Well, to say it simply, this is awesome! It is an honor for me to make a walkthrough of this monumental game. From here on gamers across the world will be able to experience Final Fantasy VIII the way Video Gamer X did, from start to finish. Together you, the reader, and I can play the game. This walkthrough will be a testement to not only playing the game, but also my impressions at different sections. I must declare though, that from this point on, you might want to think hard about looking at the strategy guide I'm going to post because there may be storyline spoilers that will ruin the "surprise element" of playing the game. It's your choice however, and if need be it will always be here on "The Adventure Continues" for you to refer to. And, Finally I would like to make a comment about would be webmasters who plan on stealing this walkthrough - be warned "there will be consequences" I promise. But enough of that, lets start playing Final Fantasy VIII and have some fun! Let the game begin......

Well, here I go, time to boot up the trusty Playstation. Same old boot up, no big deal. (dreadful thoughts of my Playstation exploding pop into my mind...nah, ain't happenin') It tells me that the game is by Squaresoft, duh like I needed them to tell me that one! The game then presents the credits like the opening of a blockbuster movie yet maintains that RPG style with the presentation very well done hand drawn black and white drawings of Final Fantasy VIII related images between the the presentation of names - probably events in the game. These almost look like storyboard drawings, but way better. The background music is in heroic march like any good RPG. After this is done I press the X button when it says "FINAL FANTASY VIII" with the logo like on the front of my site.

I come to the start up screen with "New Game" and "Continue" on it. Of course I select "New Game" to start the game. The game goes directly into a cinema sequence. ...Woah... These are computer graphics...? This KICK'S SOME SERIOUS ASS man! Epic "Sephirothean" Music only better...?! I'm not going to spoil the scenes of the introductory movie for you, but I will say this it tells you why Squall has that scar on his face and few other thing and it's WAY COOL. Truly I say to you, this is a gaming event! This level of graphics in the movie is just a taste of things to come...(PLAYSTATION 2 whispers in my ear)

After the cinema, I, Squall, rather, (From here on I may refer to Squall as I and Me at times, since I am essentially going to be playing him as the main character through the game, all other characters will be named by their appropriate name) wake up in a hospital bed with a doctor next to me. The graphics in this part of game remind me of "Parasite Eve" The Doctor asks how I am feeling and I am given a choice of how to respond. Deciding not to show weakness (I am the hero aren't I) I respond, "Ok, I guess" The doctor reprimands me for getting hurt and asks me my name. You are then prompted to enter you name. Folks, just leave it Squall for the first time you play the game, okay. You can play the game again and call him whatever you want later like "buthead" or "Cartman" or whatnot. This is to preserve the fluidity of the Storyline and the quality of the game. The doctor scolds me again for not taking it easy in training. Squall indicates Seifer as being one who hurt him. The doctor mentions that Quistis is Squall's instructor. He calls her and tells her to come get Squall.

The Camera changes to just above Squall's bed facing left. Quistis appears and the games cuts to another mini-cinema of her entering the hospital room. Awesome graphics as usual, pretty girl as well (even with the glasses). She tells Squall he's going to take a field exam. The background game music is well how can I put it, "birdies", yep, chirping birds. He must be near an aveary or garden.

The Scene changes to a outdoor walkway, and Quistis asks Squall if something is bothering him. Quistis wants Squall to tell her more about himself. He tells her it's none of her business.

The game blends the game graphics into another high quality cinema of the structure that they are near. Totally fantastic stuff. The transitions are very smooth, a noticable step up from Final Fantasy VII. This must be that "Garden" place I've heard about. Very cool.

The next scene takes place in a classroom as Squall and Quistis enter. Where the chalkboard would be there is a large screen with a scematic. Looks like the viewscreen on the bridge of the U.S.S Enterprise. Quistis addresses the class. The next scene shows the "desks" which are actually rows of computer consoles and monitors. She comments that there were rumors flying around yesterday and that the Field Exam for SeeD candidates would begin later in the afternoon. Now here's a comment we may have all heard before, "Those not participating and those who failed last week's written test are to remain here in study hall." She says that exam participants will have free time until the exam. They are to meet at 1600 Hours, she will announce team assignments there. She tells Seifer not to injure their partner (refering to Squall incident) in training.

All the students get up from their desks and walk toward the door except Squall whose head in hanging in a dejected position. Quistis says that she wants to talk to Squall. I now walk Squall up to the front of the classroom. She is talking with three other students. She then asks me if I've been to the [Fire Cavern] yet. This is probably my first objective of the game. She says that I will not be able to take the exam if I don't pass this prerequisite. Squall comments that if it wasn't for Seifer he would have been there this morning. She tells him to be confident, and if he isn't he can use the [Study Panel] located at his desk. She will be waiting for Squall at the [Front Gate]

After talking with Quistis I go over to my desk to do a little studying. I activate the console and a screen with some options appears:

TURORIAL - I find that Squall already has Two Guardian Forces, Quezacotl, and Shiva and am asked to name them (if I wanted to, but I don't, I keep them as the creators intended). The tutorial allows you to learn the play system and mechanics of the game. If you're a newbee to Final Fantasy then it might be a good idea to pay close attention to this part of the game. I will explain the more important parts of the Demo.

1. Junctioning. Junction enables characters to power up and use abilities. This means a Guardian Force must be junctioned in order to power up and use abilities. When you select Junction the "GF" and "Magic" commands appear. After selecting "GF" a list of available Guardian Forces appears. Press the (Square) to see abilites possessed by a Guardian Force. The abilities of a Guardian Force vary depending upon it's kind. Abilites include HP junction, Vitality Junction, Magic, GF, Draw, and Item. In the Tutorial the Guardian Force Quezacotl is selected and junctioned. Magic itself can be junctioned to HP and Vitality. When you go to Ability under the Junction Menu you can set both Command and Non-Command based abilities. You can have a maximum of Four non-command abilites. In total you can have up to 7 abilities set at one time. When you select a slot for an Ability the top is for Commands and the bottom is for character and parity non-command abilities. If we remember back to FF7, this is similar to Command Materia that allowed the activation of Commands as well as Independant and Support Materia that changed the status of a character. After choosing an empty slot you can select the command or non-command you want to go into that slot.

