Phew, that was an emotional roller coaster. In a relatively short section of this walkthrough, in which I actually only wanted to focus on Amaria, I just took what is probably the most difficult battle section of the game, the storywise and disturbing climax of the plot, as well as the undoubtedly most controversial character of Pokemon Reborn. And now I have to put that in a post that won't explode again. Good luck with that.
I am still fond of Reborn. 17 badges, 1 to go. 110 hours of playtime. The notorious Glass Gauntlet, which again cost me several hours, countless nerves and a destroyed computer mouse, almost made me give up for a long moment, made me wonder what the hell I'm doing all of this for and why I'm doing this to myself. The reborn moment. No really - I've never destroyed anything in gaming rage before. But when I lost the Glass Gauntlet for the Xth time, at the last Pokemon in the third fight, I just lost it, pulled my mouse a bit too enthusiastic and tore it apart. Thank you, Reborn.
The moment passed. It is impressive how quickly you can recover from such lows with the will to get through the game by now. Eventually, I did it with the same team and a few more potions. Okay, a lot more potions. Great feeling of success this time. Was it worth it? Not so much.
Fortunately, I was rewarded with more than a feeling of superiority - the insight into the abysses of the Rebornians and the associated story climax, which slowly brings all the threads together. At least it felt that way, and that was exactly the satisfying feeling you would expect after such a long trip.
But as already mentioned, what should actually be the core of this time’s report is Amaria, if we jump back again here for a minute. It is not for nothing that Void-kissed is the title of this final episode 18, and so it mainly dealt with the depressed water gym leader. I have to say at least the bare minimum of words, which is important to me personally before I can continue with Pokemonstuff and Fluff.
Therefore, this report is again wisely divided into several sections. This is especially important this time because I am explicitly issuing a trigger warning for the Amaria section. I look at her character from an extremely biased perspective and can therefore assure you that my opinion of her does not match the tenor of the fandom. Please generously bypass the section if this is a red flag for you.
Sections:
- Amaria isn’t evil - the art of understanding
Glass Gauntlet, dream world, story-climax
PRO, CONTRA & NEUTRAL impressions
So everyone can skip the section that they may not even want to read. I hope that proves to be helpful. Now let's go.
Amaria isn't evil -
The art of understanding
Depression and suicidal thoughts are a dark, dark place. Nobody, and really nobody who is seriously affected by this is a remarkably pleasant person. The fact that those affected not only suffer from their inner emptiness and senselessness, but also repel everything and everyone with fatal finality, is almost a part of the clinical picture, because it is usually extremely difficult for outsiders to cope with this behavior or to put themselves into the person's shoes. I know that myself, because I also had and have to deal with close friends who are in this very dark place.
But it is perhaps more important to mention, and here I am getting a little personal, very unusual, that I was also in this dark place and almost wouldn't have left it. Maybe I never really did. But hey, I'm alive and well, which is the reason you had to endure this walkthrough for months now. What I want to say is that I think I can claim to be able to understand characters like Amaria. Her attachment and complete projection towards Titania almost resembles my behavior towards a friend at that time. My views on it are so biased that I don't really want to say too much about it, but I have to.
As I understood before and especially through my research after this arc, Amaria is hated as a toxic, terrible and selfish character that pulls Titania down with her. I totally get this thinking. I can really understand this opinion which, to an extend, corresponds to the facts, whether we are talking about Amaria or a real person. But it's just part of the truth and what worries me is that I'm not entirely sure if Amethyst as the author was aware of that. But I strongly believe she was.
This exuberant hate and the labeling of Amaria as toxic once again shows for me personally how much incomprehension, ignorance and lack of education still exists for sufferings such as severe depression, suicidal thoughts, loneliness and dependency. For someone like me, it is a self-righteous, unreflective and limited swarm attitude, one which you can see on platforms such as Reddit or online forums, when, for example, Forever Alones meet 'Normies' and the latter start giving advice. I shudder at the thought. But we’re moving too far from the subject. Simply dismissing Amaria as a toxic psycho-bitch says more about you than about her. Because, luckily! - apparently it is not possible for you to imagine yourself in someone’s shoes who has only felt emptiness and sadness all his life, has no human closeness and simply has no desire to live. I wish you that it stays that way - nobody should be there. But don't judge those who are.
