Chapter 18x: Seymour's Ambition (takes place between Chapters 18 and 19; the current "party" is Roy, Jason, and Amy.)

Hacking and slashing our way through the eerily silent Borough, we fought our way to the city walls, and even further to the Bailey. After slaying all the enemies there, we attempted to go down into the Courtyard, but were interrupted by three bright flashes of light. When the light faded, three fairies stood before us: Yuna, Rikku, and Paine.

"Go away, YRP! We don't have time for this now!" I yelled at them.

"But we didn't even introduce ourselves yet…" Rikku muttered. "You're so mean!" The three then attempted to disappear, but Jason yelled something.

"Hold! What do you want?" Jason asked.

"Oh, nothing. We're just following the biggest treasure hit we've ever found!" Rikku replied.

"Biggest treasure hit? Tell me more," Jason said, clearly enticed.

"We don't need treasure, dammit! We have a job to do!" I yelled at him.

"Hey, maybe we can pay off some of the Heartless and Nobodies to leave us alone! We'd need treasure to do that!" Jason argued. Amy and I both gave him stupid looks.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FLIPPIN' MIND!" Amy shouted at him. "Heartless and Nobodies are feral… well, most of them, anyway! They won't take bribes!"

"Yes, they would," Yuna told us. "Rikku here can bribe them!"

"See? We can make it easier by getting a little treasure!" Jason said. "Well, if we're getting the treasure, we'll split it 50/50 with you guys. How does that sound?"

"No way," Paine flat out refused. "We split it 60/40, at least."

"Totally not fair… we're risking our lives, and you guys get the majority?" Jason asked, incredulous. "Oh, well. So, what do we have to do?"

"Oh, not much… just take down a big meanie!" Rikku told us.

"What kind of… big 'meanie?'" I asked, quoting 'meanie' with my fingers.

"The worst kind…" Paine said dully. I think I had an idea of who they were talking about… it was him.

"Okay, guys. I'll help you," I agreed, to Jason and Amy's surprise, "on one condition."

"What's that?" Yuna asked.

"I do all the fighting. I don't want my friends getting hurt," I replied.

"Okay," Paine said, and pinned down Amy. Yuna and Rikku pinned down Jason.

"Roy! What the hell?" Jason shouted, flailing to get up.

"I said, I don't want you guys getting hurt. Now where is he?" I asked. "Where's…"

"He's just down there in the Courtyard," Yuna informed me. "Be careful!"

"Do I look like someone who's careful?" I asked.

"Uh… no… but be careful anyway!" Rikku said, then disappeared along with Paine, Yuna, Jason, and Amy.

"Whatever. I can handle a Black Mage," I said to myself. "Even if he is a master Black Mage…"

I began my solo walk down the cliffs surrounding the city walls until I came to the Courtyard. I walked slowly up to a certain blue-haired man who had his back turned to me. He was carrying a certain stave…

"So, you are the one the Gullwings hired to assassinate me," he said, back still turned. "Go back and tell them they'll have to do better."

"Believe what you will, but know the truth," I told him. "I'm the only one they need to kill you, Seymour."

At that utterance, Seymour turned around to face me. He was exactly like I remembered from Final Fantasy X… almost just like Auron. He snickered.

"A little child like you cannot defeat me," he taunted.

"Oh, really? I think you're underestimating me," I told him. "I know what you can do… what you've done. You… killed your own father."

"What of it?" Seymour asked. "He was affiliated with the light. I could not allow that."

"And why's that?" I asked. "The light is no better than the darkness we use. Yeah, I know you use the darkness."

"I do not use the darkness," Seymour told me. "I do not use the light either. I have no desire to be caught up in the eternal struggle between light and darkness."

"The… eternal struggle?" I asked, somewhat confused.

"Yes… light and darkness. The two will struggle endlessly, trying to achieve some measure of balance," Seymour explained. "They use all people as their pawns, making them suffer and prosper in an endl3ss cycle."

"And… you want to end that cycle," I said.

"Yes. I will destroy the worlds! I will save them!"

"Salvation through destruction… that's not truly salvation," I said. "It's because people struggle that they become stronger! It's because people struggle that they have courage!"

"If you dissent from my view, you will be given the honor of being the next to be sent unto oblivion," Seymour threatened.

"I'm not afraid of you. I know all your moves," I said.

"Oh, really?" he asked.

"Yeah. You like to throw around elemental magic and summon Anima," I said. "Nothing you can do could possibly surprise me. I, on the other hand, have an entire moveset you know nothing about. I'd say the advantage is mine."

"Then come and get me, if you can," Seymour said, blasting fire magic straight in front of me. I jumped back to dodge the next plume of fire. I then circled around him, intending to impale him in the side, but stalagmites of ice rose out of the ground to meet my feet. I jumped back twice, dodging both stalagmites. I then jumped over the stalagmites, attempting to cleave Seymour in two. I was struck down by lightning, then struck again after I fell on the ground.

I screamed in pain. I'd never been shocked seriously before, so…

"You… play dirty…" I gasped, staggering to my feet.

"You were naive, and you paid the price," he answered. I then noticed two jets of water pressurizing in front of him. I dashed to the side to dodge them, barely making it in time.

"Sorry," I said, breathing heavily. "I had forgotten the order of your techniques. But now that I remember, you're going down."

"Is that so?" Seymour asked, smirking. "Then come on." I noticed two fireballs primed to explode around me. Dashing outward, I jumped over the first ice stalagmite that arose to block my path, dashed around the second one, evaded the twin lighting bolts, and jumped over Seymour to evade the jets of water. I stood to his back for a moment, then turned around, thrusting my Buster Sword through his shoulder. I then backed off, a little bit of blood dripping off my sword.

"Come, Anima!" Seymour shouted, summoning Anima. That horrible beast… crying tears of blood. I truly felt sorry for it… her…

Seymour's mother…

"An aeon can't stop me. Watch this!" I said, ascending into my True Form. I then jumped up and cleaved off Anima's head just as she was about to use Pain, landing behind Seymour. I dashed and stuck him in the back, held it there for a few moments before pushing it farther in, spattering blood across the Courtyard. Seymour slumped over a few seconds later, and I subsequently dropped my True Form.

"That's that…" I muttered, running one of my hands through my hair to clean it of blood. I then went back to the Bailey where the Gullwings were waiting, with (surprisingly) Amy and Jason still pinned to the ground.

"The job's done. Now, where's our treasure?" I asked as they got off of Amy and Jason.

"Uh… we don't have it yet!" Rikku said cheerfully. "But we'll give you guys your share when we find it!" The trio then disappeared in flashes of light.

"What a waste of time…" I muttered to myself, sighing. "Well, we've still got a job to do. Let's get to it!"

END CHAPTER 18x