Chapter 425: The Youth League
With the crisp sound of the trumpet echoing throughout the entire village, all but the heaviest of sleepers were shocked awake at the sound. Many of them then grumbled in irritation due to the late night they had before bed, and several people rose to give the jerk a piece of their mind.
Outside though they found someone none of them knew in the center of the village, who had an obvious look of judgment on his face despite it being half covered. Then a certain group of men appeared from one of the tents, and one of them cried out,
"Hey! What's the big idea, ya?" Turning to them, the man asked in a condescending tone,
"Are you the Blitzball team, the Besaid Aurochs?" Looking confused, one of them, a man with red hair tied back in a bun and a bandage stretched across his nose, asked,
"Yeah? What about it?" The masked man sneered as he stated,
"You all won't last long in the Youth League with an attitude like that! And here I was thinking you wanted to join us!" The men's faces immediately became sheepish as they realized who it was they were talking to, a representative of the newly founded Youth League, sent to train them in order to become the Besaid branch of the League.
Someone else however approached at the moment, Rikku, who angrily stated,
"Even if they're joining the League you didn't need to wake us all up! Who do you think you are!?" The man turned towards her, and, upon noticing Yuna behind her, sneered in contempt before saying,
"I am Beclem of the Youth League, and the way I train our new recruits isn't any of your concern." He then went to turn back towards the Aurochs, only for Paine to remark,
"It is our concern when you wake up the entire village." Looking around at the dozens of angry and sleepy people, Beclem snorted again before saying,
"And? This place is too lax as it is. You could all use a major reality check." Of course Beclem's remark only earned him numerous groans while others muttered rude remarks about him under their breaths. However a certain siren quickly made her way over to him as well as she snapped at him,
"Why on Spira would you even wake the children up like that!?" As she said, all of Alex's children that had stayed in the same tent as her were now wide awake, and fairly grumpy due to lack of sleep since they had stayed up pretty late as a treat. Sun actually had to use one of her Songs to put them back to sleep for a few more hours, something that left a horrible taste in her mouth.
"And how is that my problem exactly?" He replied snarkily, before turning his attention back towards the Aurochs.
"Now then! I'm here on League orders to whip you all into shape, and I only have so long to do so. Now then, give me a lap around the entire island you slackers!" While many of the Aurochs grumbled and complained, none of them disobeyed Beclem's order since they had willingly joined the Youth League to begin with.
"What a jerk!" Rikku snapped as Beclem followed his new recruits out of the village, to which many of the other villagers voiced their agreement as some tried to go back to bed, while a few others decided they might as well start the day.
It was at that point though that Alex finally showed himself, emerging from his tent alone while wearing a pair of shorts.
"What's all the commotion?" Alex asked while stifling a yawn, unaware of what happened due to the silencing barrier he put up the night before. Though while the three Gullwings immediately averted their gazes as their faces returned red, Sun explained,
"A rude guy came to train some people for the Youth League, and woke up the entire village while doing so." Alex frowned as he suddenly recalled a certain someone, who he had wanted to avoid specifically due to their bad attitude.
"Are the children still asleep?" Alex asked her. Sun nodded in affirmation and said,
"Yes, I used one of my Songs to keep them from making a fuss." Though she was worried about Alex getting mad at her for using her Songs on his children, he just nodded slowly before kissing the top of her head and saying with appreciation,
"Thank you, we'll let them sleep for a couple more hours while we get ready to go." Though she hesitated to look in Alex's general direction, Yuna asked him,
"S-so we're still leaving today?" Alex nodded and said,
"Yes. I want to try and make it to Kilika around noon and we'll spend the afternoon and night there, before leaving and arriving in Luca tomorrow." Though Alex kinda wanted to go straight to Luca to begin traveling on the main land of Spira, he decided to stop at Kilika island since Lucy and Lala would be traveling with them for the next couple days. The two of them had spent a good portion of the day before taming fiends and recovering any Machina that roamed Besaid Island, and they intended to search Kilika as well while Alex was there before going their separate ways again.
