Chapter 2: Game On

The port village of Kilika had seen better days.

Over a third of the village lay in utter ruin, mostly on the sides while the middle was spared. Large waves had demolished those parts and left the victims in a watery grave, several dozen people having lost their lives today. Survivors of this calamity were grieving for their loved ones, an experience that was all too common across Spira. Sin had come and unleashed its wrath on the people who lived here, and Sin had left to wreak havoc somewhere else. The people of Kilika Island remained to suffer, as they did every time Sin came and went.

Yet it could have been far, far worse.

Witnesses claimed to have seen a man appear from nothing above the village, and did something to stop the brunt of the massive wave Sin had created. He hadn't completely averted the tragedy, but had saved a lot of lives from being needlessly lost. He had even helped rescue people that had been trapped in the debris, having an uncanny ability to tell exactly where they were without seeing them. Thanks to this stranger Kilika had been spared the full devastation of an attack from Sin, and the village could be restored in months instead of years.

Still, a Sending was required to make sure that those who had died were truly laid to rest. Fortunately a summoner had just arrived on her pilgrimage, and she was ready to perform this sacred rite. Although the lady Yuna was only a teenager, she possessed the knowledge and ability to perform the duties of a summoner. In her white and blue robes she performed the elegant dance on the water, and when she was finished not one strand of long brown hair was out of place. Her mismatched blue and green eyes looked at the survivors, seeing all the stages of grief laid out before her.

That is, except for one individual that stood far behind everyone else, with spiky black hair and wearing bright orange clothes that were impossible to miss.

No, he was different from everyone else here. It wasn't just the clothes or the face or the posture he carried, but something that seemed otherworldly about him. Yuna could swear that she had seen this person on Besaid Island when she left, but he had somehow gotten here before her, and had attacked Sin with a strange blue light. Now he was looking back at her while she looked at him, both with questions and hoping the other could answer. He appeared to be patient while Yuna walked back to the crowd, where her three guardians and one new companion were waiting for her.

Tall dark haired Lulu held Yuna close when she needed it, like a sister that Yuna never had. "You did very well. They've reached the Farplane by now."

Not far away the taller Wakka was looking at the village, his orange hair wafting in the wind, the ruined scenery dredging up terrible memories for him. "It must be tough, even if it was only a few."

"I'll be alright," Yuna said. She looked over at the ronso standing nearby, still reminding her of the first time she saw that blue furry face and the broken horn. "Thank you for being here Kimahri."

Kimahri wasn't looking at Yuna, but staring at the same person that she had spotted behind the crowd.

Yuna didn't mind the silent treatment from him, since Kimahri hardly ever spoke to anyone. So she turned back to Lulu and Wakka. "Is there anything else we can do to help here?"

"I think they can take it from here," Wakka said. He saw some people already getting to work rebuilding the village, salvaging materials from the debris to build with. "They know what they're doing."

"But it is getting late," Lulu said. She could see the sunset starting to get underway. "We should rest here, and head for the temple in the morning."

It wasn't hard to find accommodations in this village, despite the destruction of many of the homes in the disaster. People were grateful to have a summoner here during this time of need, and many offered their homes for Yuna and her guardians to rest. Lulu picked out a place near the inland side of the village, where it would be easy to slip out in the morning unnoticed. Kimahri stood guard at the entrance well into the night, and he was nearly forgotten when people started going to bed. Yuna didn't forget about him though, and she took the time to give him company outside.

Then Yuna saw the spiky hair stranger again, only this time he was walking up to her and Kimahri. "Excuse me, mister, who are you?"

The stranger stopped a few feet away. "I'm Goku. I saw that performance you made earlier. I've never seen anything like it."

"Thank you," Yuna said, grateful for the complement. "It was my first Sending."

"This is probably going to sound insensitive or something," Goku admitted, one hand on the back of his head. "But what is a sending?"

Were it not for another person completely ignorant of the concept, Yuna would have been shocked. She looked up at Kimahri, who looked down and nodded. "Well, the Sending sends dead souls to the Farplane. It's so they don't turn into fiends and harm the living."

"Huh," Goku said, seemingly satisfied with that answer. "Well that explains that."

"Explains what?" Yuna asked, giving him an odd look.

"Never mind," Goku said, waving his hand dismissively. "Say, I forgot to ask your name."

"It's Yuna." It felt strangely good to meet someone that didn't know her on sight, someone that didn't see the High Summoner's daughter first and the person second. "Say, are you from Zanarkand too?"

"No," Goku answered. However, he did recognize that word. "Someone I met said to look out for someone saying he's from that place. She just wanted to know if he's okay."

"He's just fine," Yuna said. Of course, that was in comparison to his usual behavior. "A little messed up in the head, but he's fine."

"Well thanks for letting me know that," Goku said. He turned and waved. "It was nice meeting you."

Yuna watched Goku walk away, and when he was gone she looked at Kimahri. "What do you think?"

Kimahri hummed, and for one he spoke. "Good man, could be good friend."

"Yeah," Yuna said, still looking at Goku. "Do you think we'll see him again?"

Kimahri nodded.

