Finally...30 chapters, all leading up to this moment. The fight with Vegnagun and Shuyin now begins! Let's see how everyone handles a thousand year old machina!
As a side note, now that has a feature for forums on the site, I'm debating opening a forum for discussion of my stories, in order to perhaps get discussion and opinions, as well as ideas from my readers.If you believe that it is a good idea, please let me know.
Now, without further ado, let the final confrontation commence!
Chapter 31—Full Circle
Leaping over multiple circular platforms, the six of us approach ever closer to Vegnagun. The huge machina has begun to shake slightly, causing all of us to now be on full alert, ready for anything. As we leap to the last platform, larger than the rest, we find Nooj standing there, staring into the demonic face of the machina.
"Both Baralai and Vegnagun belong to him now," Nooj states, looking up at the massive machina.
"Shuyin," Yuna says, following his gaze.
"I have a plan," Nooj says, turning around to face us and shrugging. "Can't call it a smart one, though."
"What's that?" Paine asks, curious.
"He acts through another's body. Stop the body, and you stop him," Nooj explains, pausing a moment. "I'll shoot Baralai."
"No!" Rikku exclaims, and all of us stare at him, wide-eyed at the suggestion he's just made.
"His body will be useless, but if we're lucky, he won't die. Shuyin will abandon Baralai. And then he'll come back for me."
"What then?" Paine asks, causing Nooj to stare her straight in her eyes.
"I will die," he states simply. "My body has already been rigged. I'm taking Shuyin with me."
"Nooj..." Yuna says, unable to speak at the suggestion.
"But...you're our captain," Paine protests weakly, causing Nooj to simply nod.
"Exactly."
A long and tenuous silence fills the area for what seems like forever, before Yuna finally speaks.
"I don't like your plan," she says, pausing for a moment. "It sucks." At this, all of us turn to Yuna, surprised by what she's just said.
"Your plan is awful," she continues, looking at Nooj with eyes full of sorrow. "Think about it. It's no different than what we did two years ago. We destroyed our own allies. We destroyed the aeons who had fought together with us, at our sides. We didn't have a choice then. We believed that was the only way we could save Spira." I can feel a twinge of guilt welling up inside me at Yuna's words, but I remain silent as the brown-haired girl continues.
"Do you know what it felt like to watch them die? Right before my eyes? It was the only thing we could do. It was the only choice we had. I gave in, I accepted, I believed. I allowed it to be true. I thought I'd be able to go through with it without ever doubting myself. But I...it hurts so much."
(Play FFX-2 theme Yuna's Ballad)
"Everyone was so happy. 'Great job, Yuna. You did it. You saved us all.' There were too many smiles to count. And I know that I was smiling, too. But now...when I look back...the people who should be here aren't. The ones who should be smiling with me aren't here." Sighing softly, Yuna pauses for a moment, never taking her gaze from Nooj.
"'We had no choice.' Always 'We had no choice.' Those are our magic words. We repeat them to ourselves again and again. But you know...the magic never worked! The only thing we're left with is regret."
By now, all of us are looking at Yuna, watching quietly as she expresses her anger, her sorrow, and her pain all at once.
"No. I don't want this anymore," she says, shaking her head. "I don't want friends to die...or fade away. I don't want battles where we have to lose in order to win. Nooj, I know that what you say is what you mean to do. Give me your resolve. Believe in Yuna."
(End FFX-2 theme Yuna's Ballad)
"Hmm. So you have a plan?" Nooj counters, looking at Yuna with silent curiosity.
"Light?" Paine asks, causing Yuna to shake her head.
"That's plan B. But before that..." she trails off, turning to Rikku. "Hey, Rikku. No matter how monstrous it looks, Vegnagun is still just a machina. So we can take it apart, right?" she asks, causing me to grin.
"Uh, yeah...uh, maybe?" Rikku says, not sure how to answer.
"You never used to be the think-before-you-act type. What gives?" the familiar voice of Gippal says, all of us spinning to face the new arrivals.
"Leblanc!" Nooj exclaims, looking over at Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi.
(Play FFX-2 theme Yuna's Theme)
"And I never was the wait-like-a-good-girl type. Isn't that right, Noojie?" Leblanc says, causing me to chuckle.
