Breath of Fire III/Hostage at the Contest

The Contest of Champions
You have returned to the starting point and this time Balio and Sunder will make sure you can't escape. Meanwhile, the Contest of Champions has started. Nina will then propose to the two scoundrels to let you enter the Contest, so that if you win, you can claim your freedom as a reward. After some arguing, Balio and Sunder let your team enter the Contest, figuring they can clean up by gambling on your performance. However, you will have to choose a member of your party, between Momo and Peco, who will remain hostage. Choose Peco.

At this point, you will be free to wander around the Arena, to familiarize yourself with the place. You can rest and buy items in shops, upgrading your equipment. You can also exit the city and engage in combat to raise your level, but all streets will now be guarded by Balio and Sunder's men, to prevent you from escaping. By talking to the various people, you will learn that your first fight is in the Hall of Fire, against Patrio’s team. When you are ready then, go to the locker room of this hall.

The Hall of Fire vs. Patrio's Team
The soubrette will explain you the rules of combat in this hall. The fights are one-on-one and take place above a lava pool, on platforms supported by beings called Dodai. There are two ways to win this challenge: by defeating all three members of the opposing team or by taking down the opponents' Dodai. The fights are in succession and you will not be able to heal yourself between battles. You will have to choose in what order to make your team members fight. It's best to put Ryu first on the list and try to win the challenge just with him. When you are ready, you can start fighting. If you choose to defeat all members of the enemy team, you will face the following battles:

Sub-Boss Fight - Claw
HP: 220

Claw shouldn't bother you. Her attacks are quite weak and her HP value isn't high at all. The only precaution is to equip yourself with the Bat Amulet to prevent the status blind. For the rest, physical attacks, possibly alternated with skills such as Jump or Double Blow will be enough to knock her down.

Sub-Boss Fight - Cawer
HP: 200

Cawer is a wizard and will attack you with some spells that do moderate damage, occasionally casting support spells on himself. Use the same strategy, healing yourself whenever your HP drops below half and, considered his low HP value, you should have no problem defeating him.

Sub-Boss Fight - Patrio
HP: 350

Patrio is a more formidable opponent. His physical attacks hurt quite a bit and he will often get a Lucky Strike, damaging you heavily. Also, he can make you sleep with his Frost Strike attack. Luckily, Patrio’s HP value isn't particularly high either. If you have kept your AP, the best thing to do is transform yourself into a dragon using the Flame and Thorn genes. If you use Flame Claw, you may be able to take it down before returning to human form.

Taking down the opponents' Dodai is a much longer strategy, but also more profitable. The best time to do this is probably during the second battle, against Cawer, so defeat Claw as described above. At the begin of the fight, transform into a dragon using the Flame and Reverse genes, then hit the Dodai repeatedly with Frost Claw. You will notice that if you attack your opponent's Dodai, Cawer will turn his moves against yours. However, this way Cawer could also cast healing or support spells on your Dodai instead of himself giving us an advantage. By the way, after a while Cawer will run out of AP, becoming completely harmless. You can also cure your Dodai, if needed. The Dodai has 2000 HP, so it will take you a long time to take them all off, but if you succeed, you will gain 3000 Experience Points, avoiding facing the fearsome Patrio.

Null Magic Hall vs. Emitai's Team
You will be informed that your next fight will be in the “Null Magic Hall”, against Emitai's team. After you've restored your energy and bought whatever you think you need, head to the locker room in the Null Magic Hall. In this hall, the teams fight against each other with all three members together, but all forms of magic are banned. Emitai will approach you before you start the battle begging you to intentionally lose so he can save his sick daughter. He is in fact a magician and in this hall he would not know how to fight. A likely story. You will obviously be forced to refuse, as you absolutely must win too. Emitai will then show up in combat with his two boys transformed into Golems.

Boss Fight - Emitai's Team
Emitai: 600 HP - Golem: 750 HP (each)

The two Golems will attack you with their physical attacks and with Spirit Blast, which does decent damage, while Emitai will do nothing all the time. The best tactic in this fight is to focus your attacks on Emitai. When you defeat him, the two Golems will get confused and attack one another. Also, even if magic is banned, you can still transform into a dragon. Use the Flame and Thorn genes and hit Emitai repeatedly with Flame Claw, until he is defeated. Also use Momo's attacks, while Nina is best for her to heal the group with items, as she is the weakest physically. You shouldn't have too much trouble getting through this battle.

Upon defeating Emitai, you learn that the sick daughter thing was just a facade. You will also discover that there is an agreement between Balio and Sunder and Garr, the other finalist, who seems to be showing an unusual interest in you. You can proceed to the final battle, in the Hall of Kings.

Hall of Kings vs. Garr
When you're ready, head to the Hall of Kings locker room for the final fight. The rules are simple: the leaders of the two teams face off in a one-on-one fight. Enter to face Garr. This is a battle you cannot win, so don't waste items. You will simply have to hold out until Garr says "Let's end this" and he will knock you out with one blow. Garr will be declared the winner and can ask for anything he wants as a prize. Unexpectedly, he will ask for Ryu and his friends as a reward, breaking the pact with Balio and Sunder. After that, he will let you go. When Nina asks why, Garr will reveal that Ryu belongs to a very ancient race, the Brood. He will also tell you that if you want to learn more about the Broods, you need to head east, to place called Angel Tower. After getting Peco back, buy what you need in the shops and get out of town.

Maekyss Gorge
The first thing to do is go back to Wyndia, also because you need the king's permission to cross the checkpoint to the east. Then head to Maekyss Gorge. You will find that Balio and Sunder obviously have no intention of letting you go that easily and are blocking the bridge with their men. The two will send three bullies against you, which you will have to fight.

Sub-Boss Fight - 3 Bullies
HP: 200 (each)

There is not much to say about this battle. Maybe defeat the older man first, since he can hit you with Flare, which does some damage. Otherwise, take down the three bullies with simple physical attacks, saving your AP for later.

After the battle, Garr will unexpectedly arrive and take out the men behind you. As his alliance with Balio and Sunder is broken, he will take your side and join the party. The two horse-looking beings, however, will not accept the offense and will merge into one great being. It's time to face Balio and Sunder once and for all. Choose three party members (Ryu, Momo and Garr better) and get ready to fight the Stallion.

Boss Fight - Stallion
HP: 1500

This boss is definitely tougher than the ones you've previously faced. He has a powerful physical attack and will occasionally use Resist, which negates all of your attacks for a turn. He will also often cast Jolt, which thankfully doesn't do much harm. His Utmost Attack, which causes enormous damage to the whole party, is to be feared. As usual, it is advisable to transform Ryu using the Flame and Thorn genes and use Flame Claw, or simple physical attacks. Use Garr's powerful physical attacks, while Momo (or Nina) will have to focus mainly on healing the group. It is also better to cast Protect on your characters at the beginning of the battle. It will take you some time to defeat this boss, given his high HP value, but in the end you will succeed.

With Balio and Sunder finally out of the way, you are free to reach Wyndia. But first, head to the house under the bridge. You will find 400 zenny in a closet and nearby, you can find the Frost gene.

Back to Wyndia
Once in the city, put Nina in charge of the group and go talk to the guard who guards the door of the building. You will be welcomed by the king, who will prepare a banquet in your honor. He will also provide you with your passport so you can travel beyond Checkpoint to the east. After that Ryu and the others will leave, while Nina will stay at the castle.