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Disclaimer: I do not own ffx/ ffx-2 or the characters in them.
Chapter 9: Revelation
In a sudden plight of anxious dread, Tidus burst from the café entrance like greased lightning. His panic-stricken eyes scanned his surroundings frenziedly as his heart pounded mercilessly in his chest. To his complete and utter despair, there was no sign of the elusive summoner.
Luca had quieted somewhat now that the tournament was underway; everyone was either up at the stadium or indoors watching the Aurochs clash against the Al Bhed Psyches on their sphere screens. This made no difference to finding Yuna however; Tidus didn't know Luca well at all, so finding her would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. He ran his fingers through his flaxen locks, cursing under his breath abysmally. This was worse than a dilemma, it was a catastrophe: what were the others going to say?…
Slow pounding footsteps behind him, suddenly alerted the blitzer to Kimahri's presence. The ronso had left his assailant Biran, to deal with the other, Yenke: who at this point in time was led completely unconscious on the café floor amongst a sea of shattered china. Kimahri too, probed their whereabouts; his emotions however were much less vocal than Tidus'. The ronso's feline stare passed silently over every person, every object in their path: still Yuna evaded his eyes. His fear was veiled, unlike Tidus': which was only increased ten-fold when he clapped eyes on an infuriated Lulu coming their way.
The mage marched toward them, looking akin to an enraged schoolteacher: her face twisted with an unconfined rage.
"Where in Spira have you been?" she interrogated with an admonishing stare.
"Huh?" The blitzer flapped his lips in a complete daze, like a whimpering child; no words could escape his mouth as he stared at her as her hands were glued firmly to her hips.
"Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches!" she explained bitterly "In exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose."
"What?" the blitzer blurted out in disbelief, shaking the dizziness from his head. It sounded so ridiculous, what on earth were the Al Bhed playing at?
"If they're only blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic." Lulu replied with a firm nod, her anger subsiding momentarily. "But we shouldn't take chances. Let's go get her." She motioned to the ronso, who began to follow her away slowly.
Tidus made chase in a sudden burst of hardihood, stamping his foot firmly on the ground, "I'm going too!" He did after all feel partly to blame for Yuna being taken… "This will be no problem!" the blonde added confidently. "They're telling the Aurochs to throw the game, as if they needed to! I mean, how good a team can they be?"
Lulu stopped in her tracks abruptly and stared back at him with a sceptical eye. She heavily doubted that the blitzer would be of any use to her and Kimahri: and besides his place was up at the stadium, where he was meant to be waiting for the next match. If the rescue mission took longer than anticipated then Tidus would miss the whole tournament, and therefore break his promise of winning the cup to Wakka. But on the other hand, his sudden bout of dedication towards the summoner was strangely convincing, it even verged on the potency of a guardian's role; and Lulu noticed this. Maybe he could help them after all…
"Wakka said the same thing." She retorted with a compromising glint in her eyes "He'll take care of the game. We should go get Yuna. The Al Bhed boat is in dock four. Let's go!" The mage didn't wish to dwell on why Tidus was so willing to help any longer.
Together, the three of them rushed back through the town centre and across the bridge road, which now only supported a few stragglers. Tidus ignored the questionable glances he received from the townsfolk; blitzers weren't meant to be wandering about around town when the matches were being held. He indeed raised a few eyebrows. Unbeknown to him however, rumours were already circulating about a player that claimed to come from Zanarkand of all places. Being in his unusual garb, it hadn't taken long for the whole of Luca to single Tidus out. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he was causing a shed load of controversy throughout the town.
Yet, as the trio passed through the empty streets, now drained completely of life and vitality: Tidus realised the extent of love Spirans really had for blitzball. The entire place was an astonishingly stark contrast to before, when it was bustling with life. As his azure eyes dotted the skyline, scanning the forlorn flags that moved despondently in the wind, he could see just how drastically and quickly everything had shifted. Blitzball really must've been they're only source of fun: it was just as Yuna said.
Yuna.
No sooner had her name entered his head, the summoner took restraint of his thoughts. He could recall the soothing sweet tone of her voice: the innocent shyness that came over her if her glance ever met his at the same moment. What on earth did the Al Bhed want with her? The thoughts of blitzball went colliding to the back of his mind, all he could think about was retrieving her, and safely, too. Of course, she wasn't in that much jeopardy, he was sure of it; but he couldn't stop…worrying. He wondered why he was so bothered all of a sudden…was it really 'all of a sudden?'
The blitzer shook his head in frustration, ridding himself of the notions, as he followed Lulu and the ronso closer and closer to the dock area: his abstruse thoughts confused him at the best of times.
The familiar junction appeared before them shortly, the one that led up to the stadium entrance with the locker rooms located at the top of the stairs.
"This way!" Lulu veered off in the direction of dock five, a shortcut was on the cards; they'd stop the Al Bhed in no time.
Kimahri rushed after her along with Tidus; the blitzer's heart sank immediately when he perceived the tall pile of cargo crates thwarting their path onwards.
"What is this?" Tidus screeched in annoyance, scanning the crates' haphazard formation.
"Must be the Al Bhed's doing." Lulu replied, slightly perturbed. "Let's go the other way!" she turned heel with the ever silent Kimahri and hurried over in the direction of dock one. The three of them would have to run all the way around past docks one, two and three to get to four, now.
"Damn it!" Tidus bellowed, letting fly a brutal kick to the nearest crate. He darted off after the guardians quickly, just as they reached dock number two.
Tidus saw the emblazoned number two forged in the shining marble floor before him as he reached Kimahri and Lulu's position. Strangely, the two of them had stopped suddenly, and were staring straight ahead in what seemed to be tense expectation.
The blitzer only realised just what they were doing when he got closer. Crouched a few metres away, were the strangest little contraptions he'd ever seen. There were two in total, coloured a dull blue. To Tidus' unqualified eyes they looked like little robots, both armed with a single razor-sharp blade on one arm. Whatever they were, they scared the living daylights out of the people round and about, even the guards aligned at the bottom of the dock were backing away from them cautiously.