"Glad to see you made it back, Auron," I say, looking down the familiar warrior monk with a smile.
"Of course," he says, nodding.
"Vegnagun can be destroyed," Gippal starts, smiling. "Abso-posi-you better believe it. Wanna know why?"
"Cause people built it!" Rikku exclaims happily.
"Right!" Yuna says, looking over all of us. "Everyone! It looks like we can stop that thing after all!"
The area around us suddenly starts to shake and react, the towering form of Vegnagun beginning to shake and move inside its protective 'cocoon' of sorts.
"Bwahahah! Now it's pissed!" Ormi says, looking up at the massive machina.
"Witless little widget, isn't it?" Logos adds, folding his arms.
"What about Shuyin?" Nooj asks, turning to Yuna.
"Plan B!" she says, causing Nooj to quirk an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Love," Yuna replies simply, smiling, which causes Gippal to scratch the back of his head, sighing.
"Nuu puo," he mutters in Al Bhed, and I stifle a chuckle.
"The ultimate illusion," Nooj adds, shaking his head.
"It'll work! I've come this far to bring Lenne's feelings to Shuyin. I'm not stopping now," Yuna protests, looking over at Gippal and Nooj.
"Looks like we've got problems," I say, pointing up at the form of Vegnagun, which is starting to shake even more.
(End FFX-2 theme Yuna's Theme; play FFX-2 theme Vegnagun Starting)
The platform we're on suddenly starts to move, causing all of us to jump across the platforms leading back towards the main path. As we land back on solid ground of a sort, we watch as the enclosure keeping Vegnagun contained starts to open, much like a massive flower of some kind. The monstrous machina seems to stretch, legs and tail twitching madly as it begins to start up from a thousand-year sleep. Platforms move into place all along Vegnagun's body, making a path leading all the way to its massive head.
"If we all attack at once, we can do this! We need to split up!" Yuna shouts, looking over all of us quickly.
"Leave the legs to us!" Leblanc shouts.
"We've got the torso!" Gippal says, Nooj nodding in agreement.
"Guess that leaves the tail!" Rikku says, waving a hand in the air.
"I'll help with that," Lenna says, nodding.
"I'm going for the torso, too," I say, grabbing my sword. "Auron, Drante, coming?" The warrior monk merely nods, as does Drante, and I turn to the group, stepping up to Rikku.
"Be careful," I say, kissing her softly, before backing away and smiling.
"You too," she says, and I nod, tightening the grip on my sword.
"Alright, we know what to do! Let's get to it!" I yell, as the twelve of us set out towards Vegnagun once again.
(End FFX-2 theme Vegnagun Starting, play FFX-2 theme Clash)
The pathway leading up Vegnagun's body is straightforward, no deviations at all except for a few platforms. Yuna, Rikku, Paine, and Lenna leap onto one, the tail of Vegnagun slashing dangerously over the platform as they begin to engage it.
"Ready for a good fight?" I say, looking at the others with a wide smile on my face.
"You're awfully excited," Gippal quips, looking over at me as we continue to run towards the torso.
"I like the danger. Call me crazy," I retort, chuckling. Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi leap onto another platform, as the remaining five of us continue to ascend.
"Very well then. You are crazy," Drante says with a smirk.
"Aiyaa..." I mutter, as everyone else chuckles, even Auron finding amusement in Drante's serious tone.
"We're getting close," Auron says, a hand moving to the hilt of Masamune as we continue to run. Directly above us, I can see Vegnagun's massive head and torso, and I leap up onto the first platform, taking the spiraling path of platforms all the way to the top and landing on a large platform. All five of us are now directly in front of Vegnagun, and without any hesitation, we pull out weapons or assemble them quickly, in Gippal's case, and begin to attack.
(End FFX-2 theme Clash; play FFX-2 theme Struggle to the Death)
"Armor Break!"
Auron takes the first attack, cleaving deeply into Vegnagun's torso with the Masamune. Quickly, I spherechange into Dark Knight, beginning to spherechange into Blade Knight a moment later. I want to finish this thing off as quickly as possible. Raising a hand to the machina, Nooj fires off a Thundaga spell, the electricity coursing through the circuits of the machine. In retaliation, Vegnagun fires off a barrage of blue energy beams at us, causing the platform around us to become covered in smoke and dirt from the explosions striking us. Grunting a little, Gippal raises his gun and fires, several arcing shots landing on Vegnagun's face and damaging it some.
