~Chapter 9~
It was by far the most advanced city Tidus had seen thus far. Tall, sweeping towers lined the sky, billions of people walked the streets, and there was no doubt in his mind that he had finally reached the central metropolis of Spira-Luca was simply huge.
The boat Tidus and the others had taken was carrying the Auochs, the Kilika Beasts, and, to the Aurochs' disappointment, the Luca Goers. But Wakka and Tidus had a plan-one that they had let the team in on just two days before arriving at the Luca dock.
Tidus had gone to bed in the sea, but had woken up to the sounds of fireworks. Heading to the top deck, he saw Luca for the first time. Yuna came out to admire it with him, and it was an awkward moment-the two of them, standing together in perfect silence, Kimarhi watching intently (he followed Yuna wherever she went). Then, Wakka had emerged, pulled Tidus aside, and said, "OK. This is gonna be your first match. You OK?"
"Yeah," Tidus said. "Like basket ball in water, right?"
"Right," Wakka said, beaming.
The Luca harbor swam closer and closer into view. Tidus saw that it was actually a dock surrounding a huge, glass-encased stadium. It looked like a huge clear half-marble jutting from the angled-down roofing of the harbor. It was connected to the city by a long, narrow roadway.
The boat pulled into an empty dock, and instantly, people on the dock turned to see the teams as they came off of the boat, cheering and calling their favorite players' names. Two commentators were calling out everything that was going on.
"And stepping off the boat in Dock 2 are the Kilika Beasts! You know, it's very symbolic of them to be here, since Kilika recently fell victim to Sin earlier in the week. They carry the hopes and dreams of all from Kilika, and it's definitely a spirit-lifter to see the here today. Jimma?"
"That's right, Bobba," Jimma said, and Tidus chuckled. "What's so funny?" Wakka asked.
"Every sports commentator is named Bob and Jim," he said.
"And now stepping off of the boat are our very own Luca Goers!" Bobba cried, barely heard over the roaring crowd. "This team is unbelievable! Nine years in a row, they've managed to capture the season-beginning tournament, and the Crystal Cup! They as a team, though, only have one more year-this year-to make that 10-season winning streak."
"That's right, because Goers Captain Bickson's contract was not extended past this year! A conflict with team owners has ensured that Bickson will be on his own next year. We hope a team contracts him quickly," Jimma said.
"Team owners." Wakka muttered to Tidus. "All we've got is me. I'm coach and captain. no one owns our team."
When the Goers cleared off, the Aurochs stepped forward. Wakka led them, while Tidus stood with the others in a V-like formation.
"Well, well, well!" Bobba said in an amused, mocking voice. "If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs!"
A tirade of boos met the ears of the Aurochs. Bobba continued on with his run-down of the team.
"They are a living, breathing, statistical anomaly! I have never seen a team this bad! They haven't won a single match in 20 years-and they were founded twenty years ago!"
Tidus turned to Wakka. "What?!" he mouthed.
"The old team captain retired ten years ago-that's when I took over da team," Wakka said, shrugging.
"Only a few die-hard fans are in the stands today," Bobba said, and Tidus noticed five-yes, five people standing under a faded and aged banner that read "We Believe in you Aurochs!" With the word "Still" crudely painted above "We" and "Believe."
"Good luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid," Jimma said.
A man stood some distance away. At first, it took him some time to register who had just come off of the boat. He locked his gaze on Tidus, confident that he couldn't sense himself being watched. This man suddenly smiled and muttered under his breath, "Blitz. Just like his father."
Tidus had suddenly gotten the feeling he was being watched. He looked over to where the man had been standing, but he had vanished.
The team stood off to the side of the dock, with the rest of the Summoner party standing with them. It was a strange sight to the passerby: Kimarhi, Lulu, Yuna, Wakka, Tidus, and the Aurochs. Yuna and Kimarhi were out of earshot, talking to a priest (at least, Yuna was, Kimarhi just stood there with his arms crossed). Suddenly, Yuna excitedly ran back to the group, startling Kimarhi and forcing him into a strange looking jog.
"Grand Maester Mika is coming!" she said breathlessly. "Dock 3. Can we go see him?"
"Who's Grand Maester Mika?" Tidus asked.
"The leader of Yevon. Kinda like a bishop," Wakka explained.
"It's his fiftieth year in office," Lulu said thoughtfully, as though she had remembered something important.
"He's gotta be pretty old, then," Tidus said, chuckling. Wakka grabbed his shoulder.
"Mind your manners."
"Can we go see him?" Yuna asked, almost whining.
"Of course," Lulu said, and they all ventured out onto a large pathway leading to Dock 3. Tidus noticed many people were flocking over as well.
