Chapter 8: Blitzball

Danielle re-laced her shoes, clothes starting to dry out now after the team had finished practicing. She brushed one of her dripping wet bangs out of her eyes as Wakka came in, a solemn look on his face. "Hey, what's up?" she asked.

"Yuna's… been kidnapped by the Al Bheds."

"What?" Danielle heard herself shouting.

Wakka looked at the team. "They said that if we don't throw the match, we won't get Yuna back. The good news is that Lulu, Kimahri, and Tidus are trying to rescue her. The bad news… We have to play them next, and we can't delay the match. We'll have to keep the game a tie until Lulu gives us the signal that they were successful. If they fail… well, it's going to be one short tournament this year."

Danielle stood up, clenching her fists tight. "If anyone can rescue Yuna, those three can. And when they do, we're going to give the Al Bhed Psyches a little payback!"

Wakka brightened up considerably. "Right! Let's go out there and win! No more doing our best! We won't settle for nothing more than victory!"

The whistle blew, signaling for the teams to enter the stadium. Danielle followed the rest of the Aurochs out of the locker room and into the stadium, adrenaline pumping through her system. As the arena was filled up, she stared in awe at it. "Whoa…"

Wakka clapped her on the shoulder lightly. "I know. It's a real sight to see, ya?" He smiled. "The Al Bhed won't get away with cheating like this. We're going to get the Crystal Cup this year, and no one is going to stop us, especially with you and Tidus on our team."

Danielle nodded up at him, smiling herself. The sphere was completely full now, and Wakka led the way as he dove into the sphere. Danielle followed after the other Aurochs, taking up position to the left of Wakka while the others swam to their designated positions. As the ball was launched up and the Al Bhed Psyche midfielder caught it, Danielle kicked off from her starting position. The match had begun.

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Wakka took a tackle head-on, shaking his head and looking like he was in pain. He threw the ball to Danielle, who did a backflip in the water as she kicked it towards the goal. The goalie didn't even get his hands on it as it went into the net, scoring a goal for the Aurochs. The buzzer rang, signaling that it was now halftime. The score was 2-1, Psyches leading.

Danielle followed the others back to the locker room, doing her best to ignore the pain in her arm, back, and chest. Wakka must have noticed how tired she was, because he soon came over to her. "How ya holding up?"

Danielle forced a grin. "Just fine. I hope Tidus and the others find Yuna quickly. It's getting harder to hold these guys off."

Wakka nodded, looking worried as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Just hang in there, all right? If you need to rest for this half, tell me, and I'll put someone else in."

Shaking her head, Danielle grinned once more. "I'm fine, Wakka. Don't worry. I'm not planning on letting these guys win."

With a shrug, Wakka turned to speak to the rest of the team. "Okay! We need one more goal to tie with the Psyches! We get it, we keep the score even until Lulu sends the signal." He thrust his fist into the air. "Let's do this!"

The buzzer sounded as the teams returned to their positions. Wakka got the ball first and passed it to Jassu, who took off for the other side of the field. From her position, Danielle kept up with him, aware of the player trailing her. As soon as the ball came to her, she turned to face the player. He tried to tackle her, but Danielle swam upwards and kicked off his back, passing the ball to Wakka. As soon as it came to him, the captain kicked it straight into the goal, the ball barely missing the goalie's fingers.

Danielle made her way back to her position, slapping hands with Wakka as she passed by. She looked up at the clock. Three minutes left. The Psyches caught the ball this time, and Wakka went to intercept the midfielder.

The Psyche's right forward came at her, apparently not planning on letting her score again. Danielle kept an eye on her teammates as the blitzball continuously swapped between teams. A Psyche blitzer threw the ball to the man behind her, but she intercepted it and went far to the other side of the arena. That was when a player tackled her, ramming her elbow into her stomach. Danielle didn't let her get the ball, passing it to Wakka instead. The Psyche captain tackled Wakka, who held onto the ball, but looked seriously hurt. He was looking up at the sky, and as Danielle followed his gaze, she saw a green light flashing in the air above the stadium.

Wakka signaled to rush the Psyches. Danielle was to his left as the team charged forward. She darted between players, avoiding the various blows aimed to halt her progress. She counted down the final seconds in her head as she went, approaching the goal and shooting a glance back at Wakka.

Five…

He passed the ball to her, just as the Psyche captain came at her.

Four…

Danielle did multiple back-flips in the water, gaining momentum as she sent a powerful kick at the ball.

Three…

The Psyche captain had tried to tackle her before she kicked the ball, but was too late and ended up smashing his fist into the side of her head.

Two…

The other Al Bhed Psyches tried to block the ball also, but to no avail. The ball shot past them, heading straight for the goal.

One…

The goalie tried to make a final grab at the ball, but missed. The buzzer sounded as cheers erupted in the stands. The match was over. The Besaid Aurochs were victorious.