Drante seems to be focusing, his orb morphed into the familiar shape of a long sword, and as I finish spherechanging into Blade Knight, I grab both my swords and charge, calling up an attack as I do so.
"Renzokuken!"
Leaping up to Vegnagun, I slash furiously, cutting deep marks into the chest plating and core with my swords. The core begins to glow a fiery red color, and Vegnagun again retaliates with a shower of blue energy beams, forcing all of us to scramble to avoid being hit. Snapping his sword up, Drante copies Vegnagun's attack, throwing a wave of energy beams right back at the towering machina. The attacks explode seemingly harmlessly on the machina's armor, and the machina stomps its right leg powerfully, a shockwave throwing us all to the ground momentarily. Auron is the first up, and he brings his sword back quickly, rushing Vegnagun and delivering a powerful baseball-bat like swing of his sword that bites into the armor deeply.
Another Thundaga spell flies in from Nooj, and Gippal begins to fire rapidly at Vegnagun like a machine gun, lasers slamming into the armor and causing dents and small marks to form. Drante shifts his orb from a long sword to a greatsword, holding it in two hands and swinging it once to test the weight. Suddenly, he seems to vanish, reappearing and slashing Vegnagun several times in different areas before appearing back at the same spot. Vegnagun isn't finished yet, though, and attempts to stomp Drante with the left leg, who rolls out of the way quickly.
"This thing just keeps on ticking," Gippal comments, firing at it again.
"They built one heck of a superweapon..." I mutter, beginning to charge energy into my swords. "Blasting Zone!"
Holding my swords to the sky, an energy beam suddenly blasts out of them, the column of energy extending far into the haze of the Farplane before I bring it down, the sound of bending metal rewarding my attack. Looking at Vegnagun, I realize that the attack dealt a lot of damage, but it also drained a good portion of my energy. Another set of energy beams descends upon us then, striking Gippal and I squarely and knocking us to the ground, dazed. Auron charges in then, stabbing into the core deeply with the double-edged blade of Masamune. Vegnagun shudders, energy backlashing into its system, before explosions begin to ring out all over the torso and head. The head then slams into the platform, right in front of us, causing us to step back to keep from being crushed.
(End FFX-2 theme Struggle to the Death)
"Are you guys okay?" Yuna asks, running up behind us. Apparently, they already finished their fight with Vegnagun's tail as well. Getting back to my feet, I nod, smiling despite the sudden tiredness that's starting to grip me already.
"You missed all the fun," I joke, chuckling.
"What now?" Paine asks, looking up at the apparently beaten machina.
"Uh...maybe we're finished?" Rikku asks tentatively. On top of Vegnagun's head, I can see the figure of Baralai stand up, turning to face us.
"Finished, indeed," he says, speaking along with Shuyin at the same time.
"Baralai!" Nooj exclaims, looking up at the possessed praetor.
"Let him go, Shuyin!" I yell, but Shuyin pays me no mind, instead turning back to the organ and beginning to play.
(Play FFX-2 theme Destruction)
"He's got a plan B, too!" Rikku exclaims, looking up at the now-moving form of Vegnagun. The massive machina has begun to move again after hearing the organ, and now it seems like it's done playing games. Quickly, Yuna turns to Gippal, Nooj, and Lenna.
"Please, go take care of Leblanc and the others!" she says, urgency in her voice.
"But..." Gippal begins, Yuna cutting him off before he can say anything.
"We'll be fine! Just go!" she insists, and Gippal hesitates, before nodding.
"Alright, just be careful!" he says, running back down the platform to tend to Leblanc. Nooj and Lenna follow, leaving the six of us standing on the platform. We're soon forced to duck as Vegnagun rises up to its full height, opening its mouth wide. A massive cannon soon extends from the machina's mouth, the barrel lit up by multiple red lights as energy begins to gather.
"He's panicking, Yuna. End it, now!" Auron says, Masamune dropping to his side.
