Chapter 10- Run!

They entered the Thunder Plains in an attempt to escape from the humongous squad of Guado warriors. They hesitated briefly when they beheld the extreme severity of the storm. The sky was completely white with the constant bolts of lightning shooting down from the clouds. The strong gusts of wind blew the hard rain into their faces, and the noise from the thunder striking was deafening.

(It's a "pick your poison" situation…Either we try to cheat death by running through the plains and dodging lightning, or we face certain death with the Guado…Well, here goes nothin'!)

"Keep moving once we get into the open! Run close to the towers!" Tidus shouted at the top of his lungs to be heard over the thunder.

He dashed into the open, followed by Gatta and Barthello. The Guado warriors were speedy runners, but they grouped themselves too closely together. When lightning struck near them, many could not avoid it due to the lack of space to maneuver, and many of them were killed as a result.

A few broke away from the group and caught up to their prey as they got under the lightning tower. Tidus sliced one with the Brotherhood, but the others surrounded them by moving around the structure in opposite directions. One took a swing at Gatta, but he ducked and shoved his broadsword into his stomach. The bloody blade came out through his back and he dropped lifelessly once the Crusader's weapon was removed. Barthello used his overwhelming strength to lift a Guado, and tossed him into the others, toppling them over.

"Let's go!" Gatta exclaimed, and they rushed off again.

The bolts of lightning were relentless and the trio was forced to keep their distance from each other. Tidus hopped back when one hit in front of him, and then dove forward headfirst when another almost struck him. He rolled as he landed and started running again once he returned to his feet. The blitzball player ran at top speed, but his pursuers were still close by. None of them chased after Gatta or Barthello, but focused on the Zanarkand native.

He hid under another lightning tower and had to confront four of them on his own. They surrounded him and sly smirks crept across their faces.

"What are you guys so happy about, huh?" Tidus asked with a confident grin. He flipped over them to get outside of the ring they had formed around him. He slashed one across the chest as they turned, and then quickly sliced the next one diagonally down the chest and stomach. They cried out and stumbled backwards into the other two, tripping them up. (I'm getting' better all the time.) he thought and began running again.

The muscular guardian and the Crusader were out of sight, leaving him to deal with the rest alone. Many of the Guado had been struck down by the lightning, but there were still quite a few to contend with. As he came close to Rin's Travel Agency, he contemplated trying to hide inside, but decided that it would be best to stay away from a place with innocent civilians inside.

Tidus was beginning to get tired from his constantly rapid pace, and was surprised to see that his enemies did not appear fatigued from running. He ducked behind a tower to regain his breath and rest briefly. "I've only been back a few days, and I'm already running for my life," he commented to himself. "This wasn't what I expected at all." The lightning was striking the tower unceasingly. He couldn't even hear the words he had just said and could barely hear himself think. A small group of his pursuers got in front of him. "I don't have time to mess with you guys."

Tidus used his athletic ability to jump over them and began to flee again. The Guado were getting frustrated by his agility in dodging and escaping them. They gave chase once more, determined not to let him get away. The guardian was relieved to see that the Macalania Woods were in sight. (I should be able to lose them in there. Most of them anyway.) he thought.

The storm was beginning to lessen in severity as he approached the end of the plains. Tidus was soaked with the heavy rain and the water dripped profusely from his clothes as he entered the forest. He used his swift feet to dash across the path and leapt into one of the trees. He managed to grab the branch and pulled himself up. Using the coordination and balance that was natural to a superstar blitzball player, he hopped from branch to branch in the trees, gradually rising higher and hiding himself from view in the leaves of the upper portion.

The guardian looked down on the Guado as the searched for him frantically. He remained still as they moved into the deeper parts of the forest. He breathed an immense sigh of relief once his hunters were gone. (Now I gotta find Gatta and Barthello without running into the Guado again. Looks like the worst is over for now.) He slowly climbed down from the tree and began carefully navigating his way through the woods in search of his traveling companions. (I wonder if I'll actually be able to find them. It's like a maze trying to get outta here, so they might've gone a completely different way.)

He proceeded through the forest with caution to avoid being detected by any Guado that were still around. Tidus couldn't remember his way through, so he kept hoping he would be able to reach Lake Macalania soon. Beyond there was Bevelle, where he was sure he would find evidence to prove that Grand Maester Adonijah wasn't what he claimed to be; that he wasn't any different from the others. The machina in its temple was sufficient proof. Then the trip to Zanarkand afterwards was straightforward. The guardian would save his summoner from the fraud and they would be together again.

He missed her desperately and was eager to see her again. He was continuously thinking of her as he journeyed to her. There were only four days left to get there, and the current one was almost over. Tidus knew he would have to hurry once he found his comrades. His time was running out, and there was still plenty of ground left to cover.

As the former Abes star walked, he came to an area where brush had been cleared away, making a path. It had obviously been chopped up with a large sword. (Could it be what I think it is?) he pondered.

He followed the open trail until he came to a pond with an oddly shaped tree behind it, which appeared to have a glowing orb nestled in its limbs. The young man remembered Auron telling him that this place was where spheres were formed, which were able to record people's memories. His father Jecht had one there during his pilgrimage with High Summoner Braska for his son to find in case he ever made it to Spira. They had left it there after viewing it ten year later. The blitzball star spotted it next to his feet. He knelt over and picked it up. "Dad…" he mumbled.

Then he heard the sound of many footsteps rushing down the path in his direction. He spun around and saw a dozen Guado appear before him. Tidus was trapped. There was no escaping unless he went through them, which would be a formidable task. He slid Jecht's sphere into his pocket and drew the Brotherhood. The Guado smiled deviously as they closed in on him. The dark-skinned guardian slowly backed up until his shoes dipped into the water of the pond. Once again, he heard the sound of more footsteps scurrying down the path.

(Great…Here come even more.)

However, he was pleasantly surprised to see Gatta and Barthello emerge from the brush. The muscular guardian grabbed one by the shoulders and turned him around. He punched the Guado fiercely in the nose and he immediately collapsed to the ground. The Crusader sliced another across the chest and he dropped as well. Tidus dashed into the fray and cut the legs of another foe off at the knees. The rest of the body dropped harmlessly to the ground while the legs remained upright.

Barthello snapped one's neck, and tossed the lifeless corpse into another opponent, knocking him down. Then Gatta mercilessly shoved his sword through the Guado's chest. The athletic blitzball player leapt into the air and used his strong legs to kick one of his enemies in the stomach. He was knocked off of his feet and traveled through the air for a short distance, and was quickly finished off by the bright blue blade.

Then the young guardian hastily turned around and slashed a Guado who was approaching from behind. Gatta extended his broadsword and spun around in a circle, slicing the throats of two foes that had surrounded him. Then Barthello rammed his head into another Guado's nose, killing him instantly. The Crusader and the other guardian easily took out the remaining two. They sheathed their swords, breathing heavily.

"Thanks, guys," Tidus said tiredly.

"No problem. We're just glad we were able to find you in time," Gatta said. "Let's keep moving. Lake Macalania isn't far, and then we'll stop for the night."

The trio continued until they exited the woods, and they could feel the frigid air of the region as soon as their feet touched the ever-present snow. It crunched as they walked to the Travel Agency. They entered the Al Bhed shop and went to sleep for the night.

Author's Notes: I apologize for the length of time between these updates. I'm battling writer's block with this story, so I'm having a hard time coming up with ideas. I don't think this chapter was very good either, but let me know what you thought in a review. God bless.