26: Blitzoff
"Uuwuh," Jecht groaned, holding a hand over his mouth. "I feel seasick."
Rikku skirted a little further away from Jecht.
Auron frowned. "We're not even on the sea."
Jecht didn't reply, instead leaning over the side of the palanquin while turning a distinct shade of green. Rikku felt a little sorry for him. His face looked pale and clammy, and she suspected that it had very little to do with the gentle swaying of the shoopuf.
Despite their early start, the traffic crossing the river had been backed up considerably – mostly thanks to Jecht's ill-conceived attack – and their journey hadn't begun until late afternoon. It was more than enough time for Jecht to start feeling the effects of his bold declaration of sobriety.
In a strange way, it was encouraging to see him suffering this badly. Jecht had managed the crossing thus far without drinking any liquor at all. Rikku guessed that most of his motion sickness was more the reality of his decision to stay clean. If that really were the case, she thought with a smirk, the sicker Jecht got, the better it would be for the rest of them.
Jecht burped wetly again, and even Braska looked a little green around the gills.
Maybe not exactly better, Rikku amended. With a sigh, she scooted to the railing and joined Jecht, who was hanging over the side miserably. "Hey, are you gonna be alright?"
Jecht waved one hand at her, the other covering his mouth. "Murrrp," he gurgled, and Rikku swallowed her own gag at the sound. She turned away – if he was actually going to vomit, then she really didn't want to see it firsthand – and then stopped as a glimmer under the water's surface caught her eye.
"Jecht! You can't puke here! Look!" Rikku said, grabbing his shoulder and shaking it as she pointed at the water.
"What the hell – 'ey, lemmie go!" Jecht growled at her. He stopped struggling and let out a low whistle as Rikku pushed his head down towards the water. "Is that... a city?" He squinted at the buildings rising from the river's depths.
"Yep," Rikku said cheerfully. "A sunken city!"
"Legend tells it was once a glorious city filled with wondrous machina," Braska added as he joined them, looking into the water. "The pride of its people became so great, however, that the bridges supporting the city collapsed under their own weight, destroying it forever."
"Maybe," Jecht mumbled. "But I bet it looked really cool while it lasted."
"You're missing the point of the lesson," Auron called out, still seated across from them with his arms folded against his chest. Despite his studied aloofness, Rikku noted with a giggle that he, too, was glancing over his shoulder to observe the city passing below them.
"Hey... you know," Rikku said as an idea formed, "I bet it still looks really cool!"
Jecht looked up at Rikku's tone, and then a grin tugged at his mouth. "Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" he asked, and Rikku waggled her eyebrows before pulling up her goggles and fixing them securely against her face.
"C'mon, let's go!" she yelled. Climbing over the seat, she took a deep breath and dove off the shoopuf. The faint sound of Braska and Auron's cries of surprise were drowned out as she hit the water with a splash, a sudden shock of cold against the heat of the midday sun.
Now this is more like it! Rikku thought as she angled herself downwards and pumped her legs, descending towards the city as quickly as she could. A dark blur passed her; Jecht outpaced her as he swam by. Show-off, she thought, redoubling her efforts to reach the city first.
The sparkling sunlight faded into a hazy blue in the depths of the Moonflow. Seaweed of impossible size swayed in the current, their numbers so thick that she couldn't make out much more than indistinct shadows in the depths of the river. Taking in her surroundings, Rikku revelled in the cool atmosphere. Sounds and sensations were dampened, making it feel like a relaxing escape from the loud, hectic world above. After a moment of letting herself free-float, Rikku sighed mentally – it would have cost too much air to do it underwater – and decided to look for Jecht. She knew she could hold her breath for at least fifteen minutes, maybe even more if she stretched it – all that diving Cid kept sending her to do paid off, after all. As for Jecht, she had no idea what he was capable of. Then again, he did play Blitzball for a living. If Keepa could fall asleep underwater and live, she probably had nothing to worry about.
At the nearest curved roof, Rikku began scanning the murky depths for Jecht. Her frown grew as she swam among the buildings; he was nowhere in sight, and she was beginning to worry. I should've at least warned him there could be fiends down here. She stuck her head into the ruins of what looked like an apartment building – and drew back suddenly, struggling to keep from choking as a wild-eyed Jecht surged out from the window.
Unable to yell at him despite her pounding heart, Rikku settled for a deep scowl and a few unmistakable gestures with her arm. Jecht, however, simply grinned at her with a look of relief.
He was worried? About me? As if, Rikku scoffed, and then caught herself. Well... actually, I guess I was worried, too, and with a sheepish smile she returned Jecht's thumbs-up. He gestured for her to follow, and then swam back inside the building.
