Part 103: Episode XCIII: My Story's End

Music: Wandering Flame



Alright. That is officially it for Mt. Gagazet. Following the lackluster battle with the Sanctuary Keeper, all other monsters have fled the apex of the mountain. Let's strike onward towards...













Welcome to the ruins of Zanarkand – the last stop on Yuna's pilgrimage. Though the above statement is false. The home of the Abes has seen better days.



“Slipping away before I could pin them down with words.”
”But ya know... Turns out it didn't take long to get my head in the game.”

Music ends...



“If we go down there, then you'll...”



Look Rikku, you seem like a good kid and Yuna is alright. But let's be square here. I am not backtracking through that mountain again. That ship has sailed the fuck outta port, ran into Sin, and been shattered worse than the ruins of Zanarkand. Too late missy.

We're either gonna go down there and find us a loophole in this whole broken system or Yuna is going to go kick the bucket instead of her sequel J-Pop career.





“You're a true friend, and I thank you, but... I must go... down, to Zanarkand."
"I'm not saying we shouldn't go.”
”I mean... the salvager in me is seeing those ruins and is really itching to do some plundering. But...”
*shakes head* “But shouldn't we think about it some more? There's gotta be some kind of way we can save you, Yuna!"
"All my life, I knew this moment would come..."
"Yunie..."



*walks forward* “Thank you for everything."

As Yuna approaches Rikku she lets a video sphere slip from... wherever ill-kept spot on her person she stores those. C'mon Yuna, you'd think you would be better about this after getting all butterfingers with Jyscal Guado's narc sphere. Only Tidus seems to notice that Yuna dropped the thing.




Music: Yuna's Theme



"Don't say that, Yunie! It's not over yet!"
"Tell Cid thank you."
”Tell him... not to put a boot up you-know-whose rear.”
"No... You can tell him yourself."
“...”
"Please...”
"Yunie, don't say that because... we're gonna see each other again, okay?"



”Huh? Who me—I mea—Ergh! K-Kimahri come...“

Music ends...



After that heartfelt moment, the rest of the party, outside of Tidus, moves on toward Zanarkand proper.





But hey, Tidus has grown a little bit during this journey buuuuut... he never really kicked the nosy prick habit. As such, his first order of business is to snatch up Yuna's dropped video sphere and to read her audio diary. Not a creepy boyfriend thing to do, no sirrah!

In any case, sit back and grab a sandwich cuz Yuna has to get a whole lot off her chest...


Music: Yuna's Determination



“Kimahri told me... when my father wanted me taken from Bevelle to Besaid... It was you who told Kimahri, right?”
”My father obviously wasn't one to speak at that point and I haven't gathered the nerve to ask you what became of Sir Jecht so... the pieces fit.”



“I had always wanted to meet you someday. I am truly glad that I had that chance. Having you as a guardian was so great an honor that I don't know how to thank you. Perhaps if I defeat Sin, that will be my thanks to you. That's what I'll do. Yes. I will challenge Sin. I will defeat Sin.”
”I still have a ways to go in my pilgrimage. Hopefully, Sin's attack on Kilika and that kidnapping in Luca will be the last wrinkle in our journey. Oh... I wasn't supposed to mention the Al Bhed incident. You know how Wakka can be with the A-B word. Well it's fine now...”
“If you are all there watching this, then I guess Sin is already gone. And so am I, I suppose. Anyway, I just wanted to say: Sir Auron, I thank you.”



“Hehe. Do you remember the first day we met? I was only seven. My father had... defeated Sin, and all Bevelle was celebrating. Everyone was saying what a hero my father was. I was so happy. But when night came, it occurred to me. My father had defeated Sin and now... he was dead. Now, I was all alone. I couldn't sleep, so I wandered into the town, away from the celebrating crowds.”
”As it turned out mourning is difficult when everyone is throwing parades and setting off fireworks instead of holding a funeral. Yippee!”
“I stood on the bridge in Bevelle where my father and I had parted. Standing there, alone, I could see the fields where he had fought Sin.”
”I never realized how tiny Spira was until that day. I thought this pilgrimage would be this long, epic voyage across the land... But we are less than a week into it and soon to hit temple three of five prior to facing Mt. Gagazet. Huh... But, getting back on track...”



“You said you were...”
*gruff voice* “...looking for the daughter of Braska, remember?”
“At first, I was so scared. Until I realized what a gentle person you are. Heh... Hehe. You weren't used to talking to children. When I told you that I was Braska's daughter... you said you would take me as far from Bevelle as you could. That it was the wish of a man facing death.”
*gruff voice* “Kimahri take tiny Braska daughter to Besaid.”
“And I was like, 'Whaaaaat? But I can't swim!' And you were like...”
*gruff voice* “Tiny Braska daughter ride Kimahri back. Go south. Ride shoopuf!”
“And I was like 'gesundheit'! Hehehe.”
“I think... I cried then. Because that... that was when I knew my father was dead... and I would never see him again. You just held me, without saying a word. I cried after we got to Besaid, too. When you tried to go after leaving me in the care of the temple... I held onto you, crying, 'Don't go, don't go!' And you listened, Kimahri. You stayed. Kimahri, thank you. Thank you so much.”
“...”
“And I've always liked your broken horn!”



