, but then he looked back to Father. "Of course. Everyone knows that only the Final Aeon can defeat Sin. Anima is a very rare aeon, but it does not have the power of the Final Aeon because it does not represent the deep bond between the summoner and another. What I am saying is I am willing to be the Lord Zaon to Lady Yunalesca."

"NO DEAL! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Maester Seymour raised his eyebrows. Pop did not look apologetic at all. Both of his fists were clenched. I held Father's arm. "He didn't mean it, Maester. He's just under a lot of stress."

"It's quite alright, Miss Rikku," he replied with a nod. "Good day to you." He turned around and left.

Father started walking out quickly. Brother looked just about confused as I did. We were just doing our best to keep up. We finally caught up to him outside the stadium. "Father?" we both asked.

But Father turned around and looked at Brother. "Son, I believe it's about time you told me what happened."

Brother sighed and looked down. "She got away."

"THAT WAS THE ONE THING I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO! I TOLD YOU NOT TO LET HER GET AWAY!"

"I know, Father! I was doing my best, turning out all the machina I could!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Brother turned around. "Can't I tell her? Since it's already over?"

"I suppose," Father said.

Brother looked back at me. "Father wanted me to take Lady Yuna. I was working with the two reserves from the Psychs. They put out an ultimatum that they wouldn't return her unless the first team would forfeit the game."

"The first team? The Aurochs? Why would they make an ultimatum if they were playing the Aurochs?" I asked.

"Well, they thought they were playing the Goers first. I don't know where the mixup happened."

"Ultimatum or not, how could you let her get away?" Father yelled again.

"There were two things working against us. One–she's already well connected with her aeons. We defeated Valefor pretty easily, but then she called Ifrit, and he knocked both the reserve players out."

"Wait!" I said. "She's a summoner?"

"That's right."

I turned to Father. "Why didn't you want me to go, Father?"

"Because I knew you felt down, and I was sure the Blitzball game would cheer you up," he answered.

"Not as much as it would to keep a summoner safe!"

"Don't worry, tayn, you will soon get your chance."

"It was actually better that you didn't come along, Sister," Brother said.

"Why do you say that?" I said angrily to him. "Do you think I'm not strong enough? Do you think I'm scared?"

"No. It's because of the other thing–her guardians. There were three that came after us, and they were very powerful. One of them was a Ronso. One of them was a black mage. And the other one was . . . the young man we found at Baaj."

I was shocked. "Tidus? He's a guardian now?" That was really hard to take. I was worried before that my negligence, leaving Tidus open to Sin, would kill him. This was actually worse. He was now my enemy.

I guess Brother felt a little bit of the same dilemma. He said to me alone as we were getting on the ship. "Don't tell Father, but there is something about Lady Yuna he didn't mention."

"What's that?"

Brother sighed. "She's beautiful. You should have seen her eyes, like two jewels! They are the prettiest non-Al Bhed eyes I've ever seen."

I laughed and punched his arm playfully. "So, you have a girlfriend!"

"Wait, I didn't say–"

"Well, that's all the more reason we gotta save her. Then, maybe you could ask her out!" I wonder how much Father did tell him about Yuna. If he knew all the details, he wouldn't be getting such ideas.