"Father!"

Yunalesca, with her long silver hair and ceremonial gown, along with her husband approached Yevon near the main corridor on the bottom floor of the blitzball stadium. She too was feeling the rush of inspiration that everyone felt after the speech.

Yevon's face lit up. "Ah, Yunalesca!" The two embraced and he kissed her on the cheek. "You're back sooner than I thought."

"Well, we wanted to get back to see your presentation! But we had a terrific time in Besaid."

"That's very thoughtful, Yuna." He turned to her husband and bowed. "How have you been, Zaon?"

Zaon bowed in response. "Very well, Maester, thank you. A truly remarkable presentation as always."

"So I take it you two made the most out of your vacation?" Yevon eagerly asked. "You know how disappointed I would be if you ended it early just to see me."

Yunalesca laughed. "Father, trust me, we had an outstanding time. The beaches are so heavenly there; we should all go together sometime!"

"Oh, I would if I had the time," Yevon cheerfully replied. "But since you're back, I would be honored if you two would join us at the banquet tonight."

"Yes, I heard you were hosting the Blitz Cup banquet a day early, Father. Isn't it supposed to be held the day before the tournament, not two days?"

"Traditionally, yes. But I felt like having it tonight because...why not?" Everyone laughed.

"So who will be there tonight?" Yunalesca asked.

"I will!" Riels came in from behind, spotting Yunalesca and Zaon.

Yunalesca smiled. "Riels! How are you?"

Riels put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks. "I'm wonderful, milady. How was your trip?"

"Just divine," she said. "Will the Drillquad be joining us too?"

"I believe so," Riels said. "Shuyin said he will also try to invite Lenne as well."

"Oh, that's nice." Yunalesca turned to her father. "Is Mother still at home?"

"I believe she is," Yevon replied. "She probably doesn't even know you're back yet."

"I'll surprise her then! I'll see you later tonight, Father." She hugged Yevon one last time. "Would you like to come along, Zaon?"

"I must speak to your father about some political matters first, Yuna," Zaon said. "I'll join you there later!"

"Ahh, more political things, I see," she said. "Well, don't be long!" She and Zaon kissed and then she walked off.

Riels turned to Yevon. "I'll see you later, Yevon. I'd like to stop in and see the family as well."

"Of course, Riels. You better come hungry to the banquet!"

"You know I will!" Riels laughed and walked off in the direction of his house.

Yevon and Zaon began walking towards the Dome main entrance. "What news do you have, Zaon?"

"I managed to get a look at one of Bevelle's military ports off the coast of Kilika. They were extracting what looked like Flan Corals from the bottom of the ocean floor. That seemed a bit odd to me."

"Flan Corals? What would they need those for?"

"I wasn't sure either. The corals are sturdy but not sturdy enough to make any kind of effective armor out of. Not unless they're hoping to turn it into an exoskeleton of some kind."

"A bio-organic weapon?"

Zaon nodded. "That's my guess." Yevon said nothing but he was visibly distressed and confused. Zaon continued, "I'm not terribly knowledgeable about biological warfare but nothing of the sort has ever been done before. And just from looking at how much corals they were bringing in, it looks like it's going to be something massive."

"Are you suggesting we attack the port?"

"I think it would be in our best interest, Maester."

Yevon sighed. "I think you're right. We can't afford to take chances at this point. Assemble your best summoners and prepare for an assault tomorrow. This must be a quick one, especially now before the blitzball tournament. I don't want anything getting in the way of the Blitz Cup."

"Of course." Zaon started to walk out towards the city.

"And Zaon."

He stopped. "Yes?"

"You must keep this quiet. Even from my daughter. Agreed?"

"Yes, Maester." He bowed and continued on his way. Yevon walked inside the Dome, heading up to the Regal Office. Conflicted thoughts pervaded his mind, and he found himself asking how far he would go to turn the war around, and how far each side would go to win it.

That night, Yu Yevon sat with Riels, Yunalesca and Zaon in the banquet hall of the Zanarkand Dome as servants prepared the dinner table for nine people. Yevon's mind was still preoccupied with the news that Zaon had presented him but he did his best not to let it interfere with the meal, or to allow his daughter to suspect anything.

The door opened and a servant walked in along with four other individuals. The servant bowed. "Maester Yevon, the Drillquad have arrived."

Yevon and the others stood up. "Excellent, thank you. Come in, gentlemen."

The Drillquad, consisting of Duggles players Jeron, Shuyin, Kellek and Kant, entered the banquet hall and respectfully bowed. Shuyin spoke, "Maester, it's an honor to dine with you and your company tonight."

"The honor is ours, Shuyin," Yevon responded. "By all means, have a seat."

Everyone sat down to the table as the servants prepared the last finishing touches and began bringing out the food. "Is Lenne coming as well?" Yevon asked.

Shuyin shook his head. "Unfortunately, she couldn't be here tonight. She had already made arrangements with the coordinators of the pre-game ceremony."

"Oh, I see. Well, she's putting her duties before pleasure, and that's very commendable." Everyone nodded. "Well, shall we begin?"

The banquet continued through the night hours as the group talked, laughed and ate enough food for twenty people. Conversation ranged from exotic places in Spira to exotic foods in Kilika to Zanarkand's victories in the war, before eventually finding its way to blitzball where it comfortably stayed for a good while.

"So, Shuyin," Riels said. "What exactly is a duggle anyway?"