Rikku was walking down the shore, heading southeast towards Luca. On her left in the distance was the Mi'ihen Highroad, the only familiar landmark to tell her where she was. Luca was the closest place she could walk to, and it was as good a place as any to get picked up. Better than most actually, since the Al Bhed were mostly accepted there. It was a miserable walk there in her wetsuit and without supplies, but it was better than being stranded in the middle of the ocean. Rikku just kept her focus on putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to think about how much shore she still had to cross.

Then Rikku heard something like a dull pop behind her, and when she turned her head to look she saw something that made little sense. "What the… Goku?"

Sure enough Goku was there, and was taking his fingers away from his forehead. "Hey Rikku."

"How did you do that?" Rikku asked. She looked past Goku on both sides, unable to see a hiding place he could have come out from. "No one was following me a minute ago."

"Oh that's just a thing I do," Goku said cryptically. "Just wanted to let you know your friend is alright. I found someone that met the same guy, over on one of the larger islands out there."

Rikku let out a sigh she didn't realize she was holding. "That's a relief. Good to know he's safe."

"Well mostly safe," Goku said. Though tempted to not tell her what happened, he figured she would find out anyway. "Sin attacked that island."

Already Rikku could imagine an island village in ruins, and all of its people dead. "How bad was it?"

"Could have been worse," Goku answered. He didn't bother going into details, that wasn't why he was here. "But Sin got away, and I'm having problems finding it again."

"Wait, you want to find Sin?" Rikku said. She eyed Goku more closely, now starting to wonder exactly who he was. "You don't look like a Crusader."

"Well no, but that Lucil lady invited me to join," Goku said. "Hey, Rikku, can you keep a secret."

"That depends," Rikku said, giving him an odd look. "What kind of secret?"

"Something other people probably won't believe if you told them," Goku said.

"Ah," Rikku said. She resumed her walk, and Goku walked at her side. "What is it?"

"You know how I found you in the middle of nowhere," Goku said, and he saw Rikku nod. "Well that's because I know this skill that lets me tell where people are. It works by sensing the energy people have, yet I can't seem to sense Sin's energy."

"Alright…" Rikku said, not sure if Goku was being truthful or making it up. "Assuming that is true, are you sure this skill works on everything?"

"Except for the Androids," Goku remembered, now that he thought about it. "Is Sin a machine?"

"I wish," Rikku said. She did some fiddling with her hands, as if taking something apart. "Then the Al Bhed could have dealt with Sin a long time ago."

"Yeah I suppose," Goku said, but it was clear he had no idea what Al Bhed were. "Sin definitely bled a lot when I blasted a hole through its fin."

That got Rikku to stop in her tracks. "Wait, you hurt Sin?"

"Sure did," Goku answered, remembering the hole he made in its big black fin. "I would've kept on fighting it too, if Sin hadn't attacked that village during the fight. I had to stop the worst of that attack, but by the time I finished Sin was gone."

"Okay, let's say I believe you," Rikku said, though clearly she doubted it. "You really think you can destroy Sin?"

"Yup," Goku said. He looked out at the horizon, looking for something that wasn't there. "I just need to find the thing again."

"Huh…" Rikku muttered, barely louder than a whisper. "Well at least you're trying something different."

"What was that?" Goku asked, looking back at Rikku. "I didn't quite hear that."

"Nothing," Rikku said, shaking her head before changing the subject. "Anyway, if you want to find Sin again, just follow the Crusaders around. Their whole job is to steer it away from big towns, so you're bound to bump into Sin sooner or later."

"Okay, then I'll head back over to Luca," Goku said.

"Hey if you're going to Luca, could you give me a lift?" Rikku asked. She wasn't one to beg, but it was a really long walk from here. "I'm hoping I can find some people I know over there."

"Sure," Goku said. He picked up Rikku in both arms and took flight. It only took a few minutes to reach the outskirts of Luca. "Here we are."

"Tysh, you're fast," Rikku said, slipping into Al Bhed a little. "It would've taken me all day to get here."

Goku waved and started walking away. "It was nice seeing you again. Hope you find your friends."

The Mi'ihen Highroad was busy this time of year.

The Chocobo Knights stood guard at the southern end of the road, keeping watch as travelers passed through to reach Luca. Blitzball season was only a few days away, and people were walking all the way from Guadosalam to see it. Although they served a purpose in scaring away fiends and bandits that often plagued passing travelers, the post here was absolutely boring for most of the knights. Fortunately it was only temporary and they would be moving on after the opening blitzball game, as they were part of a much larger military campaign about to be set in motion.

Commander Lucil didn't seem to mind, and from atop her chocobo she nodded to some travelers. "You guys enjoy yourselves now."

Elma was really just going through the motions at this point. "Welcome to Luca."

Clasko wasn't even trying to hide his boredom. "How much longer do we have to stay here?"

"Until our orders arrive," Elma said. She climbed onto her chocobo, and had to look down on Clasko. "Besides, you'll wish you were still here when the whole thing is over."

"I suppose," Clasko said. On a whim he looked toward Luca, and he spotted someone climbing up the steps instead of going down them. "Hey isn't that the guy we met yesterday?"

"What guy?" Elma said. She turned around to look. "Oh yeah, I remember him now."

Goku was walking up the steps, stopping at the top when he saw the Chocobo Knights. "Hi guys."

Lucil rode her chocobo closer to Goku. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Yes, actually," Goku answered, having been looking for exactly these people. "I want to sign up for that Sin hunting group. The Crusaders was it?"

