=====================

Chapter 3 : Beyond Doubt

=====================

Zell sat in his room, given to him by the headmaster who was named Cid.
Looking around, it sported random trophies and pictures of people, places
and others, all belonging to his roommate of all of two days. Flopping
backwards onto the bed, he sighed and groaned. "Why, oh why does the day
have to start out like this?" he muttered to himself.

The door then swished open as Tidus walked in. He was still dressed
normally, but was sweating. In his hands he held a one handed grey sword
that was curved into a hooked blade. Putting it to the side, he looked over
at where Zell lay prone and asked, "You okay?"

"Oh sure, great, just great," Zell grumbled.

"I have a feeling your meeting with the headmaster didn't go well?" Tidus
stepped into the adjacent bathroom and the sound of running water was heard.
"What's wrong, he chewed you out?"

"It was the OTHER guy who got under my skin," Zell muttered.

After a few minutes, Tidus stepped out, drying his flyaway hair with a
towel. "So what's the matter? It's not like you have to go fight Sin single
handedly, right?" At Zell's expression, Tidus' eyes went wide. "What? You
mean you HAVE to do that?"

"Orders man," Zell said, grumbling. "Oh, and I got a message from the
headmaster for you. You're accompanying me."

Tidus went ghostly white. "ME?! I'm just a cadet! I've never even SEEN Sin
before!"

"Some guy, big tall guy wearing a red dress and carrying a big ass sword
said you had to come along." Zell sighed as he removed his normal gloves,
and pulled Ehrgeiz out of his back pocket. Unlike most of the others, he had
kept his original gloves, preferring to get some of his later gloves
remodeled. "C'mon, lets get some stuff from the dispensary. I have a feeling
we'll have to ressurect each other a few times."

"The wonder of Pheonix Down." Tidus sighed despondantly. "We're both going
to die." Tidus went over and scooped a triad of crystals on his desk. They
vanished into thin air as he dressed. "Well, when do we leave?"

"As soon as possible," Zell said.

=================

News had spread of the two valliant warriors who were about to head out to
fight Sin. There were hundreds of people lined along the corridor of the
Garden, all wishing Zell and Tidus good luck. A few girls were crying, and
older veteran SeeDs who had survived Sin were shaking their heads, saying
"So young. They'll never return home."

Inwardly, Zell was fighting a battle. 'I can't do this! Not without my GF's!
But NOOOO! I had to give
them to Selphie! Oh man, I'm going to die horribly and there's nothing I can
do about it!'

Tidus' mind was running along the lines of 'Why me? Sure I'm top in the
class but they don't have to send us out now! If they wanted to kill us, why
didn't they send us out earlier?'

At the entrance of the room, a man in red stood. One hand was thrust through
his robe front, instead of the sleeve, the other holding onto a big sword.
Zell's expression contoured into a snarl as Tidus scowled. "I should have
known," Tidus said, approaching the man. "What the hell are you thinking,
sending us out, Auron?"

"It is time," Auron said simply. "We will take a boat to the middle of the
ocean. There, we will do battle with Sin."

"Well fuck man, what the hell are we standing around for?" Zell asked,
regaining his bravado to keep himself from flipping out in fear. "Lets do
this!"

Auron didn't smile, simply turned and lead the way.

================

"Well, we're in the Cloister. Now what?"

Selphie sighed. "Now, we solve them. Maybe we can catch up to the others
before Yuna finishes her praying or whatever she does to the Fayth."

Irvine nodded. Together, it took them less time to solve the puzzles of the
Cloister of Trials, considering that Selphie had a mind for puzzles and
Irvine could push the heavy stone pillars easier than she could. When the
fire wall had died from across the room, Irvine was tossing a violet glyph
stone in one hand up and down while Selphie tested the area, making sure
they hadn't missed anything. "Hey Selphie, are we done yet?" Irvine called
out.

"Yes, and put that thing down." Selphie called out.

Irvine sighed as he put the glowing ball into a slot in the wall. A thread
of violet light followed a trail and suddenly, a wall exploded outwards,
revealing an old glittering chest. Irvine looked into the hole in the wall
and grinned. "Score!"

Selphie sighed. "Well, leave it. We'll get it when we head back out, okay?"

Irvine sighed. He really wanted to open the treasure chest. But the cowboy
followed Selphie into the next room where a platform stood. Gathering around
the middle, Selphie touched the glyph stone and the elevator lurched
downwards.

When they reached the bottom, Selphie pushed the doors open and was greeted
by a "What the heck? Why are you two down here?" by Wakka.

Irvine jabbed a thumb backwards. "That summoner chick caused the people of
the temple to get whipped up into an angry mob. They blocked off the
entrance so we came in here."

Wakka groaned and hung his head. "You two are just trouble, ya?"

"Not like we had a choice. It was either rush in here, or get possibly
ripped apart by the angry mob." Irvine and Wakka glared at each other.

"Down, Irvine," Selphie chided. "So, is Yunie already in there?"

Lulu nodded. "Yes. And don't even think about going inside."

