As the game's story progressed, just like in a traditional RPG, Cloud had corresponding teammates in his party besides himself, the protagonist.
Currently, Cloud's teammates were Tifa and Barret.
As for the Avalanche trio, although Jessie left a deep impression on Song Ren, constantly flirting with Cloud, she was clearly not part of the protagonist's party.
Otherwise, she would have been controllable in the previous late-night motorcycle chase scene.
And in the Advent Children movie, Jessie and the rest of the Avalanche trio didn't have any significant roles either.
In the game, players could freely switch between different teammates.
Song Ren had also basically figured out the various game systems, such as equipment path selection, Materia settings, and Summon Beasts settings.
Of course, besides these, there was the story, which was crucial for an RPG.
As Cloud, Tifa, and Barret participated in the attack on Mako Reactor 5, the game's plot began to tighten.
However, unlike the previous assault on Mako Reactor 1, this attack went awry. Shinra Company had somehow learned of the operation.
In fact, to use Avalanche's actions to strike another resistance group in Midgar, Shinra Company even tacitly allowed Avalanche's extensive destruction.
With the Mako Reactor's destruction, Cloud fell from a great height.
This fall, however, didn't claim Cloud's life.
Instead, Cloud accidentally landed in an underground refugee church. There, he met the flower girl from the beginning and learned her name: Aerith.
She was a very peculiar girl. The church she lived in could be described as a paradise in Midgar.
Because in the main hall of the church, there was a lush patch of flowers.
It was known that Mako was constantly draining the planet's life essence, which made flowers and plants rare in Midgar, especially in the slums.
But here, these flowers were not only exceptionally vibrant but also incredibly resilient; even when Cloud fell on them, they showed no signs of damage.
It was from meeting Aerith that Song Ren noticed more and more mysteries arising in his mind.
First, there was Aerith's identity.
After Cloud woke up and had a brief conversation with Aerith, a red-haired man in a suit entered the church with a large contingent of Shinra personnel.
Song Ren recognized this person. It was Reno, the Shinra Special Forces soldier who appeared in Advent Children.
Song Ren actually had a relatively good impression of this Shinra faction character, because in Advent Children, Reno had risked danger to rescue a child.
Initially, Song Ren thought their target was Cloud, the former Shinra Special Forces soldier who had just destroyed the Mako Reactor.
But unexpectedly, their target was just Aerith, the flower girl who, aside from being pretty, seemed otherwise unremarkable.
While protecting Aerith, Cloud also gathered crucial information from the Shinra soldiers. They referred to Aerith as an 'Ancient'.
This immediately confirmed for Song Ren that Aerith's identity was certainly extraordinary.
Afterward, assisting Aerith back to her home and completing some side quests in the slums, Cloud decided to leave that night due to a conversation with Aerith’s mother, only to coincidentally run into Aerith.
Upon learning Cloud was leaving, Aerith told him that she knew of a secret passage in Sector 7.
Along the way, they dealt with three goofy robbers. Due to time constraints, Aerith and Cloud sat on a cement slide, chatting about some personal matters.
From Aerith, Song Ren also learned a secret: Aerith once had a boyfriend, who was also a Shinra Special Forces soldier.
However, just as Aerith spoke his name, Cloud's mental state became momentarily dazed, as if it had triggered a memory. At the same time, the silhouette of a person appeared in his mind, but it was incredibly blurry.
Song Ren stared at Aerith, bewildered, because when she said that sentence, it was censored in the game!
Censored, for crying out loud! It was just a name, why was it censored?!
Still hearing the 'beep' sound in his ears, Song Ren was completely stunned. He had his pants off, and that's what they showed him?
What did Aerith say?!
Song Ren mentally reviewed all the characters that had appeared in Final Fantasy, including everyone in Advent Children.
And then, well… he was sure of one thing: he still didn't know.
After all, the information was too scarce. The only thing he could deduce was that this person was once a Shinra Special Forces soldier.
Combined with the previous mention of the 'Ancient' associated with Shinra.
Song Ren's heart was filled with intense curiosity about this mysterious flower girl, Aerith.
Clearly, she was a very important character in the game. Otherwise, she wouldn't have appeared in the game's promotional videos.
And from Cloud's reaction, the censored character must also be very important, playing a critical role in the game.
Driven by immense curiosity, Song Ren continued to push the story forward in the game.
After learning about the secret passage in Sector 7, Cloud decided to escort Aerith home first. Then, he would return to find Tifa and ensure her safety.
However, on their way back, Cloud and Aerith saw a luxurious carriage pulled by Chocobos pass through the empty street. Crucially, Cloud saw Tifa in the back of the carriage.