Suddenly as if by magic, the strange devices sprung to live with a loud mechanical whirr. Both of them raised their tiny robotic head, and began to chug up and down on the spot. There was a surprising menacing air about them; something that didn't take the blitzer's fancy.
"Whoa! What are they?" he cried, observing them with a prudent interest.
"Ancient machina salvaged by the Al Bhed." Lulu answered casually, as she tidied her long asymmetrical fringe with her purple fingernails.
Kimahri unveiled his long shafted spear with a disgruntled growl as the machina advanced upon them slowly. Tidus watched in horror as one of the tiny things lunged for the ronso suddenly, trying its best to stab its blade into his muscular blue leg. Kimahri retaliated with a ferocious strike down upon the blue metal skull. The contraption reeled instantly and began staggering backwards with sparks flying from its head chamber.
Tidus noticed a small smirk pass over the mage's face, as she perceived the malfunction "They're mostly vulnerable to lightning." She said, opening her clasped palms.
The blitzer recoiled; he knew what that meant instantly. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end as he recalled with restrained fondness, what happened last time he witnessed Lulu's thunder spell.
In a flash of uncharacteristic delight, the mage raised her right arm to the heavens. As she cast it down, an immense bolt of snapping blue lightning emerged out of nowhere: crashing down on the malfunctioning machina's head. Instantly, the contraption blew into a thousand pieces in a colossal cloud of black smoke, littering the ground with multiple shards of steaming scrap metal. Tidus shuddered; Lulu's powers were unbelievable at times…
Yet there was still one more machina to deal with, and this one was fully operational. Tidus unsheathed the Brotherhood and gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to lay down some hurt, there was a scream of agony beside him.
He spun round just in time to see another machina drawing its blade from Lulu's leg. A third device had sneaked up behind while they were occupied, it was gonna pay big time for that nasty trick. He swung his tremendous blade down upon the sword arm of the machina, completely severing the metallic limb. The contraption buckled, and fell onto its back; sparks spewed from its open joint as it struggled to get back to its feet once more.
Lulu, by this point wasn't faring well at all. Her leg had taken the blow badly and the profuse bleeding would not stop. Realising her predicament, Tidus fumbled in his pocket for something, anything to help her…although he didn't know what. Before he could uncover anything, Kimahri was there to help. The ronso placed his strong hand in his own garb and revealed a small blue vial that contained a strange viscous liquid. Without hesitating, Kimahri threw the vial towards the mage. Instead of letting her catch it, the small bottle burst in mid air before reaching her. The contents zipped quickly to the mage and completely surrounded her in a glittering green shine.
In an instant the cloudy hue about her disappeared, as did the wound on her leg. Tidus slapped himself upside the head: healing potions, of course!
Putting the small dilemma behind them, they aimed their focus back onto the enemy. Tidus immediately turned on the fallen machina that attacked the mage letting the Brotherhood slam down on the machina's neck, completely decapitating the bizarre contraption and thus starving its body of an energy supply. Kimahri in the meantime had grander plans. The ronso backed up slowly, before running at full speed towards the remaining device. When he was within mere inches of reaching it, he sprang alarmingly high into the air. With a tremendous burst of strength, he powered down onto the machina, allowing his spear to drive in a vertical fashion, all the way down through its body. The machina, completely impaled, fell to pieces instantly under the sheer force of the attack no sooner had Kimahri's feet landed safely on the ground.
With a sigh of relief, the fight was over and the trio was left surrounded by the shattered and charred remains of their assailants. But it wasn't long before something else caught their attention, delaying them still from rescuing the summoner.
The sphere screen: it hung proudly above them displaying immediate coverage of the Aurochs match. The three of them found themselves lingering to watch it momentarily, just to perceive how Wakka was coping.
As the speakers blared, they could see that the Psyches had already scored two goals against the Aurochs. Somehow, Wakka and the guys had fought back valiantly and scored two also. It was neck and neck between them already, and the uncompromising struggle for victory had begun. Little did the spectators know that a summoner's safety hung in the balance.
Bobba: "The Aurochs are keeping the score tied with some excellent defence folks!"
Tidus watched in anticipation as Wakka took possession of the ball from Letty, only to end up in a tangled mass of Al Bhed players. Three struck at him at once, all at the same time: something that was a drastic bending of the rules.
"Those guys suck!" Tidus jeered aloud, as one delivered a stonking blow to Wakka's stomach. The whole crowd cried in empathy on the impact. It was truly brutal.
Bobba: "Ow! He'll feel that one in the morning!"
Jimma: "But the referee doesn't call the foul! Wakka's taking a real beating out there."
Immediately the redhead loosed his grip on the ball, letting the Psyches claim it. He floated aimlessly in the centre of the sphere pool like a piece of driftwood as the poisonous venom from the attack blasted its way excruciatingly through his veins.
"Still in there!" Tidus exclaimed, perceiving the agony of his comrade. Someone of Wakka's build could get over a venom tackle easily.
"He won't last." Lulu sighed, bringing her hand to her shaking head "Wakka's always like that."
"Ouch!" Tidus said, recoiling.
"Let's go!" the mage stated, turning away from the screen somewhat haughtily.
Dock four awaited and they reached it just in time. The metallic Al Bhed ship was preparing to depart and had already begun sailing slowly away from the harbour.
"Quick!"
They leapt on board just in time, before the boat could slip out of their reach. Anticipating another attack, Tidus and Kimahri held their itching weapons ready. The interior door slowly zipped open as they stood their ground.
An alleviated sigh of relief escaped their lips in unison, as they perceived the being in the doorway: Yuna. She stepped out coyly, as an Al Bhed man slipped down the doorframe, completely out cold. Heaven knows what she'd done to him!
