Chrono Trigger/The Trial

The Trial (1000 A.D. second time)

You'll regain control after the trial locked in prison, with your only company a save point and some Ethers if the outcome of the trial was positive.

Guardia Prison


Depending on the outcome of the trial, the dialogue will indicate a different sentence for Crono. For example, the best outcome says that he will serve three days in solitary confinement. However, once the Chancellor escorts Crono to prison, he circumvents the court and changes Crono's sentence to a death sentence.

Crono is going to be put to death, are you just going to let it happen? You have two choices on how to escape at this point:


 * Option 1: wait out the three days until your execution. It'll take about one minute of real time. Lucca will show up to rescue you and knock all of the guards out. You'll be able to start exploring much farther into the dungeon and all the guards will be knocked out, plus Lucca will be in your party. Choose this option if you are minimizing your level and want to reach the upcoming secret.
 * Option 2: Rattle the gate three times, and knock the guard out when he comes to beat you up (or if you want a harder fight, charge out of the cell.) You'll have more enemies to fight.

Option 1: Attend Crono's execution
If you wait until Crono's execution, Crono will be led to a guillotine before Lucca bursts in and knocks out all of the guards.

Grab the Bronze Armor from the chest, then walk down and grab the Mid-Potion from the chest on the left. Then speak to Fritz to free him from the guillotine on the right.

Walk down through the gate and notice that the guard is knocked out. Interact with the body to get a Mid-Potion. At the fork, take the upper path. Run to the far left and interact with the other body to get another Mid-Potion. Head up the stairs and across the walkway.

At the four stairs, kill the Blue Shields (22XP). Take the top left exit. Run to the far left to the open cell, then up and through the hole in the wall. Outside the castle, run to the right, then climb down until you reach a platform. Walk to the gap between the platforms, then continue down. On this third platform, run to the left, then climb down to the final platform with the hole in the wall. Go inside to reach a locked cell you can't reach any other way. There is another Shelter waiting for you here. Walk over to the left and interact with the black hole in the floor to automatically climb down into another cell below. Here you will gain a and 1500 G. Make sure to equip it. Interact with the wall where you came down to climb back up. Head all the way back up the castle to the stairway where you fought the Blue Shields.

Do not fight the Blue Shields again. Instead, take the top right exit to reach the save point.

Option 2: Prison break!
Assuming you'll take the long way by breaking out yourself for now, fight the other guard and use the cup in your cell if you need to restore your health. Take the gift on the bed for some Ethers (how many you receive depends on how you did in the trial). Head straight to the east (lower stairs) and across a bridge to find a single guard guarding a cell. Knock him out from behind and open the chests inside for 2x Ether and 2x Mid Tonic. An Omnicrone will fight you afterwards. Head back to the room with the Blue Shields (make sure you wait until they turn to one side before attacking). The upper left exit contains a fight with the undead and a preview of what's to come, so go to the upper right.

Fight the guards on the bridge, and try to sneak past the guards and knock them out for some Mid Tonics. You can find another Mid Tonic in the chest in the room where Fritz is. Knock out the three guards (wait until they look away and then go up near them and press ) and check their bodies for the Mid Tonics. Open the gate (go through the gate behind Fritz to find a BronzeMail) and make sure you free Fritz from the guillotine. Incidentally, if you chose to let Lucca break you out, this is the point where you'll start. If you had Lucca help you, then two guards are knocked out already, so just collect 2 Mid Tonics from their Bodies and attack the last guard for the last Mid Tonic. If you reenter the room, then you can repeat this again to get as many Mid Tonics as you want.

Head out the northwest exit and go across the walkway. You'll come to another set of four stairways. The bottom left stairway will offer a Shelter, and the top left stairway will allow you to climb outside the castle wall. Climb down until you see an opening, to get into a locked cell you couldn't reach before. There is another Shelter waiting for you. Enter the pit at the top left to gain a Lode Sword and 1500 G. Make sure to equip it. Press next to the wall to climb back up.

Head all the way back out and go to the top right stairway.

Save point
Now you'll be out of the dungeon and back in the grey walls of Guardia Castle. If you took option 2, you will have to fight a couple guards, then Lucca will show up to knock out a guard if she didn't join you already. Search his body for 5 Mid Tonics. The paper on the ground will give you some hints for the boss, but see below for even more details. At the save point, use a shelter if damaged, save your game, then get ready to face a boss: the Dragon Tank.

Boss Fight


After the boss fight, the chancellor will come with two men trying to fix the Tank, but it's too late. The Dragon Tank explodes, destroying part of the bridge underneath the men. The chancellor with his two men fall and quickly climb onto each other to act as a bridge, trying not to fall through the gap. You can now walk over them.

You're now in the Guardia Castle and out of the prison. On the first landing there is a Shelter. Once you reach the Main Hall you'll be chased to the exit of the castle by soldiers. When you reach the exit you will be surrounded and a cutscene will start.

Marle will fight with her father, the King, before joining you to leave her home. The party continues to be chased by guards and ends up trapped in a corner of a forest, where a time gate offers you an unpredictable escape route. You decide to take it and vanish off into the unknown.

Challenging Lavos
Impossible during this stage of the game since you have no access to a time gate. You can't even return from the unknown gate as the chancellor will simply corner you again.