History
Balamb Garden was created by Edea, together with her husband Cid Kramer, with founds provided by NORG of the Shumi tribe. The Garden was built over an ancient Centra construction, which, with some limitations, allows it to fly. Two other gardens were built shortly after, on the Galbadian and Trabian continents, respectively. These two Gardens however, aren’t completely independent from Balamb Garden. Indeed it is only in Balamb Garden that cadets can sit for the SeeD exam, a compulsory test to take in order to become SeeDs. Therefore, non-Balamb Garden students (such as Selphie) must temporarily move to Balamb to take their last exam.
Shortly after the beginning of the game, a graduation ball is held. Sadly, the cheerful atmosphere isn’t destined to last for long. Seifer, a Balamb cadet who failed his final exam, threatens to kill Galbadian president Vinzer Deling. Despite Galbadia Garden’s attempt to distance from the incident it is menaced by Deling city and its ally, Edea. The Garden’s Headmaster asks for Balamb Garden’s help and four of his cadets (Quistis, Selphie, Squall and Zell) will team up with a sniper from Galbadia Garden (Irvine) to assassinate Edea during her parade.
When the attempt on Edea’s life doesn’t succeed, she takes over Galbadia Garden and orders a missile attack against the other two Gardens. While Trabia Garden is destroyed, Balamb Garden has a narrow escape from the strike thanks to the activation of its Centra structure. As a consequence of years of disuse, the piloting systems doesn’t work well and the Garden soon crashes into Fisherman’s Horizon. There it is completely restored; Xu becomes the Garden Navigator while Nida becomes the pilot. In the meanwhile Balamb Garden’s Headmaster Cid leaves and appoints Squall as the Garden’s commander.
With the Garden back in shape, it is possible to move again. The Garden first travels to Balamb, then, following Selphie’s request, to her old Garden. After witnessing first hand the consequences of the missile attack, the party decides Edea must be stopped. On the way to the Orphanage, they see the shape of Galbadia Garden. The conflict cannot be avoided and it takes place near the ruins of Edea’s Orphanage, on the Centra continent. When the two Gardens collide, Galbadian soldiers and motorcyclists take advantage of it to board on the enemy Garden and battles ensues inside Balamb Garden. Eventually, the conflict is over when the group of SeeD guided by Squall defeats first the Sorceress Knight (Seifer), then the Sorceress herself. Both Gardens receive many damages, but Balamb inhabitants promptly begin to repair them.
Relevance
Unlike the other Orphanage kids, Zell entered Balamb Garden relatively late. All children, save for him and Quistis, didn’t find an adoptive family so, after the Balamb, Trabia and Galbadia Gardens were opened they left Edea’s House to be raised there. Quistis joined Squall and Seifer at Balamb Garden not a long time after their arrival since she had some unspecified problems with her family. Luckily for Zell, he liked his new family and enjoyed staying with them in Balamb Town.
Zell’s is tightly bound to all the members of his adoptive family, but the person who influenced him the most was his grandfather. A former soldier, Zell’s grandfather is the one he looks up to. He has a sincere admiration for him and for his work in the army, he also jealously keeps all his old rifles in his room. Unfortunately, it is not known much about Zell’s grandfather, certainly what he did was enough to inject into Zell a series of positive values, which made him want to continue on his grandfather’s way. Indeed it is hinted that his motivation to become a SeeD stems from the wish to be like his grandfather.
At thirteen years old, Zell takes the test to enter Balamb Garden. He successfully passes it and he is assigned to Quistis’ class. Given he is really determined to reach his aim, he studies and practices a lot. Thanks to his commitment, he becomes famous among the students as a great martial art fighter. Four years after being admitted, at seventeen years old, Zell takes his final exam, and he is promoted on the same day of Squall, Selphie and Nida.
In the Garden, Zell usually hangs around the Training Centre, to hone his fighting skills; the Library (making the poor Pigtail Girl drool after him); and the Cafeteria, playing cards or buying hot-dogs (or rather, in the vain attempt to buy one hot-dog). While being in the Garden it is also possible to play cards with Zell, as long as he isn’t currently in Squall’s party and only after escaping the missile attack (DISC 2). He can usually be found right outside the Library, in Balamb Garden’s lobby.