A Golden Key

Chapter 12: A Golden Key is the twelfth chapter in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The gang returns to the Gold Saucer to find the keystone to the Temple of the Ancients. Affection mechanics determine who will be Cloud Strife's date for the night, and a mandatory party member for a coliseum tournament.
==Story==
As the party left Nibel Region and Vincent Valentine joined them, Cid Highwind promised to take them to the Gold Saucer on their quest for the keystone. The plane malfunctions and crash-lands, but Cid is undeterred and modifies the plane by removing the wings altogether to transform it into a sea vessel. He docks the Tiny Bronco in Costa del Sol, where Cloud Strife and Red XIII discover a pirate's treasure map, allowing them to hunt for treasure on the islands of the central sea.
Glenn Lodbrok's announcement of Wutai's rebel government preparing for war against Shinra has stirred the world, and though Yuffie Kisaragi is excited at the prospect of paying Shinra back what they did to her homeland, everyone else remains apprehensive as the world is about to be plunged into turmoil and border-crossing will become more difficult. Cid advises them to travel the world while they have the chance.
In Gold Saucer, the party disperses to look for Dio, the owner of the amusement park in whose possession the keystone was last known to have been. They find Dio at the Musclehead Colosseum and learn that there will be a tournament for Gold Saucer's naming rights between Dio and Don Corneo's gang. Dio has been injured and is happy to sign Cloud's party to be his champions for the tournament, promising to hand over the keystone for the win.
Cloud heads to the Ghost Hotel to rest, and spots Aerith Gainsborough trying to compose a song while being supported by Cait Sith. While in his room, Cloud dreams of another world where he and Aerith are unconscious and Zack Fair is trying to save them. Zack converses with Marlene Wallace, Barret's adopted daughter, who confesses that when Aerith rescued her from Seventh Heaven bar prior to the plate collapse, she had a vision of the future where Cloud failed to save Aerith from "a scary man with gray hair". Zack is spooked by the description sounding like Sephiroth and is even more fired up to find a cure for Cloud's mako poisoning: he decides to seek out Professor Hojo of Shinra Electric Power Company's Science Department, but as he is about to leave to find him, he learns that Biggs has decided to carry on Barret's Avalanche cell's goals and bomb the Sector 6 Reactor. Zack feels culpable for Biggs's decision and is torn between looking for cure for Cloud so he can save Aerith in time, or go after Biggs and stop him.
Cloud is awoken by one of his friends, who has tickets to see Loveless at the event square. They head there together and partake in a virtual reality version where Cloud plays the hero Alphreid, either Aerith, Tifa, or Yuffie plays the part of Alphreid's love interest Rosa, and Barret and Red XIII play the villains. Cid is there too but snoozes off and only catches the climax where Alphreid vows to return to Rosa knowing she will wait for him even without making such a promise. Aerith performs the song that expresses her true feelings, "No Promises to Keep", and afterward, Cloud and his date ride the skywheel.
If Cloud rides the skywheel with Aerith, she tells him she wants to find the real Cloud, confusing him. Aerith explains Cloud reminds her of Zack, but at that moment she wants to spend time with the real him, and the two hold hands and Aerith rests her head on his shoulder. If Cloud rides the skywheel with Tifa, she says she feels close to him but fears she is getting ahead of herself again, which Cloud denies and pulls her into a kiss. If Cloud rides the skywheel with Barret, he listens to Barret's advice on life and not taking people for granted, as time spent with others and deceptively fleeting. If Cloud rides the skywheel with Red XIII, he learns more about Red XIII's playful persona when he acts much more like a puppy in his presence than he usually feels comfortable doing, and as they alight Cloud pets him. If Cloud rides the skywheel with Yuffie, she decides to take it as "practice" for when she will find a guy she will like, and reveals she used to like a certain SOLDIER operative dispatched to Wutai during the war, but after realizing that he had only been humoring her childish whims, she had become embarrassed. The atmosphere becomes awkward when Yuffie kisses Cloud on the cheek and he is shocked, Yuffie hurrying on to explain it is something couples are supposed to do on such a ride. Cloud then mimics the behavior of the SOLDIER who was Yuffie's childhood crush by pretending that Yuffie's air-punching defeated him in one hit, humoring her. If Cloud had no specific date, Cait Sith takes him, Cid, and Vincent onto the skywheel but no one enjoys the experience and Cait Sith becomes exasperated how his efforts to keep the party atmosphere up are not being appreciated.
The next day the party takes part in the tournament, where Corneo has brought Kotch and Scotch as his commentators/hype men. Corneo sends his varieties of cactuars and tonberries to the arena for Cloud's party to defeat until taking the stage himself while riding Abzu, still losing and being driven off. As the party is about to be granted the keystone, Rude and Elena of the Turks show up and Cait Sith betrays the party, absconding with the keystone. Barret, Red XIII, and Yuffie head after Cait Sith, and as Cloud and party are about to settle the score with the Turks, Dio announces it a "grudge match" and the party faces off against Rude and Elena on the arena. They emerge triumphant but in a surprise move Rufus Shinra arrives to challenge Cloud personally, considering him a nuisance who, as still technically a Shinra employee, is under his "ownership". Cloud defeats Rufus who retreats and the others head after Cait Sith.
Cait Sith evades them long enough to hand the keystone off to Tseng of the Turks who leaves Gold Saucer on a helicopter. Cait Sith is apologetic but the others do not want to hear him out. Cait Sith skulks away and leaves the party. Vincent reveals he will be able to track the Turks' helicopter when they will eventually use the radio, as he used to be a member of the Turks. Still determined to be the first to track down the black materia, the party decides to follow Shinra to the Temple of the Ancients.
==Quests==
*Full Speed Ahead
*The Keystone’s Whereabouts
**Find Dio
**Red XIII’s Information
**Cid’s Information
**Barret’s Information
**Vincent’s Information
**Yuffie’s Information
**Tifa’s Information
**Aerith’s Inkling
*Prepare for Tomorrow
*Interlude: Episode 6
**Tending to the Sick
**A Cure for Cloud
*A Visitor, Come Again
*Loveless
*Private Moment
*The Fight for Naming Rights
*Interlopers
**Catch Your Breath
*Cait Burglar
*Scaredy Cat
*Cat and Mouse
*Hightailing It
*Tracking the Turks
Category:Chapters in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth