Part 90: Episode LXXXI: My Isn't it Wonderful?

“I could already tell, her faith was shaken. Yevon had betrayed her.”
”Wakka got over it surprisingly quickly at least. Lulu didn't bat an eyelash. And Auron... is Auron.”
“I felt like I should do or say something -- anything... But nothing came. I was just as lost as she was. And then...”



Welp, say goodbye to Bevelle. Like forever. That was it. We're never properly going back there. Between scenes the party suddenly find themselves in Macalania Forest once again. Turns out Macalania is vaguely close to Bevelle. Indeed, it would have been the next stop if we hadn't taken that turbulent detour to Bikanel Island then gotten back on course in the most absurd way possible.

Auron wanders into frame...



"We're all clear. We will have to avoid Bevelle in the future. Yuna?"
"Said she wanted to be alone."
"Of course."


Music: Macalania Forest



Oh for Christsake, people! You let Yuna wander off alone again?! Did we not just spend the last couple of days going through a goddamn ordeal to retrieve Yuna after she wandered off to do her own thing? Yuna is a bloody moron teenager and clearly needs parental supervision. She's probably off formulating some harebrained plan to lure Seymour to Guado divorce court to get another crack at Sending him.

Ugh. Let's see what the team of the most slack assed bodyguards have to say for themselves before we go check on Yuna.



"We leave at daybreak. If Yuna figures out where we're going, that is. I feel kinda bad leaving everything up to her, you know?"
”Yeah, I know how you feel. This is my story, you'd think I would have a bit more say...”
“...”
“...What? What story? Did you hit your head?”
“Err... Nevermind.”



"That's what you want, right?"
"Well... If Yunie really wants to keep going, then... I guess I shouldn't stop her, you know? That's what I think, anyway."
“I guess. Say, where did your dad go with that airship? Whatever Yuna decides, I am SO not into the idea of walking any more after riding on that baby. Think we could get a lift?”
*shrug* “How should I know? Didn't have time to ask before we were sliding down cables to crash a wedding. Pfft... My brother has probably crashed the thing by now.”
*frown* “Dang.”
"I wonder if there's a way to perform the Final Summoning and not die? That'd be great, wouldn't it? I guess someone would've thought of it in the last thousand years, huh?"
”Maybe we could have tried some of those airship missiles on Sin. I mean those did a *heck* of a number on that Ho—err...”
“...”
“...”
"Hey, maybe you should go talk to Yunie."
”Yeah... I'm just gonna go now...”



“Kimahri's with her, but maybe you should go, too? I think it might help if you were there."
”Yeah. I'm going, I'm going...”
"It would be so easy to fight without thinking... Walk a straight line. So easy."
”Yeah umm... Speaking of fight... Did we like... Kill Seymour? Again, I mean? He like got all sparky and evaporated and next thing I know we were running. It was really unclear... Like shouldn't have Yuna sent that jerk after we beat him again?”
“Perhaps... It all happened so quickly that... Yes. In retrospect, sticking around to send Seymour... probably... would have been a wise... decision...”



“I am... tired.”



I get the distinct feeling the game wants us to go talk to Yuna. I'm not sure what that's all about. Luckily, the path to the female lead is clear, as every trail not leading to Yuna has been cordoned off by invisible barriers.

Music ends...





Kimahri is the only guardian doing their damn job at the moment. He doesn't have anything to say to Tidus. But he continues to be a solid bro to Tidus and points the way to Yuna up ahead. Best well get to it...







“I thought that everyone would help me...with all my friends together beside me. I've been trying so hard."



Tidus wades out into the pond. Do take note that both Tidus and Yuna are clearly standing on solid ground beneath the water in the early part of this cutscene. This pond's depth might become... inconsistent later on in this scene.



“They told me... everything."
“Everything?”
*nods*
”If it's not too much trouble... could you clarify... what 'everything' you mean...?”
*rubs neck* “Err... Mostly the part with the whole summoner pilgrimage thing not ending with you waving to the crowd in a big parade at the end...”
“Well, so then... you know.”
"Yeah. I'm sorry.”



“Like 'Let's go get Sin!' Or about Zanarkand...”
”And like the half dozen times I was all 'yeah we should visit after the pilgrimage! And everyone just kinda looked awkward and didn't say anything. Which ya know... Ugh... My bad and all but... Uhh... I dunno. I'm not saying YOU but one of the others really shoulda took me aside and clued me in... I mean that's the only big thing right? I haven't accidentally been being super racist to Kimahri or anything right? Anyway...”
“I didn't know what would happen to you, Yuna. I guess... I hope it didn't make you sad.”