2. Triple Triad Card Battle Rules. The cards originated when a psychic named Orlan modified these tarot cardds for games. The game became popular with soldiers passing time between battles. As its popularity spread, each region developed its own rules and picture variations. A card has a picture, numbers that correspond to the four sides of the card with 1 being weak and A being strong. Some rules allow for card to use an elemental property. On the game board or "battle area" cards are placed one at a time. Some rules indicate elements on the board. Cards are placed in turn, and the player with the most cards when all 9 areas are filled wins. Before play, choose 5 cards, paying attention to the numbers and the elements. "Same" turns over cards that have the same number values on 2 or more sides. "Plus" means that cards adding to the same number on more than two adjacent sides are turned over. "Same" and "Plus" turn over adjacent cards in Combo. when one of the other two cards turned over is a larger number. "Same Wall" uses Battle Area wall (the frame of the Board) as one of the card's four sides when using the "Same" rule. Wall is assumed to have "A" value on all sides. "Elemental" changes the number value of the card depending on the elemental property. When a card and slot match elemental properties, the number value increases by one. If elements don't match, the card loses 1 point from the original number value. "Open" means all cards are face up. "Random" means card is chosen at Random. "Sudden Death" means the game is played until someone wins. Cards are traded when the game is over. The winner takes one card from the loser in the basic trade rule "One". This is similar to playing Magic: The Gathering for ante. There are many trade rules besides just "One" It is important to pay attention to trade rules before you begin a game. These are the Special Trade rules. "Direct" allows you to take cards you truned over, but lose cards turned over by the opponent. "Diff" means the winner takes number of cards by which he or she won. "All" means the winner takes all the cards from the loser. (Thank goodness they don't play Magic: The Gathering like that!) Did you get all that, well I didn't either, so we'll just have to muddle through until a real card game comes up.

ABOUT GARDEN - the next section of the main index of the Study panel was about Garden. This described many of the Rules and Code of Conduct for the institution like "No Weapons, Food, or Magic in the Classroom" Yeah, I suppose conjuring a tempest could cause a small disturbance while taking a Final Exam eh? Some general Info that may be useful later on, Balamb Garden's Headmaster's name is Cid Kramer, The Proprietor is Master NORG (Ooo, I'm just so scared of a name like that...) Belamb Garden was the first Garden built in accordance with Headmaster Cid's ideals and dreams. Trabia Garden is a Garden in the Trabia Region. There is an exchange program between Trabia and Balamb Garden. Galbadia Garden is in the Galbadia Republic. It is the largest Garden of the three. Galbadia Garden's master, Martine, who is also the headmaster, has set up a program to recruit Balamb granduates into the Galbadian Army. SeeD are Balamb Garden's mercenaries. Commanding GF, they have special fighting abilites. They work in small teams and operate all over the world. SeeDs are deployed all over the world. Their services are requested by governments and even civilians. Their tasks range from providing military support to protecting civilians. The Qualifications for intering SeeD are that students can apply after age 15 pass a written test and complete an official mission to become SeeD. SeeD are paid according to rank.

GARDEN SQUARE - Garden square is a newsgroup with postings by various students which are pretty funny.

After getting through, and bored, with the console, I got up and walked out of the classroom entering the hall. I decided to press the (Circle) button and start junctioning my Guardian Forces. I had Shiva, and Quezacotl.

After walking so far forward, I bumped into a girl who says she's late for homeroom. Squall asks if she is okay and she apologizes for bumping into her. She asks if he can show her around, and you have the choice to show her around or ignore her. I don't know what this will end up doing so I chose to show her around. I turn right (my right, not Squall's) down a hallway and encounter a kid who offers me a free deck of cards. I get in the elevator and go to the first floor. When I take her to the first Floor Lobby I encounter kiosk that is able to teleport me to any location in garden. There is a save point nearby so now would be a good time to save the game. Before you leave Garden it might be a good idea to pick up the "Weapons Monthly Magazine" from Squall's quarters as well as the Occult Fan 1 from the Library. You can also Draw Esuna from a Draw point in the Library

After the girl, (probably was Selphne) goes away I walk toward the entrance. I keep walking until I encounter an are of pink humors/bubbles coming out of the grond. I Draw 4 Cures from this location, then continue forward to encounter Quistis. She gives me another Tutorial of how to Junction Guardian Forces, but we've been there I just press the X repeatedly to make it go away. From here you will want to proceed to the Fire Cavern. You will then exit Garden and enter the world.

There's one thing I've got to say about the overworld and that is, it's gotten way better. Much more detail has been added like roads between major structures and cities. It seems the texture resolution on the graphics have been increased as well. Press L1 or L2 to change the angle of view in the overworld.

Damn! Attacked! It's battle time. I was just wandering around and in traditional Final Fantasy style I was dragged into a battle. Well, since I've already played the Demo, I'm familiar with the battling strategy, Draw then Stock, Draw then Cast, Guardian Force, Magic, and Attack, as well as press L1 when Squall is attacking for extra damages. To have an in depth analysis of Battling in Final Fantasy go to my Demo Walkthrough because they both seem to be the same. The first thing I did was Draw Fire Spells, Scan, and Cure from the enemies I encountered. One of the first tasks I HAD to perform was casting both of my guardian forces, one of which, Shiva, was junctioned to Quistis, and the other, Quezacotl, to Squall. Summoning guardian forces is some pretty awesome stuff. Having my TV up pretty loud, Guardian Forces rumbled my speakers and made some rather intense noise. When the battles are over you will receive some items, increase your experience and your guardian force's experience.

You'll want to stop over by the small town Balamb down the road from Garden near the ocean to Draw Thunder magic from a draw Point near the center of town, 15 Cure Magics from a Draw point near the boat docks. There is also a Hotel in this port town. It cost 100 Gil to stay the night. You will find an issue of Timber Maniacs Magazine in the room. There is also a Junk Shop where your weapons can be upgraded if you Find the proper items usually dropped by enemies. There is also an item shop in this town where you can buy Potions, Hi Potions, Pheonix Downs, Antidotes, Eye Drops, Soft, Echo Screen, Holy Water, Remedy, Tent, Fuel (For a rental car), Normal Ammo, Shotgun Ammo, G-Potions, and G-Returner. Near the back wall of the Train Station you will find another Old Issue of Timber Maniacs. Just outside of the Town on the Overworld you will be able to Draw 2 Esuna from the Train Tunnel entrance.

Once you head toward the Fire Cavern Quistis will show you how to Junction Magic then at your option you can review how to set the Gun Blade for Limit Breaks. When you approach the cavern two SeeD Masters(?) will ask you to select a time limit. Setting a time limit is directly related to your SeeD graduation rank, so choosing the shortest time limit is a worthwhile venture. 10 minutes is more than enough, trust me.