“I'll never forget my days spent with you, growing up in Besaid. We always played together, us and Chappu. That's why I was always so happy, I think.”
”That was rough when he joined the Crusaders and... well... you know... Don't be hard on Wakka. Or the Crusaders. Tell Luzzu and Gatta good luck if you see them after this. What else...”
“And when you refused to let me become a summoner and I did it anyway... I'm sorry. I've always wanted to apologize. You know, when you tried to stop me then -- really, I was happy. I could tell you really cared about me.”
”To be honest, you two going and being guardians for other summoners... And then coming back and deciding to be my guardians for this pilgrimage... really sent mixed signals with the summoner career path disapproval. But despite that...”
“You were like my big brother and sister. No... I think you really were my big brother and sister.”
“...”
*sigh* “What else... I love watching you play blitzball, Wakka.”
”You and the rest of the Aurochs were so much fun to watch. I love you all but... BOY you guys were TERRIBLE. Even if my pilgrimage succeeded and I defeated Sin, the most amazing part of this entire trip will be you all winning the championship back in Luca. And... Hmm... Lulu...”
“I even love it when you scold me, Lulu! Really!”
”And umm... well. I'm gone now so to heck with it! Lulu I know you were going through some things with Chappu being gone but... everyone is too nice... or maybe afraid... to say it but... Look, I'm gone now. You can have the clothes I left back in Besaid. Just put a proper outfit on Lulu! C'mon... You are 22 years old. You are too old to be having a rebellious goth phase, but not old enough to be having some bizarre mid-life crisis. I shouldn't be the one telling you this from beyond the grave...
"..."
"I am not going to lie. That felt good to let out. Hehe.”
“...”
“I guess that leaves the newest guardian.”



“You are... I am... Well, um... I'm glad...I'm glad that we met. We haven't even known each other that long, but... It's funny.”
”I... I... am UNBELIEVABLY embarrassed you have been traveling with us for this long and I still haven't found a way to politely ask... what your name is... Like I don't know if you've said it and I wasn't paying attention, being worried about starting my pilgrimage. I cannot bring myself to ask the others this far along. Wakka just calls everyone 'brotha' and Lulu would scold me for being so absentminded and I know I just said I like when she scolds me but... you know. And Kimahri is Kimahri... He's not big on talking. He probably doesn't even know either. Sir Auron knows you and I thought he would at least refer to you by name at least once but... nothing. Nothing! I mean it has got to come up soon here... Right? I've been paying attention ever since we left Luca. But... I just get so nervous. You know...” *frustrated sigh*



“It's a much more wonderful feeling than anything I had ever imagined. Wonderful... but it hurts, sometimes.”



“I wonder. I... I just want to say, thank you for everything. Maybe... maybe that's why it hurts. When I... When I think about us never being together again at all... I'm afraid.”
”You know... you're supposed to be all focus and selfless as a summoner but... I just want to hook up just *once* before this ends. It's not a lot to ask...”
“...”
“...Oh boy. This is still recording, isn't it...?”





"Whatcha up to?"





Any comment on Yuna pouring her heart out there, Tidus? No... Though, given the narrator framing device... don't you turn around and gab to everyone about this within a few hours...? I know we're getting back to your hometown, but kind of a dick move, T-Dawg...









The party hasn't bothered to wait and see what happened to Tidus the last fifteen minutes. They've all marched on ahead. There are no random battles on the approach into Zanarkand. Just some still quite nice disaster porn scenery for an early Playstation 2 title.





Once we reach the bottom of the hill... Say folks... Would you look where we are...




Music: To Zanarkand



Welp it's been three years, eight months, and a couple days since I wrote that first Final Fantasy X update. But here are, looped around back to the opening scene. Holy shit this LP has been a goddamn trainwreck.

Ninety-three updates later and nope... still no reason for Tidus, Yuna, and Wakka to have stacked up their weapons beyond having a nice trailer shot. Now we can at least take note Lulu, Kimahri, Rikku, and Auron were holding onto their arms while camping out next to the final dungeon.





Our party is just as silly a hodgepodge of poorly dressed companions as they were at first glance. Now we've just gotten to know them a bit better.





Of course now we have knowledge that the male and female lead boned in a deep pond while the blue cat guy watched in the bushes. Bet you didn't pick up on that on first impressions.





And who could have guessed these ruins were of a 1,000 year old dead city which still technically exists in the form of fantasy Sims construct out in the middle of the ocean. All conjured up by a mass of eternally dreaming corpses cemented into a nearby mountain. And that our lead and his dad, a doom whale, were dream constructs willed into reality by said mountain mass grave. Or that the group's ultimate goal was to go visit a millennium old zombie woman dressed like a glam stripper hanging out in the middle of this dead city.

Final Fantasy is a weird series.



Regardless of plot details. This is it... This is the end of the Narration Zone. We're in a reverse Xenogears scenario, here at the world's end.



“This may be our last chance.”

























































”That part JUST HAPPENED a few hours ago, ya?”
“I regret everything about planting the idea of 'your story' into your head.”
"..."
“I am just impressed you haven't died from dehydration after talking for that long.”
“Sheesh! You've been talking for like... like... I lost COUNT of how many ho—“
“TWELVE HOURS STRAIGHT.”
“Yeah!”
*stands up* "I think..."





“...maybe. For now."






Video: Episode 93 Highlight Reel





Zanarkand Ruins Concept Art