Oooh, treasure hunting!
Instinctively, she eyed the corroded surfaces and debris inside for telltale signs of discarded machina. Jecht was less interested in poking around the rubble, and instead swam purposefully in front of her, bypassing several rooms. With one last, longing glance, Rikku followed him; obviously, something down there had him excited.
It was kind of nice, diving with someone who had never seen Spira's underwater ruins before; what could be considered "normal" to an average diver was still a foreign paradise to someone like Jecht. With a smile, Rikku wondered if he was going to point out the city's strange architecture or maybe even lead her to some sort of useful machina that hadn't yet been unearthed –
"Brruf!" Rikku coughed in surprise as she squeezed through yet another window and into a large hall with a high ceiling – one that she and Jecht were scraping the surface of as they swam across the room. The sheer volume wasn't what made her jerk back in surprise; it was the activity below them that caught her attention. Jecht was still swimming in circles and pointing every now and then at something that caught his eye.
Rikku tread the water, shocked. I never realized... Of course it made sense, once she thought about it. They had to live somewhere, after all.
Below them, darting around the water in streaks, was a school of Hypello. It was perhaps what she might call a 'city' – though their gathering certainly bore no resemblance to the metropolis of Bevelle. Rikku had never seen so many together at once; their long, stretched bodies, so clumsy on the land, served them well underwater. They weaved and dodged among themselves, densely packed and yet still perfectly coordinated, as though their movements were some sort of universally understood dance. Occasionally, smaller groups of Hypello would break away from the larger mass, swimming around each other in circles to form a tightly-knit ball – a feat of acrobatics that not even the best Blitzball players could ever hope to compete with.
Rikku watched, fascinated, as several of the Hypello clusters broke off, drifted away, and then reformed seamlessly with the masses below them. Silver and blue, they blended with the water so well it was dizzying. Their yellow eyes shone, pinpricks of light in the darkness. It was strange, disturbing, and yet somehow beautiful. Rikku was having a hard time connecting the slow, gangly creatures of the surface with the graceful ballet being orchestrated underwater.
Jecht tugged on her arm, and Rikku watched, fascinated, when another living orb of Hypello drifted towards them. As they approached, the group broke apart and positioned themselves near the ceiling. One Hypello swam closer with a graceful flick of its body; it moved sinuously like an eel, its arms and legs plastered to its side.
"Yoo are vishitoooors, yesh?" it said, and Rikku gawked. The heavy-sounding accent of the Hypello's voice was almost exactly the same as its brethren on the surface, save for the change in pitch due to the water surrounding them. Glancing at Jecht, she gave the curious Hypello a smile and a nod, hoping that its observation was as innocuous as it sounded. Well, I never heard of a violent Hypello before, but I don't think I ever heard of anyone crashing a Hypello party, either…
The Hypello half-turned and crooned something to the others, who closed in eagerly. Rikku thought she might have begun to sweat, if not for the fact that she was underwater. The other Hypello were responding with strange clicks and cries of their own – a completely different language, it would seem. After a few moments, though, they all began to chant one word which she understood.
"B-b-b-bliiitz, Blitz, Bliiiitz!"
Rikku blinked. They weren't really –
Jecht swam past her, a broad grin on his face. He thumped his chest and then struck a Blitzing pose underwater. The Hypello circled him at a dizzying speed, their chants growing louder. Fish-people or not, when it came to Blitzball fans Jecht was always in his element. Rikku resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Yoo human-ni-man-niman, human," the Hypello Rikku was beginning to think of as the spokesperson said to Jecht. Then it turned an eye – only one, actually, which was rather odd in and of itself – onto Rikku. "And yoo Al Bhed!"
Rikku and Jecht exchanged similar glances of confusion, before she turned to the spokesman – or maybe it was a woman – and gave it a clueless shrug. Why is it important? she wanted to ask.
The Hypello arced around her. "Al Bhed not sho bad, but humanimans need ze shurface..."
Now it was Jecht's turn to look insulted as the swarming Hypello ignored him mid-pose and circled around her instead, chanting something that sounded like "bed-bed-bed!"
Really, Rikku thought, crossing her arms with a sulk. So what if she had darker skin, spiral pupils and a general propensity towards Blitzball superiority because of her lung capacity? She was just as human as anyone else! It wasn't like she was a Guado –
Rikku checked the thought as she considered it. But no matter how much I don't like them, Guado are still people, too. It was that kind of thinking that made Seymour who he was, she realized. And up until Yuna's calm, most Spirans didn't seem to think of Al Bhed as entirely human, either.
