Hurrah! I got a new reviewer!
Welcome Nightfire04! I'm glad you checked it out. In fact i'm so happy, i'll give you the website that i got the spelling of ryan's techinique from. you might wanna save it, because he'll be using more attacks on the site. it is http:kenshin.gamesurf.it/index.php?lanen&pg33 and i know i said i wouldn't, but i didn't expect to get a new reivewer. that really made my day, which was kind of sucky, so thanx once more!
lightningwizard- yes, i'm glad you understand that my time is too important to be spent proofreading my story a bunch of times (cough)(choke)(cough) anyway, i'm glad you liked the chapter too!
Sephirothxx- ha, someone did notice that. you're the only person who caugth that, or just the only one who bothered to mention it!good for you. that's actually answered towards the end of this chapter.and i thought the last chapter seemed long, but this one is actually longer, so hopefully it'll be as good as the last one. maybe it just seemed that way because i'm writing it... (ponders on it until smoke comes out of ears)
Oh well, now on to the chapter!
Chapter 5:Lords and Ransom
After Yuna had patched everyone back up the group moved on, talking about various things. Wakka asked Tidus some question about whether they had fiends in Zanarkand.
"Just a few. It's a big deal when one shows up though." Tidus answered. "Hey! Since when do you believe me about Zanarkand, anyway?"
"I been thinking." Wakka answered. "Maybe people Sin gets to don't die. Maybe Sin carries 'em through time. Like a thousand years through time. And then, one day, maybe they just pop back, see?"
Ryan and Matt noticed Lulu's pissed expression at Wakka's comment, and gave each other sidelong glances. "Amazing. Simply amazing." She said crossly before turning on Wakka. "You make up one theory after another, refusing to face the simple truth. Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere. He crushed him and left him on Djose shore! Your brother won't just pop back. Oh, and one more thing. No matter how much you want it, no one can take Chappu's place. No one can replace Sir Jecht, for that matter." Tidus winced at the name Jecht, and Wakka sat down. "And there's no replacement for Lord Braska, either. It's pointless to think about, and sad." Lulu finished before walking off in rage.
"Wow." Ryan said simply as he watched the black mage walk away. "I think she needs some anger management."
"I agree." Matt stated.
"I could never be what Chappu was." Wakka said sadly. Standing back up he continued, "Well stuff happens. Best not to worry." After a short walk the group found the temple, and 2 players that Wakka said were from the Luca Goers, the best team in blitzball. "You here to play for victory too?"
"Us? Pray?" The first man asked in disbelief. "Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win!"
"Oh yeah? Then why you here?" Wakka countered.
'Overconfident bastards.' Ryan thought as he watched the two men sneer.
"We've been praying for some competition this year!" The second man said, still sneering.
The first one started again. "So, what's your goal this time? You gonna "do your best" again? Ha! It's too bad your best isn't good enough. Why even bother showing up?"
"This time we're playing to win!" Tidus stated, suddenly stepping forward.
"Ohhh, play away. Just remember, even kids can play, boys." The first guy said again.
"We have a saying where I come from." Ryan said, catching the attention of the two departing Goers. "Those who talk the loudest usually can't back what they say. And don't forget," He added with a grin, "every dynasty falls eventually. And it's usually to nobodies too."
"Are you saying that you think the you Aurochs are gonna beat us?" The second Goer asked with a smirk.
"No, I'm saying that we're gonna crush you."
"Well, well. Confident aren't you? We'll settle this in Luca." The first guy said before the two walked off, laughing.
"See you in the finals!" Wakka yelled in return.
"We'll beat them. We have to!" Tidus said, his hands shaking in anger.
"You know that team?" Yuna asked.
"Putting people down… they're as bad as my old man!"
"But, sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man!" Yuna replied in surprise.
"Well not my Jecht." Tidus said flatly.
"But…" Yuna started but Ryan put a hand on her shoulder and Tidus walked away. "Why does he hate sir Jecht I wonder?"
"Who knows?" Ryan replied. "He'll tell you eventually. He's just not ready yet." Yuna nodded somewhat sadly. "Anyway, don't you have a temple to pray at? Lu's probably furious at us for taking so long."
Yuna giggled. "You're right. Let's go everyone." Yuna said as her and her guardian started into the temple, Tidus, Matt, Ryan, and Andy following along behind.
Once in the temple everyone went a different way. Wakka and Tidus went off to one side of the room to pray while Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri went to wait by the entrance to the cloister. Ryan, Matt and Andy found themselves standing alone among the statues of the former high summoners.
"Okay Ryan," Matt started as soon as the three were alone, "you've got some explaining to do. Where the hell did you learn how to do that?"