Sensing she'd come to no harm, the mage rushed over to her "I hope you hurt them." She said, smoothing her pale hand over the summoner's soft hair.
"A little." Yuna breathed with a beguiling smile as her glittering gaze passed over the unconscious man in the doorway. Yet at that moment, Tidus was the one that caught her eye. He was peering down into the interior inquisitively: as a matter of fact he was staring at the whole ship inquisitively.
Satisfied that Yuna was okay, Tidus had let his eyes wander to his surroundings, making him realise something he hadn't noticed before now. This ship, it seemed completely identical to the one he'd been on….
Yuna stared at him mildly concerned; his behaviour was strangely over-curious even for him. "What is it?" she inquired.
"There were these Al Bhed that saved my life when I first came to Spira." The blitzer explained "They took me on their ship, even gave me food. I was kinda hoping that this the same ship. But it's not." He concluded ruefully. "I wonder if they're all gone…"
"What happened?" Yuna asked; her unusual grave stare probed his features solemnly.
"Sin came up near us." He said "I made it out okay, but I don't know what happened to their ship."
The summoner hesitated for a while, as a thought pestered her intrinsically. "Um, was there anyone called Cid on that ship?" her voice was somewhat weak, this person sounded almost dear to her…
"I don't know." Tidus replied, narrowing his eyes with an instinctive honesty "They were all speaking that that Al Bhed language."
Yuna's head dipped glumly "I see…"
"So, who's Cid?" the blitzer asked casually, as he sprang up to sit on the side rails.
Yuna looked to him, a deep mysterious glint shone in her eyes despite the fact her face manifested a perpetual sweet sadness "He's my uncle, but I've never actually met him."
"Oh." Tidus nodded understandingly, stuffing his elbows on his knees so he could lean on his hands. That was, until it clicked. "Wait! So that means you're Al Bhed, too, Yuna?"
"On my mother's side, yes." She replied earnestly "Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married… But she told me to seek him out, if I ever needed help."
"You're worried he was…?" Tidus rubbed his chin; he got the feeling he was opening up old wounds that were meant to be healed...
"Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage." Lulu interrupted with a sudden vehemence. "The thing about Wakka -- he never had much love for the Al Bhed."
"Whoa!" Tidus sprung from the bars like he'd just had an electric shock "I gotta tell Wakka!" He exclaimed, running about in a panic like some kind of headless chicken.
"I thought I just told you not to tell Wakka!" the mage scolded.
Yuna cracked on immediately, that's not what he meant "The game!" she cried turning to Lulu.
"Oh!" The mage gasped, she'd almost forgot about it, too. Wakka didn't know that Yuna was safe, she had to alert him; otherwise he couldn't win the match! Hurriedly, she threw her arm up into the air releasing a blinding ball of fluorescent blue light. It shot to the upper limits of the sky, making itself visible for miles around, even visible to those in the sphere pool.
Wakka saw the orb glinting in the corner of his eye; he was still suffering badly from the attack earlier. Gritting his teeth and bearing the pain, he signalled to the Aurochs. They knew what the deal was. Swimming to his aid, they took on a full out attack formation. Yet, time was not on their side. Something drastic had to be done.
Bobba:" Thirty seconds left and the Aurochs are launching an all out offensive!"
Snatching the ball following a minor tussle, Letty took possession. He let fly his mid fielding speciality: a tremendously long pass, right to the other end of the sphere pool. The spectators watched on tenterhooks on the edge of their seats as the ball whizzed through the water. In an amazing feat, Wakka grasped it just in time as one of the Psyches defenders charged for him. The redhead flipped over driving his heels in the players back for higher momentum. As the clock dribbled to five seconds left he hurled the ball with all his remaining strength towards the opposing goal. Everyone gasped breathlessly as it reached the limits of the triangle.
The goalkeeper swept of to the side with his arms outstretched…in the wrong direction, letting the ball blast into the sphere net triumphantly. The crowd went completely berserk in a cheer of elated joy, what a match the Aurochs had given them, and what a terrific win!
Bobba: "Unbelievable, the Aurochs win the match, three to two!"
The whole of Luca burst into rapturous applause, the Aurochs were back and fighting fit. Which couldn't be said for Wakka as he collapsed exhaustedly in a heap, his body floating wretchedly in the clear water.
Tidus and the gang had disembarked just in time, to see the Aurochs victory on the sphere screen and what a relief it was to see.
"We won!" the blitzer cheered in delight. He was completely thrilled that Wakka and the Aurochs had broken that vicious chain of loss, and without him, too.
"We did it!" Yuna joined in the festivity with a joyful laugh "We're in the finals!"
Lulu looked on darkly at the battered and bruised Wakka "Not the most…graceful win. If it was Chappu, he'd still be standing!"
"Hey!" Tidus cried turning to her in Wakka's defence "Aren't you being just a little unfair?"
"Excuse me?" she hissed venomously, the rage began to boil hotly within her veins.
"I know I could never take Chappu's place. You're the one who told Wakka that, right, Lulu?" the blonde said, forgetting all need for caution. "And I don't think Wakka would ever try to take Chappu's pl--" his words stopped abruptly when he realised they were leading him merrily on his way to a slow and painful death.
Lulu's wrathful glare pounced, stabbing into him with the force of a thousand poisonous daggers Tidus really had turned pro at pissing her off…but this time his mouth had let him stray too far… Her face twisted with embittered rage as her fingers curled out from her palms. Crackling sparks of electricity emanated violently from her fingertips, illuminating her pale face in an electric blue "You don't want to finish that sentence."
The threat was enough to make Tidus spring away, recoiling defensively with his hands before him. That small slip of the tongue had almost earned him a death wish…
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Wakka toppled down onto the locker room benches with a tiresome crash. The saturated Aurochs looked down over him in concern as he groaned in pain; the agonising ache still throbbed in his veins as the poison coursed through them.