Looking at the colony below, the lines between the races were becoming as blurred as the figures of the Hypello themselves. Before, Rikku had grouped them together simply as another one of Macalania's varied beastfolk, so different from herself that any attempt to understand what made them tick was destined to be futile. It was an easy thing to do with a people who were so alien to her own lifestyle.
Tobli had been the first to push for more widespread acceptance of the beast races among the human population; Hypello, however, didn't have the temperament for the same sort of passionate crusade. Most people thought of them exactly as how they presented themselves – quiet, simplistic creatures who stayed out of the way of others, living peaceful and reclusive lives.
The swarm below her was anything but simple or reclusive, though. They chattered amongst themselves, and the group of youths – at least Rikku thought they were youths – surrounding them were just as energetic as any land-dwelling teenagers, curious to meet and talk to both her and Jecht. If she thought about it, several Hypello had already mastered Spira's surface tongue despite it being so foreign to their own language of aquatic trills. Even if their speech sounded clumsy and slow to a land-dweller's ear, could there really be any surer sign of intelligence than that? After all, as far as she knew no human had ever mastered the Hypello language – few seemed to realize that such a language even existed. Up until a few minutes ago, she herself had been one of those people, Rikku thought with embarrassment.
The Hypello cloud finally stopped their furious rotation around her and gathered back into their communal ball of perpetual motion, save for the one who was speaking with them. "Will yoo show ussh your Blitz?"
Jecht gave the Hypello an eager thumbs up as Rikku held up her hands and shook her head. Whoa-whoa-whoa! She shot Jecht a warning look – how can you Blitz without other players?
Jecht, seeming to understand, grinned and pointed a finger at her.
One-on-one? Rikku struggled to keep her jaw closed. As it was, she'd been letting out enough air already. If she had to admit it, she was no slouch at Blitzing, but Tidus – heck, even chubby Wakka could beat her any day of the week with his eyes closed. She wasn't a professional! And hadn't Tidus said his father was a legend? She sagged, letting herself be buoyed by the water, and Jecht gave her an encouraging slap on the back.
"We'll b-b-b-bring zhe ball," the Hypello crooned. "Shee yoo topshide!"
.x.x.x.
Rikku broke the surface of the water, gasping for air, and shook her head. Twisting around, she spotted the large shoopuf a short distance away. Jecht surfaced next to her with a spray of water, inhaling deeply before whooping.
"Alright! Real Blitzball, at last! I'll show ya what I can do!" he roared, raising a fist over his head and sending another spray into Rikku's goggles.
Pulling them off and wiping them down, Rikku faced him. "Hey, what's the big idea? Who said I wanted to play Blitzball with you anyway?"
Jecht stopped splashing around, and his face fell as he tread the water. "Ya mean you can't play? Well, you are a girl, but I thought what with you holdin' yer breath an' all..."
Rikku hit the water with her palm, sending a wave flying into Jecht's face. "I can too play!"
"Then what's the problem?" Jecht's grin returned. "C'mon, let's show 'em what I can do!"
"What you can do? Gee, thanks," Rikku muttered under her breath. "Listen, just because I know how to Blitz doesn't mean I can play one-on-one! I'm a midfielder! I block passes, I don't score goals! Have you even looked at my legs lately?"
Jecht rolled his eyes. "Well, that would be Auron's job, wouldn't it? 'Sides, you don't need to shoot to play 'gainst me. It won't be a real game, just a chance for me to catch up a little bit, show my stuff, y'know."
Rikku eyed him suspiciously. Blitzing was a pretty rough game. She couldn't count how many black and blue spots she'd gotten trying to win that stupid prize egg necklace that Yuna had wanted so badly in the Gullwing team's last tournament. "Fine... as long as the only thing I have to do is pass the ball to you. No blocking, no tackling, no shooting at me, got it?"
Jecht smirked. "You'll be fine, Blondie!"
"Fine. Yeah," Rikku squeaked, wishing her voice hadn't risen a few octaves as she vicariously relived a few of Tidus' Sphere Shots. "I'm gonna go tell the others what we're doing," she added.
" 'Ey, get 'em to come in with us! Then it can be a real game! All of you against me!"
"I'd rather eat the blitzball first," Rikku grumbled to herself as she set off for the shoopuf at a brisk pace. It wasn't too difficult; unlike the Hypello, a shoopuf was nearly as slow in the water as it was on land. She caught up easily, hoisting herself onto its finned tail and earning a mammoth grunt of displeasure from the creature. "Sorry!" she called out, scrambling up the back of the shoopuf and towards the palanquin monkey-style.
