GAH! It's been too long! I'm sorry, for the lack of updates,

This summer's been an overkill...

Ha-ha. Overkill. Final Fantasy. Ha-ha.

R&Rs, I would appreciate!

Chapter Eight

The Blitz City

Tidus was in awe. The city of Luca was huge. 'Finally!' He thought. 'A city, not a little town!' As the boat approached the landing dock, Tidus stood on the deck gazing at the city, a big smile upon his face. The city was massive, probably nearly as big as Zanarkand, and chock-full of people There were tall buildings, a long stretch of road, leading out atop the ocean, where the large stadium sat. Tidus's smile stretched wider when he saw that.

"Ah! Over there! The ships carrying the players are arriving now!" An announcer's voice boomed all over the city. Tidus was reminded of Zanar, the great announcer of the Zanarkand Abes. "All the way from Kilika, it's the Kilika Beasts!" The announcer cried as the Kilika team was the first to exit the ship among cheers of fans standing nearby. "High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them, a big name to live up to." He added. "And Sin attacked their hometown recently, right Jimma?"

"Yes, Bobba." Said another announcer, the one named Jimma. "They're going to be pulling out all the stops to try and bring back the cup this year."

"Exciting, isn't it, folks?" The first announcer, Bobba said happily. "Our next team off the ramp is...well, well, well! If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs!"

Tidus, Wakka, and the rest of the Aurochs stepped off the boat, and were greeted by slight snickers from the crowd. "They're a living, breathing, statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad!" Bobba exclaimed. "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."

"Best of luck to them, and a safe journey back to Besaid." Jimma commented.

"Moving right along, our next team is...here they are, folks! Our very own Luca Goers!" Bobba said enthusiastically. The Goers jogged athetically off the boat amid shouts and wild cheers. The slightly-large crowd gathered on the dock were going wild. "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 are the favorite this year, Bobba." Jimma informed the crowd. "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!" Bobba said. They know, I know, and you know, folks! The Luca Goers are number one!"

Tidus stood with the Aurochs, who were smiling brightly. He couldn't believe them. He was beyond annoyed. "It's like this every year, ya? Don't let it bother you." Wakka said, trying to sound happy.

He sighed. This wasn't what he'd expected. The Aurochs only had a few fans. He was used to being the most cheered for. With anger he looked at the Goers, who were soaking in the glory, smiles on their smug faces.

On the dock was a pile of crates, probably shipped there from somewhere else. But, what was atop the crates caught his interest. It was a megaphone, probably abandoned by whoever was commanding the crate shipping. An idea, though a stupid one, popped into his head. He strolled over to the crates.

"Stop right there, Goers!" The Goers, and the crowd turned, and saw Tidus, standing on the crates, shouting happily into the megaphone. "You guys are smilin' now, but not for long! 'Cause this year, us Aurochs are taking the cup!" He gave a wicked-sounding laugh, causing the fans and the Goers to snicker, and Wakka to cover his face with his hand, half with embarrassment for Tidus, half with embarrassment for himself.

"What in Yevon's name were you doing up there?" Wakka demanded when Tidus climbed from the crates. Commotion began among the fans.

"Maester Mika is here!" A man shouted, appearing from the entrance to the dock.

"Already?" A woman asked.

"The number 3 dock!" Another man exclaimed. The crowd moved hastily from the dock and into the city.

"What's up?" Tidus asked, confused.

"Maetser Mika has arrived, that's what." Yuna said, informantly. She, Lulu and Kimahri had just stepped from the boat.

"Mika? Maester?" More new things for him to learn. Tidus was nearly used to it.

"Maester Mika is the leader of all the peoples of Spira." Lulu explained. "He's come all the way from Bevelle. The tournament is being held this year to honor his fifty years as maester."

"Fifty years? Shouldn't he be, uh, retired by now?" In Zanarkand, not many people worked passed that age.

Hey! Mind your mouth, now." Wakka warned.

"Let's all go see him!" Yuna said excitedly. She ran into the city, her guardians and Tidus following.

The city of Luca was spherical-shaped, the top of it attatched to the other lands, and it probably symbolized the blitzball that went on there. Large buildings were everywhere. Surrounding the circle were a dozen or so docks, so many people could easily come in and out.

The number three dock was right nearby the dock where they had landed. A crowd of people had all ready gathered there.

"Can't see an thing!" Tidus said grudgingly.