When you first enter the Fire Cavern you will notice that the music is simlar to music in Final Fantasy VII's caverns yet remixed. I noticed this as soon as it started playing. Since you selected the 10 minute time setting it is best to avoid any lengthy battles until you get to the main Enemy Infrit. If you encounter an enemy called Bomb, then use a Blizzard spell on it to destroy it with one hit. It's best not to worry about Drawing spells at this point in the game until after you defeat Infrit.

Since Infrit is a Fire based monster, think Ice, and use Shiva Guardian Force to cause Ice Elemental Damage on Infrit as well as Blizzard Magic. To increase your SeeD ranking, keep track of how much damage you have caused to Infrit by casting Scan and try to wait to the last possible amount of time to defeat it. He seems to be worth 1068 HP. Infrit turned out to be pretty easy, just don't cut it too close and run out of time. When you defeat infrit you will get his Card and he will join your Guardian Forces.

After you defeat Infrit, Quistis will go into a lengthy explanation of how to Junction Elemental Magic. If you now Junction Infrit, you will be able to increase Squall's strength. And at that time you will be able Junction Blizzard Elemental Magic as well. You may want to stock up on extra Blizzards in the cavern by encountering an enemy called Buel (a radial creature that spins like a fan). He's real weak against physical attacks so don't kill him right away if you want the extra Magic.

Once your done with the Fire Cavern return to Garden. Quistis will begin teaching you about Caring for Guardian Forces. Basically what she is saying is that you can distribute AP to have Guardian Forces learn various abilities. You will be told to change your uniform and return to the Main Lobby. Head toward Squall's dorm room and approach the bed. Be sure to save your game in your room. Then rest to restore your energy. Then return to the main lobby. When you do so you will find out that you will be accompanied by Zell. (The game goes into a cinema of Zell kicking and punching in the air, showing brash exuberance) The game will now give you a tutorial of Zell's Limit Break settings.

After the tutorial you will discover that Seifer is going to be your squad leader on the Field Exam. Seifer seems to be too overconfident and want nothing to do with cooperation and shirks Quistis' good advice. Headmaster Cid then appears and addresses the squad. He gives the group a pep talk and challenges them to "Be All the can be" in essense.

The entire group walks to the parking lot and gets in a car. While in the car Zell asks to see Squall's gunblade, but he doesn't respond. He stand up and starts punching at the air again. Zell and Seifer taunt each other. Squall asks Quistis about a girl in the infirmary in the morning. She knows nothing of it, and Seifer taunts both Zell and Squall for being wusses. You will then be able to drive the car on the overworld. Just drive to the port town of Balamb.

After arriving at the port they all hurry into a water assualt vessel (like the ones in the Demo) Inside the vessel a woman named Xu addresses the group. According to her the Dollet Dukedom Parliament has made a request of SeeD. Dollet is under attack by the Galbadia Army and the troops have been fled to the hills and are under heavy assualt. SeeD is dispached to eliminate the aggressors. The B-Squad, Seifer's group, is to secure the center of the city. Seifer suggest that you go outside to have alook around. When you do so the game cuts to another cinema, the same one at the beginning of the demo only with different music.

When you arrive Quistis orders you to secure the central Square. Just like the demo you will begin encountering Galbadia resistance and have to enguage in battle. Once you've defeated all the soldiers and secured the town Square, Seifer will command Squall and Zell to wait as ordered. He does not like the fact that he must wait. A dog barks and Galbadian troops appear from around a corner and run down a street. Seifer sees an opportunity for a fight and commands that they are to follow them. Zell disagrees with his commanding officers decision to disobey orders but finally he does agree. Squall just follows his discision because he is the commanding officer.

The party continues up the road that the soldiers went down. What ever you do do not talk to anyone in the town. It is part of your exam. Just defeat enemies as quickly as you can and make your way up to the [Communications Tower]. Near the tower you will encounter Galbaidian troops discussion the progress of repairs. At this point in the game Squall mentions a dream. I have a feeling that that dream is the intraductory movie of Rinoa in the field. The game goes to a cutscene of Selphne appearing from behind a rock and falling over on the ground. She introduces herself and jumps off the cliff after Seifer. Whatever you do, do not jump off the cliff. For some odd reason it reduces you SeeD ranking. Just walk around the corner. You will encounter Selphne again. Remember to Junction her to a guardian force.

When you enter the Communications Tower you will find a Draw point where you can Draw "Blind" I was able to draw 9 Blinds with Squall. On the other side will be a save point. Due save the game, in case you screw up. When you go up the Communications Tower you will encounter Major Biggs. (You know they like Star Wars over there at Squaresoft, these two guys keep appearing in game after game) At the top of the tower the game will transition to another cinema of the comunications tower activationg. Pretty awesome stuff, basically the same as the demo.

After the cinema you will encounter Biggs and he will attempt to run away, but is stopped by Seifer. You will then enter a battle. Biggs isn't that strong, neither is Wedge. Use this opportunity to Draw Magic from the both of them. After you drain all of Biggs and Wedge's HP, Elvoret will appear and blow them away.

The first thing I wanted to check for was to see what I could draw from this monster. I found out that it had Siren, a Guardian Force. Draw Siren from Elvoret first. Concentrate on using Guardian Forces, because this enemy seems to have a resistance to magic. You can also draw Double - which allows you to cast two spells at once. Perserverance will pay off and you will eventually defeat this monster. The items you obtain will be, two Elixers, two Cottages, three G-Returners, and Weapons Monthly for March.

After you are through defeating Elvoret, Junction the Siren Guardian Force to one of your characters. Be sure to save on you way out of the Tower. Once you exit the tower you will encounter this mechanical arachnid called X-ATM092, a.k.a "The ATM Machine" You really shouldn't fight this monster for very long since it is really rather powerful. It will attack you, but when it does use Thunder Magic or Quezacotl to weaken it. It is possible to depleate the ATM's MP supply and get 50 AP, but making a withdrawal is your best alternative if your guardian forces aren't up to snuff. When the ATM collapses to the ground Press L2 and R2 at the same time to run away. The problem with this ATM is that it isn't satified with taking your HP once, it wants to do it again and again, so if you're not carefull you will be caught again and have to enter a battle. Some trouble spots to look for include the area where Selphne jumped off the cliff. Use the "plus" part of the controller rather than the analog stick to make it easy to walk by this area. Then when ground starts shaking and rumbling press the (Triange) to keep from losing your balance. And on the bridge, when the ATM jumps in front of you double back a ways to outwit it.