"Sure you're all right, Cap'n?" Datto questioned anxiously, as he wiped the perspiration from his brow.
"The game starts in a few minutes." Letty added, introducing his own apprehension to the devastating spiral that was now escalating out of control within them. "You sure you're okay?"
Jassu sighed almost dropping to his knees in despair "We're playing the goers next, too."
Wakka reached over to his side and claimed the stray ball that lingered forsaken beside him. He flung it at the wall in a sudden fit of temper; the islanders had won, but he could not celebrate. The Aurochs dodged out of the way nervously as the ball ricocheted off the back wall and bounced to the floor.
Just as it rolled to meet the frame, the door swung open quickly. It was the person they were waiting for. Tidus flicked the ball up with his foot skilfully onto the palm of his hand
"Miss me?" he quizzed, beholding their relieved features as he tossed it back to Datto.
He made way in so others could enter. Namely Yuna, the one they'd been going crazy with worry about.
"Lady Yuna!" Keepa exclaimed, laying eyes on the summoner.
"Are you okay?" Letty cried in alarm.
"All this, because of me." Yuna murmured remorsefully, as her veiled eyes perceived the state of Wakka's torturing predicament. "I'm so sorry!" she cried with a bow.
"How can you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?" Wakka groaned, contorting his head so he could lay his tired eyes on her.
"Hey, let it go, all right?" Tidus intervened calmly in her defence; it wasn't her fault after all. It was his. He was the one that was meant to be watching her…well, him and Kimahri. But he sensed the ronso wasn't going to take the brunt of the blame, even though he was the guardian in this…
"Don't go near Al Bhed anymore, okay?" Wakka ranted "They're trouble."
Yuna smiled good-naturedly, she knew that Wakka wasn't mad. As a matter of fact in the ten years she'd known him she couldn't recall any time when Wakka had got mad at her. Lulu however, was more the opposite!
After bidding Tidus and the team, good fortune, Yuna and Kimahri ventured off to safer grounds. Somewhere quiet where the summoner could watch the game, and where Kimahri could watch her.
Tidus approached the islander as he lay there on the bench. Wakka strained to sit up with a groan of discomfort. "The game starts real soon. No time for warm ups." He said bowing his head under the burdensome weight of his fatigue. "Ready?"
"Lemme at 'em!" the blonde exclaimed cheerfully.
"All right." The redhead pushed himself onto his feet sluggishly. "I got something to tell you boys…"
The Aurochs stared at their captain in silent question.
"After this game…I'm retiring." He sighed "I promised myself this would be my last tournament. Win or lose, I'm quitting blitzball." A wry smirk passed over his face as he beheld his comrades and their sore grief. "But you know, since we're here we might as well win!"
The team cried a dignified "Yeah!" as Wakka's high spirit washed over their sorrow. But there was however, one minor problem. The boys glanced around at each other; it didn't take a rocket scientist to realise that they were one player too many.
"A-am I on the bench?" Botta murmured disheartened
Wakka shook his head firmly and paced over to the Zanarkand Abe. "I'm warming the bench. He's taking my place." The islander hands pressed down on Tidus' shoulders warmly. At that moment Tidus felt slightly overwhelmed with the amount of trust Wakka had for him; he was so honoured to receive responsibility of the Aurochs, the redhead's pride and joy.
"All right boys, let's win this one!" Wakka hollered, not giving the Aurochs chance to lament over his oncoming absence. "Let's make the Goers goners!"
The boys cheered as their three-minute call came through; they were due in the pool. After several bursts of vivacious cheer, and a quick pep talk from Wakka, the team departed to the pool door at the end of the corridor, leaving their captain behind to watch on the sphere screen.
"I saw you floating, there on the sphere." Lulu, who had been watching the Auroch's capers in the locker room quietly from the corner, made herself known.
"Hey, you weren't supposed to see that…" Wakka stated screwing his face up in a sheepish manner. He could only fight off the churning dizziness in his head for a short while before his body gave in to is powerful dominion.
Lulu caught him just in time as he toppled forward, verging on the unconscious. She steadied him as he quaked on the spot completely boneless. "You really gave it your all… didn't you…?" The mage whispered, holding her old friend firmly in her arms.
The pair of them watched the sphere screen in hope as the Aurochs and the Goers assembled near the sphere pool. Already Wakka could tell that Bickson, the redhead Goer junkie, was dying to pound the living daylights out of his team. The islander had every faith that Tidus would pull through for him…
Bobba: "This is it folks!
In just a few minutes the championship game!
But who could've imagined a championship game between these two teams!
Our legendary Luca Goers, going against…the horrendously ill-fated Besaid Aurochs!
Jimma: "This looks like history in the making Bobba!"
The audience went wild with rapture as the commentators waffled on about the 'fantastic' home team. The energy in the place was alive and completely buzzing with electricity. A sea of Goers flags billowed from the hands of the ecstatic spectators, all awaiting another victory for the undefeated Goers.
Yet not everyone was watching the game with thrilled jubilation. A solitary man advanced up the tall steps that led to the upper stands of the stadium. His thick wide boots, stained heavily from travel, scraped over the arid stone flooring with each striding step he took. A long broad sword swung by his side, its sharp blade edge sung as the fervent breeze passed by it. He observed the pool in silent apathy from behind the depths of his dark glasses. They perched half way down his nose, shielding the long grooved vertical scar on his face from the world.
The Aurochs and the Goers descended into the depths of the sphere pool, ready for action, coaxing an elated cheer from the indulging fans. Before taking his position in the cool water, Tidus was confronted by a Goer; Bickson no less.
In a surprising twist of character the Lucan offered his hand to the blonde. Accepting the gesture, Tidus was tricked into thinking that Bickson was decent after all. Just as the blonde's hand was millimetres away from his own, Bickson recoiled swiftly aiming a punch for the unsuspecting blitzer's shoulder. Tidus dodged the blow angrily, scolding himself for falling for such a petty trick. Bickson and his team laughed, snorting bubbles from their noses as Tidus fumed. The crowd went completely nuts with excitement as the flame haired Goer saluted mockingly to the Aurochs before taking his place in the pool.