"Uhhh… where we fought the thing?" Ryan asked more then stated, his answer drawing an annoyed look from his friends. "I don't know, it just sort of happened. What do you want me to say, Kenshin Himurai possessed me and did it? Or maybe his master, Sejiro Hiko?"
"It'd be a better explanation then you just suddenly understanding how to do the Do Ryu Sen." Andy stated flatly.
"Well I don't know how I did it. It just sort of happened." Ryan protested. Before either of his interrogators could continue the most scantly clad person they'd seen since arriving in Spira, and a muscular guy that looked like he could bench the three of them with ease came up an elevator and started talking to Yuna. By the look on Yuna's face they'd said something wrong, because the usually friendly Summoner was flushed with anger. That or the temple lights were playing tricks on their eyes. By the time they'd gotten to the group the two were already leaving.
"What was that all about?" Andy asked as Yuna took a deep, calming breath.
"Just someone who decided to insult Yuna for having too many guardians." Tidus answered as they headed towards the elevator.
"The Fayth is below, ya?" Wakka said when they were standing around the elevator. Ryan and Andy noticed Matt's eyes widen for a split second at the mention of the Fayth, but said nothing.
"The Fayth?" Tidus questioned.
"But first the Cloister of Trials." Lulu stated, ignoring Tidus' question. "Wakka? Kimahri? Ready?" The two nodded.
"Strength everyone!" Yuna said as her and her three guardians stepped onto the elevator. When Tidus went to get on Kimahri pushed him back off.
"Hey, what gives?" Tidus demanded, and Matt slapped him upside the back of the head.
"We aren't guardians you mofo. We aren't allowed in the Cloister of Trials." Matt stated, drawing a nod from the four on the elevator.
"We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Yuna said as Lulu activated the elevator.
"Oh sure! Soon like 'tomorrow' soon I'll bet!" Tidus complained in annoyance. Matt, Andy, and Ryan laughed which frustrated Tidus even more. "Doesn't it bother you guys that we can't help them?"
"A little. But rules are rules." Ryan replied. "Face it, we aren't guardians, so we can't go down. Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri will take care of her so don't worry. Just sit back and get some rest."
Tidus just pouted, but offered no further argument. After a while the two people that had gotten Yuna angry returned. "Where's Yuna?" The woman asked. Tidus just jerked his head towards the elevator. "Why aren't you four down there?"
"We aren't guardians." Tidus answered flatly. "That means we aren't allowed in, right?"
"Hmm. Not a guardian you say?" Dona asked as the big guy walked forward and picked Tidus up.
"Hey, wait! Put me down, help!" Tidus yelled as he struggled against the man's strength.
"He said to put him down!" Ryan yelled as he jumped at the big man, slamming into his knees, and knocking him onto the elevator.
"God damn kids." Matt muttered as Andy jumped into the fight, kneeing the big guy in the face. Suddenly the elevator started to go down.
"Why didn't you help them out?" The chick asked as she turned on Matt.
"We aren't supposed to go into the trials, miss…" Matt stopped, waiting for her to fill in her name.
"Dona." The woman replied flatly. "And do you know how dangerous the cloisters can be? And only the one kid was armed. They'll probably die."
Matt laughed. "If there is one thing Ryan can do, it's keep them alive through a stupid puzzle. He's annoyingly good at surviving until someone comes to bail him out." He replied as the elevator came back up with only the big man. "I would like to know one thing. Why are you doing this?"
Dona smiled evilly. "Just a game."
"Well if it's a game," Matt said as he stepped past the big guy, "I'd hate to miss out on the fun. Besides, I'd hate to have to kill your big friend over here if he tried to force me down there."
"You, kill Barthello?" Dona asked in disbelief. "I don't think so."
"So it's Barthello?" Matt replied with a grin. Dona blinked, realizing he hadn't known her guardians name. "Thanks for the information. If we get caught, I'll just ell them who exactly threw us down here."
'Damn you.' She thought as the elevator started down.
"Well, you guys seem none the worst for wear." Matt stated a few minutes later when he reached the level his friends were at. The first thing he noticed was Ryan holding the red bladed sword that he'd seen Tidus wielding when they'd first arrived on Besaid.
"Tidus is letting me borrow it." Ryan answered the un-asked question.
"Hey guys, this is bad. Very, very bad." Tidus stated drawing a chuckle from the small group.
"No idea what we're doing. We're probably going to have to fight off dozens of fiends before the end of this. And none of us are guardians which means that if we get caught there is going to be trouble." Andy stated in a carefree voice that surprised Tidus. "I have no idea what you're talking about Tidus. This sounds like fun to me."
"Well either way, we better start moving." Ryan said before the group started into the trials. Most of it was finished, though they did find some kind of armor that none of them could wear. By the time they'd gotten to the room outside the Chamber of the Fayth they were tired, beat up, and had fought more then a dozen battles.
