The next dragon they fought was an unexpected victory.
Gau was back on the ship now, prowling about and eating everything he could get his hands on. Edgar couldn't help but notice the change in the boy – another year on the Veldt had put more muscle over his arms and shoulders, and his skinny concave boy chest was starting to look more like a young man's. He'd also picked up some powerful new moves.
The return of Gau and Cyan had brightened Sabin's mood a lot. He now whistled as he moved about, and the three had begun rising before dawn to train together. Some days, when those three were fighting endless groups of monsters or exploring new caves, Edgar felt an alien stab of jealousy. Here was his brother, happy and at peace, while he, Setzer and Celes were left on the ship mourning those who were respectively gone, dead, and missing.
Sabin tried his hardest to cheer them up, which Edgar was aware must have been frustrating. He invited Celes to train with them, took Edgar hunting, and tracked down some rare machinery to help Setzer upgrade the Falcon. And then, when none of that raised their moods to his liking, and in his most miscalculated event thus far, planned a day at the opera for the four of them.
Despite Setzer's promise after the last battle, they couldn't turn away and let the powerful Dirt dragon kill the audience and theatre staff.
This time, though, Sabin immediately took charge.
"Celes, Setzer, I want float on all of us, and don't let our health drop! Edgar, I'm going to Aerial Ace him and then while he's concentrating on me come in with the chainsaw!" And they were off.
All in all the battle went a lot better. They still ran through most of their Phoenix Downs and had to carry Setzer back to the airship, but Sabin was grinning as he retold the story to their teammates, doling out excessive praise to all of his comrades.
"And Celes was basically holding the floor together with her Rune, stopping all the little civilians from falling straight to hell. And this guy's crossbow!" He clapped his brother on the back. Edgar suddenly remembered, with a swell of joy, how it had been, why it had been worth it all that time ago. All of them sitting around recapping a battle, with the satisfaction of a hard-earned victory, alternately praising and mocking each other.
"Well someone had to pick up the slack," he said pointedly, "When you forgot how to use your one air move, and just stood there looking confused!"
Cyan, Celes and Gau burst into laughter, over Sabin's cries of, "It's true, it's true!"