A.N: Finally, a long while of entertainment! Oh wait, most of this is not the fighting kind. Drat! Where's some Cream Pie?!
Jonathan Morris: Hiya! *Cream Pie to DarkDiablo's face*
DarkDiablo: Of course, you know, this means PIE WAR! *Cream Pie war goes on between Jonathan and DarkDiablo*
Richter Belmont: You and your pies, Jonathan...
Disclaimer: The elements used in this fanfiction-
Death: So, you've read this far... In the name of your father, cease this writing!
Alucard: Not while there is a word in my body!
Death: Then, for the Master, I'll read on your soul this story!
Jonathan Morris: That guy sure doesn't know when to quit, does he?
DarkDiablo: You said it, Jonathan. He appears in almost every Castlevania game in existence. Anyway, standard disclaimer rules apply.
Final Fantasy: Aria of Ruin
Chapter Seven: Chaotic Playground
It wasn't long after the boat reached Luca when the group disembarked. Jack Morris took a good look around. The way the residents of Luca were going around, it seemed as if it was a birthday party that went on 24/7. 'Man, as fun as this place looks, it'd be a pretty painful decision to move here', the hunter thought. As much as he liked parties back on his home-world, even he had his limits. "Wow... its like a birthday party over here...", he said, much to the agreement of his friends.
"Ah, over there! The ships carrying the players are arriving now! This would be dock number 2!", a voice announced. "All the way from Kilika, it's the Kilika Beasts. High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them, a big name to live up to. Their hometown was recently attacked by Sin. Isn't that right, Jimma?", another voice announced. "Yes, Bobba. They're going to be pulling out all the stops to try and win the cup this year", Jimma replied. "Exciting, isn't it, folks? Our next team off the ramp is...", Bobba began, but paused. The team shown prompted him to have a laugh. "... Well, well, well. If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs! They're a living, breathing, statistical impossibility. I've never seen a team this bad. That's right! In 23 years, they've never made it past the first round! Only a few die-hard fans are in the audience today", Bobba finished. "Best of luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid", Jimma responded.
"Right, Jimma. Moving right along, our next team is... Here they are, folks! Our very own Luca Goers! They've got power! They've got speed! They've got teamwork! They're an all-around first class team! And they're back home in Luca!", Bobba announced. The crowd went wild. 'Too bad they're going to lose in their own home game', Jack thought. He had great confidence in Wakka and Tidus' blitzball skills, and that of the Aurochs. "Without a doubt, they are the favorite this year, Bobba! And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today!", Jimma replied. "You can say that again, Jimma. Look at the crowd, folks. Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned to cheer the Goers on! They know, I know, and you know, folks! The Luca Goers are number one!", Bobba finished.
Jack and Tidus grumbled in annoyance. How the curses could the Aurochs live being treated like this every year? "It's like this every year, ya? Don't let it bother you", Wakka said. "Even so, you deserve to be treated more than this...", Jack said, shaking his head. He then noticed a megaphone. "Hey, Tidus! Over there!", the hunter called to the star player. Tidus looked, and then he had a great idea. The star player went over to the megaphone and took it. "Stop right there, Goers!", he said. This caused the Goers to turn around to face him. "Yeah, you're smilin' now, but not for long!", he added. He looked to Jack, who nodded. "Cause this year, us Aurochs are taking the cup!", Tidus finished confidently. He put the megaphone down, and looked to the hunter, who had a hard time trying to keep a smirk in check. Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri walked up.
"What in Yevon's name were you doing up there?", Wakka asked. "I merely gave Tidus an idea", was Jack's answer. "We sure stood out, though!", Datto said, grinning. "We were on the Sphere!", Letty said, nodding. "We were?", Datto asked, looking at Letty. Just then, three people ran into Jack, giving him quite a surprise. "Maester Mika is here!", one cried out. "Already! The number three dock!", another added. The hunter and Tidus were confused by this as the people ran quickly. "What's up now?", the star player asked. Yuna smiled brightly. "Maester Mika has arrived, that's what!", she replied.
