A New Saviour
Disclaimer: I own neither Final Fantasy nor Shadow Hearts and you know who does.
Author's Note: Alright then, I've tried my best to make up for that stupid chapter I posted previously. I'm sorry about that, it's just that I found the operation Mi'ihen thing to be one of the stupider parts of the game; therefore I really wasn't interested in writing about it. But that's all.
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Chapter 7
There was a stunned silence as the shadow rose from the water. Sin emerged, giving Yuri his first look at the giant monster. His eyes widened as his body involuntarily shivered. The waves of evil coming off of it were almost unbearable.
Canons immediately went off, barraging Sin, causing it to drop thousands of Sinspawn into the water. They wasted no time in swimming towards the shore. The Chocobo Knights were ready as they rushed out to meet them. All the while, Yuri could hear the huge Machina just off the coast powering up. They didn't have much time to watch though, as the giant Sinspawn that the group had just defeated made a grand re-entrance.
"Everyone, watch out!" Yuna cried as she rushed towards it. Auron accompanied her, and to everyone's surprise, so did Seymour. He calmly pulled out his staff and cast a number of black magic spells on the monster. Yuri watched in amazement.
"Hey Lulu, those seem to be the same as yours, like with the elements. But why are his so strong?"
"Maester Seymour is at a much higher level than I am. Therefore his spells are stronger." It couldn't even be called a real battle as the monster went down in a matter of minutes.
That one small victory was not enough, however, as Sin unleashed a huge wave of energy, killing everyone and everything on the shore. That was when the giant Machina provided by the Al Bhed came into effect. It fired a huge laser directly at Sin. At first it seemed to be working as it almost penetrated the shield around Sin's body. But Sin countered it with another huge wave of energy, destroying the Machina. That was the last thing Yuri saw before he blacked out.
Yuri awoke to find that he had somehow ended up on the beach accompanied by a splitting headache. He looked around for the others, but the thousands of bodies that littered the ground were the only things that greeted his sight. He sighed and stood up, a little overcome by what had just happened.
"The situation here is a little more serious than I originally thought," he said to himself. "I guess I never fully realized how powerful this thing is. No wonder everyone seems so afraid. I guess that's why Yuna is so determined to defeat it." He scratched his head a minute, taking another long look around the area, where he finally spotted movement.
On closer inspection, Yuri discovered that it was Yuna. She was doing the same dance that she had done in Kilika. The pyreflies floated from the corpses and danced with her. Yuri looked over and saw Tidus watching her.
"Hey man, you okay?" Yuri asked as he approached him.
"People die, and Yuna dances," Tidus said. "I found Gatta before. He said Luzzu didn't make it. I want to help them Yuri. I want to make sure that Yuna never has to do this dance again." Yuri nodded solemnly.
"Let's make a promise right here then." Tidus turned to face him.
"Like what?"
"Even though this isn't our world or maybe not our time. Let's make this fight ours. Let's live up to the name Guardian and make our only goal to defeat Sin," Yuri said, holding out his hand. Tidus shook it.
Once Yuna had finished with the sending, the three reunited with the others, along with Maester Kinoc and Maester Seymour.
"Now I hope you can see what a hopeless waste of lives this was," Auron spat at Maester Kinoc. "Do you now realize that Summoners are our only hope of defeating Sin?" Kinoc remained silent while Maester Seymour approached Yuna.
"Lady Yuna, Spira needs you now more than ever. You need to be the people's strength. And remember that you won't be doing this alone. Use me as your pillar of strength, just as Lady Yunalesca did with her Lord Zaon." Tidus glared at him as Yuna went a little pink across the cheeks. Then Seymour turned to the rest of the group. "Until we meet again." And with that, he headed off with Maester Kinoc.
"There's something about him that rubs me the wrong way," Yuri grumbled.
"I'm with you on that," Tidus added.
"Ya, no kidding. I mean, a Maester working with the Al Bhed! And look where it got them!" Wakka said.
"Come, we must continue with Yuna's Pilgrimage," said Auron as he began down the path. The others followed. Yuri watched as Tidus timidly approached Yuna and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She gave him a small smile as they continued on towards Djose temple. Yuri lagged behind with Kimahri, watching the two.