Nodding in affirmation, Yuna then dismissed herself as she and Rikku went to say their goodbyes to some of the villagers. Though everyone was sad to see her leave again so soon, they all respected her wishes since they wanted Yuna to be free instead of feeling suffocated on their little island. The one that had surprised Yuna the most though was Lulu, who only asked her to return after her child was born to see them.
"You're not going to try and keep me from leaving again?" Yuna asked her curiously, to which Lulu shook her head before saying,
"Of course not. It's time for you to spread your wings and see the world for yourself while having fun. But never forget who you are, High Summoner Yuna, there will always be people who want to use you." Yuna adopted a fierce look at Lulu's warning as she firmly said,
"Don't worry Lulu, I'll never let anyone use me ever again." Seeing her determination, a look of relief appeared on Lulu's face as she said,
"Good, and never forget that you have plenty of people to help you should you ever need it." Though she was also referring to herself, Wakka, and Yuna's other former guardian, Kimari, Lulu then looked over at the group who were still discussing their travel plans, Paine, Rikku, and even Alex as he talked with the other two women.
Though a bit of red crept into Yuna's cheeks and ears as she looked at Alex, something that wasn't missed by Lulu, Yuna said,
"I haven't known him long, but I think I can trust Alex and his wives." Though she had known him for an even shorter amount of time than Yuna, Lulu nodded in agreement as she had paid close attention to him and the others the day before as they explored the island. She had also glanced through some of the tomes and scrolls Alex apparently gave her, and was surprised at the level and types of magic contained within them, and the methods used to cast them.
The morning then slowly crept by as everyone began to get ready and make their breakfast, which Alex and his wives readily ate with gusto before packing some up for the children to eat on the go. With the sun now over the horizon, they then woke the children and brought them down to the beach where the docks were to leave, while Wakka accompanied them to say goodbye.
"It was nice meeting you, don't be a stranger, ya?" Wakka said to Alex while holding out his hand, which Alex readily shook before saying,
"It was nice meeting you too Wakka. Just remember to be a bit more confident in yourself and everything will be fine." Wakka briefly nodded in affirmation at Alex's advice, having done just that over the last couple days after seeing the footage from the sphere Alex gave him, which contained numerous scenes from his childhood with his deceased parents and brother.
Yuna meanwhile made her way over to the Besaid Aurochs who had finished their lap of the island, and were now going through a series of rigorous exercises that Beclem was leading them in.
"Hey everyone, I just wanted to say bye before we leave." Immediately the group stopped exercising to say their goodbyes to Yuna, which earned them a strict reprimanding from Beclem for slacking on their training.
"You slackers must be awfully confident to be flapping your lips instead of training." He remarked coldly, making them flinch while Yuna said to them apologetically,
"Sorry for getting you guys in trouble. See you later." As the rest of the Aurochs said goodbye to her, one of them also performed a sweeping gesture with his arms before bringing them together like he was holding a ball in them, and bowing his head respectfully.
"STOP THAT AT ONCE!" Beclem shouted at him angrily when he saw the symbol of respect used by the temples of Yevon, before continuing,
"The age of temples and prayers are over. It's time you let go of those musty old traditions." He then directed a look at Yuna before declaring, "There's no need to bow down to Summoners either. Yes, Summoners are a thing of the past." With his words carrying over to Alex and the other, Rikku immediately said,
"Hold it right there! Whose Calm do you think this is, buster?" Beclem however just looked at Rikku like she was stupid, and said as if it was obvious,
"There are no more Aeons to summon." He then looked back at Yuna and continued, "Summoners are worthless now." When she heard that Yuna's hands clenched into fists, and they began shaking slightly at her side as she practically growled,
"You WILL take those words back." Beclem however just snorted and said,
"I will, if you prove to me you're not just talk." At that point Alex stepped forward and crossed his arms as he looked down on Beclem,
"Yuna led the charge that ended with the permanent destruction of Sin, she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone." Beclem however just gave Alex a once over and sneered at him,
"And what are you supposed to be? Another slacker weakling who mistakenly thinks he's worth something?" As he said that the still sleepy Myuu looked up, and angrily said,
"Hey! Don't talk to my papa like that!" Her shout was then followed by numerous others as the rest of the children began to yell at Beclem, and even call him names like meanie, and poopyhead. Hearing them yell at him, Beclem simply smirked before remarking,
"Heh. Those children have more guts than you, or any of those worthless and cowardly Summoners." When he heard that Alex just sighed, and looked at Yuna with an expression that seemed to say, 'what can you do?'
