#ghouldengo

This episode is mainly about how Ditto accidentally became a viral sensation when it transformed into a mini version of Nidothing and crashed her stream. Because of this, Dot and the crew are invited to a Bread festival where one of her viewers, Tongs, wants to collaborate by making Nidothing-shaped bread. Ditto also has been trying to go around and make others happy, but it doing a clumsy job at it, so there are shenanigans revolving around that too.

One thing I liked about the episode is that it did not escalate into a conflict where they get into a squabble with Ditto. Instead, the RVTs know that Ditto just only joined them recently, so they want to understand its actions rather than reprimand it. Honestly, I like that. It shows that they respect Pokemon and treat them as individuals and not something they can control. No one ever got mad at Ditto for transforming and Roy later realized that Ditto only wants to help out, but has a lot of shortcomings due to its ticklish nature or its timidity.

Understanding Pokemon’s feelings is supposed to be Liko’s thing, but she’s mostly fangirling over Nidothing and Miniguru in this episode. Honestly, I like it when the characters go out of their usual roles in a way. Liko’s usually calm and composed, so to see her be in total fangirl mode is honestly adorable. The fact that Meowscarada is jealous, but is also understanding of Liko’s fangirling was sweet; the part where she covered her eyes with her Flower Trick bombs was funny—it’s like a camera sticker filter in a way. Because of the fangirling, Roy is the voice of reason for this episode; Ult’s comic relief like always.

I do feel as if Nidothing has become more popular since the last time an episode was focused on her. There was a huge crowd wanting to see her and Miniguru. Though, I do realize that no one has recognized the RVTs out on the streets. I guess since the group doesn’t flaunt their fame, people might just think of them as regular kids or fans of the RVT kids with their Pokemon and such.

I think the best part about the episode was seeing the creativity in baked goods. I’d honestly love to try the Voltorb pizza and the Charjabug roll. They all looked so good. The Nidothing bread looked cute too! I can see why Liko would think it’s a waste eating it. I don’t know about you, but this episode certainly does make one crave bread…is that only me? I’m currently eating two baguette slices with melted brie cheese on top and drinking a blend of yuzu earl grey and peppermint tea. I wonder what the Pokemon equivalent would be. Let me know your thoughts on the episode!

The good points would have to be the battle between Dot, Penny and Nemona against Indy and Rubina with their Cofagrigus and Runerigus army. To be honest, this is the most competent the two have been. The one good thing about the Indy and Rubella fights is that they use a lot of unique strategies. Before this one, I honestly liked the battle with them in Episode 107 where Roy and Ult battled against the Unovan and Galarian Darmanitan. They were very competent there. For this battle, they use a lot of creative strategies like Destiny Bond, Curse and Mean Look to stall the girls. However, I do wonder how they know about the 18 Teratype plan. Did Spinel figure it out on his own or is someone in the group a mole for the Explorers?

While I did like the battle strategies, I didn’t really like how dumb the girls were when it came to battling. At least they were lucky enough not to lose their aces to Destiny Bond. I get that they were a bit hesitant to not risk getting a party wipe. I’m glad that Hamber saved the day, but wouldn’t it be smarter to bring Mollie along to heal the Pokemon that got knocked out?

Now, my main issues with the episode mostly came from the Roy, Ult and Friede battle against the Explorer Admins, Coral, Sidian and Chalce. What do you mean Coral and Sidian have a Mega Bracelet and can Mega Evolve their Pokemon? Since when did Sidian used his Aerodactyl in a battle? You’re also telling me that Coral has a bond with her Glalie despite her making him go boom all the time? It feels a little contrived. Ah yes, you get a Mega, he gets a Mega, EVERYONE NOT NAMED LIKO AND DOT GETS A MEGA! What’s next? Spinel has a surprise Mega? Other than that, I’m a little surprised not one of the Admins were shocked to see Mega Lucario Z or Mega Starmie.

The episode’s pacing was a little clunky but it wasn’t terrible overall. I was surprised to see Yuha and the villagers again. Yuha’s design slightly changed over the time skip, which is quite rare as not many of the minor characters who returned have changed much. Anyways, let me know your thoughts on this episode!

