Ragtime Mouse

The Ragtime Mouse is a creature found in Final Fantasy IX. The party can encounter it multiple times in various forests throughout the world. It acts as a quizmaster, asking the party a yes or no question every time it is encountered. It runs away if attacked. There is no other way to beat it except to answer its 16 questions. The nonsensical name "Ragtime Mouse" is probably a mistranslation of "Ragtime Mouth" as the transliteration of the English words "mouse" and "mouth" are the same in Japanese.

Finding Ragtime Mouse
Ragtime Mouse appears randomly in the forests on the world map. The amount of times in which it can be encountered is limited per disc:


 * Disc 1 = 4 times
 * Disc 2 = 6 times
 * Disc 3/4 = 6 times

However these figures are cumulative. As a result it is possible to meet Ragtime Mouse sixteen times on disc 4 if he has not yet been encountered on previous discs.

The chances of Ragtime Mouse reappearing in the same forest is not high. By having an airship or a flying chocobo the player can quickly roam the world map from forest to forest, switching to a new forest after having encountered it. The chances of encountering Ragtime Mouse appear to be higher in forests that the player hasn't visited previously.

Alternatively, there is an exploit that one can take advantage of to find the Ragtime Mouse many times in succession. Once the Mouse is found the first time, the player should remain in the same area, merely tapping the keypad up and down alternatively. The idea is to trigger the battle encounter at the exact same spot where Ragtime Mouse was first encountered. If done correctly, it is possible to encounter the Ragtime Mouse over and over again for as many times as the game allows. There is a very small probability that one might run into an enemy, but in that case, the player should just move back to the original spot and keep tapping away.

There is also a 100% chance to meet Ragtime Mouse in the forest on the Chocobo's Paradise island, as there are no other enemies there.

Ragtime's Pop Quiz
The following includes the Ragtime Mouse's questions, including the correct answer. The questions will be asked randomly except Question 16, which is always the last.

Start of game before leaving Mist Continent:
 * The 15th Lindblum War started in 1600. - False
 * Chocobo Forest is located between Lindblum and South Gate. - True
 * The Theater Ship Prima Vista was built in Artania Shipyards. - False
 * "I Want To Be Your Canary" was written by Lord Afon. - False

To Outer Continent before getting Blue Narciss:
 * Lindblum Castle is larger than Alexandria Castle. - True
 * Some Mus are friendly and don't attack. - True
 * Fossil Roo is a tunnel that connects Treno and Alexandria. - False
 * Theater Ship Prima Vista uses Mist as its source of energy. - True
 * Berkmea cable cars have been running for eight years. - True
 * Lindblum's air cabs operate around the clock. - True

After getting Blue Narciss:
 * Only one desert exists in the entire world. - False
 * Conde Petie is a village of Goblins. - False
 * Prima Vista means love at first sight. - False
 * Treno's cafe, Card Carta, is members only. - True
 * Bobo bird is a bird that brings you fortune. - False

After answering the questions above:
 * Can you defeat Ragtime Mouse. - True

For answering every question correctly, the player can win up to 70,000 gil. If the player answers the last question correctly, the Ragtime Mouse explodes and the party wins a Protect Ring. To get the Protect Ring the player needs to find him one last time and Ragtime Mouse will tell the percentage of correct answers; if the player answered all his questions correctly they will also get Gil.

True & False
The Ragtime Mouse is always encountered with true and false, who appear as a and  respectively, like that on the PlayStation controller.

Tetra Master

 * Card 026
 * Location: Wimpy Guy (Shopping Area - Lindblum)