Jack, of course, was still confused. "Maester, huh? Sounds like a fun title", the hunter noted. "Maester Mika is the leader of Spira's peoples. He came here all the way from Bevelle. The tournament is being held to celebrate the 50 years he's been Maester", Lulu said. "50 years? Shouldn't he be, uh, retired by now?", Tidus asked. That earned him a jab in the side from Wakka. "Hey! Mind your mouth, now", the blitzer warned. "Let's all go see him!", Yuna said, running. Her friends quickly followed.
After some time spent running towards the aforementioned dock, the group reached it, just as a large crowd formed. "Can't see a thing!", Tidus said. He tried looking above the people's heads, but they proved too numerous for the star player. "Shhh!", Wakka and Jack warned. Before Tidus could reply, loud joyous music boomed across the dock. Several people stepped off, the last of them being a strange humanoid figure with blue hair set in an interesting style. What was strange about this human, though, was that his veins were clearly visible on his face. The crowd began whispering amongst themselves. "Is that... Maester Seymour?", Jack managed to successfully make out.
The man with blue hair turned to face his boat. He then performed the same bow Wakka did back in Kilika. All that were present at the dock, save for Tidus, did the same. An old man walked in front of the blue-haired man. "People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome. Rise, Maester Seymour. And all of you as well", the old man said. Everyone did as they were asked. "I present to you... the son of Maester Jyscal Guado, who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past. As some of you already know, he has been officially ordained a Maester of Yevon", the old man finished. This must have been Maester Mika, the hunter thought.
Seymour turned to face the crowd. "I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to receive the title of Maester. In life, my father, Jyscal, worked to foster the friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as Maester to the best of my abilities", he said. Everyone, save for Tidus, once again, performed the same bow. "Bow your head", Jack heard Wakka whisper to the star player. The hunter, however, could sense Tidus' dislike as he did so. He sensed that the star player had a bad feeling about Seymour.
Seymour's eyes looked onto Yuna's for a second before joining Mika and his friends in walking away. The hunter sensed that Tidus felt a little torn at this, though he knew not why. "Really psyches you up, huh?", Wakka asked. Only a nod from the star player served as his response. "All right! Last meeting before the match! Hustle!", the blitzer added, facing his team. Tidus joined them as they went into what appeared to be their locker room. While he wasn't part of the team, Jack decided to wait in the locker room near the door, while the rest of his group went their own ways.
Some time later, the Aurochs had gone over the basics of. Tidus, clearly bored of this, gave a yawn. "Welcome to my world, Tidus", Jack mused silently, also bored. Just then, the door opened and Yuna and Lulu piled in. "There you are. Someone said they saw Sir Auron in a cafe!", Yuna said happily. "Sir Auron?", Jack asked. "Au-Auron?!", Tidus joined in. "Yes, Sir Auron. Let's go find him!", the summoner replied. "You know this Sir Auron?", the hunter questioned the star player as he walked to Yuna. He gave a nod. "Well, then I'd best come along", Jack added as he stood up to go with the three.
"Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! The game starts like real soon! C-Come back quick, ya?", Wakka said, before the three could go. Tidus nodded. "Hey, I'll be back", he replied. "Yeah, okay", the blitzer replied, nodding nervously. "Easy, Wakka. You're looking stiff there", Jack said. Wakka took it a bit wrong, though, and tried relaxing the expression on his face. "No, no, not your face. Just breathe out, relax. Like this. Just breathe, yeah!" the star player added, shaking his head. The blitzer did as he was requested, earning a giggle from Yuna while Lulu just shook her head and the hunter facepalmed.
With that, the four left hastily and reached Kimahri, who joined along in the search. "Maybe now we can find Sir Jecht", Yuna said. Tidus looked at her, confused. "Huh? How?", he asked. "Sir Auron was also my father's guardian. So he might know where Sir Jecht is. Let's go now", the summoner replied. Everyone hurried along at this, but Tidus stopped when he heard a strange language he recognized. "Hey!", the star player called out, prompting Jack to stop at this. Who did Tidus recognize now? He found his answer when he saw two men wearing strange, purple jumpsuits. Both were wearing goggles.