Grand Maester Mika's boat was nothing short of a yacht powered by sails. Bright, livid colors set the boat apart from the measly little ones docking alongside it. Suddenly, a full symphony orchestra leapt off of the boat, and struck up a loud, proud tune. Everyone immediately bowed.
"Bow! Do it!" Wakka hissed at Tidus, and he bowed, but was unable to keep his head down. He watched in complete amazement.
A ramp descended from the boat, clad in the deepest blue velvet Tidus had ever seen. Two priests stepped off of the ship, followed by quite a strange character indeed.
He was clad in long, baggy robes, colored a strange kind of blue, held together in the front by thick, brightly colored belts. He seemed to have on no shirt, and his robes were opened to reveal his chest, which had a strange, steel-gray tattoo running over his chest and stomach. His fingers were long and pointy, as though they couldn't decide if they wanted to be fingers or claws. His thin face was livid and clever-looking, with shocking blue eyes, and crazy, electric-blue hair. This man turned, and bowed to the ship.
"That's Maester Seymour!" someone in front of Tidus whispered excitedly.
"But isn't he a Guado?" asked someone else.
And suddenly, another man appeared, an old and feeble looking man. He was dressed in long, white robes, with a shoulder piece that looked like a triangle outlined in orange and filled in with green. Down the front of his robes were two yellow lines alongside a large green one. Atop his head was a small, bandana-like cloth, purple in color. His wrinkled face almost made his eyes look shut, but Tidus could see the tiniest bit of white and what he supposed was green. His mouth was framed (and hidden) by a small mustache and beard, both completely white. He had a full head of hair, also completely white.
So that's Grand Maester Mika, Tidus thought.
"Citizens of Spira," he said in a feeble, British accent, "thank you for your welcome. Rise, Maester Seymour," he said, almost as an after thought, "as well as the rest of you all."
Seymour and all of the people on the dock stood. Maester Mika continued talking.
"I'm sure you all recognize my former apprentice, Maester Seymour, who is taking up the position of his late father, Maester Jyscal, who passed on to the Farplane a fortnight ago."
He bowed his head to Seymour, who bowed back. In one tremendous stride, he stepped in front of the Grand Maester. Tidus was suddenly struck by how tall he was.
He faced the crowd and smiled. Perhaps it was just Tidus, but this Seymour character seemed to be emitting a coldness from him that was overwhelming. Tidus shivered.
"Hello," he said in a soft, slightly high-pitched voice. "I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to hold the position of Maester, but more importantly, the position my father held.
"In life, my father worked to create a bond between all the people of Spira," Seymour continued, his blue eyes sweeping the crowd. He saw Yuna, and locked his gaze on her, staring straight into her blue-and-green eyes.
"It is my deepest wish to continue his work," he finished, speaking very softly now, still locking Yuna with what seemed an inescapable gaze. He finally blinked, bowed to Maester Mika, and off they went, surrounded by strong-looking men with swords.
"Creepy!" Tidus said, watching Maester Seymour walk away. "That guy. He looks so."
"Yeah," Wakka said, filling in what Tidus was thinking. "Rumors say he's a little weird. But his father was a great guy."
Wakka turned to Tidus and the team. "OK," he said, "Locker rooms! And don't forget what we studied!"
Tidus cheered with the rest of them, and started following them when something caught his eye. A red coat.an empty sleeve.
Nah, Tidus thought. He blinked, and whatever he saw was gone, though it bugged him for a while afterwards.
Wakka showed him the locker rooms, but instead of changing, Tidus decided to explore the city a little. He left the locker rooms, located off to the side of the entrance to the Blitzball stadium.
Tidus hesitated. His curiosity got the best of him, and he took to the stairs leading to the stands. When he emerged, he was reminded of a basket ball dome, except it was circular instead of rectangular. At the bottom and very center, there was a large, round, concrete platform. All around the platform were huge nozzles-16 in all-and they were pointing skyward.
Tidus walked around the edge of the balcony he had entered upon, lined with stairs leading up and down. As he walked, the Top Box came into better view.
Sitting in a large, ornate chair was Maester Mika. Off to the side, in a less exotic looking seat, sat Maester Seymour.
Seymour was scanning the crowd, hoping to spot someone, Tidus supposed. Then, to his ultimate displeasure, Seymour's eyes rested on him.
Seymour looked at him, apparently unimpressed, when he looked Tidus up and down. A small smile played at his lips, and his eyes left Tidus, and began roving the stands once more.
Suddenly, to everyone's surprised, the nozzles all exploded.
16 streaming jets of water soared through the air, up about 100 feet, when suddenly, the all arched back down, though it was like an unseen force had caused the apparent "doming." At the bottom, instead of hitting the opposing nozzle, the water once again domed out.
Tidus watched in complete amazement as a watery dome was slowly being filled, hanging in midair, and having its shape held by absolutely nothing. Within 15 minutes, a full, 100 foot sphere was floating in the middle of the stadium.