*BOOM!*
The next thing any of them knew there was s concussion that sent the sand all over the beach flying, while Beclem was sent hurdling towards the distance from Alex's punch. Meanwhile everyone but Alex's wives and children were standing still in shock, before Yuna cried out,
"What did you DO?!" Alex just shrugged before responding,
"He was being an ass." The girls looked at him in disbelief as Rikku demanded,
"So you killed him!?" Alex however looked at the blonde like she said something ridiculous and replied,
"No I didn't kill him, I just sent him flying back to the Youth League headquarters since he was causing so many problems here. If I wanted to kill him, a simple slap or flick of the finger would've been enough." Alex then turned his attention away from the thunderstruck girls as he used his magic to control the sand on the beach.
With the sand swirling around him, Alex brought it together while superheating the tiny grains, fusing them into five crystal bands that he used Creation magic to imbue with Regeneration and Gravity magic before presenting them to the Aurochs.
"Since I sent your coach away, use these to help your training. They're enchanted to apply an increased pressure on your bodies when you wear them, while also helping restore your stamina faster so you can train longer. Keep up the good work." Alex then turned away from them as he headed back towards the docks, before stunning everyone once again as he summoned Zentih to take them to Kilika island.
Ignoring the shock his actions were causing, Alex then looked at Shia and said,
"Can you pilot Zenith to Kilika island? I want to check in on Asora real quick while we're going over the open ocean." Shia quickly saluted and eagerly replied,
"Yep, leave it to me!" The rabbit girl then practically hopped up and down as she led the way to the ship with giddiness, while Alex disappeared in a small cloud of mist.
***
Later in the day, in a completely different part of Spira, the headquarters of the Youth League were bustling as they all worked to keep their organization running. Their headquarters was established along the steep cliffs that ran along the Mushroom Rock Road, a perilous stretch of road that cut into the cliffs above the ocean, and was regularly infested with fiends.
The actual headquarters of the Youth League was composed of numerous tents similar to the village of Besaid, but these were several times larger while the general attitude was more like a military campaign than a relaxing island getaway. Along with the tents were numerous wooden fortifications and giant cannons that helped to defend against the fiends.
While for most it was another day of 'business as usual', that changed when a trio of incredibly beautiful women, and a large black dog, walked right into their camp.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" One of the guards shouted, to which the one leading them, a mature woman with long curly pink hair that was wearing a strapless white dress that emphasized her sizable breasts, replied,
"We are here to talk to the leader of the Youth League, Meyvn Nooj I believe?" Despite the artifact she was wearing to prevent her Charm from affecting the men around her, the man still gaped at her beauty before taking off to announce their arrival to their leader.
As he ran off the three women continued through the camp, drawing attention the entire way as people started wondering who they were, and where they were from. The trio however ignored them all while the dog growled at anyone who might have strayed too close, as they approached the largest tent in the encampment.
Once directly outside of it though, a man came up to them from within the tent and said,
"Meyvn Nooj is right inside the tent, this way." Following his lead, the trio of women soon found themselves face-to-face with the leader of the Youth League.