Once you make it near the end of road near the shore of Dollet the game will transition to another cinema of Squall running from the dreaded ATM. One thing you'll notice in this movie sequence is that it's rather different from the demo. In the Demo Rinoa turns around to look toward Squall, in the game it's Selphne. The cool part of this cinema is when Quistis pumps the ATM full of lead with a mounted rapid fire machine gun. She really trashes that mech.

From Dollet you will return back to Balamb, then eventually back to Garden for graduation and your grades, but first why not save the game, buy some items and visit with the people. I stopped by Zell's house (first door after the Hotel) and he met with his mother. The music in this town will more than likely put you to sleep, so it's best to get moving when you can before you are hypnotized by it's complete and total sleepyness.

When your done with Balamb (that place bored me to death!) head toward Garden. Squall will meet up with Quistis, Xu, and Cid in the main lobby. They congradulate you on a job well done. I found Seifer near the entrance to the Library. He will complain about how he was ripped off of being a big hero. Seifer takes a poke at Quistis, and she reprimands him. Headmaster Cid Appears and says he will be diciplined for his irrisponsible behavior (that's right buddy, in your face! ) Seifer stands speechless. When I entered the Lobby again a set of tones chimed and a message indicating that the grades were in appeared. I go up to the second floor. Apparently all the students are waiting outside the classroom for results. A Faculty Member will guide you and Zell to Cid's office where you find out that you are now a Member of Seed. He comments that Squall is a Gunblade Specialist. When you come back, the other students that didn't make it will clap for you, and then you will find out your grades. I did pretty well, but obviously NOT well enough. A 50 in Conduct...What happened???? School SUCKS!

After you find out your grades you will return back to your Dorm Room. Change Squalls clothes and go to the ball. You will now be in your fancy-shmancy Dress Uniform! Whoo-doggies aren't we just speeshal.

At the ball Zell will attempt to do some gloating with Squall but he just remains introspective and blows him off. Selphne invites him to join the Garden Committee and In my case I accepted. I really don't know what this does but I'll probably find out later. Then, the game cuts to a cinema of a shooting star outside a window and then I see a pretty black-haired girl dressed in white. She comes over to me and comments, "You're the best looking guy here." (Of course I am...oh yeah back to Final Fantasy) She asks Squall to dance with her. The pretty girl flirts with Squall and tells him, "You're-going-to-like-me..." and sort of teases with him. He then shakes his head and comments that he can't dance. She reassures him and drags him onto the Dance Floor.

The game goes into what has been heralded as the most beautiful works of computer genrated art by many, the Ballroom Dance Scene. Squall is a bad dancer, but he catches on and the beautiful girl in white, Rinoa, and him find a connection yet ever so subtle at this point when they gaze at the Fireworks together. Squall's self-contemplating nature vanishes when he gazes into her radient eyes. He sees before him the magic that we all see in someone, that spark of love and that great feeling to be with someone who enjoys being a part of our lives and accepts us uncondionally. In that moment Squall was free, in the meadow, carefree with his lovely lady. The dance ends when she sees her friends and catches an opportunity to socialize. Why did she dance with Squall? Was it because she felt sorry for him? No. Because she saw someone who needed cheering up, and she wanted to share her lightheartedness with someone who needed some uplifting.

If you haven't heard the latest Playstation 2 news, there is some awesome info related to this event. When the first announcement of the Playstation 2 came out back in March, Squaresoft presented a demo of this movie, then litterly dropped everyone's jaw in the crowd when they manipulated it in REAL TIME with Playstation 2 prototype hardware proving it was NOT A CINEMA. What this means folks is that the quality of these graphics in this Ballroom Dance Scene will be duplicated THROUGHOUT AN ENTIRE GAME rendered on the fly by the Playstation 2. This is even better than Dreamcast, and just think they've only scratched the surface.

After Squall dances with Rinoa the scene changes to Squall outside the ballroom on a balcony, gazing contemplatively. Quistis walks up and comments that he is an excellent student and that this dancing was perfect. (I wasn't quite sure if this was sarcasm or not) After some smalltalk, she gives Squall an order to report to the "secret area" in the [Training Center]

You will return to Squall's room where you can change your clothes. Make your way back to the Training Area and you will meet Quistis in the hallway. Quistis begins explaining how to Junction Status change magic into your statistics. At this point in the game you may start to become a little too "statistiky" and might get a little confused with all this stuff. Basically what the game is saying is that if you want to Defend Against or Attack With a Status Change then that type of magic can be Junctioned in it's appropriate slot. This adjust various probabilities of status change during battle. One thing I noticed is that Esuna defends against just about everything. One thing you may want to keep a check on is what the Icons mean. Frankly, I think they would have done better by actually spelling it out so that you don't have to waste time remembering what all the Icons mean, but we'll just go with what they give us. One thing that kind of bugs me about this game is all the various menus you have to scroll through and whatnot. Having all these options is an awesome idea, but it can be a little tedious sometimes to fumble with Junctioning, Unjunctioning, adjusting Status', switching Guardian Forces, using items. At this point in the game Squall had 12 Esuna. For the life of me I couldn't Junction it to my Status Defense! What I figure is that my Guardian Force is too low level to activate this.

Once you're done with the Tutorial move forward into the Training Area. Choose the door directly in front of the Entrance (do not turn left). You will encounter a plantlike enemy with four tenticles, from this enemy you can Draw Sleep and Silence. What I did, was draw and cast Sleep on this enemy and sucked him for all he was worth. When he woke up I put him back to Sleep again. In this area you will find a Draw Point for Blizzard. Continue onward toward the Save Point and save the game. Once you progress beyond this area you will find the Secret Area where guys and girls "fraternize". You and Quistis will look toward the radient lights of Garden. Quistis says she is not going to continue being an instuctor. Squall apathetically replies, and she attempts to share her feelings with Squall but he resists and remains indignant about the issue chosing to return to himself and his brooding nature.

If you continue further you will encounter a monster named Granaldo, and three Raldos. I found that by putting the Flying Granaldo to sleep the three Raldos didn't attack me. Draw the Magic Spells, Shell, and Protect from this enemy. As long as you keep Granaldo sleeping you can Draw till your hearts content. When you're ready to defeat these enemies, kill all the Raldos while the Grandaldo is sleeping. Then when they're gone summon a couple of GF's on Granaldo while he's defenseless sleeping. He'll be gone in no time.