As a whole, I liked this episode! It’s one of the better battle-focused episodes recently. There aren’t multiple battles squished together nor it’s a guaranteed win. I was honestly worried that the writers might pull a twist and make Dot lose, but I'm glad they didn't.  This is essentially a revenge match as the setting is similar to Dot’s previous battle with Iono in that it’s Quaxwell vs Bellibolt, everyone in the Rising Volt Tacklers are in the audience (minus Friede this time around), the duck learns a new move and Terastalizing happens. The only difference from then and now is that Dot wins.

I did like that it was Iono who pulled Dot out of her slump. Out of everyone, it does make sense that she’d be the one to do so. While Dot is the closest to Liko and Roy, they’re also very considerate of her and she doesn’t know Ult well enough for him to be the trigger. In a way, Iono is also Dot’s personal rival. All Iono had to do was use her soft spot—her love for Quaxwell—to bait her.

Regarding the battle, it was a lot better than before. Since this is an anime, Iono spamming Thunder as many times as she wants is a bit more reasonable than doing it in game where it’s practically a game of chance. My favorite part was definitely the surprise twist of making Bellibolt use Slack Off and causing the audience to react comically. Quaxwell evolving into Quaquaval was really good. I really liked how he was animated and used Wave Crash. While the battle is a bit slow paced, it’s not choppy and it flowed well! I think they were saving budget for this battle as Quaxwell and Quaquaval are Pokemon that need to move around a lot in the battlefield.

Now that Dot finally regained the courage to be a part of the crew again, she stays behind as Liko, Roy and Ult head to the Johto region to visit Rayquaza. People might be upset on why Dot isn’t joining them, but given how this match is a nod to her first Terastal Course exam, going to visit Rayquaza is a nod to how Liko, Roy and Ult discovered its location. I honestly can’t wait to see what sort of battle awaits next week. Let me know your thoughts on this episode.

First off, Liko vs Ann. I do wonder if Indigo Academy is super lenient on where their students go because Ann just goes to Naranja Academy in another region so easily and whenever it’s convenient for the plot. Not that I don’t hate it because any Ann screen time is appreciated. Their battle resulted in a draw. To be honest, Liko was using her newly evolved Armarouge and Ann was using her ace Samurott, so it does make sense that Armarouge would lose because that’s how it goes at times. She would’ve won with Meowscarada. Still, I do like that Ann’s Samurott’s Tera Type is Ground. It was slightly spoiled in the trailer for the second half of this arc, but I’m glad that it’s fully confirmed. It does make sense that it’s Tera Ground due to how much emphasis Ann uses Drill Run, a move also shared by her Sandslash.

For Roy vs Nemona, this is the third time Lucario was used in a battle with Nemona and the first time it’s used in a single battle as the previous times were double battles. The first time Lucario won in a fight with Nemona was with the weird rule where someone loses if one of their Pokemon gets knocked out, so it wasn’t a true reveal of its strength. Though, I do wonder if Roy was given a loss because they’re planning on doing something with Lucario in the future, given the prolonged stares he gave to Roy. I wonder if this foreshadows a possible disobedience arc? If not, maybe a focus episode where it learns a new move? Lucario definitely needs some plausible focus.

The Dot vs Penny battle frustrated me. What do you mean Penny decided to target Tinakton and Ghouldengo to trigger Quaxwell’s protective instincts? That seems totally unfair. I get that Penny did it because it would be something the Explorers would do, but in all honesty…they wouldn’t do that. Maybe Indy, Rubina or Coral would try underhanded tactics, but Sidian and Chalce are more noble. Then again, Chalce did try to take Gimmighoul hostage in order to separate Dot from Penny back in Episode 120, but that was more strategy than underhandedness… I just didn’t like the outcome of this battle at all. I get that it’s because Quaxwell hasn’t gotten the best record since the start of this arc and that he hasn’t evolved yet.

For the Ult vs Hassel battle, was I the only one expecting Hassel to throw in a surprise twist of Mega Baxcalibur? I was seriously waiting for the surprise Mega Evolution twist, but it’s too soon to focus on the new Megas for now. Out of the four battles, I did expect Ult to lose this one not because of type advantage, but because he isn’t a strong individual battler, so it would make sense he’d lose. Though, I am more curious about what Hassel was trying to question Ult earlier in the episode. Does he recognize Ult from somewhere? It leaves a lot of future possibilities.