"Al Bhed Psyches, right? Some Al Bhed saved me the other day... this girl Rikku gave me food and..." he began, but paused mid-sentence. The two people looked at him funny. "Uh... you don't understand me, do you?", he added. Jack looked even more confused at this, but the two people nodded. "Well, anyway, if you meet Rikku, tell her thanks for me. And as for the first game? May the best team win!", Tidus finished, then left. The two people were still looking confused. Jack offered them an apologetic shrug then hurried along.
"So that's the Al Bhed, eh? Is Rikku among them?", the hunter asked Tidus. "Yeah. She saved my skin. She was real nice", was the star player's reply. Jack smiled at this. That gave him good chances of becoming friends with this Rikku. The blondes quickly caught up with Yuna and Kimahri, who were surrounded by people. "I'm sorry, please, let me through", the summoner pleaded. "Yes, we've got a place to get to, and we're short on time", the hunter added. That got everyone politely making way for the group. "You're really famous", Tidus commented, which prompted Yuna to blush and giggle. "Enough small talk. Let's get going", Jack said. Everyone else nodded before beginning their search for Sir Auron.
"I hope we don't get separated...", the summoner commented while looking around. "Yuna! Jack!", Tidus called out. Once the pair turned to face the star player, he whistled. "What was that?", Yuna asked, surprised. "In Zanarkand, we do this to cheer on blitzball players", Tidus answered, then whistled again. "I want to teach you two how to do so, in case we get separated", the star player added. The pair walked up to him, ready for learning. "Now, put your fingers in like this", he told the two, showing. Jack had the method down easily, but Yuna wasn't quite there. "Like this?", she asked, having a mouthful of fingers. The hunter chuckled at this. "Not quite. I think it's just your middle and index fingers", he replied.
Yuna barely had time to correct her finger positioning before Jack gave a whistle. It was a little louder compared to Tidus', but it seemed to work well in his favor. "You're a natural, Jack!", the star player noted. The hunter smiled at those words. "Now you, Yuna", he said. Yuna tried her best, but no sound was heard. "It's not working...", she said sadly. "It will work eventually. All one needs is practice here", Jack said, intending to provide comfort for the summoner. She nodded, smiling at those words. "Hey! Use that if we get separated. Then, I'll come running, okay?", Tidus added. Yuna nodded in agreement. "Well, I guess we should stick together then, till you can do it", the star player added sheepishly. "Yes, sir!", the summoner replied. "Alright, let's get going", the hunter added. Tidus and Yuna nodded at those words.
Not long afterwards, they reached what seemed to be the city square for Luca. "Whoa... this is a pretty big town!", Tidus noted. "I don't think I could call this a town, Tidus...", Jack added. "Luca is the second largest city in Spira", Yuna replied. They all smiled at those words. "I thought every town was little... you know, like Besaid and Kilika", Tidus told his friends. "Towns don't usually get bigger than that. Because, when a lot of people start to gather...", the summoner began, but paused. "Sin...?", the star player dared ask. Yuna nodded. "What about Luca? Is it any safer here than in those towns?", the hunter questioned.
"It's not any different, but the stadium is here. The Crusaders fight to protect it with all their strength", the summoner replied. "They protect the stadium?", Tidus asked. Yuna nodded. "Blitzball is really the only entertainment that we have. Spira's a little short on fun these days", she answered. "Whoa! Talk about pressure!", he added. "That's right", the summoner said. Silence followed for a second as they continued to look around. "What about your world, Jack? What does it have for fun?", she added. The hunter was caught off guard by her question.
"My world knows a lot of ways to have fun. I don't think I could explain them all to you without showing you", he answered. Everyone nodded at those words. "Is Zanarkand like this too, Tidus?" Jack added. Yuna nodded, probably wondering the same thing. "Well, there are more buildings, all tall and cramped together", the star player replied. This seemed to amaze the summoner. "They must be so tall. Don't you ever get dizzy?", she questioned. Tidus laughed at this. "Let's go find Sir Auron!", Yuna finished. Everyone else nodded before rushing towards a cafe. It turned out to be the cafe that Auron were seen in. Only... where was he? "Auron's not here...", Tidus said sadly. "Let's ask around", Yuna replied. The blondes nodded at this, and the summoner went to go talk to some people. The boys looked around, but stopped when they saw Kimahri having a face-off with two more cat-like people.
