I found the select/cancel trick a complete drag and I was very happy to see that your spells level up at a more realistic pace in the GBA version (which I own). The only problem I have with the original NES version is the need to cheat to actually survive, which I have never liked doing in an FF game (go on, throw a stick at me). So it's either cheating, grinding for hours (and not just 2 or 3), or playing the GBA version. Three guesses as to which choice I made

Does the trick still work in the Origins version? Because I have not played that one.