Selphie sighed. "I know, I know."

Kimahri just grunted. Suddenly, the doors at the top of the stairs cracked
open and light shone through it, obscuring everything except for Yuna who
staggered out of the door. Irvine leaned over to Selphie and asked, "Are
Summoners always looking like that after praying?"

"Seems like it," Selphie replied.

Yuna leaned on Kimahri's strong arms as she regained her balance. "I have
obtained another Aeon."

"Which one?" Irvine asked, interested.

"Ifrit." Yuna answered.

Selphie blinked as she said, "Ifrit? I have that."

Lulu actually chuckled at that. "First an unknown... Guardian Force, was it?
Now you also have a beast like the Aeon Ifrit as well?"

"I'll show him to you," Selphie said with a grin. "Of course, it could take
a while, my Compatability with Ifrit is kinda low."

"Last thing we need is a Summoner Battle," Wakka interjected. "Lets get back
down to Kilika. There, we can catch a boat to Luca. And lets hope we don't
run into those Luca Goers as well," Wakka added, half under his breath.

==================

The trip down through the jungle was uneventful, save for Irvine blowing
away a huge plant monster and Wakka shouting at him for doing so. Arriving
at the town which was still being rebuilt by the people who had come from
Besaid or Luca before Sin's attack, they stopped for a short meal.

Outside, Irvine paced, engulphed in his thoughts. There were people around,
still giving him the evil eye. He sighed and sat down on an unbroken bench,
fighting the urge to clean his gun like he usually did during the times he
felt restless.

"Kairi get away from there!" Irvine looked over to where a young girl was
calling to a little girl in a dress. The little girl was sitting in the
ruins of an old house, crying for her parents. Suddenly, a hideous cracking
noise was heard.

Irvine didn't think, he acted. Rushing over, he grabbed the girl and leapt
off the ruins as it went tumbling into the sea. "Here you are," he said,
handing the little girl to the shell shocked girl.

The girl uttered a "Thank you," and rushed off towards the Inn where the
others were still eating, carrying the little girl who waved at Irvine.

"That was nice of ya." Irvine turned around and found Wakka standing behind
him. "Saving the girl. I couldn't have moved that fast."

"I hope this doesn't mean we're friends," Irvine said, smirking.

Wakka snorted. "Yeah, right. C'mon, the foods getting cold."

Irvine smirked at that, and followed the other.

================

The boat lurched to a halt. Tidus looked up at Auron who had been driving.
"We're here?" he asked.

"Yes," was Auron's reply.

"Talkative guy," Zell remarked.

Getting out of the boat cabin, Auron picked up the katana from where it lay
at his side. Tidus and Zell followed him, checking their weapons and in
Zell's case, limited amount of Magic Junctions.

Tidus and Zell followed close behind as Auron strode out of the ship. Zell
looked around, but nothing was there, except a lot of water, a steep flat of
rock that jutted out into the air, and Zanarkand, shining way in the
distance. "We're at Sin Rock," Tidus gasped, going pale.

"Sin Rock?" Zell asked.

"Sin Rock is where Sin always emerges. And where the SeeDs do battle with
it," Auron replied. "Come, Sin is waiting for us."

"What the hell do you mean, 'waiting for us'?" Tidus demanded. "What the
hell is going on, Auron? I want answers!"

"You will find your answers," Auron replied. "But not yet."

The trio stood their ground as they gazed over the ocean. Suddenly, a wave
began to rise as a glowing ball of water emerged from the depths of the
ocean. Tidus went pale, Auron was expressionless and Zell realized with a
sickening lurch that this was the thing Selphie had summoned.

Tidus unsheathed his sword, but Auron made a motion for the young blonde to
stay his hand. "No," Auron said. "We wait for Sin to take us."

"WHAT?!" Tidus screamed. "But that's suicide! What the hell do you expect us
to do, FIGHT INSIDE SIN?"

"It does not matter what you think," Auron said. Sin had moved quickly, and
was now upon them. He sheathed his sword and grabbed both of them by their
shirts. Tidus struggled helplessly while Zell saw the light again.

"This is where it begins for you two. This is your story." Auron vanished
into the depths of Sin.

Tidus and Zell screamed as they were pulled into the being. And the song, so
much heard in the depths of a temple, was heard as Sin vanished into the
waves below.

===================

Selphie sat down next to Irvine who sat propped up against the harpoon guns.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked.

Irvine shook his head. "It's just so annoying.... being given looks every
time I go everywhere. People call me the 'Harbringer of Sin' because I use a
rifle."

Selphie sighed. Looking up, she found Lulu walking up, dragging Wakka by an
elbow. Wakka looked like he wished to be somewhere else. Irvine had a
similar expression on his face. "Go on," Lulu said, pushing Wakka forward.

Wakka grumbled but said, "Hey, Irvine... um.... sorry, ya?"

Irvine raised an eyebrow. "And this is for what?"

"For blaming ya for Sin," Wakka said. "I...."

Irvine smirked. "It's okay, Wakka. I understand you were upset."

