FF10 Story

1000 Years Ago:

A huge war rages between the cities of Bevelle and Zanarkand. The war is fought with high-technological weapons, or "machina". Bevelle's machina is far superior to that of Zanarkand. The war lays waste to a large area of land, later known as the Calm Lands (see below). The leader of Zanarkand, the summoner Yu Yevon, fears the worst.
[X-2] A songstress, Lenne, is famous throughout Zanarkand. In one of her performances, she shakes the hand of a young man named Maechen. Lenne is subsequently sent to the front lines as a summoner. She is willing to give up her life for her city, but her lover, a man named Shuyin, tries to steal Bevelle's secret machina weapon, Vegnagun. Lenne tries to stop him; in the attempt, both Shuyin and Lenne are killed by the forces of Bevelle.
[X-2] Vegnagun is revealed to be extremely unstable, being unable to tell friend from foe. The forces of Bevelle lock it up deep underneath the city and do not use it in the war.
At Yevon's behest, many of the people of Zanarkand give up their lives and turn themselves into fayths. (Fayths are souls trapped in statues, whose dreams manipulate a phenomenon called pyreflies. This phenomenon can result in making real that which is not: for example, calling aeons, beings of great power.) Yu Yevon himself merges with the life energy (pyreflies) of the rest of the people to build an invincible armor called Sin. Using Sin, he decimates the army of Bevelle; however, the creation of Sin destroys Zanarkand as well. From within Sin, Yevon uses the fayth to summon a dream Zanarkand: Zanarkand as it was before its destruction, to keep it in its pristine state forever.
Yu Yevon's daughter, Lady Yunalesca, pioneers a plan to punish Bevelle and honor her father as well. She creates a technique called the Final Summoning, wherein a summoner who trains her aeon-summoning abilities can call the Final Aeon. The Aeon is created from a guardian of the summoner, who has a close bond with her; the guardian is killed and turned into a fayth, who then controls the aeon. Summoning the Final Aeon destroys Yevon's armor Sin, but Yevon then merges with the new aeon and Sin is reborn anew after a time. The summoner also cannot withstand the energy caused by this phenomenon, and dies as well. Yunalesca proclaims that this rite can defeat Sin for a time and give Spira hope for a short while, but unless the world embraces the teachings of Yu Yevon and atones for their sins, Sin will never disappear completely. (This isn't true, but she wishes to give the world hope for a final salvation.)
Yunalesca uses her husband Zaon as the first Final Aeon. She is then killed by the Final Summoning, but refuses to be Sent to the Farplane. She remains in the ruins of Zanarkand to guide future summoners in the rite of the Final Summoning.
Bevelle remains in terror of Yevon and Sin, and to appease Yevon begins circulating his teachings (received through Yunalesca). Mainly these revolve around the Final Summoning and a ban on machina (Yevon wishes that the machina war should never happen again). He allows certain non-martial machina (blitzball machines, for instance) to survive. Bevelle disseminates these teachings (along with Yunalesca's plan involving the Final Summoning) and sets up temples throughout Spira. Each temple holds a fayth, whose aeons summoners can train themselves with.
The Al Bhed, a tribe speaking a foreign language, are unimpressed with Yevon and remain steadfast in using machina. They are labeled traitors by Bevelle and their machina is destroyed whenever possible, or lost (as in the fabled airship). Eventually the Al Bhed lose the knowledge of how to make machina and are forced to use whatever they can salvage without knowing the actual workings of it.
A song later known as the Hymn of the Fayth (originally sung in Zanarkand) is taken up by those who defy Bevelle, including the fayth inside the temples. At first Bevelle prohibits the use of the song, but after realizing that this isn't working, they instead spread a story about it being sung in defiance of Sin, instead. Eventually it is adopted as a holy song by the Yevonites.
The lands made uninhabitable by the machina war are later adopted by summoners as the place to complete the Final Summoning; the location is ideal because it is uninhabited. Because the time between Sin's destruction and his rebirth is known as the Calm, the place becomes known as the Calm Lands.

(From this point forward, "Yevon" will refer to the church of Yevon, not the person Yu Yevon.)

Some Time In The Last Thousand Years:

Lady Yocun and Lord Ohalland (formerly a star blitzball player) complete their pilgrimages and the Final Summoning, and are posthumously named High Summoners.
An Al Bhed named Bilghen sets up machina towers in the Gandof Thunder Plains, designed to attract the lightning bolts continually raining down on it. He is eventually killed by a stray bolt.
A thief steals a fayth from a temple and hides it in a cavern near Mount Gagazet, in an attempt to prevent summoners from completing their pilgrimages and sacrificing themselves. The cavern eventually becomes home to strong fiends and is called the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth.

800 Years Ago:

Lord Mi'ihen sets up an army of soldiers called the Crimson Blades, dedicated to fighting Sin and protecting Spira. Fearful for the fate of the rite of Final Summoning, the temple of Bevelle brands Mi'ihen a traitor and blasphemer. Mi'ihen walks along the path later known as Mi'ihen Highroad to Bevelle, and defends himself in front of the court of Yevon. He succeeds in winning their trust, and Yevon changes the name of the Crimson Blades to the Crusaders, and declares it an arm of the Yevon clergy.

700 Years Ago:

A powerful member of the Yevonite church, Omega, rebels against his faith. He is imprisoned in a dark place later known as the Omega Ruins. Because he is never Sent after his death, he eventually becomes a particularly dangerous fiend.

400 Years Ago:

Lord Gandof completes his pilgrimage and fights Sin in the Calm Lands. The fight creates a huge gorge, later called the Scar. Gandof finishes his battle at the bottom of the Scar and destroys Sin, then dies.
Because there are no Summoners in the Calm Lands, the few inhabitants eventually adopt the Scar as a burial ground.

50 Years Ago:

Lord Mika is ordained as Grand Maester of Yevon. He dies sometime in the next while, but refuses to be Sent and remains Grand Maester.

One Generation Ago:

Sin attacks the Home of the Al Bhed and destroys it. An Al Bhed named Cid arises as leader and leads them to rebuild their Home in the desert island of Bikanel.
A summoner named Belgemine goes on her pilgrimage. She nears the end of it, but is killed before being able to summon the Final Aeon. She is not Sent, but stays on Spira and resolves to help future summoners train their aeons until one is skilled enough to call the Final Aeon without her help.

23 Years Ago:

Wakka is born in Besaid Village.

