Final Fantasy X Story Write-up by Greenbeans Version 080602 FAQ (abridged) * Why do a story write-up? Because not everyone has the time or inclination to play the game. Besides, I was kindly asked to, which is good enough reason for me. * You screwed something up! Final Fantasy fans have a certain rabidity to them and I won't waste my time catering to it ^^; If it is an honest to goodness mistake, then I'll fix it. If it's something that's 'interpretive', then go write your own story guide and leave me alone. Overview : Story There are two main story threads in Final Fantasy X. One is the story of Tidus, who is a man lost in time who wishes to return to his home, Zanarkand. The other is of the young Summoner, Yuna, who is on a pilgrimage to the ruined city of Zanarkand. The plot has all the makings of a classic tale: adventure, love, betrayal, and sacrifice. I haven't pulled any punches with my telling of the story. Spoilers abound, in other words. Is this telling 100% accurate? Probably not. Every story is up to interpretation, and this is what I got from it. Overview : World The story takes place on a world called Spira. In Tidus' time, the world is a technologically advanced place that is bustling with people and activity. In Yuna's time, the world has returned to a simpler culture based heavily upon religious devotion and piety. Places of Note (incomplete list) Zanarkand : This is Tidus' home. In his time it is a bustling city full of bright lights, technology, and people. In Yuna's time, Zanarkand is considered the holiest of cities, a forbidden place except to those Summoners who are on their pilgrimage. Getting there involves passing through Mt. Gazaget and the trials along the way. It is a dead city that is only occupied with Fiends and Fayth. Geographically, Zanarkand is the northernmost city in Spira. Besaid : This is the village where Yuna's pilgrimage begins. It's Wakka's home, Yuna's adopted home, and where Kimahri raised her. Besaid's economy revolves around the trade of textiles. Their Blitzball team is the Aurochs. They have a temple where the Fayth for the Aeon Valefor resides. The Isle of Besaid is the southernmost village in Spira. Kilika : A fishing village that is close to Besaid. It's Yuna's first stop on her pilgrimage (because of the temple there that houses Ifrit). Their Blitzball team is the Beasts. Luca : Blitzball headquarters for people of Spira. It's the only place that has an approved Machina stadium for holding tournaments in. Luca is one of the largest cities on the planet. Its port is capable of mooring many ships and it's just a big place. Luca's Blitzball team is the Goers. Guadosalam : The home of the Guado and the Farplane. The Guado Blitzball team is the Glories. Bevelle : The capital of Spira. This is where all the religious flunkies hang out and is home to the Aeon Bahamut. Mt. Gazazet : While not a town, per se, the Ronso protect this sacred mountain. The Ronso Blitzball team is the Fangs. Characters : Main Playable Tidus : 17-years-old Blitzball star of the Zanarkand Abes. He approaches life with a brash jubilance that can be annoying or charming depending upon your take on such behavior. He is cheerful and fiercely loyal, a bit naive and dense at times, but what 17-year-old doesn't believe he knows everything already? His father was Jecht, likewise a Blitzball star. Jecht disappeared off the coast of Zanarkand 10 years ago and is presumed dead. Tidus hates his father with a passion. One is led to assume that it's because of Jecht's likewise brash approach on life. Tidus also resents his father for leaving his mother (like his father had much choice in his death). His mother turned into a recluse after Jecht's death and Tidus was emotionally abandoned. Yuna : 17-years-old daughter of High Summoner Braska. She is a quiet teen who chose to follow in her father's footsteps as a Summoner. She desires to learn and explore as much of life as she can during her pilgrimage to the ruined city of Zanarkand. Once she makes it to Zanarkand, she will become a high Summoner like her father and defeat Sin. Yuna is half-Al Bhed (on her mother's side). Her mother died when she was a child. Likewise, her father died when she was 7. She was taken to the Isle of Besaid at Auron's request by Kimahri. She grew up there with Kimahri as a Guardian. While growing up she gained other Guardians and underwent the training of a Summoner apprentice. Wakka : 23-years-old captain and coach of the Besaid Aurochs. He is a very jovial fellow who is a bit too simple at times. He is also *very* religiously devoted. A phrase you will hear out of him (to the point of wanting to slap him to get him to shut up) is "Praise be to Yevon". He's giving up the sport of Blitzball after one last tournament in Luca. He devoted himself to being one of Yuna's Guardians full-time after his brother, Chappu, died during a Crusader's mission. Wakka had given Chappu a sword, Brotherhood, but his brother didn't accept the sword, instead taking up a Machina weapon. Wakka sees Chappu's death as Yevon's punishment for using a forbidden weapon. He blames the Al Bhed for Chappu using a Machina weapon (logic behind that becomes clear once you've read through the Terms section). In short, Wakka is *VERY* biased against Al Bhed. He doesn't know that Yuna is half-Al Bhed. Wakka secretly hopes that Tidus is a reincarnation of his lost brother (which he isn't). Eventually the truth (and Lulu's sharp tongue) bring the truth home for Wakka. Despite that, he still keeps a close eye on Tidus and treats him like a best friend. Lulu : Mid-twenties, she's a black magic (offensive magic) user. She's serious and comes off as cold as times, distant, but she really does care once you prod under her shell. She loves Yuna as a younger sister and treats her as one. Lulu is often critical of Wakka and his simpleton logic. Yuna is the third Summoner Lulu has been a Guardian for. One of them made it as far as the Calm Lands before losing his way and giving up the pilgrimage of a Summoner. The other one died. Lulu blames herself for the Summoners' death and being too young to be a Guardian at that time. She's promised herself that this time Yuna will be successful. The other plot thread involving Lulu is that she was in tight with Chappu. Chappu had promised that after his tour with the Crusaders was finished, he would come back and marry Lulu. Of course, Chappu died and there went that relationship. It seems to me that some of Lulu's "picking on" of Wakka is a result of Chappu. (There's an incredible amount of background emotion between these three characters that could be used to write a wonderful angst-fic). Auron : Mid-thirties. Auron is a gruff voice of experience. When the group lacks direction, he'll yank their chain and pull them back on track. Auron's an interesting character. Both Tidus and Yuna know him from their respective times. Tidus had Auron has a mentor-figure in his time after Jecht died. He refers to Auron as an 'old man' and bucks against Auron as a teen would against his father. Yuna knows Auron because Auron was one of her father's Guardians when her father went on his pilgrimage. How is this possible? Well, that's one of the plots in the story. We'll get there =) Kimahri : Unknown, guessing mid-twenties. Kimahri is an outcast member of the Ronso tribe. He is stoic and proud. He was the first of Yuna's Guardians and took Yuna to Besaid at Auron's