Nooj was fairly tall when he stood up straight, and was attired in red full-body jumpsuit that had numerous belts on his upper body to hold the garments adorning his shoulders and arms in place. Curiously though, was that he had to be supported with a cane since his entire left leg and hip was covered in metallic braces to support him, while it appeared that everything from the middle of his calf down was gone entirely.
Looking over the glasses that rested on the end of his nose, Nooj looked over the three women and said,
"Welcome. I am Nooj, Meyvn of the Youth League." The pink haired woman bowed her head briefly in respect before saying,
"I am Sephie Michaela Deviluke, foreign ambassador for the inter-dimensional Asoran Empire, and these are my escorts, Shizuku and Erza." Though his brows rose when she mentioned Asora, Nooj simply said as he sat down on the chair behind him,
"I see, and to what do I owe the honor of this visit miss Sephie?" Similarly taking the seat across from Nooj while Erza and Shizuku remained standing on either side of her, Sephie said,
"The Dragon Emperor, Alexander Morningstar, is currently touring Spira to learn more about about it and to see it for himself. It is his intention to find a place that we can use to establish a permanent presence in Spira, and maintain a lasting and friendly relationship with its people." When he heard this Nooj frowned as he bluntly asked,
"Do I need to prepare my people for war?" Thankfully for him though, Sephie shook her head and replied,
"No. The Dragon Emperor only wishes for peace, and intends to coexist with the existing factions of Spira so long as they do not provoke him first." Though Sephie stated Alex wasn't interested in war, the last part she mentioned still worried him.
"And what if someone did provoke him? Or this Dragon Emperor did want war?" He asked gravely, to which Sephie replied with the utmost seriousness,
"If someone did provoke him, then they could expect swift and ruthless retaliation. And if he intended war, then all of Spira would have already belong to him since the day we arrived here. Just ask Beclem when he arrives." Nooj cocked his head in confusion when Sephie mentioned Beclem, who was supposed to be on Besaid training their new recruits.
"What happened with Beclem?" Nooj asked seriously, so Sephie explained,
"He directly insulted the Dragon Emperor and one of his travel companions, a young lady called Yuna?" Nooj's brow twitched when he heard that, as, while wasn't too bothered by this so-called 'Dragon Emperor, Yuna was one of the few people of Spira he didn't want to antagonize.
Currently it was like a race between the Youth League and New Yevon to gain Yuna's favor as the High Summoner. Yuna herself may not hold any actual political power, but her position as the High Summoner who brought them the Eternal Calm meant she was one of the most respected and loved people in all of Spira, even amongst the Youth League. Knowing that one of his own people could have turned her favor against them was fairly frustrating, since it could lead to public opinion swaying against them if it got out.
Shaking his head, Nooj told her,
"Tell this Dragon Emperor and Lady Yuna that I deeply apologize for Beclem's behavior, and that he will be severely reprimanded when he returns." Sephie stood suddenly declared with a smile,
"Excellent! I'm sure Alex will be pleased, and I look forward to a peaceful and prosperous future Meyvn Nooj." Her business of telling the Youth League their intention before Beclem arrived concluded, Sephie then made her way out of the tent with Erza and Shizuku in tow, while the great black dog, Jin, gave Nooj one last look before following them.
As they prepared to leave the encampment though, a voice cried out,
"FIENDS! A SWARM INCOMING!"
Off in the distance, approaching over the sea, was a large swarm of large flying fiends that were rapidly approaching the encampment.
"Men, prepare for battle." Nooj calmly commanded as he directed everyone in their roles to prepare for the oncoming attack. In the distance he could see the swarm of fiends that were approaching them, and groaned when he realized what they were.
While there were other numerous smaller fiends in the swarm, noticeable amongst them were the large Shantak's, Zu's, and even a few of the terrible Rukh's mixed within, the latter two of which were large enough to pick even the massive Shoopuffs in their mighty talons(A.N. Shoopuffs are even larger than elephants). Giving the trio of women one last glance, Nooj continued giving commands as they prepared for the coming battle, which was mostly getting their cannons and other heavy artillery into place.