17 Years Ago:

Braska, a priest of Yevon, begins visiting the Al Bhed in an effort to promote relationships between the two cultures. He falls in love with an Al Bhed (the sister of Cid, leader of the Al Bhed) and marries her. They have a child named Yuna (after Lady Yunalesca). Cid, though initially angry at his sister, softens and invites her to return Home. She agrees, but on the way her ship is attacked by Sin and she is killed. Braska resolves to become a summoner to defeat Sin.

Between 17-10 Years Ago:

Auron, a warrior monk of Yevon, is offered the hand of the high priest's daughter. He refuses to marry against his will, though, and is ostracized from the order of monks.
Auron's friend, Wes Kinoc, is named captain of the warrior monks (a promotion originally intended for Auron). He is later promoted to maester of Yevon as well.

10 Years and 3 Months Ago:

Jecht, star blitzball player in the dream Zanarkand, wades out to sea, where he encounters Sin. The meeting thrusts him out of the dream and into Spira, near Bevelle. After a rowdy incident with the nearby guards, Jecht ends up in prison. Braska, intrigued, visits the prison and offers Jecht his freedom in exchange for being his guardian on the journey to the real Zanarkand. Jecht agrees. Braska is also accompanied by Auron on his journey.

10 Years Ago:

Kimahri Ronso and Biran Ronso, hero of his clan, have a battle near Mount Gagazet. Kimahri loses, but refuses to admit failure. Biran, incensed, breaks Kimahri's horn. In disgrace, Kimahri leaves Gagazet and wanders towards Bevelle.
Along Braska's journey, he visits Besaid Island and is enthralled by it; he asks Auron to bring Yuna there after the pilgrimage is over.
On the way across the Moonflow, Jecht attacks his shoopuf ride in a drunken stupor. He resolves never to drink again.
Braska and party reach Zanarkand, where they are met by Yunalesca. Upon discovering the role of the guardian, Jecht agrees to become the fayth, having given up hope of returning to Zanarkand. He asks Auron to find a way to his own Zanarkand and watch over his son Tidus; Auron agrees.
Jecht becomes the Final Aeon. Braska summons him and defeats Sin, but dies. Jecht eventually merges with Yu Yevon and becomes the new Sin.
Auron, torn in loss and sorrow, makes his way back to the temple in Zanarkand and confronts Yunalesca, demanding to know why Braska had to die. Yunalesca gives him the usual spiel about the Final Summoning providing hope for Spira. Auron attacks Yunalesca, but is defeated and mortally wounded. He makes his way down Mount Gagazet, and stumbles across Kimahri. He begs him to take Braska's daughter Yuna from Bevelle to Besaid. He loses consciousness and is discovered by Rin, an Al Bhed merchant, who takes him in. Auron dies in the night. He refuses to be Sent, though, resolving to fulfill his promise to Jecht, and leaves Rin's shop in the middle of the night.
Wakka joins the Besaid Aurochs, eventually becoming its captain. They are not to win any games in the next ten years.
Kimahri goes to Bevelle, finds Yuna, and takes her to Besaid. She begs him not to leave her, and he stays in Besaid with her.
Yuna grows up with newfound friends Lulu, Wakka, and his brother Chappu. Both Lulu's and Wakka's parents are killed in an attack by Sin either soon after or just before Yuna arrives. Lulu and Chappu grow close and eventually develop a romantic connection.

In The Last Ten Years:

Auron rides Sin and ends up in the dream Zanarkand, where he watches over Tidus. Tidus's mother dies of broken heart when Jecht does not return. Tidus grows up in his father's shadow to become the star player of the Zanarkand Abes.
Jyscal Guado completes a tireless toil of bringing the Guado tribe closer to Yevon. He is rewarded by becoming Maester of the Guados. He completes his willingness to bring Bevelle and the Guados closer together by marrying a human.
Jyscal's son, Seymour, is given an extremely tough time by both Guado and humans. Jyscal has no choice but to send him and his mother away to Baaj Island. Desiring to protect him, his mother becomes a fayth and gives him the power of the dark aeon Anima. Tasting the power, however, Seymour desires far more.
Seymour returns to Guadosalam and rises in the ranks of Yevon, becoming high priest of Macalania Temple.
Lulu becomes guardian to a summoner named Lady Ginnem and accompanies her on her pilgrimage. However, upon reaching the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, Lady Ginnem is killed by fiends. She is never Sent, and becomes a powerful fiend.
Rikku, Cid's daughter, is attacked by a fiend in the water. Her brother attacks it with a Thunder spell, but hits her instead, eventually giving her an phobia of lightning.

One Year Ago:

Luzzu, leader of the Besaid chapter of the Crusaders, convinces Chappu to join the Crusaders. He is given an Al Bhed machina weapon. He is killed in a battle with Sin. Lulu becomes reserved and cold.
Wakka loses his concentration in a blitzball tournament because of the news of Chappu. He resolves to leave blitzball and become a guardian.

Six Months Ago:

Wakka and Lulu accompany Father Zuke, a priest of Yevon, on a pilgrimage to become a summoner. However, upon reaching the Calm Lands, Zuke quits his pilgrimage and becomes a monk in Bevelle. Throughout the pilgrimage, Wakka becomes distracted thinking about blitzball, and resolves to return to Besaid for one last tournament before becoming a guardian for Yuna, who has also decided to become a summoner.

Two Weeks Ago:

Seymour murders his father Jyscal, but Jyscal realizes what is going on and records a video sphere warning the finder of Seymour's true intentions. He is unwillingly sent to the Farplane before his time. Seymour is ordained as a maester of Yevon.

Some Time Recently:

[X-2] Yevon begins training people for entry into the Crimson Squad, a group that purports to be an elite offshoot of the Crusaders, although being officially unaffiliated with it. Three of those people are Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal, who are recorded by Paine during their training.

