Chapter 8: Star of the Abes
Shuyin was escorted to the temple by some white mages while summoners took care of Dannae's body and the tragic scene she left behind. After his mother's casket was lowered into the water and her soul was sent to the Farplane to be with her long-lost husband, Shuyin sat on the edge of the pier, feeling nothing but alone.
When the sending was done, temple representatives spoke with Shuyin about his living conditions and relatives. Then, they took the orphaned teen to the temple until a decision could be made about what to do with him. A month passed, and no living relative came forward to claim him. So, he tolerated the legal fuss while they worked out the details regarding the houseboat and his parents' other assets. Eventually, it was decided that, since he had no means of making payments on the docking rent, his home would be impounded and liquidated into an inheritance estate. It was also decided that he would be housed in a dorm at the temple's boarding school until he became a legal adult.
Unhappy with the temple's decisions for his future, Shuyin made a decision of his own and went to the main office of the Abes blitzball team. There, he waited all day in the office, napping on the sofa and staring out the window at the sea, until he was granted permission to speak with the coach.
"What do you want, kid?" Coach Bicket took a seat at his desk. "School endorsement? Field Day tickets? Guest speaker at the awards banquet?"
"A job."
Surprised, Coach Bicket chuckled. "You and every other kid out there who dreams of being a blitzball player. You waited all day for that? Go back to school."
"If I go back to school, they'll take away my home. I need to pay docking rent to keep it. So, I need a job." He paused. "A friend of mine said he heard the Abes were going to open a junior position once Zak retires this summer, only I can't wait that long. I'd like to try out for the position now."
Coach Bicket shook his head. "We're not holding tryouts right now."
Stepping forward, Shuyin dropped a folder with his stats onto the man's desk. "Please. I need this." He was not above begging. "Just give me a chance to show you what I can do. I'll even take a part-time position or work as an equipment manager."
"Look, if you really think you can handle the pressure of the big league, come back this summer and try out with everyone else."
Shuyin panicked. If he waited, he would have to compete with Koji and who knows how many other players. Drawing a breath to calm his nerves, he opened his mouth and did something he swore he never would do. "I'm Jecht's son." With his only trump card on the table, he watched the man's face wash over with a very different expression.
Coach Bicket leaned forward with new interest and curiosity. "Tidus? Little Tidus? You were knee-high to a pyrefly the last time I saw you. Course, that was before Jecht disappeared. It's been, what, about ten years now?"
"Nine," he politely corrected. "But now my mother is gone, too, so they're going to keep me at the temple and sell my dad's boat—my home—unless someone can make the payments on it." Shuyin felt as if he was betraying his own soul. "I'd … really like to carry on my dad's legacy and play for the Abes … if you give me a chance."
Coach Bicket leaned back in his chair to give this proposal considerable thought. "Can you do your dad's shots?"
"Some."
"Jecht shot?"
Shuyin shook his head, disappointed to have to admit it. "But I can do a sphere shot. I've been playing since I was five. And I've won awards. And those are copies of my high school score sheets for the past three years." He opened the folder and passed one of the documents to the coach. "I've played all positions, but I'm strongest as a forward. Just get the ball to me, and I'll do whatever I can to make those goals happen."
The coach looked over the impromptu portfolio. "High school trophies mean nothing to me, but the fact that you have a string of awards says something about your determination, I suppose. And the fact that you're Jecht's son would definitely have popular appeal ... as well as potential." Bicket set the documents back in the portfolio, interlocked his fingers over it, and leaned forward again. "Come to the practice pool tomorrow morning at ten. Bring your gear. We'll run you through a few drills with the rest of the team to see if you can keep up. I don't normally make exceptions like this, but for Jecht's son, I'm willing to see what you can do."
Shuyin smiled, relieved. "Thank you. I'll do my best to make it worth your while." He bowed, knowing every little bit of gratitude might help.
"If you're Jecht's son, I know you will," the coach responded.
After returning to the temple, Shuyin informed the officials of his decision and asked permission to quit school in favor of employment to keep his home. He explained his tryouts with the Abes, and though they were doubtful of his ability to handle adult financial responsibilities at his age, they were curious about the possible results. Apparently, even the temple summoners and white mages were blitzball fans, so they agreed to wait for the coach's decision.
))((
The next morning, Shuyin showed up at the pool and endured everything the professional blitzball players threw at him, including the jokes, comparisons to his father, and painful reminders that he wasn't yet as skilled as they were. But he held up well to their tests and even managed to impress them by scoring three times against their defense with his superb trick shots. By the end of the day, he came out of the pool, battered from the hardest tackles he'd ever experienced in his life and breathless from the longest underwater plays he could ever remember. But Coach Bicket shook his hand and welcomed him to the team.
