Part 40: Part Forty: Garden in Chaos

Part Forty: Garden in Chaos


We're finally back at the Garden, and we're ready to take care of whatever's happening. Let's ask this guy about it.


Wow, fine. I know when I'm not wanted.



At least I can get these sweet, sweet Cure spells.


This screen always gives you a shot of your party member's ass. Too bad Zell's not here.


There's a lot of people running around Garden today.


Big game of tag.


What the fuck are you talking about?


Good reaction.



: I don't understand what you're talking about.
Garden Faculty: Do you swear your allegiance to Garden Master NORG?

Garden Master NORG is a name we've seen before, in the "About Garden" section of the infobank at the start of the game. He's the proprietor of the Garden.


We get to make a choice about our allegiance here.


I don't want to lie to him. It would be bad manners.

: Can you tell me what's going on?

What a polite boy.

Garden Faculty: I'm the one asking questions! You're just supposed to follow orders! Hey! What kind of attitude is that!? You're with Cid, aren't you!?



This guy really hates having to explain himself, so he summons some monsters to attack us.


Sounds like the administration's got a problem with Cid.


The guy teleports away after that, leaving his monsters to fight us. Unfortunately for him, he chose a Grat and a Caterchipillar.

If you choose to swear fealty to NORG, you get this instead (this choice doesn't really affect anything):




Whatever problem NORG is having with Cid, it seems to be pretty serious business. Couldn't have chosen a worse time, though.


Anyway, back to the runaround.


Since the gate attendant isn't here, you can go in and out through whichever gates you want.


It's the little things in life.


You might also notice that I've gained two SeeD ranks. If you make it through the missile base without getting caught, then set the timer at 10 minutes, you get a free two levels.


Over by the directory, you can see Fujin and Raijin.


At least Raijin seems pleased enough to see us.

: What's going on here?
Raijin: I dunno. At first, they were sayin' somethin' 'bout roundin' up the SeeDs, ya know!? Now, everyone's either sidin' with the Garden Master or the headmaster and fightin' everywhere, ya know!?

What a pain in the ass.




: Why are SeeDs being targeted? And where's the headmaster? Is he safe?

As important as our news is, this whole situation is also important. Besides, we need to know where Cid is so we can tell him everyone's about to be killed.

Raijin: We got no clue.
: We need to see him right away. It's important.


Squall makes a dramatic sweep with his arm here, but that text box ends in a period.





Fujin and Raijin may be known associates of the bully Seifer, but the Garden is still their home.

: We'll go look for the headmaster.


This is also a neat little thing. Fujin doesn't like Squall, but she's still advising caution. Petty personal squabbles are put aside for the greater good.

Raijin: Yeah, the fighin' is intense everywhere! And watch out for those Garden Master goons, ya know!



I think they're being flippant here.



Either they're being flippant or they're just stiltedly setting this up. Take your pick.


And so, Fujin and Raijin run off.


This is a pretty important question, given what just happened. We know they care about the Garden, but Seifer's the reason those missiles are coming. Guess we'll just have to watch and see how it falls.


Naturally, with all the chaos going on, we can't fast travel.


The save point is also gone.


And, while you're running around, there are random encounters.


If we're looking for the headmaster, let's just give his office a quick check.



Or not. I guess the guys who're trying to kill him probably looked there already anyway.


So let's get searchin'.


There's a little something going on in every room on the first floor.



This one involves people fighting other people.



Let's give those guys a hand.

: Let's get in there!


Remember this enemy? It was the shitty boss after the SeeD exam.


Yeah, SeeDs at Garden. What a surprise.


Rinoa has shit for Strength right now.


The enemy still sucks, so it's not a problem to take it out.


And it still drops Wizard Stones. That's 20 free spells.


Looks like one of NORG's guys got hurt during the fracas.




Kadowaki is a doctor.


I like that she asks Squall before either of those no-name SeeDs right next to her.


This is a good response to whatever's going on.

Dr. Kadowaki: You're looking for Cid? As you can see, he's not here.
: Do you have any idea?
Dr. Kadowaki: Hmm... Xu might know. I have no idea where she is though.

Xu's official position isn't really discussed, but she seems to be important.

Dr. Kadowaki: Why are you looking for him anyway?


Squall is always so damn dramatic about the missiles.

: You should get out of here, too.




Kadowaki is very dedicated to her job.



Also, since we helped those guys out earlier, we get an Elixir from her.


I can't think of a better time.



Yeah, I can tell.


Out in the hallway, one of the SeeDs recognises Squall.


Squall doesn't return the favour.



Wait a second...