"You're not coming, Auron?" I ask, to which the elder man shakes his head.
"This is your story now. You four must see it through to the end," he replies, and I pause for a moment, before nodding.
"He's right...Yuna, let's go! It's time to take this thing apart for good!"
"Right!" she exclaims, pistols drawn. Rikku and Paine ready their weapons as well, as the four of us climb up one side of Vegnagun's face, leaping and landing on the top of the cannon. A large platform is attached to the top, some kind of control center, likely. Directly in front of us is Vegnagun's face, and to either side of us are some sort of horns, wiggling slightly. Shuyin sits at the top of Vegnagun's head, still playing the organ.
"It's over, Shuyin! You're finished!" I yell, grabbing both my swords and holding them beside me.
"Is it really? I think it's only beginning," he retorts, smirking. Growling, I point a palm at the face of the machina, letting loose a Thundaga which sends electricity coursing up and down the machina. Yuna opens fire, bullets pinging off the armor of the machina, as Rikku spherechanges to White Mage, a Protect spell beginning to appear around each of us. The two horns on either side of us, known as Redoubts, begin to gather energy which laces between the two of them. Finally, a ball of energy grows, which they then slam into Paine with devastating force, staggering her as she prepares to attack.
"We need to take those out!" Yuna says, turning her attention to the Redoubts. Quickly, she spherechanges to Black Mage, hitting the left Redoubt with a Thundaga spell. A swift slice from my blades also cuts into the left Redoubt, and Paine finishes that one off quickly with a Thunder Blade attack.
The right Redoubt takes the chance to fire an energy beam at Rikku, which doesn't physically injure her, but instead saps away her magical strength. Yuna spins to the right, zapping that Redoubt with a powerful Thundaga as well, as Paine goes for the face of Vegnagun. Slashing into it with a powerful strike, she cuts a large gash in the face of the machina before the second Redoubt also hits her with a beam of energy.
Quickly, I dash over, hacking into the right Redoubt with newfound strength and making short work of the mechanical menace, before turning my attention back to Vegnagun. I can see Yuna spherechanging into her special dressphere, and I smile, knowing this fight won't take too long.
"Fated Circle!" I cry, leaping into the air and executing a spinning slash, sending a wave of energy at Vegnagun that digs into the face. Just as Yuna finishes spherechanging to her Floral Fallal dressphere, Shuyin raises both of his hands, which are coated in red energy. Slamming them into the keyboard, the entire area around us goes dark except for a single ball of light, bluish-white in color. The ball pulses for a moment before exploding, searing energy engulfing us all as the familiar surroundings of Vegnagun fade back into view. Gasping, I sink to the ground, the attack sapping much of my strength away. Rikku does the same, but Paine and Yuna seem more angry than hurt.
"Thunder Blade!"
Charging Vegnagun quickly, Paine drives her sword into the face with a powerful stab, the electrical energy running through the internals of Vegnagun as well as the external pieces. With a gesture, Yuna sends a multitude of powerful lightning strikes into Vegnagun, her Electric Whirl attack frying the circuitry within the giant machina. I can hear the cannon powering up further, and I realize that we don't have much time left before it fires.
"Paine, Yuna! Let's hit this thing with everything we've got! I think it's almost disabled!" I yell, getting back to my feet despite the pain and exhaustion. Giving another charge, I hold my swords out to my side, leaping into the air as I run.
"Crescent Strike!"
"Thunder Blade!"
"Electric Whirl!"
The red blade of energy from my swords cuts another deep gash into Vegnagun, and Paine's electrically charged attack begins to overload circuits in the machina, faint explosions coming from within the head and torso. Yuna's attack finally breaks the machina's endurance, sparks and explosions ringing out all over the head as it finally loses power and collapses, the cannon shutting down and the eyes going dim, before they fade out entirely.
(End FFX-2 theme Destruction)
"Finally," I mutter, taking deep breaths to calm myself. "Vegnagun's disposed of..." Silently, I watch as Baralai climbs down from the organ atop Vegnagun, coming to rest in front of us. Shuyin's outline appears over Baralai's body, and I tense, awaiting the confrontation that is to come.
So...one more fight to go. Shuyin. Needless to say, the group will have their hands full dealing with him. As always, please review!