Danielle just floated there, her eyes closed, her head throbbing in pain. Hands grabbed her, pulling her out of the arena. She was soon lying on something hard, like a bench, and voices murmured around her. "Danielle, can you hear me?"

Danielle groaned. "Oh no. I can hear Wakka. That must mean I'm not dead yet." She forced a small grin, opening her eyes. "I take it we won?"

Wakka nodded, sitting on a nearby bench. "Thanks to you! You really did a great job out there, kid. Awesome moves for a first-time blitzer."

Danielle slowly sat up, her equilibrium gradually returning to normal. "So, I take it Tidus and the others were successful?"

The locker room door opened, and Yuna entered with her guardians. "You did it! You won!" Tidus cheered.

"At least you guys rescued Yuna when you did," Wakka said. "We would have been in trouble if you were any later."

Danielle noticed that Lulu looked at both her and Wakka with concern. "Well, I'm not playing in the match for the tournament. I don't think I'm up for it."

Wakka closed his eyes. "Botta, take Danielle's place. Tidus… You're in my spot. I'm sitting this one out."

"Are you two okay? Are you hurt?" Yuna asked, concerned.

They both shook their heads. "It's nothing serious," Danielle replied, immediately regretting moving her head like that.

"Yeah, same here. We just need rest, ya?"

Yuna still seemed worried, but she nodded. "Okay. We're going to get seats. Good-luck, everyone." She and Kimahri left, leaving the Aurochs, Danielle, Wakka, Lulu, and Tidus.

"Well guys, we better get ready," Tidus said to the others. "We have to play the Goers next… Time for some payback!" The Aurochs cheered, following him out.

Lulu looked over at Wakka. "You're hurt," she commented, noticing how the captain held his side. "I saw the hits you and Danielle took. I'm surprised you both kept playing. Will you be all right?"

Wakka nodded. "Yeah, Lu… I'm going to be fine. I just don't think I'm going to be playing again for a long while."

Danielle closed her eyes and stood up, her voice low and quiet. "I'm going to take a walk around, guys." She could tell Lulu and Wakka were staring at her as she walked quickly out of the locker room. She didn't know why, but she felt like just getting out of there and having some fresh air after that match.

She wandered around the decks, glancing at the video screens every now and then to watch the beginning of the final match, and that was when she noticed something strange. She was at Dock 3, but no one was present except for a single man in a black hooded cloak. A sword was on his back, its white hilt covered in some sort of strange black growth.

"What's with people in black cloaks these days? Don't you guys ever realize how clichéd that is?" Danielle rested her hand on her hip, watching the man carefully. She tensed her arm up, ready to draw her sword.

The man pulled out his blade, the silver blade also covered in the growth in some parts. The material wound its way up the blade, the growth ultimately joining together at the tip. He ignored her comment as he smirked, his eyes hidden in the shadows cast by his hood. "It's been… a while, hasn't it?"

Danielle's eyes went wide, and in an instant her blade was drawn. "What're you talking about? Who are you?"

Slowly, he began to circle around her, his face turning towards her every now and then. "You've forgotten already? I'm ashamed." He pointed his sword at her, his hand that held it looking as if it had been burned by fire. "You know so little, Danielle. I'm amazed you're still alive." He pulled off his cloak and tossed it away with one hand.

Danielle's blood ran cold. "D-Devin… You're alive!"

Her adoptive brother had a cold look on his face. "Yeah, I am, but you won't be for long."

"What?"

Devin looked irritated now. "What, don't remember when I told you before I sent you here, Danielle? You killed my parents. They were kind enough to take in a mentally insane freak like you, and you repay their kindness by killing them!" he snarled. "They should have just left you to rot in that asylum. Maybe then they would still be alive."

Asylum…? What the heck is he talking about? I was never in an asylum!

"It wasn't me!" she shouted, shaking her head. "I would never hurt them!" She felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Why was he doing this? Yeah, he had always been cold and distant to her, but now he was just plain, well… evil. "And what are you talking about? I wasn't in an asylum! I think I would remember something like that."

"Don't give me that junk again. You're just as crazy as the rest of that family of yours. And you were never supposed to remember what happened back then, but let me inform you." The smile on his face was unnerving, sending chills through her body. "Right after Mom and Dad took you in, they brought you to an asylum because you wouldn't shut up about monsters killing your parents and coming for you. It got so bad, we had no other choice but to bring you in. It was a few years before they even bothered to get you, and that's because of your stupid grandfather. Did you ever wonder why you never knew about your true parents? Because you were made to forget, Danielle."

Danielle clenched her fists tight, tears coming to her eyes. "No… They wouldn't do that… They cared about me…"

He laughed sharply, shaking his head. "You really think so? Consider your family, Danielle. A bunch of maniacs, that's what they are. Nearly every single one of them went insane or died in some weird way. I say they deserved it, especially your grandfather." A maniacal smile appeared on his face. "He deserved what he got, you know. I hope it hurt…" Devin's eyes narrowed, his smile falling away. "And now you will join them… in death!"