Naturally, Amaria is almost psychotically dependent and clinging to Titania. Naturally, Titania suffers from it unspeakably and I think it's good that she was able to escape it in the course of the game. This is a terrible situation for both characters, as well as for real people in this context. But can you seriously condemn Amaria for not wanting to lose the only person she has, the sole reason for her existence? I mean, really? I'm not saying that it makes her more likeable or that Titania has to suffer for Amaria's sake. I'm just saying I fully understand how this character feels.
It is perfectly normal that Amaria or chronic depressed people are PERMANENTly insecure and afraid that the few people in their lives will let them down, Amethyst has captured this very well. It is also normal, I say that from experience, that they constantly "test" them to confirm their loyalty. These are reasons why depressed people sooner or later push everything and everyone away from them, and they can - not - stop it.
If this seems all toxic and self-centered to you, please try to seriously introduce yourself to a thought for a minute. You grow up and aren’t able to happy about anything. Not about sweets, not about games, not about nice weather. You just lack the ability to be happy, which seems to be so very normal to everyone else around you. You never had any friends and of course no romantic partner until the age of 30 and afterwards, have not kissed anyone yet, feel completely decoupled from the world and society. And then there is this one person who gets through to you and who means something to you and who is there for you and who endures your awfulness and does not give up on you.
Of course you make them your whole world like a drowning person clinging to a piece of wood. Is it healthy for Titania or Amaria? Is it fair? No, but that's how it fucking works. 
Yes, locking myself up to drown under water is highly toxic, psychopathic and unforgivable. But from my EXTREMELY biased perspective, I say that I understood her conflict and still don't judge Amaria for it. She is desperately looking for someone to blame for the fact that the only person she cares about is about to break away, and in her suicidal depression she doesn't think it could be herself.
Yes, Amaria is psychotic and you can deeply condemn her behavior. Her suffering does not justify her actions. But in my opinion and experience with depression, she never acts with a clear mind in this matter, she is broken lonely, desperately addicted to love and paranoid to lose literally the only thing in the world that prevents her from jumping out of a window.
Jeez, I don't judge the girl any more than any real person who acts on it. I just feel so sorry for her. Honest, sincere pity. And that's exactly how I feel for Titania too, who, on behalf of many real people, has the role of the 'anchor' and ultimately escapes this unhealthy relationship. Do I give her that? Hell yes. If another person overloads and destroys you with needs and expectations, leave her behind. Does it still hurt my soul for Amaria? Fuck yes. I impulsively hate and condemn the fictional character Titania for letting Amaria down, playing in the arms of her biggest and only fear and probably effectively sentencing her to death, but I also know that this is just my irrational brain. No one is to blame in such a relationship. Nobody wins. Everyone loses. There really is no good and evil here, and certainly no one to judge.
After all this is said, I would like to emphasize again how much I always appreciate it when a medium addresses this difficult and still very hesitantly treated topic in pop culture, as Amethyst did here. Amaria's and Titania's dialogues are written so well and understandably that I am absolutely certain that Amethyst has had her own experience in the matter and or has done extremely good research. This was all taken from reality on point. High praise, and even if it hurt it was my favorite arc in the game. And let’s also note the fact that Amaria reflected on her behavior before her gym fight. She is aware of all she does. There is just nothing she can do about it. What would there be?
I hope she didn't kill herself and we'll see her again in E19. I would really hope so. Otherwise I already know who, at the end of Pokemon Reborn, is no longer my very favorite character.
And that too says a lot about me, I know.
