A trip down the Moonflow

[Well, we return to find our crew as they're heading towards the moonflow, about half-way they happen upon Biran and Yenke. A stranger who was with them bolts off down the road.]

Biran: Look! One of Kimahri's friends. Looks just like him.

Link: ... Feel like saying that to my face?

Biran: Both follow summoners on all fours! Hornless goatlings!

Yenke: Hornless! Hornless!

Kimahri: You come to insult Kimahri?

Biran: Wrong. We came to warn little Kimahri.

Yenke: Summoners disappear. Never return.

Biran: Next will be Kimahri's summoner.

Yenke: Poor Kimahri! Lost his horn, next lose his summoner!

Biran: Pitiful Kimahri! Howl alone! Howl alone!

[The two run off.]

Link: What's their deal? Are they just picking on you or what?

Kimahri: Kimahri will deal with them.

Link: So will I...

Kimahri: Kimahri alone.

Link: But...

Wakka: It's Kimahri's problem. We can't interfere; it's a rule.

Lulu: I'm worried.

Wakka: Let the Ronso deal with Ronso problems, ya? That's how it's always been.

Lulu: I mean I'm worried about those summoners disappearing.

Auron: They aren't just disappearing into thin air.

Link: Well... if guardians are doing their jobs, there shouldn't be any problems, should they?

Wakka: Whoa!

Lulu: Confident.

Link: Heh...

[They continue their journey and finally arrive at the scenic and beautiful Moonflow.]

Lulu: This is the Moonflow.

Yuna: These are moonlilies! They say that clouds of pyreflies gather here when night falls.

Lulu: The entire river glows, like a sea of stars.

Link: Really? Then I got an idea!

Auron: We're not waiting till nightfall.

Link: Fine... then how 'bout we come back after killing Sin.

Wakka: Hey, we better hurry or we'll miss the shoopuf!

Link: What in Farore's name is a Shoopuf?

(They contine on and come to the dock area, and Link sees the elephantine creature with a roll-up trunk.)

Link: What the...?!

Wakka: This is a shoopuf.

Link: Whoa... Let's ride! Come on, let's go!

Wakka: All right! We board soon as we're ready, ya?

[On the wharf nearby:]

Driver: "Ride ze shoopuf?"

[The party gets on the shoopuf.]

Driver: Shoopuf's launchin'!

[In the carriage atop the shoopuf, the party sits silently.]

Wakka: Hey. Take a look.

[Link looks over the side of the carriage down into the water and sees submerged buildings.]

Link: A sunken city! It looks familiar...

Wakka: A machina city - a thousand years old! They built the city on top of bridges across the river.

Lulu: But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse, and it all sank to the bottom.

Wakka: Right. It's a good lesson.

Link: A lesson?

Wakka: Yeah. Why build a city over a river, ya?

Link: Uh... Well, it would be convenient, with all that water there.

Wakka: Nope, that's not why. They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature!

Link: I doubt that very highly.

Wakka: Yevon has taught us: When humans have power, they seek to use it. If you don't stop them, they go too far, ya?

Link: Sounds like a double standard to me. Don't machina get used? Like the stadium for instance?

Lulu: Yevon, it decides...which machina we may use, and which we may not.

Link: So.. Which ones aren't allowed then?

Wakka: Remember Operation Mi'ihen? That kind.

Lulu: Or war will rage again.

Link: War?

Yuna: More than a thousand years ago... Mankind waged war using machina to kill!

Wakka: They kept building more and more powerful machina.

Lulu: They made weapons so powerful... It was thought they could destroy the entire world.

Yuna: The people feared that Spira would be destroyed.

Wakka: But the war did not stop!

Link: What happened?

Yuna: Sin came, and it destroyed the cities and their machina.

Lulu: The war ended...and our reward...was Sin.

Wakka: So, Sin's our punishment for lettin' things get out of hand, eh?

Link: Sounds rough...

Wakka: Yeah, it is.

Link: But, the thing is machina themselves aren't bad...

Lulu: Only as bad as their users.

Wakka: It's because of people like the Al Bhed screwin' everything up!

[Suddently the conversation is disrupted by a loud splash.]

Link:... Could be trouble. (puts on his zora mask)

Driver: Whatsh could thatsh be?

Auron: Sit down!

Yuna: S-Sorry!

[An Al Bhed leaps onto the shoopuf and takes Yuna into the water.]