request. While being distant at times, he watches over Yuna almost like a father figure. Whether Kimahri was outcast or left the Ronso tribe can be debated. He'd gotten into a duel with two other Ronso and had his horn broken. This is a Bad Thing, and he left in shame. Ronso are said to practice the Fiend's way of fighting. Which means they fight using the techniques that monsters use. (Sorry, he's the most underdeveloped character of the main seven =/ ) Rikku : 14-years-old daughter of the Al Bhed leader Cid. She's perky, not perky as in Gainax bounce perky, but happy sort of perky. She definitely has a child's optimism about the future. She hasn't learned the limits that adults put on reality yet. Rikku is a wiz when it comes to mechanical things, as all Al Bhed tend to be. She has an older brother who is (as far as we know) named Brother. (If he has a different name, it's never given). Rikku and Yuna are cousins (Yuna's mother was Rikku's aunt - Cid's sister). This gives them a connection that isn't played as deep as it could have been during the story, though Rikku does have an affection for Yuna. (She refers to Yuna and "Yunie"). She's an impressionable girl who looks up to Lulu's emotional strength and says she wants to grow up to be like Lulu. Kimahri then states that Rikku should grow up to be like Rikku. It takes a while for Wakka to catch on to the fact that she's Al Bhed. Everyone else knows it immediately ^^; Characters : Main Non-Playable Seymour : Seymour is a sleaze. You know that he's going to be one of the main bad guys from the first time you meet him. If for no other reason than his hair. Anyone who has hair like his should be taken out back and beaten severally. Anyhow, his story: Seymour is the leader of the Guado people and is *also* a Grand Maester. He inherited the leadership of the Guado from his father. The Grand Maester title he earned. His mother was human, so he is only half-Guado. He states his intentions as being to unit the people of the world, but since you know he's a slimey bastard, that's not going to happen. Mika : An old geezer who is the leader of the people of Spira. As the leader his position is both political and religious. The other Grand Maesters are like his right hands (or as we call them on the streets "thugs"). Exactly what makes his clock tick is part of the story. Yu Yevon : We're going old school with Yu, like 1000 years ago. The people of Spira follow the teaching of Yevon much like people follow the teachings of Buddha today. Yunalesca : Old school again with Yunalesca. She was the first Summoner to challenge Sin. Her tale is propagated around the planet because she wasn't able to defeat Sin without the help of her husband, who was her support. Yuna was named after her. Braska, Jecht, and Auron : 10 years ago Braska defeated Sin along with his Guardians, Jecht and Auron, to bring about the Calm. Braska and Jecht died during the encounter and all three are revered as heroes. Characters : Minor (incomplete list) Besaid Aurochs (Datto, Letty, Jassu, Botta, Keepa) : These are Wakka's home boys. As a team, they have a dismal record. They've never won a game. Period. They play with the goal of "Do your best" until they meet Tidus. Then they change their goal to "Victory!" Rin : An Al Bhed merchant who has shops throughout Spira. Even though many people look down on the Al Bhed, Rin has managed to stay in business. Most people overlook their hatred when doing business with him. O'aka XXIII : He's a traveling merchant who hits Tidus up for money the first few times they meet. Later on, he offers rare items at a discounted price to repay Tidus' earlier investment. Brother : Rikku's older brother who only speaks Al Bhed. One of the best parts of the game (story-wise) is when Brother manages to croak out a few words of encouragement in the standard language. It's funny, especially when he tacks the Besaid 'ya' onto the end of it. (Natives of Besaid tack a 'ya' onto the end of what they say like Chichiri and his 'no da'. Wakka does it all the time. Another humorous dialogue has Yuna and Lulu in battle without Wakka. Yuna begins by saying "Lots of monsters, ya?" and Lulu quickly scolds, "Don't do that!") Cid : The leader of the Al Bhed people, Yuna's uncle, Rikku and Brother's father. He is a gruff man who doesn't give a flying cow about what the rest of the world thinks of the Al Bhed. He sees this entire Summoner to defeat Sin business as bogus and is strongly opposed to his niece throwing herself into the middle of it. His preferred method of handling Sin is to build a large gun and blow the crap out of it. Luzzu and Gatta : These are the two Crusaders the party keeps running across during their travels. Luzzu is the experienced leader, while Gatta is a wet-behind-the-ears cadet. Dona and Barthello : She's an arrogant Summoner with her single Guardian, Barthello. Many of her conversations with Yuna's party consist of thinly veiled insults. Yenke and Biran : A pair of Ronso who take credit for raising Kimahri up to be a strong Ronso. (Kind of like bullies / old brothers). They're also responsible for running him out of the clan. Lucil, Elma, ??? : Djose Chocobo Knights who patrol the Mi'ihan Highroad between Luca and Djose Temple. Belgemine : A Summoner who teaches Yuna the tricks of summoning via duels. Shelinda : A Yevon acolyte who is herself traveling. The people of Spira : Tribes / Species Human : Making up a majority of the Spira's population are the humans. They occupy the towns of Besaid, Kilika, Luca, Bevelle, and, at one time, Zanarkand. Guado : The non-human tribe of Guado maintain the Farplane. They are rather detached, and prefer their solitude. Seymour is responsible for bringing the teachings of Yevon to his people. Physically, Guado have elongated fingers and blue "hair" (I use the term loosely). Actually, they kind of look like blue tree roots to me. Al Bhed : A human tribe that are the outcasts of the world of Spira. Actually, they're more like a nomadic people. They wander from place to place scavenging lost technologies. They practice the use of Machina, which is strictly forbidden by the teachings of Yevon. Al Bhed don't believe in Yevon, his teachings, the Farplane, or any other religious 'garbage'. They are a self-reliant people (because they have to be after alienating the church and the rest of the planet ^^; ) Ronso : The Ronso tribe guards the holy Mt. Gazazet, which is the gateway to Zanarkand. They are a devoted people (at least their leader, Kelk, is. He's likewise a Grand Maester). They are physically big and strong beasts who pick on the 'weaklings' of their tribe. Kimahri is a runt compared to other Ronso. Terms Machina : Or machines as we would call them. The teachings forbid their use because they brought about Sin. (People got too lazy because machines did all the work). The Al Bhed regularly use Machina because they're *useful*. There are endorsed Machina, however. The best example is the Blitzball stadium in Luca (so the water can be pumped in). Chappu chose to fight Sin with a gun instead of a sword when he was killed. Blitzball : The official sport of Spira for all time. Blitzball is an underwater sport that is a cross of basketball and soccer. Players swim, pass the ball, and throw it at the other team's goal on either side of the sphere (field of play). The game is divided into two 5-minute halves. Each team has 5 players and 1 goalie in the sphere at a