"You're going to be great!" Yoongi smiles as he slings an arm around his best friend, Deenia. The best friend that makes his heart race whenever he was near her, and it makes him want to kiss her. She was his role model and way better at blitzball than he'd ever be. But that's all she'd ever be. A best friend. Yoongi's just too shy to admit his feelings for her. 

"Thanks!" Deenia looked insecure, but her face brightens up when she hears those words. "Um, right! I've a present for you!"

"A present?"

"Yeah, a present," Deenia nods. She hands him a spiked blitzball.

"Won't it hurt when I'm trying to practice with it?" Yoongi grins, taking the blitzball.

"Uh...I haven't thought about it," Deenia's face turns a crimson red, her cheeks flushing harder than ever. "But I thought you might like it. You should be a Guardian, not a blitzball player."

"Hey, ever heard of High Summoner Ohalland? He was a Summoner and a blitzball player!" Yoongi teases, ruffling her hair.

"Well, cheer for me!" Deenia grins, walking into the changing room for the Kilika Beasts. 

"Yeah...bye," Yoongi waves, a bad feeling clutching at him.

****************************************

"Cap'n!" Wakka screams into Yoongi's ear. Yoongi jolts awake. 

"The game's starting!" Urra, one of the Besaid Aurochs, says. 

"I-I was asleep...for how long?" Yoongi rubs his bleary eyes, and stretches a little. 

"A little over an hour," replies Pumma, another Besaid Auroch. "The tournament sheet is out." 

"Who are we against?" Yoongi yawns. 

"The Al Bhed Psyches. The Kilika Beasts are against the Luca Goers, and the Guado Glories are against the Ronso Fangs. We're the lucky team, boss," Pumma says. "If we make it, we're going straight to the finals." 

"And we'd be against the Luca Goers," Yoongi says as a matter-of-factly. "Right, Aurochs! Need a little pep talk before the game?" 

A series of "no"s echo around the room.

"Then let's play the game like we've never played before!" 

********************************************

Jungkook slams the door open. The changing room was empty. Sh*t! Is he too late? He looks up at the screen placed in the changing room--to allow the rest of the players to watch the match that's happening right now. And he was too late. The camera was focused on the Besaid Aurochs swimming out to the middle of the sphere, the water sphere surrounded by pyreflies to keep it in shape. 

There's a lone piece of paper on the bench--flashy enough to catch Jungkook's eye. He scans it--it's the tournament sheet, and the Besaid Aurochs are up against the Al Bhed Psyches first, before moving on to the finals, to play the Luca Goers.

"The Al Bhed?" Jungkook mutters. "Or the Luca Goers?" 

Obviously, one of the teams see the Besaid Aurochs as a threat. Jungkook grabs the tournament sheet and runs back out to Luca. Al Bhed or Luca Goers? 

"Kookie!" 

Jungkook turns to find Taehyung running up to him. "Did you find out who...?" 

"Look at this," Jungkook says, shoving the tournament sheet in Taehyung's face.

Taehyung scans it. "It can't be the Al Bhed." 

"You can't deny the possibility it might be," Jungkook scowls. "Doesn't mean you're an Al Bhed means that your race is innocent." 

Taehyung is silent for a while, before saying, "Let's go find the rest." 

*****************************************************

Seokjin jumps as he hears the voice blaring from the loudspeakers near Dock Five, where the Guado Glories' boat had docked. The boat is still there, but the Guados should be in their changing rooms, preparing for their match after the Kilika Beast versus Luca Goers match. Seokjin walks closer to the boat, thinking about the agreement they had made--all boats had to be investigated. Namjoon to the Al Bhed Psyches's boat, Hoseok to the Kilika Beasts, Taehyung to the Ronso Fangs and Seokjin himself to the Guado Glories. Taehyung was supposed to find Jungkook after he told Yoongi about missing Jimin and conduct his own investigation soon after. 

Seokjin sees nothing out of the ordinary, until he walks nearer the boat and sneaks on board. No one sees him--the guard's eyes are glued to the screen showing the blitzball game, and Seokjin happily tip-toes past him. 

Seokjin sees a piece of paper, drenched and sticking to the deck of the boat. He squats down and inspects it, careful not to be seen by the guard...not that the guard was going to turn around anytime anyway. There were three words written on that piece of paper, and a single face.

Wanted: Hoseok Guado.

*******************************************************

Hoseok, meanwhile, feels illegal. He shouldn't be here. This was the Kilika Beasts' ship, right? He looks down at his hands and closes his eyes. What's one crime if you've committed a worse sin? He breathes out a sigh as he conjures a ball of darkness in his hand. The guards on the Kilika Beasts' looked vigilant. He wasn't going to get past them without a little bit of magic.

He tosses the ball of darkness and mutters the spell's name. "Demi." 

The ball expands, the guards screaming as an unknown force slams them into the ground, the gravity magic working as soon as the ball of darkness hits their bodies. Thanks to the commotion, Hoseok slips past the guard and onto the boat.