"After all that, she still smiles," Yuri said, mostly to himself.
"Yuna must shine during dark times," came a deep voice. Yuri's mouth dropped open. He turned to Kimahri.
"So you can speak!"
"Kimahri will try to shine to." Yuri grinned at him.
"Well, that means you have to smile along with her!" The corners of Kimahri's mouth lifted in what Yuri guessed was a smile. "That a boy! Come on, let's catch up!" Kimahri nodded as they jogged over to the others.
Many new fiends made an appearance as they traveled down the long, dirt road. Yuri made the mistake of attacking a strange, moving plant that sprinkled him with pollen, making him fall asleep instantly. Lulu killed it in one shot with her fire magic before Yuna used her white magic to wake him up. Tidus and Wakka had a good laugh about that. There were also giant bugs, floating rocks that seemed to be made of lightning, and big basilisks that succeeded in petrifying Wakka and Kimahri at one point. Luckily Yuna was able to remove it.
Eventually they reached a fork in the road. The sign pointed to the Moonflow down the left, and Djose Temple to the right.
"So, we going to the temple?" Yuri asked.
"Yes, I must pray to the Fayth at every temple in order to obtain the final Aeon," Yuna replied.
"So then how long will it take to get to Zanarkand?" asked Tidus.
"After we pray at the temple, we must cross the Moonflow to Guadosalam. Then we cross the Thunder Plaines to get to Macalania Temple," Lulu said, turning to him.
"I guess we can't really skip all that, huh?" said Tidus. Yuna shook her head.
"Come on, let's hurry. I'm starving!" Wakka said as he hurried the rest of them along. Tidus hung back with Auron a minute but Yuri didn't really give it any thought. He was looking forward to something to eat to. They followed a stone path towards a gigantic rock with a small inn beside it. Unfortunately they were all booked up at the moment due to the many injured Crusaders from Operation Mi'ihen. Although the group was able to get a small meal.
"Wait a minute, I thought there was a temple here." Yuri looked up at the big rock when all of a sudden it broke apart, revealing the temple underneath. The rocks floated around the temple and as far as Yuri could tell they were held there by the bolts of lightning that ran between them.
"Well, isn't that impressive!" Tidus remarked.
"It only opens when a Summoner addresses the Fayth. That mean there's another Summoner already in there," Lulu informed them.
"What if it's Dona?" Tidus asked. Yuri shuddered.
"Please don't mention her."
"Let's go," Auron said simply as he headed inside.
"Is that all he ever says?" Yuri asked Lulu as they followed Auron inside the temple. Lulu turned to him and gave him a small smirk. Yuri grinned back at her. They got inside just in time to see three figures emerge from the Cloister of Trials. They introduced themselves as the Summoner Isaaru, and his two guardians, Maroda and Pacce, who also turned out to be his brothers. He talked to Yuna for a bit while Maroda approached the others.
"Hey you guys, keep an extra close watch over your Summoner," he said.
"Why, you threatening us?" Yuri asked heatedly. Wakka sighed.
"Down boy," Lulu muttered. Maroda held up his hands in defense.
"No, it's just that Summoners have been going missing lately. Like, going out on Pilgrimage's and then just disappearing," he warned them.
"Oh," Yuri said, a little embarrassed.
"Thanks for the tip," Tidus added. Maroda nodded before turning to his brothers.
"We really must be going," he said. After wishing Yuna luck, the three left the temple as the group entered the Cloister of Trials.
Everything seemed to surge with electricity as the group worked their way through. They finished and by now Yuri and Tidus knew the routine. Yuna would go in to pray to the Fayth while the rest would "Pick spot. Shut up. Wait," as Kimahri so eloquently put it.
Just as Yuna exited, looking a little disheveled, a very unwelcome guest entered: Dona, followed by her Guardian Barthello.