"Rikku! What happened? Where's Jecht?" Braska asked, standing.
"Lord Braska, please sit down, that's dangerous. If Jecht knows Blitzball half as well as he claims to, he should be fine," Auron interrupted, glaring at her from his position on the seat. It looked like he hadn't moved at all since she'd last seen him.
Rikku hung onto the outer edge of the palanquin, mindful of the water streaming off of her body. "Yeah, about that... well, we met some Hypello while we were swimming and we kinda got pulled into a Blitzball game."
"With what team?" Auron asked, gesturing at the empty river around them.
"Well, er... just me," Rikku laughed, toying with a braid, which she nearly yanked off her head when she slipped and lost her balance on the shoopuf's slick hide. With a hiss of surprise, she planted both hands back on the railing. "Oww... slippery..."
"Be careful!" Auron scolded her, and she noticed he'd half-risen out of his seat.
"Hey, I'm okay! It's not like I can't swim," she reassured him, surprised when Braska laughed at her words.
"Auron, perhaps you should be the one to sit down?" he teased, and with a fierce expression Auron seated himself – this time on the side she was hanging from.
Rikku made a face at him. "What's with you?" When he didn't answer, she turned to Braska, who was still smiling, for an explanation.
"Auron doesn't know how to swim," Braska whispered to her, though she was sure the man in question knew exactly what she was being told.
"Ohh," Rikku said. "Umm, well, that's alright. I mean lots of people don't know how to swim..." not, she thought. Usually it was only city-dwellers who were faced with that problem; with Spira being covered in as much water as it was, nearly every provincial citizen knew at least how to keep themselves afloat. "So I guess that means you won't be joining us, huh," she added with a note of disappointment. "What about you, Braska?" She turned pleading eyes onto the Summoner, silently begging him not to leave her to face Jecht's Blitzball frenzy alone.
"Ah, well. I'm afraid I'll have to pass," Braska told her with a light smile, seating himself next to Auron. "I learned how to swim during my time with the Al Bhed, but my constitution leaves a little something to be desired."
"It can't be that bad..." Rikku protested.
"One minute and thirty-seven seconds," Braska told her with a hint of embarrassment.
"... yeah, umm. What I meant was it can't be a bad idea to stick around Auron right now," Rikku finished, trying to stifle her snigger.
"I'm grateful for your concern," Auron grumbled, still stinging over the revelation of his weakness. As he looked away, Rikku pounced with a mischievous grin.
"Cheer up," she cooed, hefted herself across the railing without warning and dropping her arms around him and forming a moist Rikku-imprint on the back of his coat. He only tried to shake her off half-heartedly. "If you look on the bright side, this means I'll get to have fun teaching you how to swim later on!"
"If we have the time for such diversions," Auron said gruffly, though the scowl had eased off of his face. He cleared his throat and tilted his head towards Braska, and Rikku let go of his neck reluctantly.
"Oh, please don't restrain yourselves," Braska said amicably. "I fully plan to attend those promised sessions myself. Perhaps I can improve my own time under water."
Rikku blanched and Auron mumbled something that sounded like "then go ask Jecht" under his breath.
"Listen," she told them, "I gotta go. I bet Jecht's waiting already, but I promise it won't take too long. We'll be back before you know it!"
Auron caught her arm before she could dive off. "Be careful," he said, his voice serious. "Both of you. There are still fiends in that water, and if something happens..." He looked vaguely upset. "... I couldn't rescue you."
Rikku stared, a blush crossing her face. Had he really just said that?
Even Braska was regarding him with a touch of wonder, and Auron dropped his head with a low oath. "... really will ruin me," he muttered, and Rikku let out a tiny snicker. It turned into a scream as Auron glared and pushed her backwards into the water. She hit it with a splash; sputtering as she tread the water, she stared at the retreating palanquin incredulously.
"Hey! I'm gonna get you for that!"
Auron waved a hand over the railing, already turning his back to her. "Hnn. Watch yourself," she heard him say as the shoopuf drifted away.
Rikku hit the water with her palm again. "Some boyfriend!" she seethed.
"Blondie! 'Ey, over here!" Looking around, Rikku spotted Jecht waving. Ripples in the water surrounded him, and at first Rikku thought they might have been fish-fiends until a few yellow, bulbous eyes broke the surface and blinked at her.
"Oooh," Rikku said, feeling nervous. As if in response, Jecht tossed a blitzball – tattered, but still in working order – into the air and waved at her. Putting on her goggles, Rikku whimpered to herself. "Here goes nothing..."