The boat was nothing special. It was a normal boat, filled with barrels and barrels of what looks like wine or beer or rum or mead or whatever alcohol's in there. Hoseok looks around, darting behind a cluster of barrels as he hears guards approaching--from the sound of the click-clacks on the wooden floor, he swears they are of the Bevelle City Guards. 

What are the Bevelle City Guards doing on a ship to Kilika? Hoseok's heart beats frantically as the thought of getting caught suddenly occurs to him. And what's worse is if he gets caught by Bevelle City Guards.

No, the worst thing is to get caught by his own kind. Hoseok almost chuckles to himself, before realizing that he should very well remain silent. Being caught by the Bevelle City Guards was a hundred times better than being caught by his own kind, and considering he went out of his way to avoid the Guados...

"You know that kid Jyscal has?" 

"Oh, his son?" 

Hoseok recognizes the name. A fairly famous...no, a renowned Guado in the Guado community, Jyscal. There was earthbreaking news five years ago, when Jyscal announced that he had a baby boy. It wasn't supposed to be that big of a deal. Not if the boy had been a full Guado. But his son Seymour was not. Seymour is a half Guado and half human. Not accepted in either of the communities. Lord Jyscal should have known that. Hoseok bears hatred towards the man who had brought Yevon's teachings to the Guado world and given them the light. 

"Seymour," Hoseok hears. "I heard they're putting him in line to become a Maester." 

A Maester? That scrawny crybaby? Hoseok had met Seymour once or twice before he'd started his journey to explore Spira. Of course, he never could really get close to the kid, since he was royalty and all, considering Jyscal's status as a High Summoner. Seymour always cried; when he stubbed his toe against a tree, or when he ran, literally, into some kid on the streets. Hoseok scrunches up his nose, neer thinking much about the kid. 

And it never once crossed his mind that he was in line for Maester, because as a Maester, he governs part of Spira, and if you're the Grand Maester, you were practically an emperor. 

The two guards have now walked off the boat, to a point where Hoseok couldn't hear them anymore...well, there's nothing much on the boats. They'd much rather have searched the changing rooms instead, but since the teams are in there and the changing rooms are heavily guarded, it'll be impossible to get in, and since he was a Guado...it'll be even more impossible.

Hoseok sighs, then realized something.

The boat has began moving.

*****************************************************

"Find anything?" Taehyung was the first to arrive after finishing his investigations and found nothing. Jungkook was the same--finding nothing too. Seokjin meanwhile, had returned with his teeth gritted in confusion, and the two hailing from Besaid could not wait to ask what it was that had gotten him so confused. Namjoon had returned, with nothing either.  

"Where's Hoseok?" Namjoon scratches his head, looking around as they gathered. No signs of Jimin. Not anywhere, and there was no sign of Hoseok now, too. Except for the two plus MIn Yoongi, everyone else was present: Taehyung, Jungkook, Seokjin and Namjoon. 

"You think he got caught?" Taehyung looks worried. 

"Probably," Seokjin nods. 

"I'm gonna go find him," Jungkook says. 

"Wait, aren't we standing at Dock Six?" Taehyung points at a sign dangling above their heads with a giant number "6". "That's where the Kilika Beasts' boat was." 

"There's no boat here. You sure?" Seokjin asks. He sees a boat in the distance, but that can't be the Kilika Beasts' boat, can it? 

"Quick, to Dock Three," Namjoon orders, and the four of them run through the empty hallways--everybody in a blitzball game. Namjoon runs down the wooden jetty and jumps into the boat, the other three following suit, ignoring the shouts of the guard. Namjoon runs into the cabin, while Taehyung throws a Smoke Bomb and Jungkook cuts the rope tying the boat to a pole of wood on the jetty. The guard screams as tear gas is released, and Jungkook himself has to wipe away a few of the tears before Taehyung hands him a pair of goggles. Jungkook puts it on and feels better immediately. At least, his eyes have stopped leaking tears.

The motor of the boat starts moving, and pyreflies are being spit out from the exhaust pipe. Seokjin feels a churning in his stomach as the boat shoots forward, obviously much faster than it was before. 

"Hold on tight!" Namjoon yells, as the boat tears through the water.

This is a suicide mission, Seokjin thinks to himself. They don't even know if that Guado is on that boat. And that Guado...Seokjin has managed to fold that picture up carefully and placed it into that little pocket in his sword's sheath. He'd throw it to that Guado's face. 

"Hey!!!!" Jungkook calls, as the boat gets closer and closer. "Hoseok!" 

Namjoon was sure they hit the jackpot when there was a blast of fire. Most likely from a Fire or Fira spell flying up into the air. Hoseok must have heard them! 

But what he wasn't expecting was that there was another blast of fire...and it was aiming straight for them.

And he wasn't expecting the sudden fin to pop up right between them.

The last thing he could hear before he out was Jungkook screaming, "SIN!!" 