time. Substitution can be made at halftime. Culturally Blitzball is important because it provides a distraction for the people (so they don't focus on how much their life sucks and worrying about when Sin will attack next). That's why the Blitzball stadium is an exempted Machina. Crusaders : The Crusaders are outcasts from the religious core of Yevon's teachings. Crusaders are dedicated to protecting the villages of Spira from Sin, which attacks at random and rampages across the landscape much like Godzilla. The Crusaders are frowned upon because their methods can, at times, include "anything goes". During the story they make an alliance with the Al Bhed... Chocobo Knights : These people are like the Crusaders in that they're there to protect the people, only the church doesn't hate them. They patrol roads to protect travelers from Fiends (monsters) and stuff like that. (Grand) Maester : Called Maester for short, these people are the religious leaders of Spira. There are 4 Maesters: Seymour of the Guado, Kelk of the Ronso, Mika of Bevelle (the capital), and this human butterball whose name I can't recall that is a friend of Auron's. (High) Summoner : The game is all about Summoners. First let me make the distinction between a Summoner and a high Summoner. The title of high is tacked on there after a Summoner performs the Final Summoning, if they get that far. Otherwise they're just a Summoner. Okay, a Summoner is someone who summons Aeons (Aeons are explained below). To become a Summoner one must train as an apprentice in the teachings of Yevon and then go through the temple's Cloister of Trials. Once they have gone through the trials, they pray to the Fayth. If their prayer is answered, then the Fayth will help them in the form of an Aeon. Why go through all that? Because Summoners are the only ones who can 'defeat' Sin. Sin can't be truly defeated, but it can be beaten back for a decade or so at a time. The time of peace is known as the Calm. To prepare for their battle with Sin, the Summoners must go on a pilgrimage to all the temples in Spira to pray to the Fayth for their help. The final temple they visit is in Zanarkand. The fact that isn't really mentioned but everyone (except Tidus) knows is that the Summoners' Final Summoning will cost them their life. In short, they sacrifice themselves for a decade of peace. Being a Summoner is a very noble, higher calling so there are those who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the people of Spira. Yuna is one of them. Summoners are treated with great respect by the people. Their place within the religion really isn't that high (they have no 'political' influence), but the people love them because they're approachable. They follow the teachings of Yevon and offer words of encouragement to the people who are trying to atone for Sin. Guardian : A Guardian is a companion of the Summoner during his/her pilgrimage. A Summoner may have as many Guardians as he/she wishes, though it is noted that Yuna has a helluva lot of 'em. ^^; They assist the Summoner in passing the Cloister of Trials so that he/she may pray to the Fayth. That's in addition to practical things like protecting the Summoners from Fiends and making sure they don't die before they finish their pilgrimage (so they can die in the Final Summoning ^^; ) Fiends : Fiends are monsters (look below for more details). Sending : Fiends are really spirits of people who have died and weren't Sent to the Farplane. The dead grow envious of the living and turn into monsters. When you kill a Fiend, you release its spirit. (Though what's to keep it from reforming into another Fiend, hum?) Summoners are the only ones who can perform the Sending. It is one of their religious duties. Farplane : I shouldn't say that it's the Club Med for the dead, but that's what it is. There isn't a heaven or hell in the world of Spira, only the Farplane. The Farplane is a location that the living can visit on a limited basis. They can go there to speak with their deceased relatives / friends if they need guidance. The Guado maintain the Farplane. Fayth : The Fayth are people who had their spirits locked into stones so that they could later be summoned. Discovering exactly what the Fayth are is another important part of the story, so I'll leave it at that for now. Aeon : Aeons are creatures that a Summoner calls to act on his/her behalf (in battle). The Fayth grant the Summoners the ability to call Aeons. (A way to think of it is that the Aeon is the physical incarnation of a specific Fayth). Not all Fayth are summonable. Only a handful are, actually. Sin : Sin is one of those things that you know what it is, but you don't. Physically, Sin is a big Godzilla-like creature that destroys villages in Spira. The teachings of Yevon say that Sin is the world's punishment for slothfulness, war, etc. Of course, we'll get to what exactly Sin is during the story. The Calm : The period of time after Sin's defeat and before its rebirth. It's a time of calm when people can sleep soundly in their beds at night, not afraid of being attacked. The Calm after Braska's defeat of Sin lasted 10 years. Final Fantasy X Zanarkand : "This is your story..." [Auron] The story begins with Tidus leaving his houseboat to be greeted by a throng of adoring fans. They've come to cheer him on for tonight's final match in the 10th annual Jecht Memorial Cup. A group of young boys ask him to "teach them how to blitz!" He hesitantly agrees to their pestering to do it tonight, but is told by a mysterious boy that he can't do it tonight. As though brain dead, he agrees that he can't do it tonight and promises to do it tomorrow. At the stadium there is a very neat FMV showing the blitzers playing, meanwhile an ominous *something* (Sin) is approaching off in the distance. Auron watches Sin's approach and is oddly calm considering what's about to happen. Sin rises up and attacks the city. Lots of explosions, rumbling, booming, etc. happen and the people flee in a terror. Tidus escapes the ruins of the stadium to find Auron outside the gate waiting for him. Auron heads off with Tidus chasing after him. Tidus is stopped again by the mysterious boy. When they're talking, it's as if time's standing still. "It begins. Don't cry," the boy tells Tidus. Reality comes crashing back in again and Tidus resumes running for his life. After a couple scripted battles (to teach the players how to use the controls) Tidus and Auron are trapped on a bridge. They destroy a vehicle to make it explode and create a way out for them. Auron jumps first with Tidus following. Tidus catches the edge of the other side of the bridge and hangs there. Auron looks up at the sky above, which is a churning mass of colors, and asks, "Are you sure?" A moment passes before he looks down at the struggling Tidus, takes him up by the collar, and lifts him up. Tidus protests the rough handling, but Auron pays him no heed. "This is your story..." he says solemnly before they're both sucked into the whirling colors, Tidus screaming. Briefly we see Tidus swimming through the air (yes, swimming) in a distorted city. It's much like a foggy dream that doesn't make sense (and won't make sense until you play through the game again). Tidus meets up with a younger version of himself and he wakes up. Baaj Temple : "Sorry." [Rikku] When Tidus comes to he finds that he is washed up on a pile of debris, alone, in a sea of murky nothingness. Only