Tidus departed back into the locker rooms and met a very subdued team. "What's the matter?" he asked them.
"Cap'n Wakka's at the match-up draws," Botta said glumly.
"So?"
"We had to play da Goers last year. and the year before that. and the year before that."
Just then, Wakka burst into the room, wearing what appeared to be a forced grin.
"Well, boys. We're playin' the Goers."
The team just sat and stared at him.
The stairs to the seats in the stadium were crowded, but one man seemed to be making his way though the people effortlessly. the exact same way he had cut through the crowd on the bridge that Friday night in Chicago. His coattails and sleeve waved gently in the breeze.
Auron had come to watch Tidus play Blitzball.
Wakka was leading the team down a tunnel that extended from the locker rooms towards the stadium. "Nervous?" he asked Tidus.
"Yeah," Tidus said.
A red door could now be seen at the end of the tunnel. Wakka turned to the team.
"OK, boys. I know we can do this because of those old game spheres we watched, so. let's do this thing!"
"Yeah!" yelled the Aurochs.
"Let's go!" Wakka yelled. The team ran flat out for the door, which opened into the dome of water.
Tidus stopped dead, and watched in amazement as each player jumped into the water-like substance headfirst and swam away. Wakka turned back and yelled, "C'mon!"
Tidus hesitated. He touched the watery surface, took a deep breath, and walked in.
It was the strangest sensation he had ever felt. It was like stepping off of a cliff and never falling. Something else also surprised him: he could breath.
Wakka was motioning for him to come up and join the team in the center of the sphere. Tidus swam towards them.
"OK boys," Wakka said, "We got seven and only six can play-I'm warmin' the bench."
The Aurochs and Tidus gasped.
"Don't worry-Dis guy's a star player. Learned pretty quick, too. Just do what he says, and we'll do fine.OK?"
There were murmurs of agreement.
"I'll come back out in da second half, OK? Until then. Good luck."
Wakka turned and went back down towards the locker rooms. As this was happening, the Goers made their way into the sphere.
Bickson, the captain, swam right up to Tidus. "Good luck," he sneered. "You'll need it."
Tidus just looked at him, unable to come up with a comeback. Bickson and he just floated facing each other, when suddenly, panels of what appeared to be light appeared under the starting positions-two "V"s pointing at each other. Everyone was now standing on these-Tidus followed suit.
"I'm gonna ram right through you, Auroch!" Bickson yelled at Tidus, a manic smile on his face.
"OK. But Bickson. You might want to lead with your left arm this time, since you throw with your right," Tidus said. Bickson looked at him quizzically.
A buzzer sounded. Somewhere from the bottom of the sphere, the Blitzball had shot up to the players. Tidus and Bickson leaped, stretching for the ball.
"And Bickson captures the ball off of the forward position, passes to teammate Balgerda, Balgerda to swims to the goal, stops, passes-OUCH-that had to hurt, tackled by Datto, Datto of the Besaid Aurochs-Datto to Jassu, Jassu to Letty, Letty to Botta-a triangular formation, never saw that before-Botta towards Goers Goalie Raudy-Raudy is ready for the shoot-Botta pulls his arm back-Whoa! What a fake-out! He passes to the new Aurochs team member, name of Tidus-Tidus filling in for Wakka-He's swimming like a shark in there-Oh, too bad, as the ball is taken by Abus of the Goers, passes to Graav, back to Abus-Abus got a face full there, as the ball is taken by Letty of the Aurochs-Letty to Tidus-Tidus to Jassu, long pass by Tidus-Jassu catches it-aims-JASSU SCORES!"
Bobba the commentator had been keeping up with the action quite well. The Goers fans were booing, but the Aurochs hardly cared; they had scored first. The scoreboard now read AUROCHS: 1, GOERS: 0.
"And goalie Raudy throws the ball back in to teammate Abus-No! Pass incomplete, intercepted by Auroch Tidus Scott! He swims to center sphere- just barely avoids a tackle from Bickson-turns-passes to Jassu-Pass incomplete, Jassu drops the ball, taken by Balgerda-to Graav-Graav evades all Auroch competition-he shoots-HE SCORES!"
The Goers fans were now cheering, as though they had already won.
"Keepa fires the ball in-Jassu with the ball-Jassu swimming towards the defensive players-Jassu to Letty-Letty zigzags and gets it to Tidus- Tidus to Botta-Botta back to Tidus, who now has a clear field-Tidus swims up to Raudy-shoots-DENIED!"
Raudy had caught the ball flawlessly. As quickly as he had gotten it, he got rid of it, zinging it past Tidus' head.
