Tidus scoffs when he hears the echo of a crowd, or after the fact; when confusion meets the lopsided grin on his father's face, and Tidus gets it. Well, he did already, sorta -- you don't forget those sounds once you hear them, even if they're usually from more than one source.

But he wishes it had taken his father some more time to come over, or maybe that he'd gone to the other side. He's so real up close now, the rows of seats far behind his back, the last of the water gushing in, the noise of the day outside with the fresh air around them.

Real. That shouldn't be a problem, should it? Tidus looks at the hand with a hesitation that's brief before another scoff leaves him, and he takes up the blitzball into both his hands.

"Not since forever for you! You've gotta show me that you're still up to snuff!" He turns on his feet, facing the pool. "Star players first!"

And he jumps with a kick off the ledge, breaking into the barrier of the pool and being engulfed in the blue. There's still a small layer of water that needs to fill, but there's plenty for the pair of them. He's heading for the centre, to get space between Jecht and himself.

He's got to protect the ball, after all.