Dribbling, Passing, Shooting, and HP
Tidus stopped for a moment before he ledRikku into the pool. One more thing, I'll go over the basics and then I'll help you demonstrate it in the pool.
Sure! So what's first on the list Mr. Star Player? Rikku teased.
Well I'm sure you already know that there are five people on a team so I'll go into passing, shooting, and dribbling, the three most important actions. The success rate of passing depends on your PA, or passing accuracy. The higher your PA is, the more likely you'll perform a successful pass. The friction of the water can cause your PA to decrease once you throw the ball so be sure you have enough if you want to throw it to someone who's far from you or you can always throw it to someone close to you.
Rikku nodded. Hmm...I think I understand...so unless I have a high number of PA, I should stick with passing the ball to someone close to me?
Right! Passing the ball across the sphere pool with a low PA isn't a good idea. When your PA reaches zero, the ball becomes loose. Therefore, anyone could claim it.
Ok! Moving along!
Next we have shooting. Like passing, a successful shot requires a high number of SH. There are alot of abilities in which you can increase your SH temporarily for trying to score a goal but I'll get into that later on. All you need to know for now is that by dribbling, you can move as close as you like to the goal IF there are no obstacles in the way. Your SH also gradually decreases as the ball travels through the water.
What about the keeper?
Ah yes. The keeper has CA, which is the ability to catch the ball. You want to keep your SH slightly higher than the keeper's CA when the ball reaches the goal just to be safe. The percentage can be slightly randomized at times as well. All your actions requires HP which is your stamina. If you don't have enough HP, your actions will be half as effective. Your HP decreases if you are holding the ball so once you get rid of it, you will regain your HP back. Clear?
Yeah...I think I'm getting the hang of it, Rikku said slowly. Wow...I know blitzball is confusing but I didn't think it was gonna be THIS complicated.
Tidus grinned and shook his head at her innocence. This is only the basics! Just wait until we get into more advance rules and techniques. We have barely touched the surface of blitzball but don't worry. I assure you will understand everything once I finish teaching you.
The young girl groaned just thinking how much more she would have to learn but on the other hand, she was glad that she was able to spend more time with Tidus. He's a really fun person to be around and was extremely nice to her and everyone else. She still couldn't believe she found him again just recently after the Operation Mi'hen ordeal. She was sure she was never going to see him again ever since Sin attacked the Al-Bhed ship but somehow, it was as if fate had planned on reuniting them again.
She was so surprised to see him near the outskirts of Guadosalam but yet relieved that he was OK and was traveling with her cousin and the rest of her guardians on the pilgrimage. They talked endlessly at Guadosalam while waiting for Yuna to confront Seymour with some issues. She looked a bit shaken afterwards but claimed she was fine. They were all planning on heading to the Thunder Plains but to her luck, the entrance was to be sealed off for a couple of days. She really hated lightening and was more than pleased when everyone finally agreed with her suggestion to head somewhere else for a few days and then come back. With the exception of Auron, everyone was more than willing to head somewhere where they could take their minds off of all the pain and stress.
After witnessing the incident of Operation Mi'hen, everybody with the exception of Auron again really needed a distraction so that's when Wakka decided to go back and visit Luca.
Although he tried to hide it and act tough, the whole party could tell that he missed his team immensely so leading the way, everyone followed him back to Luca for a small visit.
Whew...what a day!
Uhh...Rikku? You still here? Tidus waved a hand up and down her face. I was asking if you're ready.
Huh? Yeah I'm all ready! The thief suddenly snapped back and blushed. Sorry, I was just thinking about something else.
Hey...are you alright? You seem a bit flushed.
She quickly covered her cheeks with her palms to prevent them from burning even more. Yeah I'm fine! Come on! Lets play already!! She quickly ran towards the transparent door and opened it, allowing herself to easily swim into the pool.
Hey-hey! Wait up! And don't forget when you need to come up for air, just give me a signal! Grabbing a blitzball, he chased after her. Once he checked the door was securely shut, he began swimming towards her.