"Good to hear," Lucil said, as the world could always use more Crusaders. "But I'm afraid you're out of luck. The Crusaders aren't accepting new recruits until after their current operation is finished."

"But I'm sure they would accept you," Elma said, eyeing the muscles along Goku's arms. "You look like someone that knows how to fight."

"I do know how to fight," Goku said, though he recognized that it was not in the manner they had in mind. "So what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"Seriously?" Clasko said, looking dumbfounded by the mere question. "If you don't know then why are you even in Luca?"

"Just go watch the blitzball games," Elma suggested, wishing that she could do that instead of being here. "That'll kill some time."

"Okay," Goku said. He turned back towards the steps to Luca. "I will go do that."

"Come find us in a few days," Lucil suggested, hoping that Goku would come back then. "We can pull some strings, maybe see if there's a place for you in the operation."

"Will do," Goku said, waving at them before walking down the steps.

And so the Chocobo Knights went back to their assignment, and the boredom of guarding the entrance to Luca came back with it. Several groups of people came down the Highroad, few of them worth remembering after they had gone. It was getting near the end of their shift when someone caught their eye, an older man that set himself apart from the crowd. They didn't know who this man in red was, walking with one arm held close to his chest inside his kimono. He stopped at the top of the steps and looked at Luca, as if recalling a memory from a previous visit.

Clasko walked over to this stranger, eyes on the small glasses below the graying brown hair. "Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?"

The stranger ignored him and resumed his walk, heading down the steps and into the city.

"Huh?" Clasko muttered, watching the stranger leave. "Who was that?"

If Luca had been crowded that day, it was even more packed the next day.

Early in the morning the people of Luca flooded the streets, eager to get the blitzball season underway. They were concentrated at the docks around the stadium, where the festivities would begin. Several ships were coming into port today, carrying the blitzball teams that would be playing this season. They were arriving one by one, each on their own ship, coming from all across the face of Spira. Sure there were only six teams, and a lot of freelance players, but it was more than enough to get the crowds cheering for their favorites.

But this year there was one more ship than usual coming into port, one that had come all the way from Bevelle. That city didn't have a blitzball team of its own, so it was odd to have a ship from there come during blitzball season. Instead this ship carried a delegation from the Order of Yevon, including the most influential man in all of Spira. The Grand Maester himself was here to attend the opening tournament, celebrating his fiftieth anniversary since taking that office. Few in Spira ever got to see the old man, so today was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Goku walked right past it without even looking, completely unware of the whole affair and ignoring the large crowds. Instead he was heading for a different dock, a relatively deserted one compared to the one he just ignored. There he found a boat similar to the one he followed to Kilika, though in much better shape than that boat. But it had most of the same passengers, plus some new ones the boat must have picked up in Kilika. One of them in particular was of interest to Goku, if only to pass the time with a pleasant conversation.

Soon Goku found her on the dock, complete with her escort. "Hey, Yuna!"

The girl heard him and looked for his voice, and Yuna found Goku weaving through the crowd toward her. She turned to her escort and pointed Goku out. "There's the guy I was telling you about."

When he got closer Goku got a better look at Yuna's escort, the three individuals he remembered seeing back on Kilika. There was the black haired woman in a black dress, the tall guy with the orange hair, and the even taller blue feline guy. Judging by the way the group moved it seemed there was supposed to be another person with them, but was off somewhere else at the moment. Yuna took a second to look around for the missing person, but didn't find him before Goku arrived. She didn't seem too worried about that, and was more concerned about something else.

"How did you beat us here?" Yuna asked, honestly wondering how that was even possible. "We left on the first boat out of Kilika."

"Oh I get around," Goku said, avoiding the question. "Are you here for that sport everyone is talking about? Seems like the only thing going on here."

"I'm playing in it," the tall guy said, holding out a hand. "Wakka: captain of the Besaid Aurochs."

"Neat," Goku said, politely shaking Wakka's hand. "I'm Goku, and just a spectator here."

"Well that's a shame," Wakka said. "A physique like yours, you'd be great at blitzball."

"I'm not really into sports," Goku said. "Unless it's professional fighting, that I could do all day."

"Fair enough," Wakka said. "I've already got a star playing turning my team around."

"Where is he anyway?" Yuna asked.

"Over there," the tall woman answered, pointing at a spot across the dock.

There was a pile of crates not very far away, and someone was standing on them and making a scene. It was a teenager with short blonde hair, wearing a yellow shirt and black shorts with a J on one leg. He had stolen a bullhorn from somewhere, and had just stated heckling some other blitzball team. It didn't take very long for all eyes to be on this teenager, some laughing when he declared that the Aurochs were going to win the blitzball tournament. Although the heckling didn't really bother the other team, the teenager did succeed in drawing some publicity.

He certainly had Goku staring at him, but not for the intended reason. "What in the world…?"

Goku saw this teenager, but couldn't sense him.

It was like he didn't have any life energy to sense, reminding him again of the encounter with the Androids. Except that from what he'd seen so far this world didn't have Androids, and this teenager looked like any normal human being. But he didn't seem like the kind of person that would hide their energy, and even if he was Goku still ought to have sensed something from him. Goku watched the teenager get down and then walk over to Yuna, but even when he was closer Goku still couldn't sense anything from him.

