Chapter 5- A Friendly Game of Blitzball?
The Guado Glories were the first to enter the sphere pool. Led by their captain, Giera Guado, the squad consisted of Zazi, Navara, Auda, Pah, and Noy Guado. The fans in the stands mercilessly booed them, but they seemed unaffected by the crowd.
Then the Besaid Aurochs were next, led by Tidus. They received an outstanding ovation from the audience. However, all of the Guado shot a glare of contempt at the blonde-haired guardian. (What's their problem?)
The voices of the announcers were being broadcasted on the sphere monitor at the tavern. "Our next exciting match is between the upstart Aurochs, and the Guado Glories! I never thought I'd see the day that Besaid would be favored in a game, but that's the case here, folks!" Bobba stated.
Then the players met in the center of the pool sphere for what was known as the blitz off. "Now the teams are gathering to start the games. Both sides look determined and ready, so let's get ready to blitz!" Jimma exclaimed.
The Aurochs and Glories scrambled for the loose blitzball, and Datto grabbed it. He quickly passed it off to Botta as Giera hit him. He swam speedily toward the opposing goal. As he was encountered by Navara and Pah, Tidus frantically waved his hands for Botta to pass him the ball. He barely did so as he was sandwiched by the two Guado.
"Ouch! What a hit!" Bobba said with a wince. "He could be hurt!"
Tidus grabbed the ball and proceeded to hastily kick it away. The incredible velocity of the projectile proved to be too much for Noy, and he couldn't catch it. It went into the net for an early goal. "And the Aurochs get on the board quickly!" Jimma said.
Long after the goal had been scored, Zazi Guado rammed into Tidus roughly from behind. "A late cheap shot! Totally uncalled for!" Bobba added.
The guardian simply let it go and prepared for the next face-off. The blitzball was thrown back into play, and the teams fought for it again. This time Auda of the Glories claimed it, but was immediately confronted by Jassu. The Guado tried to break through, but the skinny Auroch slid by and stole the ball.
He immediately attempted to pass it to Letty, but his teammate couldn't handle it and fumbled it away. Tidus tried to pick up the blitzball off of the bottom of the sphere pool, but Giera, Pah, and Zazi charged at him. As he placed a hand on it, the three Guado immediately kicked him fiercely. The young blitzball player was hit in the ribs, kidneys, and the back of the head. Zazi swept in and snatched the ball as Tidus tried to recover from the assault.
"Whoa! They weren't going after the blitzball! They were intentionally trying to hurt him! Bad sportsmanship on the part of the Glories," Jimma said, disappointed.
Zazi Guado broke for the goal and shot at Keepa. The goalie was ready and batted it away. Letty picked it up and took it the other way. Pah and Auda tried to get in his way. The Auroch aimed and threw a pass toward Datto. The two Guado got their hands on it, but it got through and reached its destination.
He took the blitzball and swam toward the opposing goal. He threw the ball toward Noy Guado, and the goalie moved over for what seemed like an easy block. However, Botta came in at the last moment and kicked the blitzball to the other side of the net.
"Goal! What excellent teamwork by the Aurochs!" Bobba shouted.
They moved in for the blitz off again with Besaid up by two. As the blitzball was put into play, all four of the Guado ignored it and began attacking Tidus instead. His teammates immediately intervened and tried to pull them off of him. The referees in charge of the game stopped play. "Due to intentionally malicious acts on the part of the Glories, they have been disqualified! The game is over! Besaid wins," they announced.
"That was a good call. They did the right thing," Jimma commented.
"I agree, Jimma. But now everyone's gotta be wondering if Tidus will be well enough to play in the finals. We'll let you know as soon as we get more information."
The guardian floated motionlessly and was carried back to the locker room by his fellow teammates. The fans cheered and applauded in support.
Inside the locker room, the Aurochs were obviously concerned. "You gonna be okay?" Jassu asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Tidus answered weakly. He tried to sit up, but cried out in pain and clutched his ribs.
"No, you're hurt! We'll just forfeit the game," Letty resolved.
"No! You will not throw the game! I am going to play!" the former Abes star protested vehemently. He slowly stood to his feet. "We're gonna beat those Goers! Who's with me?"
He placed his hand out in front of him and the four Aurochs placed theirs on top of his. "What's our goal?"
"Victory!" they chorused strongly.
The Luca Goers were already in the sphere pool, waiting for their opponents to arrive.
"In case you've just joined us, folks, the Goers shut out the Fangs, 4-0. The Aurochs beat the Glories by means of a disqualification, and Tidus seemed to be badly injured. We're anxiously awaiting to see whether they play or forfeit the game," Bobba updated.
The sound of the crowd's cheers gave them their answer. "And here they come! Let's get the final match under way!" Jimma said excitedly.