rubble surrounds him for as far as the eye can see. He swims towards the center of the ruins, hoping to find out where he is. After a bit of exploring he is attacked by a huge monster (Geosgaeno) that tries to eat him whole. Tidus escapes and finds himself in a part of the temple. The temple has definitely seen better days. A storm is raging outside and blowing gusts of wind and water into the drab place. He hits upon the idea of a fire for warmth and sets out to gather materials. Once he's toasty in front to the flames, he falls asleep and has a flashback. [Flashback : Inside Tidus' houseboat] Auron is blaming him for his team's loss today. He then tells Tidus not to cry. Tidus (witnessing the dream) retorts that he didn't cry. The mysterious boy appears in the background and confirms that he did cry.] Tidus wakes up just as the flames of his fire are about to die out. He begs the fire to keep going and scrambles about to find more tinder. Then a monster (Klikk) begins skittering around the room before pouncing on the stunned Tidus. They exchange blows for a few rounds, but this critter is more than Tidus has bargained for. Just when things are getting out of hand one of the blocked doorways is blown open and a group of heavily armed men come into the room with their weapons drawn. The leader of the group pushes past them, steps up next to Tidus, and motions at the monster to bring it on. Battle continues (with more tutorials). After battle Tidus is immensely relieved until one of the men grabs him by the hair and puts a knife at his throat. The men then have an arguement about Tidus that he can't understand (they're speaking in Al Bhed - the player can't understand this conversation either unless they've compiled an Al Bhed dictionary from another save file). They're arguing if Tidus is a Fiend or not. They didn't expect to find any humans in such a remote location. They discuss killing him (right after saving him), but their leader (Rikku) disagrees. She tells them that they'll take Tidus with them. She approaches Tidus disarmingly, leans against him and says "Cunno" before punching him in the guts, causing him to black out. Al Bhed Ship: "All right, I'll work!" [Tidus] Tidus comes to on the desk of a ship. A pair of gun weilding guards watch over him, neither of which speak the same language he does. The doors from below deck open. A man with a mohawk and an upper body covered in tattoos (Brother) and the girl from earlier (Rikku) approach. The man instructs the guards to pull Tidus up and search him. The girl grabs Tidus by the arm and holds onto him while the man speaks to him. The conversation doesn't go that well because the man only speaks Al Bhed and Tidus doesn't understand a word of it. After the man repeats himself Tidus exclaims, "I don't understand!" The guards bring their guns around, offended by Tidus's tone of voice. The girl calls them off. "He says you can stay if you make yourself useful," she translates. "Yo- you understand me?" He asks in surprise. One of the guards hits Tidus on the shoulder and Tidus exclaims, "All right, I'll work!" What the Al Bhed have in mind for him is that he'll help Rikku explore some underwater ruins they recently discovered. The pair dive down into the ruins and search. When they return to the surface Tidus is left on the deck to rest, no one will let him into the ship. He complains about being hungry and then Rikku dumps a tray by his feet. He greedily gobbles it up and then complains of a stomach ache. She watches him with curiosity, and then scolds him for eating too fast. They get to talking and a few things come out during their conversation. The first is that Rikku's Al Bhed and she's surprised that Tidus doesn't hate her, or even know what an Al Bhed is. "They say your head gets funny when Sin is near," she concludes. It's said that when one gets too close to Sin, it muddles one's mind. That must be why Tidus doesn't know what an Al Bhed is, or that Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand years ago. Rikku doesn't think that Tidus is safe right now (with his mind muddled) and warns him against saying outrageous things like being from Zanarkand. He doesn't know what to do with himself at this point, so she offers to take him to Luca. Rikku goes below deck to make arrangements when Sin attacks again. Tidus is knocked overboard and for the third time in this story, he's blacked out. Isle of Besaid : "Whoa... oh ho oh ho oh ho!" [Wakka] Tidus wakes up to find himself floating in crystal clear blue waters. He tries to gather his marbles when he spots some men practicing Blitzball moves on the beach. A stray ball goes out his way and the players call for him to pass it back. He smirks and performs an impressive kick that only a blitzer would know to send the ball back to them. "Whoa... oh ho oh ho oh ho!" Wakka exclaims at seeing the ball fly. Tidus swims into shore and Wakka asks him what team he plays for. Tidus proudly announces that he plays for the Zanarkand Abes. All the players give him a startled look. He then quickly amends that he got too close to Sin and its toxins have muddled his mind. Wakka comments that he's lucky to be alive and the blitzers go through the motions of the prayer (it looks as though a person is holding a ball between their hands and bows over it) and says "Praise be to Yevon". Tidus admits that he doesn't 'remember' who he is, doesn't even know where he is, and that he's hungry (again). Wakka feels sorry for him and offers to take him back to the village and get him something to eat. On the way back Wakka pats him on the back and congratulates him on the 'joke' he told about being from the Zanarkand Abes. "I'm not saying that team never existed, ya. But you gotta figure, a team living in luxury like that's gotta be pretty soft, ya?" There's no reason for both Wakka and Rikku to lie about the destruction of Zanarkand, by Tidus's reasoning. He's feeling rather lost in the world right about now. The path Wakka leads Tidus down ends in a cliff. Wakka pushes Tidus over and into a small lake below. The captain of the Besaid Aurochs wants to test Tidus' abilities in the water. He explains that it's going to be his last tournament and that he would really like to win at least one game before he gives up the sport. He also reasons that Tidus is a skilled enough player that someone at the tournament is bound to recognize him. Tidus agrees to join the Aurochs for the tournament in Luca. Once the pair has entered the outskirts of the village, Wakka pulls Tidus aside and asks him if he remembers the prayer. He then suggests that Tidus goes to the temple to pray. During his explorations of the village and temple Tidus learns that the Crusaders have a big mission planned, but are tight lipped about it. There are a few people in the temple praying for the apprentice Summoner. When he returns to Wakka's pad for some chow it's not ready yet. Wakka suggests he take a nap until it's time. Tidus agrees and has a dream. But before we see Tidus' dream, we see a priest from the temple approaches Wakka with concern. Wakka agrees to go with him to the temple. [Dream / Flashback] Some men are talking to Tidus' mother about searching for Jecht. She thanks them for their efforts. A young Tidus bitterly says, "Who cares whether he comes back or not?" His mother asks him if he really hates his father *that* much. He says he does. She then points out that Tidus can't