"Why not talk, Kimahri? Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something!", one of them spoke, managing a grin. Silence followed for a second. "Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?", he added, before snorting. "Leave Kimahri, Yenke. Kimahri is small Ronso. Kimahri so small, can't see Yenke and Biran's faces", Biran replied. Jack was beginning to feel rage at this. How could Kimahri let them taunt him like they have been? "Kimahri forget Ronso friends? We taught you much at time of horn-molt! Biran taught Kimahri to be strong Ronso", Yenke taunted. "Maybe taught too much", Biran said sarcastically, sneering and lightly pushing Kimahri.
"Hey! Don't go picking on my friend there!", Jack called to them angrily. "Look, Yenke! Small human try take Ronso. He weak and puny like Kimahri", Biran taunted. "What did you call me?!", the hunter shouted, at this point about ready to let loose a fist. He had gone through an ordeal much worse than they knew existed, and still with most of his sanity left. How dare they call him weak! Much to his surprise, though, Kimahri placed a hand on his shoulder, as if to tell him not to. Though it was met with Jack groaning loudly at this, he did agree to not throw the punch eventually.
He did get shoved by Yenke, though. And the hunter almost knocked Tidus over as a result, with the latter barely dodging to see the former hit the bar soundly. "Ugh... I've had it...", Jack began bitterly. "Take 'em on!", the star player cheered. Yenke laughed as Kimahri got into a battle stance. The hunter got up just in time to watch the Ronso uppercut Yenke. 'Take that, you monster!' the hunter thought, but he dared not say it out loud. Needless to say, though, everyone else gasped. "Take it outside, the tournament's starting, ya hear?!", the owner of the cafe called out as Biran punched the smaller Ronso. 'What!?', the hunter thought as he heard Maester Mika call out to the people gathering in the blitzball arena for a prayer. Tidus needed to go. Now! "Tidus, you hear that?! The tournament's about to start! You might want to go now!", Jack called to the star player.
He nodded, and began to run as fast as he could when he noticed something completely out of the ordinary. Where was Yuna? "Guys! Yuna's gone!", Tidus called out. The hunter looked around and saw that he wasn't joking about this. Kimahri, on the other hand, took a punch from Biran before exiting the cafe. "This isn't over...", Jack said threateningly to the two Ronso before he left with Tidus. "Yuna?! Yuna!", he called out as the blondes joined up with Kimahri. Only to almost run right into Lulu. "Where in Spira have you been!?", she called out. "Huh?", the star player asked, confused. "Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches. In exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose", the black mage clarified.
"What?!", the blondes shouted more than asked, though the hunter's was more out of rage than anything else. Granted, he never really played team games, but even he knew that this was just plain wrong. "If they're only blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic. But we shouldn't take chances. Let's go get her", Lulu finished. "We had better. Otherwise, I'm not seeing a good ending for me...", Jack said, in complete agreement. It was because he got distracted that the Al Bhed managed to kidnap the summoner. This would have been a bad record to tell to his family when the hunter got to Heaven. "This'll be no problem. They're telling the Aurochs to throw the game, as if they needed to! I mean, how good a team can they be?", the star player added.
"Wakka said the same thing. He'll take care of the game. We should go get Yuna. The Al Bhed boat is in dock 4. Let's go", the black mage responded. Tidus threw a fist up in agreement while Jack brought out his lightning whip. "And on that note, we go!", he added as he dashed towards the aforementioned dock. Everyone else followed, though he was just a little faster than they were. It wasn't long before he ran into a pair of strange looking machines that had a long blade similar to a rapier on one of their arms. Suddenly, they stood up straight. Or, well, as straight as they could get, as they still were bent at the knees, but regardless, this prompted everyone to prepare for battle.
