After the visit to Trabia, and the discussion that took place on the wreckage of the basketball court, Squall decided that Garden's next destination would be the orphanage. But no-one knew where it was, only that it was somewhere on the coast, next to a lighthouse.
Nida had been piloting Garden around for a week, and the orphanage could still not be found. Squall didn't tell anyone, but he was worried. At this rate, they could waste a whole year and still not find it. Everyone's spirits and motivation were down.
Selphie, although happy that her old school friends were still alive and well, had been moping about the state of Trabia Garden. No one could blame her, really … after all, it had been her home for many years. Zell tried to cheer her up by trying to break the current record of how many hot dogs a Balamb Garden student could fit in their mouth, and he broke the record of six … but Selphie was still depressed, and now Zell was quite ill.
Since Selphie's energetic and optimistic mood had vanished completely, this had an incredible effect on Quistis, who became depressed easily anyway, and on Irvine, who too, missed his home and the friends he had left behind.
Everyone turned to Squall with their problems, and he was beginning to feel the strain of being a leader. He lay on the bed in his dorm, listening to the sea gently lap up on the shore; they were near to a coast, he could tell. He would have fallen asleep in that peaceful moment, if it had not been for an anncounement coming out of the overhead speaker system that echoed in his tiny dormitory.
"Squall," said Nida, "Come up to the bridge."
"Is this it?" Squall thought excitedly, leaping up from his bed. "Has he found Edea's house?"
Squall picked up his black leather jacket, and put it on while hurrying down the corrdior, into the main foyer, then into the lift and up onto the bridge, where he had not been for a few days. Nida was there at the control panel, with his back to Squall. He soon turned around when he heard Squall's footsteps.
"Squall, take a look," Nida said, offering out a pair of binoculars. Squall, in his trademark fashion, quite rudely snatched them out of Nida's hands.
Squall became increasingly impatient as the binoculars took a moment to zoom in and focus, but when they had adjusted, it was not Edea's house that he saw in front of him. It was not Edea's house at all. It was Galbadia Garden.
The huge flying academy was a few miles to the north-east of them, making its way through a lush green forest and devastating everything in its path. Squall stared at it for at least a minute, and struggled with many thoughts that were flowing through his mind.
"So, what do you think?" Nida inquired thoughtfully, as Squall finally handed him back the binoculars.
"They probably know we're here, too. If not, we'll make the first move," Squall thought privately to himself, while gently massaging his chin.
"Well, a battle is inevitable," he announced gravely, turning to face Nida.
"The sorceress is with them, huh?" Nida replied, placing the high-tech binoculars back into a case and then looking up hopefully. "So this is going to be the final battle?"
"I hope so," Squall admitted truthfully, giving him a fleeting smile.
"What should I do first? I have to give orders to everybody. It's my responsibility," Squall thought, trying not to panic and staying calm in the dangerous situation. "I have to try to keep it simple. If I give out too many orders, it could lead to chaos."
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nida peering at him eagerly, waiting.
"Give out your orders when you're ready," he said, placing his hands behind his back.
"What should I say!? Come on, think! There's no time!" Squall thought desperately. He pushed a button on the control panel to activate a microphone and began to give out his orders.
"This is Squall speaking," he started, "This is an emergency, so listen carefully. We're going into battle against Galbadia Garden. As you may all know, Seifer is with them. I plan to settle everything, once and for all, with this battle. The Garden will proceed straight ahead. Set speed at 50% in case we need to make evasive maneuvers. 1st and 2nd Class Sabers, assemble in the parking lot. Those with MG Ranks 3 or above, head for the 2nd floor deck and await instructions. Be sure to warm up."
He paused here for a little breather, so the students could digest all of his important information.
"The enemy will probably come aboard. We must concentrate our forces at the front gate and the quad. If your student ID number is even, report to the quad. If it's odd, report to the front gate. Quistis, Zell, Selphie. Come up to the bridge right away. Those who have student ID numbers ending with an 8, take care of the junior classmen."
"That was great," Nida congratulated, patting Squall on his shoulder, just as Quistis, Selphie and Irvine, but not Zell, came up through the lift.
"Hey, hey, heeey," Irvine said slowly, swaggering across the room, "What's up? I'm not invited? I thought I was part of the gang."