Taking a deep breath, she dove under the surface and swam towards Jecht. The cool grasp of the water was comforting to her, and Rikku marveled at the Hypello who had joined them. They were spreading out between herself and Jecht, swimming in wide circles and forming a living sphere ring. Wow, she thought, watching the shifting shadows cast by their bodies dilute the bright sunlight streaming in from above.
Something hit her in the back, and spinning around Rikku caught the falling blitzball out of pure reflex. She looked up and saw Jecht grinning a shark smile and beckoning to her to pass the ball.
I can do this, Rikku thought, and with a grin – or maybe a grimace, depending on how you looked at it, she began swimming in small circles to build her speed. When her blood was pumping, she stopped abruptly and sent the blitzball flying towards Jecht with a hard throw.
He looked pleased as the ball came towards him and twisted in the water, bringing one leg up. Rikku's eyes widened; it was sloppy – definitely unrefined, but that looked an awful lot like Tidus' signature move. Hastily swimming out of Jecht's line of fire, she watched as he completed the flip, connecting a foot to the blitzball and sending it rocketing out of their Hypello-made "sphere." Nearly as quickly as the shot had been fired, one of the Hypello separated from the group and swam after the ball. The others were busy cooing and trilling, even as Jecht lifted his arms over his head and mouthed I'm the best!
"Al-Bheeeed!" Hearing the watery cry, Rikku caught the blitzball that was sailing towards her. She looked at the ball in her hand in surprise, and then back at the Hypello, who was already rejoining his comrades in the circle. That fast? But he shot it pretty hard...
The smirk faded from Jecht's face. A grin was beginning to bloom on Rikku's own, though – Jecht might not have been playing Blitzball against her, but apparently the innocent Hypello could make his pride smart. With a frown, Jecht motioned at her to pass the ball again.
Rikku's competitive streak fired up. Oh no, two can play at this game! Swimming to build up her speed once more, she gripped the blitzball and forced herself into a spin. C'mon, c'mon, she thought, feeling Jecht's eyes on her as she attempted to whirl the way Judda had taught her. Just a little more spin on it, and then... release! With a grin of triumph, Rikku let her special pass fly. Jecht's expression turned into one of disbelief as he dived out of the way of the ball. One of the Hypello broke off from the group and caught it – not too difficult of a feat, considering that her pass couldn't obtain anything near the speed of one of Jecht's shots – but as it swam to return the ball, it wavered. The Hypello's eyes blinked once, then twice before falling completely shut. It let out a loud snore, drifting through the water.
Oops, Rikku thought, watching the Hypello float away before it was rescued by one of its brethren. Maybe using a Nap Pass wasn't the brightest idea... The remaining Hypello seemed to disagree, crooning and hooting in a strange mix of cheers to encourage her. She grinned and waved at Jecht, who glared and bunted the ball back at her. Right, this is his show. Circling once again, Rikku threw a simple vanilla pass at Jecht as an on-the-fly apology.
This time, Jecht caught the ball with his hands, which surprised Rikku. Then, with a twist of his torso, he began spinning, faster and faster. Hey... did he just copy me? So not fair! Rikku thought petulantly, watching him whirl through the water. More unfair was the fact that he seemed to get the hang of the spin almost instantly. It had taken her weeks to learn that! He kept on going, to the point where the water was beginning to cyclone underneath him. Then, coming out of the spin, he let the ball fly.
Rikku felt the pressure of the water rushing past as the speed of the ball flying by her cheek left a vacuum in its wake. The Hypello parted, and Rikku spun around, but she couldn't even see the ball, let alone track it. How'd he get it that fast with his arms alone? Shoot, he really is a pro! Whirling to face Jecht, her eyebrows rose, and he responded with a smug grin that just screamed "Eat that!" The grin dropped, however, as another Hypello dutifully approached her, ball in hand.
Biting back a snigger, Rikku felt a niggling sense of pity for Jecht. He was giving an impressive performance – and the Hypello seemed to be eating it up, just like a perfect audience. Their unassuming way of avoiding his shots and returning his goals, however, was seriously annoying him. It was hard to claim he was the best when a couple of non-blitzers were outshining him. C'mon, Jecht... the only way you could beat them is if you grew gills, Rikku thought as she prepared another pass.
This time, Jecht simply paddled in place and delivered a powerful kick to the ball. What's he trying to do now? Rikku thought, watching it speed past her. The answer came with a loud thump, as the kick actually connected with one of the swimming Hypello, knocking it out of formation and sending the ball flying back towards Jecht. A lump of dread formed in her stomach. Is he nuts?