Present:

Yuna enters the Cloister of Trials in Besaid Temple. Lulu and Kimahri act as her guardians, while Wakka practices with the Aurochs on the beach.
Cid sends his daughter Rikku and her brother with a crew of Al Bhed on a salvage ship to the ruins in Baaj Island. They are to find the legendary machina airship of a thousand years ago and raise it from the ocean floor.
Cid also puts into motion a plan to stop all the summoners from completing their pilgrimages, sick and tired of the sacrifice that goes on to pacify Sin.
The Crusaders strike up a deal with the Al Bhed to combine forces in an attack they call Operation Mi'ihen. They intend to catch Sinspawn and bring them to one spot (the Mushroom Rock), then when Sin returns for them, to hit him with machina weapons. Maesters Kinoc and Seymour go along with the plan, knowing full well that it will fail and cause untold casualties, feeling that the hope of victory will be worth it.
Jecht/Sin desires to stop the violence he is causing against his will in Spira. He takes Auron to the dream Zanarkand. Sin attacks Zanarkand during a blitzball tournament; Auron takes Tidus to Sin. Tidus and Auron are pulled out of Zanarkand. Tidus is thrust into the deserted Baaj Island.
After being attacked by fiends (and barely escaping the clutches of one of them) and building a fire, Tidus is attacked by one more fiend and rescued by Rikku and her crew of Al Bhed, who think Tidus is a fiend for some odd reason. Deeply mistrustful of Tidus, they decide to let him live if they help out with their salvage operation.
Tidus and Rikku manage to power up the airship and open the way for the other Al Bhed to rescue it, but they are attacked by Sin on the salvage ship. Tidus ends up near Besaid Island; Rikku and crew survive and take the airship back Home.
Tidus befriends Wakka and promises to join the Aurochs for the tournament in Luca. He meets Luzzu and Gatta, the Crusaders, for the first time. Wakka takes him to Besaid, where he is introduced to the various aspects of the Yevonite culture.
A day passes and Yuna still does not return from the Trials. Upon finding out about it, Tidus barges into the Trials, later joined by Wakka. They find Yuna and her guardians there, having just passed the Trials and gained the Valefor aeon. Yuna demonstrates her new summoning ability in the village square.
Lulu is angry at Wakka for bringing Tidus into the village; she's especially unnerved by Tidus's resemblance to Chappu.
The next morning, Wakka gives Tidus Chappu's sword. Wakka, Lulu, Tidus, and Yuna head towards the beach. Tidus is attacked by Kimahri along the way for some reason; he then joins the party. Yuna heads for Kilika to visit the temple, while Tidus is going with Wakka to Luca for the bliztball tournament (Kilika is on the way to Luca).
Tidus meets an entrepreneur/salesman named O'aka XXIII on the S.S. Liki bound for Kilika, who asks for some donations. He'll meet him several times in the future, peddling wares. The Liki ship is attacked by Sin, who then goes after Kilika Town and causes much damage. Yuna performs the Sending for the deceased. They head through the forest to Kilika Temple; they meet up with Gatta, Luzzu, and the Crusaders along the way, and confront a fiend named Lord Ochu. At the temple, a Sinspawn attacks them yet again.
After beating the spawn, the team meets the arrogant Luca Goers at the temple. Inside, they come across Dona, another summoner, and her burly guardian Barthello. Tidus (who's not a guardian) stays outside the Cloister of Trials, but is pushed in by Barthello (Dona's playing with him). Yuna and company finish the Trials and she obtains the Ifrit aeon.
On the S.S. Winno heading to Luca, Tidus attempts to fire a Jecht Shot, his father's trademark move. (He may or may not succeed). Yuna watches and strikes up a conversation about his father, where Tidus's feelings of despise and disgust for Jecht come out.
In Luca, Maester Mika and Maester Seymour both arrive to oversee the tournament. So do the Al Bhed Psyches blitzball team, who report to Cid that Yuna has arrived (Cid intends to capture all the summoners to prevent their finishing their pilgrimages and sacrificing themselves). Yuna hears about Auron being in Luca, and takes Tidus to meet him. They fail to find him, though. Kimahri is distracted by the arrival of Biran Ronso and his friend Yenke, who taunt him. A fight breaks out, and in the ensuing scuffle Yuna is captured by the Al Bhed.
To cover their losses, the Al Bhed Psyches issue an ultimatum to the Besaid Aurochs (who have received a bye in the tournament and must only play the Psyches and the Luca Goers), telling them to take a dive if they want Yuna back. Tidus, Yuna, and Kimahri rush to the Al Bhed ship and rescue Yuna. Lulu shoots a flare to inform Wakka of Yuna's safety. The Aurochs barely win their match agains the Psyches, but Wakka is injured in the match.
Tidus returns to the Aurochs' room and takes over for Wakka in the match against the Goers (which he may or may not win).
Seymour's loyal Guado, by his behest, and in an effort to show Spira his power and obtain their trust, release fiends in the stadium. Seymour summons his aeon Anima and decimates them. Tidus meets Auron in the chaos as well. He informs him that Sin is Jecht.
Auron offers his services as a guardian to Yuna, and insists on Tidus being included as well. They head towards the temple at Djose, past the Mi'ihen Highroad and Mushroom Rock Road.
Along the Highroad, they meet Belgemine (who challenges Yuna to an aeon battle), Shelinda (a naive acolyte of the Yevon church), the Chocobo Knights (Lucil, Elma, and Clasko), and Maechen for the first time; they will meet these characters several times throughout their journey, but generally they don't do much. 8-) They also meet a young girl named Calli.
They stop off at Rin's Travel Agency, where they hear about a Chocobo-eating monster. Tidus resolves to beat it (he may or may not do so. Winning gets a free chocobo ride; losing gets you pushed off a cliff onto the Oldroad, where you have to make your way back to the main road after a long detour.) Yuna records her final words to her friends here in a video sphere, intending to leave it to her guardians after the Final Summoning.
[X-2] (About this time) The Crimson Squad has their final training exercise, supervised by Maester Kinoc in the Mushroom Rock Road. They are to investigate a cave and return alive. However, the cave (the Den of Woe) is inhabited by Shuyin's evil spirit, which causes all the trainees to go crazy and kill each other. A vision of Vegnagun is shown to them, apparently causing the insanity. Only Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal remain, mainly because Paine stops them from killing each other. However, Nooj is possessed by Shuyin.
(cont.) It is evident that the entire exercise, and possibly the entire Crimson Squad, was a hoax to ensure the deaths of all the trainees. When the three return alive, they are shot at by the Yevonites; they manage to flee alive. It should also be noted that Logos and Ormi are working for the Yevonites now and are sent to find and terminate Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal. They are unsuccessful. (Although maybe this is where Leblanc is introduced to Nooj!)
The road to Djose is closed due to the Crusaders/Al Bheds' Operation Mi'ihen. Even summoners are refused passage (including an incensed Dona). However, Maester Seymour happens along the party and lets Yuna through, inviting her to the command center of the operation.
Gatta and Luzzu argue nearby. Gatta intends to fight in the operation, but Luzzu refuses to let him. Luzzu also takes the opportunity to tell Wakka that he was the one who enlisted Chappu. Wakka smashes him one in the face, but tells him to be careful and not to die.
Operation Mi'ihen commences; the Sinspawn are made to call out to Sin, and Sin arrives and decimates the Crusaders. (Luzzu or Gatta will die at this point. If Luzzu dies, Gatta returns to Besaid to take over command of the Crusaders there.) Yuna performs the Sending.