Enraged, Tidus shot off to his place awaiting the blitzoff
With a brief ticking of the buzzer, the match began. The blitzball sped from its holding place from the centre of the pool; it wasn't Tidus' place to collect it, however. Letty and Graav, the Goers mid fielder, sped out and up to claim it. Stretching above the Auroch, Graav, the taller of the two, collected the ball with ease.
No sooner had he received it; he set his sights on the Aurochs' goal. Swiftly he sped through the driving water straight into the opposition's defending area. There was nothing Tidus could do, his role was to attack, not defend. He ignored the Goers defence girls, who were having a great deal of mischievous fun making eyes at him and swam off to aid his team.
By the time he reached them, Jassu was already confronting Graav. The Auroch swung round and delivered an astonishing venom tackle towards the ball-holder. Graav instantly reeled on the impact, releasing the ball in his pain. Jassu claimed it quickly and tossed it Botta at the other side.
Botta fumbled the ball nervously and tried his best to dart out of the way of the opposing strikes to claim his possession. Suddenly, Bickson appeared out of nowhere, thrashing down upon the Aurochs defender wildly in rampage of attacking blows. Botta couldn't stand the brute force of the attack for long and was quickly subdued into giving the ball up.
Bickson took it in his hand and raced voraciously like some kind of rabid dog to the Aurochs' goal, which contained a very anxious Keepa. Before anyone could hinder him, the flame haired Goer, smacked the ball with a tremendous kick and sent it hurling toward the goal-mouth.
The Aurochs gasped in disbelief when it ricocheted off the cross bar forcefully completely missing by miles. Tidus knew exactly what the Goer was doing, the 'advanced volley shot'. Once the ball had returned to Bickson, he could kick it again, but at triple the force: the blonde wasn't willing to let him get away with it.
Driving towards him at an alarming speed, Tidus obstructed the ball from returning and caught it skilfully in his gloved hands. It was time to finish off what he started in Zanarkand.
Using the momentum of the shot, the blonde catapulted himself from the sphere pool and into afternoon sky. The spectators gasped in silent awe as he flipped over, ready to shoot the ball down in his tremendous version of a sphere shot. The reaction in the sphere pool was much the same as outside, the players looked up like gaping fish in a tiny goldfish bowl.
In a fantastic display of effortless power, Tidus swung round and booted the ball with all his strength. It crashed down into the pool, soaring wildly for the Goers' goal. The opposing goalkeeper screamed in terror and darted out of the way as the missile blasted towards him ferociously. The ball crashed into the goal with a resounding boom, giving the Aurochs a triumphant head start and the Goers, a heart attack.
Tidus crashed back down into the water just in time to see the Goers scolding their goalkeeper. The Aurochs surrounded him triumphantly as the crowd went crazy with elation; this was turning out to be some tournament.
Half time came quicker than anticipated and despite their aggressive attempts, the Goers couldn't break through the Aurochs defences. Filled with excitement, the team celebrated, considering the prospect of actually winning. After taking instruction from Wakka, 'Get the ball and just shoot like crazy!'' the boys returned to the pool rejuvenated and ready to defend their honour.
Yet again, Graav was there to snatch the ball on the blitzoff. Datto flung himself towards the midfielder, clinging onto him like a limpet in a vain attempt to steal. Graav shrugged him off with ease and continued on his way, passing the ball back to Balgerda, one of the female defenders. She caught it gracefully, and commenced to tease Tidus with her batting lids from afar. The blonde ripped the ball from her grip and turned the tables quickly, speeding off toward the Goers goal.
The Luca team fell right into his trap, pursuing him instantly. Both girls caught up to him and barred his way along with Bickson, he had to get through all three of them at once.
Tidus smirked and tossed the ball up into the air, in a flash he punched it towards the unsuspecting Balgerda, knocking her for six. The ball bounced back and he whacked it again, this time for the other girl Doram. As the missile sped back to him, Tidus flipped over backwards and thrust it straight into Bickson's face, sending him flying in a tumbling collision course. The blonde drove fiercely with his legs and began spinning on the spot, faster and faster, creating a torrential whirlpool around him. So vicious it was the no one could even dare to approach him.
Tidus let swing the Jecht shot as his foot connected rapidly with the returning ball. It crashed directly into the opposing net with a terrific clang, leaving the whole of Luca stunned to almost silence. Coming to their senses the audience cheered joyously, they'd never witnessed anything like it in their lives. Tidus celebrated with the Aurochs briefly, before turning back to a dizzy Bickson. The blonde mimicked the salute back to him with a jeering grin, leaving the flame haired player with a dark face, enraged like thunder.
It wasn't long however, before the spectators seemed to grow restless amidst their cheer. The players in the pool ceased everything to hear the hullabaloo resounding outside. It almost sounded like they were chanting…"Wakka…"
The whole stadium erupted, standing up and screaming the name of the Aurochs' captain wildly. No one knew what to do, except Tidus. The blonde turned heel and swam out of the sphere pool, back to the locker rooms, leaving the commentators the question his unexplained exit.
There was a respectful silence as Tidus waved his island friend off, watching him depart for the pool; this was meant to be his victory…
"To be honest, I did kinda feel left out, but it really was the Aurochs' and Wakka's show, after all."
The stadium was pulsating in a fit of hysterics; no one knew what the hell was going on. That was until Wakka returned to the field. He received a standing ovation from the entire crowd, who were rapidly converging as Aurochs fans.
The game got underway once more, as Wakka took the Goers on a merry game of 'hunt the ball.' The Lucans couldn't claim it back in time to make a difference and by the end the Aurochs has thrashed them in an incredible 3-0 win.
