Speculation on Secret Route requirements

[Vulnona]

So by now, it's probably common knowledge that there is a secret route in Pokémon Reborn that you only get under certain circumstances. Just to make sure, I'm going to put it in spoilers.

Spoiler

I'm talking about the Anna route.

 

Now, there are eight (technically nine) choices you need to make in order to access this route. But they seem a bit arbitrary at first! Why is it exactly these choices that lead to the story split?

Now, the out-of-universe explanation might simply be: it's a cool alternate path and Amethyst had to base it off SOME choices, and there wasn't too much to choose from.

But I'd be interested in your thoughts on the in-universe explanation. (With in-universe, I mean finding logical reasons why exactly these choices lead to the secret route based on story logic. So for example, an out-of-universe explanation for Mace Windu's purple lightsaber would be "because the actor wanted a purple blade", but an in-universe explanation would be "the purple blade reflects the unique mentality towards the Force that Windu has since he harnesses a dark side fighting style").

 

I've been thinking about this for the last months, but today, I had an idea. Maybe it's silly, but anyway!

Let's take a look at the specific requirements for the secret route:

 

Spoiler

1. Find all five police officers in Jasper and Beryl Ward.
2. Defeat Solaris on Pyrous Mountain.
3. Choose to not battle Dr. Connal at the Yureyu HQ.
4. Choose to stop Dr. Connal during the Belrose Manse raid, causing Saphira to get abducted
5. Side with Radomus in Citae Astrae.
6. Refuse to give Blake the Ruby Ring.
7. Refuse to fight Taka at the Water Treatment Center.
8. Allow him to accompany the player in the Tourmaline Desert.
9. Defeat Lin in her third battle at first attempt.

 

Now, on first glance, none of these seem to have anything to do with the finale. Whether you beat Solaris on Pyrous Mountain or side with Radomus should make absolutely no difference to Lin.

But then I realised something. What is the core difference in the Lin and Anna maingame finale? It's Lin's attitude towards the player. On Lin's path, Lin remains rather friendly with them and does NOT threaten them after they defeated her puppet. But on Anna's path, Lin actively tries to kill you and it is this very action that leads Anna to overexert her powers. On Lin's path, it is simply not necessary, but on Anna's path, Anna has to make sure that the player doesn't die.

So something in these eight/nine choices made Lin so aggressive towards the player that, in combination, they lead to Lin attempting to kill them.

With this thought, I took another look at the specific requirements:

 

1. Find all five police officers in Jasper and Beryl Ward.

To do this, you go out of your way to help the local police. This action leads to Corey being revealed as a Meteor agent and held accountable for his crimes. People being helpful just out of a good heart and criminals (at this point, we don't know Corey is a double-double agent) being held accountable for their crimes are probably things that trigger Lin and invalidate her world view and experiences. In the first case, you prove her wrong in thinking that people are generally not helpful and are only driven by selfish motives, and in the second case, it probably reminds her of her abusive father, who was not held accountable for his crimes against her.

 

2. Defeat Solaris on Pyrous Mountain.

In this case, you win against all odds against an overpowered Garchomp through finesse and determination. Lin, who has felt helpless before having had access to Arceus' reality-warping powers, is shown that humans can persevere through absolutely mundane means.

 

3. Choose to not battle Dr. Connal at the Yureyu HQ & 4. Choose to stop Dr. Connal, causing Saphira to get abducted

Now, I feel these two choices belong together. The first one may go against Lin's animosity towards Dr. Connal because you find Sirius the worse threat. But this may also have two other interpretations: you are not prioritising Heather's safety, who is a helpless victim of Connal (just like Lin!), and instead focus on saving Anna, who is Lin's rival. This may rub Lin the wrong way.

The second choice is, I feel, not about Saphira but the fact that Laura only accompanies you if Saphira cannot. And Laura tells you these juicy little details about child!Lin and how awful she was. That probably angered Lin!

 

5. Side with Radomus in Citae Astrae.

Mmmh... uh... I'm not sure about this one. Is it because you're not siding with Arceus/Dittoceus...? Or is it because you see through Elias' deception and Lin does not like this as a master of illusions herself? 

It may also be that Lin doesn't like Radomus. Why? Because he gave away his children to protect them. That may make Lin resent him for two reasons: one is the rivalry with Anna and the other is the possibility that, as an abandoned child herself, she feels parents should never give away their children. (But dude, if she feels Elias of all people is the better choice here... uh... naw. Though he does his utmost to search for Luna...)

 

6. Refuse to give Blake the Ruby Ring.

Uh... hm. Defying a giant bully? Seriously, I have no idea.

Since this choice also decides whether Samson or Ciel is abducted, it may have something to do with this...? I cannot find footage of the Ciel abducted route, so I don't know what happens there, but maybe it has to do with Samson sacrificing himself for the girl that Lin is... jealous? Because no one saved her when she needed it?

