In Search of Hope

Chapter 14: In Search of Hope is the fourteenth chapter in Final Fantasy VII Remake. It comprises events when Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, and Barret Wallace return to Elmyra Gainsborough in the Sector 5 slums and start to look for a way to climb topside.
Completing the chapter unlocks the bronze trophy Picking Up the Pieces.
==Story==
Cloud, Barret, and Tifa return to Aerith Gainsborough's house, with Barret apologizing to Elmyra for bringing Wedge, stating they have no place to go. Elmyra would never abandon a wounded man, and Wedge is helped to a bed in the guest room with an awakened Marlene taking care of his cat. Cloud confronts Elmyra, insisting they need to go after Aerith, explaining they found an underground Shinra lab with traces of human experimentation. Cloud thinks Shinra Electric Power Company will never stop conducting its immoral science experiments and posits that since Aerith is the last Ancient, Shinra and its Professor Hojo will never let her go. Elmyra tells Cloud to stop, needing some time to think about it, and asks the group to get some rest for the night.
In the middle of the night Cloud awakes to the sound of footsteps and heads outside to Aerith's garden, where he finds either Tifa, Barret, or Aerith. If he finds Tifa, she mourns having lost everything again and cries while Cloud hugs her. If Cloud finds Barret, he talks about the Avalanche members Cloud never got to meet. If Cloud finds Aerith, he realizes she is not real, and promises they are coming to save her. Aerith is happy Cloud wants to rescue her, but asks him not to fall in love with her, as this would only cause him pain. Cloud wakes up back inside the house, realizing that his meeting with Aerith was a dream.
The next morning, Barret thanks Elmyra for letting them stay overnight. Cloud again asks Elmyra to let them go after Aerith, saying Aerith is calling to him as Tifa also begs Elmyra to let them rescue her. Elmyra sighs that she and Aerith will eventually have to say goodbye to one another, but this is not the day, and asks the three to go and bring Aerith back home.
Marlene comes down the stairs, asking if Barret is leaving. Barret wishes to stay, but explains that some bad people are trying to hurt the planet, and that he, Cloud and Tifa will stop them. He lifts Marlene up on his shoulder, saying they will save the woman who saved Marlene from Seventh Heaven before the plate collapsed, and tells her to thank her when she is back home. Marlene tries to tell Barret that something was up with Aerith, confusing him, but gives up and instead asks him to go help her. Barret hugs her again, vowing to return.
Barret steps outside to join Cloud and Tifa, putting his glasses on to get ready to go. Barret wants payback for what Shinra did to their home, while Cloud reminds him that the reason they are going after Shinra is to save Aerith. The trains have stopped running because of the plate collapse, so getting topside will be tricky. Even walking on the tracks will not work as the city is on high alert and all roads and public transit are closed. Tifa suggests they ask Don Corneo for help, who is somewhere in Wall Market.
In the center district of the Sector 5 slums, the group finds a girl named Kyrie spreading rumors about how Avalanche caused the Sector 7 plate collapse with help from Wutai, the enemy nation funding their activities. She requests money for her "news" as the crowd chatters among themselves. Barret grumbles that they are not pawns to Wutai, and wants to approach Kyrie, but Tifa stops him, saying no one will listen to them, and asks Barret to look around instead of looking ahead, as everyone is terrified.
Cloud, Barret, and Tifa decide to lend a hand the people in need on their way to Don Corneo's mansion. A stablehand of Chocobo Sam's business asks them to find Coco, Lolo, and Momo, three of Sam's chocobos who fled during the plate collapse. The group finds the first chocobo near the Sector 5 slums church, the second one in the backstreets, protecting it from a rust drake, and the last one in the Collapsed Expressway, where they protect it from a group of trypapolises. The group reports to Chocobo Sam outside Wall Market, who gives them a lifetime pass to his delivery service. The group also helps Ms. Folia in the Sector 5 slums school to look for the kids again. The group finds Oates in the graveyard at the backstreets who explains that all his friends vanished after he heard a creepy sound. Two phantoms appear, but are defeated by Cloud, Barret, and Tifa. The kids return as Oates thanks the group for their help.
