While Heidegger and Rufus bicker at the dock, Cloud enters the town of Costa del Sol. It’s very well named.
Cloud tries the bar, possibly for something hard, or maybe just to get out of the heat. It’s also home to a chap selling items.
Don’t bother. They are all awful. The Molotov is like the grenade, but it does fire damage, and is just as useless.
Right by the entrance, at the top of the bridge, is a house. It’s actually for sale if you have 300,000 gil to spare. I don’t.
But it’s worth heading downstairs, to the basement.
Ooh, a fire ring! That’s going to come in handy later.
The chap working down here suddenly realises we’re stealing his stuff. Is it really free, or has he just decided to respect the big sword?
Another Power Source. Yay!
I’m not sure what this is. I think it’s a weapon for one of the Clouds.
Cloud moves on. Yes, that’s Cat Cloud snoozing in the shade. Or he would if those brats didn’t keep kicking that ball at him.
This guy sells materia. Annoying Cloud is happy to help out, but I reckon he’ll regret it.
Hmm, nothing particularly useful here. We already have all these.
Soft, huh? Good rule of thumb – when you encounter a new item, stock up on it.
Soft cures petrify status – which can be very awkward. Ten Softs will do for now. It’s also a good point to stock up on Antidotes and other status cures.
Cloud hits the beach, accompanied by three ladies. You’re going to make the other boys jealous, Cloud. Even if your three companions are all bonkers.
Ancient Cloud has seen something over there.
It’s Hojo! Date points can be won and/or lost here. Cloud only has eyes for his girls, of course. And mad scientists who might know something about Sephiroth.
If it isn’t, the Hojo Impersonation Club must be in town.
Cloud is surprisingly demanding. I fully intended to anyway, but that surly comment has made me less than keen.
Ah, what the hell. I want this guy to talk. (You can just leave town without visiting the beach at all if you so wish – this scene isn’t essential – but I want to find out what Hojo is up to…)
Hojo’s bevy of beach babes double as bodyguards, it seems. Cloud tries to be subtle.
It’s lying on that deckchair.
Hi Professor!
Yeah. Pay attention, you stereotype!
Busy. Lying on a beach is busy. As research projects go, this isn’t one.
I’m not sure what Hojo is saying here. I blame the translation.
Regardless, we are too annoying for him to ignore for long.
Hojo remembers us! Well, that’s fair enough. We did attack his lab, steal two of his specimens and kill a rather nasty third one. But you can’t blame us for trashing the place, Hojo. That was Sephiroth’s fault.
Cloud’s greeting is a little frosty. I think mostly he’s wondering what the hell is going on.
Hojo is pragmatic. He quit his job and headed west because he had to.
Indeed. What nefarious scheme is this mad scientist hatching now?
…okay, that’s not very nefarious. And you could probably do with it.
Cloud isn’t convinced.
Hojo comes clean. He’s not just on holiday. He’s up to something.
Of course. Who else?
Well, not at HQ, but he did pop up on the ship…
Hojo is amused. He apparently knows something we don’t about Sephie.
Cloud’s sword hand starts to itch as Hojo stands majestically on his deckchair.
…what’s that?
You mean on the telephone?
Like the Promised Land?
Not Cloud. He’s not looking for anything. His only focus is to find Sephiroth, the enemy he fought and yet cannot remember fighting, the enemy that disappeared five years ago and yet has suddenly resurfaced.
This is the guy that dispatches dragons in seconds and slaughters whole armies. And villages. You’re a gang of six random fighters who, at this level, would probably be eaten alive by dragons.
Hojo, what are you thinking?
You should know Cloud was in SOLDIER. You process them, right? And yet, Cloud has never met Hojo before all this – he only knew him by reputation. Perhaps Hojo just oversees the operation and SOLDIERs are made by underlings. But I’m still not comfortable with that guinea pig comment.
Sword hand now VERY itchy.
Who said we have to kill him? We can start with limbs.
Oh, all right. We’ll let him live. But I can see us regretting this somewhere down the line. Screw these mind games – just tell us where Sephiroth went, and we’ll let you get back to your tan.
Crowd of Clouds 