tell his father how much he hates him if Jecht is dead. Tidus wakes up to discover that he's been ditched. He goes looking for Wakka at the temple. Wakka and the priest are discussing how the apprentice Summoner has yet to return. Tidus butts in and gets down to business. He asks if it's dangerous in there, which they confirm. He then asks why no one has gone looking. It's forbidden. He brashly says that he doesn't care and runs up the stairs to enter the Cloister of Trials. Wakka meets Tidus at the end of the Trials (don't ask how Wakka got there ^^; ). Wakka half-heartedly scolds him for doing something that's forbidden. He then says that Tidus is going to meet Yuna's other Guardians. "One of 'ems got a short fuse, and who knows what the other one's thinking." They enter the chamber outside of the room where Yuna's praying to the Fayth and Lulu immediately bites Wakka's head off. "See? I told you she gets mad easy," he says in an aside. When Yuna comes out of the room with the Fayth she's sweat covered, drained, and woozy. She weakly says that she'd done it and then stumbles down the steps. Kimahri catches her before she falls. Tidus is the last person to leave the temple. Wakka grabs a hold of him and drags him down to see Yuna perform her first summoning in the courtyard. The villagers are suitably impressed by Yuna's mad skills, as is Tidus. Later that night there is a big bonfire cookout in her honor. Wakka takes the opportunity to rally the Aurochs onto victory at the tournament. Tidus wanders over to where Yuna is speaking with some elders. They tell him to stay away. [One of the funniest voices in the game is the little girl who declares, "You're a bad man!" Oh, I wish I had that .wav for my computer!] Yuna excuses herself from the elders and speaks with Tidus for a couple minutes. It's pretty obvious that they've got their eyes on each other from how they interact. After Yuna goes back to the elders Wakka elbows Tidus and notes that Yuna's pretty cute, but advises him to not get any ideas. Tidus goes to bed and has another dream. [Dream] Tidus is sitting on the Besaid dock. Yuna is near the end of it looking out over the sea. He gets up and walks over to her. She asks him about him taking her to Zanarkand. Rikku appears and protests that Tidus was going to travel with her. Then Jecht appears on the shore and taunts him about traveling with women when he's still a boy. Child Tidus is standing on the dock with Yuna, Jecht, and Rikku on the shore. Tidus mutters, "I hate you". Jecht acts like an ass by saying, "Huh? What'd you say?" Yuna encourages him to speak more forcefully. Rikku likewise encourages him to say what he means. With all three of them railing on him he screams "I hate you!" and wakes up bolt upright in bed. He goes over to the doorway because he hears Lulu and Wakka talking. Lulu is scolding Wakka about taking Tidus in. She reminds him that no matter how much he wants it to be, Tidus is not Chappu. Lulu begs Wakka to cut out his foolishness and then leaves in disgust. Tidus meets Wakka at the door and they discuss Chappu some before going to bed. The next morning we're finally getting on with this adventure. Wakka gives Tidus the sword he gave to Chappu (Brotherhood). Chappu had refused to take Brotherhood and took a Machina weapon instead. The three of them wait for Yuna to arrive. She's late because she has a large box of gifts for the temples they're going to visit. Wakka reminds her that this pilgrimage isn't a vacation. Abashed, Yuna agrees and leaves the box behind. Outside of the village there is place to stop and pray before going on a journey. Wakka kneels down to pray, as does Yuna. Lulu simply bows to pay her respects. Wakka recalls how Chappu hadn't stopped to pray the day he left to join the Crusaders, said he was going to miss the boat. Obviously Wakka believes that this is part of the reason his brother is now dead. The four of them go down the road and enter a couple battles. Things are going well until they come across Kimahri. The Ronso attacks Tidus and the star Blitzball player is left to fend for himself against the angry beast. Afterwards Tidus asks what spur is up Kimahri's butt, but no one has a good answer for him. "Sometimes we don't understand him either," Yuna admits. Tidus accepts this explanation without further question. [Personally, I wouldn't let the issue die nearly as easily has he did.] After that Yuna is pulled in to do a summoning. "Your first real battle. Let's see some style!" Wakka encourages. [Unfortunately, this excellently delivered line is ruined by Yuna's abrupt "Okay" response.] Half the village has gone down to the dock to say goodbye to their departing Summoner. (No one cares that their Blitzball team is leaving as well ^^; ) Tidus collects many gifts from the villagers for Yuna and then boards the ship. Yuna does an elaborate prayer bow to them and the party is on their way to Kilika. S.S. Liki : "I don't know who you are, or where you came from." [Lulu] The voyage to Kilika begins with Tidus being a pain in the ass for the lookout. He grabs the binoculars away and uses them to scan around him (including spending more time than necessary on Lulu's cleavage). The lookout reclaims his binoculars and Tidus finds other people to bug. Bugging Lulu earns you her scorn (as indicated from the quote above). Going to the front of the ship Tidus finds the Aurochs and a group of sailors gathered around Yuna talking about her. Everyone admires the daughter of Lord Braska. Wakka has a few things to say about praying at the Kilika temple for victory (a plan Lulu mocks) and how Yuna is the daughter of High Summoner Braska. "It's tough when your father's famous," Tidus comments sourly. Going below deck, Tidus encounters an odd fellow by the name of O'aka XXIII, merchant extraordinaire (or so he claims). After being mildly insulting he hits Tidus up for cash to help fund his operation. The two Crusaders Tidus met in Besaid can also be found below deck guarding the door to a restricted area. They once again encourage Tidus to stay away from the Crusaders unless he wants to become an outcast as well. Going a bit deeper into the ship, Tidus discovers that it's being propelled by chocobo power. (Think hamsters in a wheel, except the hamsters are replaced with giant birds that look like yellow emus). "Miracles and oddities were starting to become routine on this trip," Tidus reflects. Yuna pulls Tidus aside to speak with him. She asks him about his Zanarkand. He tries to feed her the line about Sin's toxins messing with his head, but Yuna doesn't accept that. She says that she knows he's telling the truth and then tells him a bit about the Blitzball stadium in Zanarkand. Tidus is flabbergasted and questions how she could know such things. She explains that one of her father's Guardians was Sir Jecht, and that he told her stories of his Zanarkand when she was a child. Yuna mentioning his old man (as Tidus refers to him) sours the young Blitzball player. He doesn't hold Jecht to be as great of man as Yuna does. They're about to say more when Sin attacks the ship! Yuna is knocked down and nearly overboard. Tidus can't get to her to pull her to safety, but that doesn't stop the powerful Ronso from leaping to her aid. Kimahri pulls her in while everyone is sloshed around the deck. The sailors want to fire their harpoons into Sin to distract it from attacking Kilika. Wakka says that's madness