"Raudy puts it back in-Graav gets a hand on it, but doesn't catch it- Bickson gets it-tackled hard by defensive player Datto-Datto steals the ball-Bickson looks a little dazed, he didn't see that one coming-Datto takes it right up to Raudy, and-No! He handed it off to Letty! Letty with the ball, a long pass to Tidus-Tidus shoots-HE GETS IT!"
The scoreboard read AUROCHS: 2, GOERS: 1. A buzzer sounded from somewhere.
"And that marks the end of the first half, a terrific game so far, and what a feat for the Aurochs!"
The Aurochs swam back to the locker room, where Wakka was waiting with a smile a mile wide.
"You guys. I can't believe this. We could win this thing!" Wakka said, too happy for words. He turned to Tidus.
"Man. You're great out there! You sure you don't know Blitz?"
"I don't know what it is," Tidus said, shrugging.
Datto was standing by the door, which was unfortunate, because it flew open, smacking him right in the face. Yuna and Lulu rushed in, followed by Kimarhi. At first, they couldn't understand why the team was rushing over to the door, hollering about Datto, until they saw them carry him out from behind the door, bleeding heavily. "Broken nose," Wakka grimaced, looking at his player. "He can't play like this."
"I'm so sorry!" Yuna cried, horrified. "I had no idea he was standing there, I-I'm so sorry!"
Wakka shook his head. His face was white. "Nothin' we coulda done. Damn."
He looked at the team, his face set. "Botta. get him to the med center. Hurry though. Half-Time's almost up. I gotta tell the officials I'm playin' for Datto."
He rushed off, followed by Botta, who was hoisting Datto through the hall.
Yuna looked like she could cry. Tidus walked over to her.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Datto'll be fine," he said, trying to cheer her up. She shook her head.
"I should have knocked. I just wanted to tell you. Someone said they saw Sir Auron in the stadium."
"What?"
Wakka came back in at that moment, looking anxious. "All right, boys. Let's blitz!"
The team trouped out of the locker room and into the sphere pool. The Goers were already there, waiting for them.
Wakka relieved Tidus of center starting position, and Tidus took Datto's spot on the far left. The ball shot up out of nowhere, and the game began again.
"And the ball is in play-seized by Captain Wakka of the Aurochs-Wakka to Tidus-Tidus to Botta-Botta swims with it-Tackled hard by Balgerda, he drops it-the ball is claimed by Bickson of the Goers-WHOA! Tidus rockets out of nowhere, tackling Bickson so hard, he shoots clear out of the sphere!"
Tidus had pulled out just in time, or else he would have gone right along with Bickson. Bickson was looking dazed, lying on the ground. A bunch of medics swarmed out of nowhere and gave him some kind of drink the made him feel better all of a sudden. He leapt back into the sphere, glaring at Tidus. He was given the ball, and the game started again.
"Bickson takes off towards the goal-he's not stopping for anything- aims-shoots-Goalie Keepa leaps-diverts it-right into Graav's hands! Keppa's not fast enough-Graav shoots-HE SCORES!"
Tidus groaned. They were tied at 2 to 2.
"Keepa puts the ball back in-Wakka with the ball now, he swims towards center sphere-Balgerda comes in to tackle-Wakka dodges it, passes to Letty-Letty takes it over to the goal-he shoots-denied-he gets it back- shoot again-IT'S GOOD!"
Now, more people were cheering on the Aurochs, namely the fans of other Blitzball teams. Wakka signaled for the team to meet him in center sphere.
"Captain Wakka calls time out as we enter the last quarter of the game," Bobba the commentator announced.
The Aurochs swam up to their coach, who was swelling with pride. "Zone defense, boys! And if you get the ball, shoot like crazy!"
"Yeah!"
"Let's go!" Wakka yelled, and the team flew into action.
"Time-out over, the ball is put back into play by Raudy of the Goers- Graav with the ball-tackled hard by Letty, who steals it-Letty to Tidus- Tidus swims back to his side of the sphere! He avoids tackling from Bickson-Graav-25 seconds left-Tidus suddenly rockets forward-20 seconds now- Tidus stops, passes to Wakka-Wakka to Botta-Botta keeps it-12 seconds-10-9- 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-THE AUROCHS WIN THE SEASON OPENING TOURNAMENT!"
Five blurs came pelting out of nowhere and slammed into Botta. The Aurochs hugged and cheered and gave high fives and let it all hang out. The people in the stands were completely silent. The five die-hard fans suddenly burst into chant, and soon, nearly the whole stadium was screaming "Aurochs, Aurochs, Aurochs yeah!"
They had done it, after twenty years of trying. Tidus swam off to the side to let the team celebrate; it was, after all, their victory. He had joined last, so he watched the team celebrate.
A sobbing Wakka swam to the top of the sphere and flipped over to float on his back. He had a smile a mile wide on his face. Nothing, nothing in the world could change his mood now.
