Part I: The Past

Chapter II: The Jecht Memorial Cup Tournament

I sat there, on the side of the sphere pool, motionless. My heart was beating rapidly. The massive crowd cheered as the sphere pool filled with water. The sphere pool, our playing field, gave off a bright, white flash. I got up, holding a blitzball, and braced myself from it. I swiftly dove into the water.

I was ready to blitz!

In blitzball, players play the game, completely submerged underwater. Some think we can breath underwater, like a fish, but that is just a tale. Blitzball players have the unique ability to hold their breath for an extended period of time. There are two goals on each opposite side of the sphere pool. Both teams position themselves in the very center of the pool and the team leaders try to grab the ball during the blitzoff, or when the ball is launched into the water. The main point of the game is to score as many goals on the opposite side before the game ends.

The buzzer sounded. I tore out in the sphere pool and immediately grabbed the blitzball. Halfway down the field I was seized by one of the Zanarkand Duggles, the opposing team. He had me down in a death lock, trying to get control of the ball, but with enormous strength, I knocked him off of me, and out of the sphere pool for that matter! He flew into the stands of the cheering crowd, knocking several of them down.

I didn't realize, at that very moment, Zanarkand was being attacked.

Our team was creaming the Zanarkand Duggles. In just two minutes, the Abes had scored three goals, while the other team was struggling just to keep up with us! I grabbed the ball after knocking the player in the stomach, and swam towards the surface of the sphere pool. I jumped into the air, throwing myself upside down, preparing to kick the ball back into the water.

I then saw it.

A large water bubble, ten times larger than the stadium, was absorbing Zanarkand. My eyes popped open in surprise-- time seemed to in slow motion . . . I felt several blasts rush past me as I was falling. I could hear the sirens in the city going off, and the people screaming in hysteria. The stadium was destroyed before I hit the water.

I fell and clutched on to a ledge with my left hand. I tried to grab onto the ledge with my other hand, but there was an explosion and the power of it caused me to loose grip. I fell to, what I thought would be, my death.

When I awoke, I found myself at the entrance of the stadium. Men, women, and children were running frantically away. Water drenched the ground and the stadium was now just rubble.

I stood up and shook off the massive amount of pain that seemed to assault my body. What happened? I thought to myself. Why?

At that moment, I saw Auron calmly standing nearby a destroyed statue. He was never fearful of anything it seemed like.

"Auron!" I said astonished, "What are you doing here!"

"I was waiting for you," he answered in a cool tone.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. He turned away and vanished into the panicking crowd.

I ran down the road, searching for Auron. He had disappeared without a trace. While people were screaming and running for their lives, I ran the opposite way they came from.

I loped a little further down the street, stumbling from exhaustion. I stopped for a minute, in order to catch my breath.

The screaming had stopped. People were like statues.

The whole world was frozen in time . . .

"It begins . . . Do not cry."

I swayed around . . . there stood the kid in the hood from before. I made a move toward him, but suddenly, a flash blinded me and the screams returned.

"What the . . .?" I said confused.

I saw Auron waiting for me. I ran to him, almost tripping over my own feet. "Hey! Wait!" I said, breathing hard, "Hey, not this way!"

"Look," Auron said calmly.

I saw the great ball of water. It was like a vacuum-- sucking the buildings and streets up. I just about fell backwards from fear . . .

"We called it 'Sin'," he said.

"'Sin?'" I asked. I looked back at it once more.

Oh my God . . . I said, but no words came from my mouth.

Shell like objects--without warning-- shot from the ball of water like missiles and pierced the ground in front of us. I rapidly dodged out of the way of the line of fire. The shells hatched and the ugliest birds I have ever seen snapped at us. I tried to frighten them away by jumping at them and swinging my arms wildly, but they snapped back at me.

Auron handed me a burgundy color sword and said, "Take it."

I held it in my hand, but it was so heavy that I struggled to stand up.

"A gift from Jecht," he said.

"My old man?" I asked, surprised. I attempted to hold it in my hands again . . . but the weight pulled me back down to the ground.

"I hope you know how to use it," he said.

I nodded my head, took a deep breath, and with all the strength I could gather, I held the sword behind my back with my right hand, knees bent.