IIRC if you open menu mid-step, you won't get encounter on this step. You could do this repeatedly to avoid all the encounters. I'm unsure if to count this as glitch(and thus ban it in glitchless) However I think it definitely should be banned for North Bridge% as it would make run straight out dumb(as there is no mandatory fights in the run)

I don't recall how reliable this is, but I wouldn't consider it a glitch. I would consider it more like step manipulation or an exploit as it would reset the "threat" rating that causes an encounter. It's not a bug or glitch in the game's programming like the Inventory Glitch is, because I am almost certain that is how the game was designed. A lot of Final Fantasy games even glitchless I believe use the step manipulation. It would be no different than manipulating the AI in a game like Megaman X3 to make the fight easier. At least this is all my opinion.

We could always set a rule for no step manipulation to clarify that, though I know Whizzy's run didn't have any of that. You are right, it would make NorthBridge% trivial at that point.

I attempted to do this on the genesis version for Any%... it frickin' HURTS to do that constantly, swapping between B & C every step. Although this trick is very handy on the overworld and in dungeons, it is NOT very reliable while on the Jet Scooter. I can only imagine how bad this would be on 100%. This method does, however, save time over the course of the run. By the time I made it to Noah I was actually slightly ahead of my PB despite multiple mistakes. I would have PB'd if not for forgetting how to navigate Noah.

However, there is a possible better way to go about what I now call "Beeping Strats". Either play the GBA version (where the B button acts as both menu and cancel, so mashing B throughout the game goes by much faster) or play the Steam version and just use a keyboard. It might not be as difficult with keyboard, but still will involve a decent rhythm where as the GBA version is straight mashing.

I have tested the GBA version for speedrun possibility. The glitches all work as they did in the Genesis version, though doing the inventory glitch is a bit trickier as the Menu UI is smaller. Normally after the cursor reaches the bottom of the screen, you are at Slot 21, but in the GBA version, Slot 21's cursor position can still be seen on screen. It's not a big deal, but takes some getting used to. The Beeping Strats do go by easier and it is slightly more reliable on the Jet Scooter (I might just have to mash faster to get it to work consistently). Also, I have noticed no frame-rate differences compared to the Genesis version.

That being said, if using the Beeping Strats, I theorize that the GBA version would be the fastest of all the versions to speedrun. If I can be ahead of my PB while still playing like crap (from a lot of rust), I can only imagine how a good run would look.