No idea though.

 

7. Refuse to fight Taka at the Water Treatment Center & Allow him to accompany the player in the Tourmaline Desert.

Okay, this one is clear. Refusing to battle Taka is the only way he'll go to the desert and battle you one last time, and again, you choose truth/honesty instead of manipuation. But in taking Taka with you through the desert, you are showing a poor, abused Broken Bird kindness, a good heart, and the willingness to protect someone weaker against impossible odds. No wonder Lin has it out for Taka! The way she kills him - trapping him in her armour and tricking Titania into stabbing him - is a lot more sadistic than what she did to Ame, Victoria, and DJ Arclight. Even Solaris is killed more humanely in both Reshiram and Zekrom. Weirdly enough, Lin leaves Taka alone in Zekrom and he survives unbothered through main game AND postgame. So her unusual animosity towards Taka must be because the player befriended him in the desert. (Though... I just realised that if you refuse Taka on Reshiram, he still gets killed... offscreen. So... his decision to abandon Team Meteor may also play a role here.)

 

9. Defeat Lin in her third battle at first attempt.

Out-of-universe, this requirement is just a way for players to switch one last time to Lin's route should they want to. But in-universe, should you fail in this last and most important battle, you directly affirm Lin's worldview that power is absolute and determination doesn't matter because you can still fail in the crucial moment. In contrast, if you beat her, you directly show her that your kindness and determination can win the way and that her grim outlook on life has no base in reality.

 

So in conclusion, all of these eight choices annoy Lin in a minor or major way. Taken separately, they don't change much, but when ALL of these choices are made in a single playthrough, it's the straw that breaks the camel's back.

 

 

So what are your thoughts? Do you have your own ideas why it is exactly these choices that lead to the secret route?

Or do you have ideas for the Ruby Ring choice?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[Rozetheeuwu]

13 hours ago, Vulnona said:

6. Refuse to give Blake the Ruby Ring.

Uh... hm. Defying a giant bully? Seriously, I have no idea.

Since this choice also decides whether Samson or Ciel is abducted, it may have something to do with this...? I cannot find footage of the Ciel abducted route, so I don't know what happens there, but maybe it has to do with Samson sacrificing himself for the girl that Lin is... jealous? Because no one saved her when she needed it?

No idea though.

Ciel gets abducted because Shelly only had the courage to ask Ciel to help out and not Samson, so he couldn't be there to save her.

 

I think you should look at the choices more from Anna's, or more specifically Nostra's perceptive. Nostra

Spoiler

has already seen the world end and believes these are the choices to save it. Nostra looks at the more 'logical' options I feel.

Of course this is what I think.

[Tapu Fufu]

The ruby ring and the Ditto-Arceus path make sense in conjunction with the other ones since on top of proving you’re a honorable and resilient person, you’re also defying Team Meteor. That probably had her on edge and contributed to her feeling like she had to knock you down a pedestal or two. 
 

Maybe Lin actually agrees with Team Meteor in a roundabout way. She maybe feels that the city is a shell of its former self and has grown into a decadent, downward spiraling trash heap. It’s common for people to feel that way about big cities. She, like Team Meteor, is someone who doesn’t see anything wrong using murder and genocide as a means to an end so she uses it to try and restore the city’s former glory. So you going against them further frustrates her.

[Vulnona]

On 2/24/2023 at 2:32 AM, Rozetheeuwu said:

Ciel gets abducted because Shelly only had the courage to ask Ciel to help out and not Samson, so he couldn't be there to save her.

 

I think you should look at the choices more from Anna's, or more specifically Nostra's perceptive. Nostra

  Reveal hidden contents

has already seen the world end and believes these are the choices to save it. Nostra looks at the more 'logical' options I feel.

Of course this is what I think.

Oh! So that's what happens - thank you for the information!

Now that makes sense with the idea that it's Samsons sacrifice she disapproves of. And Samson kind of defies Lin herself, too...

 

Also, thank you for the idea with Nostra's perspective! That would make sense, yeah...

However, there's something that bugs me with this... when you talk to Anna on Reshiram, she says that Taka wasn't supposed to die. Since this choice is also a prerequisite for Anna's path, that means this choice cannot be according to Nostra's plan. Even more, I think Anna only intervenes because Lin killing the player goes against Nostra's plan. (And yet, you gain relationship points with her for that... uh... so complicated!)

So... I have no idea! ^^"

 

On 2/25/2023 at 2:46 AM, Tapu Fufu said:

The ruby ring and the Ditto-Arceus path make sense in conjunction with the other ones since on top of proving you’re a honorable and resilient person, you’re also defying Team Meteor. That probably had her on edge and contributed to her feeling like she had to knock you down a pedestal or two. 
 