Unlike before, when Tifa wore her practical martial artist's attire, the Tifa in the carriage was now dressed in a purple evening gown with ornate earrings, looking simply stunning.
Seeing this, Cloud, out of concern, immediately stealthily followed behind the carriage.
Upon seeing Cloud, Tifa also seemed very happy: “Cloud! It's great, you’re safe!”
“What’s going on?” Cloud, following the carriage, spoke to Tifa in a low voice. He knew that under normal circumstances, Tifa wouldn't dress like this.
“No time to explain now, but I’m going to Don Corneo’s place next.”
“Don’t worry, Cloud, you’ve seen my kicks, right?”
“You don’t need to worry about me, Cloud!”
Facing Tifa’s insistence, Cloud could only nod.
However, compared to Cloud, who was persuaded by Tifa, Aerith next to him was much more agitated.
Facing Cloud, who was supposed to escort her home, Aerith standing by his side disagreed.
“No, rescuing Tifa comes first!”
“Tifa is very strong.”
“Don Corneo is a man like a viper. No matter how strong a girl is, he’ll slowly coil around her and then crush her heart in one go!” Aerith said very seriously.
“And where Tifa is going, there are many of Don Corneo’s subordinates.”
“Cloud, she’s very important to you, isn’t she?!”
“So, we absolutely must go save her!”
Aerith looked at Cloud and spoke with great determination.
Watching Aerith, who was so worried about Tifa, Song Ren in the game couldn't help but feel a bit strange.
There seemed to be a big problem with this identity!
Cloud was still the steel-willed Cloud.
Shouldn't you be the one getting nervous about this?
After all, you're the childhood friend!
Why is Aerith more nervous than you?!
In that instant, Song Ren felt as if Aerith, not Cloud, was Tifa's childhood friend.
From her demeanor, Aerith seemed even more concerned about Tifa!
After following Tifa’s carriage to its destination, Aerith and Cloud found that Tifa was no longer there.
So, they could only inquire about related information. After being refused entry to a nightclub called the Honeybee Inn because they didn't have a reservation, Cloud and Aerith followed the directions to a massage parlor called Wall Market Massage Parlor.
“Honestly, another weirdo at the door.”
“Just because you’re young, you think you can be so rude?”
“You want to ask for my help? Listen, you two, I’ll be direct.”
“This is a massage parlor. People come here for massages.”
“What do you mean you’re not customers? Even if you have something to ask of me, shouldn’t you first receive a massage as customers?”
The proprietress of the massage parlor, an older sister-type, said angrily. However, when she saw Cloud, her expression changed. She raised her hand and gently touched Cloud's chin with her fan: “What’s your name?”
Why?! She was just furious at Aerith, but seeing Cloud, her tone and attitude completely changed!
Song Ren once again complained inwardly, this game was too realistic! You get preferential treatment for being handsome?
“Cloud Strife.”
“Because the hands of a man who fights with strength yet possesses delicacy.”
“Alright, Cloud, you shall demonstrate your sincerity. We’ll discuss the rest later.”
What kind of outrageous words were those? It was just a massage!
And Cloud was being flirted with again, wasn't he? Jessie flirted, then Tifa flirted, then Aerith flirted, and now the proprietress. Plus Wedge, who always called him 'Big Bro,' and Roche on his motorcycle.
And even Barret, who, after a life-or-death battle, still had a hint of Tsundere tendencies.
Why did it feel like everyone in the game was flirting with Cloud?
And what kind of massage was this?
The highest service fee was 3000. Blowing up the Mako Reactor with Barret, working himself to death, only cost that much!
Was Avalanche too poor, or were prices too high here?
Thinking this, but looking at the proprietress, Song Ren still obediently chose the third and highest option of 3000.
No choice, he had money!
And inexplicably, he was a little excited to see how Cloud would be treated!
Song Ren in the game complained while anticipating what would happen next.
In fact, Chen Xu had significantly expanded and enriched this section. He referenced more of the remake's portrayal from his previous life, because in the original version, the Don Corneo plotline felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped.
There were also some gags that were popular at the time, such as Cloud entering a room in the Honeybee Inn, then a group of gay men dragging Cloud to bathe, with everyone squeezed into a large bathtub, saying audacious lines. The reason Cloud had so many doujinshi in his previous life was clearly inseparable from these gags.
Additionally, in this final level at Don Corneo's mansion, one character among Aerith, Tifa, and cross-dressing Cloud would be chosen to stay behind. The trigger conditions were based on obtaining makeup and clothes from these side quests.
These elements were removed in the later remake and streamlined into a single path. However, Chen Xu chose to retain the collection and different choices of ultimately selecting Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa in the Alpha version, only removing some of the more explicit mini-games.
(End of Chapter)
<