"Like I said Tidus," Andy said as they approached the door, "it was fun, right?"
Pushing the door open they found Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri dispersed throughout a large room. Upon seeing them Lulu scowled and Wakka's face dropped. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka yelled at them.
"Hey, it was Dona and Barthello's fault." Matt said flatly.
"Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!" Lulu hissed at them.
"I knew there was gonna be consequences for this. Damn it." Andy muttered to himself.
"What consequences?" Ryan asked.
Wakka was the one to reply. "She could be excommunicated!"
"So what's in there?" Tidus asked, pointing to the double doors at the far end of the room.
"The Fayth, remember?" Wakka asked, and Ryan noticed Matt's face show a hint of annoyance at the mention of the Fayth, maybe even anger.
'Not surprising.' Ryan thought. 'Matt seems to hate a lot of people. But why would he hate the Fayth I wonder…'
"Oh yeah, that thing. Right." Tidus replied, obviously not remembering what the Fayth were.
"The Fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin." Lulu stated. "Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies. Now they live forever trapped in statues. But when a Summoner beckons, the souls of the Fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an Aeon."
"That's a lot of power to have in one room." Ryan noted and the rest nodded.
"So what's Yuna doing in there?" Tidus asked.
"She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin." Wakka informed.
'Well this has been an educational trip.' Andy thought. Just then the door to the Chamber of the Fayth opened and Yuna came out. "Guess it's time to go."
As soon as the group left the temple a mob of people gathered around Yuna, congratulating her on acquiring another Aeon. Rather then being caught in the crowd Ryan, Andy, and Matt weaved and bobbed their way through it.
"Well wasn't that fun?" Ryan asked sarcastically. "Oh yeah, Matt, question."
"What?"
"How come every time someone mentions the Fayth, you get an angry look on your face?" Ryan asked, turning to face his friend full on.
"Because the Fayth are the ones that brought us here. And the last time I saw those bastards, they more or less told me that if we didn't do what they wanted they were going to kill us." Matt replied, anger seeping into his voice. "Damn, where are the fiends when you need them?"
"Hey, you three! You are with Lady Yuna and her guardians, aren't you?" A man farther down the path yelled the question to them.
"Yeah, why?" Ryan yelled back.
"We need her help! We are trying to destroy a powerful fiend that has been causing problems, but it refuses to die! Please, you must get Lady Yuna to help us immediately." The man said as he ran up to them, and they saw that he was covered in a bunch of cuts.
"Luzzu?" Ryan asked, suddenly remembering the man from the crusaders tent in Besaid.
"It's good to see you again, but please get Lady Yuna! We need all the help we can get!" Luzzu replied.
"Matt..." Ryan started, but when he turned around his friend was already heading back towards Yuna who was now with Tidus. "Okay then. Luzzu, lead the way."
"Yuna, we've got a bit of a problem." Matt said when he reached the Summoner. "The crusaders were trying to get rid of a fiend that was causing problems, but they're having a hard time. Andy and Ryan are probably on their way there, but I don't think that'll be enough."
"All right, let's go." Tidus said as he drew his sword and took off running, the rest of the group falling in behind him. By the time they reached the area where the fiend was, Ryan and Andy were the only two still able to stand, and that didn't look like it that was going to last much longer. The massive plant like thing with a mouth had four tentacles, each ending in two curved points. Two of them were covered in blood, and Ryan was holding his right side with his left hand, trying to stem the blood flow while fighting.
"Cure!" Yuna yelled, pointing her staff at Ryan who glance back and nodded thankfully.
"What kept you?" Andy asked as Yuna repeated the spell on him
"Shut up." Matt replied.
"Everyone, back up!" Yuna yelled as she started to go through a serious of movements that everyone recognized as an Aeon summoning, but not Valefor's.
"Time to see the new Aeon." Matt muttered as a burning glyph formed on the ground below Yuna. After that the ground cracked, and a big, dog looking thing with two horns, red fur, and claw like fingers burst out. It's appearance startled everyone, especially Yuna since it launched her high into the air, but as she fell it caught her and placed her on its shoulder. When it landed it let her down, turned towards the plant bulb looking fiend with claws and roared.
"Holy shit! What the hell is that?" Matt cried out in surprise.
"I dunno, but I like it." Andy stated with a grin. "Reminds me of fire." As if to confirm Andy's suspicions the dog like Aeon cast a powerful fire spell on the plant fiend.
"This Aeon has the power to stand against Lord Ochu, lord of the forest!" Luzzu gasped in surprise. "Praise be to Yevon for its arrival."
'Seems like it should be more like Praise be to Yuna for her arrival if you ask me.' Matt thought as he watched the massive Aeon rip off two of Ochu's tentacles.