[X-2] (About this time) Paine meets up with Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal on the Mi'ihen Highroad. The four agree to go their own way. However, as they turn, Nooj shoots Baralai, Gippal, and Paine, leaving them for dead. None of them actually die, of course.
Yuna and party head for Djose Temple (where they meet the remainder of the Chocobo Knights; there's only one Chocobo left, though the Knights are all fine). Inside they meet Isaaru, yet another Summoner, and his brothers-cum-guardians Maroda and Pacce. Yuna completes the Cloister of Trials and gains the help of Ixion.
Tidus, Yuna and co. head towards the Moonflow, a river infested with pyreflies. On the way they meet Shelinda again, as well as Biran and Yenke Ronso, who nastily inform Kimahri that summoners have been disappearing (thanks to the Al Bhed's plan on stopping the pilgrimages). Belgemine also shows up for another battle.
The party rides a shoopuf towards the other bank, but is attacked by none other than Rikku, in an Al Bhed contraption, who tries to make off with Yuna. Tidus and Wakka bust up her machine and save Yuna, though (all without knowing who was in there).
[X-2] Baralai reaches Guadosalam. Seymour agrees to take him "under his wing", erasing his involvement with the Crimson Squad; Baralai goes into hiding. Gippal returns to the Al Bhed Home in Bikanel Island. It's unknown what happens to Nooj until after the end of FFX.
After reaching the other shore, Tidus finds Rikku on the bank of the river. After some confusion, Rikku speaks with her cousin Yuna and ends up deciding to be yet another guardian and to travel with them. Wakka is blissfully unaware that she is an Al Bhed, however.
The party enters Guadosalam, where they are greeted by Tromell Guado, Seymour's sycopanthic servant. Seymour invites them into his mansion, where he treats them to some food, and a breathtaking view of ancient Zanarkand (thanks to the Farplane's memories). He then asks Yuna to marry him. Extremely flustered, Yuna asks for some time to decide.
She heads for the nearby Farplane, where she meets with the spectres of her parents. (Wakka and Lulu also spend time with Chappu.) Yuna tells Tidus to try to call Jecht, but of course he doesn't come, because he's not dead - he's Sin. However, Tidus's mother does show up... even though she wasn't Sent, she accepted death while still alive, pining away for Jecht.
On the way out of the Farplane, Maester Jyscal shows up, trying to leave the Farplane. Yuna re-Sends him, but he drops a video sphere which she quickly picks up. Auron comments that the reason for him trying to leave the Farplane was because he had a violent death.
Yuna decides to continue her pilgrimage in lieu of marrying Seymour, but Seymour has already left for Macalania Temple, which he is high priest of. Shelinda informs Tidus of the fact, and they start after him.
First they pass through the Gandof Thunder Plains, where Rikku makes her fear of lightning abundantly clear. While stopping at Rin's Travel Agency, Yuna takes a look at Jyscal's sphere, which is a warning to beware Seymour and a declaration of his murder by his son's hand. She decides to confront Seymour instead of fleeing from him, so she tells her friends that she's changed her mind and wants to marry him.
At the other end of the Plains, they pass through Macalania Woods, where they find an out-of-breath Barthello, who is looking for Dona (already captured by the Al Bhed). Towards the end of the wood, Auron takes a shortcut and introduces Tidus to a place which is kind of like a liquid sphere. They fight a giant sphere fiend here, and Auron shows Tidus one of Jecht's video spheres he left behind on their journey (nine more show up in other places now).
Around this time: Isaaru is on pilgrimage in Besaid; the Al Bhed sneak up and capture Pacce, and threaten to kill him if Isaaru does not surrender. He does, and they take him to Home.
At one of Rin's stations near Macalania Temple, Tidus meets up with Clasko of the Chocobo Knights again. (He can convince him to become a Chocobo breeder instead of a Knight, in which case he ends up on the S.S. Liki with a gift for Tidus). Tromell meets them, apologizes for Seymour's rush, and takes Yuna with him. However, the Al Bhed attack again!
Rikku's brother leads the attack this time, but again they defeat the machina sent against them. Rikku can no longer hide her lineage from Wakka, though, who's rather upset at learning about it. Tromell takes Yuna again inside the temple to meet with Seymour at the Cloister of Trials, at which point she gains the help of the aeon Shiva.
While Yuna is gone, a priestess discovers Jyscal's sphere inside her belongings. Tidus finally views it and resolves to chase after Yuna into the Cloister. They reach the end, confront Seymour, and are attacked by him. Seymour summons his aeon Anima, but they defeat it and kill him. However, before Yuna can Send him, Tromell enters and takes the body away. Seymour becomes an Unsent.
They make their way back out of the Cloister of Trials, but are faced with Tromell and his contingent of Guado guards. Tromell destroys Jyscal's sphere, declaring that "Guado deal with Guado problems!" Everyone runs, continually dealing with the Guado pursuers. Once they near Macalania Forest, however, a giant beast is sent against them. It cracks the frozen lake and they all fall through.
At the bottom of the lake, Sin appears, drawn by the sound of the Hymn of the Fayth from the temple. After some disorientation, the party find themselves in the Sanubia Desert on Bikanel Island, near the Al Bhed home. Yuna is found by some Al Bhed and taken to Home with the other summoners; however, the Guado learn of this and attack Home. They find Yuna and steal her.
[X-2] Gippal has a conversation with Auron at this time; this is apparently what convinces Gippal to fight against Yevon.
Tidus, Rikku, and the others reach Home to find it under attack. They search for Yuna and are devastated to find her gone. They also find Dona and Isaaru here. Tidus finally asks why the Al Bhed are keeping the summoners from their pilgrimage, and finds out the truth about what happens the summoners after the Final Summoning. He resolves more than ever to find Yuna and apologize to her for all the bright things he said about defeating Sin.
Cid deems that Home cannot be saved from the fiends unleashed there by the Guado; he takes as many Al Bhed as he can (most of them, actually), the summoners, and Tidus and friends to the giant airship salvaged by Rikku in Baaj Island, now restored. He then uses the airship's weapons to blow up Home.
[X-2] Buddy is one of the Al Bhed aboard the airship.
Cid searches for Yuna using a machina inside the airship, and finds her in Bevelle, where Seymour is forcing her to marry him. They make a daring attempt to rescue her (defeating Bevelle's guardian dragon, Evrae, on the way), but are captured by Maester Kinoc and his monk warriors. Yuna escapes by falling from the tower and summoning Valefor to carry her. She makes her way to the Bevelle Temple to enter the Cloister of Trials. Tidus and co. follow her. Inside, Tidus catches a glimpse of Bahamut's fayth, who has riddled his dreams now and again.
Outside the Cloister, Maester Kinoc arrives and captures the party. During the (not-so-)fair trial by Maesters Mika and Kelk Ronso, Yuna and her friends are sentenced to the Via Purifico, a (not-so-)grueling physical test supposedly meant to execute the sentencee. There are two parts to it; Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku end up in the water and have to fight the spectre of Evrae to leave; the others end up in a dry-land part and have to fight Isaaru to break free. Everyone manages to do so. They end up on the Bevelle Highbridge.
Seymour waits for them here. He kills Kinoc and absorbs the pyreflies from his body and several other guards, creating an artificial armor similar (on a small scale) to Sin's. Kimahri attacks him and tells the others to run, but after going a short while they come back and help him defeat Seymour.
The party flees Bevelle and ends up back in Macalania Woods. Yuna wades into the nearby lake. Tidus attempts to cheer her up by telling her stories of Zanarkand and trying to get her to give up her pilgrimage, but it doesn't work. Tidus kisses her (to the tune of Suteki Da Ne) and tells her he'll stay with her no matter what her decision is.