Wakka: The Al Bhed!

[Wakka and Zora-Link dive in.]

Wakka: Yuna, we'll save you!

Z-Link: We're coming!

[They start fighting the large machina contraption that's caged Yuna, and defeat it freeing Yuna. It sinks to the bottom and Wakka and Z-Link bring her onboard.]

Lulu: Are you hurt?

Yuna: No, I'm fine.

Wakka: Grrah! Those Al Bhed!

Link: (taking of the Zora Mask) Wakka... calm down.

Driver: Ish ebullibody okay?

Yuna:(she stands) I'm sorry! We're all okay now!

Auron: Yuna!

Driver: Shoopuf full shpeed aheads!

Wakka: Damn the Al Bhed! What do they want from us? Could it have something to do with Luca? What are they after Yuna for? Wait! They're mad they lost the tournament! Or, wait! They're mad about Operation Mi'ihen!

Lulu: I wonder... Didn't Kimahri's clansman say something...about summoners...disappearing?"

Wakka: Ah! So the Al Bhed are behind that! Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!

Link: Wakka... there's no use complaining. All we have to do is protect Yuna, Our jobs. Thats all there is to it.

Link: (narration) If this keeps up... it's going to turn into a repeat of 'that time'... never again.

Wakka: Well... I guess so.

Lulu: You're right.

Yuna: (Thank you.)

[The party makes it to the north bank and the shoopuf sleeps, so everyone takes a load off for the time being. Link goes on a walk and sees someone washed up on the road to Guadosalam.]

Link: You're...not dead?

[The girl sheds her outer layer of waterproof clothes and who she is surprises Link.]

Rikku: I thought I wa done for, back there.

Link: Rikku?! How... You... Your ok?! How've you been?

Rikku: Terrible!

Link: Now that you mention it... what happened?

Rikku: You beat me up, remember?

Link: That was you?!

Rikku: That really hurt, you know. You big meanie!

Link: W-Wait! But you attacked us!

Rikku: Nuh-uh. It's not exactly what you think.

Wakka: Yo!

[The party comes down the road to the two.]

Wakka: "Friend of yours?"

Link: Yeah... you could say that.

Rikku: Pleased to meet you! I'm Rikku!

Link: Yuna, Lulu... I told you about her, remember? Rikku's the girl that helped me out just before i washed a-shore at Besaid. She's an Al...

Wakka: Wow, so you, like, owe her your life! What luck meeting here, ya? Praise be to Yevon! So, uh... Rikku... You look a little beat up. You okay?

Lulu: Uh, Wakka...

Wakka: Huh? What?

Yuna: There's something we need to discuss.

Wakka: Oh, go ahead.

Rikku: Girls only! Boys please wait over there!

Lulu: Right. Sorry, Wakka.

[The girls talk for awhile. Soon after Yuna walks over to Auron.]

Yuna: Sir Auron... I would like Rikku to be my guardian.

[Auron walks over to Rikku; she avoids eye contact.]

Auron: Show me your face. Look at me.

Rikku: Oh, okay.

Auron: Open your eyes.

[She opens them, showing her green-with-swirl-pattern eyes.]

Auron: As I thought.

Rikku: Um... No good?

Auron: Are you certain?

Rikku: A hundred percent! So, anyway... Can I?

Auron: If Yuna wishes it.

Yuna: Yes, I do.

Link: You can trust her! She's helped me out alot already.

Wakka: Well, I'm for it! The more, the merrier!

Rikku: Then I'll just have to be the merriest!

Link:(narration) It was strange. Even though Wakka had always hated the Al Bhed...

Rikku: Rikku, at your service!

Link:(narration) He never realized Rikku was one of them.

(With Rikku now a guardian, our heroes are now back on the road to Guadosalam, when they are attacked, but find a special surprise in the middle of the battle.

Rikku: Oooh! A treasure chest! I wonder what's inside?

[A monster attacks her.]

Rikku: You should know, I'm scary when I'm mad! I'm gonna use that item I just got on you! You'll be sorry!

[Rikku creates a Firestorm from a few items in her bag and kills the enemy.]

Wakka: "Wh-What did you just do!?

link: That was great!

Rikku: I can combine items and use them like this. It's not that tough, really.

Link: just as long as you don't accidentally use any of my masks in those mixtures!

Wakka: We need to talk about those items of yours!