"Ifrit, Hellfire!" Yuna yelled suddenly. In response Ifrit roared, and Lord Ochu was engulfed in a swirling ball of flames, which then detonated, instantly killing the powerful fiend. "Thank you." Yuna whispered as she dismissed the Aeon.
The three teens stared at the ashes that remained of Lord Ochu in disbelief. "Well, let's get back. We got a ship to catch, ya?" Wakka said with a grin, acting as if nothing ever happened. It wouldn't have taken long for them to get back to town, but Yuna insisted on healing all of the crusaders who had survived the fight. That added with annoyingly frequent fiend battles slowed them down quite a bit.
"Off to Luca at last! The matches start as soon as we get there so rest up on the way, ya?" Wakka said when they found their boat, the S.S. Wino.
"Luca, eh? It's about damn time." Andy stated as they boarded the boat. "I wonder what it's like."
"Probably big." Matt stated. "Given the fact that there's a tournament there. And it's got a good blitzball team too, even if they are a bunch of arrogant bastards." Matt added as he noticed the two Luca Goers from earlier boarding. The two glared and walked over.
"What was that? Is that the whining of the team that hasn't one a game in ten years?" The first one asked.
"What's your name pal?" Ryan asked with an icy smile that sent shivers down Matt's back.
'Damn Ryan. What the hell is with that smile of yours?' Matt thought, watching his friend suspiciously out of the side of his eye.
The man hesitated at the sight of Ryan's smile. "Bickson." He said somewhat uncertainly.
"And I'm Graav." His friend said with more confidence, having missed Ryan's smile. "Why does a wanna-be like you wanna know? Do you want an autograph or something?"
"Just wanted to know what names I should put on your gravestones after we kill your team in the tournament." Ryan said with a smile. "We'll see you in the tournament."
"God I hate ass' like them." Andy stated as the two Goers walked away. For the rest of the day the three explored the ship, finding their rooms after Ryan returned Tidus' sword. Below deck they found the engine room and were amazed to see chocobos for the first time.
"Damn," Matt said after the caretaker had finished explaining that they powered the ship, "these things are like giant chickens!"
Ryan burst out laughing. "Now you can get your army together Matt!" He said, referring to an old joke about Matt taking the world over with giant, biologically alter, man-eating chickens.
"Guess I'll just have to take some of them with me when we go back." Matt said with a laugh.
"Hey, you three look like you're well off." A man said as the teens came out of the engine room. "You're friends of Lady Yuna yes? She asked me to replace your weapon earlier, something about loosing yours in a fight with a Sinspawn. Anyway, I'm not going to turn down a request from such a kind Summoner. Please, take a look at my selection. I'll even through in a replacement shirt too!"
"And you are?" Ryan asked, not recognizing the man.
"Oh forgive me. I'm O'aka the 23rd, merchant extraordinaire. Now please, take your pick. Lady Yuna has already paid for your replacement in full."
'In full? Wow.' Ryan thought as he glanced at the weapons lined up for show. He noticed that O'aka had two katanas, one costing significantly more then the other even though they looked the same. "Why is that one so much more then this one?" He asked, confused.
"Well this one is the speed blade, which allows its user to use haste and slow." O'aka said pointing to the less expensive blade. "And this one gives the user intimate knowledge of his opponent through the sensor ability."
"And I can take either one?" Ryan asked in disbelief. O'aka nodded. "Wow. I'll take the second one. I like to know my enemies."
"A wise choice." O'aka admitted as he handed Ryan the sword. "And take this as well!" O'aka said, throwing Ryan a black long sleeved shirt with silver flames decorating it. "Well have a nice day, and if Soa desires it we will see each other to do business once again!"
"I hope so." Ryan said as he put his sword into his holder and switched his torn up t-shirt for the black long sleeved shirt, though he did keep his sweatshirt. "Well, I guess I should thank Yuna the next time I see her, shouldn't I?"
"Would be the right thing to do." Andy said as the three went back up on deck just in time to see Tidus hit a blitzball twice, jump up, spin, and kick the ball out into the ocean.
"Holy hell!" Ryan stated in disbelief as Tidus muttered something.
"Whoa, what's that called?" Wakka yelled, he and the Aurcohs surprising Tidus, Andy, Matt, and Ryan.
"Doesn't have a name. Anyone can do it if they try." Tidus replied, but from the way he said it Matt, Andy, and Ryan were pretty sure that was a lie..
"Show us one more time, ya?" Wakka requested. Something drew Tidus' attention. Ryan looked up to see Yuna waving and then looked back in time to see Tidus perform the shot one more time. After that he walked away and started talking to Yuna.
"Guess you're thank you will have to wait." Matt stated flatly.