Suddenly, loud, happy music began to play. A band of people in strange costumes stepped from the boat and stood at attention in a line, still playing their instruments.

Behind them stepped three men. Tidus had seen some strange things in Spira, but those people might have been the strangest. The first man was tall. He wore regal-looking purple robes. His hair was blue, but resembled the shape of a sort of flame. There were large peices of hair, also blue, straight , sticking out slightly from the rest of his hair, and longer. He had a very prim, proper appearance. The other two men looked similar, but they were stranger than the first man.

They were very long and gangly. They had long arms with long hands and fingers, so long the tips touched their knees. They had long, pointy ears, and long, flappy eyelashes. They wore skintight green outfits, with collars nearly hiding their mouths They wore soft shoes, but their toes were so long they made indentions in the shoe. Their hair didn't seem to be like that of a humans. Rather than falling in thousands of strands, it fell in about a dozen solid thick chunks of hair. One had hair in a greenish-algae colored tint, the others was in a purple shade, the same color as the mountains in the distance in Zanarkand. The blue-haired man looked slightly different than them, but he couldn't place why.

The purple haired man, and the green haired man turned to face the boat and did the prayer gesture, while the blue-haired man did the prayer gesture, dropping to his knees in a worshipful bow.

"Those are Guado, right?" A man standing near Tidus asked his lady companion.

"Isn't that Maester Seymour?" Another man asked. Tidus felt the same emotion he'd felt so often the past few days: confusion.

A group of men in armor and holding rifles with pointy bayonets marched from the boat and stood at attention witht he musicians. Behind them walked a short, old man. So old he was hunched over and walked with a handsomely carved walking-stick. His face held many years of wrinkles, and he had a thick, white beard. Clothed in red and black robes, he walked down onto the dock and smiled broadly at the crowd gathered befor him. Everyone in the crowd did the prayer gesture and bowed graciously. Except for Tidus, who didn't have much of an idea as to what was going on.

"People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome." The old man, Maester Mika said happily. "Rise, Maester Seymour, and all of you as well." The strange men who'd been described as Guados rose. "I present to you the son of Maester Jyscal Guado, who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past. As some of you already know, he has been officially ordained a maester of Yevon."

The Guado with the blue-hair turned to the crowd. "I am Seymour Guado." He spoke in a rich, proud tone. "I am honored to receive the title of maester." He continued. "In life, my father Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as maester to the best of my abilities." He smiled and the crowd made whispers of approval.

Maester Mika turned from the crowd and, followed by the men with the rifles, walked through the city towards the stadium, where he would be making an introductory speech.

Seymour, however stayed right where he was, his Guado companions near him. He followed the crowd with his eyes, finally stopping on where Yuna and her guardians stood. He flashed them a charming smile, and walked over to them.

"You are the summoner everyone's been talking about, aren't you?" He asked kindly.

Yuna seemed very shaken. "Y-yes. I am Summoner Yuna. I hail from Besaid."

"Ah. So you are Lord Braska's daughter." Seymour smiled. "I must be going to the stadium to meet with Lord Mika. Farewell, Lady Yuna. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, Your Grace." Yuna whispered, throwing herself into a prayer gesture. Seymour turned and left with his companions.

"Lulu, Kimahri, let's go explore the city!" Yuna smiled cheerfully.

"What about us?" Tidus asked.

"We have to go get ready for the tournament. Really psyches you up, seeing Maesters here and all. Come on, I'll show you to where we have to go." Wakka told him, motioning for him to follow.

Nearby was the grand entrance to the stadium, with a small, out of the way ramp leading down into the team locker rooms. Wakka directed Tidus to the Aurochs Locker Room. "Here it is, the team should be in there." Wakka turned and started to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Tidus called, but he'd all ready left.

"Where's Wakka going?" Tidus asked the Aurochs, who all sat, looking defeated in the locker room.

"The match-up draws." An Auroch explained.

"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year." Another Auroch said sadly.

"The year before that, and the one before that, too!"

"Well, we would've lost to anyone anyway." The Aurochs goalkeeper said, informatively.

Tidus took a seat with the Aurochs, trying to psyche himself up. He hadn't even practiced blitz in nearly a week. Did he have a game in him? He almost didn't notice Wakka walk in, a triumphant smile on his face.