As the group traverses Wall Market, Cloud and Tifa recall the incident with Corneo, with Barret wondering what happened. Tifa doesn't want to talk about it, with Cloud lying that he doesn't remember what happened. Madam M recognizes Barret as the man with a gun-arm Corneo's men are looking for Shinra. She reveals they are near a garden in the Sector 5 slums, Barret and Tifa realizing that Elmyra, Marlene, and Wedge may be in danger. The group rushes back to the slums, the housemother telling them that three of Corneo's men were heading toward Aerith's house. The group finds the hoodlum whom Cloud met before among the men, who in return recognizes Cloud, and sics a tonberry upon him and his group, but it is defeated. When Corneo's men beg for mercy, Cloud tells them to report to Shinra that his group was never here, and Tifa adds that if they catch them wandering around the Sector 5 slums again, she will answer them with her boot. Corneo's men comply and run away.
Back in Wall Market the group finds Andrea Rhodea doing pull-ups at the gym. Cloud asks if he knows how to get topside, Andrea saying it is not possible. Tifa catches Andrea's eye and Jules, the owner of the gym, tells her to challenge Andrea to a pull-ups competition. Tifa wins and Andrea thanks her for helping him get in the best shape for tonight's performance, and invites her to join him on stage someday. Tifa can then challenge Jules and his group as well. The group next finds Betty by the Wall Market jukebox. Tifa is glad she is safe, as Betty asks Barret if Marlene is doing well. Betty asks the group to help her find some music to cheer up the people around her. After searching for new songs around Wall Market, the group returns to Betty who thanks the group and dances to the music.
The group returns to the Sector 5 slums backstreets and finds Damon, who has scoop that an unnamed division in Shinra was going to seize Corneo's assets, but the key to his stashes has been stolen. He thinks the thief is the Angel of the Slums and gives the group the map of the angel's hideout, saying if they find the key, they can take the assets, as he only cares about the identity of the angel. The group finds Mireille Dudley at the hideout who is also looking for Corneo's fortunes. Barret says that if they find those treasures, they will use them to help rebuild Sector 7. Mireille says the angel does not have the key, and suggests they ask Kyrie, though she doesn't know where she is. They find Johnny at the Sector 5 slums train station, who is trying to get out of town but his wallet was stolen. When he describes the thief the group realizes it was Kyrie. Cloud asks where she went, and Johnny points them to the church.
The group finds Kyrie next to Aerith's flowerbed, who pretends not to be Kyrie. Barret recognizes her as the girl who spread lies about Avalanche, as Tifa asks for Johnny's wallet. Kyrie recognizes Cloud as a merc and begs him to help her, saying that since she stole a key from somebody from Shinra, the company is after her. Cloud makes a deal with Kyrie to take care of Shinra for her if she returns Johnny's wallet and the key. Kyrie agrees, saying she was supposed to have a match with somebody from Shinra at the Corneo Colosseum. The group defeats the Beastmaster and his hellhound for Kyrie and returns to the church, where Kyrie promises to change her ways and only steal from the right people from now on, Barret exasperating that wasn't the lesson. Kyrie is about to leave when Mireille stops her, reminding that she needs to give Cloud, Barret, and Tifa the key and the wallet. Tifa is shocked as Mireille explains Kyrie is her granddaughter, also revealing she is the mysterious Angel of the Slums, and that she knows that the group is Avalanche.
The group returns Johnny his wallet who is glad he can get out of the town as he is "a wanted man", saying if Tifa gets involved with him, she will be in danger. He would reconsider leaving if Tifa begged him to stay, but Tifa only wishes Johnny good luck. The group begins to hunt for Corneo's treasures, finding one in the backstreets and another one in the Collapsed Expressway. In the Evergreen Park they find Wymer, who asks them to help deal with a beast inside the Shinra Underground Testing Site. The group uses the secret passageway to find a Type-0 Behemoth. Wymer thanks them for defeating it, while Barret tells him to stay strong through tough times. A doctor near the Leaf House asks them to bring ingredients to help the victims of the plate collapse. The group buys a moogle's mortar from Moggie in the kids' hideout, finds a medicinal flower in the church, and realizes they already got a behemoth horn from the defeated Type-0 Behemoth.