Wakka looked relieved. "Um.... hey, I was wondering.... you two know this
drawing stuff, ya? Can ya teach me how to do that?"

Irvine found himself being pushed forward by Selphie. He chuckled and stood
up. "Okay then. But I think we'll make it easy on you first." He placed his
hand on Wakka's chest and muttered, "Scan." A moment later, he nodded and
turned to Selphie. "Can Wakka borrow Carbunkle?"

Selphie grinned. "I see where you're going with this." She removed Carbunkle
from her mental junction and gave it to Wakka who eyed it curiously.

"What's this? A Guardian Force?" Wakka asked.

"I don't get it," Lulu said.

"It's simple." said Irvine. "Wakka doesn't have much magic, but used
correctly, a Guardian Force can help agument the natural abilities of a
person."

"This goes in my head?" Wakka looked rather nervous at the idea of having a
living being in his brain.

"Sorta. What you do is try to focus on making the GF part of you. Go on,
give it a try." Selphie encouraged with a smile.

Wakka screwed up his face as he concentrated hard. With a soft pop, the GF
vanished as Wakka staggered. "WHOA!"

"Careful," Irvine said, steadying Wakka. "it's overwhelming at first. Take
it slow, take deep breaths."

Selphie turned to Lulu as she scanned her. Then, removing a GF, she handed
it to Lulu. "This'll help you guys during drawing. This GF is called Shiva.
It should help you with your drawing abilities, and perhaps add to your
own."

Lulu took it and the sphere vanished with a pop. "Oh my..." Lulu staggered
but steadied herself.

"The power can be overwhelming at times. But just channel the excess power
all over your body." Irvine instructed.

After a few minutes of getting used to the power that flooded their systems,
Wakka grinned. "I feel incredible! Like a Million Gil!"

"It is almost intoxicating," Lulu mummured.

"Okay then." Selphie rubbed her hands. "First, we need victims."

Wakka blanched. "Victims?"

Irvine laughed out loud. "Naw, not like that. We need people to draw from."

Wakka nodded as he looked around the deck. There were some people, including
that O'aka guy that they had met on the boat earlier that evening. He then
grinned as he looked at Bickson and the other Goers clustered around Yuna.
"We'll use them."

Selphie giggled, Lulu raised an eyebrow and Irvine stiffled a snort of
laughter. "Okay then." Said Irvine. "First, you draw your sences into their
body. Then, when you find the magic within them, give a sharp tug. You too,
Lulu."

Wakka stretched out his hand and concentrated hard. Lulu began to sway a
bit. Bickson and Graav didn't know what hit them. Suddenly, several spheres
of teal escaped their bodies as they let out simultanious yells of "OOW!"

Wakka opened his eyes as he felt the newfound magic basking in his body. "I
got... 15 Blizzara."

"10 Thundara," Lulu put in.

Selphie slapped Wakka on the back and she grinned at Lulu. "Okay then. Now,
to learn how to cast. Draw one spell from your body, and let it flow out of
your body."

Wakka stared out into the water and grunted. His body started to shake as
sweat poured down his face. "No no no, you're doing it wrong." Irvine said.
"Let it flow, don't force it. Relax. Pretend you're doing something you
enjoy."

Wakka nodded as he took a deep breath, reared back and threw out his hand
like he was throwing a ball. A blast of ice flashed out and solidified a
portion of the water. "I... I did it," he said, amazed at his feat.

Lulu, already had cast the Thundera spell with ease, being that magic was
her forte. "Congratualtions Wakka," she said, a small smile on her face.

"Now, for the harder part; junctioning." Irvine sat down and motioned for
the others to do the same. "This might take a while, so sit down and relax.
First, take that magic you just drew, and spread it around your body. Try to
imagine your strength building, or an electrical or icy shield in front of
you. When you feel those sensations, you've junctioned magic to your body."

"How does this junction work? Is it like the way we have Guardian Forces in
our minds?" Lulu asked.

Selphie noded. "Yes, exactly. You mentally arrange the magic to whatever you
want to adjust. There are several parts to begin with, but we'll start with
Attack Strength. Try to divert the flow of power to your limbs, as if you
want to get stronger. Let your strength start to flow with the increased
amount of magic you have within."

The night proceeded with more training in the Drawing ability, Junctioning
and Stocking. Wakka found, to his delight and eternal amusement that he
could draw secretly from the Goers, making em yelp in pain. After a while,
they had agumented some of their attacks. Wakka had learned how to agument
his ball with elemental energies, while Lulu could stock and unleash the
magic in multiple blasts.

===================

"Hey. HEY!"

Zell yelped as a boot dug into his side. Startling awake, he found himself
sitting on a deck of some sort of boat. Beside him, was Tidus, looking
waterlogged but still alive. Looking around, he found a girl staring into
his face. She was wearing a skintight outfit in red, green and skin tones. A
mask with goggles adorned her face. Zell reached over and shook Tidus. "Oi,
Tidus. Wake up!"