"Shouldn't we give them a hand?" Shizuku asked worriedly, as she didn't want the people around them to die or become injured if she knew they could've done something about it.
"Hmmm." Sephie pondered on Shizuku's request, as she too wanted to help, but she didn't want to give the Youth League the wrong impression regarding how important they were to them. Finally though she nodded and said,
"A display of our capabilities would be useful to help them take us more seriously in the future, so go head Erza." Turning towards the scarlet haired 'Knight' on the other side instead, Erza responded by silently walking towards the edge of the cliffs that faced the oncoming fiend swarm.
Even before she did anything many of the Youth League members stared or looked at Erza curiously, wondering what she was going to do. Even Nooj glanced at her in confusion and curiosity, torn between asking her not to distract his people as they prepared for battle, and seeing what it was she was going to do.
Then, in front of everyone, Erza summoned an incredibly long Lance out of her Re-quip storage and held it out in front of her. It's design was long, jagged and sharp, like a bolt of lightning, and as Erza poured her magic power into the Lance, lightning actually began to arc and crackle along it's length. Once she poured as much magic power into Lance as she dared, Erza lifted the Lance and took aim at the swarm of fiends.
By this point every pair of eyes was on her, and what happened next was something that would stay with the Youth League members for the rest of their lives. Taking aim at the swarm of fiends, Erza took a single deep breath in, held it for a second, and then slowly exhaled.
*WHOOSH!*
Faster than most of those around her could blink, Erza threw the Lance with such force that the cliffs under her fractured and crumbled, and anyone too close to her was blown backwards by the force. And as the Lance shot through the sky it split the clouds overhead, and the sea underneath as the floor littered in ruins and Machina became visible for the first time in centuries.
As the Lance soared through the air it went right past the first several fiends that were leading the swarm, tearing the smaller ones to pieces with the shockwaves it was emitting, before it impacted the largest and strongest fiend located directly in the center of the swarm.
*FLASH!*
Suddenly it almost appeared as if the sun had descended upon Spira, as all of the magic power Erza stored in the Lance was unleashed upon the fiend swarm in a massive pillar of lightning.
*KABOOOOOOOOOM!!!"
Then the noise hit them as everyone was blasted backwards except for Erza, Shizuku, and Sephie(since Jin was supporting her), and any remaining clouds in the sky were blown away while the sea below exploded in every direction to reveal that a crater had even formed on the seabed.
"Tch." Erza clicked her tongue in annoyance as she turned and made her way back to Sephie and Shizuku's side, who asked her,
"Why do you look like you just ate sour grapes?" Erza only grumbled in response, before saying loudly enough that the two could hear her,
"That Lance was destroyed by the amount of energy I put into it, I'm gonna have to ask Hajime or Brigid to make me a new one......again." The other two smiled wryly at Erza's woes, and Jin's tongue rolled out as he flashed his teeth in a big doggy smile, following behind them as they departed without another word to the League.
Nooj meanwhile was still trying to pick himself up off the ground, his ears ringing from the sound of the explosion Erza's attack caused, before he noticed the lingering effects from the attack. The sky was completely cleared of any cloud cover, and there was still giant hole in the middle of the ocean where sea had yet to rush back in to fill. Meanwhile the entire section of the cliffs where Erza had stood were now crumbling into the sea, and almost every single one of the League members were still picking themselves up off the ground.
Though he knew it was a moot point, Nooj grabbed a nearby telescope and quickly scanned the horizon, confirming what he already knew as he couldn't spot a single fiend that had escaped Erza's attack.
Nooj then recalled what Sephie said before about Asora being an inter-dimensional empire, and shuddered at the thought of how many monsters they had hidden away since one person had managed to pull off something like this. Recalling also that Sephie said this Dragon Emperor wanted peace, Nooj then began to rethink his plans of traveling to Kilika for a sphere he'd heard the temple there had hidden away.
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