It was by far the most advanced city Tidus had seen thus far. Tall, sweeping towers lined the sky, billions of people walked the streets, and there was no doubt in his mind that he had finally reached the central metropolis of Spira-Luca was simply huge.
The boat Tidus and the others had taken was carrying the Auochs, the Kilika Beasts, and, to the Aurochs' disappointment, the Luca Goers. But Wakka and Tidus had a plan-one that they had let the team in on just two days before arriving at the Luca dock.
Tidus had gone to bed in the sea, but had woken up to the sounds of fireworks. Heading to the top deck, he saw Luca for the first time. Yuna came out to admire it with him, and it was an awkward moment-the two of them, standing together in perfect silence, Kimarhi watching intently (he followed Yuna wherever she went). Then, Wakka had emerged, pulled Tidus aside, and said, "OK. This is gonna be your first match. You OK?"
"Yeah," Tidus said. "Like basket ball in water, right?"
"Right," Wakka said, beaming.
The Luca harbor swam closer and closer into view. Tidus saw that it was actually a dock surrounding a huge, glass-encased stadium. It looked like a huge clear half-marble jutting from the angled-down roofing of the harbor. It was connected to the city by a long, narrow roadway.
The boat pulled into an empty dock, and instantly, people on the dock turned to see the teams as they came off of the boat, cheering and calling their favorite players' names. Two commentators were calling out everything that was going on.
"And stepping off the boat in Dock 2 are the Kilika Beasts! You know, it's very symbolic of them to be here, since Kilika recently fell victim to Sin earlier in the week. They carry the hopes and dreams of all from Kilika, and it's definitely a spirit-lifter to see the here today. Jimma?"
"That's right, Bobba," Jimma said, and Tidus chuckled. "What's so funny?" Wakka asked.
"Every sports commentator is named Bob and Jim," he said.
"And now stepping off of the boat are our very own Luca Goers!" Bobba cried, barely heard over the roaring crowd. "This team is unbelievable! Nine years in a row, they've managed to capture the season-beginning tournament, and the Crystal Cup! They as a team, though, only have one more year-this year-to make that 10-season winning streak."
"That's right, because Goers Captain Bickson's contract was not extended past this year! A conflict with team owners has ensured that Bickson will be on his own next year. We hope a team contracts him quickly," Jimma said.
"Team owners." Wakka muttered to Tidus. "All we've got is me. I'm coach and captain. no one owns our team."
When the Goers cleared off, the Aurochs stepped forward. Wakka led them, while Tidus stood with the others in a V-like formation.
"Well, well, well!" Bobba said in an amused, mocking voice. "If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs!"
A tirade of boos met the ears of the Aurochs. Bobba continued on with his run-down of the team.
"They are a living, breathing, statistical anomaly! I have never seen a team this bad! They haven't won a single match in 20 years-and they were founded twenty years ago!"
Tidus turned to Wakka. "What?!" he mouthed.
"The old team captain retired ten years ago-that's when I took over da team," Wakka said, shrugging.
"Only a few die-hard fans are in the stands today," Bobba said, and Tidus noticed five-yes, five people standing under a faded and aged banner that read "We Believe in you Aurochs!" With the word "Still" crudely painted above "We" and "Believe."
"Good luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid," Jimma said.
A man stood some distance away. At first, it took him some time to register who had just come off of the boat. He locked his gaze on Tidus, confident that he couldn't sense himself being watched. This man suddenly smiled and muttered under his breath, "Blitz. Just like his father."
Tidus had suddenly gotten the feeling he was being watched. He looked over to where the man had been standing, but he had vanished.
The team stood off to the side of the dock, with the rest of the Summoner party standing with them. It was a strange sight to the passerby: Kimarhi, Lulu, Yuna, Wakka, Tidus, and the Aurochs. Yuna and Kimarhi were out of earshot, talking to a priest (at least, Yuna was, Kimarhi just stood there with his arms crossed). Suddenly, Yuna excitedly ran back to the group, startling Kimarhi and forcing him into a strange looking jog.
"Grand Maester Mika is coming!" she said breathlessly. "Dock 3. Can we go see him?"
"Who's Grand Maester Mika?" Tidus asked.
"The leader of Yevon. Kinda like a bishop," Wakka explained.
"It's his fiftieth year in office," Lulu said thoughtfully, as though she had remembered something important.
"He's gotta be pretty old, then," Tidus said, chuckling. Wakka grabbed his shoulder.
"Mind your manners."
"Can we go see him?" Yuna asked, almost whining.
"Of course," Lulu said, and they all ventured out onto a large pathway leading to Dock 3. Tidus noticed many people were flocking over as well.