Everyone was completely elated to see the Aurochs triumph, even the Goers fans. The people now knew no longer to doubt the might that was the Besaid Aurochs. Of course, the islanders owed it all to one person…
Tidus returned to the pool to reunite with his guardian comrade. Both teams had departed and Wakka was alone, floating face up with relief. He gave Tidus the thumbs up, his own manly way of saying thank you.
The two blitzers couldn't celebrate for long however, as a terrifying noise engulfed them nearly frightening them half to death. Screams of terror rang out loudly from the stands as a wild commotion ensued outside. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.
Tidus scanned the stadium through the watery mass around him. The people were fleeing the stands in their droves; charged with utmost terror. It was just like the massacre of Zanarkand all over again…
Fiends were everywhere, swarming the stadium in hungry packs. Dragon fiends armed with fire, wolf fiends, flying fiends: where on earth had they come from? The blitzer's heart sank; he didn't want to see another mass destruction again, not like Kilika.
Clutching the Brotherhood with vengeful wrath, he strove to depart from the watery abyss. But he and Wakka weren't alone either.
A swarming pack of Sahagins blasted towards them in a fit of voracious rage, the same fiend that pesterd Tidus in the watery ruins. The blitzers barely managed to dodge the perilous blows and snapping jaws, to escape with their skins intact.
They ran from he pool quickly as the sheer extent of the attack met their eyes. The Spirans fled for their lives in a fit of frenzied panic from the salivating jaws of the fiends that pursued them.
Yet there was one who was standing his ground amidst all the chaos, as the people fell about him in their hurry: the same solitary man with the dark glasses. His monstrous sword rang as he unsheathed its brutal mass. A Vouivre dragon fiend crawled out before him covered in thick brown leathery scales. It hissed aggressively, the molten sparks brewing from its mouth. The man didn't flinch in the slightest; he smirked more than anything at the fiend's empty threat. In an amazing display of pure skill, he hacked through the creature's neck in one foul swoop, completely decapitating it. The beast collapsed to the ground and disappeared in a cloud of swirling lights as the blitzer staggered to a startled halt before him.
"Auron!" Tidus cried, laying his stunned eyes on the man.
"Sir Auron!" Wakka followed, his cry almost overlapping the blonde's.
"So, you do know him!" Tidus exclaimed, looking to the islander.
"Yeah!" Wakka nodded in assurance "Best guardian there ever was!"
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Seymour observed the chaos from Mika's viewing box above with his molten silver eyes. He made the Yevon prayer suddenly, as a swarm of green lights surrounded him highlighting his pale complexion; he was summoning.
From out of nowhere, a thick chain of linked burnished metal shot down out of the sky. The floor in the stadium below transformed into a black crevasse as the links descended into its magical depths. The chain suddenly pulled taut as a heavy object attached to it from beneath the ground. Rising out of the depths of the abyss a gigantic creature emerged, pulled by the force of the chain, somewhat brutally.
It was a strange beast, restrained tightly within the serrated clasps of a half shell. It arms were chained in a cross formation harshly against its broad scaled chest, the only part of its body that had the ability of movement was its odd beehive-shaped head. It was Anima, the aeon of pain, of suffering. Its brutally suppressed appearance said it all.
Tears of blood ran from the creature's only visible eye as it veered its head back in pain. Searing bolts of white light shot from its gashed socket, aiming for the very fiends beneath its monstrous scale. The light ripped the fiends to shreds instantly as soon as they made contact with them. Spectators cowered under the hungry glare of attacking fiends only to see them pop into clouds of light as Anima granted them death. In a matter of seconds, all were destroyed, filling the stadium with a firework display of resplendent souls and leaving the Lucans to stare up at maester Seymour in wonder. They owed him their lives.
As the walking wounded departed thankfully from the stadium, Wakka did also. His intention was to find Yuna and the others. But before he could, he had to say a few goodbyes.
"You really leaving captain?" Datto asked quietly.
"Shouldn't you heal up first?" Jassu inqured, hoping Wakka would reconsider and stay just a while longer.
"Yuna needs me with her now." Wakka argued "I can't be lying around in some bed!"
"Yeah but-"
Wakka sighed indignantly" C'mon, look sharp, the blitz season just started! Don't make those faces, ya?"
The Aurochs stared in silence; it wasn't going to be the same without him around.
"Well, see ya, boys!" he departed for the stairs, leaving the Crystal cup in their hands. They watched him disappear off into the distance, quietly wondering what on earth they'd do without him….
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"Are you sure?" Yuna asked as the islander reached them on the upper bridge road.
"Never liked long goodbyes anyway." Wakka replied, dusting away his troubles. "Sorry to make you wait, Yuna. I had some promises to keep, ya? From now on, I'm your full-time guardian!"
"Then welcome back Sir Wakka!" the summoner cheered with a bow "It's good to have you with us!"
"Hey, it's good to be back, ya?" the islander said, patting her on the head softly. "So, any news on what happened?" he asked, addressing the others.
"No, not really." Lulu shrugged. "Maester Mika is safe and sound, thanks to maester Seymour. That's about it."
"Maester Seymour's aeon…" Yuna breathed, thinking back to her first sight of the beast "It was so powerful…"
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"Hey you, don't just stand there!" Tidus cried angrily, grabbing hold of Auron's high collar. "All of this is your fault! Getting swallowed by Sin, ending up here in Spira, not being able to go back to Zanarkand! Everything! Everything! I'm telling you, it's all you're fault!"
The enraged blitzer naturally expected some sort of explanation. He just didn't expect the reaction he got.
Auron was smirking. Tidus face dropped suddenly, as the warrior commenced to chuckle quietly to himself.
With a groan of perturbed grief, he loosed his clutches on the warrior. "Who are you, anyway?" he interrogated seriously. "You knew my old man, didn't you?"
"Yeah." Auron replied, calming down to his usual serious nature.