My favorite thing about the episode was how Cap was resting on top of Larry’s head. Other than that, it was a divisive episode for me. What are your thoughts on the battles and the episode as a whole?

However, because there were five battles going at once, it was a bit hard to concentrate. On top of that, it did feel as if the battles were meant to show off the kids’ improved battling style, so it did feel as if the Six Heroes got a little downgraded in terms of power. Regardless, I enjoyed the battles a lot from the brief moments they are shown. My favorite part was definitely seeing Kilowattrel being the star of a battle that involved Roy for once. Because his opponent is Galarian Moltres and Kilowattrel can no longer carry Skeledirge for aerial travel, the bird has to do the heavy lifting. It was so cool seeing it terastalized and learning a new move simultaneously. I feel like getting a power-up from Skeledirge as it activates Supercell Slam feels like it’s an improved version of the Thunder Armor from that one episode back in the AG era.

I think one of the craziest things modern Pokemon has implemented into the story is using modern technology to someone’s advantage. It helped Dot’s career as a streamer, but it can also be used for bad things like how Spinel can manipulate people by making himself look good. To be honest, I like that. It showcases how much the franchise has evolved to the point that media is much more involved than it was before when it was just PC and television in-game.

I’m glad that the Rising Volt Tacklers managed to secure a major win against the Explorers for once. I know that some people might be upset that no one caught any of the five heroes, but not everything needs to be a capture—besides, it’s been established that these Pokemon have their own lives. Now with a trailer of the second half of the arc revealed, people are speculating that Pokemon Horizons is ending in about 10-12 episodes, but it does confuse me because new games are usually released towards the end of the year while the anime is released a few months after their release. Anyways, let me know your thoughts on the episode as a whole and the possible end of the anime series. 

The heist that Dot and Penny go on was a very daring one. I’m surprised the museum receptionist didn’t realize that the two girls who came during near closing hours haven’t left. I think this is the first time Dot has been in a bind as she got separated from Penny during the battle with the Explorers due to Chalce purposely luring her to separate from Indy and Rubella so that Penny will be at a disadvantage with her Sylveon and Jolteon against two Poison-types. Also, Indy and Rubella are frauds if they lost to a Fairy-type when they had the advantage and a Strong Sphere boost. Like, of the major Paldean trainers, Penny is technically the weakest due to her team being Eeveelutions and if you seriously lost to Penny of all people, you should pack your bags and leave—which is what these two should be doing! Heck, Chalce’s Xatu is more of a threat than these two and this is the first episode that it’s been used for battle!

Gimmighoul was used cleverly in this episode. There were many hints that it was going to evolve in this episode as Dot kept talking about the amount of coins it needs and what will happen when it gets its 1000th coin. Why I say it’s used cleverly is because Gimmighoul showed off its usual running gag and some of the characterization it had back in Episode 109 and it meshed well together. In order to avoid being captured by the subordinates, Gimmighoul used its powers to make them find its coins. The characterization it had in Episode 109 where it is at disadvantageous situations due to the heavy box and that it would get itself into trouble was showcased here as it did get into both. Its coins spilled out in the beginning and it also got captured by Chalce to lure Dot away from Penny. Fortunately, Gimmighoul decides to prove its worth by taking in an attack meant for Quaxwell and Tinkaton and its efforts were rewarded with an evolution. 

Ghouldengo’s evolution was fun! I feel like it became super chill now that it can be of use to Dot and her team without being a burden anymore. I honestly loved the escape scene where they escape, rescue Penny, and then bust out of the museum with Make It Rain. The scene of them flying through the moon reminded me of that one scene in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. I can’t wait to see what its capable of in a real battle later on!

I wonder how long it’ll take for Quaxwell to evolve. I’m guessing the writers want to have some time with Skeldirge before Quaquaval arrives. It does feel a little weird that the Pokemon that has been on Dot’s team the shortest evolved first before the one that has been with her the longest. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!