"Well, well, well, look who's here. Still traveling with quite the crowd I see," she remarked in her usual, snobbish tone. Before anyone could say anything, Barthello let out a little 'eep' as he rushed over to Auron, a look of complete amazement on his face. "Barthello, what are you doing? Do you know this riff raff?" Dona asked him. Barthello didn't answer her. "Barthello! Get back here!" she ordered. Again, Barthello didn't answer.
"Can I shake your hand?" he timidly asked Auron. Auron chuckled and held out his hand, which Barthello eagerly took. Wakka laughed.
"The man you just called 'riff raff' is Sir Auron. You know, the personal Guardian to High Summoner Braska?" he said to Dona, delighted to see the shocked look that crept onto her face.
"Didn't you recognize him? And you call yourself a Summoner," Lulu remarked. Yuri laughed out loud.
"Ha ha! Burn!" He exclaimed. Tidus laughed along with him and even Yuna giggled a bit.
"You're my idol! You're the reason that I became a Guardian!" Barthello babbled on to Auron. Dona looked furious.
"Barthello! We're leaving!" she barked at him as she stormed out of the room. Barthello reluctantly followed.
Next, the group was ready to cross the Moonflow. Despite himself and the fact he didn't think it was too manly, Yuri commented on the beauty of the place.
"It's kinda peaceful here, huh?" he commented, really to no one in particular.
"It's even more beautiful at night. The pyreflies float over the lilies and the moonlight shimmers over the water," Lulu told him.
"Sounds pretty romantic," Yuri said absent-mindedly. Lulu smiled slightly.
"It is." Yuri looked over at her. He felt himself a little overcome by the moment.
'Looks like I'm getting all tingly inside. Maybe I should make a move. Hehe . . . ' he thought as he looked at Lulu. His thoughts were interrupted as Auron was once again telling them they had to continue on. Yuri's face fell as Lulu tore her gaze away from the lake and followed the others. Tidus looked at him.
"Why do you look so down?"
"Oh . . . I uh . . . just really wanted to see what it looked like at night . . . yup," he stammered.
"Don't worry. Once Yuna finishes her Pilgrimage, we can all come back!" Tidus said happily. Yuri sighed.
"I guess so." They followed the others only to be greeted by the sight of a large, blue monster that kind of resembled an elephant. "Oh man, just when I think I've got this place figured out," Yuri grumbled.
"What exactly is that?" Tidus asked.
"It's a Shoopuff," Auron explained. "We're going to ride it across the lake to get to Guadosalam." He chuckled. "When Jecht first saw one, he got scared and attacked it. He was so embarrassed that he vowed never to drink again."
"Yeah, that sounds like my old man," Tidus said quietly. Once the Shoopuff was ready to go, they all climbed aboard and "set sail", in a manner of speaking. Yuri didn't like it one bit. Although it was different from the rocking motion of a boat, the movement of the Shoopuff wasn't the smoothest in the world. He laid across an entire bench and tried not to think about it.
"Hey, take a look down there," Wakka suggested.
"Don' wanna," Yuri mumbled as Tidus eagerly turned around and looked into the water.
"Wow! It's sunken city!" Tidus exclaimed.
"An ancient Machina city. Sunk one thousand years ago," Wakka told them. "Humans tried to play God by building it over the water."
"Well, that obviously worked real well," Yuri grumbled sarcastically.
"I don't get it. You guys always talk about how bad Machina is, and what's it's done in the past and how it so forbidden and all, yet you still use it," Tidus remarked.
"That's true," Yuri agreed as he rolled over onto his side to face the others.
"I mean, what about the Blitzball stadium?" Tidus asked.
"Yevon decides which Machina we may use and which we may not," Lulu explained.
"Well, there's a contradiction within itself."
"Machina like the Blitz Sphere are fine. However, Machina used for war, like the ones used in Operation Mi'ihen, are forbidden," replied Lulu.
"Oh."
"That still doesn't make sense to me" said Tidus as he scratched his head.
Suddenly, the Shoopuff shook, causing everyone to look around in alarm. Yuna stood up fearfully.
"Sit down!" Auron ordered her, as the other Guardians stood up to protect their Summoner. Before she could, an Al Bhed man appeared behind her and dragged her into the water.