"And you also knew…Yuna's father?" the blitzer continued, not wanting to believe the inevitable.
"That's correct."
Tidus screwed his face up in bitter refusal. "Hey man, there's no way! That's just impossible!" he cried. How on earth could Auron know both Yuna's father and his? How the hell could he be in Spira and get to his Zanarkand?
"There's nothing impossible about it." The warrior stated gravely. "Jecht, Braska and I: together, we defeated Sin ten years ago. After that, I went to Zanarkand, where I could watch over you…so that one day, I could bring you to Spira."
The blitzer walked away from him, flailing in frustration "Why did it have to be me?" he snorted acerbically, his brows knitting together.
"Jecht asked me to."
Tidus stopped dead in his tracks. "Is he alive?" he breathed with wide eyes.
Auron suddenly looked to him with extensive gaze of solemnity, more so than usual. "It depends what you mean by alive."
The blitzer stared at him, completely stiff with conjecture.
"He is…no longer human." Auron continued. "But then, I felt something of Jecht, there in that shell, couldn't you? You must've felt him when you came in contact with Sin."
The ultimate blow was almost enough to knock Tidus off his feet. He staggered backwards breathlessly. The whole world seemed to cave in around him as the shocking revelation took hold of all his emotions. His mouth became dry as he lost all sense of words. "It can't be…" he managed to muster as the cleaving dejection restrained all movement of his body.
"It is. …Sin-is-Jecht."
Tidus' restraint shattered into a thousand pieces hearing those words "That's ridiculous, no way! I don't believe you!" he yelled in tortured refusal.
"But it is the truth." The warrior returned with utmost resolution. "You'll see for yourself. Come with me." He motioned for them to leave.
"And if I say no?" Tidus inquired numbly, looking the other way.
"Every story must have an ending."
"I don't care about your stories!" the blitzer blazed in aggravation, throwing his arms in the air.
"I see. Sorry you feel that way. Fine then." The warrior sighed darkly, walking away. "Come or don't come, it's your decision."
Tidus let out a frustrated scream, clutching his ears tightly as Auron's words antagonised him "You tell me it's my decision! But I don't have a choice, do I?" he screamed irrationally "You're the only one that can tell me what's going on here anyways! I have to go with you! I have to!" he exhaled in annoyance and leaned over onto his knees tiredly; this was too much emotional baggage for him to deal with.
"Irritating, I know…" Auron empathised coming up behind him "…or are you afraid?"
Tidus stiffened immediately, the familiar surging emotion came over him; Auron had read him like a book.
The warrior's hand laid briefly on the blitzer's shoulder from behind "It's all right." He said, showing an unusual comforting side to his character.
"Auron…" the blitzer murmured as the man's hand slipped away "Will I ever go home, back to Zanarkand?" the abysmal sorrow was now very evident in his voice.
"That's up to Jecht." The warrior claimed, wandering off "I'm going to offer my services to Yuna. Come."
Tidus' brows shot up to his hairline: Yuna, how could he forget about her role in all this? She was on a pilgrimage to…destroy Sin, to destroy his father… She knew Jecht better and more than he did himself, if she found out it would completely destroy her. But how could it be true? How on earth could Jecht become something like Sin, and why? Auron had never lied to him before, why would he start now?… Whether it was the truth or not, Tidus could sense there was still more than Auron wasn't sharing with him…
He followed the warrior glumly, the whole weight of the world rested upon his shoulders. The blitzer couldn't help feel partly to blame for this whole mess, and that's exactly what it was a 'mess'.
The pair advanced up a tall flight of stairs at the side of the main square, Tidus was too lost in his own thoughts to notice the going on around him. At the top they reached another bridge road, the blitzer quaked in hesitation seeing Yuna and her guardians there. There was nothing he could do to stop the fervent remorse pumping through his veins.
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"Do you think he's gonna stay here?" Wakka asked as the conversation quickly veered around to the blitzball whiz kid.
"Sir Auron knows him apparently." Lulu confirmed "You were right, he did meet someone he knew."
"Do you think he'll find a way back to Zanarkand?" Yuna inquired, sounding mildly concerned.
"In any case, I'll miss having him around." Wakka admitted, recalling the blitzer's usual cheery nature.
"He's still in town, isn't he?" the summoner asked placing a finger to her chin. "I think, I'll go see him-…Sir Auron?" she suddenly gasped in astonishment.
Advancing slowly towards her, was the same man she knew from ten years ago, he'd aged slightly and had shorted hair on top than she recalled; the glasses too were also an addition, along with the scar. All in all he was the same solemn man that fought valiantly for the good of her father's resolve. She held him in the highest of esteem.
"Yuna." He said as the blitzer lingered awkwardly behind him.
"Sir?" she seemed almost star-struck gazing up at his grave features.
"I wish to become your guardian, do you accept?"
The summoner choked silently in surprise. Sir Auron was as renowned as her father, to have him on her side, would be more than an honour.
"Wha? You serious?" Wakka breathed staring at him with as much reverence as Yuna.
"Do you refuse?" The warrior inquired.
"No, no!" Yuna cried shaking her head "We accept, right everyone?"
"Of course, n-no problem at all!" Wakka stammered, still completely shocked at the prospect of Sir Auron joining them.
"But…why?" Lulu questioned the warrior, unable to believe her ears.
"I promised Braska." He replied.
Yuna stared at him in blind amazement "You promised…my father?…Thank you Sir Auron you're welcome to join us!"
"And he comes too." Auron reached behind and ragged the reluctant Tidus before them.
"Hi guys…er, howdy!" he quailed under their searching glances and not knowing what else to do, he bowed.
"This one I promised Jecht." Auron concluded.
"Is Sir Jecht alive?" Yuna asked suddenly in alarm at the mention of the blitzer's father.
Tidus stared at Auron in veiled fright, what on earth would he tell her?
"Can't say…haven't seen him in ten years." The warrior replied gravely.
