~Chapter 8~
The Goers swaggered up to Wakka and the Summoner party.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Besaid Losers," one of them said. He held himself proudly; Tidus got the distinct impression he was the team captain.
Wakka forced himself into a pleasant voice and said, "You here to pray for victory, too?"
"Pray? Who needs to pray?" The Goers Captain asked. "The Luca Goers always win. How 'bout you? What's your motto this time? You gonna 'do your best?' It's too bad that your best isn't good enough," he sneered at Wakka.
Tidus stepped forward. The Goers Captain was at least in his mid- twenties, but Tidus was a few inches taller than him. He got right in his face and said "Bring it. You guys will be sorry you ever laughed at us. This year, we're gonna wipe those smiles off your face."
Tidus leaned over to whisper in his ear: "You better watch your back. Oh, and uhh. Your uniforms make you look."
Tidus was speaking so low that the only person who could hear him was the Goers Captain. When he stepped back, the Goers Captain was wearing an even more unpleasant expression now.
"Take it back," the Captain growled.
"You gonna make me?" Tidus asked. His fists were clenched.
"Enough!" Yuna yelled. "This is a temple of Yevon! It is not a fight yard! That is enough!"
The Goers surveyed the Summoner. The Captain beckoned to his team and they sulked away. Tidus saw Yuna and saw that she was shaking slightly.
"Sorry," Tidus said meekly.
"Those. People!" Yuna said. "How could they be so unpleasant?"
"I know. They're just like my old man! Always putting people down."
Yuna now looked startled. "But. The Sir Jecht I knew was a kind, gentle man."
"Not my Jecht," Tidus muttered.
A long silence followed. Lulu finally said, "Let's get moving."
The Summoner party entered the temple and Wakka instantly kneeled at the stone feet of a Summoner statue. He prayed silently for a moment and stood. "So. The Goers are pretty good, huh?" Tidus asked.
"This team of Goers is," Wakka answered. "Ranked number one in the league. They've always beaten us. Every single tournament we've played, we've always been put against the Goers. And we've always lost."
"Well, not this time," Tidus said. "I've got an idea. Wakka, do the games get recorded?"
"Yeah," Wakka said blankly, "They get put on video spheres. Why?"
"We need to buy every single Goers game. I'll explain later."
As this was happening, a wall at the far side of the temple opened, and a woman and a man emerged. The woman stopped, surveying the crowd in front of her.
"A Summoner party." she muttered.
She and the big, thick man behind her walked forward. "Greetings," Yuna said, seeing them approach. "I am Lady Yuna from the Isle of Besaid."
"Lady Dona," said the other woman. Tidus was strongly reminded of his father; this woman had the same 'unimpressed' tone of voice.
She surveyed the guardians and Tidus, her cold, green eyes lingering on each of them for a few seconds before moving on. "So. High Summoner Braska's daughter. You have a lot to live up to."
"Yes. It is hard, sometimes, being my father's daughter."
"And these.people. are your guardians?" she asked, her eyes lingering on Kimarhi. "As I recall, High Summoner Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear, what ever were you thinking."
"I only have so many guardians as there are people I can trust with my life," Yuna said, a force in her voice that wasn't quite natural. Dona was still visibly unimpressed. She motioned to her guardian and left. Tidus rolled his eyes.
"Boy, we meet all the great ones, don't we?" he asked. The others laughed-even Lulu allowed herself a smile.
The Summoner party walked over to the doorway in the wall and walked down a long hallway until they reached a round piece of flooring similar to the one in Besaid Temple. Wakka and Lulu stood behind Yuna, and Kimarhi and Tidus stood in front of her. Tidus suddenly felt someone shove him from the platform. It was Kimarhi.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Tidus asked angrily.
"Only guardians are allowed down there," Wakka said.
"So?"
"You're not a guardian," Lulu said, reverting back to her cold self.
"We'll back as soon as we can," Yuna said desperately. The group started to descend into the pit.
"Yeah, soon-like, next Tuesday, maybe," Tidus yelled after them. He scowled, and decided to check out the rest of the temple, when suddenly, Dona the Summoner and her guardian came back.
"Where's Lady Yuna?" she asked.
Tidus pointed to the platform, which had reemerged.
"But why aren't you down there?" Dona asked.
"Hey, only guardians, right? I'm not a guardian."
"I see. Barthellow!"
The big guy behind Dona suddenly picked Tidus up and threw him onto the platform, which obediently went back down, leaving Tidus to listen to the sounds of Dona's and Barthellow's laughter.
"This is bad," Tidus said to himself. "This is really bad."