"Whoa! What are they?", Tidus asked. "Ancient machina salvaged by the Al Bhed-", Lulu began, but a growl of anger from the hunter prompted her to pause. Looking, everyone else saw him swing his lightning whip at one of the machina. Much to the amazement of the three, the strike actually burned through the machina, causing it to utterly fall apart in explosions. "Whoa!", the star player added after the event. "- As Jack demonstrated, they are mostly vulnerable to lightning. Though I wonder how he knew of this...", the black mage continued, like nothing completely crazy just happened.
"Back home, lightning has a much easier time going through steel and similar metals than other things, Lulu. There's a lot of steel on these guys", Jack added as Tidus and Kimahri began hacking at the other machina. Before long, it too fell in battle. Not even bothering to pause for catching their breath, the four continued onwards, destroying more machina along the way. They stopped at a screen that showed how the blitzball game was progressing, though. "The Aurochs are keeping the score tied with some excellent defense, folks!", Bobba announced as Wakka caught the blitzball. Shortly afterwards, though, he got rushed by a couple of the Al Bhed Psyches.
"Ow! He'll feel that one in the morning!", Bobba added as this happened. "Ah, but the referee doesn't call the foul! Wakka's taking a real beating out there", Jimma finished as the poor blitzer went limp, seemingly knocked out. "People tackle that hard? Geez! What if someone loses a limb here?!", Jack asked. "Still in there!", Tidus added, throwing a fist out in cheer. "He won't last. Wakka's always like that", Lulu said. "Ouch...", the star player replied. "Let's go", the black mage finished before rushing onto dock 4. Everyone followed to see the Al Bhed boat beginning to rush away. "No, you don't!", Jack cursed as he dashed ahead, managing to perform a successful jump onto the deck. Everyone else followed suit, barely making it.
And the first thing that came out to greet them? A big machine, rising out from within the interior of the ship. It had... a great number of blitzballs as its weapon? What the curses was it going to do, play blitzball with them? "That's what these guys have as a defense mechanism? Very funny", the hunter mused at the sight of it. "Hey, we can use this crane!", Tidus called out. Sure enough, there was a crane, right next to them. And he tried to use it. It didn't even budge, though. "C'mon, move!", the star player commanded. "It's probably out of power-", Lulu began after she cast a spell of lightning on their foe. That earned her a bunch of blitzballs to the face, which also took her voice away temporarily, which in turn was why she couldn't finish her thought.
"Let's see if that crane likes the taste of thunderstorms", the hunter mused as he began charging up his next strike with the whip. Seeing this, the machina tried to spray a bunch of blitzballs at the group. Unfortunately for it, Tidus was not about to let whatever plan Jack was thinking up go to waste, taking what would have instead hit the hunter. "Good save!", he called out, earning a nod from the star player, even if tinted with a bit of pain from taking that punishment. Immediately afterwards, Jack let loose his attack on the crane. Sure enough, the swing called forth a series of lightning bolts which brought the necessary power needed, and the crane began to move on its own.
"Enjoy the view!", the hunter taunted as Tidus ran to activate the crane. To their relief, the crane picked the machina up, tore off its head attachment, and dropped the unlucky thing onto the deck of the boat before turning to drop the attachment onto the bottom of the ocean. By this point, the machina began emitting sparks of lightning, a surefire sign that it couldn't last much longer. That prompted a smirk from Jack. "Looks like it can't outlast a couple good hits, now!", he said as everyone worked out their tactics. The hunter was right in thinking this, for it wasn't long before the machina finally exploded, sending parts everywhere.
After this, what appeared to be part of the exterior of the ship opened up, revealing none other than Yuna, with a couple of the Al Bhed after her. One made it only to have Jack's whip smack him right in the face, giving him a big enough dose of lightning to outright knock him out. His comrade turned and ran after the sight. "You alright, Yuna?", the hunter asked. The summoner nodded. "I hope you hurt them", Lulu added. "A little", Yuna admitted as Tidus walked towards the knocked out Al Bhed. "Something wrong, Tidus?", Jack asked, arousing everyone's attention. "There were these Al Bhed that saved my life when I first came to Spira. They took me on their ship, even gave me food. I was kinda hoping this was the same ship. But it's not...", the star player began sadly.