"Oh, sorry about that," Squall had honestly forgotten all about Irvine.
"Why am I always the odd one out?" Irvine pouted grumpily and flicked his ponytail over his shoulder, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Selphie. But she had barely noticed him or his little attention-seeking speech.
"Whoo-hoo!" she jumped up and punched the air. "Garden versus the Sorceress, The Final Battle! This is so exciting!"
Although pleased to see Selphie back to normal, Squall wished she could be serious for once, especially at a time like this. To his delight, Quistis was much more professional and mature in her reaction. Good old reliable Quistis.
"Squall, what do you want us to do?" she asked him.
"I want you guys to help me lead the others. When Zell gets here, we'll divide into two teams."
As he finished, he saw his three comrades exchange a quick, nervous glance.
"Zell…?" Selphie repeated innocently, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Umm .. I think he's … taking a nap."
"Yeah," Quistis butted in hurriedly, "He said he hasn't slept at all lately."
"What…?" Irvine raised an eyebrow at the two girls. "But he's got more energy than – oh! Oh, yeah…"
Irvine quickly stopped talking and looked sheepish.
"What are you guys talking about?" Squall asked, becoming increasingly annoyed, and also frustrated that he was being left out from some kind of joke, not to mention that this really wasn't the time for silly little games.
"Nothing," Selphie smiled sweetly and tapped the side of her nose, "It's our little secret!"
"What's he doing?" Squall thought angrily. "We don't have any time!"
"Look, whatever," Squall held up both his hands, changing the subject. "I'm going to check the quad. Irvine, Quistis, you come with me. Selphie, find Zell. You guys work together and lead the team at the front gate."
"Gotcha!" Selphie winked. "But what about Rinoa?"
Squall paused for a moment to think about her. "Rinoa…"
"You guys take care of her," he said finally, and she hopped away into the lift. Squall turned to Irvine and Quistis. "Come on, let's go to the quad."
Outside, a harmless, grazing deer ran away in fright from the terror of the advancing Galbadia Garden. For such a huge thing it moved very quickly, ever closer to Balamb Garden.
When they reached the quad, Squall was both very delighted and relieved to see that Zell was already there, taking charge of a group of students.
"You guys are over here," he instructed bossily. "Backup the advance guards. Alright, listen up! This is the big one, guys! We gotta win, no matter what!"
The students cheered and dispersed into different areas of the quad. Zell noticed Squall and turned to him, proudly punching his fists together in his usual fashion.
"S'up, Squall!" he greeted. "I got this place covered."
Squall glanced around the quad sceptically and raised an unconvinced eyebrow at Zell.
"I thought you were sleeping?" he asked sarcastically.
"Oh...! Yeah, y-your announcement woke me up," Zell lied. "My student ID is even, so I'm supposed to be here, right?"
"Right," Squall nodded, and Zell suddenly grasped his upper arm and pulled him to one side.
"Yo, Squall," he whispered. "I've gotta talk to you."
"About what?"
"It's about your ring," Zell said and pressed his lips together nervously. "This might not be the time, but..."
"...What is it?" Squall wondered in his head while giving Zell a confused frown.
"Give me your ring, will ya?" Zell demanded bossily. "I just wanna borrow it for a while. I won't lose it or anything. C'mon, what do you say?"
"Why do you need it?" Squall asked, bemused.
Zell paused.
"Uh...I can't tell you that," he said, his impatience growing. He started hopping about from one foot to the other. "C'mon, just give it to me! You know you can trust me."
"What the hell? I like this ring. I guess it's all right if he just wants to borrow it...Maybe he wants to use it as some kind of lucky charm." Squall came to the conclusion.
"Don't lose it," Squall said sternly, removing his black leather glove and then taking off his lion ring, handing it to Zell, who punched the air with both fists.
"YEAH! THANKS MAN!" he cried happily. "I didn't think you were gonna give it to me! Rinoa is gonna be so happy!"
"Rinoa?" Squall repeated.
"Alright, Squall!" Zell grinned cheekily, looking wilder and happier than ever. "Leave this place to me!"
Just then, Selphie came trotting down the steps into the main area of the quad.