The platform came to a halt, in a large circular room. Tidus started getting to his feet when the others spotted him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka said in a hushed voice. "Whatta you think you're doin'?"
"Hey, don't blame me!" Tidus said defensively. "That Dona woman threw me down here!"
"But Yuna will be the one to take the consequences!" Lulu said an angry voice.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Tidus asked.
"She could be excommunicated!" Wakka said.
Tidus was growing to like Yevon less and less every day. It seemed to be more of a dictatorship than a religion.
Tidus looked across the room to a door where Kimarhi stood guard. "What's in there?" Tidus asked.
"The Fayth," Wakka answered. "You remember that Aeon? From Besaid?"
"Yeah."
"The Fayth is where the Aeon comes from. It's a statue containing the soul of a deceased person. When the Summoner beckons, the soul emerges to help the Summoner as an Aeon. See?"
"I guess so."
Suddenly, the door opened and Yuna stumbled out. "I am. finished." she breathed, collapsing onto the floor. "We. can go."
Yuna had to be carried back, a task the Kimarhi took up without any complaint or anyone asking. The group made their way into the village, where Kimarhi and Lulu stood guard outside the inn where Yuna slept. Wakka, however, had brought Tidus down to the water to teach him Blitzball.
"Now, first you gotta meet the team," Wakka said, and pointing at the furthest from him he introduced them: "Datto, Letty, Jassu, Botta, and Keepa. He's the Goalie."
The team nodded to Tidus, who nodded back. "OK," Wakka said, "Blitzball is played in a giant sphere. It's just like water except you can breathe in it. Now, the team has six players: one goalie and six offensive/defensive guys. OK?"
"Yeah," Tidus said.
"Now, it's just like this. uh."
"Basket Ball?" Tidus asked.
"Yeah, except you can kick the ball, too. It's easier to explain if everyone's moving. Boys! Let's go!"
The team started practicing, and Tidus noticed that they weren't exactly the most coordinated team on the planet. Nevertheless, he quickly caught on, and soon, Wakka was rallying the team again.
"We can win the Cup this year! I know it!"
Tidus noticed that the other players' smiles had become rather fixed. They simply nodded and murmured their agreement.
"OK, boys," Wakka said, "get to bed! We get on the boat tomorrow, and the next stop is Luca!"
The Goers swaggered up to Wakka and the Summoner party.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Besaid Losers," one of them said. He held himself proudly; Tidus got the distinct impression he was the team captain.
Wakka forced himself into a pleasant voice and said, "You here to pray for victory, too?"
"Pray? Who needs to pray?" The Goers Captain asked. "The Luca Goers always win. How 'bout you? What's your motto this time? You gonna 'do your best?' It's too bad that your best isn't good enough," he sneered at Wakka.
Tidus stepped forward. The Goers Captain was at least in his mid- twenties, but Tidus was a few inches taller than him. He got right in his face and said "Bring it. You guys will be sorry you ever laughed at us. This year, we're gonna wipe those smiles off your face."
Tidus leaned over to whisper in his ear: "You better watch your back. Oh, and uhh. Your uniforms make you look."
Tidus was speaking so low that the only person who could hear him was the Goers Captain. When he stepped back, the Goers Captain was wearing an even more unpleasant expression now.
"Take it back," the Captain growled.
"You gonna make me?" Tidus asked. His fists were clenched.
"Enough!" Yuna yelled. "This is a temple of Yevon! It is not a fight yard! That is enough!"
The Goers surveyed the Summoner. The Captain beckoned to his team and they sulked away. Tidus saw Yuna and saw that she was shaking slightly.
"Sorry," Tidus said meekly.
"Those. People!" Yuna said. "How could they be so unpleasant?"
"I know. They're just like my old man! Always putting people down."
Yuna now looked startled. "But. The Sir Jecht I knew was a kind, gentle man."
"Not my Jecht," Tidus muttered.
A long silence followed. Lulu finally said, "Let's get moving."
The Summoner party entered the temple and Wakka instantly kneeled at the stone feet of a Summoner statue. He prayed silently for a moment and stood. "So. The Goers are pretty good, huh?" Tidus asked.
"This team of Goers is," Wakka answered. "Ranked number one in the league. They've always beaten us. Every single tournament we've played, we've always been put against the Goers. And we've always lost."
"Well, not this time," Tidus said. "I've got an idea. Wakka, do the games get recorded?"
"Yeah," Wakka said blankly, "They get put on video spheres. Why?"
"We need to buy every single Goers game. I'll explain later."