As if in answer, Jecht flipped once again. Rikku observed the movement with anxiety, her rising panic making it seem as though he was moving in slow motion. His foot connected with the ball, and another Hypello went down. He IS nuts! Gotta go, go-go-go! She swam as swiftly as she could for the edge of the Hypello ring. She didn't see, she felt Jecht reaching back, probably sucking the surrounding water with him as he knuckled the ball, and she just knew she should have worn her Lady Luck dressphere down here –
"Booooh!" The air rushed out of Rikku's lungs explosively when the blitzball hit her retreating back. Oww, she thought as she lost her orientation, flipping head over heels in the water. Somewhere behind her she knew Jecht was already in a spin, putting the finishing move on the Not-So-Sublimely-Magnificent-When-You-Got-Hit-By-It Jecht Shot Mark II. She might have felt sorry for the Hypello he struck with his final blow, but the problem of getting her air back had a higher priority.
Coughing, she inhaled a mouthful of water and began clawing her way to the surface blindly. I need air and I knew this would happen and it hurts and I need air but I can't see anything and I need air and Auron's not gonna come and I REALLY need air... Thrashing around, she came into contact with something soft; eyes flying open, Rikku realized she'd been angling downwards towards the riverbed, and felt a moment of panic. I won't make it to the surface! She looked up, desperate, and saw yellow. What?
The Hypello blinked at her, and suddenly, she was flying. There was no other way to describe it; she felt like one of Jecht's blitzballs, streaming through the water so quickly that she would have hurt her eyes, were it not for her goggles. The Hypello shot them towards the surface in a stream of bubbles, and for the briefest of moments Rikku felt jealous of every fish she had ever seen.
And then her ears were roaring as the pressure broke and she crested the surface. The Hypello released her, leaping over her head before dipping soundlessly back into the water with almost no splash. Rikku's own return was not quite as graceful; she coughed and sputtered, sending sprays all around her as she expelled the water from her lungs. Finally, her heart slowed down to something less than racing Chocobo speed and she managed to pace herself at a steady tread in the water.
Her back stung; even without looking Rikku knew she was going to develop a blitzball-shaped bruise between her shoulder blades. I can't believe I was feeling sorry for him! "Arg!" she screamed, slapping the water furiously. She heard a splash and twisted around, her face set in an angry snarl.
Jecht tread the water next to her, hair plastered to his face and eyes wide. He opened his mouth, and Rikku reached over and slapped him.
"You jerk! That really really hurt! I told you not to do that!" she yelled.
"... you can hit me again," Jecht mumbled, rolling onto his back and floating listlessly.
Calming down somewhat, Rikku scowled at him. "I should." He said nothing, and her scowl deepened. "I should tell the others, you know. Then Auron'll really kill you. They won't even find pieces." He still didn't respond, and Rikku hit the water with frustration. "Braska would help, too!"
"Maybe I should leave," Jecht said, and Rikku stopped ranting.
"Huh?"
"Leave this whole Pilgrimage thing," he added, squinting at the clouds. "I almost got ya killed two times now. I can't even keep my promises, see?"
Rikku paddled through the water. It was hard to try and respond to that, especially when her back was still smarting. "Well, everybody makes mistakes every once in awhile. Maybe you just make more than the rest of us," she said.
Jecht gave her a half-hearted glare. "What if we reach the other side an' I mess up again? What if it's Auron next time? Or Braska? I can't stop thinkin' about it. Just one drink. Just one more to say g'bye."
"Don't you think you're strong enough?" Rikku asked.
"What does it matter? You said it. I'm a jerk anyway, even when I ain't drunk." He flipped upright and faced her. "You should go catch up with 'em. Tell Braska I drowned or somethin'. I can still reach the shore from here."
Rikku rolled her eyes. "You? Drown? Like they'd believe me! Don't be stupid and come back with me already."
"Why? There ain't nothin' good 'bout me," Jecht answered with a viciousness that took Rikku by surprise. "Abandonin' my woman for the bottle... an' then I never really got to know my kid. I wanna see him so bad it hurts, but he hates me. Hell, he's probably happy I'm gone. I can't even stop hurtin' the people tryin' to help me right now! I ain't nothin' but bad news for everyone, so maybe I should just disappear." He paused. "Tell me this, though. You know my boy. You said he grows up just fine. So... you know, don'tcha. Do I ever get back to Zanarkand? My Zanarkand?"