"Yuna!" Tidus cried as he and Wakka dove in after her. The others waited on the Shoopuff, as they weren't the best swimmers. Tidus and Wakka, both Blitzball players, were a lot more accustomed to underwater battle. The others watched as they battled an underwater Machina, defeating it with some difficulty. They emerged victorious and were able to return Yuna safely.
"What the Hell was that all about?!" Yuri exclaimed.
"Those damn Al Bhed!" Wakka said furiously. "How dare they try to kidnap Yuna!" Tidus sat down beside her, a comforting arm around her shoulder. Being embarrassed didn't even cross his mind at this point, he was just glad that she was safe. Yuna didn't seem to mind either.
"Maybe there's a connection between the Al Bhed and what Maroda told us," Lulu mused.
"You mean about the Summoner's disappearing?" Yuri asked. She nodded. "You think the Al Bhed are kidnapping Summoners?"
"Those rotten bastards!" Wakka growled, punching his fist into his other hand, which he then promptly shook with pain.
"You okay?" Tidus asked. Wakka just growled some more.
"This changes nothing. All we have to do is keep an extra close watch on Yuna," Auron said in a final tone, meaning that the subject was to be dropped. After that, everyone sat in silence, each one thinking about what could be going on and each having their own ideas.
Yuri was the only one not thinking about the Al Bhed or the recent kidnapping attempt. He was thinking about how he could get stronger.
'It'll be the only way to protect Yuna if those crazy Al Bhed people try to nab her again. And I can only do that by mastering another fusion monster. Which means I'll have to trust that those stupid masks were being truthful about another monster for me to fight.' Yuri chuckled to himself in disbelief. 'Trust the masks? Did I just think that? Oh man . . . ' He sighed and looked out over the water. The opposite shore could now be seen.
"Once we get to Guadosalam we can rest," Auron told everyone. "But that's all. We continue on tomorrow morning." Yuri thought about that. Maybe another visit with the four floating guardians wasn't far off.
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Author: Well, there you have it. Another chap. Nothing to say really 'cept review!!!
Disclaimer: I own neither Final Fantasy nor Shadow Hearts and you know who does.
Author's Note: Alright then, I've tried my best to make up for that stupid chapter I posted previously. I'm sorry about that, it's just that I found the operation Mi'ihen thing to be one of the stupider parts of the game; therefore I really wasn't interested in writing about it. But that's all.
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Chapter 7
There was a stunned silence as the shadow rose from the water. Sin emerged, giving Yuri his first look at the giant monster. His eyes widened as his body involuntarily shivered. The waves of evil coming off of it were almost unbearable.
Canons immediately went off, barraging Sin, causing it to drop thousands of Sinspawn into the water. They wasted no time in swimming towards the shore. The Chocobo Knights were ready as they rushed out to meet them. All the while, Yuri could hear the huge Machina just off the coast powering up. They didn't have much time to watch though, as the giant Sinspawn that the group had just defeated made a grand re-entrance.
"Everyone, watch out!" Yuna cried as she rushed towards it. Auron accompanied her, and to everyone's surprise, so did Seymour. He calmly pulled out his staff and cast a number of black magic spells on the monster. Yuri watched in amazement.
"Hey Lulu, those seem to be the same as yours, like with the elements. But why are his so strong?"
"Maester Seymour is at a much higher level than I am. Therefore his spells are stronger." It couldn't even be called a real battle as the monster went down in a matter of minutes.
That one small victory was not enough, however, as Sin unleashed a huge wave of energy, killing everyone and everything on the shore. That was when the giant Machina provided by the Al Bhed came into effect. It fired a huge laser directly at Sin. At first it seemed to be working as it almost penetrated the shield around Sin's body. But Sin countered it with another huge wave of energy, destroying the Machina. That was the last thing Yuri saw before he blacked out.
Yuri awoke to find that he had somehow ended up on the beach accompanied by a splitting headache. He looked around for the others, but the thousands of bodies that littered the ground were the only things that greeted his sight. He sighed and stood up, a little overcome by what had just happened.