"Geez, Zell!" she said breathlessly. "There you are!"
With a determined look on her face, Rinoa appeared from behind Selphie.
"Guys, I'm gonna fight, too. I don't wanna just hide," Rinoa told them, holding up her arm and gesturing to the Blaster Edge, her weapon. "I know I can fight. I want to fight alongside everyone."
"Take care of yourself," Squall nodded, he understood how she felt. Zell looked around at all the nervous students.
"I hope this is the last time we have to fight in our home," he said thoughtfully.
Suddenly the speaker system crackled to life and Nida's voice boomed out.
"Squall, get back to the bridge right now!"
"Zell, I'm counting on you," Squall said, then turned to the others. "Good luck, everyone."
"Time to get – it – ON!" Zell shouted, psyched up for the battle ahead.
Squall hurried up to the bridge with Irvine and Quistis. All around them, students were running to different areas of Garden, looking scared and nervous. He hoped everyone knew where they had to be.
"Look!" Nida called out as soon as Squall arrived onto the bridge.
Galbadia Garden's large propeller brushed up against some dense forest, mercilessly ripping it apart. Standing triumphantly atop the Garden was Seifer, with a smirk on his face as the two Gardens continued to slowly approach each other.
"Seifer is in charge over there," Nida confirmed, though Squall had already noticed. "They're heading right for us!"
"Just keep going," Squall instructed cooly.
Nida pushed the steering mechanism forward and Garden surged ahead, while on Galbadia Garden, Seifer signaled to a huge group of hundreds of Galbadian soldiers on motorcycles. A loud rumbling noise filled the forest surroundings as each motorbike engine revved up, then they sped up ramps and into the air, leaving long trails of smoky exhaust as they went.
The motorcycles landed onto Balamb Garden, right in the center of the quad, scattering the SeeDs and cadets.
"We're gonna crash!" Nida shouted, back up on the bridge.
"Go right!" Squall shouted back quickly, and grabbed onto the steering mechanism himself. Together they heaved it right, and a tremendous collision rocked the Garden. Squall nearly fell over, but grabbed onto the control panel and switched on the microphone.
"The enemy is right by us!" he shouted, and his voice came out over Garden's speaker system. "Quad team, watch out!"
In the quad, Galbadian soliders on motorcycles raced past Zell, Rinoa and Selphie as Squall's voice boomed out from a nearby speaker and echoed on the walls.
"Go straight ahead, to the left!" Zell called out as he ran in that direction. "We gotta stop 'em from comin' in!"
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and so did the two girls behind him.
"…OH yeah!" he cried out, as if suddenly remembering something, then turned to Rinoa. "Here you go."
"Like I said," he offered out his hand, sitting in the palm of which was Squall's lion ring, "I'll make you one just like it. 'Til then, hold onto it for me, will ya?"
"What did you say to him?" Rinoa asked in awe, with a delighted smile beginning to creep across her face.
"I just told him to hand it over," Zell boasted smugly. Well, that was kind of true, in a way.
Rinoa took the ring from Zell and held it up infront of her, to the light. She gazed at it for a few seconds, then slipped it over one of her fingers.
"It looks cool," she said. "But it's too big."
"Guys!" Selphie interrupted urgently, as motorcycles and students continued to race past them. "Come on!"
But before the group could move again, there was a huge collision between the two gardens, and Balamb Garden rocked unsteadily. A huge crack formed at one end of the quad, and in a few split seconds, was heading towards the group, and a huge piece of the building broke off and gave way beneath Rinoa's feet. She yelped, then slid down the broken, rocky wall of the Garden and managed to grab onto a small ledge. She peered over her shoulder at the ground, far below, and the deadly spinning propeller directly beneath her.
"Help!" she cried up to her friends, already feeling the strain on her fingers as she held on tightly to the ledge of stone.
Zell was already lying flat on his front against the cool surface of the quad, stretching an arm out in an attempt to grab Rinoa's hand, but she was way too far down.
"DAMMIT!" he swore, climbing back onto his feet. "I can't reach her!"
"We gotta pull her up somehow!" Selphie cried desperately. "A rope or something!"
Zell carefully leant over the edge a little.
"Rinoa! Hold on!" he called out to her. "We'll be right back!"