Though still considered a ward of the temple until he reached legal age, Shuyin convinced the city officials to draw up legal papers granting him special permission to manage his parent's property. The templed released him to go back home.
It was a mixed blessing.
The summoners cleaned the houseboat, donated some food until he could earn his first paycheck, and checked in on him regularly. But he still had to go through his mother's belongings, so the first nights alone were spent in lingering grief. Mercifully, those nights were short due to the long hours of daily training and work maintaining the boat. He often crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow and slept hard until the morning alarm went off.
He was careful to meet all of his payments and scrimp on his expenses because he knew that if he missed one, he would end up back in the temple's boarding school. And as he made friends among his new teammates, he stopped missing his old friends at school. Slowly in this manner, Shuyin began to rebuild his life.
Before he knew it, training season was over, and blitzball season arrived. He had three new uniforms in his closet: a set of black shorts with a hooded, short-waisted, yellow vest; a set of black shorts, with a red-and-black checkered shirt and a long yellow and blue vest; and a set of blue and black shorts with a yellow jersey bearing his name and the Abes insignia in bold red and black lettering across the chest and back. His dreams were finally within reach, even if it took a tragedy to get there.
Publicity machines went into overdrive. Jecht's son had signed on with the Abes! All of Zanarkand was talking about it. Great things were expected of him. And photo ops of the new team formation had been taken and were broadcast on digital billboards and com casts. Shuyin was shocked to see his face in such a public venue alongside his dad's. It was exciting, but a little frightening as well. Once people began to recognize his face, there would be no turning back.
))((
Shuyin had never been nervous before a game, but on the night of the season opener, he felt as if he were reliving his first swim lesson all over again. He found himself wishing Kaila or Koji were there, but he had not seen either of them since the day of his mother's death. So, he kept to himself, pacing the locker room, stretching his neck, arms, and legs while waiting to enter the sphere pool.
"Gyaaaa, you need to sit down," teammate Kiryl complained as she tied her long, auburn braids out of her way. "You're making me nervous just watching you."
"What if I mess up?"
"Then, we'll kick you off the team." Toma pushed a strand of eye-length brown bangs behind his left ear and laced up his waterproof shoes. He looked severe about the claim until their newest player's expression drooped. "That was a joke." He chuckled. "Was your dad like this? I can't imagine Jecht getting nervous about a game."
"Probably because he was too drunk," Shuyin muttered under his breath and walked to his locker. He pulled out his game notebook and went over the play strategies again in his head. Then, he made himself close the book and put it back.
"It's his first pro game. Give the kid a break." Naya shook out her short, silver-blond hair and pulled on her black gloves designed for gripping a wet blitzball.
"Just go out there and show them what you do at practice every day." Kiryl snapped her goggles into place on her face and adjusted the elastic band to hold them securely. "Let me show you something." Standing, she pinched Shuyin's arm guard as he adjusted the strap. Leading him from the locker room through the back door, she took him up the stairwell to the door that opened to the sphere pool and stadium. Pushing the door open a little, she let him see what was going on outside.
"So many people." His brows rose with worry. "Why'd you show this to me? I don't need to see this right now. I've never played for a crowd this big before."
"Better for you to freeze up now than during the game. But look at it this way: those people are so small and distant, that you're not even going to be able to see them once you get in the water. It will all be one big blur behind the cyber net."
"What are you doing? Are you trying to freak him out?" Naya climbed the steps behind them and pulled the door shut. "I know what good for pre-game jitters. Come with me." She grabbed Shuyin's hand and pulled him down the stairs behind her to the locker room's front door.
"Where are you going? It's almost game time," Toma fussed.
"Who's throwing the ball in?"
"Don't know yet."
"Then we've got plenty of time." Naya waved off Toma's concern and lead their youngest player down the hall behind her.
"Where are we going? You better not get me fired before I earn my first win," Shuyin warned.
"Stand right here," she instructed, then left him for the large door at the end of the hall.
Shuyin was baffled by the pointless command. "What do I do while standing here?"
"I dunno. Look sexy or something." She winked and pulled the door open.
Having no idea what she was up to, he returned a doubtful expression and folded his arms.
Naya stuck her head out the door, pressed her fingers to her lips, and gave a piercing whistle. "Listen up, everyone! We've got a few minutes before the game starts! Who wants an autograph from Jecht Jr.?"
Shuyin frowned. "That's not my name."