"I'm gonna learn how to do that shot." Ryan stated. "That looks like way too much fun to not learn."
"Man, can you ever keep your mind focused on one thing?" Matt questioned.
"Yeah, once and a while." Ryan stated. "But seriously, that was an amazing move." Suddenly a blitzball hit Tidus in the back of the head.
"Show me that move again, ya?" Wakka called out. Tidus grinned and performed the move again. After that everyone disbanded, Andy and Matt heading off to their rooms.
"Got a problem?" Ryan asked, walking up and leaning on the railing next to Tidus "I mean, as happy as you looked when you were doing that shot, you seemed distracted by something." There was a seemingly eternal silence before Tidus replied.
"I'm… not sure I'll be able to play in the tournament." Tidus admitted quietly.
"Any particular reason?"
"That shot… it was my old man's shot. The Jecht Shot March III." Tidus said with a chuckle.
"Well it's certainly amazing." Ryan admitted, a little bit of envy in his voice. "I don't think I'd ever be able to pull something like that off."
"Why not?" Tidus asked in surprise.
Ryan shrugged. "I dunno, why would I be able to? My god, I'd never seen anything like that before."
"You could do it, if you tried anyway. Like I said, anyone can do it." Tidus replied.
"Really? You think so?" Ryan asked.
"Yep, I'm sure of it. My old man said I'd never be able to do it once, said he was the only one in the world that'd ever be able to do it." Tidus added. He laughed sadly. "Guess he was wrong, wasn't he?"
"Looks that way." Ryan answered instantly. "But you still didn't answer my question. Why don't you think you'll be able to play in the tournament?"
"I just have a bad feeling." Tidus answered. "And my bad feelings tend to be right."
Ryan laughed which drew an annoyed look from Tidus. "Sorry, but I've got that feeling too. But tell me this… if you let every bad feeling you get stop you, when will you ever move forward in life?"
Tidus thought about the words, going over them in his mind. He smiled. "Hey, you wanna learn my old man's shot?" Tidus asked, grinning.
Ryan smiled. "I thought you'd never ask. I take it this means you're going to play in the tournament?"
Tidus shrugged. "We'll see. But I think it'd be a good idea to have someone with this shot on the team. If I do play, well, while one is good, two is even better."
Ryan smiled as Tidus began explaining the basics of the Jecht Shot. Three hours, and what seemed like 500 failed attempts later, Ryan finally did it. "Holy… shit…" He gasped as he collapsed onto the ground, his fists aching. "I didn't expect to have to use… my left hand to do it."
Tidus laughed. "Well, it isn't the best looking Jecht Shot, but it sure as hell got the same results." Ryan grinned at the compliment. "To be honest I didn't think you'd pick it up in just three hours. I didn't think you'd pick it up before the tournament."
Ryan laughed this time. "Don't worry about it. I didn't either. I just figured that if you got back to having fun with blitzball, maybe it'd convince you to play in the tournament. This was an added bonus."
"Right, well it worked." Tidus admitted. "Now come on, let's go to bed. You'd normally be getting up in, roughly, four and a half hours."
"Wonderful." Ryan muttered as he took Tidus' outstretched hand and stood up. Together they wandered to their rooms. Ryan was pretty sure he was asleep before he'd even hit the pillow.
888
"They are there." The Fayth said, surprising Andy who whirled around, drawing his fist blades faster then he'd thought he could.
"God damn, don't scare me like that." He said coldly as he put his weapons away. "Now who the hell are you talking about? And where are they?"
"They are the two that still know the legend. One is of light, yet is dark. The other is of the dark, yet is light. They are in Luca, awaiting your arrival." The Fayth said drawing an annoyed sigh from Andy.
"Ryan's the one who's good at riddles, and I don't know about matt, but not me." He said crossly. "So stop talking in them and give me a straight fucking answer."
"We cannot tell you anymore then we already have. You must discover the answer for yourself." The Fayth replied. "But remember, not all is as it seems. The one who appears to be in light is the one of darkness. The one who appears to be in darkness is of the light." The Fayth said again.
"Ok," Andy said, annoyed, "anything else you dick heads wanna tell me?"
"Do not decline the offer." The Fayth said cryptically.
"Alright, that's it. One riddle is bad enough, but what the fuck does 'do not decline the offer' mean?" Andy asked, but instead of a reply from the Fayth he received a bright light surrounding him. "Ass holes." He yelled before he had completely vanished. The Fayth smiled when he was gone, knowing much more then they'd allowed Andy to believe. Indeed they did know who was the man that was truly of the light, and who was the man that was truly of the dark. But where was the fun in telling them outright?
888
"So that's Luca?" Ryan asked in disbelief. He'd just woken up, the sun having risen over an hour ago. Matt walked up behind him, yawing and rubbing his eyes.
