"It's just you and me, Zeku," Nonca laughed and chortled with great delight at his easy victories. This would only prove to Rikku, Paine, and Yuna that they would need more training in order to become more powerful and successfully complete their mission in retrieving Tidus, but that didn't matter right now...what mattered was what Zeku would do to get out of her tight situation. "And I think it's safe to say that I have the advantage here." He laughed again.
"You just shut your trap! I remember now, you little bastard, your dumbass laugh and those stupid little remarks that are supposed to be considered attractive," Zeku yelled. "Let me tell you something: they're NOT. And neither are YOU!" Her inability to stand up and to fight was suddenly overpowered when in her anger, she felt something strange inside of herself, a light, growing brighter and brighter, little by little, until it seeped through to her outline. The light and blinding and suddenly Nonca had to drop his sword and cover his eyes as a shield.
Zeku suddenly had the strength to stand. She felt like she had enough strength to run ten miles! To climb up the side of a cliff! Then go and swim across all of the worlds' oceans and then back again. She kneeled down on her knees for a minute to gather her mental concentration, then dashed to Paine, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Paine immediately stood with the strength to fight again.
Zeku quickly rushed over to Rikku and held a hand out to her. She took Zeku's hand immediately felt the energy flow through her also. As Rikku ran to join Paine, Zeku made one last trip to Yuna. She pulled her up as well and then they were all assembled as a team. It was the only way they could truly shine.
"Oh please, don't tell me you intend on all fighting me together," Nonca scoffed, but Zeku smirked and shook her exactly.
"That's EXACTLY what we're going to do, and we're going to have a brilliant time kicking your ass," she said, then they all charged. As Nonca dodged Yuna's trigger happy attacks, Paine slashed at him with a skillful swipe. She'd hit and he'd jump back, only to be attacked by Rikku and her little friend. Finally, Zeku picked up his own sword and destroyed him by simply chucking it at him, right through the arm. Yuna delivered the final attack with a last bullet and Nonca fell to his knees, defeated.
"That was great! How'd you get your strength back?" Yuna asked, the lot of them exchanging gleeful high-fives and jokes about Nonca.
"I...don't know! Magic probably!" Zeku laughed happily, not knowing the irony of her own words.
She smiled and looked out into the distance, never realizing that out there, Zell and a group of his friends pressed on in a dauntless search for the one name Lina. Zell was willing to go far beyond death to find her, and yet, she was no where to be found.