Cloud sets out on his search together with Firion, Tidus, and Cecil— —never doubting that the crystal can be obtained on the way to the land of discord...
Cloud searches for the Crystals with Cecil, Tidus and Firion. Though he is regarded by his allies as a collected and level-headed warrior, Cloud later admits to them he is apprehensive about fighting because he lacks a motivation for doing so, while his friends each have their reasons. He asks his friends why they fight, and while Cecil and Tidus answer readily, Firion tells Cloud he needs time to think of a way to properly explain his reason. Firion eventually shows Cloud his wild rose and tells him about his dream, and he will not stop fighting until it comes true. Cloud asks Firion to fight him to see this strength for himself, and Firion accepts the challenge. Cloud wins but Firion still has the spirit to keep fighting when weak.
Still wondering what his reason for fighting is, Cloud tells Cecil Firion's dream is childish, but it is enough for him. Cecil, Tidus and Firion encourage Cloud to go find his reason to fight on his own, and Cloud leaves them. While on his own he comes across his archrival Sephiroth, who prepares to fight him. When Cloud tells Sephiroth he refuses to fight pointless battles, Sephiroth shows him Firion's rose, implying he has attacked Cloud's friends. Sephiroth invites him to follow and face him now that he has a reason and vanishes.
At the Planet's Core, Sephiroth tells Cloud he searches for a reason to fight but makes no attempts to find his own reason, which is why he accepts the reasons of others when presented. This makes Cloud a puppet who is unable to make his own decisions and follow his own desires, and Sephiroth tells him he will provide Cloud the reasons he needs. Cloud rejects this claim and the two battle. Cloud is victorious and finds his Crystal, but Sephiroth warns taking it means Cloud will be destined to continue to fight without knowing why. Cloud accepts this and takes the Crystal. Sephiroth departs, telling Cloud to remember he will always be able to manipulate him, and he was only able to find his Crystal with Sephiroth's guidance.
Spoilers end here.
Map Treasure[]
1
Rosetta Stone
Other Information
2
Assist Charge
Other Information
3
BRV Charge
Other Information
4
Pink Tail
Other Information
5
Fish Scale
Other Information
6
BRV Charge
Other Information
7
1000 Gil
Other Information
8
EX Charge
Other Information
9
Hardedge
Other Information
Moogle Shop[]
"Is your heart as spiky as your hair? Just relax and take a minute to prep, kupo!" — Pravoka Shop Moogle
A Multi Chain at C4 will allow the player to chain all four enemies here. This also places them on the Blue Emblem to gain a boost to the critical hit rate of physical attacks, making it much easier to fulfill the KP requirements. Enemies throughout this storyline use HP = 100% boosters that greatly enhance their accessories when at full HP, so landing HP attacks early in the fight to deactivate these boosters can be helpful.
Tidus: You got an ace providing support; I'm sure you'll do fine!
Gateway of Good and Evil[]
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
KP Chance: BRV Break within 60 seconds
Bonus Line: Lv. 3
Rules: Enabled
Skills: Enabled
A Multichain at B3 will chain all of them with physical critical rate up, but a Cross Chain at D4 will work as well. However, to earn the most KP the player should instead use a Straight Chain at B5 on the KP +1 emblem, earning 18 KP as opposed to 16.
The player can only chain four of the five enemies here, but there are multiple ways to do so. A Multi Chain at B5 or C2, and a Round Chain or Cross Chain at D4, all work. The enemies in this gateway all begin with a large amount of Bravery and use Summonstones to either lower Cloud's Bravery or boost their own, so the player should be aware of their HP attacks and how to avoid them.