“I wasn't sad.”



Clearly they didn't have the Internet back at Zanarkand. Admitting you were wrong about saying a bunch of ignorant shit and apologizing? Preposterous! You've got to double down on being a big piece of shit or nothing!







Welp. Tidus is feeling awkward and doesn't know what to say next. So he's going to just drift out to sea now. Farewell, Tidus! Avoid ending up on Destiny Island. It's all stupid anime bullshit all the way down out there.



“Just... don't do it.”
"The pilgrimage?"
"Yeah. That's right. Forget all about Sin, about being a summoner. Forget all that. You know, live a normal life.”
”I mean... as best you can. You can't accidentally summon, right? Like if you're in bed and having a bad dream, you won't wake up with like a giant fire ogre dude chilling out in the closet, right?”
“It... doesn't work that way. No.”
“That's a relief.”
“Come on now, Yuna, what do you say?"



Yuna stops to consider for a bit. Or a mosquito flew up her nostril. They are wading in the middle of a marsh.



“Huh?” *swims over to Yuna*
“Wouldn't everyone be surprised?”
“Yeah.”



“Lulu and Wakka wouldn't hold out long."
”Honestly Lulu has seemed checked out of this whole thing for a while and Wakka... Wakka has had a rough week with the whole Yevon being a weird hypocrite death cult thing. We could probably talk him into it no problem.”
"Kimahri would say yes, too, I know.”

”Hell yeah. That dude is alright. He'd be down.”
“But Sir Auron..."
"I'll make him understand, Yuna. It's the least I can do for you."
”I've known the guy for a while. He does eventually lose interest and stop glaring at you when he's pissed. You've just got to wait it out.”
"No, I should tell him. He deserves it.





Yuna wades deeper into the bog and decides to toke up with Tidus and just chill out for a while. At least that's the best explanation for all the vapor in the air I've got.





“Uh...?”
“Uhh... Not the one in Spira, the one I'm from!”
“Aha.”
“Y-Yeah! We can all fly there. Everyone can go!”
”Fly...?”
“Yeah, that's right. Oh, right... You missed it. Yeah, Rikku's dad has an airship.”
“Rikku's father...? My uncle?”
“Yeah. That guy... He was... interesting. Threatened to kick my ass a few times. Anyway he's got an airship... somewhere... Well work out the details later.”
“Where did he get an... airship?”
“Yeah. It's like a big flying machina deal. We used it to escape the Al Bhed's Home and blew it up.”
“WHAT?”
“Oh yeah... Yeah you missed this whole thing with the Guado rolling in on the Al Bhed and killing a ton of them so they like had to bail and blow up their home. That was around the time I found out about the whole Final Summoning blargh ending thing... Anyway...”
“Then we'll have a big party at my place!"
”Err... Well that might have to wait. Thinking about it I'm pretty sure I left a half eaten pizza and some take out and stuff out on the counter and that was like... a couple months ago... That's probably... probably a bad scene right now...”
“And then we could see blitzball!”
“That's right!”
“Your Zanarkand Abes would play!?”
“Yeah!”



”I mean we'll probably have to play in that crappy C-South Duggles' stadium. But yeah! Sure.”
“I'd cheer and cheer till I couldn't cheer anymore!"
“Right on!”
"Well, what about after the game?"
"We'd go out and have fun!"



In a normal world, this would be the point in Yuna's story where the religious country bumpkin girl goes off to college, goes wild, parties all the time, does all the drugs, and ends up with a bad crowd.

…

Final Fantasy X-2 suddenly makes a lot more sense.



”Also it's like pretty much always dark out. So yeah... Most places run 24/7. It's fine... you get used to it.”




Music: Yuna's Theme





“It's kinda rose-colored, right? First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter, till everything glows.”
“...”
“It's really... pretty. _{I know you'd like it.}”
"Hmm. I'd like to see it, someday."
"Well you can, Yuna. We can both go!"







(Oh geez! Why is she crying? Did I say something stupid again?! Ugh... I'm pretty sure I didn't... Maybe... Crap...)
*cries* "I can't. I just can't! I can't go!"



And welp... The rest of this update is a video for cheesy anime love story reasons...


VIDEO: CLICK HERE FOR TIDUS AND YUNA ENTERING THE BONE ZONE






Video: Episode 81 Highlight Reel





Macalania Woods Concept Art



Tidus and Yuna Promotional Art