"It is for tonight. You're new, and you're the son of a legend. Smile, look pretty, and do your sphere kick. They'll love you, even if you mess up. Have fun while you can because once you become yesterday's news, fans won't tolerate screw-ups and losing streaks. Fans are the most devoted, yet hardest critics of all." Naya grinned as anxious blitzball fans ran down the ramp to meet him and ask for autographs. "Sorry, only time for a few. We'll drag him to the Waterwall sports bar in the Neon District after the game. The rest of you can get a piece of him there." Naya shut the door to keep the crowd size under control.
"What?" He felt as if she had just offered him up for the main course.
Naya strolled casually back to his side. "This will get your mind off the nerves. Trust me." The woman folded her arms over her short, yellow vest and leaned against the wall behind him.
"Have fun," Shuyin told himself. That was important to him a long time ago—something he had forgotten lately. Accepting pen and paper from one of the fans, he smiled and signed his name. "There you go."
The boy squinted at the signature. "Tidus? You're the guy that took Zak's place, right?"
"You can read my handwriting? My language arts teacher said it sucked."
"Well, it still sucks, but I can read it."
"Oh."
"You look really young for a pro." Another fan handed him a paper.
"Well, I guess I kind of am." He didn't want to explain any further than that, but he signed his name and returned the paper. Then, he turned to another boy and accepted his pen and paper.
"Could you sign two for me? I'd like one for my sister," the boy asked.
"Sure thing." Shuyin signed and passed one paper back in exchange for another. "Is your sister being shy?"
"No, she said she had more important things to do."
Shuyin lifted his chin and blinked at the boy. "What's more important than blitzball?"
"Well, she's not really a blitzball fan. In fact, she doesn't like it at all. She promised me she'd come with me to a game, but she keeps making excuses not to. If I show her I got a player's signature, maybe it will remind her to keep her promise."
"Oh, well, in that case, what's your sister's name?" He crouched eye-level with the boy to see his face under the hoodie he wore.
"Lenne," the boy quietly answered.
"Okay, then. This one's for Lenne." Shuyin wrote a message, rather than a signature. "That should do it. And if she still doesn't want to come to a game, we'll brainstorm a way to talk some sense into her, okay?"
The boy read the message aloud. "'Lenne, you made a promise to your little brother. Get your butt in this stadium to watch a game.'" Smiling at the ridiculous command, he accepted his pen back. "Thanks."
"No problem."
"Time's up! No more autographs. The game's about to begin!" Naya ushered the fans back out and closed the large door. Walking back to the locker room, she smirked at the more relaxed expression on Shuyin's face. "Feel better?"
"Yeah, actually. I do. Thanks." He patted his stomach with a little more confidence now.
Naya nodded with his response and opened the locker room door.
"I saw that. Naya's got you working the fans already? Good job. Good for public relations." Coach Bicket entered the locker room with them. "Okay, listen up, Abes! Jecht, Jr. will be the one to throw in the first ball of the season."
"Me? But—"
"That stadium is ninety percent curiosity seekers tonight, and you're the main attraction. Everyone wants to see what Jecht's son can do, even the fans of the other team. So, they're going to get what they paid for. Do it just like we showed you at practice, then hit the pool. Tackle hard, and give those shots everything you got. First impression counts. Don't let us down." He shoved the blitzball into Shuyin's chest. "Huddle!"
"Everything I got." Shuyin gave the ball a light toss and caught it. Then, he joined the huddle.
"Abes!" Toma shouted.
"Abes! Go! Fight! Win!" The rest of the team responded and slapped hands together.
"Alright! Let's go show them the reason we were last year's champions!" the coach shouted.
Shuyin straightened his yellow vest and adjusted the straps of his black shorts. Then, he steadied his nerves and ascended the stairs into the calf-deep water of the center ring. He could hear the crowd buzzing with excitement all around him, but it was too dark to see anything just yet. Sitting down on the bench within the water ring, he laid back his head and closed his eyes to steady his concentration. His heart was beating too fast. Have fun ...
The opening ceremonies began, and when the time came, he stood with the announcement of his name. The crowd cheered to know that Jecht's son had taken their recently retired favorite's place in the Abes. Shuyin waved to the people packing the stadium—first, a small wave, then one with both arms, as a smile found its way to his face. If all these people came to see him tonight, he would do his best to not disappoint them. Have fun ...
When the sphere pool was ready for play, he looked down at the space he had within the ring where he stood and checked the position of his teammates behind him. The whistle blew, and he decided to take a chance. First impression needed to be better than good. It needed to be unforgettable. Instead of pitching the ball into the pool as he was instructed to do during practice, he tossed it high, studied its position, and leaped up to meet it. One head volley positioned the ball in the air before he arched backward and kicked it.