Silence followed for a second. "I wonder if they're all gone", he added. "What happened?", Yuna asked, concerned. "Sin came up near us. I made it out okay, but I don't know what happened to their ship", Tidus answered. "Um, was there anyone called Cid on that ship?", the summoner added. Silence followed again. "I don't know. They were all speaking that Al Bhed language", the star player replied. "I see...", Yuna said sadly. "Is this Cid someone important, Yuna?", Jack asked as Tidus began sitting on the ship's railing. "He's my uncle, but I've never actually met him", the summoner clarified. "Ah...", the hunter replied silently. And then a thought just came up in his mind. "Wait a minute!", he added. If this Cid was an Al Bhed...
"So that means you're Al Bhed, too, Yuna?", Tidus asked, thinking the same thing. "On my mother's side, yes. Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married. But she told me to seek him out if I ever needed help", Yuna answered. "You're worried he was...?", the star player began. "Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage. The thing about Wakka- he never had much love for the Al Bhed", Lulu said suddenly, interrupting the conversation. "Whoa! I gotta tell Wakka!", Tidus said afterwards, much to everyone else's surprise. "I thought I told you not to tell Wakka!", she scolded. That was when the hunter realized something. What about the blitzball game that was still going on? "Oh, curses! The game!", Jack called out. Yuna gasped. She had the same thoughts, it seemed. "Oh!", Lulu added, also in agreement, before she sent an orb of light upwards to the sky.
"Well, that solves one issue. Now, to get back!", the hunter said as he rushed into the interior of the boat. Everyone else looked around and saw that the boat was still moving away from Luca. Thankfully, resistance from the Al Bhed was light at best, and it wasn't but a couple minutes before the five managed to turn the boat so it was returning to the city.
Meanwhile, back at the blitzball arena, Wakka looked to the sky. He saw an orb of light, and took this as a good sign, adding a smile. With Yuna back in the hands of the Guardians, the Aurochs could now focus on winning the game cleanly. "Thirty seconds left! The Aurochs are launching an all-out offensive!", Bobba announced as the blitzer gestured to his team to charge forward. "A long pass from Letty! It goes through!", Bobba added as Wakka, quite fittingly, caught a long pass from the aforementioned comrade.
And he barely managed to dodge a tackle from one of the Al Bhed Psyches, before using the momentum from the dodge to throw the blitzball at the goal. "He shoots!", Bobba announced. And the goalie failed to catch this shot, bringing the Aurochs in the lead just as the timer for the game hit 0. "Gooooooal!", Bobba finished. The scoreboard tallied 3 for the Besaid Aurochs and 2 for the Al Bhed Psyches.
"Alright!", Jack said as the five managed to get to the same screen they saw earlier. Everyone else understood what he felt then and there. The Besaid Aurochs had just beat another team in a game of blitzball. That impressed even Bobba and Jimma, who had believed that the team was not capable of winning, well, any blitzball game! "Unbelievable! The Aurochs win the match, 3-2!", Bobba announced. "We won!", Tidus cheered. "We did it! We're in the finals!", Yuna added, also cheering. "Not the most... graceful win... if it was Chappu, he'd still be standing", Lulu said simply, shaking her head.
"Hey, aren't you being just a little unfair?", Tidus added. "Excuse me?", the black mage asked, turning to face the star player now. 'Uh oh...', Jack thought. This was not going to end well. "I know I could never take Chappu's place. You're the one who told Wakka that, right, Lulu? And I don't think-", Tidus began. He didn't see what the hunter saw in her eyes, though. "Tidus, drop the subject!", he called out, interrupting the conversation. The star player looked ready to argue his point, but a stare from the black mage was enough to convince him not to. "You don't want to finish that sentence", she threatened coldly. Lulu then gave a nod of approval at Jack before walking towards the Auroch's locker room.
A.N: And that one's a wrap. My sincerest of apologies if I mixed up Bobba and Jimma at any point during this chapter. Save for the rare occasions when one actually says the name of the other guy, the only way to really tell is through their voices. Obviously, easier said than done for my case.