Grand Maester Mika's boat was nothing short of a yacht powered by sails. Bright, livid colors set the boat apart from the measly little ones docking alongside it. Suddenly, a full symphony orchestra leapt off of the boat, and struck up a loud, proud tune. Everyone immediately bowed.
"Bow! Do it!" Wakka hissed at Tidus, and he bowed, but was unable to keep his head down. He watched in complete amazement.
A ramp descended from the boat, clad in the deepest blue velvet Tidus had ever seen. Two priests stepped off of the ship, followed by quite a strange character indeed.
He was clad in long, baggy robes, colored a strange kind of blue, held together in the front by thick, brightly colored belts. He seemed to have on no shirt, and his robes were opened to reveal his chest, which had a strange, steel-gray tattoo running over his chest and stomach. His fingers were long and pointy, as though they couldn't decide if they wanted to be fingers or claws. His thin face was livid and clever-looking, with shocking blue eyes, and crazy, electric-blue hair. This man turned, and bowed to the ship.
"That's Maester Seymour!" someone in front of Tidus whispered excitedly.
"But isn't he a Guado?" asked someone else.
And suddenly, another man appeared, an old and feeble looking man. He was dressed in long, white robes, with a shoulder piece that looked like a triangle outlined in orange and filled in with green. Down the front of his robes were two yellow lines alongside a large green one. Atop his head was a small, bandana-like cloth, purple in color. His wrinkled face almost made his eyes look shut, but Tidus could see the tiniest bit of white and what he supposed was green. His mouth was framed (and hidden) by a small mustache and beard, both completely white. He had a full head of hair, also completely white.
So that's Grand Maester Mika, Tidus thought.
"Citizens of Spira," he said in a feeble, British accent, "thank you for your welcome. Rise, Maester Seymour," he said, almost as an after thought, "as well as the rest of you all."
Seymour and all of the people on the dock stood. Maester Mika continued talking.
"I'm sure you all recognize my former apprentice, Maester Seymour, who is taking up the position of his late father, Maester Jyscal, who passed on to the Farplane a fortnight ago."
He bowed his head to Seymour, who bowed back. In one tremendous stride, he stepped in front of the Grand Maester. Tidus was suddenly struck by how tall he was.
He faced the crowd and smiled. Perhaps it was just Tidus, but this Seymour character seemed to be emitting a coldness from him that was overwhelming. Tidus shivered.
"Hello," he said in a soft, slightly high-pitched voice. "I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to hold the position of Maester, but more importantly, the position my father held.
"In life, my father worked to create a bond between all the people of Spira," Seymour continued, his blue eyes sweeping the crowd. He saw Yuna, and locked his gaze on her, staring straight into her blue-and-green eyes.
"It is my deepest wish to continue his work," he finished, speaking very softly now, still locking Yuna with what seemed an inescapable gaze. He finally blinked, bowed to Maester Mika, and off they went, surrounded by strong-looking men with swords.
"Creepy!" Tidus said, watching Maester Seymour walk away. "That guy. He looks so."
"Yeah," Wakka said, filling in what Tidus was thinking. "Rumors say he's a little weird. But his father was a great guy."
Wakka turned to Tidus and the team. "OK," he said, "Locker rooms! And don't forget what we studied!"
Tidus cheered with the rest of them, and started following them when something caught his eye. A red coat.an empty sleeve.
Nah, Tidus thought. He blinked, and whatever he saw was gone, though it bugged him for a while afterwards.
Wakka showed him the locker rooms, but instead of changing, Tidus decided to explore the city a little. He left the locker rooms, located off to the side of the entrance to the Blitzball stadium.
Tidus hesitated. His curiosity got the best of him, and he took to the stairs leading to the stands. When he emerged, he was reminded of a basket ball dome, except it was circular instead of rectangular. At the bottom and very center, there was a large, round, concrete platform. All around the platform were huge nozzles-16 in all-and they were pointing skyward.
Tidus walked around the edge of the balcony he had entered upon, lined with stairs leading up and down. As he walked, the Top Box came into better view.
Sitting in a large, ornate chair was Maester Mika. Off to the side, in a less exotic looking seat, sat Maester Seymour.
Seymour was scanning the crowd, hoping to spot someone, Tidus supposed. Then, to his ultimate displeasure, Seymour's eyes rested on him.
Seymour looked at him, apparently unimpressed, when he looked Tidus up and down. A small smile played at his lips, and his eyes left Tidus, and began roving the stands once more.
Suddenly, to everyone's surprised, the nozzles all exploded.
16 streaming jets of water soared through the air, up about 100 feet, when suddenly, the all arched back down, though it was like an unseen force had caused the apparent "doming." At the bottom, instead of hitting the opposing nozzle, the water once again domed out.
Tidus watched in complete amazement as a watery dome was slowly being filled, hanging in midair, and having its shape held by absolutely nothing. Within 15 minutes, a full, 100 foot sphere was floating in the middle of the stadium.