Maester Mika sends word throughout Yevon's temples that Yuna and her friends are traitors, to be killed on sight. He dispatches warrior monks to all corners of Spira, searching for her. Maester Kelk Ronso, worried by Mika's calm acceptance of Seymour's guilt in Lord Jyscal's death, quits the order of Yevon and returns to Mount Gagazet.
The party back together, they head off to the Calm Lands. There they meet with Father Zuke, who was told by Bevelle to kill them. However, he simply warns them and lets them proceed. Other people to meet in this vast place include Belgemine (again), a Chocobo racer, and Maechen.
They head towards Mount Gagazet, the last stronghold of civilization before the ruins of Zanarkand. They are stopped by more of Seymour's Guado cronies, but defeat them and continue.
They proceed to Mount Gagazet, where they are met with resistance by Kelk and his faithful Ronso (including Biran and Yenke). Yuna's strong words convince Kelk to let her pass, but Biran and Yenke refuse to allow Kimahri to join her. They attack Kimahri, and Kimahri beats them. Biran and Yenke accept their defeat with grace.
As Yuna and friends travel through Mount Gagazet, Seymour attacks the mountain and mows down the Ronso one by one, including Kelk, Biran, and Yenke. Only a scant few Ronso survive (besides the blitzball players still in Luca). Seymour tracks Yuna and catches up to her at the peak of the mountain. Again calling power to create an armor of souls, he is again defeated by Tidus, Yuna, and the rest, but not before Seymour declares his intention to join with Sin and destroy all life on Spira, thus "healing" it from its sorrow.
The people of Spira, upon hearing Maester Mika's declaration of Yuna as a traitor, begin to doubt Bevelle's word and their intentions. They are also disinclined to trust the warrior monks aggressively populating their villages.
Maester Mika, realizing that Yuna is close to Zanarkand, and finding out about Seymour's true intentions (which he doesn't agree with at ALL), and also seeing the chaos ensuing from his declaration of Yuna as a traitor, spreads a second rumor saying that the first rumor about Yuna's traitorship was false, spread by the Al Bhed. He intends to clear her name so that she may perform the Final Summoning in peace. He calls the warrior monks back to Bevelle. This leaves many villages unprotected, so the Crusaders end up getting a surge of volunteers to swell their ranks, which were depleted after Operation Mi'ihen.
A large exodus from the ranks of Yevon begins, and Bevelle is thrust into chaos. Clinging to those whose faith remains unshaken, they rearrange their entire internal structure. The acolyte Shelinda is appointed captain of the Bevelle guards, much to her surprise.
The Guado lose all hope, realizing their foul deeds, and become depressed and defeatist. Tromell spends all his time in the Farplane, pining for his masters and apologizing to them.
Continuing north, the party reaches a wall of fayth - all that remain of the inhabitants of the real Zanarkand. Tidus falls into a dream upon touching it, where he is finally contacted directly by the fayth who controls Bahamut. He is told the truth about Zanarkand, and the fayth asks him to defeat Sin, end their ages-long summoning, and let them rest.
Tidus awakes. The party continues through a cave leading to Zanarkand. Three trials await them here (the third being a monster battle), sent by Yunalesca to test the worth of those who seek the Final Summoning. After the trials, they emerge outside and continue up the path towards Zanarkand. Yuna drops the video sphere she recorded back on the Mi'ihen Highroad containing her last words; Tidus finds it and pockets it, after watching its emotional contents.
That night, Tidus and friends rest at the peak of the red mountain near Zanarkand. This is actually the scene seen in the intro; in other words, the entire game up until now has been a "flashback" of sorts for Tidus (which is why he narrates it at certain points). The next day, they continue towards the ruins of Zanarkand.
They complete the Cloister of Trials in the dome of Zanarkand and finally meet Yunalesca. Yunalesca tells Yuna the truth about the Final Summoning and tells her to choose the guardian she wishes to make into the fayth for the Final Aeon. Yuna, angry at this treatment, refuses to do so, and decides to end the "spiral of death" for once and for all. Bolstered by all her guardians, she attacks Yunalesca and Sends her for good.
Sin arrives at Zanarkand, sensing Yunalesca's departure. Tidus promises Jecht/Sin that he'll find another way. Conveniently, the airship piloted by Cid chooses this moment to pick them up.
Inside, the party racks their brains for ideas, and comes up with two: To visit Maester Mika in Bevelle, and to sing the Hymn of the Fayth. The song was enjoyed by Jecht during his life and still is (as evidenced by his appearance near Macalania Temple earlier). They intend to have all of Spira sing the song while they attack Sin, hoping to weaken it.
They visit the Highbridge in Bevelle, where they find Shelinda, the new captain of the guards, meeting them. She takes them to Mika, who assumes Yuna has received the Final Aeon and exhorts her to visit the Calm Lands and summon it. She tells him what transpired with Yunalesca, and he loses all hope and dissolves. Shelinda appears, asking if they have met Mika; Auron, naturally evasive, tells her he hasn't showed up yet. Tidus also tells Shelinda to spread the word that when the airship begins singing the Hymn of the Fayth, all Spira should sing along.
Bahamut's fayth again contacts Tidus and tells him to meet him in the Chamber of the Fayth. Once there, he tells them about Yu Yevon, waiting inside Sin, and that there is where the real battle must be fought. He agrees with Tidus's plan involving the Hymn of the Fayth, as well. He also asks Yuna to summon her aeons when she fights Yu Yevon. She thinks the offer odd (since she's been summoning them all along) but agrees.
Word of Maester Mika's "death" spreads throughout Spira. The church of Yevon has no comment on it, but the rumor gets around. Chaos spreads even further. Isaaru the summoner is called back from his pilgrimage and installed in Bevelle to try to keep some sort of peace; his two brothers/guardians, Pacce and Maroda, now guard the Highbridge in Bevelle.
After preparations are complete, Tidus and party attack Sin using the airship, while Spira sings the Hymn of the Fayth. On their way, Tidus brings out Yuna's sphere containing her last words, tells her she won't be needing it, and throws it off the edge. After knocking off two of Sin's arms, Sin crashes near Bevelle. However, he soon takes to the skies and hovers in the sky over Bevelle, waiting for Tidus. Tidus attacks him and opens the mouth wide, and the airship enters.
Inside, they find Seymour, supposedly "becoming one" with Sin. He draws power from Sin and creates a third armor body, but Tidus and Yuna strike him down again; Yuna finally Sends him. They continue on into the very center of Sin.
Tidus finally meets his father there. Jecht transforms into Braska's Final Aeon and uncontrollably attacks Tidus. Tidus and friends manage to defeat him for good and he finally manages to tell Jecht how much he hates him... just before he dies.
Yu Yevon, having his aeon taken away, attacks Yuna and friends. Yuna summons one aeon after another; each one is possessed by Yu Yevon, and destroyed for good by Tidus, leaving Yu Yevon nowhere to go. They finally attack his body (now a kind of black floating spider thing) and destroy it. Yuna Sends Yu Yevon and the fayth. She notices that Auron also begins to disappear; however, Auron tells her to continue, and that he has been on the world for long enough already. He disappears and finally takes his place on the Farplane.
The fayth in the Zanarkand wall finally stop summoning the dream Zanarkand with the destruction of Yu Yevon; the dream disappears. The fayth in temples around Spira fade out and their souls are finally put to rest.
As for the fate of Tidus... that depends on the ending of FFX-2.

