several issues that don't seem to be explained anywhere

[guerin]

hi guys, i finished chrono cross yesterday, and after reading quite a few plot summaries and analysis, there're a few things i just don't understand:

1)so basically everything that happens in the game is actually balthazar's plan to save his friend schala, right?
iirc, even the whole thing about schala hearing serge's crying after he was attacked by the panther was balthazar's doing.
so the question is, why serge out of all people?
before serge became the arbiter, there was absolutely nothing special about him, why did balthazar choose him for his plan?
how did he even know who he was?
(note: if my memory is mistaken, and schala's creation of the storm that led to serge's becoming the arbiter was NOT influenced by balthazar, then my question was answered)

2)in the very beginning of the game, when the huge wave washes over serge and sends him to the other world.
who does this to him? and how did he do it?

3)where is lady riddel of the homeworld? we only ever anotherworld's riddel.

thanks

[Kodokami]

Hey, guerin, welcome to the Compendium. Hoped you liked Chrono Cross. It is indeed very confusing, so I'll try my best to answer your questions. I'll start with the 3rd question, since it's the easiest.

3)where is lady riddel of the homeworld? we only ever anotherworld's riddel.

Riddel of Home World perished along with the other Dragoons at the Dead Sea, as seen by this picture. From the looks of it, Riddel, Glenn, the 3 Devas, and General Viper were all there. On to question 2!

2)in the very beginning of the game, when the huge wave washes over serge and sends him to the other world.
who does this to him? and how did he do it?

That's a good question, something I've always had a hard time making heads or tails of. The ghost of Lucca tells us at the end of the game that Kid did it. In other words, during the timeline in which Serge died (before Another World and Home World split), Kid traveled back in time to 1010 AD to save Serge (thus splitting the dimensions [somehow]), and she later calls Serge into Another World while he is talking to Leena at Opassa Beach. In the first instance, she probably used one of Lucca's Time Eggs or one given to her by Belthasar. In the second instance, Kid (the one from the now-new Another World^***, mind you) probably used her Astral Amulet. Maybe someone else could explain better. Now for question 3.

1)so basically everything that happens in the game is actually balthazar's plan to save his friend schala, right?
iirc, even the whole thing about schala hearing serge's crying after he was attacked by the panther was balthazar's doing.
so the question is, why serge out of all people?
before serge became the arbiter, there was absolutely nothing special about him, why did balthazar choose him for his plan?
how did he even know who he was?
(note: if my memory is mistaken, and schala's creation of the storm that led to serge's becoming the arbiter was NOT influenced by balthazar, then my question was answered)

Yep. Belthasar planned it all. His "Project Kid" was designed for one purpose: to get Serge the Chrono Cross so that he may save Schala. My details are muffled, though, on just how much Belthasar knew what would happen. For example, I do not know if Schala's intervention was planned. In fact, I do not know if even Belthasar knew Serge would be the Arbiter. However, given the ridiculously ridiculous Xanatos Roulette going on here, you can pretty much dumb down nearly every misconception in the game to "Belthasar did it."

Hoped I helped solve some mysteries for you.

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^***Could someone explain why the Kid from Another World doesn't get Time Bastard...ed... because of the original Kid's time travel to the past?

[Xenterex]

similar questions of this topic have come up, and off the top of my head, i think you could find some other opinions/ideas from http://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php/topic,8830.0.html

when i was playing through the games, I did get the impression that Bathazar planned everything out and was really unsatisfied with all that bunk.  though after participating in a few discussions, I'd say its not so much that everything is planned out, but rather he's just good at reacting to curve-balls being pitched his way.  However, giving the completely ridiculous change in technological advancement in what Bathazar is able to do when he's not stuck in the future, i find myself having a hard enough time trying to suspend my disbelief of the games events to want to care to find the answer.


From my own take on addressing these questions though, I'd say the it was schala herself that had some sort of weird attraction to crying baby serge, which caused her to create the storm or something that impacted Serge's life, and then bathazar somehow worked that into his plan.

 Honestly, I still am not sure about what triggers the whole 'split' or the wave that transfers serge between the two spots, i found that poorly written, poorly thought out, and it made it really hard for me to find initial interest in the game years ago, let alone keep it while playing.

[utunnels]

For example, I do not know if Schala's intervention was planned.

That is hard to tell. But think about it:

1) If Belthasar can't communicate with Schala, then that must have been planned.

2) FATE can simulate the timelines (with various situations as its parameters I guess), and that's how Belthasar knows Schala's intervention (or at least know the possibility).

So before El Nido was created, Belthasar did enough studies using FATE.
Probably the Radical Dreamers report in one of the computers in Chronopolis in the result of such kind of studies, or it was done by other researchers after Belthasar, or even ridiculous, some researcher got bored and played some computer games using FATE's simulation functions.

Could someone explain why the Kid from Another World doesn't get Time Bastard...ed... because of the original Kid's time travel to the past?

According to ghost Lucca, CC's story happens shortly before Kid calls Serge (perhaps even before Kid departs to save young Serge). But that doesn't explain why Serge hears things when he's with Leena on the beach (unless the call echos through time).

[Kodokami]

According to ghost Lucca, CC's story happens shortly before Kid calls Serge (perhaps even before Kid departs to save young Serge). But that doesn't explain why Serge hears things when he's with Leena on the beach (unless the call echos through time).

But... Isn't that a huge paradox?

[guerin]

ok, i suppose it's a safe bet that serge became the arbiter by chance, and it's only then that balthazar chose him.

[maggiekarp]

So before El Nido was created, Belthasar did enough studies using FATE.
Probably the Radical Dreamers report in one of the computers in Chronopolis in the result of such kind of studies, or it was done by other researchers after Belthasar, or even ridiculous, some researcher got bored and played some computer games using FATE's simulation functions.

Belthesar picked Serge because in an alternate dimension where Lavos was already defeated, he and Kid were in love.

THAT'S RIGHT, CROSS IS A DIRECT SEQUEL TO RADICAL DREAMERS.

[Kodokami]

Belthesar picked Serge because in an alternate dimension where Lavos was already defeated, he and Kid were in love.

THAT'S RIGHT, CROSS IS A DIRECT SEQUEL TO RADICAL DREAMERS.

Wtf, that actually makes sense.

[guerin]

whoa back up a sec, that makes sense but where are we told this? radical dreamers? (did not play that)

[Acacia Sgt]

whoa back up a sec, that makes sense but where are we told this? radical dreamers? (did not play that)

Actually, it's just a joke. Don't take it seriously.

Or is it...? Okay, seriously, with all that research on various dimensions it may be not that farfetched that Serge was chosen for this reason. Or who knows, it may not be the case either. But yeah, it does sound plausible...

[maggiekarp]

The alternative is that Schalavos fell in love with a baby.

[maggiekarp]

More likely given Cross's plot, the official explanation is probably something of a loop. Kid saved Serge as a child because Serge saved Kid as a child.