The young SeeD cadet coughed and hacked as he awoke with a start. "I'm up,
I'm up!" As Tidus tried to scramble to his feet in order to get ready for
classes, a man shouted in some unknown language and held a rifle with a
sharp looking bayonette to his throat. Zell jumped up and reached out to
help Tidus, but found another rifle at his neck.

The girl, said something to the man who backed down. Extending a hand to
Zell, she helped him up. "You two are lucky to be alive," she said in the
normal dialect that both were used to.

"Where... where are we?" Tidus asked. "And who're you?"

"You're in the Spira Sea, a ways away from the port town of Luca," the girl
answered. "We found you two lying in the ocean. If we hadn't stopped to pull
you both out, you could have drowned."

Tidus groaned as he rubbed his head. "That's the last time I take orders
from Auron. Pah, take down Sin. Why don't we just throw the whole bleeding
Garden at it next time?"

"You know where we are?" Zell asked Tidus.

Tidus nodded. "Yeah, Luca. It's a small town near the southern edge of
Spira. My aunt lives there."

The girl, who was listening in, gasped as she realized something. "You two
are SeeDs?"

"Well, I'm a SeeD," Zell said, puffing up. "Tidus is just a rookie."

"Rookie?" Tidus exclaimed, upset. "Hell, I'm at the top of my class! And the
star Blitzball player of the Zanarkand Abes!"

The girl blinked at the last part but said, "I did not realize SeeD was
still active, with the Crusaders and all."

"Crusaders?" Zell blinked. He then turned to Tidus. "You hear of Crusaders?"

"Nope," Tidus replied.

"Strange," the girl said. "You said you were on a mission to take down Sin,
am I correct? Then why do you not suffer the effects of Sin's Toxin?"

"Toxin?" Tidus barked a laugh. "What Toxin? People either die, or come back
with memories so horrifying that they've blanked it out."

"But if Sin doesn't have a Toxin, then why do people become forgetful?" She
wore a puzzled expression on her face.

"It's like this," Tidus said. "You see, people have this function in their
brains that keep trauma supressed. Trauma as surviving Sin is naturally
repressed, only gradually recovering from it. Of course, I don't know how we
survived Sin. I distinctly remember both of us and Auron getting sucked into
Sin."

The girl's eyes went wide. "You two were sucked into Sin and survived? How
is that possible?"

"I dunno," Tidus said, scratching his head. "There's some veterans who've
fought Sin before but they've never said anything about people surviving
Sin's attacks or getting spit out somewhere halfway across the continent.
Most of the time, people get atomized by his first attack, kinda like a
forcefield that atomizes things on contact. Then, he goes around sucking
stuff up like some kinda unnatural hurricane."

"I see that you have a lot of knowledge of Sin," said a man who stepped out
before them. He was bald, and strong looking. Folding his arms, he said,
"I'm Cid, captian of this ship."

Zell rolled his eyes. "Now THERE'S an original name," he grumbled.

The man, who looked rather stern chuckled. "The name Cid has been in our
family for generations kid."

Zell frowned and said, "Hey.... you wouldn't happen to have an ancestor who
was named Cid Kramer, now would you?"

The man scrunched up his brow in thought. "Cid Kramer.... ah, yes, great,
great, great, great, great.... five more great grandfather Cid Kramer. And
many times over great Grandmother Edea."

Zell threw up his hands in disgust. "Fucking great! Great, just fucking
great. I know what happened."

"Well, don't keep us in the dark," Tidus said dryly.

"We're in the future," Zell said seriously. "At least I think so. That Sin
thingy must be able to send people forward in time. That's what happened to
me in the past, I was sucked into Sin with a bunch of my friends, and we
must have been scattered throughout time."

Tidus blinked. "Scattered... how many were there of you?" he asked.

"There was seven of us, Rinny, Seffie, Irvine, me, Squall, Quistis and
counting Rinny's dog, Angelo, that makes seven. Why?"

Tidus blinked and said, "Whoa. I'm standing before a living legend."

"Care to enlighten us?" Cid asked, folding his arms.

"It's like this. The first Sin sighting was a couple of months after the
Sorceress Battles in 982. Six people and a Dog were sucked into Sin,
according to the history texts, leaving the current Garden, Balamb Garden
untouched. Garden then changed their purpose to defeating Sin and were
sucessful a few times, using powerful Guardian Forces that they had
discovered in other places beyond the ones that had been discovered." Tidus
looked at Zell in awe. "There were six of them who were sucked into Sin, and
were honored throughout the ages; Squall Leonhart, Rinoa Heartilly, Quistis
Trepe, Selphie Tilmitt, Irvine Kinneas.... and Zell Dincht."

Everyone turned to Zell who chuckled and said, "Wow, I didn't know I was
such a big deal."

"Big deal? Hell, you're a legend!" Tidus exclaimed. "SeeD took on the never
give up attitude you six had vowed to defeat Sin."

"Sadly, there's no more Gardens," the girl said, shaking her head. "When the
rule of the Order of Yevon began, they outlawed all machina for the Spira
public."

