Part 108: Episode XCVIII: Our Close Encounter

Music: Hymn of the Fayth ~ Yunalesca



Welp. We've successfully murdered one of the most important people in Spira's culture and broken a centuries old tradition. At least Yuna's off the hook from dying at the end of her pilgrimage. Hopefully we can continue to solve all our problems by solving them to death, setting them on fire, and occasionally nuking 'em with a dragon.



In the back of Yunalesca's lair we can take a stairway down to the bottom of The Beyond to...





...oh. Weird. It's just a teleporter between this broken staircase and the one in the back of the room.



There is actually a purpose to that, beyond Yunalesca getting bored and thinking it was fun in her downtime. Taking the teleporter once will spawn the Sun Crest. If you're playing the PAL or HD Remaster version, it's a very good idea to pick this up right now. Dark Bahamut moves in and squats these digs after Yunalesca kicks the bucket and the party leaves.



But we're not worrying about that loser. That's a wrap for Zanarkand. Let's blow this dead scene.





With Yunalesca's second and final death, all the pyreflies in the area, as well as the slain summoner's version of Hymn of the Fayth, both vanish into the ether. The party just kind of shrugs at this development and moves on. Except for...



"What?"
"There is something you should know."
"I know... it's about you, right?"
"I am also an unsent. You are not surprised?"
"I think I kinda knew.”
”So unsent can age, huh...? How come that Yunalesca chick still looked pretty alright? I mean except for the big giant head growing out of her hair. Guess you got off lucky with a few gray streaks, huh?”
“So it would seem...”
“It was Yunalesca, wasn't it?"
”I mean you KINDA got wrecked back there and landed like right on your neck.”
"When Braska and Jecht died defeating Sin... I just couldn't accept it. I came back here...tried to avenge them. But she struck me down.”



“But my strength left me just outside Bevelle. That's where Kimahri found me. I told him about Yuna... just before I died.”
”Oh huh... Kinda thought she did you in when you landed on your neck back in uhh... whatever the deal was with the space room. You made it all the way back to Bev—wait Kimahri knew you were dead this whole time...?”
“He has never been the most talkative of Ronso.”
“I've been wandering ever since, never going to the Farplane."
"Auron..."



“I was able to ride Sin and go to your Zanarkand."
”Do you have to be dead to do that?”
“...It helps.”
“But how do you know?”
“It worked, did it not?”
“Yeah but... Bah. I mean I'm not unsent. I'm a dr... Fine. Whatever! Sure.”
"And you've been watching over me since then, haven't you? Why? What's the big idea? Why me?"
"It is one of those things that is difficult to explain. Very well, I will show you.”





So apparently the unsent to conjure up 100% accurate ghost holograms of their memories. Was that Auron conjuring up all those images earlier to motivate everyone? Was it a happily timed accident? Hell if I know. Like many unsent and pyreflies' abilities, this will never be utilized again.




Music: Auron's Theme


“Uh... Nah. Never mind."
"Out with it!"
"Okay. Listen good. Take care of my son.”



“He needs someone there to hold his hand, see? Take care of him, will you?"
”Like teach him how to pick up chicks or... like point him in the right direction of girls or something. I don't want the kid just sitting in his room and doing arm strength training, ya get me? That kinda stuff.”
"But how am I supposed to go to Zanarkand?"
"Hey! You said it yourself! There must be a way to get there, right? You'll find it."
”Just wing it man! It'll work out.”
“Didn't you just say you were giving up on going back to Zanarkand because it was impossible?”
“Yeah well I gotta go with Braska and turn into like a magic fire raptor or some crap. You've still got time to figure it out.”
"All right, I will! I give you my word. I'll take care of your son. I'll guard him with my life."
"Thanks, Auron.”



”Oh yeah... Don't you bone my wife. I don't care if I'm a magic ice bear or some shit. I will find. And I will kick your ass Auron. You got me?”
“...You have my word.”
“Magical ice bear foot. Up your ass. I don't care if there's already a stick up that ass it in the way. My bear hoof will ram that stick out of your ass up through your throat. Got it?”
“...Yeah.”
“Alright. Glad we're clear. I knew I liked you Auron.”