Side Quests (FFX):

Tidus can visit Baaj Temple again, where he can defeat the fiend he escaped from in the beginning of the game, and he can ask for the power of Seymour's aeon, Anima.
The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth lies between the Calm Lands and Mount Zanarkand; if the party explores it, they come across what's left of Lady Ginnem, who summons her aeon, Yojimbo. Upon defeating her, they can *pay* for Yojimbo's services in the nearby ad hoc Chamber of the Fayth, which is where the stolen fayth of Yojimbo resides.
Tidus can visit Remiem Temple near the Calm Lands. This temple was a holy place before the battle between High Summoner Gandof and Sin; after that, the Calm Lands became largely uninhabited. Belgemine makes her home here, as does the fayth of the Magus Sisters aeon(s). If Yuna defeats all of Belgemine's aeons, Belgemine says that she has fulfilled her powers and asks Yuna to Send her.
Tidus can find the Omega Ruins on the airship map. There are no save points, but a lot of treasure and nasty enemies. Halfway through they fight Ultima Weapon, a "shadow" of the Omega Weapon they find at the very end and defeat.
The Monster Arena is off the edge of the Calm Lands; formerly a training ground for Lord Mi'ihen and his Crusaders, now a man lives here pitting monsters against you and creating his own from monsters you capture.
Various other sidequests have no bearing on the story, including the search for each character's Celestial Weapon (first you have to win the Cloudy Mirror from a Chocobo race in Remiem Temple, then change it into the Celestial Mirror by a plant in Macalania Woods, then by collecting special Crests and Sigils and using them to power up the weapons). There's also mini-games involving a Cactuar Village in Bikanel Island, dodging thunderbolts in the Thunder Plains, chasing butterflies in Macalania Forest, racing Chocobos in the Calm Lands, finding Al Bhed primers to learn the Al Bhed language, collecting Spheres left during Braska's journey (which allow Auron to learn his Overdrives), or playing blitzball.

Present until One Year Later (everything from here till the end is X-2 only):

A man named Trema creates an organization called the Seekers, who later become the deregulated sphere hunters (including the flamboyant Leblanc Syndicate); their goal is to find the spheres involving Spira's past. Once many of these spheres are collected, Trema founds another party, New Yevon, based on the old Yevon teachings. He then takes the spheres deep into the bowels of Bevelle and destroys them. He does not return.
Nooj founds the Youth League, whose purpose is to discover the secrets that New Yevon hides.
Gippal either founds or becomes head of the Machina Faction, an apolitical group who tinker with machines. They set up camp in Djose Temple as well as Bikanel Island.
Kimahri becomes elder of the Ronso.
Hovers are installed on the Mi'ihen highroad. Chocobos slowly go out of style.

One Year until Two Years Later:

The Gullwings are created when Brother and Buddy find an ancient airship which they dub the Celsius. The name comes from the gull who shows them the way to the airship. Shinra and Paine also join up.
Wakka and Lulu get married.
O'aka buys up Rin's Travel Agency near Macalania Temple, but is foiled when the temple falls into the lake because of the fayth vanishing, drying up his customer prospects.
Macalania Woods also begins to fade. The Guado move into the woods hiding away from the rest of Spira, and in particular the Ronso, whose vengeance they fear.
Dona joins the Youth League, along with Maroda and the previous Chocobo Knights (Lucil, Elma, and Clasko). A nervous lad named Yaibal also joins.
Barthello joins New Yevon.
Yuna is offered the hand of the son of the praetor of New Yevon in marriage. She refuses. Some time later, the praetor is retired and Baralai is appointed in his place.
Cid creates a business by turning Zanarkand into a tourist attraction. He hires Isaaru to help.
Pacce creates his own sphere hunting group, the Kinderguardians, whose only other members are Taro and Hana, two other kiddies.