...You're the guy who pissed himself, right?



Fun fact: I always forget that Nida is a guy.



There's nothing else to do in the infirmary now.


Let's hit the quad.


Seems like things aren't going so well for the Faculty here.


This is just rude as hell.



And his monsters are shit, anyway.


While I'm running around, I set Kate Bush to learn Move-Find, which makes hidden Draw Points/save points visible (this isn't really that great).


And I set Booyakaga to learn Mug, which lets you steal from enemies at the same time as attacking. It's got its uses, but it takes a long time to learn (200 AP is a lot!).



The quad seems like it's in pretty good shape.



I guess the faculty's been hassling these guys enough that they decided to hide.


If you say this, the guy will give you an item.

: I'm with the headmaster.
SeeD: That's what I thought. Who's this Garden Master anyway?

Even though NORG's name is out there for people to see, it seems like people around the place don't know much about him or what he does. I wonder why he's suddenly broken the silence.


True battle for SeeD?



This is our reward for coming here. X-Potions fully restore a character's HP - not bad in a pinch.



Seems as good a place as any. Good luck.


Next stop is the cafeteria.


Of course, some Garden Faculty asshole is gonna give us trouble.



He's all showy on the field map, but he knows this Bomb can't stop us.


No prob.




Sounds like things aren't really going that well for the SeeDs.

SeeD: Brilliant, huh? It wasn't our idea though.
: Who came up with it?
SeeD: Xu. She took charge immediately when this whole thing began.

At least someone did. Cid would probably be dead already if she hadn't.



We're halfway through the floor and still no closer to Cid.



Gysahl Greens are good for something we'll see later. It has to do with chocobos.



There's nothing going on in the seating area, so we're done with the cafeteria.


Let's go grab a nap.








At least we get a chance to recover after that gruelling battle.


Fuckin'...might as well.


Oh, blow me.


Grendel is one of the toughest enemies we'll face during this sequence, but it's still not that big a deal.


Son of a bitch.



As soon as we see him, Cid starts to flicker and fade.

: What the...?
SeeD: It was just a hologram. Pretty cool, huh?


The hologram was so nice that we got paid 10,000 gil just for looking at it.



Tents aren't really useful for their intended purpose in this game.


Time to go, then.


We've almost gone all the way around by now.



Look, more Garden Master guys.



"Junior classmen" means children.


Let's go.




That might not be a great idea, kid.



The kid gives this piece of shit guy a quick kick in the shins.




The kid was pretty gutsy, but I think it's about time to step in.




The cadet isn't so tough when someone serious shows up.


Of course, the Garden Faculty only understands one interaction with SeeDs.


T-Rexaur is the biggest enemy we're going to see today.



As always, ice magic is advisable.


And I turn it into a card, for old times' sake.




The SeeD we rescued is grateful enough to give us a Remedy.



The junior classmen, being children, don't have any gifts for us.


There's no point to going into the training area proper, but if you do, you can see that you can't go back to the secret area.


You can, though, find this guy.



He runs a little item shop, with the same name as the guy from the D-District Prison. Might be the same guy, I guess.



Challenging him to cards gets you this. We'll come back to it later.


For now, let's go do some reading.



A faculty member is here, naturally.


Get a new line, buddy.


The wrath of that Grat?


Wow, yeah, how am I gonna make it?



Those guys must be saving the good monsters for the NPCs.


Any good books, though?


Well, good for you.



This cadet didn't have a face when we were talking to the other one. Now Rinoa doesn't have a face. Lotta face problems today.



Fun fact: the library has a different scene if you bring Zell along.



The item's slightly better, but in exchange, you have to bring Zell with you, which I never do. Anyway, back to our regularly-scheduled program.


No one's in the back.



The Draw Point's still here, though.


We've gone all the way around at this point.


But there's a break in the case.




Better follow her.



Fun fact: the battle background for the second floor is different from the first.


Around the corner, we catch up to Xu. Don't know why she came here.


Xu's pretty on edge. Our news is very important, yes, but the whole deal with the administration trying to kill SeeDs is pretty high up there, too.

: Neither. We have urgent news. We need to see the headmaster now. Where is he?


It's nice to see Quistis get a line here if you bring her.

: There's no more time to waste.


Xu relaxes from her fighting pose here.

Xu: I'm listening...



This is just the last thing Xu needs today.

Xu: Alright. I'll inform him right away.
: Where is he?
Xu: In his office. We made it look like he's hiding, but he's been there all along.

Goddammit.





Thanks, Xu.


Probably a good idea.


She just says this again if you talk to her.


Finally.