Shelinda

Episode Six: The Grid Game

(theme music)

Shelinda: Whew Hello everyone! (applause) I just came back from Besaid and boy are my arms tired! (complete silence)

(Author's Note: Sorry to interupt but I need to take this moment to reflect on that last line. If any1 is still using that pathetic line, I wish for u to burn in Eternal Damnation and the devil sticking Pineapples up your ass 24/7! Thank U)

Shelinda: (nervous) moving on... After talking with Lady Yuna. I went back to my home and found it a total mess. While I was cleaning I found this (Holds up a paper sized piece of thin metal. Anyone besides me remember this?) That's right the "SphereGrid" game. For those of you that don't remember we have the creator of this game himself. That little boy, Shinra!

(Shinra walks out onto the stage, Shelinda has a seat right beside him.)

Shelinda: Hello again. So how have you been?

Shinra: Well. After I left the Gullwings I have going back and forth between Djose and Bikanel. I manage to see the episode with Gippal. I have to say... You're not as innocent as you seem.

Shelinda: (giggles)

Shinra: But I have to give you credit. That was awesome!

Shelinda: Thank you. Now Shinra, remember this...

Shinra: Aw, yes the "Covetous" card. This was a good stealing card. How many matches have you won with this?

Shelinda: Umm. Maybe one... I was never any good at the game. It just bought it because it was popular. Now for those of you who never played this game or who forgot. Shinra, the rules...

Shinra: Okay, First off to play you need sphere bits. These are mini pieces that if you succesfully assembel them you win. You always start with 3 pieces. You put each piece in a hole.

Shelinda: So at first three holes?

Shinra: After you roll a dice. That determines how many moves you can make on your gird. Once you moved across each hole on your grid. You win 1 more piece from the Bit pile. 12 pieces makes a sphere. Make a sphere and you win.

Shelinda: How about those color symbols.

Shinra: The gates? The gates are to activates special magic. Let's take this one as an example (grabs Covetous) Every move means moving a piece from one hole to another hole on a path. If a path had a gate you could sacrifice your piece to activate that magic. "Drain" allows you to remove one piece from one other player's grid and puts it in the Bit pile. Osmose works the same but to all players instead of one.

Shelinda: Right. But what about grids that needed more than one gate to work.

Shinra: I brought one of those with me (pulls out the grid, Meggido) This is the "Meggido" card. This was one of the rarest and most powerful grids in the game. Because it could cast "Ultima". Now in one turn your pieces had to pass each gate and had to sacrifice one piece per gate. Example; "Ultima" needs 4 pieces because it has 4 gates. Hard thing to do but it is well worth it. "Ultima" takes away five pieces from every player's grid.

Shelinda: Wow! We have to take a commercial break, so... we'll be right back!

COMMERCIAL #1

(An AlBhed in bikanel walk to the top of a dune, sings "Rin-cola!")

(A woman in Kilika heads to the temple and shouts, Rin-cola!)

(In the Clam Lands Gorge. Someone from the bottom screams, "Rin-cola")

Narrartor: Everyone's hearing about it, why don't you taste it? Rin-Cola and Diet Rin-Cola.

(theme music)

Shelinda: And we're back! Now, Shinra... How did you ever come up with this?

Shinra: Well I made this game while our AlBhed Home was still up. I was part of an advanced program at school. But my friends and I always finished our studies and we ended up bored. So we made up a game using scrap sheet metal and screws. After Yevon's army attacked our Home, Many lost their lives. Including my friends and my family. I was left alone, on the airship with Lady Yuna and her guardians.

Shelinda: So you knew Yuna before the Gullwings?

Shinra: No, I never really talked to her. I was too sad.

Shelinda: Poor dear, (she hugs Shinra) But what about when the Calm started?

Shinra: When Lady Yuna brought the Calm, Lord Rin adopted me. He was a great dad! On one of our trips to Bikanel when we started digging up Home. I found my old game in the sand. I told the whole story to Papa Rin. And together we thought up all the rules to the game. Finally, we started selling them in Rin's shops. It didn't sell very well, Only Al-Bhed bought it at first. But when more AlBhed moved to the mainland, the AlBhed children played with them and the other kids wanted to play. And there it grew to the fad that it was.

Shelinda: Too bad it was just a fad. How did the fad fall?

Shinra: That was my fault.After it was a big hit, I became greedy and I lost the true meaning of the game...

FLASHBACK

(It is a business meeting in Luca. In the conference room: Shinra, Rin and other Al Bheds. Were sitting around discussing...)

Rin: Well starting off today's topics. Due to the lacking profits and the weak attendance...I have decided to sell the Travel Agency in Macalania to O'aka XXIII.

Shinra: How much?

Rin: 100,000 gil

Shinra: That was dumb.

Rin: Excuse me...

