Well, finally, the fight with Sin has arrived! And this chapter was long, 11, almost 12 pages in WordPerfect. Anyway, on to the replies!
Iron Reaver: Sir Auron is going to kill you, you know that, right?
desert-tiger: Or, as Wakka put it, 'Like happy festival fireworks, ya?'
Auron's Fan: Yes, that is one of my favorite parts in the game. Seeing Auron snap at Shelinda is always good for a smile and laugh.
Bracey Face Anime Gurl: Yeah. Sin's gonna bite the dirt. But the romance...it is there.
MysticSuperSaiyanGohan: (blinks) If by glowing power-up thingy, you mean Shadow Blitz, that may make another appearance, I haven't decided yet. You'll see it again in the sequel, however, along with a slew of other things...(evil grin)
SS5Matt: Well, I'm not sure on that. You may be able to find the answer once you see it used in the sequel, however.
XxCougarxX: Yeah, the airship just...rocks.
Pheonix: Welcome to Destiny's Call, Pheonix. Man, it's hard to spell your name right...but I digress. I'm glad you find it a good story, even though it's near the end now. If you enjoy this one, stick around for the sequel!
Now...onwards, to Sin, and victory!
Chapter 40—Sinfall
"Well, this is it, eh?" Cid asks. We've been flying about 10 minutes now, and no sign of Sin yet. I can feel that we're getting close, however.
"Yu Yevon's hiding somewhere inside Sin, and we're gonna find him," Tidus says, adamantly.
"Well, that sounds pretty simple," Cid replies, and I chuckle.
"The simpler the better," I say, shaking my head and walking over to a wall of the bridge.
"You got that right," Cid says, Rikku turning to him.
"Pops! I'm countin' on you!"
"Right! Got you covered!" Cid tells her, walking over to one of the computers and pressing some buttons, the Hymn of the Fayth beginning to play over the ship's speakers. "How's that?"
"Right on!" Rikku exclaims, hopping eagerly.
"A singing ship in the sky," Lulu mutters, Wakka looking around at all of us.
"I hope everyone got the message."
"Sin!" Brother suddenly yells, snapping us all out of our thoughts. Looking ahead, I can see the massive form of Sin, floating in the sky. Taking a deep breath, I pull out my katana and examine it, quickly re-sheathing it and doing the same to my wakizashi. Pulling out my suwayyah, I examine them before grabbing my staff, a hand dropping to my side to check my items. Mentally, I scan my list of magic and make sure I can cast enough, before looking around. The entire process has taken no more than 45 seconds for me to finish.
"Are we ready to do this?" I ask, everyone nodding.
"Let's get up there!" Tidus yells, and Lulu nods.
"Let's go," she says simply, and we all start to walk towards the door, before Cid stops us.
"Hey, how you plan on getting inside?" he asks, Tidus turning back to him.
"If we can't get through the mouth, we'll rip open a new one! You with me?" he says, causing the older man to chuckle.
"Now that's what I call a plan!" he says, Brother turning to him.
"Vydran! E ghuf fryd du ica!" Brother says, and I smile, knowing what he's referring to.
"Aha! Of course!" Cid replies, and Tidus laughs.
"Of course!" he says, causing me to shake my head.
"All right! We'll give that thing a new blowhole! All you gotta do is jump!" Cid tells us, and we all nod.
"Roger!" Tidus says.
"Fyed!" Brother says suddenly, causing Tidus to look towards him. Coughing, Brother speaks again, but this time it's not in Al Bhed. "Rikku, you...guard."
"Will do!" Tidus tells him, and I nod as well.
"I'll watch her. Don't worry." Taking one final deep breath, I turn around and follow everyone else onto the deck of the airship.
(Play FF8 theme The Stage Is Set)
"I can hear the song!" Rikku shouts as we arrive on the deck. Indeed, I can hear the Hymn being played loudly. Loud enough to be heard over the rushing wind, which means the people below must be able to hear it. Or at least, I hope so.
"Yes, I can hear the Hymn too," Lulu states, and suddenly I begin to hear the Hymn a lot clearer. Rikku voices everyone's thoughts at this point.
"They listened to us!"
"We won't let them down!" Tidus says, walking over to the edge, before turning to face Yuna. "Yuna?"
"Hmm?" she says, looking over at him.
"You don't need this anymore, right?" he asks, holding out her sphere. Yuna gasps, fumbling with her skirt for a moment, looking around to discover the sphere isn't there. "Right?" he says, throwing the sphere off the side of the airship. Yuna looks at him for a moment, before nodding. Suddenly, the airship shakes a little, and Wakka points towards Sin.