Tidus was aghast. "Outlawing machines? Why the hell did they want to do
that? Didn't they realize that half of the battle required powerful weapons
to defeat Sin?"

Cid snorted. "The Maesters of Yevon decreed that Machina was evil, and Sin
was punishing people for our use of it. We Al Bhed are outcasts in a society
that does not understand us, for we salvage and use Machina in our daily
lives."

Just then, before any more conversation could continue, a man rushed up and
said something in the same language the man with the rifle was speaking in.
"All right," Cid said nodding. "We need to cut this short. We have to dock
at Luca in a half hour. You are welcome to join us. A great Blitzball
tournament is being played."

"I guess they relocated it, huh?" Tidus said. "Luca has a fairly decent
stadium. C'mon Zell, I'll show you a good time. I know my way around Luca
like the back of my hand."

"But it's what, who knows how many years into the future? It could have
changed by now," Zell reasoned.

"What's the most a little hick town could change?" Tidus reasoned.

===================

"There it is," Wakka said, grinning. "That's Luca."

Selphie looked wide eyed at the city. It was bustling with people, banners
and flags waving in the air. It had the feel of a port town, with many
people coming and going. The size of the town was easily triple the size of
Kilika and Besaid Village. The ship guided itself into a docking port and
after a few minutes, people from Kilika and other places started to
disembark.

As the small group disembarked, there were people with strange glowing orbs
of water pointed towards them, and people commenting on what appeared to be
a glowing screen of water. "And there they are, the Besaid Aurochs! This
team hasn't won in the last 10 years, and still they keep coming back for
more! Only a few hardcore Auroch fans are here today, as most of them have
changed sides for other teams!"

Wakka kept a smile plastered on his face for the sphere cameras. Once out of
sight, he sighed and let the expression drop. "If I have to be reminded one
more time of our loosing streak...."

"Shame that you have to play those Goers in the first match all the time,"
Irvine said. "If it were me doing this thing, you guys would be playing
against someone you can handle."

"What, you saying we're not good enough?" Wakka demanded, jumping to the
challenge.

"Naw, I'm saying that it's unfair that you get slapped up against the same
team all the time," Irvine defended himself. "I think the judges or whoever
does this thing wants you guys eliminated quickly."

Wakka opened his mouth to reply but a loud ships horn echoed in the area as
a big metal ship, in constrast to the wooden ones pulled into port. "Aw
great," Wakka groaned. "Al Bhed."

"And here are the Al Bhed Psyches," the commentary added. "They look like a
strong team this year, and who is this? There looks like they've taken on
some passengers... bearing the long dead markings of SeeDs! Will wonders
never end?"

Selphie looked up at the screen and gasped. "Irvine! C'mon!"

"Where are you two going?" Lulu called out as Irvine was pulled by Selphie
towards the ship. She sighed, and hurried after them with Yuna, Wakka and
Kimahri following close behind.

==================

Zell walked down, feeling self concious at all of the cameras that were
pointed at him and Tidus. Tidus seemed to change a bit, plastering a grin on
his face as he waved to the camera. Behind him followed the nameless girl,
Cid, and a few other Al Bhed.

There was quite a crowd around the boat, considering that the announcer on
the PA had said there were two people sporting SeeD trademarks.

"Make way, make way!" A voice called out as a small short figure pushed out
of the crowd. Zell was then introduced to Selphie's Glomp as Selphie
shouted, "Zell!" and hit him with the full force of a hydraulic press.

Zell gasped and wheezed as he pushed the girl off him. "Man, Selphie! What
the hell are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? Looking for all of you!" Selphie replied. "Who's your
friend?"

"Selphie, this is Tidus. Tidus, this is Selphie, and I see Irvine lurking in
the background. He's here too?"

"I found him in Kilika," Selphie replied happily as she helped Zell up to
his feet. She then dragged him and Tidus towards the others. "Tidus, Zell,
this is Yuna, Lulu, Kimahri and Wakka. Guys, this is Tidus and Zell."

Wakka was looking at Tidus, a shell shocked expression on his face. Tidus
noticed this and asked, "Um, is something wrong?"

Wakka shook his head. "Naw, it's nothing." Regaining his composure, he said,
"So, what are you two doing on an Al Bhed ship?"

"Would you believe they fished us out of the water?" Tidus said in a light
tone.

Yuna giggled. "Well, we're glad that they did that for friends of Selphie."

"Captian!" Wakka turned to see one of his teammates rushing up. "It's Batto,
he's fallen ill!"

"WHAT?!"

=================

"A demba fruit," Wakka said. He threw it against the wall of the locker room
in anger where it spattered into a mess. "Those damn Luca Goers!"

"What's the matter?" Zell asked.

"A demba fruit can cause serious stomach pains, cramps and nausea," Yuna
replied. "It lasts for a day and is very unpleasant."

"We have a game today!" Wakka punched a locker. "But now we're short a man.
And we can't play without six on the team."

"Can't you cure him?" Tidus asked. "Just get some stomach medicine or
something like that."

