#hz020

Esp. this bit has me wheezing aksfjhfhsj.

I like that we got two episodes in a row exploring Liko's traits, her empathy and kindness, and how they can be both a strength or a weakness depending on the situation. These are definitely interesting traits to explore in a character, especially a protagonist!

Liko's quest for knowledge

I liked that Kabu silently looked at Liko after Roy explained why he was looking for Rayquaza. He expected an answer from her too. Looking for hints about Rayquaza was a bit more Roy's thing since he wants to catch it, but now Liko is considering why she wants to meet it again too.

Liko says that the special Rayquaza, meeting her friends, and being where she is now all seem connected, and that's why she wants to know more about it. I like how this echoes the scene at the end of HZ018. After Liko learned about Friede and Cap's meeting and her mother's involvement in it, she was starting to make sense of things and understood that all these events led to her meeting her friends and being part of the Rising Volt Tacklers. Liko seems to seek knowledge (she wants to understand the mystery of the pendant and the context of the situation she is in better, understanding the past and considering the present to face forwards to the future). It actually reminds me of how Amethio is now seeking Rayquaza to understand the key to the mystery and he was invested in learning more about it, so this makes him and Liko similar in that aspect now.

Liko and Roy's training

The training was basic but fun. I'm not that much into battles, but so far I like the way that the Gym Leaders characters are incorporated in the story. They aren't forcing competition for the sake of it for now (and I hope no character actually takes that route), but it's interesting to see Colza and now Kabu taking it upon themselves to just push trainers, help them improve, and guide them. It gives depth to their roles as Gym Leaders as well, as they extend a hand even to people who aren't necessarily looking to get badges. Kabu felt the duty to help Liko and Roy since they are seeking Rayquaza, and he was strict but gentle and helpful towards them.

I like how different Liko and Roy tend to be in battles. Roy tends to be more straightforward and charges in. Liko is creative and observant in training or battles, her use of Nyahoja's Leafage was varied and she seemed to have fun too! Nyahoja also seems to have a competitive streak and doesn't want to lose, so it's interesting how they weren't necessarily on the same page during the episode because of the way Liko could react. Which leads me to my next point...

Liko's kindness and empathy

Liko's kindness and empathy were displayed constantly over the episodes, as she feels for others (humans, Pokemon, or art). In the previous episode, she couldn't leave Mawhip alone and wanted to help Murdock and Mitchell reconcile for her sake too. She wanted to battle Mitchell with Murdock so they could reach out to him and ultimately, her kindness and empathy helped Mitchell and Murdock mend their broken bond.

In this episode, Liko was paying attention to Roy during the early challenge and had a fond look towards Hogator when seeing how much fun he and Roy both seemed to have? And while she was doing well in the challenge and seemed to have fun thinking up of ways to use Leafage, she ultimately lost because she hesitated to go all out against Roy.

During the battle against Kabu, she was overwhelmed by how powerful he was at first, but when she battled against Wakaba, she gradually got more fired up. She even wanted to continue the battle (as she commanded Nyahoja to use a move once more), but then Wakaba proclaimed that she couldn't lose and that she had to win and become a Gym Trainer. That was what made Liko abandon the battle and upset Wakaba even though that wasn't her intention initially.

Honestly, I really like how Liko reacts differently depending on the context of the battles she participates in. She had training battles where she learned how fun battles could be. She had more serious confrontations against Amethio and Spinel where she was more determined and did what she could do. This battle against Wakaba was a test given to her by Kabu. Liko forfeited the battle after hearing Wakaba's determination not to lose to achieve her dream because she saw it as trampling over Wakaba's dream if she actually continued the battle. For Liko, being serious and going all out in this situation would mean disrespecting Wakaba's dream and she didn't want to do that because she wanted her to achieve her dream. Liko is too aware and considerate of others' feelings, sometimes to her own detriment. She shrinks herself and her feelings, sometimes subconsciously and sometimes consciously, so as to not upset others and put everyone's feelings above hers. Liko also has a tendancy to apologize a lot (for things that aren't her fault) so it's nice to see these traits being explored and addressed and that her hesitation remains part of her character.

As Kabu put it, she hesitated during the training with Roy too and she wanted to respect both Roy and Wakaba's feelings, even more than her desire to win, which made her miss Nyahoja's feelings too. It'll be interesting to see how Liko will fare in confrontations from now on. When there are stakes like someone's dream being on the line during a battle, she is shown to hesitate. Her kindness is both her strength but can also be a weakness, because she neglects her own feelings in the process.

Kabu's advice

I like that Kabu taught Liko and Roy that failure is a better teacher than success and shared his own experience, that he grew stronger after facing many failures. Winning isn't everything, and I like that this is a lesson taught here. He congratulated Liko and Roy for the way they both grew during the training.

Also, I just genuinely enjoyed how perceptive Kabu was in the episode and how he saw through Liko and paid attention to her reactions. He is the one who pointed out to her that she held back. Liko often covers up her true feelings and even her friends like Roy don't see through her sometimes, so I liked that Kabu was properly looking and gave her advice. He acknowledged her kindness and compassionate side, but warned her that kindness isn't always the right path in a battle. He also helped her see Wakaba and Nyahoha's perspectives (that Wakaba was trying her hardest to win and that she wouldn't like if someone went easy on her, and that Nyahoja was also fighting by Liko's side). Liko apologized to Nyahoja, which was nice.

At the end of the episode, Liko remembers Kabu's words while looking at the night sky. I like that she is associated to the moon and the night so much, it fits her quiet and contemplative nature. Kabu stayed behind to talk to her once more as she and Roy were about to leave. He told her that winning in battle isn't the only path for a trainer and that there are bound to be as many paths as there are trainers and encouraged her to find her own path, one that she could believe in. I like that Liko takes her time to contemplate these words and often reflects on things. Kabu's advice was also good, as winning or competition aren't the only things out there and I'm glad they're exploring other paths for characters. Liko's path will be interesting to see unfold, especially now that she is going to meet and bond with Mibrim (a Pokemon linked to emotions, which fits Liko) and potentially meeting Amethio soon. He was the one who motivated her to get stronger to be able to protect what she holds dear in the first place, and now he's coming back at a specific point in Liko's progression so I'm curious to see how they'll impact each other.

Like, he's so far been seen as this nice dude to just oddly looks intimidating and we didn't really see any reason for the appearance outside of fun contrast, but today, we DO see his anger. Like, the way he hold grudge on Mitchell due to what happened with Mawhip was like... holy fucking hell even I got scared of it, like the way his voice deepend and got more serious from usual sweet Murdock was like, holy cow, no wonder Liko and Roy got spooked.

It also really highlighted how thoughtful Liko is, like she really wanted to help Mawhip, and Murdock, to reconcile. Like her seeing Mawhip react the way she did towards Mitchell and all really said it all to Liko. And I also adore how they made her just, bust out "LET'S GO ASK A DOUBLE BATTLE" and then we HEAR HER INNER MIND ALL ANXIOUS, FACE TELLING IT ALL TOO! That's awesome, I loved that scene so much. And I also love how the battle turned into a cookoff on sweets because holy heck askjfhfskhjsf, that's exactly what the two patissiers needed. Really made me enjoy the episode all around.