"The situation here is a little more serious than I originally thought," he said to himself. "I guess I never fully realized how powerful this thing is. No wonder everyone seems so afraid. I guess that's why Yuna is so determined to defeat it." He scratched his head a minute, taking another long look around the area, where he finally spotted movement.
On closer inspection, Yuri discovered that it was Yuna. She was doing the same dance that she had done in Kilika. The pyreflies floated from the corpses and danced with her. Yuri looked over and saw Tidus watching her.
"Hey man, you okay?" Yuri asked as he approached him.
"People die, and Yuna dances," Tidus said. "I found Gatta before. He said Luzzu didn't make it. I want to help them Yuri. I want to make sure that Yuna never has to do this dance again." Yuri nodded solemnly.
"Let's make a promise right here then." Tidus turned to face him.
"Like what?"
"Even though this isn't our world or maybe not our time. Let's make this fight ours. Let's live up to the name Guardian and make our only goal to defeat Sin," Yuri said, holding out his hand. Tidus shook it.
Once Yuna had finished with the sending, the three reunited with the others, along with Maester Kinoc and Maester Seymour.
"Now I hope you can see what a hopeless waste of lives this was," Auron spat at Maester Kinoc. "Do you now realize that Summoners are our only hope of defeating Sin?" Kinoc remained silent while Maester Seymour approached Yuna.
"Lady Yuna, Spira needs you now more than ever. You need to be the people's strength. And remember that you won't be doing this alone. Use me as your pillar of strength, just as Lady Yunalesca did with her Lord Zaon." Tidus glared at him as Yuna went a little pink across the cheeks. Then Seymour turned to the rest of the group. "Until we meet again." And with that, he headed off with Maester Kinoc.
"There's something about him that rubs me the wrong way," Yuri grumbled.
"I'm with you on that," Tidus added.
"Ya, no kidding. I mean, a Maester working with the Al Bhed! And look where it got them!" Wakka said.
"Come, we must continue with Yuna's Pilgrimage," said Auron as he began down the path. The others followed. Yuri watched as Tidus timidly approached Yuna and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She gave him a small smile as they continued on towards Djose temple. Yuri lagged behind with Kimahri, watching the two.
"After all that, she still smiles," Yuri said, mostly to himself.
"Yuna must shine during dark times," came a deep voice. Yuri's mouth dropped open. He turned to Kimahri.
"So you can speak!"
"Kimahri will try to shine to." Yuri grinned at him.
"Well, that means you have to smile along with her!" The corners of Kimahri's mouth lifted in what Yuri guessed was a smile. "That a boy! Come on, let's catch up!" Kimahri nodded as they jogged over to the others.
Many new fiends made an appearance as they traveled down the long, dirt road. Yuri made the mistake of attacking a strange, moving plant that sprinkled him with pollen, making him fall asleep instantly. Lulu killed it in one shot with her fire magic before Yuna used her white magic to wake him up. Tidus and Wakka had a good laugh about that. There were also giant bugs, floating rocks that seemed to be made of lightning, and big basilisks that succeeded in petrifying Wakka and Kimahri at one point. Luckily Yuna was able to remove it.
Eventually they reached a fork in the road. The sign pointed to the Moonflow down the left, and Djose Temple to the right.
"So, we going to the temple?" Yuri asked.
"Yes, I must pray to the Fayth at every temple in order to obtain the final Aeon," Yuna replied.
"So then how long will it take to get to Zanarkand?" asked Tidus.
"After we pray at the temple, we must cross the Moonflow to Guadosalam. Then we cross the Thunder Plaines to get to Macalania Temple," Lulu said, turning to him.
"I guess we can't really skip all that, huh?" said Tidus. Yuna shook her head.
"Come on, let's hurry. I'm starving!" Wakka said as he hurried the rest of them along. Tidus hung back with Auron a minute but Yuri didn't really give it any thought. He was looking forward to something to eat to. They followed a stone path towards a gigantic rock with a small inn beside it. Unfortunately they were all booked up at the moment due to the many injured Crusaders from Operation Mi'ihen. Although the group was able to get a small meal.