And with that Auron peaces out with the rest of the crew. So yep. Auron is unsent too. They at least didn't slam you in the face with foreshadowing on that that, like they did with Seymour clearly being an evil prick. Okay... Maybe they did. But it was more of an occasional foreshadowing hard, open-palmed slap instead of a brutal bludgeoning.



If we'd had told Dona to continue her pilgrimage back during the whole Bikanel story arc, she and Barthello would have shown up here. She would have been a bit pissed that there's just an empty room with nobody in it at the end of the pilgrimage. I guess Ghost Attendant bugged out the same time Yunalesca did.

We really did her a favor telling her to call it quits early.





Thankfully, Final Fantasy X doesn't make us run the entire Zanarkand Dome a second time. We're immediately dumped back outside and hey, wouldn't you know it. It's daybreak. Well, sunset in Zanarkand was certainly lovely. Let's take a look and see how the first sunrise looks on this new chapter of Spira's history.



Hey, Sin. Could you move over a tiny bit? I'm trying to see the sunrise he—oh CHRIST!





The Final Summoning's gone. But I'll think of something! Just give me a little more time!
It'd be great if you didn't step on me...





Well... That happened... I need a new pair of pants.





Oh by the way the Fahrenheit is here. This scene is really out of nowhere if you failed to speak with that one Al Bhed (or didn't obtain enough Primers to understand) in the corner of the yard of the Rin Travel Agency back in the Calm Lands.



“Tuh'd syga aoa luhdyld yht gaab sujehk yht ed lyh'd caa ic.”
“Huha uv dryd cuihtc dnia!”
“Ed'c fungehk yeh'd ed?!”
“Fa yna kuehk du tea. Fa yna YMM kuehk du tea!”



"Yna fa cdemm ymeja."
"Dumt oui ed fuimt, puo!"
"E... E drehg E cryd so byhdc..."
"Cuh, drana yeh'd y ihcimmeat Ym Prat byen uv byhdc uh drec yencreb. Yeh'd y uha."
"..."



So how exactly do you even land that thing? It was kind of just... suspended in the Home hangar and we've yet to see it anchored since then. Yeah they will never show it landed on actual ground. Final Fantasy over-design is in full force.



[Just going to keep moving opposite direction of Sin until somebody tells me.]











”Any of y'all need a change of trousers after that Sin encounter, better take a number. There's a pretty big line back there.”
_{“Dang...”}



[Where? Where?]
"'Where, where?' That all you can say? Why don't you think of something!?""
[My job is the pilot. It is kinda my whole thing, Rikku. If I get up, airship will crash.]



Any good ideas?"
"Come on, help us?"
“That's usually your thing. All vague wise words of wisdom and junk, right?”
“Hmm... To be honest, killing Yunalesca was as far as my planning went.”
“Heh. You're joking.”
*glare* “No.”
“...Great.”
"What do we know... Sin is Jecht. Thus, you have a link... a bond with Sin. That may be our key."
”Who is what now...?”
“...My old man.”
“...Say what?!”
“Uhh... Long story.”
"So what do we do?"
"We think, and we wait." *walks off*



”...”
“Hey, Lulu?”
“Yes?”
“Do you wear shoes underneath that whole belt thing or what?”
“...Excuse me?”
“See! I told you I was bad as this thinking and waiting thing!”





Auron returns to the hallway to reclaim his warm brooding spot by the exit. He exchanges a glance with Yuna, who is just kind of hanging out for no particular reason.





We are treated to some bizarre drunken Yuna facecam as she enters the ship's bridge. Not the cameraman being drunk this time. More like Yuna's gait wobbling around the ship before setting straight. There are some... interesting cutscene directing decisions in this portion of the game.



“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”







After bowing to Cid, Yuna is surprised to find he has quickly turned about face. He's a real stoic type, huh?



But we the audience know the truth of his manly tears at the same return of his niece that he has... never actually seen in the last decade. Actually, I'm not even sure if they've ever met prior to this point.



Oh yeah. Kimahri was here too, I guess. We can't leave without our buddy, Kimahri! End scene.

Tune in next time for further adventures in winging it. Now with full airship support! Finally! All of Spira will be ours for the exploring! I don't know about you all, but I am excited! Oh god know I am not. Just let this blizzard freeze me dead now.






Video: Episode 98 Highlight Reel