The teenager noticed Goku's stare, and he didn't like it. "Could you not do that please?"

"Oh, sorry," Goku said, blinking a few times. "I was just talking with your friends mister… um…"

"Tidus," he introduced himself, pointing a thumb at his chest. "Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes."

Wakka tried to shush him on that, but quite failed. "Don't mind him. He was exposed to Sin's toxin."

That reminded Goku of the search that brought him to Kilika, and he realized something about Tidus. "Oh… your Rikku's friend, right?"

"Rikku?!" Tidus blurted out, apparently not expecting to hear that name again. "You know her? Is she alright? Where is she?"

"Yes, yes, and somewhere in Luca," Goku answered. He glanced in Rikku's direction, sensing her somewhere in the city. "She was really worried about you."

"Who are you talking about?" Yuna asked.

Tidus turned to her. "Rikku's the one that found me when I first came to Spira. She was really nice to me. But I thought she was gone after Sin attacked her ship."

"Well I found her adrift and got her to shore," Goku said, neglecting the part that involved flying. "I'm sure she'd like to catch up."

"Make it quick," Wakka insisted. "The first game starts in two hours."

"Plenty of time," Tidus said. He looked at Goku. "Right?"

Goku closed his eyes, felt for Rikku's presence, and then opened his eyes. "Sure."

As Goku and Tidus left to go find Rikku somewhere in the city, neither of them paid any attention to the boat that attracted the largest crowd. They didn't care about the Grand Maester's arrival in Luca, not that they would have known who the old man was anyway. But Tidus did catch a glimpse of a rather odd looking man that got off the boat first, a tall person with long blue hair and wearing a large robe. Tidus then forgot all about that strange man and kept on following Goku, heading away from the docks and into the city.

"Ouin'a myda."

Rikku was standing inside a small house on the inland side of Luca, which was a safe house for Al Bhed stranded in this part of Spira. Fortunately for her it was blitzball season, a time of year when Luca tolerated Al Bhed instead of persecuting them like Yevonites usually did. It also meant that she didn't have to wait long for a ride out of here, since the Al Bhed Psyches team would be here on their ship. But it still took longer than Rikku liked for someone to check the safe house, much to her annoyance when she recognized the guy that finally came to see if the safe house was being used.

The dark skinned guy was an old friend, even if she used to tease him about the light brown hair. "Kuut du caa oui duu Rikku."

There was a brief moment of quiet, and then they both laughed. Rikku walked over to him, gave him a warm hug, and then held him at arm's length. "Buddy, ruf muhk ryc ed paah?"

"Dfu oaync," Buddy answered. He then patted Rikku on the shoulder. "Lusa uh, mad'c kad oui Home."

"Uha sehida," Rikku said.

She went into the next room to change into more comfortable clothes, ditching her wetsuit for something that wouldn't stand out so much in Luca. Rikku decided to put on an orange shirt, green shorts, and teal boots, and she tied most of her hair back. Aside from her spiral green eyes Rikku could pass for any regular citizen of Spira, and the eyes would only give her away if someone took the time to look at them up close. Rikku checked herself over one more time, and then went back into the main room where Buddy was waiting.

Rikku smiled at him. "Ugyo, mad'c ku."

But right when they were going to leave, there was a knock at the door.

"Cred," Buddy cursed.

"Fana oui vummufat?" Rikku asked.

Buddy shook his head. "Hu."

The knock repeated, and it seemed like the person knocking was being polite about it. Rikku and Buddy expected the door to be broken down right about now, and got even more suspicious when it didn't happen. So Rikku quietly walked over to the door and listened, hearing the person knock a third time before waiting for a response. Then she heard voices on the other side, though it was difficult to make them out through the door. A fourth knock on the door followed, and Rikku listened in on whoever was outside doing the knocking.

"Are you sure she is in there?"

"Yes, she is in here."

Much to her surprise, Rikku knew those voices. So she opened the door, and saw two familiar faces. "You… Goku… how did you two find…? Oh never mind."

Buddy was surprised at this reaction, and he switched to the common language just as Rikku did for these people. "You know them?"

"Hi," Goku said, raising a hand.

Rikku pointed back and forth between them. "Goku, this is Buddy. Buddy, these are Goku and, um… what was your name again?"

"Tidus," he said. "Why do people have trouble remembering that?"

Rikku ignored that remark. "It's good to see that you're alright. I thought you were a goner when Sin attacked. Sure Goku told me you were alright, but I'm still glad to see you made it to Luca."

"Just got here a little bit ago," Tidus said. "I haven't met anyone from Zanarkand yet. But who knows, maybe when everyone sees me in action someone will recognize me."

"Which team are you on?" Rikku asked.

"The Besaid Aurochs," Tidus answered. He imagined what it would be like when he won the tournament for them. "I'm going to end their losing streak, for good."

"That'll be tough," Rikku said, knowing the Auroch's extremely incompetent reputation. "They haven't won a single game in ten years."

Meanwhile Goku had lost all interest in the subject, so he turned and waved. "Nice meeting you again."

"See you around," Rikku said, waving back at him.

"I better get going too," Tidus said. "I have a game to play."

"I'll be sure to watch," Rikku promised. She waved until Tidus walked away, then she closed the door and turned back to Buddy. "Uha kysa, drah fa ku Home."

Yuna wished Tidus had gotten back sooner.