Rikku looked at Jecht; he was less of the cocky Blitzball hero they had come to know and looking more like a pathetic waterlogged child at the moment. Uncertainty and depression had him hunching over, making him appear smaller than he really was, and even his wet hair drooped without any of its usual wild life.
This man saves Spira, she told herself. You have to lie so he can go on. She opened her mouth, and in an increasingly worrisome trend something spilled out of it that she hadn't intended.
"No," she said softly.
Jecht closed his eyes.
"... but come back anyway," she added, feeling stupid. "Braska needs you."
"He don't need a good for nothin' like me," Jecht said bitterly.
Rikku didn't know how to answer him, but the water around them erupted, saving her the trouble. Her panic died down as she realized it was only Jecht's Hypello fan club leaping around them. One – the spokesperson, Rikku recognized – swam up to them and lifted its head fully out of the water.
"Shank yoo!" it crooned, eyeing Jecht with something close to adoration. Guess it's a female, Rikku concluded.
"For what?" Jecht asked; he had, after all, knocked a couple of them cold with his last trick.
"Shat wash wonderful!" the Hypello cooed. "Wee love Blitshball, but noobody ever comes to vishit..." she added. "Hypello never get to shee..."
Rikku thought about it, nodding to herself. "Right... I haven't seen too many Hypello in Luca's stadium, either." A Hypello Blitzball team... they'd be laughed out of town before they got near the locker rooms. And the Al Bhed Psyches would probably be laughing the loudest, too. "So... you guys aren't mad, then?" she asked, just to be certain.
"M-mm-mad?" The Hypello looked at her, then Jecht, and – Rikku tried not to wince – did that weird split-eye thing again to look at them both. "Yoo are heroes! Firsht humanimans to play jusht for ussh!" She swam around Jecht, surrounding him with pleasant ripples. "Hero!" she crooned happily, and the other Hypello decided to join in, clicking and squeaking and occasionally trying to copy the word, though it came out sounding more like a chorus of "E-rows."
"Wow," Rikku said, watching as the group of Hypello slipped away into the depths of the Moonflow. "I guess they really like you."
The look of surprise hadn't quite fallen off of Jecht's face; his brows rose to his bandana. "Why're they so pumped? All we did was Blitz a little, and I even hurt some of 'em!"
Rikku smiled. "You did something for them that nobody ever has before," she informed him.
"Eh?"
"You treated them like equals. You're a regular Hypello Hero!" she added with a small cheer.
"Uhh," Jecht said, his face turning red. "I guess... if you say so," he mumbled. "Compared to those guys, I ain't no Blitzin' hero though."
"You're not their hero just because you're a guy that can Blitz," Rikku said, splashing some water his way. "They like you because they saw something in you. The same thing that Braska does. Even me, I guess... when you're not trying to drown me," she added with a small smirk.
"But I – " Jecht protested.
"You're not bad news," Rikku cut him off. "The Neptune Sigil chose you, didn't it? There must be a reason. You know, I always thought Auron was your toughest critic, but maybe I'm wrong. After all, you're the only one who wants to give up on yourself. What happened to all that resolve from last night?"
Jecht grimaced. "Maybe it died when you told me I was gonna be stuck here," he pointed out.
"Uhh," Rikku said, losing her concentration and dipping under the water. Darn it, she thought, coughing as she surfaced. "Hey... you don't know the whole story. And you shouldn't! Who ever said the future is set in stone? And why are you taking my word like it's the law, now? You're the one who's always joking about how wrong I am about everything, aren't you?"
Jecht wavered, looking between the shrinking figure of the shoopuf and the distant shore of the Moonflow.
"Jecht," Rikku said, waving and centering his attention back on herself. "I'm fine, okay? No harm, no foul. And besides, think of this as your big chance."
"Chance for what?" Jecht raised an eyebrow.
"To become a hero, not just look like one on the spheres," she said. "To turn into a dad Tidus could be proud of. I think you got a pretty good start today."
With a sigh, Jecht shook his head. "You sure you ain't gonna regret this later?" he asked, paddling alongside her.
"Nope," Rikku said. "But it's your job to convince me that this isn't a mistake, right? That's the point!"
"Some pep talk," Jecht mumbled, before diving into the water and streaking off towards the shoopuf.
"Yes!" Rikku said. Then she realized she was being left behind. "Wait a sec... hey, no fair! You're not supposed to leave the girl behind, especially after you hit her!" He showed no signs of slowing, and she huffed. "Fine, see if I ever do anything nice for you again."
She took her time swimming back; Jecht seemed to be in a hurry, as though he might change his mind if he delayed, and all she saw of him was a bright stream of bubbles. Back still aching, Rikku watched the city below her passing by.