Maybe Lin actually agrees with Team Meteor in a roundabout way. She maybe feels that the city is a shell of its former self and has grown into a decadent, downward spiraling trash heap. It’s common for people to feel that way about big cities. She, like Team Meteor, is someone who doesn’t see anything wrong using murder and genocide as a means to an end so she uses it to try and restore the city’s former glory. So you going against them further frustrates her.

Ooooh, that makes so much sense! I hadn't thought of it like that... thank you!

[paytonkutch]

On 2/24/2023 at 8:32 AM, Rozetheeuwu said:

Ciel gets abducted because Shelly only had the courage to ask Ciel to help out and not Samson, so he couldn't be there to save her.

 

I think you should look at the choices more from Anna's, or more specifically Nostra's perceptive. Nostra basketball stars

  Reveal hidden contents

has already seen the world end and believes these are the choices to save it. Nostra looks at the more 'logical' options I feel.

Of course this is what I think.

Oh! I appreciate you clearing that up for me.

That fits with the theory that she disapproves of Samson's sacrifice. Furthermore, Samson challenges Lin as an individual...

As an added bonus, I like the addition of Nostra's viewpoint. That makes logic, sure...

But there's something that bothers me about it: Anna on Reshiram argues that Taka wasn't meant to die, and that's not right. Since that this option is necessary for Anna's route, it follows that it is not part of Nostra's master plan. What's more, I believe Anna only steps in because Lin's murder of the player goes against Nostra's strategy. (But that makes you look good in her eyes, so it's a win-win.)

In that case... I don't know!

[Yeshua_Kristos]

Hiya Vulnona! I've been on the Discord server lately, so it's nice to see you again. ^_^

 

My interpretation of the choices is that the six things you do that give Anna and Shade relationship points are the opposite of what Fern did in the previous timeline where he was the hero. 

 

Granted, even if you get no points with Anna/Shade at all, you're still able to succeed where Fern failed. But we also need to keep in mind that events escalated a LOT faster in Fern's timeline--Ame died in the train bombing, for one thing.

 

The choices that get you points may be the opposite of what Fern did, but it was the other differences of that timeline--Ame dying early, Florinia joining Meteor, Shade being stuck in a female body, etc.--that snowballed into Fern's failure. 

[Vulnona]

On 4/7/2023 at 5:17 PM, Yeshua_Kristos said:

Hiya Vulnona! I've been on the Discord server lately, so it's nice to see you again. ^_^

 

My interpretation of the choices is that the six things you do that give Anna and Shade relationship points are the opposite of what Fern did in the previous timeline where he was the hero. 

 

Granted, even if you get no points with Anna/Shade at all, you're still able to succeed where Fern failed. But we also need to keep in mind that events escalated a LOT faster in Fern's timeline--Ame died in the train bombing, for one thing.

 

The choices that get you points may be the opposite of what Fern did, but it was the other differences of that timeline--Ame dying early, Florinia joining Meteor, Shade being stuck in a female body, etc.--that snowballed into Fern's failure. 

Hiya! :3

Oooh, so that's where everyone is! Huh! 

 

Sooo... I'm only seeing this now, but that makes sense! 

Fern probably wouldn't have gone out of his way to save the officers, side with the "losing side", and so on. 

[Yeshua_Kristos]

Yes indeed. He'd have been too much of a brat to go out of his way for the cops, for one thing.

[Yeshua_Kristos]

On 3/1/2023 at 4:56 PM, paytonkutch said:

But there's something that bothers me about it: Anna on Reshiram argues that Taka wasn't meant to die, and that's not right. Since that this option is necessary for Anna's route, it follows that it is not part of Nostra's master plan. What's more, I believe Anna only steps in because Lin's murder of the player goes against Nostra's strategy. (But that makes you look good in her eyes, so it's a win-win.)

In that case... I don't know!

Remember: in Anna's asylum, you get to see Nostra saying, "This outcome is unforeseeable" repeatedly. So Taka's death must have been one of those unpredictable results.

 

Don't feel bad that you don't know--Nostra didn't know, either.

[alihans]

Quote

Hiya Vulnona! I've been on the Discord server lately, so it's nice to see you again. ^_^

 

My interpretation of the choices is that the six things you do that give Anna and Shade relationship points are the opposite of what Fern did in the previous timeline where he was the hero. 

 

Granted, even if you get no points with Anna/Shade at all, you're still able to succeed where Fern failed. But we also need to keep in mind that events escalated a LOT faster in Fern's timeline--Ame died in the train bombing, for one thing.

 

The choices that get you points may be the opposite of what Fern did, but it was the other differences of that timeline--Ame dying early, Florinia joining Meteor, Shade being stuck in a female body, etc.--that snowballed into Fern's failure.drift boss

I'm just noticing this now, but you're right—that makes perfect sense! 

Edited October 31, 2023 by alihans