"Wait a minute, I thought there was a temple here." Yuri looked up at the big rock when all of a sudden it broke apart, revealing the temple underneath. The rocks floated around the temple and as far as Yuri could tell they were held there by the bolts of lightning that ran between them.
"Well, isn't that impressive!" Tidus remarked.
"It only opens when a Summoner addresses the Fayth. That mean there's another Summoner already in there," Lulu informed them.
"What if it's Dona?" Tidus asked. Yuri shuddered.
"Please don't mention her."
"Let's go," Auron said simply as he headed inside.
"Is that all he ever says?" Yuri asked Lulu as they followed Auron inside the temple. Lulu turned to him and gave him a small smirk. Yuri grinned back at her. They got inside just in time to see three figures emerge from the Cloister of Trials. They introduced themselves as the Summoner Isaaru, and his two guardians, Maroda and Pacce, who also turned out to be his brothers. He talked to Yuna for a bit while Maroda approached the others.
"Hey you guys, keep an extra close watch over your Summoner," he said.
"Why, you threatening us?" Yuri asked heatedly. Wakka sighed.
"Down boy," Lulu muttered. Maroda held up his hands in defense.
"No, it's just that Summoners have been going missing lately. Like, going out on Pilgrimage's and then just disappearing," he warned them.
"Oh," Yuri said, a little embarrassed.
"Thanks for the tip," Tidus added. Maroda nodded before turning to his brothers.
"We really must be going," he said. After wishing Yuna luck, the three left the temple as the group entered the Cloister of Trials.
Everything seemed to surge with electricity as the group worked their way through. They finished and by now Yuri and Tidus knew the routine. Yuna would go in to pray to the Fayth while the rest would "Pick spot. Shut up. Wait," as Kimahri so eloquently put it.
Just as Yuna exited, looking a little disheveled, a very unwelcome guest entered: Dona, followed by her Guardian Barthello.
"Well, well, well, look who's here. Still traveling with quite the crowd I see," she remarked in her usual, snobbish tone. Before anyone could say anything, Barthello let out a little 'eep' as he rushed over to Auron, a look of complete amazement on his face. "Barthello, what are you doing? Do you know this riff raff?" Dona asked him. Barthello didn't answer her. "Barthello! Get back here!" she ordered. Again, Barthello didn't answer.
"Can I shake your hand?" he timidly asked Auron. Auron chuckled and held out his hand, which Barthello eagerly took. Wakka laughed.
"The man you just called 'riff raff' is Sir Auron. You know, the personal Guardian to High Summoner Braska?" he said to Dona, delighted to see the shocked look that crept onto her face.
"Didn't you recognize him? And you call yourself a Summoner," Lulu remarked. Yuri laughed out loud.
"Ha ha! Burn!" He exclaimed. Tidus laughed along with him and even Yuna giggled a bit.
"You're my idol! You're the reason that I became a Guardian!" Barthello babbled on to Auron. Dona looked furious.
"Barthello! We're leaving!" she barked at him as she stormed out of the room. Barthello reluctantly followed.
Next, the group was ready to cross the Moonflow. Despite himself and the fact he didn't think it was too manly, Yuri commented on the beauty of the place.
"It's kinda peaceful here, huh?" he commented, really to no one in particular.
"It's even more beautiful at night. The pyreflies float over the lilies and the moonlight shimmers over the water," Lulu told him.
"Sounds pretty romantic," Yuri said absent-mindedly. Lulu smiled slightly.
"It is." Yuri looked over at her. He felt himself a little overcome by the moment.
'Looks like I'm getting all tingly inside. Maybe I should make a move. Hehe . . . ' he thought as he looked at Lulu. His thoughts were interrupted as Auron was once again telling them they had to continue on. Yuri's face fell as Lulu tore her gaze away from the lake and followed the others. Tidus looked at him.
"Why do you look so down?"
"Oh . . . I uh . . . just really wanted to see what it looked like at night . . . yup," he stammered.
"Don't worry. Once Yuna finishes her Pilgrimage, we can all come back!" Tidus said happily. Yuri sighed.