"It's not that simple," Lulu replied, shaking her head. "A demba fruits'
effect cannot be driven away like that. Not even a full powered Esuna would
help. He just has to wait it out."

"I.... I can play, Captian," Batto said weakily. He tried to get up but then
started heaving green slime.

"Eew, no way," Selphie said, laying Bevado down. "You're going to lie there
and rest."

"I'm going to have to tell them that the Aurochs are out of the Tournament,"
Wakka said sadly.

"Wait!" Everyone turned to look at Tidus who grinned. "I just happen to be a
star Blitzball player back home."

"Oh?" Wakka looked interested. "You any good?"

"I'm the best, better than my old man." Tidus grinned widely. "C'mon, what
do you say?"

"He'll be a big help, and with one more on the team, it'll keep the Aurochs
from being disqualified," Lulu said.

Wakka sighed. "All right. Lets get out to the practice pool to see if you're
any good, ya?"

Tidus grinned.

===================

"You made it."

"Was there any doubt?"

"Glad to see you're still alive."

"Alive or not, it's a sight better than you are."

"Well, lets see what happens."

"Yes. Not every day you see history coming together."

"Wish Jecht was here to see this."

"He had his path, as do we."

===================

Wakka chuckled as Tidus performed his tenth Sphere Shot in a row. "He's a
natural wonder," Wakka remarked. "But I'd wish he would leave his sword in
the locker room."

"Can't do that," Zell said, standing beside Wakka. Another Sphere Shot
ricocheted off of the walls and returned to Tidus. "A SeeD needs a weapon in
any situation."

"But a game? C'mon."

"Doesn't matter," Zell remarked. "I keep at least one set of my gloves on me
at all times."

"Gloves I can understand," Wakka said. "But a big sword?"

Zell chuckled. "It's all about the SeeD's purpose. For me, it was defeating
Ultimecia. For Tidus, well, he came up against Sin and wasn't really
sucessful."

Wakka scowled. "I still don't get how you can explain something as powerful
as Sin's Toxin to something that a human mind could do. Or how you two,
Selphie and Irvine came out of it without being affected."

"You'd need to study hard like Tidus did, and even he doesn't fully
understand the situation with Sin." Zell remarked. "Oi! Tidus! That's enough
or you'll wear yourself down for the game!"

Tidus waded out of the pool and grinned up at them, hauling himself up onto
the sides. "Me? Get worn down? Hell, I once played a 38 hour game of
Blitzball over the weekend."

Wakka smirked at his attitude. "C'mon, lets get you signed up in the Aurochs
starting line up."

"I'll go find us some good seats with the others," Zell said. "Take it easy
you two."

Tidus looked at Wakka as Zell left and said, "So.... ever hear of the Jecht
Shot?"

Wakka blinked. "Jecht Shot?"

"I'll show it you to later," Tidus said with a grin.

Halfway to the registration office, Irvine jogged up, grinning. "Hey!"

"What is it?" Wakka asked. "We only have a few more minutes to get Tidus
registered."

"Did that already," Irvine replied with a grin. At Wakka's fish impression,
he chuckled. "And get this; I got you guys playing against someone other
than the Goers. The Aurochs have gotten seeded! You don't have to worry
about the Guado Glories or the Kilika Beasts or even the Ronso Fangs!"

"Really?" Wakka went wide eyed at the news.

"Yeah. And because the team got seeded, play the Al Bhed Psyches and you'll
be in the finals!"

"This is great, Wakka!" Tidus exclaimed, clapping Wakka on the back. "If we
get a few buys, and defeat the Psyches in the first game, then we'll be
going up against the final team!"

"About time," Wakka said. "We always played the Goers in the first round.
Now, we have a fighting chance!"

"Everyone!" The trio turned to see Yuna rushing up with Kimahri trailing
behind. Lulu was nowhere in sight, either with Selphie and Irvine getting
seats, or back at the locker room. "Maester Mika is docking in dock 1!"

"The Maester? Here?" Wakka exclaimed.

"A Maester? Is that anything like a President?" Tidus asked.

"Sounds like a big guy," Zell commented, folding his arms.

"He is the leader of the people of Spira!" Yuna exclaimed. "Lets go see
him!"

Selphie shook her head. "You guys go. I'll go and find us a group of seats.
I'm sure the stands are packed now."

"Okay. See you later then." The others rushed off as Selphie made a beeline
out of the Aurochs room.

===================

Music was being played as people crowded around the dock, awaiting the
arrival of the Maester. Arriving on the scene, the music intencified as a
man with blue hair, dressed in red and blue decended the ramp. His hair came
out in three spikes, and his forehead had blue vein like markings on it. His
eyes were narrow, but there was a hint of strength in it. His chest was
decorated with two black dragon tattoos on either side of his broad chest.

People began to bow as Zell and Tidus looked around. Wakka and Yuna had also
bowed along with Kimahri. Tidus blinked. "The blitzball sign of victory?" he
mumurred to himself.

"You two, bow your head!" Wakka chided in a low voice.