As this was happening, a wall at the far side of the temple opened, and a woman and a man emerged. The woman stopped, surveying the crowd in front of her.
"A Summoner party." she muttered.
She and the big, thick man behind her walked forward. "Greetings," Yuna said, seeing them approach. "I am Lady Yuna from the Isle of Besaid."
"Lady Dona," said the other woman. Tidus was strongly reminded of his father; this woman had the same 'unimpressed' tone of voice.
She surveyed the guardians and Tidus, her cold, green eyes lingering on each of them for a few seconds before moving on. "So. High Summoner Braska's daughter. You have a lot to live up to."
"Yes. It is hard, sometimes, being my father's daughter."
"And these.people. are your guardians?" she asked, her eyes lingering on Kimarhi. "As I recall, High Summoner Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear, what ever were you thinking."
"I only have so many guardians as there are people I can trust with my life," Yuna said, a force in her voice that wasn't quite natural. Dona was still visibly unimpressed. She motioned to her guardian and left. Tidus rolled his eyes.
"Boy, we meet all the great ones, don't we?" he asked. The others laughed-even Lulu allowed herself a smile.
The Summoner party walked over to the doorway in the wall and walked down a long hallway until they reached a round piece of flooring similar to the one in Besaid Temple. Wakka and Lulu stood behind Yuna, and Kimarhi and Tidus stood in front of her. Tidus suddenly felt someone shove him from the platform. It was Kimarhi.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Tidus asked angrily.
"Only guardians are allowed down there," Wakka said.
"So?"
"You're not a guardian," Lulu said, reverting back to her cold self.
"We'll back as soon as we can," Yuna said desperately. The group started to descend into the pit.
"Yeah, soon-like, next Tuesday, maybe," Tidus yelled after them. He scowled, and decided to check out the rest of the temple, when suddenly, Dona the Summoner and her guardian came back.
"Where's Lady Yuna?" she asked.
Tidus pointed to the platform, which had reemerged.
"But why aren't you down there?" Dona asked.
"Hey, only guardians, right? I'm not a guardian."
"I see. Barthellow!"
The big guy behind Dona suddenly picked Tidus up and threw him onto the platform, which obediently went back down, leaving Tidus to listen to the sounds of Dona's and Barthellow's laughter.
"This is bad," Tidus said to himself. "This is really bad."
The platform came to a halt, in a large circular room. Tidus started getting to his feet when the others spotted him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka said in a hushed voice. "Whatta you think you're doin'?"
"Hey, don't blame me!" Tidus said defensively. "That Dona woman threw me down here!"
"But Yuna will be the one to take the consequences!" Lulu said an angry voice.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Tidus asked.
"She could be excommunicated!" Wakka said.
Tidus was growing to like Yevon less and less every day. It seemed to be more of a dictatorship than a religion.
Tidus looked across the room to a door where Kimarhi stood guard. "What's in there?" Tidus asked.
"The Fayth," Wakka answered. "You remember that Aeon? From Besaid?"
"Yeah."
"The Fayth is where the Aeon comes from. It's a statue containing the soul of a deceased person. When the Summoner beckons, the soul emerges to help the Summoner as an Aeon. See?"
"I guess so."
Suddenly, the door opened and Yuna stumbled out. "I am. finished." she breathed, collapsing onto the floor. "We. can go."
Yuna had to be carried back, a task the Kimarhi took up without any complaint or anyone asking. The group made their way into the village, where Kimarhi and Lulu stood guard outside the inn where Yuna slept. Wakka, however, had brought Tidus down to the water to teach him Blitzball.
"Now, first you gotta meet the team," Wakka said, and pointing at the furthest from him he introduced them: "Datto, Letty, Jassu, Botta, and Keepa. He's the Goalie."
The team nodded to Tidus, who nodded back. "OK," Wakka said, "Blitzball is played in a giant sphere. It's just like water except you can breathe in it. Now, the team has six players: one goalie and six offensive/defensive guys. OK?"
"Yeah," Tidus said.
"Now, it's just like this. uh."
"Basket Ball?" Tidus asked.
"Yeah, except you can kick the ball, too. It's easier to explain if everyone's moving. Boys! Let's go!"
The team started practicing, and Tidus noticed that they weren't exactly the most coordinated team on the planet. Nevertheless, he quickly caught on, and soon, Wakka was rallying the team again.
"We can win the Cup this year! I know it!"
Tidus noticed that the other players' smiles had become rather fixed. They simply nodded and murmured their agreement.
"OK, boys," Wakka said, "get to bed! We get on the boat tomorrow, and the next stop is Luca!"