because Sin'll just pull the ship under and destroy it. The sailors beg Yuna's forgiveness and she allows them to harpoon Sin. Sin takes the ship on one heck of a wild ride. After they've beaten it down some the lines on the harpoons snap and Tidus is thrown overboard. Wakka dives in after him. Meanwhile, Sin attacks Kilika and ravishes it pretty harshly. It's like a hurricane had gone through and blew over all their houses and docks and such. After Tidus is saved by Wakka, the ship lands at the ruined coastal village. Kilika : "It was strange, and somehow horrifying. I never wanted to see it again." [Tidus] Yuna is the first one down the plank after the ship is moored. She asks the village elders that, if they have no other Summoner, if she may perform the sending. The elders thank her for her offer and lead her away. Tidus follows everyone to the coast where the bodies of the dead have been put into shrouds and cast into the water amongst the debris. "Ah, what's a 'sending'? Are we going somewhere?" Tidus asks Lulu innocently while Yuna prepares to perform the ceremony. "You truly are clueless. Are you sure it's just your memory that's the problem?" She explains that Yuna is about to send the spirits of the dead to the Farplane so that they don't become Fiends. In a *very* cool FMV sequence Yuna walks barefoot out onto the water. She then twirls out her staff and begins dancing. As she dances, the spirits of the dead (looking much like fireflies) swirl around her. The families on the shore mourn as they watch the sending. Yuna's magic causes the water to form into a pillar and lift her up higher and higher as she dances. After the ceremony she walks back to the shore. Lulu meets her at the water's edge. "I hope I did okay," Yuna says meekly. Lulu brushes her bangs aside. "You did very well. They've reached the Farplane by now, but no tears next time, eh?" The sending hurts Yuna as much as it hurt the villagers. Lulu offers what comfort she can, but a Summoner has to be strong for the people. As Tidus watches the scene he thinks, "I wished there would never be a next time. No more people being killed by Sin. No more sendings for Yuna. Everyone stood there watching. It was strange, and somehow horrifying. I never wanted to see it again." The next day the villagers have begun rebuilding their homes. The party has to go to the nearby Kilika temple to pray to the Fayth. The Aurochs are going as well to pray for victory. Tidus questions if this is the time for Blitzball, and Wakka assures that it's the only time. Blitz is the only distraction people have, they cheer for their team, and throw themselves into it. Wakka tells Tidus about how High Summoner Ohalland used to be quite a blitzer in his day. To get to the temple the party has to go through a jungle. Before the party goes through Yuna stops and hesitantly asks Tidus to become one of her Guardians. Wakka (being the dense guy that he is) says that Tidus isn't good enough to be a Guardian. Yuna demures and then asks if not as a Guardian, than as just a companion. Wakka is startled. Lulu (who's in on this) nudges everyone to talk about it later. At the bottom of the steps leading up to the temple the Aurochs, Wakka, and Tidus get into a contest about who can run up the steps to the temple the first. (There's *a lot* of steps x.x). Wakka asks Yuna to tell them to go, she says 'ready!', and then darts up the steps herself, getting a head start on the competition. The Aurochs and Wakka follow her. Lulu laughs at Yuna's playfulness and says, "Kids..." A startled exclamation from Wakka puts an end to the fun and games. Sinspawn are on the landing leading up the temple. Sinspawn are like, um, well, they're like mini-Sin's that are growing on Sin's back. Sin sheds them when it attacks. If the Sinspawn aren't killed, then they can call Sin to come back to save them. The party smacks down the Sinspawn and then continues up to the temple proper. Along the way Wakka asks Tidus if there are Fiends in Zanarkand. Tidus says that there are a few. Then Wakka tosses out his latest theory, that Sin doesn't kill people, it only moves them across time. Lulu comes down hard on Wakka for his latest idiotic idea. She scolds him for not wanting to accept the truth; that Chappu died on the shores of Djose. Not matter how much Wakka wants it, Chappu isn't going to come back. Wakka is crushed by Lulu's words, but accepts that she's right and continues up to the temple. Kilika Temple : "What.. do you.. want to.. do?" [Yuna] Kilika temple holds the Aeon Ifrit, who is a fire elemental. In the courtyard to the temple itself, the party runs into the Luca Goers, another Blitzball team. They're the heavy favorites to win the tournament in Luca. They're pretty snide in how they treat the Aurochs, whom they expect to leave the tournament in the first round again this year. Tidus says that's not going to happen. The harassment doesn't end there! Upon entering the temple the party encounters another Summoner who is on her pilgrimage named Dona. She has one Guardian who is a giant lug of a guy named Barthello. She sees Yuna and how many Guardians she has, along with Yuna being the famous Lord Braska's daughter and immediately goes into bitch-mode. Yuna plays it pretty cool, being respectful and all. When Dona questions her needing so many Guardians, Yuna replies that she only brought those who she trusts with her life. The party goes to enter the Cloister of Trials. Everyone gets on the lift, but then Kimahri shoves Tidus off and the lift goes down into the Cloister. Tidus is like "yeah, yeah, I know" and has to wait. Then Dona shows up, and has Barthello toss Tidus onto the lift and hit the button. Tidus is dumped into the Cloister with no way to get out. He decides to go find the Guardians. When he enters the anteroom to the Fayth everyone's like "WTF are you doing here?" Tidus explains that Dona tossed him down here. Lulu explains a bit about what the Fayth are before Yuna comes out. Tidus also recognizes the Hymn of the Fayth as being a song from his childhood. He tries to tell the others, but the words won't come. On their way out of the temple, when the people surround Yuna and it reminds him of home, it finally dawns on Tidus just how deep of shit he's in. "I thought I'd put my feelings for Zanarkand behind me. But they were there and grew bigger and bigger. I was about ready to burst." Yuna asks, "What... do you... want to... do?" (The line is delivered straight from the William Shatner school of voice acting. Yuna's VA will *never* live this one down, I assure you). "To scream real loud," he answers. A moment passes as everyone else starts down the steps and then Tidus screams at the top of his lungs. Back at Kilika, everyone boards the boat that will take them to Luca and the Blitzball tournament. S.S. Winno : "And whose fault is that?" "Not mine! It is mine, huh?" [Lulu and Wakka] Tidus finds himself on a somewhat crowded ship heading for Luca. The party, the Besaid Aurochs, the Kilika Beasts, the Luca Goers, the Crusaders, O'aka, Dona and her flunkie are all aboard along with the ship's crew. When Tidus goes above deck he finds the Goers speaking with Yuna. He asks what they're talking about and they begin the verbal assault that they started at the Kilika temple. Yuna comes to Tidus' aid by noting that he was the star player of the Zanarkand Abes and that the Aurochs have a chance this year. The Goers won't