"Hey, guys? Guys? That's not good, ya?" he says, voice shaking a little. Turning, we all look at Sin. Sin has now created a massive, black energy ball in front of him. Roaring, Sin lets the energy ball cover his body, and I can see the clouds parting above him from the sheer power. With another mighty roar, the energy ball splits into six, which fly off at a high speed. The energy balls cut through anything in their path, water, sky, even the very land, and we all fall to our knees.
"Everyone okay?" I ask, standing back up and looking around. Everyone is silent, and I look to see massive channels carved out of the land from the energy attack. Rikku stammers a little, and then yells, as the water that had been parted from the force suddenly collapses back onto itself, causing a massive line of water to come towards us. As it reaches the land, the water stops and is replaced by explosions, heading straight for us. Everyone yells, and tries to run back inside the airship, but we're too slow. The explosions connect almost right next to us, and throw us all to the deck.
(End FF8 theme The Stage Is Set)
As I get up, I notice Tidus moving as well, along with everyone else. Tidus slowly stands up, and clenches both his fists.
"Damn you, old man..." he mutters, as everyone finally stands back up.
"Hey!" Cid says over the intercom, getting our attention. "I saw somethin' shine at the base of Sin's arm! I reckon it's a weak spot!"
"Then let's take it out," I mutter, drawing my staff, as everyone else prepares for battle. Suddenly, the ship shakes again, and Rikku yells.
"Sin's pulling us in!"
Sin's now flying alongside the airship at the exact same speed as us. Cid's voice comes over the intercom again after a moment.
"Everyone, back inside!" he yells, and I shake my head.
"Little late now. It's now or never!" I say, and everyone runs to the side of the airship, ready to take Sin down.
(Play SO3 theme The Divine Spirit of Language)
"This is it! Hit him with everything you've got!" I yell to everyone, pointing my hand at Sin. "Flare!"
"Holy!"
"Doublecast: Firaga!"
"Dark Buster!"
The first four attacks from us slam into Sin with terrifying force, enough to vaporize most lesser fiends in seconds. As the smoke clears, we can see a few scratches on the giant monster, but it's far from finished. The airship rocks again as Sin pulls us closer, and I realize we're now within melee range of the creature's fin.
"Flare!" I yell again, the attack slamming into Sin as Tidus, Auron, and Kimahri run into melee range to attack.
"Take this!"
"Armor Break!"
Tidus and Auron bring both swords down, cutting another set of gashes into Sin's fin as Kimahri uses his Lancet attack, draining some health and mana from Sin. Sin gives a whine, and swipes his fin across, knocking the trio back over to the rest of us.
"Coming through!" Rikku yells, a grenade slamming into Sin's fin and exploding, a large burn mark now evident.
"Yuna, summon an aeon!" I yell over to her, and she nods, holding her staff out in front of her ans quickly summoning the aeon Ixion.
"Ixion, Aerospark!" she yells, and Ixion slashes its horn across, a wave of lightning energy cutting into Sin's fin, causing the mighty creature to bellow in pain. "Hit it again, Ixion!" Ixion gives a whine, and repeats the Aerospark attack, another low whine coming from Sin as a result.
"That should do it! Cid, back away and ready the weapon!" I yell, hoping he will hear me. The airship lurches a little, and moves ahead of Sin quickly, before circling to aim at the creature's fin. Suddenly, two parts of the airship fan out, and large, lance-type weapons extend from the sides of the airship. A bolt of energy is quickly shot from each of the lances, and Sin howls in pain as its left fin is sheared completely off of its body, falling to the ground below.
"Got it!" Tidus yells, as Cid comes over the intercom again.
"Couldn't have done it without you! Alright, look sharp! Time to hit the other side!" he says, and we all nod, as the airship circles around Sin to face its right side. Sin gives a bellow of anger, and swipes its fin across, narrowly missing us as we duck.
"Easy for you to say!" Rikku yells, bringing Godhand in front of her.
"Doublecast: Flare!" Lulu suddenly cries, and my eyes go wide as a pair of orange beams slam into Sin's fin, large burn marks appearing on the creature's carapace. Lulu pulls out some kind of potion and drinks it, as I bring my staff in front of me again.
"Blizzaga!" The shard of ice shatters on the fin, causing it to ice over for a moment. As the ice breaks, Auron and Tidus are already in melee range.
"Armor Break!"