She gave him a small wave as he took his position as a keeper. He purposely threw the ball gently to her in which she caught easily with both hands.
Time to score a goal!
She turned around and saw the Besaid Aurochs staring at her from the other side of the sphere pool. Wakka's eyes and jaw were wide opened but slowly smiled and resumed his own practice. The Al-Bhed girl moved as quickly as she can up to the goal and remembered what Tidus said about trying to move as close to it as possible.
With that in mind, she shifted a little closer to the goal until she was right in front of the keeper's face. Carefully placing the ball in front of her, she bend her right knee back slowly and kicked it.
To her shock, her leg had missed the target completely. The ball swayed over a bit and she had kicked nothing but water!
Ergghh! This is harder than I thought!
She could see Tidus trying to prevent himself from laughing but he failed miserably. Small bubbles escaped from his mouth as he tried to control himself. Rikku placed her hands on her hips and pretended to look angry. He should know that this was her first time playing.
Swimming after the ball, she tried kicking it again faster this time. The blitzball went soaring through the water not as fast as she had wanted it but it was better than missing the shot. Tidus positioned himself in front of the goal and focused on the incoming ball but there was really no need. It was a rather weak shot and he knew her SH was low. He easily caught the ball and tossed it back to her.
This time, she concentrated on kicking the ball harder and faster. Hurling it above her head, she turned around and arched her back. Swinging her right leg up, she delivered a much more powerful blow. The ball glided smoothly and hastily threw the water and even Tidus noticed a tremendous improvement.
Wow...that was some kick!
Catching the ball, he gave her a thumbs up on a job well done. The Al-Bhed beamed and silently cheered to herself. It felt really good receiving a compliment from such an amazing player. Suddenly it was becoming difficult for her to hold her breath. She felt as if her lungs were going to explode any second and Tidus seemed to notice this as well. He quickly signaled her to head for the exit. Nodding, she swam as fast as she could with him following closely behind her.
Once out of the pool, he was right besides her as they headed for the locker room. Rikku instantly threw herself on one of the benches and started breathing heavily.
You OK? Just let me know next time when you need air. I don't want you trying to make it through half time if you really can't . I wouldn't want you to drown out there you know.
Everything's a-okay here! Sitting up, she fixed her hair and the wet braids. Whew...that was some game though. It was so fun that I totally forgot that I was still holding my breath!
Hahaha, you were great out there but don't over work yourself. That sure was some kick you performed out there.
Well I had to do SOMETHING to stop you from laughing. I bet you didn't even see that one coming! she boasted.
No I didn't, he admitted. And you're definitely a fast learner! Yup, you definitely have blitzball talent!
Thanks Tidus. You know, I couldn't have done it without you.
No need to thank me. It's my pleasure to spend more time with you now since we found each other again, laughed Tidus. Ready for your next lesson?
He watched her as she clasped her hands together in joy. Her emerald swirled Al-Bhed eyes sparkled in delight as she nodded vigorously. She was really beginning to love blitzball and grew extremely excited at learning new techniques and rules about the sport.
she squealed. I cant wait to get out to the sphere pool again!!
Author's Notes: I had fun writing this chapter. As you can see, most of what Tidus said came from the actual blitzball tutorial in the game because I had to go back and take notes on it! Yuppp! Taking notes on blitzball was alot of fun because I forgot some stuff myself. ^_^
Jack of Spades: I see the Psyches mistake now. Thanks for pointing it out. I was going to add when it took place in the first chapter but I haven't decided yet. After alot of thinking, I decided the period at Guadosalam and before entering the Thunder Plains was the best. That way, Tidus and Rikku's relationship could actually expand since Tidus wasn't that close to Yuna during that period. I was also thinking about just a random period when they have the airship but that would mean Tidus and Yuna would have already declared their feelings for each other at Macalania and I didn't want this fic to contradict the game so I think this is the most tolerable time period.
Thanks everyone for reading! Hopefully I can get the next chapter out soon!