Tidus departed back into the locker rooms and met a very subdued team. "What's the matter?" he asked them.
"Cap'n Wakka's at the match-up draws," Botta said glumly.
"So?"
"We had to play da Goers last year. and the year before that. and the year before that."
Just then, Wakka burst into the room, wearing what appeared to be a forced grin.
"Well, boys. We're playin' the Goers."
The team just sat and stared at him.
The stairs to the seats in the stadium were crowded, but one man seemed to be making his way though the people effortlessly. the exact same way he had cut through the crowd on the bridge that Friday night in Chicago. His coattails and sleeve waved gently in the breeze.
Auron had come to watch Tidus play Blitzball.
Wakka was leading the team down a tunnel that extended from the locker rooms towards the stadium. "Nervous?" he asked Tidus.
"Yeah," Tidus said.
A red door could now be seen at the end of the tunnel. Wakka turned to the team.
"OK, boys. I know we can do this because of those old game spheres we watched, so. let's do this thing!"
"Yeah!" yelled the Aurochs.
"Let's go!" Wakka yelled. The team ran flat out for the door, which opened into the dome of water.
Tidus stopped dead, and watched in amazement as each player jumped into the water-like substance headfirst and swam away. Wakka turned back and yelled, "C'mon!"
Tidus hesitated. He touched the watery surface, took a deep breath, and walked in.
It was the strangest sensation he had ever felt. It was like stepping off of a cliff and never falling. Something else also surprised him: he could breath.
Wakka was motioning for him to come up and join the team in the center of the sphere. Tidus swam towards them.
"OK boys," Wakka said, "We got seven and only six can play-I'm warmin' the bench."
The Aurochs and Tidus gasped.
"Don't worry-Dis guy's a star player. Learned pretty quick, too. Just do what he says, and we'll do fine.OK?"
There were murmurs of agreement.
"I'll come back out in da second half, OK? Until then. Good luck."
Wakka turned and went back down towards the locker rooms. As this was happening, the Goers made their way into the sphere.
Bickson, the captain, swam right up to Tidus. "Good luck," he sneered. "You'll need it."
Tidus just looked at him, unable to come up with a comeback. Bickson and he just floated facing each other, when suddenly, panels of what appeared to be light appeared under the starting positions-two "V"s pointing at each other. Everyone was now standing on these-Tidus followed suit.
"I'm gonna ram right through you, Auroch!" Bickson yelled at Tidus, a manic smile on his face.
"OK. But Bickson. You might want to lead with your left arm this time, since you throw with your right," Tidus said. Bickson looked at him quizzically.
A buzzer sounded. Somewhere from the bottom of the sphere, the Blitzball had shot up to the players. Tidus and Bickson leaped, stretching for the ball.
"And Bickson captures the ball off of the forward position, passes to teammate Balgerda, Balgerda to swims to the goal, stops, passes-OUCH-that had to hurt, tackled by Datto, Datto of the Besaid Aurochs-Datto to Jassu, Jassu to Letty, Letty to Botta-a triangular formation, never saw that before-Botta towards Goers Goalie Raudy-Raudy is ready for the shoot-Botta pulls his arm back-Whoa! What a fake-out! He passes to the new Aurochs team member, name of Tidus-Tidus filling in for Wakka-He's swimming like a shark in there-Oh, too bad, as the ball is taken by Abus of the Goers, passes to Graav, back to Abus-Abus got a face full there, as the ball is taken by Letty of the Aurochs-Letty to Tidus-Tidus to Jassu, long pass by Tidus-Jassu catches it-aims-JASSU SCORES!"
Bobba the commentator had been keeping up with the action quite well. The Goers fans were booing, but the Aurochs hardly cared; they had scored first. The scoreboard now read AUROCHS: 1, GOERS: 0.
"And goalie Raudy throws the ball back in to teammate Abus-No! Pass incomplete, intercepted by Auroch Tidus Scott! He swims to center sphere- just barely avoids a tackle from Bickson-turns-passes to Jassu-Pass incomplete, Jassu drops the ball, taken by Balgerda-to Graav-Graav evades all Auroch competition-he shoots-HE SCORES!"
The Goers fans were now cheering, as though they had already won.
"Keepa fires the ball in-Jassu with the ball-Jassu swimming towards the defensive players-Jassu to Letty-Letty zigzags and gets it to Tidus- Tidus to Botta-Botta back to Tidus, who now has a clear field-Tidus swims up to Raudy-shoots-DENIED!"
Raudy had caught the ball flawlessly. As quickly as he had gotten it, he got rid of it, zinging it past Tidus' head.