Yuna blinked. "I…see…"
"You'll meet eventually." Auron returned, stopping her from wondering.
"Yes. I'm looking forward to it." She said gladly.
"So…" the warrior began turning to the others "What's our itinerary? Where we headed?"
"We go north along the Mi'ihen Highroad. Then onto Djose temple." Wakka replied brightly.
Auron nodded and the guardians wandered over to the highroad steps, ready to discuss strategies and further routes. From here onwards they would be travelling on the open road, which meant no more creature comforts.
"Hey, come with me!"
Tidus realised the summoner's voice was directed at him, as she wandered over to the rails over looking Luca and the distant sea. He roamed over to her position, keeping in mind the instructions Auron had given him on the way 'remember you're still suffering from Sin's toxin, don't say otherwise.'
He ground to a halt, keeping some distance from her, the bitter constrain still wrenched at him from the inside, purging all hope from his mind.
"Hey watch!" Yuna gushed. The summoner inhaled deeply and stuffed her fingers in her mouth. With an effort she blew between them, sounding a soft weak whistle.
Tidus jumped slightly, he was impressed. In any other circumstances he would've been thrilled, but not today. "Hey, you got pretty good." He murmured quietly.
Hearing the unusual solemnity in his voice she turned back to him. The enigmatic glint was gone from his clouded blue eyes, the sparkle that shone always in the deep cerulean pools. And the life in his voice, it sounded almost drained. "You sound sad." She said softly, leaning over to behold his face properly.
"Yeah…maybe…" he mumbled, looking down to scrape his boots on the dusty floor.
She paused for a moment in contemplation "Wanna scream?" she quizzed with a delighted grin, recalling the hilarious outburst he was responsible for in Kilika.
He screwed his face up good-naturedly "I really don't think that's gonna help this time…"
Yuna gazed over the tranquil ocean, her dual eyes searching its calm waves "You know what?"
"Hm?"
"It's embarrassing to say this myself, but summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us." Her mouth turned up at the corners bashfully the more she spoke.
Tidus observed as she spoke to him of the matters so close to her heart. He almost forgot his sorrow as he basked in the soothing ton of her warming voice.
"I learned to practise smiling, when I'm feeling sad, you know?" she laughed demurely, before her face sobered once more in comprehension. "I know it's hard."
"Yeah, I understand…I think." The blitzer replied unsure.
"Right, now let's see what you can do!"
"Huh?" he looked at her in sudden confusion…she didn't seriously mean-
Her pink lips formed a wide beaming smile "C'mon!" she encouraged looking for a grin like hers.
Too embarrassed to decline, the blitzer clutched his cheeks forcing his face into the cheesiest grimace ever. He didn't last long however before he broke into a fit of giggles "This is weird!"
"Next try laughing out loud!" Yuna chuckled.
"What?" he exclaimed in surprise, this was getting more bizarre by the second.
"C'mon show me!" she pleaded with a bemused smirk.
The blitzer wriggled about on the spot nervously, egging himself on. He inhaled deeply, and to the amusement of the summoner, let out a loud string of blatantly false laughter.
Yuna giggled softly, at the return of his boisterous side. Hearing her laughing at him however only made him guffaw louder than ever, sounding like he was some kind of mental patient. The summoner turned back briefly, to see the others staring at the both of them completely aghast.
"Um…you probably shouldn't laugh anymore…" she whispered sheepishly.
But Tidus wasn't done, there was still too much anguish in him to stop his outcry. Yuna couldn't help but chuckle amusedly when he refused to stop, his laughs getting louder and louder. She had to do something.
Like him she inhaled deeply; he paused briefly to watch her in wonder. Together they shared an elated smile…before letting roar a flood of phony laughter in unison. The pair couldn't stand it much longer and immediately broke down into a fit of hysterics. This time the laughter was real
Tidus felt as though his side were going to spilt and bent over double, tears almost streaming down his cheeks.
"Too funny!" Yuna giggled, slowly getting over herself.
"It was your idea!" the blitzer retorted, unable to stop. He hadn't laughed that hard in a long time.
"Um, thank you."
He straightened himself out, and gazed at her in question.
A serene solemnity evoked in her innocent voice "I want my journey to be full of laughter."
Maybe it was him: but the sentence seemed to come out more gravely than she meant. In any case, Tidus would try his best to fulfil her bidding. "Okay." He smiled genuinely.
"If we should get separated, just whistle… " Yuna's eyes brightened with a glimmer of hope as he beheld her. "I'll come running, I promise!" she said.
Tidus nodded, he knew that it could work in reverse, too and for some strange reason…he was looking forward to it… "Well," he sighed cheerfully "Let's go!"
The pair of them turned to join the others.
"What're you looking at?" the blitzer inquired perceiving the guardians' gaping jaws.
"We were just worried you guys might've gone crazy!" Wakka assured spinning his finger round at his temple.
"Sorry!" Yuna squeaked sheepishly. "Well then, we shall go to the temple in Djose…And guardians? Don't forget to smile!"
Tidus shook his head with a silent laugh. It felt strange, as all the despondency, all the intrinsic gloom had dissipated from him completely. As a matter of fact he was buzzing on a high. He didn't know at what point exactly his sorrow left him, but he did know one thing, it was all thanks to Yuna. She really could cheer him up, against all odds…
To be continued…
AN: Howdy peeps! Hope u like this huge pig of a chapter. To be honest, I think was the one that I enjoyed writing the most. As you can see, I left the laughing bit intact. At the end of the day, I couldn't come up with an alternative and despite the fact it makes me cringe; I'll have to admit that I love it!
I left out a few bits and pieces here and there, like the fight with the big Al Bhed machina (Oblitzerator…cool name or what?) I also got sick of writing Bobba's commentary, he says 'folks' at the end of every sentence: very annoying!
Laters!
Vogue Star
All reviews appreciated!