Auron's attack connects, lowering Sin's defense by a large margin, as Tidus slashes across with Caladbolg. World Champion flies in from the back as well and digs into the fin, Sin bellowing again and slicing the fin across. No one is hit again, and we prepare for another round of attacks.
"Waterga!"
"Firaga!"
"Holy!"
The trio of spells from myself, Lulu, and Yuna connect with the fin, and Sin howls again in pain. Standing back, I bring my staff into a summoning position, motioning to the others to step back. A series of ice crystals appears behind me, shattering to reveal Shiva, and she steps beside me as I give the order.
"Heavenly Strike!"
Shiva motions forcefully towards Sin, and a shard of ice drops from above to hit the fin, shattering and causing Sin to grunt again. Sin brings its fin around quickly, and Shiva is knocked back to land on the ground behind me. Getting up slowly, Shiva steps back beside me, and I grin.
"Diamond Dust!"
Shiva spins around and fires a wave of ice at Sin's fin, frosting it over, before spinning back the other way and firing another wave. This wave freezes the fin over completely, and Shiva snaps her fingers, causing the ice to shatter and cut the fin up. Nodding, I dismiss Shiva with a smile, as Rikku yells out.
"Pops! Let's get this fin!" she yells, the airship speeding up and circling around to face Sin. The lances extend again, and two more bolts of energy strike Sin's right fin, causing it to fall to the ground below. Sin is now floating in the air and crying out in pain, now having no fins.
(End SO3 theme The Divine Spirit of Language)
"Yeah! We got it!" Tidus exclaims, pumping a fist into the air.
"Yeehaw! Where next?" Cid asks over the speakers, and Brother's voice cuts in, talking to Cid.
"Ed ec ujan," he states, and Cid's voice comes back over, the older Al Bhed seeming to have forgotten to turn the speakers off.
"Fryd? Fa ryja uhmo pakih!" Cid replies.
"Pid dra syeh kih, ed ec pnugah!" Brother replies, and I resist the urge to facepalm.
"Dr-dryd lyhhud pa!" Cid exclaims, and I sigh.
"What a perfect time for this to happen, ya know..." I mutter, annoyed at the turn of events.
"The main gun's busted!" Rikku cries, looking at all of us.
"Dang it!" Cid's voice says again over the speakers. "All right, back inside! Time for another plan!"
"No!" Tidus yells defiantly. "Every blitzer knows: when you got the ball, you gotta score!"
"Tidus is right! Time to take the fight to Sin!" I yell, and Yuna nods.
"Let's go!" she exclaims, before running to the edge and jumping over the side.
"Hey! Star players first!" Tidus says, following Yuna. Gripping my staff tightly, I run over and dive off the side as well, everyone else following me after a moment. As we land on Sin's skin, the first thing we're confronted by is a glowing orb, and a large thing resembling a ball of flesh. Suddenly, the ball quivers and opens, revealing a Sinspawn. This Sinspawn resembles the one we fought a long time ago at Kilika, Geneaux. The only difference is this Sinspawn, Genais, is a different color.
(Play SO3 theme More Complicated)
"Okay...round 2..." I mutter, putting my staff away and drawing my katana and wakizashi. Everyone else drops back into battle stances, as the Sinspawn attacks. A burst of fire lances from the Sinspawn, and connects with Tidus. The teen barely flinches from the attack, and I realize it must be a weak spell. Tidus' counter-attack connects as well, a rising slash that runs up the length of the Sinspawn's body. Auron runs in right after Tidus, and brings his sword down in a powerful strike. Following the lead of the other two, I bring my swords down across the cuts already made. The Sinspawn hits me with a burst of ice, and I take a step back, but recover quickly.
Sin's core now takes a chance to attack, a wave of gravity magic flying out and hitting everything, including the Sinspawn. All of us cry out and drop to our knees, the powerful Gravija spell taking us down to a fourth of our original strength. Kimahri weakly stands up and uses Lancet on the creature, restoring some of his strength, and the rest of us drink potions to heal ourselves. Standing back up, I growl at the creature, and bring my swords to my side.
"Renzokuken!" I yell, running up to the creature and jumping onto its head. Slashing twice, I cut a gash across its head, before stabbing my sword in and twisting. The creature screeches and tries to dislodge me, but I jump down and slash across the creature's chest. Giving a final duo of slashes, I run back and bring my sword over my head.
"Fated Circle!" Jumping into the air, I spin around, causing an energy wave to fly from my swords and towards the Sinspawn. The area around them suddenly explodes, engulfing the Sinspawn and Sin's core in a wave of magical energy.