Return to Squall's room. You will encounter Zell on the way. You will find out that you get another room to yourself. Squall will fall asleep. He awakens with a knock at the door. You find out that you are going to [Timber] When you get up be sure to pick up the Issue of Weapons Monthly for April on your desk and Save the Game.

When I left the dormatory, I was automatically granted pay of 10,000 G as part of my SeeD salary. I decided to wander around Garden before going on the mission (probably reduces my SeeD rank, but screw it, I'm wanderin') I visited my Desk in the classroom and discovered that The Garden Festival page had been altered by Selphie to look more feminine. She was in search of recruits for the Garden Festival Committee. Didn't I already sign up for that back at the ball? In the classroom you will find someone called "Trepe Groupie #2" When I played the Card Battle with her she had a "Quistis Trepe" Card. Try to get it from her, but don't lose your shirt in the process. If you lose, reset and try again rather than have your cards taken away. At this time Headmaster Cid also has a "Seifer Almasy" Card.

You will meet Headmaster Cid at the Front Entrance. Zell will arrive just as the mission is about to begin on a Hover Board (I wonder if "The Doc" from Back to the Future gave it to him). The Faculty confiscates his board and give him a lecture about following rules.

Headmaster Cid says you are to go to Timber and that Squall's team will be the supporting resistance faction. At the Timber Station you will encounter a person who says, "The forests of Timber sure have changed," and in response you must say "But the owls are still around." - That is the password. Before the group leaves, Cid Gives Squall a cursed item called "Magical Lamp" DO NOT USE IT if you are not ready for battle with a Guardian Force called Diablos.

Go to Balamb (*snore*) and head toward the train station. Purchase a ticket for for 3000 G and board the train. Selphie says she likes trains and will sing a song. Go into your room and to find Zell hopping up and down on a couch. You will receive Pet Pals Vol. 1 Zell explains the history of Timber, a country covered in forest 18 years ago that was invaded by the Galbadia Army and is now under their occupation. After Zell finishes talking with Squall, Selphie walks in and complains of feeling ill. Then this high-pitched whine eminates from around them and they all drop to the ground.

The next scene takes place in the forest. You're party has become three different characters, Laguna (why did people keep E-mailing me saying they removed this guy from the game?), Ward, and Kiros. Squall, Zell, and Selphie are gone, or have somehow managed to share the vivid dreamlike hallucination together. Proceed through the forest. Along the path in a burning field you will encounter a Cure Draw Point. (The music in the battles here is rather cool) Continuing into the forest you will find out that Laguna is lost and has led his partners to Deling City. Be sure to draw Water from the Draw Point near the Armored Vehicle.

You will arrive at Deling City and Laguna will want to have a drink with Ward and Kiros. With Laguna, Ward, and Kiros I entered some sewers through a door near the end of a wall with carvings on it. To get here turn left down the road at the top of the screen instead of the one to the right. I went down the ladder to the lower level. There is a save point down here. As far as I could go I encountered an enemy called Creeps, that I was able to draw Life Magic from and he dropped "Creeps Card". Whether I get to keep the Magic when I return to Squall, Zell, and Selphie remains to be seen.

From the sewers head back the way you came and go to the Galbaldia Hotel, you will find another Save Point. Pay 100 G to stay at the Hotel if you want. Turn left to enter the lounge with the piano in it. You will meet a pianist named Julia then sit down at a table. A waitress walks up and asks to take your order. You order a Drink and Julia begins playing the piano...a very eloquent piece...perhaps the emotional "theme music" for Final Fantasy VIII , (you will remember it as Aeris' Theme from Final Fantasy VII). It seems that Laguna's pals are urging him to ask her out but Laguna is too shy to talk to her. He seems to be faking some kind of leg injury. He returns to his seat and his buddies Ward and Kiros taunt him about his failure to express his feelings about her.

After Laguna's buddies leave, Julia walks up to him and startles him. He thinks about what words to say to her and is very nervious. He admits to her that he was nervious and she tries to lighten his mood inviting him to her room where they can talk privately. Laguna seems to be somewhat wet behind the ears when it comes to women but he collects himself for their meeting. Go back to the room and ask the Hotel manager about Julia's Room.

When you go up to her room, she thanks you for coming and asks you to take a seat. If you appoach her again she will tell Laguna that she notices him and comments on what beautiful eyes he has. She asks him if he would like a drink of wine. Laguna talks about himself and how he would like to persue Journalism, then stops himself when he thinks he's gone on too long about himself. If you walk up to her he will ask her to tell him about herself and her dreams for the future. She says she would like to sing. Laguna says he cannot write lyrics, but Julia thanks him. She says something very poingiant here, "Times when you were hurt, worried... Or felt pain deep inside you... Your smile, your face, your eyes..." She walks up to Laguna and they gaze into each other's eyes. "You've shown me something...I think I can come up with a song." Laguna comments that he is dreaming. She takes his hand and says "It's not a dream, is it?"

There's a knock at the door and it's Kiros. He says that new orders deem that they must meet by the Presidential Residence. She asks if he will return and he says that he wants to hear her sing. Screen Fades to Black.

The scene returns back to the traincar where Zell and Selphie are awake with Squall lying on the ground. There is an announcement that the train will be arriving in Timber soon. Squall awakens and asks if they were all just sleeping. Zell comments that perhaps someone released a sleeping gas due to the resentment of SeeD. Selphie says she had a very nice dream, yet Squall to himself says otherwise. They all say that there was a Laguna in each of their dreams. They each realize that they encountered a shared hallucination of the same events and persons but focus on the mission at hand.

You will now arrive at Timber Station. A man will meet you at the gate and ask that question you were supposed to remember, reply, "But the owls are still around" The man will ask you to follow him. When you follow him you will arrive at another train car. When you enter you will encounter two men, Zone and Watts. Zone will introduce himself, Watts, and ask you to wake up the "the princess" Squall reflects on the pointlessness of this mission.