"Holy hell, that's a big city." Matt said in surprise. From a distance it looked almost as big as Kilika. "I guess that's where they play blitzball." He said pointing to the giant sphere of water that was being held together by a force neither pretended to understand.
"I think you're right." Ryan agreed.
"Wow, you guys got up late." Andy said as he came up from below deck.
Matt looked in confusion from Ryan to Andy. "Guys? As in plural, multiple, not singular? As in Andy was up before both of us?"
"Yep." Andy said with a grin.
"I had a hell of a night." Ryan stated simply. "But it was worth it."
"What do you mean it was worth it?" Matt asked. "What the hell is worth losing enough sleep that Andy woke up before you?"
"Hey, I had a rough night too." Andy muttered. "I saw the Fayth. I'm glad you're both up, because the fucking riddle they gave me is pissing me the hell off. I couldn't get back to sleep after I woke up because of it."
"Wow, that's a tough riddle then." Ryan said. "What'd they say?"
" They said 'They are the two that still know the legend. One is of light, yet is dark. The other is of the dark, yet is light. They are in Luca, awaiting your arrival.' And they also mentioned something about not declining an offer." Andy said, repeating the riddle in the most annoying voice he could manage.
"One is of light, yet is dark. The other is of dark, yet is light. That's more then a little tricky." Ryan said flatly. "Did they say anything else?"
"Ummmmm…. Something about not everything being as it seems." Andy said after thinking it over for a few seconds.
"Well that helps a lot." Matt muttered to himself.
"I wonder…" Ryan started, staring off into space. "One of the times I talked to the Fayth they said something about informing a powerful fighter that they want us to help them. They said he'd find us and help guide Tidus and us. Maybe he's one of the two that the Fayth were talking about?"
"Could be." Andy said.
"We need more information. We just don't know enough right now to figure anything out." Matt said. "And it really sucks." Ryan nodded in agreement as Tidus walked up and slapped him on the back.
"So, you ready?" He asked with a grin. "Gonna be able to pull it off?"
Ryan grinned in reply. Before Tidus had started teaching Ryan the Jecht Shot they'd agreed to keep it a secret until Ryan had a chance to use it in a game. "Hell yes."
"Good. It's gonna blow Wakka away. Not to mention the other team." Tidus added, and then the two shared a laugh at the confused look on Matt and Andy's faces. "But we'll probably have to teach them how to do it once they see."
"Probably." Ryan agreed.
"Once they see what?" Wakka asked as, walking up behind the two who started to laugh once again. "I missed something, ya?" Wakka asked Andy and Matt.
"Us too Wakka." Matt replied. "Us too."
Twenty minutes later they heard the cheering of the crowd, and the announcers of Luca announcing their arrival.
"Well, well, well! If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs. They're a living, breathing statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad! That's right! In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round! Only a few die hard fans are in the audience today." The fist announcer said.
"Best of luck to them, and a safe journey back to Besaid."
"Right Jimma. Move right along, our next team is… Here they are folks! Our very own Luca Goers! They've got power. They've got speed. They've got teamwork. They're an all-around first-class team! And they're back home in Luca!"
"Without a doubt they're the favorite this year, Bobba. And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today."
"You can say that again Jimma. Look at the crowd folks! Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on. They know, I know, and you know folks! The Luca Goers are number one!"
"It's like this every year, ya?" Wakka said when the announcers were finished talking. "Don't let it bother you."
Before anyone could say anything Tidus climbed up on a crate. "Tidus!" Ryan yelled, throwing him a megaphone that was lying on a nearby crate.
"Stop right there, Goers! You guys are smilin' now, but not for long. 'Cause this year, us Aurochs are taking the cup!" He yelled into the megaphone, which amplified his voice making it incredibly loud. The Goers, the fans, and everyone else stopped for a second and stared in disbelief as Tidus climbs down from the boxes while laughing to himself.
"What in Yevon's name were you doing up there!" Wakka demanded of the smaller blitzer.
"We sure stood out though." Datto said.
"We were on the sphere!" Letty added.
"We were?" One of the other Aurochs asked.
"Maester Mika's here!" Someone shouted.
"Already?" A woman replied.
"The number three docks!" another man yelled as a group of people took off towards the number three docks.
"What's up now?" Tidus wondered aloud.
"Maester Mika has arrived, that's what!" Yuna said in an excited voice.
"Mika? Maester?" Tidus asked in confusion.
"Maester Mika is the leader of all the people of Spira. He comes all the way from Bevelle." Lulu informed. "The tournament is being held to honor his fifty years as Maester."
"Fifty years." Matt said with a low whistle. "That's a long time to be leader of all the people of Spira."
"Shouldn't he have retired by now?" Tidus asked.