Between arriving at the docks and arriving at the Besaid Aurochs locker room, Yuna had heard a rumor that she wanted to check out. Word was that Sir Auron himself was in Luca, the Legendary Guardian who had not been seen for ten years. Yuna wanted to find the guardian that had protected her father, and she knew Tidus would want to find him too. But by the time Tidus got back the first blitzball game was about to begin, so the search for Auron would have to wait. So Yuna conceded and went to the stadium, having half a row of seats reserved for her and her guardians.

An excited announcer was ready to begin the game. "Ladies and Gentlemen, you've been waiting long enough! Let's get this tournament rolling! It's the Besaid Aurochs verses the Al Bhed Psyches!"

Both teams were already in the water, swimming into their respective starting positions. As team captain Wakka held center position, staring at the Al Bhed team captain opposite of him. Tidus was in the forward left position, eye on the ball at the bottom of the arena. A horn sounded, the ball was shot into the water, and both team captains dashed for it. Wakka reached for the ball, only for it to be snatched from his grasp, the Al Bhed captain taking the ball and passing it to a teammate, who then swam forward with it.

Only to be tackled by Tidus, who stole the ball and dashed through the water toward the Al Bhed goal. A defender swam into his way, only to be tackled by Wakka, getting him out of Tidus's path. It let him swim closer to the goal, spotting another defender on the way, and he took a shot. The Al Bhed goalie reached for the ball, but just barely slipped past his fingers, and the ball hit the net behind him. A loud horn accompanied the score, and everyone was shocked that the Aurochs had scored first, or that they had scored at all.

The Al Bhed stepped up their game, taking the match seriously now that they knew the Aurochs had a decent player for once. The ball was shot back into the water, the Al Bhed captain grabbed it again, and swam straight for the Auroch goal. The other players attempted to stop him, but the captain got past them and took a shot. He threw the ball, the goalie tried to block it, only for the ball to hit the net and score. With the score tied up the ball was shot into the water again, Wakka got the ball this time, and he immediately passed the ball to Tidus.

Tidus swam past the Al Bhed defense and took another shot at the goal, and despite the goalie's best efforts he made another score. That got the audience to cheer for the Aurochs, and the entire team felt the inspiration from their star player and their newfound fanbase. Sure most of them still struggled, but managed to repeatedly steal the ball and pass to Tidus for another goal. The Al Bhed tried to turn it around in the second half, but by then Tidus had gotten a lead too big to overcome. At the end of the game the score was six to two, and the unexpected outcome had the audience cheering for the Aurochs.

After the game Yuna made her way to the Auroch's locker room, smiling brightly the entire time. "You guys were great!"

"Thanks," Tidus said, leaning back and smiling. "I was hoping we put on a good show."

"He wouldn't stop being a show-off," Wakka said, sitting on a bench and pointing a thumb at Tidus. "I could barely keep up with him."

"You did better than I thought," Tidus admitted. "Your first try was better than most people back home after years of playing on my team."

"Now you're just patronizing me," Wakka accused.

Tidus had the smile of a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar. "Guilty as charged."

Yuna laughed, but quickly stopped. "So what's next for you winners?"

"Well we got the sweet spot in the matchups," Wakka said, remembering the results of the opening lineup. "We play the winner of the other four teams. It's three matches to determine that, and then it's the final match."

"I hope we're playing those Goers," Tidus said. He put one fist in his other palm. "Those bullies need to be put in their place."

"When will that be?" Yuna asked.

"Hour and a half, give or take," Wakka said. He laid down flat on the bench, stretching out his arms and legs. "So rest up, we're going to need it."

That seemed like enough time for what Yuna wanted. "Someone said they saw Sir Auron in a café."

"Auron?" Tidus blurted out, not expecting to hear that name here. "And you're sure it was a café. Cause the Auron I know would rather hang out in a bar."

"Then let's check both," Yuna said. "Let's go find Sir Auron."

Tidus nodded and walked over to Yuna. "Lead the way."

"Tidus gelgat ouin ycc."

After leaving the safe house Rikku and Buddy heading for the docks, where the Al Bhed boat had dropped off the blitzball team this morning. This boat was similar to the one Rikku had lost to Sin, a broad rectangular design that could have been a cargo hauler in ages past. Inside the boat they watched a broadcast of the blitzball game, Rikku rooting for the Aurochs and Buddy certain the Psyches would win. Rikku had been surprised when the Aurochs actually won the game, and Buddy was down a significant amount of gil from what he thought was a safe bet.

So when the blitzball team returned to the boat, Rikku was in the mood to gloat a little. But then she saw downcast looks, and she felt the need to apologize. "Cunno. Pid ev ed sygac oui vaam paddan, tnehgc yna uh sa. Yht po sa E sayh Buddy'c suhao."

That got some laughs from the players, lifting their spirits after their unexpected defeat. They could admit to the silver lining in this, that they were a part of a historic turnaround in blitzball. Soon they were telling jokes and pointing out ways each other had screwed up, a common theme being complacency when facing the worst team ever known. Rikku and Buddy got in on the joking around, pointing things out that the players had missed during the game. All in all they had a good time, and the long trip from Home had been worthwhile.

Rikku noticed a bunch of other Al Bhed leaving the boat, taking some of the small battle machina with them. "Frana yna drao kuehk?"