The man turned around, knelt and bowed as an elderly man came down the ramp.
He wore green, white and black, and wore a hat. His face was puckered with
wrinkles and he sported a neatly trimmed white beard and mustache. He looked
pleasant, and wise.

"People of Spira, I thank you for your welcome." he said. Then, turning to
the man before him and said, "Arise, Maester Seymour."

The man named Seymour stood and turned to the crowd. "I am Maester Seymour
Guado. It is a privilage to be here. My father, Maester Jyscal Guado, sought
to end the emnity between Guado and all of Spira. I vow to continue his work
and fulfill his dreams."

Tidus' eyes narrowed. Zell looked at him and made a few hand motions. Tidus
answered back with a different pattern. Zell extended his sences outward and
was almost staggered at the power of the young man before him. An awed,
"Whoa," escaped his lips.

As the crowd began to disperse, the man walked up to Yuna and bowed to her.
"Lady Summoner, I presume?"

"I am Summoner Yuna, from the Isle of Besaid," Yuna managed, staring at
Seymour.

"Ah, High Summoner Braska's daughter." He glanced at the others, especially
at the weapons Zell, Tidus and Kimahri carried. As his eyes laid on Irvine,
and especially the rifle that flashed under his long coat, his eyes narrowed
very slightly. Only the SeeD's caught the motion. "And are these your
guardians?"

"Only Kimahri and Wakka," she replied firmly. "The rest of my guardians are
helping with the Tournament. The other two are my friends, Zell and Tidus."

"Keeping your friends close," Seymour said with a slight smile. "A fitting
choice. I will see you later, at the tournament, Lady Yuna." With that,
Seymour was gone, two Guado following close behind.

Tidus shuddered as soon as Seymour was out of sight. "What's with him?"

"He's a Maester, ya? Better get used to it," Wakka replied.

"Not that." Everyone turned to look at Zell who scowled. "He has WAY too
much power for just a Maester. Tidus and I could feel his magical energies
as soon as we laid eyes on him."

"The Guado are powerful people," Yuna stated. "It is only fitting that he
has magical abilities that we do not have."

"Something about him gives me the creeps though," Irvine remarked. "It's
like being in the Lunatic Pandora all over again."

Tidus nodded. "I don't trust him."

"Hey, watch your mouths, ya? You want to get us into trouble?" Wakka
inquired indignantly. "Talk like that'll get you branded for rebels."

Tidus made a grunting noise. "Well, never mind that then. Lets go and get
ready. Blitzball doesn't play itself."

As they returned towards the stadium, Tidus turned to Zell and mumurred, "He
had a hell of a lot of Ultima, doesn't he?"

Zell merely nodded in reply.

"That guy gave off too much power," Irvine remarked in a low voice. "Lets
keep an eye on him."

==================

After briefing the team on the game plan, Wakka and Tidus settled down for
the long wait. "So....." Wakka said slowly. "In Zanarkand, they have blitz,
ya?"

"Best teams ever," Tidus replied with a smirk. "There's the Abes who I play
for. Then there's the Duggles, the Sabers, and the Dragoons. Oh, and then
there's the SeeD teams who play in the same league as everyone else. There's
the Cactuars, the Chocobos, and the Moogles. The Catuars are the ones who
are high on techniques that inflict stuff like sleep, draining your strength
or even poisoning you. Then the Chocobos play fair, but they are powerful
guys. The Moogles are the ones you have to watch out for though. They're
small, fast and female. Some of them hit hard too." Tidus rubbed his chest
in memory of a strike from the Moogles Center Forward, Linna.

"Hard to believe that you, of all people are from a place with Machina,"
Wakka said, propping his chin on his fist. Wakka then sighed as he looked at
Tidus. "You look so much like Chappu."

"Who's Chappu?" Tidus asked.

"My brother. About your age actually. He became a Crusader, fought Sin last
year during the tournament. I couldn't keep my mind on the game, thought
about Chappu."

"I take it by your tone that he died." Tidus sighed. "A lot of SeeDs die
against Sin. We stop him at times. Long enough for a ten year absence. Then,
he comes back, strong as ever."

"How you do that without the Final Summoning?" Wakka asked, surprised.

"Guardian Forces, Machina, Magic... a lot of things." Tidus shook his head.
"I hope mom is okay. The loss of my old man devestated her. If I hadn't been
around with Auron, things would have gone bad. I might have lost mom."

"I... was only a child when Sin attacked Besaid. My mother and father died
protecting me, Chappu and Serra." Wakka sighed. "I remember the horrible
winds, the sheer raw power of Sin. That's when I decided, I would become a
Guardian."

"Guardian of a Summoner." Tidus smiled at that. "You must feel proud."

"I am. Yuna is like our little sister." Wakka then sighed. "All we can do,
is protect her to the end."

"The end?" Tidus didn't like the sound of that.

"When she defeats Sin. And brings about the Calm."

"Something tells me there's something more to that." Tidus said. "As SeeDs,
we can only wound Sin gravely, long enough so that he goes into a ten year
hibernation. Or less."