"Raudy puts it back in-Graav gets a hand on it, but doesn't catch it- Bickson gets it-tackled hard by defensive player Datto-Datto steals the ball-Bickson looks a little dazed, he didn't see that one coming-Datto takes it right up to Raudy, and-No! He handed it off to Letty! Letty with the ball, a long pass to Tidus-Tidus shoots-HE GETS IT!"
The scoreboard read AUROCHS: 2, GOERS: 1. A buzzer sounded from somewhere.
"And that marks the end of the first half, a terrific game so far, and what a feat for the Aurochs!"
The Aurochs swam back to the locker room, where Wakka was waiting with a smile a mile wide.
"You guys. I can't believe this. We could win this thing!" Wakka said, too happy for words. He turned to Tidus.
"Man. You're great out there! You sure you don't know Blitz?"
"I don't know what it is," Tidus said, shrugging.
Datto was standing by the door, which was unfortunate, because it flew open, smacking him right in the face. Yuna and Lulu rushed in, followed by Kimarhi. At first, they couldn't understand why the team was rushing over to the door, hollering about Datto, until they saw them carry him out from behind the door, bleeding heavily. "Broken nose," Wakka grimaced, looking at his player. "He can't play like this."
"I'm so sorry!" Yuna cried, horrified. "I had no idea he was standing there, I-I'm so sorry!"
Wakka shook his head. His face was white. "Nothin' we coulda done. Damn."
He looked at the team, his face set. "Botta. get him to the med center. Hurry though. Half-Time's almost up. I gotta tell the officials I'm playin' for Datto."
He rushed off, followed by Botta, who was hoisting Datto through the hall.
Yuna looked like she could cry. Tidus walked over to her.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Datto'll be fine," he said, trying to cheer her up. She shook her head.
"I should have knocked. I just wanted to tell you. Someone said they saw Sir Auron in the stadium."
"What?"
Wakka came back in at that moment, looking anxious. "All right, boys. Let's blitz!"
The team trouped out of the locker room and into the sphere pool. The Goers were already there, waiting for them.
Wakka relieved Tidus of center starting position, and Tidus took Datto's spot on the far left. The ball shot up out of nowhere, and the game began again.
"And the ball is in play-seized by Captain Wakka of the Aurochs-Wakka to Tidus-Tidus to Botta-Botta swims with it-Tackled hard by Balgerda, he drops it-the ball is claimed by Bickson of the Goers-WHOA! Tidus rockets out of nowhere, tackling Bickson so hard, he shoots clear out of the sphere!"
Tidus had pulled out just in time, or else he would have gone right along with Bickson. Bickson was looking dazed, lying on the ground. A bunch of medics swarmed out of nowhere and gave him some kind of drink the made him feel better all of a sudden. He leapt back into the sphere, glaring at Tidus. He was given the ball, and the game started again.
"Bickson takes off towards the goal-he's not stopping for anything- aims-shoots-Goalie Keepa leaps-diverts it-right into Graav's hands! Keppa's not fast enough-Graav shoots-HE SCORES!"
Tidus groaned. They were tied at 2 to 2.
"Keepa puts the ball back in-Wakka with the ball now, he swims towards center sphere-Balgerda comes in to tackle-Wakka dodges it, passes to Letty-Letty takes it over to the goal-he shoots-denied-he gets it back- shoot again-IT'S GOOD!"
Now, more people were cheering on the Aurochs, namely the fans of other Blitzball teams. Wakka signaled for the team to meet him in center sphere.
"Captain Wakka calls time out as we enter the last quarter of the game," Bobba the commentator announced.
The Aurochs swam up to their coach, who was swelling with pride. "Zone defense, boys! And if you get the ball, shoot like crazy!"
"Yeah!"
"Let's go!" Wakka yelled, and the team flew into action.
"Time-out over, the ball is put back into play by Raudy of the Goers- Graav with the ball-tackled hard by Letty, who steals it-Letty to Tidus- Tidus swims back to his side of the sphere! He avoids tackling from Bickson-Graav-25 seconds left-Tidus suddenly rockets forward-20 seconds now- Tidus stops, passes to Wakka-Wakka to Botta-Botta keeps it-12 seconds-10-9- 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-THE AUROCHS WIN THE SEASON OPENING TOURNAMENT!"
Five blurs came pelting out of nowhere and slammed into Botta. The Aurochs hugged and cheered and gave high fives and let it all hang out. The people in the stands were completely silent. The five die-hard fans suddenly burst into chant, and soon, nearly the whole stadium was screaming "Aurochs, Aurochs, Aurochs yeah!"
They had done it, after twenty years of trying. Tidus swam off to the side to let the team celebrate; it was, after all, their victory. He had joined last, so he watched the team celebrate.
A sobbing Wakka swam to the top of the sphere and flipped over to float on his back. He had a smile a mile wide on his face. Nothing, nothing in the world could change his mood now.