Oh no, I only got floored by Zio because his barrier came back up. It wasn't really an issue of equipment. Think bashing against a wall until you run out of steam.

Not that it matters now, seeing how I mopped the floor with him second time around.
As for levels; Alys is 25, Gryz 26, Demi 25, Rune 28 and Rika 26. Yes I know they're probably higher than usual for that fight, but I'm in no rush to complete the game and prefer to spend some time leveling up.
I haven't found the platinum armour so Alys is wearing Psy Mail like everyone else though she does have the platinum shield. Keeping her alive isn't a problem, though Gryz easily dies as you said. But a combination of Recover and Rika's Sar technique keeps everyone else alive. Then I just have Alys whack him with Rayblade for a bit. It's fun.