*****************************************************************

Jimin bites at the ropes binding him. Despite him gnawing at the ropes like a desperate mouse in an attempt to escape, he wasn't going to get out anytime soon. Luckily, his captors have left the door open a crack so that there's air coming through. Yup, believe it or not, he's stuck in the changing room of the Luca Goers. Jimin wants to kick himself. Seriously? The Luca Goers? Would they go this far to win a game? He hears the loud, obnoxious laughter of the Luca Goers as they contemplate how to thrash the Kilika Beasts. That means the first game...or was it the second game already?...wasn't up? He hears the loud blaring of the horn, either signalling an endgame or a halftime.

And he's wondering if Yoongi was doing well in there, considering his current position of being trapped in a stinky locker of the Luca Goers and being unable to watch the game. He could, actually, if he strained his neck and peeked out through that small crack in the door. He does, and manages to catch sight of Yoongi's face as he throws the blitzball to someone else. The score was displayed on the bottom of the screen--five to four? He can't recognize the logos as they were too small. He couldn't see who was winning or losing.

Jimin hears Bickson's voice. "Right, Goers! We've got our trump card there. The Aurochs won't win again this year!" 

"You sure, boss?" someone else asks. Jimin doesn't recognize the owner of the voice. "I mean, isn't it illegal or something?" 

"It's not illegal if you've got a reason. Besides, we're the stars of the show. Imagine if we lost," Bickson cackles, and the other players laugh along, a little unsurely. Anger burns deep in Jimin's stomach. How dare they...? 

"The games about time," another member says. 

"Let's kick some *ss," Bickson declares, before Jimin can barely hear his voice as the Goers leave the changing room.

Jimin grins to himself. It's not as if he's helpless. He manages to channel his energy into opening up a portal of fire, and his new Aeon, the one that he acquired at Kilika Temple, appears, covered in flames. 

"Hey, V!" Jimin calls from the locker. Through that little slit between the door and wall of the locker, Jimin can see his new Aeon's, Ifrit's, bewildered expression, sniffing the air. "I'm in the locker. Think you can get me outta here?" This time, he sees the Ifrit moving towards him, slashing open the locker, a loud bang as the door wobbles on its hinges. Jimin stifles a scream as he tumbles out from the impact, but he's caught in the Ifrit's arm. With a swipe of its long claw, the Ifrit slices through Jimin's ropes. 

"Good boy, V!" Jimin grins. Normally, Summoners don't give their Aeons nicknames. But Jimin is not a normal Summoner. He's given his Valefor a name soon after getting Ifrit, calling his Valefor Seagull. Jungkook had asked, but Jimin says, "I don't know. The name just sounds familiar...and appropriate." 

Jungkook questioned no further.

"Right, let's get outta here."

*******************************************************

Yoongi is greeted by cheers and screams when he enters his changing room, finding s whooping as they celebrate their first victory in five years ever since forming the team. He answers to a few high-fives from his players as he beams at them. Never had he himself felt so happy. If Deenia was here...she would have been proud. 

Yoongi reaches for the tournament sheet to check for the next teams. But he finds it missing. Funny, he was sure it was there when he left the changing room this morning. He shrugs as he plops himself down on a bench. Well, it's not like it's that important. 

But something's wrong. He can't feel it. 

There was a sudden static as the screen now displays an emergency message flashing across the screen. Yoongi blinks in surprise as he sees a newswoman looking frantic. 

"Just two minutes ago, there has been a sighting of Sin along the coasts of Luca..." 

Sin? , were the others safe? Sin always targets this area around the time of the tournament, but hitting the Sphere Dome right at the time of the tournament? That's a first! 

"And two ships have been blasted since the attack has been reported. Casualties were washed up upon Luca's banks. Five casualties were identified but no fatalities..." 

Five casualties? Five? That means...? 

"Due to Sin's appearance, all people are to evacuate Luca via hovers. Please make your way to Mi'ihen Highroad where the hovers are waiting. Blitzball players, please wait in your changing rooms and follow the Crusaders. Special airships will arrive to pick up blitzball players. I repeat, all people..." 

"Hey, boss?" Yoongi sprints out of the changing room as Edda, one of his teammates, calls after him.

***************************************************

"Aaaaaaaaah!" Jimin screams as he hits someone. He falls backwards, but the other person's arm catches him before he falls and pulls him upright. 

"Where are the rest?" 

Jimin recognizes that voice. He looks up to find Yoongi, with frustration in his eyes. 

"I dunno. I kinda got kidnapped." 

"Kidnapped?" Yoongi gives an expression of incredulity. "What in the name of Yevon...argh, never mind." He grabs Jimin's arm and leads him out of the changing room. "You're telling me all about it later." 

"Aren't you a blitzball player?" Jimin asks, as Yoongi drags him through the throngs of people screaming as fiends swoop down from above, and from left and right. "You should be waiting in the changing room..." 

"I'm also your Guardian," Yoongi says. "So shut up and hurry." 

When they got to the site of the attack, they didn't expect to see what they did.

****************************************************