"Take this!" Wakka yells, throwing his blitzball at the Sinspawn. As World Champion connects, the Sinspawn reels back in pain, firing a bolt of lightning at Wakka in retaliation. Wakka flinches from the electricity, but stands straight after a moment. Lulu and Yuna raise a hand to the Sinspawn then, calling out spells.
"Flare!"
"Holy!"
The powerful non-elemental and holy attacks hit the Sinspawn with incredible force, and the creature howls in pain, before falling over and bursting into a cloud of pyreflies.
"Rikku, double-team?" I ask, sheathing my katana and wakizashi, and brandishing my suwayyah.
"Yeah!" she yells, and I smile, charging the core. Rikku runs beside me, and together we slash furiously at the core, bursts of magic flying in from Lulu to aid us. The core lets out another Gravija attack, and we all fall to our knees again. Standing back up weakly, Tidus charges the core and brings his sword down hard, splitting the core right down the middle.
(End SO3 theme More Complicated)
Sin gives a lurch then, and starts to fall towards the ground. The airship flies as close to Sin as it can get, and we jump, landing on the deck of the ship and turning back to Sin. The giant creature falls out of the sky, and hits the ground at Bevelle. The fiend's body digs a giant trench in the ground, and I smile, knowing that we've done it.
"Vydran! E lyhhud pameaja fryd E caa!" Brother exclaims.
"Pameaja ed, cuh! Drao'ja tuha ed! Ed ec rybbahehk!" Cid replies. Taking a final look at Sin, I begin to walk back inside, everyone else following me.
"Rikku, aqlammahd!" Brother exclaims as we re-enter the bridge. Rikku smiles, and walks over to her brother to talk. Taking a moment to look around, I sit down on one of the small staircases in the bridge, closing my eyes and beginning to meditate.
"It's going to come back, isn't it?" Yuna asks, and I hear Tidus' voice now.
"I know."
"What? You're kidding me!" Cid exclaims, shocked by the news.
"No!" Tidus says. "We have to beat the guy inside Sin."
"The Crusaders would be out of a job if it were this easy," Wakka says, Lulu also adding her input to the conversation.
"But it has weakened. I'm sure of it."
"Alright, I'll do what I can with the main gun!" Cid says, and I hear Tidus and Yuna begin to walk out. Opening my eyes, I stand up and follow them to the airship's deck. When I arrive, I see Yuna staring at the fallen form of Sin, and Tidus standing next to her.
(Play FF8 theme The Oath)
"I wonder if Sir Jecht is in pain," Yuna says, looking at Sin.
"Let's just end this...quickly," Tidus replies, putting a hand on Yuna's shoulder. "The fayth said they would help us, right?" he asks, and I step towards the two of them.
"Right. The fayth said we need to call them."
"It bothers me, the way they said that," Yuna says, and Tidus turns to her.
"Huh?"
"I mean, they've been fighting alongside us this whole time, but now they say they'll help?" she asks, causing me to look at her.
"It is a little strange, but we will probably need their help. Sin won't be easy to destroy. Neither will Yu Yevon."
"I guess so..." Tidus adds, reluctantly.
"Wait!" Yuna exclaims, having apparently figured something out. "Sin is reborn when Yu Yevon merges with an aeon, isn't that right?" she asks, and Tidus and I nod. "If I summon an aeon, Yu Yevon will join with it. But at first, it'll be small, won't it?"
"That's right," I say, and Tidus nods.
"Then, we might be able to beat it without the Final Summoning," he adds.
"I don't know. What if Yu Yevon jumps again?" Yuna asks, seeming unsure about everything.
"Then we'll take it down again!" Tidus exclaims. "We'll fight him until there's no place left to run!"
"Tidus is right. We can't doubt ourselves, not now. We've come too far to have second thoughts," I tell her, and she nods.
"I never thought it would come down to this."
"Yeah, I know," Tidus agrees. "Hey, the fayth, they're tired of this whole thing too. Let's let them rest."
"The fayth said it's pointless to keep dreaming. The dream will disappear, he said. What did he mean? And what is it that Yu Yevon is summoning from within Sin?"
"The dream of the fayth," Tidus says, somewhat hesitantly.
"You won't...go away, will you?" Yuna asks, turning to Tidus. Before Tidus can respond, however, Rikku's voice comes over the intercom.
(End FF8 theme The Oath)
"Yunie! Guys! Come look! Something's happening to Sin!" Turning quickly, we run back down to the bridge to join the others. When we get there, Rikku points out the window of the airship. Down below, we can see Sin rise up from the ground, and turn towards us again. Suddenly, glowing, white wings raise themselves from Sin's back, and it takes flight into the sky, approaching us. Before it gets to us, though, it stops and floats over a large tower, seemingly waiting for us to come to it.