Unable to find the third and final Corneo treasure, the group gives up and enters Corneo's mansion to ask him for help to get topside. They find the building empty bar for a voice emanating from the basement, and find Kotch tied up. The group frees him as Kotch thanks them, explaining Shinra ransacked the palace after learning that Corneo had tipped Avalanche off about the plate drop, leaving behind a chakra materia as he flees.
The group finds someone in Corneo's room and Cloud holds them with his sword, while the man holds him at gunpoint. The man is Leslie Kyle, who is glad to see Cloud and Tifa though he does not understand why they would return here. Tifa explains they need help to get topside. Leslie agrees to help them if they in return help him. Leslie opens up the trapdoor into the sewers in Corneo's bedroom, Leslie explaining Corneo is hiding somewhere down there. Barret doesn't trust Leslie, but Cloud agrees to help, though if Leslie betrays them, he would kill him. Leslie is fine by that condition and tells the group to get ready. Leslie says no one has ever gotten out of the trap alive until recently.
In the sewers, Barret continues to distrust Leslie who tells Barret to save his bullets for the monsters, since he can't fight. He shows the way to the trunk line, Cloud and Tifa realizing some new wreckage prevents them from going through as easily as last time. The group finds a Stamp graffiti next to the entrance to the waterway, Tifa mourning she never get to thank Biggs and Jessie for it. Leslie leads them to the waterway and finds a door with a mark of Corneo. Tifa remembers this door was locked the last time they were in the sewers, and asks why Leslie is helping them even though he works for Corneo. Leslie reveals Andrea had explained the situation to him, and that he doesn't want a certain event to reoccur.
The group clears a path as Leslie leads them to an entrance to a room. He asks the group to enter first, saying that getting topside is not simple. A mischievous shoat attacks Leslie, picking up something from him. Leslie panics and begs Cloud and the others to go after it, saying the item the monster took was the key to the room. The group pursues it through the labyrinthine waterways until they finally corner it and defeat it. Cloud picks up the "key" and finds it was a necklace. Leslie demands Cloud return it, before calming down and apologizing. Leslie regales how he was supposed to give the necklace to his fiancée who rejected him, as six months ago Don Corneo chose Leslie's fiancée as his bride, and she disappeared without a trace the next day. Leslie wants revenge on Corneo, or he can never move on. The group agrees to help, with Leslie still promising to get them topside as Barret finally starts to trust him.
The group climbs a ladder to backtrack and Cloud drains the canal of water to reveal a treasure vault, one of Corneo's secret stashes. Having now found all treasures, Tifa suggests they give the riches to Marle after helping Leslie so that she and the Sector 7 residents can rebuild Sector 7. After rejoining up with Leslie, the group returns to the door and Leslie tells them to wait outside. The group follows Leslie inside anyway.
Leslie calls out to Don Corneo, pretending to have new valuable info. Corneo emerges and greets Leslie, asking if Leslie had gathered Avalanche for him, but Leslie pulls a gun on him. Corneo punches Leslie and grabs the gun, thinking Leslie had spilled the beans to Avalanche and that he is on Shinra's hit list because of him. The plate dropping was supposed to cause mass casualties, but thanks to Avalanche some were able to escape. Shinra is going to abandon Midgar and built something close to paradise, Corneo having been invited to create an even better Wall Market. Corneo claims he was going share the glory with Leslie, and quizzes why villains only divulge their evil plans in a certain situation. Leslie says that villains will do it when they think they have already won. Corneo prepares to shoot Leslie, but Cloud stops him and Barret grabs the gun. Barret wants to hear more of Shinra's Sector 7 plan, but Corneo warns that something is coming. Abzu shows up as Leslie saves Tifa from the monster's attack, getting shoved into a room in the process. Corneo tells Abzu to play with his food and bids farewell to Avalanche. A bunch of Abzu shoats show up to help Abzu, but Cloud, Barret, and Tifa defeat them.