The Aurochs sprung to their feet, begging to know their outcome. "We're playing the Al Bhed Psyches first!" He cheered. "It's unbelievable! We got seeded! Just two wins, and we're the champs!"

They all cheered, realizing that, if they beat the Psyches, which Wakka informed Tidus didn't have much space to practice, they would have a slim chance of winning. Tidus hadn't seen Wakka look happier. Suddenly, Yuna burst in, a giddy smile upon her face, followed by Lulu, who also looked very happy, and Kimahri.

"There you are!" Yuna chirped, running over to Tidus. "Guess what? Someone said they saw Sir Auron in the café!"

Tidus couldn't believe his ears. "Au-Auron?" He repeated in disbelief. He hadn't though much about the man. Not since he first ended up in Spira. But now he wondered. Was it the same Auron? And how did Yuna know him?

"Yes, Sir Auron." Yuna said matter-of-factly. "Let's go find him!" Yuna ran to the door where Kimahri was waiting. Tidus followed. He had to see if it was the Auron he knew.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! The game starts like real soon!" Wakka called after them. "Come back quick, ya?"

Yuna nodded. Tidus smiled. "Hey, I'll be back." Wakka's happiness had suceeded. He looked nervous, and his face was in a knot.

"Hey, Wakka. You're stiff, man." Wakka made a forced smile. Tidus shook his head. "No, no, not your face. Just breathe out, relax. Like this. Just breathe, yeah!"

Yuna giggled, as Wakka was breathing vigourously and heavily. "Come on!" She cheered eagerly. "Are you coming Lulu?"

Lulu shook her head. "I'll make sure Wakka stays sane before the game. But hurry back. And stick together!" She called after them as they walked out the door.

"Maybe now we can find Sir Jecht." Yuna said happily as they exited the locker room, Kimahri at their heels.

"How?" Tidus asked.

"Sir Auron was also my father's guardian, so he might know where Sir Jecht is." Yuna said. "Let's go now!"

Yuna ran off, Kimahri after her. Tidus followed. Nearby stood two men. Both wore black shirts and red shorts. They had blonde hair, but also they wore goggles. The goggles gave it away.

"Y myto summoner! Fa sicd nabund." ((A lady summoner! We must report.)) One whispered to the other.

"Hey!" Tidus called to them. "Al Bhed Psyches, right?" They stared at him, with no recognation. "Some Al Bhed saved me the other day, This girl Rikku gave me food and..." His voice trailed off. They seemed to be unable to understand. "Uh, anyway, if you meet Rikku, tell her thanks for me. Oh, and as for the first game? May the best team win!" He smiled and went to join Yuna.

A crowd had started outside of the stadium. A woman holding a microphone stood in the crowd, a man holding a large, blue camera in front of her. "This tournament looks to be one of the best ever." The woman was saying. "And the spectators joined here are record high!"

"I'm sorry." Yuna said softly as she pushed through the crowd, Tidus and Kimahri behind her. "Please let me through." The crowd sort of parted, and they walked through.

Another crowd was beyond them. Yuna stopped to think for a moment, as Tidus and Kimahri made their way through. "I hope we don't get seperated..." Yuna whispered to herself. Looking around, she realized that that had just happened. She searched with her eyes frantically through the crowd.

"Yuna!" Tidus was jumping up and down and waving on the other side of the crowd. She smiled once she saw him. He put his fingers in his mouth and made a shrill whistle that shocked Yuna.

"What was that?" She asked once she'd pushed through the crowd.

Tidus laughed. "In Zanarkand, we do this to cheer on blitz players." He put his fingers in his mouth again, making the whistle. "You try it, too! But your fingers in your mouth like this."

Yuna slowly put her fingers in her mouth. "Like this?" She asked in a muffled tone.

"Yeah! Now you just blow."

Yuna blew hard twice, and nothing happened. The only sound was of her blowing air. "It's not working." She giggled.

"Practice!" Was Tidus's advice. "Hey, use that if we get seperated. Then I'll come running, okay? Well, guess we should just stick together, then, till you can do it?"

"Yessir!" Yuna grinned. They continued to the center of the city, pushing through more crowds.

"This is a pretty big town!" Tidus exclaimed when they reached the center of town, a large circle of shops and people.

"Luca is the second largest city in Spira." Yuna explained.

"I thought every town was little, you know, like Besaid and Kilika."