If you continue down the hall you will encounter the princess, and find out it's Rinoa from the Ball. She seems surprised that it's him and then becomes estatic about his arrival and SeeD's appearance. She says that she met with Headmaster Cid and made a special request for SeeD to come and help. She asks if Siefer is with him and Squall says he isn't part of SeeD. Before they return to meet the others she tells you her name, Rinoa, and shakes Squall's hand saying, "Very pleased to meet you, Squall." She sarcastically remarks about the dance, and Squall makes up some convoluted yet meant to be funny explanation for his dancing. Rinoa's dog, Angelo, walks up and she begins to tell you about what purpose Angelo plays. The game then begins a tutorial of how Angelo is related to Rinoa's limit break. It explains that by selecting different tricks, Angelo can learn their abilities and can learn new tricks by you reading a magazine called "Pet Pals."

After meeting with Rinoa, you will go to the Strategy Room where you will discuss information about your mission. You find out that your goal is to kidnapp President Deling from his private train. In order to do so, your team will have to coordinate a plan of action ultimately resulting in the switching of train cars. You must complete a seven step process to successfully complete the operation. Rinoa explains the mission using models of the trains. First, you must sneak aboard the 2nd escort car by jumping from the dummy car. Second, you must walk cautiously across the roof of the 2nd escort car being aware of the sensors. Third, you must proceed across the roof of the president's car. Fourth, using secret codes, you must uncouple the 1st Escort car from the presidents car while the train is in motion. Fifth, after the cars have uncoupled, move the dummy car and the base move inbetween after the uncoupling. Sixth, you must uncouple the 2nd escort car and finally, seventh, you must escape with the president's car connected to the base car. You are given exactly five minutes to complete the "shell game" with the trains and run away with the president's car. In order to uncouple the train cars you will have to enter secret codes that Rinoa will recite out loud to you. These codes are related directly to the buttons on the controller. You will have only five seconds to enter each code. The buttons for the entry of the codes are, (Triangle - 4, Square - 3, Circle - 1, X - 2)

Once you finish the debriefing with Rinoa you can go to the back of the room and read issues of "Anarchist Monthly" on the bulletin board. You may want to save your game at this time as well. Back in Rinoa's room you will find another issue of "Pet Pals." When you are ready to begin the mission talk to Watts.

Once the mission is begun, you will see two trains riding next to each other. Simply jump using "X" onto the 2nd Escort car. From here you will not have to worry about the Motion and Temperture Sensors because they are broken. Simply walk across the roof of the car to the President's Car. You will then have to uncouple the President's car from the 1st Escort. You will have to enter the four digit codes Rinoa gives you. Be aware of the Red and Blue soldiers inside the car by pressing L1. After the base and dummy car move into position, uncouple the 2nd escort using the same technique as before only this time press R1 to view the soldiers in the car. If they catch you, you will have to either restart the game, or restart from where you left off, but you will lose the chance to advance you SeeD rank by restarting from where you left off. During this mission you will notice some cool FMV's of the trains coupling and uncoupling.

I was able to complete this mission rather easily, so I don't see why this part should give anyone any trouble. I easily increased my SeeD rank by 1. Once you're done the president's car will be coupled onto the Forest Owls base car. Before you enguage the president it might be a good idea to go save the game, and equip Zell and Selphie with Guardian Forces. Make sure at least one party member has the Item Command available.

When you enter the President's car you will quickly find out that you've been double-crossed and that the President Deling in the car is actually a body double. The fake president seems to begin mutating and you will enter battle.

As the president mutates, you will first face his human form. This guy is pretty much a pushover. Simply draw some Cure Magic from him, or cast his Cure on a party member with low HP. Simply attack him several times to have him mutate further. Once this form of him has served it's perpose he will mutate into Gerogero. Gerogero will attack you with Status Changes like Blind, Silence, Berserk, and Confuse. You can draw, Esuna, Berserk, Zombie, and Double. There's one thing to remember about this enemy - he's a Zombie, and in such zombies are affected opposite by curative magic like Cure, Cura, and Curaga as well as Items that do the same thing. It is also weak against Holy. Gerogero also seems to have a weakness aganst Fire so summoning a Guardian Force like Infrit is a worthwhile alternative...but there is a way to defeat this boss with 1 simple action, no fighting involved. Use a Phoenix Down from the Item menu on him and he will instantly perish although you will receive no Exp for the battle but your GF's will still get AP.

After you're battle with Gerogero you will return to the Strategy Room. You will find out the real reason why the president is already in Timber. Apparently the president plans to broadcast from a T.V. Station that only uses radio waves rather than Cable and this is why the Communication Tower was activated back in Dollet. With this ability he can transmit images to regions without cable TV. Rinoa and the rest of the Forest Owls discuss thier plans together. When Squall approaches he asks Rinoa to see their contract made with Garden. Squall finds out that his deployment contract will last until Timber achives independance.

Timber is crawling with Galbadia Soldiers. You will have to find the T.V. Station located behind a building called "Timber Maniacs." One thing I noticed when I arrived at Timber was that the music somehow reminded me of Secret of Mana in a way. Since the Galbadia Soldiers carry Thunder, Blizzard, Fire, and Cure, if you don't have 100 of these for each character then now's a good time to suck dry some lone blue flunkie for all he's worth. At the Pet Shop you will find two issues of "Pet Pals" for 1000 each. If you go next door to Timber Maniacs you will find a house where you can peer into the alley from the second story window. I laughed when the mother spanked that kid for trying to charge me 10 Gil to look out the window. Now that's comedy.

When you first enter Timber Manaics there will be stacks of magazines on the ground. In the Stack of magazines closest to lady in white at the counter you will find "Girl Next Door," a porno I believe. If you enter the first door on your left you will find a draw point for Blizzaga directly in front of a thing that looks like a video game system or small computer. In the room at the back of Timber Maniacs you will find an issue of Timber Maniacs lying on the ground near other magazines.

If you continue past Timber Maniacs to the right you will encounter the entrance to the Pub. Inside the Pub you will encounter a Drunk you has parked himself right in front of the back door that leads to the alley. You have a choice with the Drifter. You can either buy him the drink he likes or show him your TripleTriad cards and the card you obtain from the Galbadian soldiers. Just for showing him his card he will let you keep it and give you a Tonberry card. He will then allow the owner to move him out of the way giving you access to the alley.

In the alley you will find a draw point for Scan and a Save Point. If you continue up the stairs you will encounter the T.V. Station. Rinoa, without any strategy or plan for storming the T.V. Station gives up and you will watch the President's broadcast on a big TV on the wall.