Hmm... it really is pretty. I wonder why I always end getting beat up whenever I come here, though. A flash of silver caught her eye, and Rikku smiled at the last of the Hypello darting away between the ruins of the ancient city.
Those guys... I wonder why I never saw them before? They must be just as affected by Sin as the rest of us, but they seem so... relaxed, always happy to help. Like most of the beast-men in Spira; Sin's sorrow just doesn't seem to touch them. She frowned thoughtfully as she swam. Maybe someone could help them out for once. I should talk to Yuna about it, she has enough clout to do something…
Rikku stopped herself from going down that path, grabbing her head and shaking it. No... not going to think that way anymore. I promised myself I'd be here from now on. Just like Jecht – no more relapses! Stepping up her pace, she sped through the water mentally chanting her new mantra.
When she reached the shoopuf, Jecht was already there, dripping water all over everything. Auron, for once, didn't seem to be making a big issue out of it. He winced as he watched her clamoring over the slick hide of the shoopuf to rejoin them, and his grip on the railing was turning his knuckles white. Rikku suspected his reticence was more due to his discomfort around the open water than any actual leniency.
"So did you have fun Blitzing?" Auron asked as she pulled herself over the railing.
"Well," Rikku said, drawing the word out as she eyed Jecht. She made a show of cracking her back and rolling her shoulders, and Jecht looked progressively more uncomfortable with each passing second. New leaf or not, she really thought he needed to sweat a little; her back still hurt. Finally, she stopped stretching and smiled. "Jecht's become a Hypello hero!"
Auron rolled his eyes. "Forget I asked."
"Really," Braska said, chuckling at them both. "A Hypello hero? That's a good first step towards defeating Sin, isn't it? It seems my faith in you was well-placed," he joked.
Rikku giggled a little, but her heart wasn't in it. People underestimated the Hypello because they just simply didn't seem to mind what others thought of them; after what she'd seen, though, to laugh about Jecht's new "title" felt cruel.
Jecht, too, wasn't in the mood to joke around and only managed a wan imitation of his usual cocky smile. " 'ey, I'm gonna go hang out with the driver, I guess," he said. "I still need to apologize to him for... well, y'know." Ignoring Braska's look of surprise, he didn't wait for an answer to climb right back out of the palanquin.
"Did I offend him?" Braska wondered out loud.
"Let him go," Auron said. "At least he came to the proper conclusion on his own this time. Savor the moment."
Braska ignored him, a perceptive frown crossing his face. He leaned forward and strained to catch the conversation that had started between Jecht and the surprised Hypello leading the shoopuf. At least, Rikku guessed the Hypello was surprised, since it had bothered to direct one of its eyes towards Jecht instead of the river.
"I do not think he is simply apologizing," Braska observed. "It looks like they are actually... conversing." Jecht laughed loudly and pointed to himself, and Braska lifted an eyebrow. "About Blitzball, of all things."
"Hnn. Rikku, go tell Jecht to leave the driver alone."
"Nopey-nope!" Smiling, she plopped down onto the seat right next to Auron. "Let him sort it out by himself for once. It might be good for him!"
"Good for him?" Auron scowled. "And bad for us. I'll get him myself." He started getting up.
Pouting, Rikku threw her legs over his lap, making sure to drip liberally across his coat. "No," she repeated. "I'm serious!"
He sighed in annoyance, but allowed himself to be trapped against the bench by the weight of her legs. "He might very well be trying to pawn his next drink off of the driver," Auron warned her.
Braska, who was observing the conversation between Jecht and the Hypello with interest, shook his head. "I do not think that is the case. He said he would change, after all. I trust him."
"I can see I'm outnumbered here," Auron groused. Though his words held their typical bite, he dropped his arms onto Rikku's legs, purposefully tracing a line down her calf towards her ankles.
Rikku suppressed a surprised giggle. Then she tried to pull herself together before anyone could notice her turning into a puddle on the seat cushion.
Braska, who still hadn't turned around, didn't even realize he was interrupting them. "Speaking so candidly with that creature, though…" He sounded thoughtful. "I always thought the Hypello were not interested in our world. I wonder..."
She smiled, watching Braska learning something new; apparently Jecht could be more of a hero than any of them had realized – and he wasn't even trying. "Yeah, just trust him a little," she soothed Auron. "You might be surprised, but even Jecht can do the right thing once in awhile."
edited 8/16
In FFX-2, Rikku and the rest of the girls are pretty good Blitzball players. Winning the tournament is one way to gain the AP Egg accessory, which Rikku mentions Yuna wanted.