| ITEMS IN THIS AREA | ||
| Protect Vest | Choco Feather | Elixir |
Pilot the Tiny Bronco back to the Gold Saucer area. Go to the weapon smith's house on the peninsula near the desert and talk to him--he'll explain that you need the Keystone, which he no longer has. Get back in Cid's airplane, and leave it on the shore by the desert. You need to get to the Golden Saucer, so either walk or find a wild Chocobo and ride it back to North Corel. Then take the ropeway up to the Gold Saucer. Go to the Battle Square and look for an opening on the right side of the room labled 'Dio's Show Room'. Inside, examine the glittering object on top of the large stand; it's the Keystone. Dio, the big lug who threw you out of the Gold Saucer before, will show up and offer you a challenge: fight in the Battle Square and he'll give you the Keystone. When you have a choice, pick the top option to accept or the bottom option to temporarily decline. You'll now have to fight in the Battle Square using only Cloud. Keep in mind that even if you lose the very first battle, Dio will still give you the Keystone.
If you want to try and see if you can win all the battles, then keep fighting. After each battle, the message 'GREAT!' will appear, followed by two options. Choose the right option to stop fighting, or the left option to continue fighting. If you choose to continue, a jackpot-like device will appear. You can stop it from spinning by pressing the O button, and whatever comes up when you press O will take affect prior to the start of the next battle. Depending on what you get, different things will happen to you, although certain accessories can render you immune to some of the more debilitating effects.
Furthermore, the status ailments that you are afflicted with as a result of the jackpot stay with you from battle to battle, and you're forced to stop the jackpot after each battle, so you could end up being a poisoned, petrified frog in a few rounds, if you're not careful. If you last through seven battles, then the fighting ends.
Refer to the "Playing The Game - Having Fun" section for a complete explanation of how the Battle Square works, but keep in mind that although you will earn Battle Points during the battle, they are reset to zero when the battle ends since you end up in the Show Room (and the way things work you lose all the Battle Points you earn if you leave the main room at any time). Should you make it through all the battles, Dio will give you a Protect Vest and a Choco Feather, in addition to the Keystone.
There's nothing else you need to do at the Gold Saucer now, but when you try to leave, you'll discover that the ropeway that the sky lift travels up and down is broken, leaving you stranded in the Saucer. Cait Sith will either show up (or leave your party, if he's already with you guys) and suggest that you all meet him at the Ghost Hotel. At the Hotel, you and your allies will chat for awhile. In the next scene, you'll find yourself in your room.
At this point in the game, a character will come into your room and ask to go on a date with you. While it's usually Aeris, you can go on a date with Tifa, Yuffie, or even Barett.
Chances are, your date will be with Aeris, because if you are nice to her even once, you're stuck with her. I was trying to get Yuffie to go with me and was mean to everyone but her, and I still got stuck with Tifa. If anyone out there knows how to get Tifa or Barret consitently and would like to share the method with me, I'd happily add it to the FAQ. (see the "Playing The Game - Dating Yuffie" section for details on how to date Yuffie).
It's likely that this guide could be used to date any character, if you replace Yuffie with (Aeris/Tifa/Barret) and make your choices accordingly, adjusting them for who you're trying to get. Anyway, once the date sequnce starts up, here's what to do:
First, you'll go to the Event Square. Since you're the 100th person to come here that day, you and Aeris will be offered a role in the upcoming play. What you do here doesn't affect the game in any way, so just pick whatever options you'd like and watch one of the many humorous endings. If I wrote it out, it would ruin the fun, so.... Next, you'll ride the gondola in the Round Square. When your partner looks out the window, you can press left to look out, too, and see various FMV sequences showcasing the events at the Gold Saucer.
After the date is over, Cloud and his date will return to the Station Square only to find Cait Sith sneaking around with the Keystone. He'll run away when Cloud yells at him, and you have to chase him around various sections of the Gold Saucer. (If you don't want to waste time doing that, then go to the Chocobo Square, enter it, and chase Cait Sith back outside). Eventually, Cait will stop at the steps outside of the Chocobo Square. The Shinra helicopter shows up, and Cait will toss the Keystone up to Tseng. When confronted by Cloud and your ally, Cait reveals that he is in fact a spy for the Shinra. He insists that he continues to travel with Cloud and his friends because he has taken Marlene as a hostage back in Midgar.
Once Cait Sith leaves, you'll find yourself back in the Ghost Hotel. Check the iron maiden for an Elixir (notice the sound it makes; it sounds just like Norstein Bekkler's laugh [the guy from Chrono Trigger!]). Leave the room to meet up with your allies again. After a brief talk, Aeris will join your party, becoming a permanent member. Pick another ally and then leave the Saucer, since the ropeway is now repaired.
Now that you're back at North Corel, leave and return where you parked the Tiny Bronco. Look at the World Map. See the tiny chain of islands near the bottom of the map? Just to the right of them and to the left of Mideel and the Fort Condor is a large island. If you go there, you'll see a large temple surrounded by a forest. This is your next destination, so land the Tiny Bronco at the shore and head to the temple.
Continue to The Temple Of The Ancients