An announcer will introduce President Deling. Then president Deling will address the audience and introduce the Ambassador Sorceress. Just then Seifer will bust in and start tearing apart Galbadian Soldiers. Quistis will appear on screen and call upon Squall's team to assist. you will find out that Seifer, Rinoa's boyfriend(?), broke out of the diciplinary room and went on a mission to capture Deling for Rinoa's cause.

As Siefer is escaping with the President, a Sorceress appears and persuades him to come with her. She puts a spell over Qustis, Squall, Selphie, and Zell so they can not interfere. The President runs away and escapes. Everyone leaves the T.V. Station and you discover that the Forest Owls base has been destroyed. Follow Rinoa and Quistis to the house next door to Timber Maniacs. Galbadian soldiers will knock at the door and you will have to hide upstairs. Squall and Rinoa have a little disagreement regarding Siefer's situation and she thinks Squall is being cold hearted toward him, while he sees what he believe may be the truth, Seifer is dead.

As a group they all discuss their options. Since returning to Balamb Garden is not possible, then the choice of going to Galbadia Garden seems feasable at this time. The woman whose been harboring your party will give you some items, a potion, a Phoenix Down, a Remedy, a Soft, and (forgot the other one, oh well).

Outside you will encounter Watts dressed up as a Galbadian soldier. He will tell you to get on the train going to East Academy. Go right from this area and you will encounter Zone. He will give you tickets to ride the train. Continue right toward the Train Depot and board the train.

To get to Galbadia Garden you will have to get off at East Academy and go through the forest west of the station. At the forest Zell will express his guilt for revealing that they were from garden to the President and worries about what potential retailiation may be taken. Squall tells him to expect the worst. Rinoa seeing that Squall is not keeping everyone's morale too high confronts him about his cold and apathetic demeanor. Just then a high pitched sound eminates from around them and Squall, Quistis, and Selphie fall to the ground.

The characters and surroundings of game then change again to scenes of Laguna, Kiros, and Ward near an excavation site or mining area. This seems to be the same dreamstate that they encountered on the Train Ride to Timber. At this point in the game we do not know what role Laguna, Ward, and Kiros play or relate to Squall, and the other SeeD members. One thing we do know is that this "dreamworld" seems to transpire in the past.

It seems that Laguna has brought his two comrades to some place where they were not planning to go yet again. At this time it would be wise to Junction Ward and Kiros with Guardian Forces. When you proceed toward the Mining area you will encounter Esthar Soldiers. You will then enter battle. (Here's that cool battle music again. When I get the chance I'm going to put this music on the website somewhere. It really reminds me of music from the MegaMan X series) Once these enemies are defeated, you can continue forward. On a path jutting to the right you will find a Draw Point for Confuse.

Once you go down the hole in first area of the blue cave look to the left middle of the wall for an Old Key. When you find it Laguna seems like he drops it. In the next area you will find three hatches in the ground. If you appoach the one in the middle Laguna will pull a lever to set a trap for Esthar Soldiers. You will find a second Old Key near a pile of curved pieces of Debris if you continue further. If you continue to move upward you will encounter a detonator switch connected to red and blue wires. Push the red switch first then the blue. If you encounter an enemy called Gespar you can sometime obtain an Item called Black Hole that Quistis can use to learn Blue Magic called Degenerator. You can also draw Protect from that same enemy. Past the area where the detonation switch was you will cross a walkway into another area with a boulder in the wall. Move the boulder to find a Cure Draw Point. Continuing upward you will encounter a save point, go up from here again.

You will encounter two Cyborg Esthar soldiers. Simply summon a guardian force on them and finish them. Before one dies it will hit you with Soul Crush and reduce two members hit points to 1. When you reach the end of the cave you will be near the sea. You see that there are some boats down at the bottom of a ravine in the water. Laguna belittles his buddies in a really strange way then he tosses them off the cliff and says "You guys...sure have guts. You know how high this cliff is...!?" What's up with this guy, is he smokin' crack or somethin'? During this whole excurion into the dreamworld, Laguna has been a total fruitcake, losing keys, acting like a dufus and all! As a matter of a fact it has come to my attention that Ward, Kiros "looks like a Seagull", and Laguna are total flunkies or losers who seem to always get their nose into trouble. Laguna finally slips off the cliff and falls into the water.

The game scene returns back to the forest with Squall, Zell, Quistis, Rinoa, and Selphie. Squall, Sephie and Quistis awaken from their temporary comas. After Rinoa apologizes for being so forward, you continue onward. Now would be a good time to heal Quistis and Selphie because for some reason whatever you do as Laguna, Ward, and Kiros affects you characters who correspond to those in the dreamworld. (At least you keep all the spells you get) If they are junctioned with GF's that you want to use with other characters then now is the time to remove their GF and give them to who you want.

There is no set time for you to encounter Diablos, so you can enguage in a fight with this Guardian Force whenever you feel ready. After Headmaster Cid gives you the "Magical Lamp" item, you automatically get the ability to fight Diablos. To enguage in battle, simple go to the item screen and select the item and try to use it. Like the game says, Saving is a good idea before doing this because you could screw up and die. Prior to starting this fight it is a good idea to have your guardian forces leveled up and have HP-J Magic junctioned to your characters, although when I battled Diablos, only one character had this. Here's what I did to defeat Diablos: First Draw Demi from him and cast it directly on the GF with as many characters as you can. This should reduce his HP by thousands. Do your best to cast your Guardian Forces as many times as possible. Having their Compatability rating near 1000 is recommended. One of Diablos attacks, Gravija will reduce your party's HP by about 3/4. This will set up your Limit Breaks. Using Rinoa, Angelo may appear to use a potion on an ailing party member. If you have Selphie, there is a chance she will cast Full Cure. Keep Using Demi and Guardian Forces whenever possible as well as your character's limit breaks. Once you defeat Diablos you will recieve his card and he will join your Guardian Forces.

Just outside the woods you will encounter Galbadia Garden. When you first enter you will encounter another FMV of the garden and it will transition into the game. In the front past the gate in the area of orange glow you will find a draw point for Haste. If you continue straight, past the stairway and the guys doing push ups you will encounter an area with tennis courts, near here you will find a draw point for Shell. In a locker room past an ice rink I discovered a draw point for Life Magic. When you're done exploring, make your way to the reception room on the 2nd floor.

In the Reception room, Quistis will eventually enter and reassure you that Balamb garden was not held accountable for the attempted kidnapping of the president, but you will discover that Siefer has been tried and convicted for the crime (according to the report) and assume he has been executed. Rinoa feels a loss for the person she had affection for and the others lament over the death of their fallen camrade. Squall seeing them refer to Siefer in the past tense as in "He was" and "He did" gets uncomfortable thinking about what people might say about him after he dies, and leaves the room.