Shuyin laughed. "This is a surprisingly popular question. There are duggles in Spira, you know."

"I've never seen one," Riels laughed back.

"Well, it's kinda like...um..." He turned to Kant. "How would you describe it?"

"It's like an oversized tick, basically," Kant said. "It's got a black body with a red head, and twelve legs shaped like hooks."

Yunalesca laughed. "You chose that as your team name?" The whole table laughed with her.

"We didn't choose the name!" Shuyin said, chortling along. "The original founders chose it many years ago. The reason is, the duggle likes to find its hosts by 'possessing' smaller animals to lure unsuspecting people walking by into letting their guard down, and then sneaking onto that person's body without them noticing. It's an ingeniously clever way to find fresh blood to suck."

"It possesses animals?" Yunalesca asked.

"Only small ones. It can't control larger animals. It likes to target creatures that don't look very menacing so humans will be more likely to approach them. They're really smart, and they play dirty. Just like us!"

"Ah, that's right," Yevon said. "You boys have become infamous for keeping that tradition, haven't you?"

Jeron shook his head. "Well, we're not as bad as everyone likes to think, but we do what we can to win, you know?"

Yevon nodded. "That's one of the reasons I stopped playing for the Duggles back in the day. I didn't always approve of their methods."

"Oh yeah, I forgot!" Shuyin said. "You used to play for the Duggles, didn't you, Maester?"

"That's right, I did for a while. Those were the days in my youth, back in prehistoric times." Everyone laughed.

"What are you talking about? You're not that old!" Shuyin responded. "I was gonna suggest that you should come back sometime. I think the people would love to see you on the field again!"

"Well, I never said I was ready for the grave," Yevon chuckled. "But I'm not a god either. My body will eventually catch up with my age, and even sooner if I start using it on blitzball. Besides, there are other things that I also must focus on..." His voice trailed off. Zaon looked at him, knowing full well what he meant. Yevon continued, "Anyway, how are you and Lenne getting along?"

Shuyin smiled. "Oh, everything's going great! We're planning to get our own place that's out on the east side of town. It's a nice beach house overlooking the ocean; what a fantastic view."

"Well, that's wonderful. I would love to see it sometime. The east side of Zanarkand is a beautiful place." He paused for a little bit. There was a silent moment as the group devoted their attention to their meal. Eventually, Yevon raised his glass. "Everyone, I would like to propose a toast now."

Everybody raised their glasses as well. Yevon continued, "This city means so much to me. I like to think that every decision I make is for the benefit of the citizens, and that the citizens believe in my judgment." Everyone voiced their affirmation. "My aversion to most machina stems from my belief that the ancient practices of magic and summoning should be upheld and honored by everyone in Spira, because those practices are what made Spiran civilization what it is today. I feel that by industrializing the way that Bevelle is doing, we would lose sight of our traditions and focus on making the world too modern."

He paused again. "Anyway, my point is that I just want to be sure that I'm doing the right thing. No one enjoys war, I know. But my biggest priority is the welfare of my people, and it always will be." He raised his glass higher. "To Zanarkand, and its eternal prosperity!"

Everyone echoed, "To Zanarkand!" and drank. Yevon drank last, glad to have the support of his closest friends.

As servants started to clean up after everyone had eaten their fill, the group continued to talk amongst each other about current events and miscellaneous small talk. After a few hours, when the moon had risen high and hung over the city, Shuyin and the rest of the Drillquad stood up from the table.

"Maester," Shuyin bowed. "Thank you very much for inviting us here tonight. We all had a great time, but we must take our leave now, unfortunately. Please excuse us."

"Not at all," Yevon said. "Thank you for coming. I look forward to seeing you all in the match." Everyone bowed, and the Drillquad left the hall.

Yunalesca turned to Yevon. "Is everything alright, Father? You seemed preoccupied with something earlier."

"Everything's fine, Yuna," he replied. "Your mother is probably still at home, wondering when we're going to get finished here. Why don't you go on ahead and check in with her? I will be there later."

"Very well. Good night, gentlemen." She bowed.

"Good night, Lady Yunalesca," Riels said and bowed back. She left the room.

"Now, then," Yevon said a few seconds after she went. "Zaon, how many summoners can be prepped for an assault tomorrow?"

"I have at least fifty strong summoners prepared right now. I can get twenty more at least tomorrow morning."

"Good. Tell them to prepare for battle tomorrow night. We can sneak an attack much better under the cover of darkness. They probably don't suspect that we know about this harbor, do they?"

"I don't think so, Maester. I snuck out at night while Yunalesca was asleep; the harbor is only barely visible from the coast of Besaid. I recommend a sneak attack from the nearby forests of Kilika."

"Indeed. Riels, prepare our spies to be sent to the harbor site tomorrow afternoon so we can learn as much as we can about what they're doing there and why they're collecting these corals. We need as much information as we can get."

"Of course, Maester," Riels replied.

"I want this whole thing wrapped up before the tournament starts the day after. This must be a quick job, agreed?"

"Agreed," Riels and Zaon said.

"Thank you very much, gentlemen," Yevon said. "You are dismissed for the night."

"Have a good night, Yevon," Riels said as he and Zaon walked out.

Yevon went back to the Regal Office to collect the last of his things before leaving the Dome and walking back to his house. He found himself silently praying to whichever god was listening that the war would soon be over, through any miracle they had in store.