Meanwhile, Squall had moved from the bridge down to the main foyer, after being informed by Xu that Galbadian troops were coming in from the front entrance.
Zell skidded into the foyer, closely followed by Selphie, just as Squall, Irvine and Quistis came running down the steps from the lift.
"Squall!" Zell shouted. "Rinoa's in trouble!"
"She's gonna fall of the Garden!" Selphie added in a hurried voice.
"Shit!" Squall swore in his head, as Nida's voice came out over the speaker system.
"Squall, listen up! The enemy is attacking the classroom," Nida informed him. "The junior classmen are there. We have to do something fast!"
There was yet another collision between the two Gardens and everyone wobbled about, nearly losing their balance.
"The enemy's heading this way!" Xu cried.
"Squall, DID YOU HEAR ME?!" Zell screamed in desperation, so furious that veins were popping up underneath his tattoo.
"YEAH!" Squall shouted right back at him. "But she's not the only one in danger!"
Zell's temper grew even worse and he wrenched Squall forward by his fluffy collar.
"RINOA IS GONNA DIE!" he burst, mere centimeteres away from Squall's face. "DON'T YOU REALISE THAT?!"
"I KNOW!" Squall screeched at him, and roughly shoved him away. "Now let's just calm down for a second!"
Panting, he straightened out his jacket and turned to face everyone. Everyone was deadly silent after Zell's incredible outburst.
"Selphie," Squall said breathlessly, taking in a gulp of air, "You go with Xu."
"Gothca," Selphie said quietly and nodded.
"Quistis, Irvine," he said, turning to each of them as he said their name, "Come with me. We'll head for the classroom."
Lastly, he turned to Zell.
"Zell, help Rinoa," he commanded, then uncharactersically placed both hands on Zell's shoulders. "Do whatever it takes, alright?! Whatever it takes!"
"Leave it to me!" Zell said proudly and punched his chest, then everyone raced off in different directions.
Over at Galbadia Garden, green soldiers dressed in flying armour dropped from a compartment, tumbling down towards the propeller, but quickly deploying rockets and flying towards Balamb Garden. Their armour punch nails into the Garden, and they absailed down, clinging onto ropes produced from their armour. The two paratroopers smashed through a window and into the classroom, where Squall and his team were waiting.
"Dispose of this Garden as planned!" one of the paratroopers shouted.
"Dispose?!" Irvine repeated, wrinkling his brow in confusion. He whipped out his shotgun and fired one of the paratroopers, who stumbled backwards.
"You little SeeD twerps!" another paratrooper said, lunging forwards towards Quistis with his blade. Quistis flicked up her chain whip, skillfully wrapping it round the blade, and effortlessly tossing it to one side. She then whipped the paratrooper around the face, and he stumbled back in pain.
"Good work," Squall nodded to a male SeeD, who stood infront of two quivering junior classmen. "Take them somewhere safe."
"Yes, sir!" the SeeD stood up and quickly led the juniors out of the classroom.
"Squall! Squall!" Nida shouted through the speaker system.
"Now what?" Squall thought irritably. He couldn't believe all the chaos that was happening around him.
"Come up to the bridge," Nida said. "Dr. Kadowaki is here."
"What does she want?" Squall thought, bemused, just as the Garden's collided for the fourth time, with a shuddering bang that echoed into every room.
Squall ran up to the bridge.
"What's the situation?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, an expression of incredible seriousness on her face.
"We were able to stop the first two waves of the attack," Squall reported. "But our forces aren't looking too good. Many are injured. If they send another wave, I don't know if we can hold them."
"How's your team?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, and Squall hadn't even noticed her come in, but Selphie was stood right behind him.
"Bad," she panted. "They're barely holding them off."
"So," Dr. Kadowaki said grimly. "Looks like this is it."
"Their Garden has more experienced fighters," Quistis confirmed. "Most of our troops are students who are still in training. Like Squall said … one more wave, and we're finished."
"Maybe I should've focused on attacking in the beginning instead of concentrating our defense…" Squall thought, but there was no time for regrets.