cross the threshold by insulting Yuna, instead sarcastically saying, "Right. Whatever her Ladyship says," and leaving. Tidus asks why Yuna was so adamant about defending him. She answers that she truly believes that his Zanarkand exists and that she'd love to see it some day. This prompts a bit of cute narration from Tidus. "So, Yuna, wanna come over to my place?" He then recalls that he doesn't have a place to show her, so that idea is promptly scuttled. Wakka and Lulu are having a private conversation on the observation deck. Of course, Tidus has to go eavesdrop on them. First they discuss the quandary that having Tidus around creates. Lulu criticizes Wakka's plan of just dumping Tidus off in Luca after the tournament. Then she reminds him that Yuna wants to make him a Guardian. "And whose fault is that?" She scolds. "Not mine!" Wakka defends. "It is mine, huh?" The next time Tidus peeks in on them they're discussing Yuna's motives for making him a Guardian. Lulu says it's because Tidus is Sir Jecht's son. Wakka says that the decision is something that's between Tidus and Yuna. For once, Lulu agrees with him. Lulu suggests that Wakka speak with Tidus and try to convince him to be a Guardian on Yuna's behalf. Wakka asks why Yuna can't do it herself. Lulu sighs and explains that Tidus hates his father. Did Wakka think that Yuna could say to Tidus, "I want you to be my Guardian, like your father was to mine"? Wakka is still a bit dense, but agrees to speak with Tidus after the tournament. Wakka comments on what a luxury it must be to be able to hate your father. He doesn't even remember his. Lulu comments that she was five when she lost her parents, so she remembers them a little. Wakka gets angry at Sin for taking away people's families. Tidus comes across a Blitzball in the middle of the deck. He then has a flashback about Jecht showing him the Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III, along with heaping on a pile of abuse about how Tidus will never be good enough to pull it off. After the flashback Tidus performs the Jecht Shot to the amazement of the on looking Aurochs and waving Yuna. While the Aurochs try to practice the shot, he and Yuna have a discussion about their fathers. Tidus maintains that Jecht was a good-for-nothing, while Yuna holds him in high esteem. The young Blitzball player tries to explain why he doesn't like his father, and then falls back on how hard it is to live in the shadow of someone famous. Yuna says that it can be difficult, but the honor of having a famous father makes up for it. Tidus isn't convinced. Luca : "This event is sponsored by Yevon!" [Announcer] The ship docks at Luca and people are gathered on the pier to greet the teams as they disembark. The first team off are the Kilika Beasts. The next team are the Aurochs, who the announcers note having not won a game in 23 years, and wish them a safe trip back to Besaid. The final team off the boat are the Goers, who get an uproarious welcome. Tidus becomes jealous, grabs a bullhorn, and yells taunts at the Goers. Word gets around the Maester Mika's ship has landed in dock 3 and everyone rushes off to greet him. This year's tournament is to celebrate Mika's fifty years in office. Tidus isn't impressed and questions if Mika shouldn't be retired already. Wakka promptly reminds him of his manners. When they get to the dock it's already crowded. A great fanfare announces the disembarkment. Seymour comes down first. He turns around and prostrates himself before Maester Mika. Mika comes down and thanks the people for their generous welcome. He then announces that Seymour's father, Maester Jyscal, passed away a fortnight ago and that his son is taking his place as Maester. Seymour says what an honor it is to be a Maester and how he will continue his father's work to unite the Guado and the people of Spira. He and Yuna then lock eyes significantly. Wakka gathers the Aurochs in the locker room to go over the basics again. The Aurochs have been seeded this year and only need to win twice to be the champions. Yuna bursts in and says there's been a spotting of Auron at a local cafe. She wants Tidus to accompany her in searching for Sir Auron. Tidus meets a couple players from the Al Bhed Psyches outside of the locker room. They've taken a suspicious interest in the lady Summoner. A couple things happen while searching for Auron. The first is that Tidus shows Yuna how to whistle using her fingers. The second is that they discuss how Luca is the second largest city in Spira. Most towns don't get larger than Besaid or Kilika because of Sin. Luca is an exception because of the stadium and the Crusaders fighting with all their might to protect it. They arrive at the cafe and Auron's nowhere to be found, but trouble is. A pair of Ronso by the name of Yenke and Biran begin picking on 'little' Kimahri. Their barbs irk and, at Tidus' encouragement, Kimahri starts a brawl with them. Meanwhile, the tournament begins. The first match is the Al Bhed Psyches versus the Besaid Aurochs. Tidus notices that Yuna has disappeared. Kimahri leaves the fight for another day and they run out to look for her. Lulu meets up with them and informs them that the Al Bhed Psyches have kidnapped Yuna. They'll return her if the Aurochs throw the game. Tidus wryly notes that their demands are stupid because the Aurochs are *that* bad. Lulu says that Wakka said the same thing. Wakka's going to take care of the game while the three of them go get Yuna back from the Al Bhed. After a bit of ass-whooping the three heroes reclaim their kidnapped Summoner. "I hope you hurt them," says Lulu grimly. "A little," Yuna confirms meekly. Tidus looks around the Al Bhed ship and says that it's not the same ship of the Al Bhed who saved him when he first came to Spira. He tells the party about how Sin attacked the ship and he doesn't know if the Al Bhed aboard survived or not. Yuna asks if there was a man named Cid aboard. Tidus doesn't know because they were all speaking Al Bhed. Yuna then explains that Cid is her distant uncle (on her mother's side). Lulu cautions Tidus to not tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage because of Wakka's bias. Tidus reminds Lulu that they need to signal to Wakka that they've recovered Yuna. Lulu sends up a flare and Wakka sees it at the stadium. That heartens him and he goes on to lead the Aurochs onto victory over the Psyches. The party watches the Auroch's win on a nearby monitor. Everyone's happy for the team, but Lulu still busts Wakka's chops about it. "If it were Chappu, he'd still be standing," she says, noting how exhausted Wakka looks after the game. Tidus asks her if that isn't a bit unfair of her. "I don't think Wakka would ever want to take Chappu's pl--" he says. "You *don't* want to finish that sentence," Lulu warns coolly before walking off. In the locker room after the game, Wakka is looking pretty beat (the Psyches were kicking the crap out of him during the game). He says he's going to warm the bench this game, so Tidus is in to play for him. After the team enters the sphere, Lulu approaches Wakka. She acknowledges that he really did give it his all, and catches him when he half-faints into her arms. Wakka leaves a note on the wall of the locker room about how his happiest memories are here. Back at the game, it all depends on how the player is doing. Midway through the second half the crowd will begin cheering for Wakka to come