"Towns don't usually get bigger than that." Yuna said sadly. "Because when a lot of people start to gather-"

"Sin?" Tidus asked, inturrupting. Yuna nodded. "What about Luca?" He asked. "It's safe here?"

"It's not any different, but the stadium is here. The Crusaders fight to protect it with all their strength." Yuna said, a little happier. "Blitzball's really the only entertainment that we have. Spira's a little short on fun these days." She smiled. "Is Zanarkand like this, too?"

"Well, there are more buildings." Tidus told her. "All tall ones and cramped together."

Yuna sighed, dreaming about his city. "They must be so tall! Don't you ever get dizzy?" Tidus laughed, and informed her that you get used to it. She laughed, and added that they should continue to look for Auron.

The café was among the buildings. It was crowded, but thankfully, not out-of-control. A few people sat among the tables and chairs munching on meals and sipping drinks. Auron wasn't among them. Others stood at the bar, watching for the games to come on.

"I'll ask around." Yuna said. She walked over to some people dining. Tidus noticed Kimahri talking to two other Ronsos like him. But they were different. They were much taller, and he'd thought Kimahri was as tall as they could get. One was a bluish grey, and the other was deep royal blue. Both had long, pointy horns where Kimahri only had the broken stump.

"Why not talk, Kimahri? Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something!" The bluish-grey one, prseumably named Yenke shouted at Kimahri. "Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?"

"Leave Kimahri, Yenke. Kimahri is small Ronso." The darker blue one, presumably Biran growled to his companion. "Kimahri so small, can't see Yenke and Biran's faces."

They both howled with laughter, and a look of sheer rage had spread across Kimahri's animal-like face. "Kimahri forget Ronso friends? We taught you much at time of horn-molt!" Yenke said again. "Remember how Biran taught Kimahri to be strong Ronso?" he added.

Biran laughed. "Maybe taught too much." He lightly pushed Kimahri on his shoulder, who looked ready to kill.

"Take 'em one!" Tidus cheered. He wasn't about to stand there and let Kimahri get beat on. Yenke and Biran both chuckled at the smaller Ronso in front of them, which caused Kimahri to deliver a swift uppercut to Yenke's face. It made a loud smack, and Yenke fell backwards, groaning. The diners and people at the bar gasped at the ensuing fight. Biran looked at Kimahri threateningly.

"Take it outside! The tournament's starting, you hear?" The bartender ordered, pointing to a large screen above the bar. A veiwing of the tournament opening was on the screen. It showed Mika, standing on a balcony above the crowds gathered in the stadium. The captains of the six teams, Wakka among them, along with Seymour, stood nearby.

"Today, on this glorious day, players from all over Spira have assembled here to participate on this great contest of bravery, skill, and strength." Mika was saying. "All of these fine teams, equally renowned, deserve to win the cup today. Such is the nature of this contest. Let us, the spectators, play our role accordingly." Mika raised his hands up over the crowd. Let us sing to the glory of the winners, and applaud equally the valor of the defeated. Contestants...may Yevon be with you." There was a thunderous cheer, and with a bang, the sphere pool began to fill with water.

Tidus suddenly realized that he had to get back to the locker room, he didn't know when the Aurochs were going to be playing. He turned to look for Yuna, but she was no where in sight.

"Kimahri!" He called. "Yuna's gone!"

Kimahri looked frantic. Biran took this distraction to his advantage, and punched Kimahri in the face. Yenke was still half-concious on the floor, in a daze from Kimahri's punch. Kimahri stood, stunned for a moment, but then ran out the door. Tidus followed.

"Yuna!" Tidus called at the top of his lungs when they were outside of the café. Kimahri was looking around in a panic. Suddenly, a dark-clothed figure was pushing through the crowds. It was Lulu, frantic and out of breath, a piece of paper in her hand.

"Where in Spira have you been?" She demanded, shoving the paper into Tidus's hands. "Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches. In exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose."

Tidus looked at the paper. It appeared to be a ransom note. The handwriting was shaky, as though whoever wrote it wasn't too sure of what they were writing. And there were a lot of strange misspellings. He had to remind himself that the Al Bheds didn't speak much of their language.

"We have your summoner. We will not harm her if the Al Bhed team advances to the final round. If this does not happen, we will be forced to take her from here and put her where you will not find her." Tidus read from the note. "This doesn't make much sense."

"If they're only blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic. But we shouldn't take chances. Let's go get her." Lulu said, determined.