If you make your way back to the First Floor lobby area you will encounter Raijin and Fujin. They tell you to give an order from Headmaster Cid to this Garden's Headmaster. They believe that Seifer is not dead and that the information about his execution is false. They want to return to Galbadia to look for Seifer.

Before you leave this Garden, it may be important to note that a girl in a classroom that is talking to two other students has a complete set Boss Level Triple Triad Cards.

If you return to the Front Gate you will encounter Quistis. Follow her to the front courtyard and soon after Headmaster Martine will arrive. He will say that he is cooperating with Headmaster Cid. He will discuss that the sorceress that is being appointed as the peace ambassador for the Galbadian government is actually a cover up for her true purpose, ot use fear to negotiate favorable conditions for the government to eventually lead toward world domination. According to Martine the Sorceress plans to use Garden as her base. Martine gives you official written orders regarding this situation and plan for retaliation. Since you will need a sharpshooter to carry out the orders, Martine introduces you to Irvine. The game then shows a FMV of Irvine shooting at a butterfly and he gets up with his shotgun, moseys on over, and takes a gander at you varmints.

You find out that your orders directly from Balamb and Galbadia Garden are specifically to assasinate the Sorceress. Kinneas will be the sniper and the rest of the group will ensure he completes the mission, otherwise they will have to attack head on. You are to head to Deling City and meet with General Caraway. First you must choose the party, and the game goes into another tutorial of changing Party members and Extanging Junctions. (We know all this, don't we?) You will then leave Galbadia Garden. Just outside of Galbadia Garden you will find a train heading to Deling City. (How convenient...)

Before you board that Train now might be a good time to fight some enemies and accrue more Exp, AP, and items from enemies, especially the ones in the Forest area by Galbadia Garden. A flying monster called Thrustaevis carries a "Float" spell, useful later on in the game. Do you know what Quezacotl's "Card" ability does? With this ability you can turn monsters into cards for the Triple Triad Game. It will also make your life easier if you have Guardian Forces learn the HP-J ability which allows you to junction magic to increase a character's HP.

After you pay your 3,000 gil to board the train to Deling City, you will embark toward Deling. Irvine will start "mackin' " with Selphie on the train but she will blow him off (...alright minds out of the gutter now...heh, heh...). Many of the others don't trust him at this point in the game. When Squall leaves Selphie, he discovers Quistis arguing with Irvine over his overtly flirtaceous behavior when he should remain focused on the mission. He says "Sharpshooters are loners" and expresses his desire to be left alone by the others.

Via the choo-choo you will soon arrive at Deling City. Go up the escalator to the front of the station and wait for the bus that will take you to Caraway's Mansion. When the bus arrives you will have to talk to the attendant in blue at the bus stop to board it. At the first stop, which is Caraway's Mansion, press the (Triangle) to get off. Talk to the guard standing near the bus stop and he will tell you that before you can see Caraway he want to test your skills at the [Tomb of the Unknown King] (Just for your info there is a "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetary in Washington D.C. ) and bring back proof in the form of a code number. He says that you are to look for traces of a lost student Galbadia Garden student who went there and return with his ID number. Don't bother buying his hints or the location displayer, these seem to be a waste of money since it isn't that hard to complete the test.

In the area to the left of the bus stop you will find a draw point for Thundara. You will encounter the "Queen of Cards" inside the Hotel Lounge. She may spread the "Open" rule. You will also find a Save Point in the Hotel. In the Market Area you can find a shop for purchasing items and a Remodeling Shop. If you haven't already done so now would be a good time to remodel Squall's Revolver into a Shear Trigger, and Rinoa's weapon into a Rising Sun. To do this you will have to have the right parts to refit your weapons.

Travel to the East-North-East from Deling to get to the Tomb of the Unknown King. When you arrive there you will witness two others running from the area shouting "Float!" This is of course indicative of what spell will be needed in this area. When you enter the Tomb you may become confused due to the overall similarity of the corridors. In the very front of the Tomb you will find a Sword lying on the ground, check it out to find the Student ID#. In my case it was 135. If you keep going left then right, all the time you will soon encounter Sacred.

I dunno, maybe this guy was supposed to be tough, but for me this battle was real easy. First I drew his Protect spell and cast it on everybody. I then cast Float on this enemy. Summoned Quezacotl once, and hit him about 10 times with physical attacks after that he ran away cryin' for momma. He does have some good spells like Life, that you can draw from him so before you kick his ass, draw the spells. I even reset the game just so I could go back and and fill up on spells because he seemed to give up too prematurely.

After you defeat Sacred, the rooms to the north and west on the map will be open. Remember to get to these rooms you will travel in the opposite direction from where you came so that would be Right then Left. You must unlatch a door in each area to drain water that will cause a bridge leading to the center of the labyrinth to fall. You will find a Draw Point for Float in one room and a draw point for Cura in another. You will find a save point in the area near the waterwheel.

By activating the Switch you now have access to the Brothers Guardian Force be creating a bridge direcly in front of the entrance. Once you move forward you will encouter the Brothers, Sacred and Minotaur.

The First thing, you should do is cast Float on everything living, during the battle. Cast Float on Minotaur and Sacred to eliminate their regeneration capabilities then cast Float on yourself to nulify thier earth based magic. Summon you're Guardian Forces and these two will soon give up and Join you.

After you defeat the Brothers you will get their cards and 40 AP. The tomb will open up and a Ghost will complain about being intombed. Return to Deling City. Now might be a good time to rest up, buy items, play cards, and save the game. When you return back to Caraway's Mansion you can now tell the guard out front the Student ID # from the sword in The Tomb of the Unknown King. Before you enter Rinoa requests that you do not leave her alone in the house.

You will be left in a room to wait for Caraway's appearance. Rinoa will attempt to hurry things along, and he will appear telling you that it would be best if Rinoa did not participate in your mission because of her lack of proper training. You find out that General Caraway is Rinoa's father. Caraway downplays the involvement of his daughter and looks disparagingly upon her association with the Timber Resistence. Squall stands firm behind his duty to fulfill the contract with Rinoa, and the General does not accept this. Caraway and Squall do not meet eye to eye on this issue and Irvine breaks in shifting the conversation to the mission at hand.