The blitzball goalie, Nimrook, answered. "Fa vuiht y cissuhan eh Luca. Drao'na kuehk du kad ran."

"Fru ec cra?" Rikku asked.

"Pameaja ed un hud, cra'c dra Rekr Cissuhan'c tyikrdan," Nimrook answered.

Rikku knew exactly who that was, and she immediately ran after the other Al Bhed. "Fyed ib."

Sure enough those Al Bhed did wait for Rikku, not minding having an extra hand for the job. The Al Bhed deployed the machina in several places along the docks, expecting that they might need them there when they came back. From there the Al Bhed walked into Luca, following a trail from the stadium into downtown. They soon found the summoner heading away from a café toward the closest bar, escorted by a boy and a Ronso. Just as she thought she recognized the summoner, and remembered that particular boy from earlier today.

A few blocks away Rikku got ahead of the Al Bhed and faced them. "Fyed rana. Mad sa ku vencd."

They weren't sure why Rikku asked for that, but they figured she must have had an idea. So they let her go ahead and they stayed behind, trying to look as inconspicuous as Al Bhed could here. Rikku followed the summoner down the city street, weaving between people walking back and forth that were in her way. Soon Rikku was right behind them and she matched their pace, staying close enough to listen in on their conversation. At the right time she got in closer, and pretended to have just simply bumped into them at random.

"Hey Tidus, fancy meeting you here."

From atop one of the many buildings in Luca, Goku was looking down at the people in its streets.

He had tried to relax and watch the blitzball games going on, but nagging questions kept his thoughts away from the sport. His mind kept going back to that boy he could not sense, just like how he could not sense Sin. After a short while Goku had wanted to find Tidus again, and had to search by sensing the individuals likely to be around him. By following Yuna's presence Goku found Tidus, and he was now watching them walking through the streets on their own search. He couldn't hear a word they were saying from up here, and they couldn't see him from down there.

Goku spotted someone else familiar approaching those two. "Huh? Wonder what Rikku wants."

Tidus made the introductions between Yuna and Rikku, and the two girls appeared comfortable with each other. Rikku made a request that surprised Tidus, but Yuna seemed alright with it and let Rikku tag along. Goku noticed Rikku making some kind of hand signal while Tidus and Yuna weren't looking, and a group of other people backed off and left them alone. Yuna led them into a nearby bar, but they soon came out looking disappointed. Tidus then checked the time, and soon they were rushing back toward the stadium as fast as they could.

Goku followed them back to the stadium, figuring that it was time for another blitzball match. The stands were completely full of people and there were no empty seats left, so Goku flew into the air to get a bird's eye view of the game. All eyes down there were focused on the sphere of water that was the playing field, so no one noticed Goku in the air looking down. The crowd's cheering was so loud that Goku could hear it from his altitude, two distinctive sides cheering for two different teams. Goku simply floated in silence with his back to the sun, watching the game when it began.

The final match of the tournament was the Luca Goers versus the Besaid Aurochs, a matchup that usually happened at the start of a tournament instead of the end. The Goers were not pleased with this, and their captain mocked Wakka as they entered the arena. The ball was launched into the water, the Goer captain got it first, and punched Wakka as he swam past. The Auroch defenders converged on the Goer captain, attempted to tackle and steal the ball, only to get knocked out of the way. He threw the ball at the Auroch goal, and the goalie completely missed the catch, giving the Goers their first score.

The ball was shot back into the water, Wakka caught the ball, and he immediately passed to Tidus. He found himself facing three Goer defenders immediately, including the captain. Tidus resorted to a dirty trick shot, kicking the ball right into a player's face, hard enough to knock him out and bounce the ball back. Then Tidus punched the ball, hitting and knocking out another player, and the ball went up on the return. Tidus swam up with a fast spin, flipped around, and kicked the returning ball, sending it straight past the remaining defender and the goalie to score.

It was an impressive shot, one that had the audience ecstatic. The Goers resolved to put of a better defense, right to assume Tidus would abuse the hell out of his old man's trick shot. Wakka signaled the rest of the Aurochs to focus on supporting Tidus, since he was the only one that could get the ball past the Goers. Wakka had to take a few hard tackles in the process, just to give Tidus a chance to take a shot as often as possible. Even then the Goers were able to steal the ball and take another shot, easily getting it into the goal for another score.

Somehow, after receiving a pass from Wakka, Tidus managed to slip past the Goer defense for a clear shot at the goal. After tying up the score it became a mad dash to break the tie, both sides using every dirty trick they could to get the ball and score one more point. Most of the Aurochs took very hard tackles, and Wakka was knocked out cold for a few minutes, but they managed to get Tidus the ball. It took everything he had to make one more shot, just barely making it even with his trick shot, and just before the match ended too, resulting in a final score of three to two.

A surprised announcer made the final declaration. "Unbelievable! The Aurochs win, folks! This is one for the record books!"

Suddenly all the cheering came to an abrupt end, immediately replaced by screams of terror. Goku looked down and saw strange creatures attacking the audience, from wolves and large reptiles to small rock monsters and even some large birds. There were even some weird fish attacking the blitzball players, but Tidus and Wakka were making short work of them. The creatures were coming from all over the place, as if someone had released them for maximum effect. Goku leaned forward and dived into the stadium, eager to help protect the people from this danger.