"Seifer is with them, right?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, turning back to Squall and breaking his thoughts. "You said it yourself, Squall. There's no way you can run from him. It's your destiny to face him. And it looks like it's now or never! You've come this far already, so what is there to think about? You're not going to run away, are you?"
"Never!" Squall replied, striking out at the air with his arm. "There's no way I'm gonna run from him! Besides, attacking them is our only chance. But how are we going to board their Garden?"
"Say," Irvine piped up, after being very quiet for the last ten minutes or so, "How about if we crash into their Garden? I know it sounds crazy, but we'll be able to get in. Their pilot has been ramming us all along! I'm sure Nida can do it, too."
"We have no choice," Squall shrugged, turning to Nida. "Let's do it."
Nida nodded and turned to the steering mechanism as Zell ran in.
"Where's Rinoa?" Squall asked immediately.
"Sorry, man," Zell apologised, "There's nothin' I can do! There's no way to get to the quad! Those bastards have the area barricaded. Man! The only way we can get to her is by going over the roof or flying there."
"Rinoa," Squall bit his lip while he wondered what to do.
"Whoa, wait a minute," Irvine said angrily, stepping forward. "You just gave up on her?!"
Squall didn't meet his gaze.
"Listen," Irvine said impatiently, grabbing Squall's shoulders to make them face each other. "Do me a favour. YOU go and help Rinoa. It may be too late, but don't give up until you're CERTAIN that there's nothing more you can do!"
"But – but I have to lead the attack," Squall stammered.
"I don't give a damn what you have to do, or how you feel!" Irvine retorted, then lowered his voice. "Look, just do it. Please! For Rinoa."
"He's right, Squall," Quistis said quietly. "She's one of us."
"What are you waiting for?!" Selphie joined in. "I can't believe you!"
"C'mon, Squall! Please!" Zell begged. "It's gotta be you! You're the only one that can save her!"
"I'll take everyone inside Galbadia Garden," Irvine offered, then smiled a little. "Don't worry. I know the place like the back of my hand."
"We'll clear a path," Quistis added. "Once Squall arrives, we'll move in."
"Squall," Dr. Kadowaki said, and gestured for him to go up to the control panel. "You're forgetting something very important."
"What?" Squall asked curiously, as he stepped over.
"Talk to them, Squall," she said sincerely, pointing to the microphone. "Encourage them. As their leader, it's your duty. You probably don't know, but everybody in Garden looks up to you. They like you."
This comment caught Squall totally off-guard.
"Everybody…Everybody likes me?" the phrase echoed in his mind and filled him up with something he had never properly felt before: pride.
He leant across to the microphone and once again, his voice came out through the speaker system in all corners of the Garden.
"Everybody…" he began. "This is Squall. How's everyone doing? You're all probably too tired to even stand up after all the fighting. But I want everyone to listen to me … We still have a chance to win, and I need your help. This is going to be our final battle. We're going to attack them before them come in again. To do that, we're going to head straight into their Garden, so I want everyone to prepare for a major collision. Take care of all the junior classmen. Irvine, Quistis, Zell and Selphie will lead the attack into their Garden. Everyone else, please support them as best you can."
He paused here, and looked round at the others, who all gave him encouraging smiles.
"SeeD was formed to fight the sorceress; at least, that's what I heard. And Garden was created to train SeeDs. So this battle is our destiny. It's a grueling battle, and I'm sure you guys are all exhausted. But I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want anyone to look back and regret this day. So just this once, I want you guys to give everything you've got! For yourselves … for Garden … and for me!"
"You did great," Dr. Kadowaki said, placing a kind hand on his shoulder. "OK! Let's bash into them!"
Nida steered a hard right, crashing Balamb Garden right into Galbadia Garden. Zell, Selphie, Quistis and Irvine all leapt off the bridge, and onto the cold, blood red-coloured metal surface.
"OHHHH YEAHHH!" Zell shouted gleefully. "We're in!"
"Ready guys?!" Quistis asked her comrades.
"You betcha!" Selphie answered, and as the group headed bravely towards an entrance, they all had simeltanious thoughts, brought on by Squall's positive speech.
"For me and Selphie!"
"This is it! For the world!"
"For Balamb and Trabia!"
"It's payback time, baby!"
Then Zell shouted aloud: "Let's ROCK!"