back into the game. Tidus takes himself out and goes to get Wakka. He then reflects that he was a bit hurt, but this was Wakka and the Auroch's moment, not his. Win or lose, after the game Wakka's relaxing in the Blitzball arena and Tidus swims over to him. A bunch of Fiends rush the stadium and they're in for a fight. After they get out of the pool, they spot Auron taking on a Fiend. They meet up with him and the three of them battle, but there are just too many Fiends. Seymour saves the day by summoning Anima to destroy the Fiend and the people rejoice. Yay. Three scenes take place after the dust has settled. The first is Wakka saying good-bye to the Aurochs. He tells them to keep on playing. If you won the tournament, he hands over a large trophy to them. The second is Wakka offering his services to Yuna as a full time guardian. She welcomes him back, Sir Wakka, and they discuss how there isn't much news about what caused the Fiends to attack. All they know for certain is that Maester Mika is safe because of Maester Seymour. The third, and most pivotal, scene is a discussion / argument between Tidus and Auron. Auron confirms that he knew both Yuna's and Tidus' fathers, and that such an occurrence was completely possible. Tidus then asks if Jecht was still alive. Auron answers, "It depends on what you mean by 'alive'. He is no longer human. But then, I felt something there in that shell, couldn't you? You must have felt him when you came in contact with Sin." "It can't be..." Tidus denies. "It is," Auron confirms. "Sin is Jecht." Tidus flies off the handle at this blow. (I don't know why he's so surprised, he always assumed his father was a Bad Guy :P ) They argue a bit more and Auron says that Tidus should come with him. Tidus protests and Auron says, "Come or don't come, it's your decision." "What am I supposed to say? You tell me it's my decision, but I don't have a choice, do I? You're the only one who can tell me what's going on anyways! I have to come with you!" Tidus exclaims. He's stuck in Spira and the only person who can get him back to Zanarkand is Jecht. The only way he's going to come into contact with Jecht is with Auron. That means no choice. Auron leaves (with Tidus unwillingly in tow) to offer his services as a Guardian to Yuna. Yuna is startled by his offer but readily accepts. Auron says it's because he promised Braska. He then stipulates that Tidus is accompanying them as well. That one he promised to Jecht. Yuna asks if Sir Jecht is still alive. Auron says that he doesn't know, he hasn't seen Jecht in 10 years. Yuna calls Tidus to an overlook so that she can show him something. She then whistles like he taught her to. Tidus says that she's really picked it up, but doesn't sound happy. Yuna confesses that, "Summoners and their Guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light." For that reason she's taught herself how to smile, even when she's sad. She encourages Tidus to smile. He forces it and it looks really stupid. She then tells him to try laughing out loud. That comes out forced as well and eventually the two of them burst into giggles at the absurdity of it all. Yuna thanks Tidus. "I want my journey to be full of laughter. If we should get separated, just whistle. I'll come running. Promise." (This is what Tidus said to her earlier in the day when he taught her to whistle). Afterwards Tidus turns around and asks, "What're you looking at?" Wakka says that they were wondering if the two of them had gone crazy or something. Yuna apologizes and then reminds her Guardians to have a smile on their face. Mi'ihen Highroad : "Compared to Sin, humans are mere Mudpuppies." [Maechen] One of the first people the party encounters on the road to Djose Temple is an old man (Maechen) who is a historian / story teller. Near a statue of Lord Mi'ihen he tells the story of how Mi'ihen formed the Crimson Blades 800 years ago. The Maesters feared them and Mi'ihen walked the highroad to go to them and convince them that the Crimson Blades were harmless. He succeeded, and Yevon renamed them the Crusaders, making them an arm of the clergy. Lucil, captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights, rides by with two other knights. They warn the party that a large Fiend with a taste for Chocobo has been roaming around lately. After they leave, Tidus suggests that they go hunt down the Fiend. Auron asks why and Tidus answers, "Because it's the right thing to do." Auron laughs and says that Jecht used to say that a lot and it usually landed them in a world of trouble. Further down the road the party meets Belgemine. She is a Summoner who challenges Yuna to a friendly duel. After the fight, Yuna demurs that Belgemine will defeat Sin before Yuna gets there. Belgemine says that she cannot, or, corrects, that she could not. Before Yuna can ask more questions, she's gone. Further still down the road (it's a long road) the party meets up with Luzzu and Gatta again. They're escorting a cart carrying some covered cargo. The party also encounters an acolyte named Shelinda. Shelinda is trying to talk the Crusaders out of whatever their plan is, since she heard it involves the use of the forbidding Machina. The Crusaders brush her off and she becomes disheartened. Yuna encourages her to not put herself down every time she fails. Shelinda promises to work hard to get appointed to a temple as a nun. Rin's Travel Agency : "I wish I could live in a place like this. Peaceful... Living with a smile on my face every day." [Yuna] Midway down the Mi'ihen Highroad the party arrives at Rin's Travel Agency, a way station run by an Al Bhed businessman. He's mindful of the fact that many people in Spira don't like Al Bhed, and is sure to not offend them by having any sacrilegious materials around. After resting for a bit, Tidus goes outside to find Yuna sitting on the ground watching a beautiful sunset. "I wish I could live in a place like this. Peaceful... Living with a smile on my face every day," Yuna says wistfully. Tidus replies that she'll be able to do that once they've defeated Sin. He then asked her why Sin continues to come back. She gives him the answer that she's always known, "Sin is our punishment for our vanity. It will not go away until we've atoned." Tidus tries to understand, asking what those sins were. Was using Machina really *that* bad? Yuna thinks about it and then admits that she's never given the subject much thought before. She doesn't have an answer for him. In his own bumbling way Tidus suggests not worrying about the future until Sin is defeated. He then asks how Yuna's going to defeat such a huge thing as Sin. She tells him about the Final Summoning. The Fayth of the Final Summoning is waiting in Zanarkand, thus their pilgrimage there. Auron comes over to confirm that Zanarkand is ruins before suggesting that Yuna return inside. Privately Tidus refuses to believe that his home is an ancient ruin. He won't believe it until he's seen it with his own two eyes. The next morning Tidus meets Rin himself. Rin encourages Tidus to learn Al Bhed for recreation, though also warns him to be careful where he decides to practice his lingual skills. Their discussion is interrupted by one of Rin's assistants screaming; asking for someone to save the Chocobos from the Chocobo Eater. After beating down the Chocobo Eater Rin offers you one free rental of his Chocobos as a reward. ----- Thanks : Yun for asking and editing =]