"I guess so." They followed the others only to be greeted by the sight of a large, blue monster that kind of resembled an elephant. "Oh man, just when I think I've got this place figured out," Yuri grumbled.
"What exactly is that?" Tidus asked.
"It's a Shoopuff," Auron explained. "We're going to ride it across the lake to get to Guadosalam." He chuckled. "When Jecht first saw one, he got scared and attacked it. He was so embarrassed that he vowed never to drink again."
"Yeah, that sounds like my old man," Tidus said quietly. Once the Shoopuff was ready to go, they all climbed aboard and "set sail", in a manner of speaking. Yuri didn't like it one bit. Although it was different from the rocking motion of a boat, the movement of the Shoopuff wasn't the smoothest in the world. He laid across an entire bench and tried not to think about it.
"Hey, take a look down there," Wakka suggested.
"Don' wanna," Yuri mumbled as Tidus eagerly turned around and looked into the water.
"Wow! It's sunken city!" Tidus exclaimed.
"An ancient Machina city. Sunk one thousand years ago," Wakka told them. "Humans tried to play God by building it over the water."
"Well, that obviously worked real well," Yuri grumbled sarcastically.
"I don't get it. You guys always talk about how bad Machina is, and what's it's done in the past and how it so forbidden and all, yet you still use it," Tidus remarked.
"That's true," Yuri agreed as he rolled over onto his side to face the others.
"I mean, what about the Blitzball stadium?" Tidus asked.
"Yevon decides which Machina we may use and which we may not," Lulu explained.
"Well, there's a contradiction within itself."
"Machina like the Blitz Sphere are fine. However, Machina used for war, like the ones used in Operation Mi'ihen, are forbidden," replied Lulu.
"Oh."
"That still doesn't make sense to me" said Tidus as he scratched his head.
Suddenly, the Shoopuff shook, causing everyone to look around in alarm. Yuna stood up fearfully.
"Sit down!" Auron ordered her, as the other Guardians stood up to protect their Summoner. Before she could, an Al Bhed man appeared behind her and dragged her into the water.
"Yuna!" Tidus cried as he and Wakka dove in after her. The others waited on the Shoopuff, as they weren't the best swimmers. Tidus and Wakka, both Blitzball players, were a lot more accustomed to underwater battle. The others watched as they battled an underwater Machina, defeating it with some difficulty. They emerged victorious and were able to return Yuna safely.
"What the Hell was that all about?!" Yuri exclaimed.
"Those damn Al Bhed!" Wakka said furiously. "How dare they try to kidnap Yuna!" Tidus sat down beside her, a comforting arm around her shoulder. Being embarrassed didn't even cross his mind at this point, he was just glad that she was safe. Yuna didn't seem to mind either.
"Maybe there's a connection between the Al Bhed and what Maroda told us," Lulu mused.
"You mean about the Summoner's disappearing?" Yuri asked. She nodded. "You think the Al Bhed are kidnapping Summoners?"
"Those rotten bastards!" Wakka growled, punching his fist into his other hand, which he then promptly shook with pain.
"You okay?" Tidus asked. Wakka just growled some more.
"This changes nothing. All we have to do is keep an extra close watch on Yuna," Auron said in a final tone, meaning that the subject was to be dropped. After that, everyone sat in silence, each one thinking about what could be going on and each having their own ideas.
Yuri was the only one not thinking about the Al Bhed or the recent kidnapping attempt. He was thinking about how he could get stronger.
'It'll be the only way to protect Yuna if those crazy Al Bhed people try to nab her again. And I can only do that by mastering another fusion monster. Which means I'll have to trust that those stupid masks were being truthful about another monster for me to fight.' Yuri chuckled to himself in disbelief. 'Trust the masks? Did I just think that? Oh man . . . ' He sighed and looked out over the water. The opposite shore could now be seen.
"Once we get to Guadosalam we can rest," Auron told everyone. "But that's all. We continue on tomorrow morning." Yuri thought about that. Maybe another visit with the four floating guardians wasn't far off.
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Author: Well, there you have it. Another chap. Nothing to say really 'cept review!!!