Clustered in the doorway, his teammates and coach gasped. If Shuyin had hit the side of the ring and fell from that height, he would never play ball again … if he survived the fall.
The ball pierced the cyber net and water spell like an arrow, where it was drawn down to the center circle for gameplay. Shuyin finished his rotation and nailed the landing.
The crowd went wild, cheering the spectacular shot. Shuyin grinned and waved both hands again, but was immediately smacked on the back of the head by his coach as his team jogged out to join the roster call.
"Don't you ever do that again without warning me first! You want to be sidelined with an injury before the game even begins? You're going to be a knucklehead show-off just like your father, aren't you?"
Jecht Jr. laughed and shrugged. "Just having a little fun." Running behind his teammates, he punched through the sphere pool and assumed his position for play.
The Abes lost their first match of the season, but it was a close game throughout. The loss was only by one point. Fans loved each and every shot Shuyin attempted to make ... even the ones that failed. He didn't know how long they would be that forgiving, so like Naya advised, he decided he would enjoy the fame while it lasted.
))((
At the next game, when his nerves started edging up, Shuyin left the locker room and cracked the doors between the back rooms and the main entrance, curious to see if any fans were out there again. He was awed at how many there were, but he was even more amazed when he was widely recognized.
"Look! There's one of the Abes!"
"Can I have your autograph?"
"That's the new guy."
"Jecht's son. What's his name?"
"Jecht, Jr."
Shuyin frowned and shook his head at the nickname as he came into full view instead of hiding behind the door. He was immediately surrounded by excited people holding up paper scraps, game programs, T-shirts, and blitzballs.
"Okay! Woah! One at a time." He accepted a paper and pen.
"Are you going to do a Jecht shot tonight?"
"No, but I'll do a sphere shot. And don't tell me that's not good enough unless you can do one, too." He traded pens and papers for another signing.
The crowd chuckled.
"Can you teach us how to do one?" One of the boys in the crowd passed his blitzball to be signed.
"No way! Your parents would kill me if I threw you in the air and let you land on your head."
More chuckles rose from the gathering, and the boy questioning him laughed.
"You're supposed to throw the ball up in the air—not me."
"But if you can't jump high enough to kick it, then I'd have to throw you up there, too." Shuyin stuck his tongue out at the boy, giving him a taste of his own attitude, but then he spun the ball around his wrist into his finger and handed it back to him, winning the boy's grin of approval. Winning the crowd's interest, one fan at a time, with his cheerful chattiness was different from earning their admiration because of his father's name. It worked well for him. Among the autograph seekers, however, he finally came to a little boy in a purple, hooded shirt. "Hey, I remember you from last week. Are you a regular ticket holder or something?"
"No. I can't get into any of the games. But I like coming here anyway." The boy shrugged.
"Can't get into the games? Why not?"
"My mom's schedule always conflicts with the games. She won't let me buy a ticket by myself because she says the stadium gets kind of rough sometimes. So, this is as far as I can go unless my sister comes with me."
"And she didn't come this time either? Hmm. Got any paper?"
"No, but you already gave me an autograph last week."
"Well, I got another message for your sister." Shuyin borrowed a pen from another spectator and pushed the boy's short sleeve up to his shoulder. "Her name was Lenne, right?" Shuyin wrote her name on the boy's arm, making him smile a little at the ticklish sensation of the pen's felt point on his skin. "'You were supposed to bring your brother to the game.'" He paused after writing that and looked at the boy. "Why couldn't she come?"
"She had a date."
"Oh." He considered that for a minute. "Is she cute?"
The boy made a face. "She's my sister."
"Right, sorry. Didn't mean to creep you out there. Okay, how about this." Shuyin continued writing. "'Your date can't be that good looking. Bring your brother to one of my games!'" The spectators looking on chuckled. "Can't hurt to try, right?" he shrugged.
"If you're looking for a date, I'm free after the game!" One of the girls in the crowd offered.
"So, am I!" Another one joined in.
Shuyin released the boy's arm and straightened. "Really? Hm, you're putting me in a tough spot. If I have to pick only one of you to go out with after the game ..."
"We could both go," one of them suggested. The other nodded in agreement.
Shuyin was stunned into dreamy silence when the door behind him opened, and teammate Luperis grabbed the back of his shirt to pull him away. "Woah! Hey! What are you doing? I was in the middle of something there!"
"Naya showed you a bad, bad trick. You got a game to play, boy." The large man dragged him into the hallway and back to the locker room.
"But I had two dates! At the same time! Two!"
Luperis shook his head and kept hauling their golden boy toward the sphere pool.