He started with a fast dive-bomb and punched a large bird, which exploded into a cloud of those strange spheres of light. Goku didn't have the time to question that though, because two more of the large birds were flying towards him to attack. A pair of energy blasts disposed of them, and like the first those large birds disintegrated. He then spotted a large reptile behind a group of people, so he flew in and then stomped on its head with both feet. On impact the reptile's neck snapped, followed by the whole thing disintegrating into a cloud of those light spheres like the birds did.

"Why are these things doing that?" Goku wondered aloud. He wished he had the time to get an answer, but there were more creatures attacking more people. "Questions for later."

Goku jumped back into the air and took aim with his index fingers, and then he started shooting tiny energy blasts at a very rapid pace. Each tiny blast destroyed the head of a wolf or rock monster, and they too disintegrated like the other creatures. Goku made sure not to hit any of the frightened people running around here, most of which were too scared to even notice him taking out the creatures. Soon Goku had this section of the stands cleared of the creatures, but there were still plenty more of them on a rampage throughout the stadium.

The adjacent section had more of the large reptiles attacking, and Goku flew up to get better aim. But right when Goku was about to fire a long blade cleaved a reptile in two, and when the reptile disintegrated Goku saw the people that struck it down. It was an older gentleman with graying black hair, wearing a black vest underneath a red kimono, but for some odd reason had his left arm out of its sleeve. He was holding the large sword with the grace of a skilled warrior, and he slew another large reptile that happened to be in his way.

This warrior spotted Goku and their eyes met, and he pointed to the other side of the stadium. "I can handle this here, go where you are needed more."

Goku nodded at him, and then flew to the other side of the stadium to fight the creatures there. The warrior in turn got to work slaying the creatures here, each swing of his sword a death blow to his foes. Yet for each creature slain another took its place somewhere else in the stadium, continuing to endanger the lives of people who just wanted to see a blitzball game. At the other side of the stadium Goku opened fire on the creatures, slaying dozens of them in a quick energy blast barrage. But the creatures just kept on attacking, seemingly with no end in sight.

"Where are they coming from?" Goku wondered.

In the stadium's Maester's Balcony a tall man walked to the edge, standing high above most of the panicking crowd far below. He had long blue hair molded into a style resembling tree branches, had blue veins that showed through his skin, and fingers that were unusually long. He wore a long blue robe but left it open at his chest, and he carried a long staff. Spira knew this man as Maester Seymour Guado, the newly appointed leader of the Guado people and Maester of Yevon. Now Seymour stood at the edge of the balcony, seeking to put an end to the chaos below.

Seymour raised his staff to the sky, calling upon unseen magics at his command. "Come, Anima!"

A black rift formed in the air, dropping an enormous anchor and chain straight down. The anchor hit the bottom floor and plunged into another back rift, snaring something hidden in some other realm. The chain pulled back up and the anchor dredged up its catch, a massive being taller than the balcony Seymour stood on. It was like a person from the waist up, skeletal in form with stretched brown skin, and had short and broad wings that covered the sides. Its scrawny arms were bound by chains, and even larger chains bound its wings around its body.

This monstrous being was Anima, and it unleashed its wrath upon the attacking creatures. Its deformed head was mostly covered in bandages, leaving just sharp fangs and one eye exposed. That eye flashed, and a large bird exploded. The eye flashed again, and a large reptile exploded. Again and again the eye flashed, and more of the attacking creatures exploded. None of them could escape Anima's power, despite trying to flee from it. Soon the stadium was clear of the creatures, and the people it saved looked up at the glory of Anima.

And behind Anima, Seymour stood proud of the being he had summoned.

"What in the world is that?"

Goku stared dumfounded at the large being summoned into the stadium, a being that had saved him the trouble of tracking down every last attacking creature. The destruction of so many so quickly had filled the stadium with those spheres of light, but they quickly dispersed and vanished. Now that the danger had passed all eyes were on that large being, and the people clearly revered it as if it were a religious deity. Goku was staring at it for a completely different reason, a reason that kept popping up ever since he arrived in Spira.

He could not sense it.

Despite the power this being had demonstrated, Goku could not sense even the tiniest bit of its energy. Just like with Sin, and just like with Tidus, to Goku's senses it was like this being was not even there. The first time had been frustrating, the second time had been confusing, and this third time was being suspicious. Something very wrong was going on here, and it needed to be investigated. There had to be a reason for this, though Goku had no idea what it was. Yet if there was something Sin, Tidus, and this new being had in common, Goku couldn't see it.

The air shimmered around that large being, and in a split second it vanished from this reality. With its departure the people saw that the chaos was over, and they could go back to living their lives after patching up the wounded. Surprisingly enough there hadn't been any fatalities, thanks in no small part to those that had defended the populace during the attack. Now that it was over the people were starting to clear out of the stadium, heading home to be with loved ones and appreciate the fact that they still had their lives.

Goku had left the stadium by flying out of it, but still remained in Luca. While some people had seen him flying around, those that hadn't seen it didn't believe the people that did. Elsewhere in Luca Goku found a discreet place to land, and then walked into the streets as if he had never left the ground. From there Goku walked straight for he sensed Yuna and Rikku, the only people here he felt comfortable asking questions about this world. He found them on the steps that lead out of Luca, along with Yuna's companions, but with no Tidus in sight.