The group wakes up Leslie who asks for Corneo, but Barret apologizes, saying he got away. Leslie plans to track down Corneo eventually, as Tifa gives back his necklace, telling him that his fiancée could still be out there somewhere. Barret tells Leslie to not give up. Leslie wonders what the message his fiancée was telling him was when rejecting the necklace, as Tifa states the message was they would meet again and that the necklace is a symbol of reunion. Once outside, Leslie gives the group superpowered grappling guns to climb the Sector 7 wreckage, though they are one-way tickets. Tifa thanks him as Barret reveals they are looking for someone as well. The group and Leslie wish each other good luck and farewells as Leslie gathers his belongings and departs.
The group returns to Evergreen Park where they give the treasures to Marle, who promises to put the funds to good use. The group reports to Damon about what they found about the Angel of the Slums and the treasures, Damon revealing he heard the angel gave the treasures to the Sector 7 rebuilding effort. He is going to quit reporting for the Daily Buzz, and will start to write his own articles.
Cloud, Barret, and Tifa return to Wall Market and approach the wall at the back, finding a letter from the Angel of the Slums praising them for helping so many people, enclosing an elemental materia. Barret asks if Cloud is going back to being a merc after they rescue Aerith. Cloud says that is the plan, with Barret and Tifa supporting him. Barret admits he used to think Cloud was the worst kind of person, with Tifa adding she knows Cloud is a nice guy on the inside, though she did not see that when they were kids. Cloud figures kindness is but a liability on the battlefield. Barret says no one is asking him to treat Shinra with kindness, as Tifa reminds Aerith is up there waiting for them. Barret tells the group to get moving as they use their grappling guns to cross the wall.
==Quests==
===Main Scenario===
*Resolve
*Intel Gathering
*Through the Underground Waterway
*The Hideout
*Recovering the Key
*Fateful Decisions
*For the Reunion
*Over the Wall
After the first two quests, the majority of quests in "In Search of Hope" take place in the sewer system, as a part of Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace, and Tifa Lockhart help Leslie Kyle make his way through the sewers for a task. Many of the enemies fought are similar to those in "Rough Waters", but more challenging, and a boss battle is fought at the end.
===Odd Jobs===
*Missing Children
*Chocobo Search
*Malicious Goons
*Wavering Heart
*The Power of Music
*Secret Medicine
*Tomboy Bandit
*Corneo's Secret Stash
*Subterranean Menace
Most of the content in "In Search of Hope" exists in its Odd Jobs, which take place across the Sector 5 Slums, the Sector 6 Slums, the Collapsed Expressway, the Underground Test Site, and Wall Market.
"Chocobo Search" opens up fast-travel between these areas via Sam's Delivery Service, and the quest involves finding chocobos around Midgar, around which enemies are often fought. "Secret Medicine" and "Corneo's Secret Stash", both started in the Sector 5 Slums, all involve tasks spread around Midgar's areas to fully complete them.
"Missing Children" is complete in the Sector 5 Slums, and is a combat quest against phantoms. Though "Malicious Goons" starts in Wall Market after talking to Madam M, the battle, against a tonberry, is fought in Sector 5 Slums. "Tomboy Bandit" begins after talking to Johnny Sector 5 Slums and ends after talking to Kyrie Canaan in the Sector 5 slums church, but a battle in the Corneo Colosseum must be fought to complete it.
"Wavering Heart" and "The Power of Music" are both non-combat quests in Wall Market. "Wavering Heart" involves the Pull-Ups minigame with Tifa in Wall Market's gym, while "The Power of Music" involves getting Music Collection discs.
After completing all Odd Jobs in the chapter, if all Odd Jobs were completed during "Home Sweet Slum", "Budding Bodyguard", and "The Town That Never Sleeps", the Letter from the Guardian Angel will appear in Wall Market's Urban Advancement District near the end of the chapter, along with an .
===Discovery===
*Johnny's Stolen Wallet
After completing "Tomboy Bandit", Johnny can be interacted with in the Sector 5 Undercity Station. This quest only involves a scene, and is necessary for the trophy "The Johnny Experience".
Category:Chapters in Final Fantasy VII Remake