"Jecht...he's waiting for you," Auron says, and Tidus nods.
"Well, son, the main gun is still busted! We can't give you any cover fire!" Cid tells us, and Tidus nods again.
"Hey, just take us in. We'll do the rest." Tidus tells him, and he nods. Tidus looks around the room at everyone, then, seemingly looking over all of his friends. Lulu gives a short nod, Rikku winks, and Wakka lifts his arm in a wave. Smiling, I watch Tidus as he walks over to us, Cid giving Brother the command.
"All right. Take us up, flush to the mouth! No mistakes, or I'm gonna tear out that mop you call hair!"
"Trust...me. Me..take you there. No problem...ya?" he says, trying to speak the normal language of Spira, instead of Al Bhed.
"Let's get ready to blitz!" Tidus yells, raising his hand into the air.
"Our father's wishes...let's make them come true!" Yuna exclaims, and we all nod, following Tidus and Yuna back to the deck.
As we arrive at the deck, we come almost face to face with the giant Sin, and I look down for a moment.
'This is it...no second chances. We have to get this right now...' I think, drawing my katana and wakizashi, as everyone else prepares to defeat Sin once and for all.
(Play SO3 theme Beyond The One)
"This is it, everyone! Let's give it everything we've got!" I yell, hoping to rally everyone. Everyone nods, and Lulu makes the first move. The attack she uses surprises me completely, however.
"Ultima!"
The most powerful Black Magic spell known, the ball of dark energy appears near Sin and rapidly expands, glowing brightly. Suddenly, the ball explodes, a dark energy wave engulfing Sin and causing the fiend to roar. With another roar, Sin draws the airship closer to it, and Wakka attacks now.
"Take this!" he yells, World Champion taking on a blue glow, as he kicks the ball into Sin's face. A watery explosion overtakes the creature's face, and it growls again, drawing the airship even closer. Now, Tidus takes this time to strike.
"It's over, Dad!" he yells, running in and slashing several times with his sword. Stabbing it into the ground, he jumps off of it, and Wakka throws World Champion high. Tidus' foot connects with the blitzball in a perfect Sphere Shot, and the ball blasts into Sin's face, causing an explosion. Auron is the next to attack.
"Enough!" he cries, holding his sword out and beginning to spin. A tornado of energy forms around him, and he slashes his sword a final time, the tornado engulfing Sin. Taking the jug off his belt, he throws it into the tornado, causing it to explode in fire. Now, I decide it's my turn to attack.
"Renzokuken!" I yell, charging up to Sin. With both the katana and the wakizashi, I slash as much as I can, using every bit of power I can muster. Ten hits later, I jump back, and prepare for my finishing move. A grin creeps over my face, as I activate what I now see as my final Overdrive finishing move.
(End SO3 theme Beyond The One; play FF8 theme Maybe I'm a Lion)
"Lion Heart!"
As my Overdrive activates itself once again, I hold my katana and wakizashi at a diagonal angel to the ground, yellow energy swirling around me and gathering on the blades. After a moment, the blades shine brightly, and I charge, slashing upwards with both swords. Jumping into the air, I begin to slash faster than I ever have before. Seemingly hanging in the air and defying gravity, I land ten hits, fifteen hits, nineteen hits on the monstrous Sin before holding my blades together in the air. Slashing down a final time, I fall out of the air and turn around, as a massive explosion engulfs Sin. The creature howls in pain, as Yuna takes the familiar summoning stance that I think will end this fight.
"Bahamut!" she calls, the aeon diving down from the sky to land beside us on the airship's deck. "Mega Flare!" Bahamut roars, before doing a backflip to land on all four feet, the wheel on his back beginning to spin with white energy crackling around it. The energy gathers in Bahamut's mouth in the form of a ball, and the aeon blasts the massive energy beam at Sin. The attack slams into the mighty fiend's face and causes it to screech, as the energy burns away at it. Finally, the attack ends, and Sin is still floating there, bruised and burned.
(End FF8 theme Maybe I'm a Lion)
"Did we get it?" Rikku asks, walking over to me.
"I think so," I reply, as Sin wails again, opening its mouth wide. Suddenly, white mist begins to spray from the inside of the creature, and I smile, knowing that we have defeated Sin. After a moment, the airship begins to fly towards Sin, and we enter the mist. Flying into the heart of the creature, I can't help but feel a small chill, as if to foreshadow what's yet to come.