"Hey! Mind your mouth, now." Wakka chastised.
"Let's all go see him!" Yuna said.
"Lead the way." Matt said and Yuna took off for dock three, everyone falling in behind her.
"I can't see a thing!" Tidus complained when they arrived about five minutes later.
"Shhhh." Wakka hissed as an old guy stepped off the boat, followed by a man with the weirdest hair Ryan, Matt, or Andy had ever seen. It was spiky and blue and the guy had Japanese or Chinese symbols on his chest and a shirt that showed most of his chest, down to just below his stomach.
"That's a Guado, right?" Someone in the crowd whispered.
"Who could it be?"
"Isn't that Maester Seymour?" Someone asked as everyone started to pray to the two Maesters.
"People of Spira, I thank you for you generous welcome." Mika said before turning to Seymour. "Rise, Maester Seymour. And all of you as well. I present to you the son of Maester Jyscal Guado who departed to the farplane a fortnight past. As some of you already know he has been officially ordained a Maester of Yevon."
The man with the blue spiky hair stepped forward. Something about him gave Ryan the chills, and his eyes narrowed until they were barely visible. He noticed he wasn't the only one; Matt was glaring at the guy too. "I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to receive the title of Maester. In life, my father Jyscal worked to promote friendship between Guado and man. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as Maester to the best of my abilities." Seymour said and everyone started to bow.
"You too! Bow your head!" Wakka hissed at Andy and Tidus. After that Seymour left. "Really psyches you up, huh? All right, last meeting before the match. Hustle." Wakka said before running off to the locker room.
"Let's get going! We've got a few games to win!" Ryan yelled as he took off after Wakka. When he got to the locker rooms Wakka was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Wakka?" Tidus asked, coming in a few seconds after Ryan.
"At the match-up draw." Datto told them.
"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year." Letty said sadly.
"The year before that too, and the one before that!" Jessu added.
"Well we woulda lost to anyone anyway." Keepa stated indifferently.
"We we're gonna win this year!" Ryan said suddenly.
'Man, he's fired up.' Matt thought as he chuckled nervously. "Is this how you were when you played football too?"
"Nah, football wasn't as much fun." Ryan stated with a shrug. "And this is a much better sport."
"Cap'n Wakka!" Datto said as Wakka walked in.
"We're playin' the Al Bhed Pshyces first. If we win-"
"When we win you mean." Matt corrected, drawing a smile from everyone on the team.
"Okay, when we win, we're in the finals! That's right, we got seeded! Just two wins and we're the champions, ya? But first things first, let's go over the basics!" Wakka said as the team started to go back over the basics of the game.
Midway through the review Yuna threw the doors open. "There you are!" She yelled at Tidus. "Someone says they saw sir Auron in a café!"
"Who?" Andy asked in confusion.
"Sir Auron is a legendary guardian. He guarded Lord Braska, Yuna's dad, ya?" Wakka informed him, a hint of awe in his voice.
"Yes, now let's go find him!" Yuna said excitedly.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Wakka yelled. "The game starts like real soon. C-come back quick, ya?"
"Hey, I'll be right back!" Tidus said with that carefree grin of his.
"Yeah, okay." Wakka replied sullenly.
"Hey Wakka, relax. Andy, Matt, you two go with'em. Make sure that Tidus is back in time for at least the finals." Ryan said, taking charge. "I'll stay here in case they need any help."
"Damn man, why are you the one staying. This is so much work." Matt complained as he followed Tidus, Yuna, and Andy out the locker room doors.
"Hey, thanks, ya?" Wakka said after the others had left.
"Don't worry about it. I'm here to help, right?" Ryan replied. "And relax would you? Matt may not look like it, but he's a really reliable guy. And he's good at keeping track of time too. He'll have them back in time, or at least by the finals."
"Yeah, I hope so." Wakka replied.
"Relax Cap'n. We've got this one in the bag. Play to win, right!" Datto said. Suddenly someone knocked on the door. "What's in the name of Yevon?" Datto cried out when he answered it.
"What's wrong Datto?" Wakka asked.
"Captain, you gotta look at this!" Datto yelled as he sprinted across the room, knocking down everyone in his path to get to Wakka. "The Al Bhed. They'd kidnapped Yuna! They'll only let her go if we throw the game!"
"What?" Wakka yelled, and the rest of the Aurochs groaned.
"This is bad." Ryan muttered. "Guess it's a good thing I stayed behind. You can handle those Pshyces without me, right?" He asked.
"Yeah, why? What you gonna do?" Wakka asked.
Ryan smiled. "I'm gonna find Lulu, and we're gonna get our friend back." Ryan said as he grabbed his sword and ran towards the door. Just before he reached it the door flew open and he went flying into Lulu.
