When in chapter 5 is the choice?

[N-X]

Kept a separate save from my main one, just in case, but the game did the annoying random save slot switch thingy and I saved over my main save again without realizing it at first.

Just met up with Gau and have yet to get a choice. Did the game just screw me over, or is the choice not till later?

[COINCELPRO]

why not just play the game

[N-X]

Depending on when my last save before chapter 5 is, going back from there is going to take a lot of time. Might as well know now rather than whenever the negative results of the choice come in.

[cutie.]

you meet with gau infront of the castle, there is no choice, just someone leaves that followed you.
entering the castle gives a choice to have someone follow you again or leave them behind.

totally optional, not important. just adds a optional fight. no impact, nothing screwed.
the choice comes right on entering the castle
the change is at the end of the castle.

maybe just play the game.
the switch on saveslots happened cause you hold direction keys on saving cause you are so stressed and unpatient.
its not the game, its user input.

if you want several saves, maybe go forward several sites in the saves and remember the numbers you want to save on.

[Hojo]

The choice is whether or not you let Sheero accompany you into the castle after using the scales.

Path #1 :
Choose "yes" and continue everything as normal

Path #2 :
Choose "no", then when Gau joins your party backtrack to the castle entrance where Sheero will be waiting and take her with you then proceed as normal.

Path #2 has an extra boss and will unlock a few extra dialog scenes in the next chapter.
The extra boss will be fought again very late game so you can see it regardless of your choice, and despite the story differences both paths converge towards the end of the game anyways, so really the only thing you're missing out are those few dialog scenes.

Personally, I also made the mistake of overwriting my save file past the choice point and just plodded through ignorantly, but I disliked the story outcome of Path #1 so much that I actually ended up going back to a save file like 6 hours older and redoing the whole thing when I found out the choice had an impact.