Two Years Later (required missions only):

Yuna finds a sphere showing Shuyin, who appears to look like Tidus to her. She resolves to search Spira looking for more spheres like it. Rikku convinces her to join the Gullwings with her to facilitate this.
On a trip to Luca, the Gullwings run into Leblanc, who steals Yuna's Garment Grid and her Songstress dressphere. For some strange reason, Leblanc feels compelled to put on a concert in Luca while looking like Yuna. The Gullwings crash the concert (with Yuna in a moogle costume keeping a low profile) and grab back the grid and the sphere. Yuna begins dancing while in the Songstress costume (the dressphere was originally Lenne's, and her feelings are brought out in it).
The Gullwings run into the Leblanc Syndicate when investigating a sphere on the top of a newly discovered ruin on Mt. Gagazet. The Gullwings get away with the sphere.
Landing in Besaid, they find Wakka upset about the idea of being a father. He remembers Chappu telling him of a sphere of his parents in a hot moment; the cave he looks in does have a sphere, but that's not it.
Another sphere is reported in Zanarkand, but it's really only half a sphere. The Gullwings meet up with Isaaru in his job as tourist entertainer while looking for it.
An "awesome" sphere is reported in Kilika. The Youth League and New Yevon are fighting over it. The Gullwings drop by (and meet Tobli, if they haven't already). They make their way to the temple, step in and grab the sphere, foiling both parties!
The Gullwings decide to give back the sphere to either New Yevon or the Youth League (the main story is not affected by this choice). While they do so, Leblanc sneaks aboard the Celsius and steals the half-sphere they got from Zanarkand! The Gullwings resolve to get it back by disguising themselves as Leblanc Syndicate members.
Three uniforms can be found from goon-ettes in Bikanel Island, Mushroom Rock Road, and the newly found hot springs in Mt. Gagazet.
The infiltration is pretty much a success, barring a rather embarrassing massage Yuna finds herself forced to give Leblanc. They find the sphere, but also the remaining half of it, at which point they're intruded on by Leblanc, Ormi, and Logos. The sphere shows Vegnagun, and both the Gullwings and the Syndicate agree to find it and take it out.
The groups go deep inside the bottom of Bevelle. They cut through New Yevon troops and Baralai himself to get to the room where Vegnagun is - or was. Instead, they find a dark Bahamut waiting for them! They find out (a bit later) that Vegnagun, sensing danger, dropped through a huge hole and landed in the Farplane.
Fiends begin popping out of the temples. Apparently the new dark Aeons are behind it. First the Gullwings head to Besaid, where they find Beclem (a guy sent by the Youth League to whip the Aurochs into shape) and Wakka in a fight over how to deal with it. Beclem wants to burn down the temple, Wakka would rather not. In the end, the Gullwings beat dark Valefor and the fiends stop anyway. Another big hole is there where the fayth used to be.
In Kilika, the Gullwings enlist Dona's help to get past the Youth League guards and make their way to the temple, where they beat up dark Ifrit. Another hole.
Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal all disappear; they head for the Farplane, where they aim to stop Shuyin. Shuyin's aura finally leaves Nooj and enters Baralai, who goes towards Vegnagun, pursued by the other two.
Although the Machine Faction claims to be able to deal with the fiends at Djose at first, they get in over their head and request help. Dark Ixion falls to the Gullwings as well. However, Yuna is shoved into the hole this time. She lands on the Farplane, where she meets Shuyin, who mistakes her for Lenne and tells her about his plans for Vegnagun. Nooj and Gippal show up, and she sees that Shuyin is actually Baralai, who goes further into the Farplane, followed by the other two. Yuna somehow makes her way back up to Bevelle (where she fought Dark Bahamut), either just "magically" or by following a shining silhouette (depending on if you press X during this time or not).
With the disappearance of their leaders, Spira begins to fall into chaos and bickering. Yuna decides to put on a concert to assuage their fears. She enlists Tobli to handle the logistics (once he shakes off his creditors). Shinra creates a new sphere screen that would allow everyone to see at once. Tobli's Hypello workers go about pitching it.
The concert takes place on the Thunder Plains (after some clearing out of fiends); Yuna wears her Songstress dressphere, causing Lenne's feelings and memories to be projected onto the sphere screen. The song works, and Spira begins to calm down somewhat.
The Gullwings and the Leblanc Syndicate go down one of the holes towards the Farplane. On the way, they have to beat up the dark versions of Shiva, Anima, and the Magus Sisters. They then meet up with Bahamut's fayth, who apologizes to Yuna; apparently the various fayth tried to stop Shuyin, but got tangled up in his bad karma, resulting in the aeons who fought Yuna.
On the way, they find Gippal wounded. Leblanc agrees to stay with him while the Gullwings go on to Vegnagun.
Arriving at the heart of the Farplane and Vegnagun, they see Nooj, who describes his plan to them: he decides to shoot Baralai, hoping to wound but not kill him; this would force Shuyin to enter Nooj, who would then kill himself. Yuna shoots down that plan, instead electing to take down Vegnagun and then talk to Shuyin while wearing the Songstress dressphere, hoping that Lenne's feelings would convince him to stop the whole shebang.
The first part goes off without a hitch (Jecht, Auron, and Braska give hints and help to the Gullwings while they fight), but Shuyin starts up the big Vegnagun cannon. After taking that down, Yuna tries her own plan, which backfires when Shuyin finally realizes she's not Lenne. The Gullwings fight him. (He has all of Tidus's overdrive moves.) Afterwards, Lenne herself comes out of Yuna's dressphere and talks to him; they disappear together.
What happens next depends on which ending you get. The "bad" ending occurs if you play the game normally. That means the next scene has a "ghost" of Tidus embracing Yuna in the Farplane, but neither of them speak.
The "good" ending is available if you press the X button on the Farplane after meeting Shuyin in chapter 3, then again right now. Bahamut's fayth appears and tells Yuna he'll try to arrange her meeting with Tidus.
The "perfect" ending is available if you have 100% completion; it occurs after the good ending.
No matter which ending you get, the next scene consists of Luca Stadium, where Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai apologize to Spira and resolve to continue the Calm. The Gullwings skip the party and fly off somewhere in the meantime. The "bad ending" ends here.
The "good" ending continues after the credits with the very last scene of FFX (Tidus swimming up towards the light). Here the light ends up being the sea near Besaid Village. He comes out of the ocean and finally meets up with Yuna, when the Celsius swoops down on him. Wakka and the rest of the town watch the happy reunion.
