(This post will contain spoilers ! ! !)
This post will discuss the 2 Rival characters met in KANTO which are KENT and REINA.
KENT starts off as chauvinist from KALOS while REINA is met as a friendly and kind girl.
We all know that every Pokémon game gives you “Rival” characters. And while there has been many, I believe only 2 stand out as the BEST Rivals and they are “BLUE/GARY” from Gen I and “SILVER” from Gen II. In creating KENT, I leaned more towards the Gen I rival. So KENT was given dialogue similar to BLUE/GARY except for the whole “smell ya later” thing, lol.
Now, I also wanted a 2nd Rival that would be a girl b/c Pokémon didn’t allow for a girl rival until Gen III (if you picked the male protagonist) and that unfortunately started the chain where Rivals were TOO friendly, lol ! However, I still wanted to make REINA as more of a friend than the Rival-type KENT was.
During the KANTO Campaign, REINA’s story is far far more integral to the overall plot than KENT’s role. It is her memories, not KENT’s, that the Player can peer thru. I remember when I created her, I wanted to make sort of a girl with “mysteries” and that’s why I placed her in VIRIDIAN FOREST (as opposed to living in a town/city). Admittedly, I did not think much about how she would develop or her ultimate fate for the matter, but eventually I did finish her story . . . .
Here’s why her story runs quite deep. . . . .
As you know by now, REINA’s past is linked to the Legendary Pokémon of KANTO known as MEWTWO which in the Gen I Pokémon franchise placed HEAVY emphasis on cloning(meaning) of life. REINA is a clone as well, but a human one that was used merely as a “test” subject before the scientist made [a] MEWTWO. After that, she was simply discarded/hidden away in VIRIDIAN FOREST so as to not reveal to the world the experiments performed to create her.
Now, one of the main themes of the game is “Life vs. Death. The “Death” part can actually be broken down into 3 sub-topics being “FUTURE Death”, “PAST Death”, and “PRESENT Death”. REINA’s story would fall under “FUTURE Death”. I never hid the fact that REINA could/would die in the game. At the very first flashback, this was hinted upon by the scientist and old woman. Now, I did almost give slight hope that she could get better as perhaps subtly evident that she coughs less and less.
However, when the scientists came to “reclaim” her and tell her that she is a clone, her condition worsens again. This is the point where KENT is brought back into the analysis. . . .
As players can see during the Route 24 event, KENT fought with REINA and lost. This would be the turning point for BOTH characters. The event sort of marks the “crisscross” between the 2 KANTO Rival characters.
Whereas KENT’s loss has caused him to reflect about his own development to the point that he apologizes for the way he has been acting . . . . REINA grows darker. REINA’s hope for her condition to get better fades away as even Professor GARY OAK, now a world-renowned Professor, also believes her chances of survival are slim.
In her desperation, she turns to TEAM GALACTIC when they falsely offer her a cure. However, this was only a rouse so that they could use REINA to lure out DEOXYS for capture. And when REINA realizes this, she collapses (succumbing to a fatal heart attack) before giving some last words of advice to the protagonist about getting stronger with the purpose of helping people . . . .
The idea of REINA getting used by ‘the dark side’ is actually related to . . . . . GUNDAMs ! !
You see, in the Gundam Anime franchise, there are often certain female characters that get “used” or get involved with an organization and it ultimately leads to that female character’s death/downfall. Examples (that you can look up if you want) include:
Lalah Sune from original Gundam (not sure, I didn’t watch)
Rain from G Gundam (gets used as part of the Dark/Devil Gundam)
Yurin L’Ciel from Gundam AGE
Flay Allster from Gundam SEED (I think)
Louise Halevy from Gundam 00 (doesn’t die but similar)
There’s probably more, but I just don’t remember. Anyways, I did NOT plan for that connection when I had created REINA but I think it fits. I guess a lot of this may even hint upon the female sex’s vulnerability (which is beyond the scope of any analysis I want to do now, lol).
But REINA’s story is one of tragedy and she really is gone in the game . . . .
So “FUTURE Death” meant that REINA’s death has always been foreshadowed and though some hope might have shined thru, it ultimately was not enough to save her in the end . . . .
As one journeys thru JOHTO, one will find out what is meant by “PAST Death”. . . . . . .
REINA’s 5 Stages of Grief
DENIAL = At Route 14, REINA runs away immediately upon learning that she is a clone. When met at Silph. Co, she is still not convinced that she is a clone.
ANGER = REINA becomes visibly angry during her battle with KENT on Route 24.
BARGAINING = REINA tries to find a way to cure her illness first through GARY OAK. When he tells her nothing can be done, she turns to TEAM GALACTIC.
DEPRESSION = REINA speaks about waiting for a better day that never came just before battling the player on Route 9.
ACCEPTANCE = After TEAM GALACTIC escapes with DEOXYS, REINA is left dying and accepts her fate as she tells the player to live their own life to the fullest . . . before passing on . . . .
Further Analysis
REINA’s life is also related to the concept that time on our lives are limited. This was explicitly stated by GARY OAK moments after REINA’s death on Route 9. Every person born in this world has had and will have a limited amount of time that is different from another person’s amount of time. The average human life span is supposedly ~80 years old. But if you have other health problems, you could be looking at ~60 years old. However, most people who live a “normal” lifespan plan their lives accordingly to events that go thru a certain sequence. We learn to walk, talk, go to school, graduate, get married, have children, have grandchildren, and retire among a whole myriad of other things. . . .
Unfortunately, not everyone gets that same amount of time as a “normal” person. . . .
There are many people throughout the world who are ‘destined’ to have shortened life spans. Most of the time its due to an illness that they, for one or more reasons, can’t get help with. Many children die early without ever getting to grow up. Many of those older may become suddenly ill with a terminal disease. Whatever the reason for their condition, these are the people who have an altered sense of time. These are the people who are forced to change their plans because they can’t afford the time to do what other people can do. These people suffer when they are told they have less time.
At this point, I would like to recall a quote (from the book/movie “The Fault in Our Stars”):
“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”
What I think this quote means is that perhaps no matter how much time we are given, especially if it is little time, we should absolutely make the best of it. It’s kinda like a piece of pie. If you’re given a small one, you can continuously cut it up to create an “infinite” amount of pieces. And depending on how you look at things and how you strengthen your imagination, that small piece of pie will be more than enough for you. So going back to having limited time . . . . I believe it really means to make the most of what time you do have. Perhaps this is what can allow those with less time to enjoy life even more than those who have normal lifespans. . . . . .