"It is..... when she calls the Final Aeon.... Yuna will...." Wakka trailed
off as the Aurochs around him ignored the pair for their privacy.

"She'll die." Tidus sighed heavily. "Not if I can help it."

"Don't get any funny ideas," Wakka warned. "There's no real way to defeat
Sin without the Final Summoning. And even then, we have to atone for our
sins in order to purge Sin from our world. That's what the teachings say."

Tidus restrained the urge to roll his eyes at that, but he simply stretched
out and waited.

Suddenly, the door flung open as Yuna ran in, breathless. "Wakka, Tidus!"

"Yuna? What's the problem?" Wakka asked.

"Someone saw Sir Auron in the cafe!" Yuna exclaimed.

"Auron?" Tidus scowled. "That idiot, what's he up to this time?"

"You ain't going, ya? We're short a man!" Wakka said. "And the game starts
in less than five minutes!"

"I guess you're right." Tidus looked at Yuna and shrugged helplessly.
"Sorry."

Yuna looked penisive at that, but said, "I'm sure the others can help. You
two play your hardest, all right?" She gave them a winning smile and ran out
the door.

Tidus grinned foolishly from ear to ear. "She's really something, isn't
she?"

"Don't get any more wierd ideas," Wakka said, punching him on the shoulder
lightly. "Lets get ready for the game."

Outside of the door, Yuna steeled herself. "I must speak with Sir Auron."
She then rushed off.

=================

"Where is Yuna?" Lulu asked, looking around the stands.

"She isn't here?" Selphie stood up as she scanned the crowded area.

"This isn't like her," Lulu said, scowling. "There must be a reason why she
left, without even Kimahri behind her. I'm going to go look for her."

"I'll go too," Irvine said, standing up.

"And so will I," Zell added. He then turned to Selphie and said, "Seffie,
GF's."

Selphie relinquished Ifrit, Quetzcoatl and Bahamut. Giving them to Zell, he
junctioned them and quickly worked on his defence and strength. "Okay, lets
go."

The trio rushed down the stairs, looking around. "Where could she have
gone?" Lulu wondered to herself.

"She might have went into town," Zell said, pointing towards the large
crowds in the area. "I think I see Kimahri over there."

True enough, the large blue Ronso stood over the crowd, peering around.
People were giving him a wide berth as he carried his lance in his hands.
Running up to him, Irvine called out, "Hey, Kimahri! Where'd Yuna go?"

Kimahri simply shook his head in the negative. Zell sighed. "Okay, the only
place I can think she went is over there, towards the main town square. Lets
start over there."

=================

"Excuse me," Yuna said, "but have you seen Sir Auron in here lately?"

The barmaid who was polishing a glass in the time honored tradition of
bartenders nodded. "He was here a little while ago, but he left twenty
minutes ago."

"Thank you." Yuna bowed and turned around to see two massive Ronso standing
behind her. "Oh, excuse me."

The grey furred one looked down and said, "Yenke knows you. You know
Kimahri."

"Yes, he is my Guardian," Yuna said. The yellow furred one laughed.

"Kimahri a Summoners Guardian? Kimahri small Ronso! Hornless!" And he
guffawed loudly.

Yuna felt her cheeks flush in idignation. "Kimahri is a trusted companion,
ever since I was small. I trust him with my life."

"Yenke think Summoner needs help," Yenke laughed. "Go, go to little Kimahri,
Summoner." And the pair laughed their way to the bar.

Yuna bit back a growl of frustration as she stomped out the door. Suddenly,
as soon as she was out of the door, a damp cloth was slapped on her face.
She struggled but to no avail as darkness claimed her.

================

"She was here ten minutes ago," The barmaid said. "Got into an arguement
with those two Ronso over there."

Kimahri and the others looked over, and the blue Ronso scowled. The pair
looked up and the one named Biran laughed. "If it is not Kimahri. You forget
us? Biran and Yenke?"

Kimahri scowled and folded his arms in answer.

"Why not speak?" Yenke inquired. "Kimahri not speak?"

"Kimahri forget Biran? Forget Yenke? We taught you much at time of
Horn-molt!" Biran raged angrily.

Kimahri simply stayed silent, scowling at them. Irvine sidled up to him and
muttered, "Take em on."

Kimahri looked at him, and nodded. A moment later, Biran found himself
floored by a tremendous punch. Yenke threw himself into the fray as well as
the two Ronso grappled.

Lulu sighed as she massaged her forehead. "This isn't the time or place."
She quickly cast a spell that doused the fighting Ronso in water. "Cool off,
both of you. We have to find Yuna."

Kimahri shook himself off and nodded as he trailed after Lulu. Zell and
Irvine were still snickering as they followed close behind. Irvine looked
around the town and scratched his head. "I don't see Yuna anywhere. Where do
you think she could have gotten to?"

"If she was just here, she couldn't have gotten far." said Irvine.

Zell then noticed an object glimmering in the light. Walking over, he picked
it up. It revealed itself to be Yuna's staff. Scowling to himself, he turned
to the others and said, "I think... she might be in trouble."