Glass Gauntlet, dream world, Story-Climax
We are not talking about balancing. That was the promise. So I keep it short. Glass Gauntlet hit me unprepared, because the first double fight against Cain and Shelly was of course the hardest, but I mastered it after two or attempts. I then hit Luna on the mat in the first attempt, and the third fight, in which due to the questionable full restore mechanic unfortunately half my team was dead and I had no more potions, just overwhelmed me. Fact is, with the right preparation and sufficient potions and, above all, an assload full of time, Glass Gauntlet can of course be mastered decently. It took me about five hours in total again, but the final victory was the greatest feeling of success I have felt in Reborn so far. Was that the intention? Clearly. Was it worth it? Not really. This triple-fight was beyond nasty, and Amethyst knows that of course. But I console myself in the thought that the rest will now be a cake walk.
The dream world. As someone who built a very similar dream world with similar effects in his own retro game a few years ago, I can say that I found this one very well done. It combines the right amounts of disturbing, sad, scary, thoughtful, touching and story-importance. It is grim and gives us insights into almost all of Amethyst's important characters, which makes some previously one-dimensional people so much more complex. You can not morbidly how each character in Pokemon Reborn is broken in his own way or carries a burden with him. Well except Charlotte, she’s just happy and kicks ass. God, I love Charlotte. Ahem. In any case, I appreciate everything about it and proudly emphasize that this dream world summarizes everything I highly like about Amethysts Writing. That's why I fought Reborn and for that I recommend it. The rest of it in the impressions.
It is almost a bit much to take in all in once as the player - We are introduced to the ZEL twins, the Bennett-Laura combo promises to be wholesome even if I still don't like him, Anna and Noel are Radomus' children and Hardy misses the whole party. The relationship which is growing between Serra and Radomus, this unbearably heartwarming fluff between Laura and Gardevoir, aaahhh, all of that made me quickly forget the suffering of the Glass Gauntlet.
I am excited to see how things will continue in Calcenon as a supposed story hub and I am looking forward to the preliminary final against Meteor, Lin-chan and Hardy Har.
PRO, CONTRA & NEUTRAL:
+ - The fact that you need several HMs for Amarias gym is counterproductive,but that's settled due to the teleport later
+ Gotta say I absolutely Iove Amaria's gym. In a way, it is even better than Titanias. It is versatile, beautiful, melancholic, the atmosphere and the music underwater fit perfectly with Amaria's character and I like looking for her down there. I like her dialogues very much and wish I could give her a hug. Reborn is strongest at these moments.
+ Thanks for no random fights or puzzles in this gym, that helps the atmosphere so very much.
+ The funny thing is, what Amaria says before her fight, what we think of her is probably true for 80% of the players. Not so much for those who have already been there though. So no
+ I love that you can choose the fight format and love it even more that Amaria doesn't give two shits about it. : 'D
+ Terribly nice of her not to kill me if I lose. Tsundere?
+ - So I will back off from Amaria after a few fights now. The only chance I could win right now would be through pure cheese, and I just don't want that for the last two gyms, that's unworthy. So I go back to Reborn City and do whatever else needs to be done.
+ Cool that I can donate to Reborn City. I completely financed the train tracks and the nature center directly. Of course only for entry to the VIP section! BLING BLING
+ - I’ll do the Railnet quest in the postgame, IF I do it.
+ Sure, it's amusing to find Amethyst's personal Alola Vulpix fetish paradise, but why can't I take one with me? However, it is great how they storm the entire hall and let it snow seconds later. Still not a single one for me though. :(
+ An ampharosite for my BelovedSheep. Mega evolution is a start! Time for FULL HAIR.
+ Haha @ coffee cups on Victoria's table. I see what u did there
+ - Who is 'Euphie'?
+ The female pokeranger in front of the nature center wants a bird pokemon to carry her letters for free instead of TAKING MY DAMN MONEY. Still brought her her birdy. The nature center quests are tough, but it's okay, this is for completionists.
+ New stuff is still happening up in Calcenon. +++ for Amethyst
+ Fight against Amaria was tough, but doable with the right ... careful.... CAREEFUUUUL ... strategy. Single fight.
+ - So Amaria is killing herself now, huh? Let's not hope so. Arceus save your sorry soul, Titania.