"Hey there," Goku said, waving as he walked up to the group. "You're leaving already?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, glad to see him before leaving. "It's been fun here, but we need to get moving."

"I see," Goku said. He pointed to a secluded spot off to the side. "Rikku, can I have a word?"

"Sure," Rikku said. She followed Goku over to that spot, noticing that the others couldn't hear them here. "What's going on?"

"Did you see that huge thing at the stadium?" Goku asked. He saw Rikku nod. "What was that?"

"An aeon," Rikku answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She could also see that Goku didn't recognize the word. "Summoners use them to fight Sin."

"Speaking of Sin…" Goku said. "Remember how I told you I couldn't sense Sin's energy. Well this 'aeon' thing… I couldn't sense that either."

"Are you losing your touch?" Rikku asked.

"I think they're related," Goku said. "I just don't know how."

"Uh-huh," Rikku muttered. So far as she knew, no one had ever bothered looking into any possible connections between aeons and Sin. "Wait just one second."

"Okay," Goku said, wondering what Rikku had in mind.

Rikku walked back over to where the others were standing. "Hey Yuna, could you do me a little favor. Goku and I haven't seen you summon anything yet."

Yuna nodded, noting that it has been a while since her last summoning. "Okay."

She took out her staff and held it high above her head, calling upon the magics at her disposal. A circle of multicolor symbols appeared around her feet, followed by four spheres of light shooting up from the edges of the circle and meeting in the middle high above her. From there a mighty bird-like being appeared and dived from the sky, pulling up at the last second before landing on its rather small legs. Yuna took a moment to stroke the bird's beak, having nothing to fear from the being that could take her head off. When she was finished Yuna let the bird take flight, showing off its bright colors for all to see.

"Ta da," Yuna said. She saw Rikku and Goku staring at the aeon she had summoned. "This is Valefor, the first aeon I've received."

"I thought you only have two," Rikku said.

"Spoil sport," Yuna mused. She saw Goku walking over toward her, and she pointed at Valefor. "Well, what do you think?"

Goku saw the aeon flying overhead, and just like the one summoned in the arena he could not sense Valefor either. "So what exactly is an aeon?"

"They are they Fayth given form," Yuna answered. "The bond between a summoner and the Fayth is a tether to the physical world, allowing them to appear and fight at the summoner's side."

"So they are supernatural, or magical?" Goku wondered.

"A bit of both I think," Rikku guessed.

That put one piece of the puzzle into place, at least as far as Goku could comprehend. Aside from the dragon balls, magic was something he hadn't encountered in over a decade. Magic was a completely different form of power than life energy, the kind that he knew how to see without sight. If these aeons were completely magical, with no life energy whatsoever, they would be invisible to him. That still didn't solve the Sin or Tidus issues, since the former didn't seem to be considered an aeon and the latter certainly wasn't one of them.

The tall woman beside Yuna interrupted Goku's thoughts. "Is a summoning all you wanted to see? Or is there something else you want?"

"Sorry," Goku said. He was tempted to glance down, but stopped himself from offending the woman. "I haven't caught your name, miss?"

"Lulu," she said, crossing her arms in front of her considerable… assets. "And is there something else you want? We need to get going soon if we want to cross the Highroad before sunset."

"Oh, well then I'll get out of your hair," Goku said. He turned to leave and head back into Luca, but there was a particular pair of people heading the other way. "Or not."

It was the strange warrior from the arena, and he seemed to have Tidus in tow behind him. They apparently knew each other very well, and the warrior was clearly in the dominant position of the pair. There was a slight slowing of his steps when the warrior saw Goku, but he kept on going until he stood in front of Yuna. Everyone else seemed to know who this warrior was, and was clearly someone who had earned respect. It left Goku feeling a little out of the loop, having no idea who this warrior was or why he was here.

"Sir Auron?" Yuna said, and she immediately bowed to him.

"Yuna," Auron said, and he saw her nod. "I wish to become your guardian. Do you accept?"

"Seriously?" Yuna questioned, having trouble believing this was real. "Yes. Of course I accept."

"But why?" Lulu asked.

"I promised Braska," Auron answered.

"You promised my father," Yuna muttered.

"Who?" Goku interrupted. Yet again he noticed surprised stares in his direction. "What?"

"Geez," Rikku muttered, looking down while one hand covered her eyes. "Even I know who Braska is."

Auron looked at Goku closely, as if trying to identify him. He certainly remembered seeing him in the arena, appreciating talent wherever he found it. "Your name?"

"Goku," he answered.

"Goku," Auron repeated, as if getting a feel for the name. "Do you know who I am?"

"No I do not," Goku said. "Should I?"

Auron seemed to be satisfied with Goku's response, and turned his attention back toward Yuna. Then he grabbed Tidus by the shoulder and thrust him toward the group. "He comes too."

Tidus seemed to be embarrassed by this. "Hi… guys."

"This one I promised Jecht," Auron said.

"Is Sir Jecht alive?" Yuna asked.

"Can't say," Auron answered. "I haven't seen him in ten years."

Not really interested in this conversation, Goku waved to Yuna before he started to leave. "Nice seeing you again. We should do this more often."

Everyone watched Goku walk away, but it was Auron's gaze that lasted the longest.