"Get off me! I have to talk to Wakka!" She yelled, throwing Ryan to the side. "Wakka, Yuna's been kidnapped!"
"We know! Now stop standing there and help me find her!" Ryan yelled as he stood up.
"What do you mean you know? Wakka come on!" Lulu yelled.
"We'll cast a fire spell in the air if we get Yuna back in time Wakka!" Ryan gulped, grabbed Lulu by the wrist, and started pulling her down the hall. "Listen, if Wakka's not in the game against the Pshyces they'll probably kill Yuna. For us to save her we need Wakka to play blitzball."
"So you're going to help me get Yuna back?" Lulu asked, surprise evident in her voice.
"What, do you expect me to leave a friend in danger? Come on, I'm not evil." Ryan stated in an offended voice.
"So where do we start looking?" Lulu asked, regaining her composure.
"Yuna said something about a café before they went off. My guess is that if they got her, it was there or close to there." Ryan said. "But it's just a guess. We'll have to wait to find out if I'm right."
"There it is!" Lulu said, pointing to a rather small building.
"Lulu, Ryan! Good timing." Matt said. "Come on, we've gotta get going."
"The Pshyces have kidnapped Yuna. In exchange for her safe return they want the Aurochs to throw the game!" Ryan yelled as they took off. "The ship they came on was at dock 4, that's gotta be where they took her."
"Duck!" Andy yelled as a metal arm shot out at them. Ryan jumped to the side, knocking Lulu out of the way in the process, while Kimahri and Tidus jumped back. Matt turned and ducked slightly, letting the arm slam into his axe and send him into a roll that ended abruptly when he hit Andy's legs.
"That hurt!" Matt yelled as he drew his axe and charged the machine.
"We don't have time for this!" Ryan yelled. "Wakka and the Auroch's will lose if we don't get Yuna soon."
"Thunder!" Lulu yelled, frying the thing before Matt could reach it.
"So it's gonna be like that is it?" Matt muttered as they continued on until they came to a dead end.
"Damn, this has got to be the Al Bhed's doing!" Andy stated, punching a nearby wall.
"We'll have to go around the long way!" Ryan said.
"What if we split up? Me, Andy and Ryan try and climb over this barricade, while you three go the long way. If we get over then we'll be able to finish them quickly, if we can't get over then, well, run quickly you three." Matt said with a nervous chuckle.
"Good idea, but it might not work." Ryan said. "We need Lulu to cast a fire spell once Yuna's safe, that way the Aurochs know that they can stop letting the Pshyces win."
Suddenly a box next to Ryan burst into flames, causing long buried instincts to kick in. He jumped forward, landed and continued into a roll, drawing his sword and keeping it far from his body in the process.
"Did I forget to mention Lulu taught me how to cast Fire while she taught Matt how to cast Thunder?" he asked with sarcastic innocence.
"Well that solves that problem. Get going you three." Ryan ordered as he started towards the blockade. Before he got there 2 more machines showed up, but it didn't take long for the three friends to dispose of them.
After several failed attempts at climbing the thing Matt growled in frustration, slamming his axe into it with surprising ease. "Hey, this thing isn't all that thick."
"You think they're all empty?" Andy asked as he looked up the thing, noticing many boxes in it.
"Screw this guys. We really don't have time for this." Ryan said in an annoyed voice as he put his sword tip right over the ground. "You guys are gonna wanna move." He added before taking a deep breath. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style, Do Ryu Sen!" He yelled as he pulled his sword up as fast as he could. The concrete that came up with it slammed into the barricade. When the dust settled there were a bunch of holes throughout the thing, but only one was big enough for them to fit through. "Let's go."
"God damn it! Why can't I have a cool attack like that?" Matt asked as they started through the hole. As he passed through it a blitzball, or something resembling a blitzball, flew through the air right in front of him, slamming into the wall and putting about a three foot dent into it. 'Yep, it was definitely a blitzball. But who the hell could throw it that fast?' He wondered "What the hell? Who the fuck did that?" He yelled as another one slammed into the wall, a little closer then the first one. Matt spun around, ducking as a third slammed into the wall where his head had just been. Glancing at the Al Bhed ship he saw a massive machine that stood on only two legs, but had two massive generators on it. When they spun another ball shot out and slammed into the wall, peppering the three with fragments of concrete.
"Oh boy, this should be fun." Andy muttered sarcastically.
muwahahahahahah! how will ryan, andy, and matt deal with the Oblitzerator! will they save Yuna before lulu, tidus, and kimahri get there! i'll let you know when i figure it out! until then just review! next chapter, the rest of the blitzball tournament, some surprises for the goers, maybe even a few questions the game left unanswered will be answered! not to mention a big aeon and an old guy with a big sword! until next time!