+ - Julia just give two electric asses haha. I kind of don't like how much she doesn’t care for Amaria.
+ Titania's dialogue with Florinia -> best character. Seriously, Titania is the best and most realistic written character by far in the game. So much quality!
- I better not comment what I think of Titania's (and many real people) logic that leaving depressed people as their only anchor is probably the best for them. Just keep going. Don't think about it, no no ...
+ Serra should definitely be here in the glass factory(Edit: hehe) to give her brat some grounding. Meteor really is a collection of the biggest scumbags. Makes you wonder why Kiki wasn’t a member. OR WAS SHE??
-Need a quick change of scenery? UNCONSCIOUSNESS. For the small scene change in between. And again the 'ITS A TRAP' trope. Overused in Reborn.
+ I find it remarkable how the Meteor grunts avoid battles with me because they KNOW they will lose. In contrast to the official teams, they learn. Nice detail.+ The meteor lady frozen by Glaceon is exactly my sense of humor. :D
colleague: 'Eh.'
+ Co-op action with two Eevees, wuhuu! AND THE METEOR LIES, I AM INDEED A GLACEON, YES.
- Oh well. The puzzle with glaceon and psiana is tricky and time-consuming, but not too difficult and really creative, so I liked it. But. After I had invested 20 minutes in it, the door I had exposed was of course locked with a key card. Classic amethyst moment: It is not enough to struggle and puzzle through the factory for an hour, no, you also have to find a key card because that is fun. As always with Amethyst's puzzles: Too much. After spending 2 hours alone with the puzzle I was endlessly annoyed by it again. Congratulations.
- I'm stupid, I know, but I had looked everywhere and had no idea where the card was. I had to google and yes, my mistake. But it is good to know that others also had their struggles. It is worth noting that Psiana's FUTURE SIGHT was never of any help.
+ - Aster: "YOU DID THIS TO ECLIPSE!" Lel. I'm glad that a good dialogue followed.
Bennett's speech towards me about how I'm always successful, how I never give up because of my determination and love for my Pokemon, couldn't be more ironic.
+ -NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT AGAIN SHELLY!!! PLEASE NOT AGAIN !!! No one is surprised that Cain was captured, she never does anything else in this game, BUT NOT AGAIN SHELLY !!!!!!!!!
+ - After the first fight - Bennett: "As expected."
NHHHUUUOOOOOAAAAHHHHHHHHHH
WHY CAN LEAST ONCE IN THIS GAME SOMETHING BE NOT EXPECTED? WHY CAN'T I EVER HAVE A SUCCESS-EXPERIENCE ??? AAAAAHHH
- Had to reload in the second fight because Milotic reached LV91 and disobeyed me. I love Reborn.
+ Even in the dream world, Anna remains a beacon of cuteness.
+ - Is the buried girl Dr. Frankenstein's daughter, so that he also has his tragic backstory?
+ I don't feel too bad for Kiki. Her dialogue hit me anyway, it's very effective. Haha. Ha. Aahh ...
+ poor Aya. : /
- I don't buy Cain's "I am an unpleasant creep because I'm so insecure" in the least, but maybe that's just because I dislike her so very much...
+ - Who was this astronomics girl? Radomus' wife?
+ Don't worry, Gardevoir ... if we ask the internet and R34, there will be no problems with you and Radomus! ;)
+ FLASHBACK-TIME! More screen time for Serra, Radomus, Gardevoir and Luna is always appreciated. 999999/10 for this flashback. There's so much going on between these characters.
+ Noel and Anna can be lucky that they don't have to be called Painter and Fantasia ... or turbo.
+Let's hope Cain stays dead. No really.
Battle Stadium / Cheesecake-factory:
(recordings of the relevant fights)
Between us: The next article is already done. And yes - it's the final, regular part. Afterwards there will be a bit of bonus I look forward to since months.
AND AFTER THAT IT'S TIME... FOR A REJUVENATION!!!!
- Yoraiko
Bonus-Sektion:
please check the german article linked above for this section.
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