Bickson possessed that ever-present smirk of arrogance as the two teams gathered in the middle of the sphere pool. The Aurochs all looked serious, and Letty in particular, as he stared down Graav.
The blitzball was let loose and the squads raced for it. Doram quickly picked it up and handed it over to Abus without hesitation. The Goer was the fastest one of the group and swam toward their rivals' goal. None of the Aurochs could catch him before he shot at Keepa. They looked disappointed as they expected it to pass right by their goalie. However, he got his fingers on the blitzball, and diverted it just enough. It bounced off of the post and did not go in.
Abus and all the Goers fans were in shock. Letty grabbed the ball and headed in the other direction. Graav met him instantly. He kicked at him with all of his might, but Letty had a good grip on it and held on. He continued swimming toward Raudy, their goalie. He swiftly passed it off to Jassu, who took the shot. The goalie easily knocked it away, and Balgerda picked up the loose blitzball.
She encountered Datto and Botta as she prepared to head the other way. She attempted to pass it off to Bickson, but Datto tipped the ball, allowing Botta to take it away. He threw it to Tidus, who was getting ready to take the shot, but Bickson swooped in and hit him in the ribs. It caused him to drop the ball, and the star Goer took it over.
He headed toward the Aurochs' obese goalie. Keepa bit his bottom lip nervously as he watched him heading his way. He was relieved to see Jassu cut him off. He attempted to hit Bickson, who moved to the side. The overconfident player thought he had avoided it, but the foot connected with the blitzball and sent it flying out of his grip.
Graav managed to recover it and continued toward the destination. Letty was right behind him, unbeknownst to the Goer. He brought his arm back to shoot, but the Auroch placed his hand on it as the ball was released. It enabled Keepa to knock it away and prevent the goal.
As Tidus picked up the blitzball, the buzzer sounded. It was halftime. The guardian flung it away in aggravation.
The two teams gathered in their locker rooms for a brief rest. "Good job so far, guys! Let's keep it up!" Tidus encouraged.
After the break, the Aurochs and Goers met again for the second half. "A great defensive struggle in the first half. It's tied at zero, but at least one goal must be scored to decide the champions. Who will it be? Time to find out!" Botta said.
They faced off, and the blitzball was thrown into action. Datto snatched the ball up and quickly passed it to Letty. He proceeded to get it to Jassu without faltering. Then he got it off to Botta. Finally, the ball was placed into the hands of Tidus in front of the goal with a wide-open shot. Before the Goers could go anything, he sent the ball flying at Raudy. The goalie somehow managed to block the shot.
He growled angrily and charged as Doram gained control of the blitzball. He cut her off as she began swimming in the other direction. She passed to Abus, and he got a hand on the ball. It was not enough and the Goer took the ball.
He came closer to Keepa and tossed it to Graav, who was rudely met by Letty. The contact caused him to fumble away the blitzball and it fell to the bottom of the sphere pool. It was recovered by Botta, who tried to pass it off to Jassu. The Auroch couldn't handle it and dropped it.
Abus picked up the loose blitzball and headed back in the direction of Keepa. Letty and Tidus cut him off on his way to the goal. He tried to shoot past them, but the two players blocked it and it dropped harmlessly to the bottom.
Datto recovered it with only one minute remaining in regulation. He tried to quickly get it to Tidus, but Bickson dashed in and stole the ball. He swam furiously toward the goal, but was met by Botta.
He successfully broke through and took the open shot. It was too quick for Keepa to stop. The buzzer sounded and it passed by him into the net. The Goers fans began to cheer wildly, but the officials quickly acted.
"There was no goal! Time had expired! Overtime!"
The teams had already started to leave, but quickly returned to the center of the pool. The Besaid Aurochs were ecstatic, while the Luca Goers grumbled.
Tidus gathered his team into a huddle. "I've got an idea. Whenever you guys get the blitzball, pass it to me. I'll be waiting at the top of the pool. I know just what to do," he said confidently.
They nodded in agreement. Then the blitzball was put into action and grabbed by Jassu. He threw it forcefully to Tidus without hesitation. The former Zanarkand Abes star caught it and placed it on top of his head. He leaped out of the top of the sphere pool. He bounced it up into the air and began to perform what was known as the "Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III."
The crowd suddenly hushed and watched in quite awe as he completed the move and the blitzball sped toward Raudy. The goalie couldn't catch it, and it went into the net.
The silence ended and the fans roared rowdily as Tidus landed in the pool again. "Unbelievable! I've never seen a shot like that! The Aurochs have defeated the Goers 1-0 in one of the greatest games I have ever witnessed!" Bobba exclaimed in disbelief.
Author's Notes: I'm not so sure if this turned out well or not. It was probably pretty confusing. Anyway, let me know what you think in a review along with some constructive criticism. It'll help me improve as a writer, and I need all the help I can get.