The "perfect" ending has one extra scene in the ruins of Zanarkand. Tidus tells Yuna his theory that the fayth gathered his "thoughts" and "brought him back". It seems he isn't disappearing anytime soon. The very last image of the ending has Yuna standing in the exact same spot (and with the same camera view) as Tidus did in the very first image of FFX.
SIDE MISSIONS OF FFX-2:
Chapter 4 only allows you to talk to people or see scenes via Shinra's commspheres which he places all around Spira.
Besaid Village: Not much to do here past the required missions. You can run the Gunner's Gauntlet and put Beclem to shame. In chapter 5, Lulu gives birth to a baby boy. Beclem gives Wakka a sphere (via the Gullwings) from Chappu, where Chappu tells him to stop acting like his father. Wakka realizes that he has to stop putting labels on himself and just go with the flow. He finally chooses a name for his baby, Vidina.
Kilika Port: The only extras are in chapter 5, where you can see the Youth League finally opening up the path to the temple, so people and their families can get back together. If you viewed all the scenes in the Commspheres in chapter 4, Dona and Barthello will get back together too; otherwise they'll still be fighting.
Luca: In chapter 2, Yuna can relive her embarrassing moogle escapade from the introduction. She can also talk to Shelinda, who's a reporter. In chapter 3 she can try and win the Sphere Break tournament (Shinra's the reigning champ). In chapter 5 she can play Blitzball, or have a few quiet moments alone thinking of Tidus.
Mi'ihen Highroad: In chapter 2, Yuna meets Calli, who wants a Chocobo. After helping her catch one, Calli's then attacked by a Chocobo Eater fiend, whom Yuna fights off. You can invite her aboard the Celsius, too. In chapter 3, the machina guarding the Highroad go nuts and Yuna has to help take them down. In chapter 4, Rin starts an investigation into that incident as well as one where a hover fell off the bridge. Depending on what you do in earlier chapters and during the investigation, the culprit can be one of Rikku, Calli, the Chocobo Prophet (a weird hippie guy who likes Chocobos), or Rin himself, all for different reasons. In chapter 5 the culprit is actually called out in an Agatha Christie-style scene.
Mushroom Rock Road: In chapter 2 you can help clear out fiends here. You can also meet up with Lucil and Maechen at Youth League headquarters. If you choose to give the Awesome Sphere to the Youth League, you can participate in a tournament here in chapter 5. You can also have another heart-to-heart talk with Lucil. If instead you gave it to New Yevon, you'll be barred from the tournament and you'll speak with Yaibal instead.
Djose: You meet Gippal here in chapter 2, and sign up to dig in Bikanel. Not much else to do till chapter 5, where the Al Bhed invite you to soup up their Experiment machina, take it on, and take it down. You need lots of parts from Bikanel to do so.
Moonflow: Tobli's the guy here. In chapter 2 you can be the bodyguard for his Hypello courier. In chapter 3 you can help sell tickets. If you got them all, chapter 5 will have quite a nice show (the Gullwings can feature too!).
Thunder Plains: You can calibrate the towers here in chapters 1-3. In chapter 5 the fiends have taken over due to strange stuff from Shinra's big sphere screen. Kill 'em all.
Macalania: O'aka will be on the run from his creditors here. You can have him come up to the Celsius if you catch him. If you pay off his debt, he'll return to his shop in Macalania, as will his little brother Wantz. Otherwise the Al Bhed will take it over and O'aka will be doing slave labour in Bikanel. Besides this, you'll also meet up with the rather depressed Tromell here in chapter 1, and the indigenous music-playing other tribes, who say they will fade away with the forest.
The Ronso and the Guado: You can speak with Kimahri and Garik in Gagazet in chapter 1. What you tell the Guado affects whether or not you get the Trainer dressphere in chapter 3. Also in chapter 3, you can try and stop Garik from his Guadocentric rampage. If you do this mission, the Ronso won't go to battle, and in chapter 5 the Guado will join the other races in Macalania Forest and move back to Guadosalam. Lian and Ayde will return and inspire Kimahri and Garik to look to the future. If, however, you give that mission a miss, the Ronso will commit genocide. Not a single Guado will remain. The other races will fade away along with Macalania Woods. Lian and Ayde will still return, but Garik will remain intractable. Note that you can meet Lian and Ayde once a chapter, but nothing in particular will happen during those meetings.
The Zanarkand Issue: If you tell Cid off in chapter 1, he'll be sulking in the Thunder Plains in chapters 2 and 3 (when he'll ask for Yuna's forgiveness). In chapter 5, after beating the fiends in the Thunder Plains, you can visit a new dungeon. Cid will be inside, and once you get through it he'll come up to the Celsius. Isaaru will return to Bevelle as its leader. If, however, you let Cid be, you won't see him again during the game, and Isaaru will remain in Zanarkand as its protector. Maroda will (ironically) be the leader of Bevelle instead.
The Cactuars: You can dig in Bikanel starting from chapter 1. In chapter 3, Nhadala will introduce you to Benzo, and ask you to take him to the Cactuar Nation as an ambassador. There you'll speak with Marnela, a big cactus, who asks you to find the ten cactuar gatekeepers, scattered all over Spira. You can finish this sidequest only in chapter 5, but in the meantime the place is being attacked by Angra Mainryu, a really nasty fiend. After finding the first nine gatekeepers, you must venture into the Cactuar Hollow, where the rogue cactuars dwell. (The last gatekeeper has fallen in with a bad crowd.) After subduing them, the ten gatekeepers get rid of the fiends, but Marnela dies (or dries out) in the attempt. You have to beat the big boss on your own. Once you're done, a new Marnela - just a sapling - will begin growing.
Bevelle: You can follow Gippal, Baralai, and Nooj down here on their way to the Farplane in chapter 3. In chapter 5, the Kinderguardians will discover the Via Infinito, a 100-level semi-random dungeon. Every 20 levels is a boss, which is actually an Unsent. You'll fight Kinoc, Jyscal, Mika, Yunalesca, and Zaon. After that, you'll come up against Trema himself. Beating him gets you a very nice accessory.
Calm Lands: Two rival companies, Open Air and Argent Inc., have opened attractions here. You can pick one company and go about promoting them. If in chapter 5 one company has over 500 PR points, Tobli will show up and convince the two companies to merge into the Clear Skies corporation.
Chocobo Power: Clasko originally joins the Youth League in Mushroom Rock Road, but you can convince him to give it up and just raise chocobos. He then goes with you on the Celsius and lands in the Calm Lands later on. Once you clean out the ruins where the Battle Arena used to be, he'll use it as a chocobo ranch. You can use chocobos to dig in Bikanel, to open up a secret dungeon in Mi'ihen Highroad, or another secret dungeon in the back of the chocobo ranch itself. Hiding in it is the Amazing Chocobo.