Shinra: It was dumb. Me...No less than half a million for that site. I thought you knew how to make business.

Rin: I also believe in fairness.

Shinra: Fairness? It's a dog eat dog world! How can you just give O'aka a chance to kick our hineys!

Rin: Don't you dare speak to me like that! Do you know who I am?

Shinra: My ball and chain...

Rin: Your Vidran!

Shinra: Not anymore... I just got emancipated this morning. By law I am an adult. And so I would like to make one more announcement... (Shinra gets up on the table) Ladies and Gentlemen of the board... I quit!

Rin: WHAT?

Shinra: I quit, I've sold my stocks in the agency and am officially taking the "SphereGrid" with me. Here's all the papers. So goodbye...

(Shinra leaves the room)

FLASHBACK

Shinra: After that I started my own company to keep the game alive. But I never realized how hard running a company is. Spherehunting didn't help either. At first people hunted spheres to break them for the game, but people realized they were shattering history. So they stopped playing and started searching by joining in politics or as hunters. So I went bankrupt.

Shelinda: You haven't gone through puberty and you've already gone into debt! What did you do then?

Shinra: I'm just a kid. Well that was when I was stuck. With nothing left, I kept the game grids and I went into hiding. Then I heard about the Gullwings. They were auditioning in the Calm Lands.

FLASH BACK #2

(it was the same setting as Paine's description in Episode 1. After a few hours it was his turn)

Brother: (mocking) Hello Little boy. Do you want to join the big boys in the airship.

Shinra: First of all. I will not allow you to speak to me in a disrespectful and demeaning manner. Second my name is Shinra, and I am here for the engineer position.

Buddy: Um, yeah... So Shinra... I am Buddy and this is Brother, Now We will ask you a few questions.

Brother: Why do you want to join our team?

Shinra: Because I got nothing better to do. My genius has led me down the toilet.

Buddy: What does that mean?

Shinra: That damn, sphere game...

Brother: Wait! So you're the Shinra! The one who Rin adopted and made that stupid game.

Shinra: You just say its stupid because It's not popular anymore! But you know you liked it!

Buddy: He's got you there. Brother was a huge fan! He has like twenty of those grids.

Brother: CRID IB!

Buddy: (chuckles), Now, In case of the High Summoner not being able to join us, would that effect your participation?

Shinra: The High Summoner is coming? Why?

Buddy: Now for engineering, you need to answer one question in this part of the audition. If the thrusters only achieve a 72 effieciency due rust and corrosion from Mt. Gagazet and can sustain the airship for five more hours. and the emergency systems can only keep operation for two more hours and from the closest point on the mainland to Bikanel Island is 9 hrs of flight. How do you receive the parts? (Brother looks on braindead)

Shinra: hahaha! That's an easy one. That airship's design obviously shows buoyancy. Which means it can float

Brother: I knew that!

Shinra: Anyway. You alter the power matrix to distribute the power to the rear thrusters. That should give a fifteen hour sea time, instead of seven in the air.

(Buddy and Brother whisper to each other)

Brother: Is that the answer?

Buddy: I think so...

Brother: What do you mean "I think so"

Buddy: I don't have an answer for that. I just put down "go to Djose and ask Gippal". But He has a point...

Brother: Wowwww. He's In.

(Back to Shinra)

Buddy: Thank you very much, Shinra. I must say your in Congrats!

Shinra: Thanks guys. You won't regret this! Oh an easier way would've just been to go to Djose Temple and talk to the Machine Faction. But I thought it was too simple.

Buddy: Umm... Yeah, (acting smart) We don't take such cheap responses.

Brother: What he said!

FLASHBACK OVER.

Shelinda: We have to take one more break. So stay tuned.

COMMERCIAL #2

Announcer: Hey ladies! You ever want to look like the high summoner or her friends but don't wanna waste time with the garment grids and dresspheres?

Ladies: Yeah!

Announcer: We'll now you can! Presenting Gull-Gear! Fashions by YuRiPa. Now you can wear your favorite style... The revealing Lady Luck style. Or the Bundled up White Mage look for the winter. All the styles are hear. That's Gull-Gear. Call now for the catalog. Order Now!

(theme music)

Shelinda: Before we leave I just want to ask one more question... How did you make the garment grid?

Shinra: TOP SECRET! I am taking that to the grave.

Shelinda: But In Luca after I interviewed the Lady Yuna I gave her my grid because she said she was needing them for her dresspheres.

Shinra: Yeah, everyone who gave her their old grids I modified them to become Garment Grids.'

Shelinda: Ohh. We'll everyone. I bet we all learned a lot right? So I wish you all a good nite. See you next time.

END

Review. Okay I gonna need a while for my next Episode. I kinda got an idea because of one of my reviewers, but i need to think of the whole story. REVIEW please!... .