Some character notes and episode notes for HZ086, writing them down for future reference.
Starting off from the previous episode, Gibeon heads towards the Rakurium with Zygarde.
Meanwhile, the Explorers ambushed the RVT. They revealed that they knew Rakua's location all along and that they were waiting for Terapagos to awaken to remove the barrier. They let the RVT do the work for them, and used their experience against them. Liko asserts that she didn't travel to Rakua for them. Then, the battles begin.
Friede faces Spinel in a 2 vs 2 battle, which relied on strategies and the use of Pokemon abilities to turn the tables around. He eventually wins against Spinel.
Liko, Roy and Dot face Onyx, Sango and Agate respectively. Roy's battle against Sango relied a lot on brute force and attacks. Liko used the environment to gain the upper hand against Onyx. Dot tried to come up with strategies on the spot to make Agate falter. The episode ends with the trio hearing an explosion and seeing a pink pillar taking form, which is the Rakurium.
Battle-heavy episode but there were lots of cool characters moments, so I'll go out of order.
Liko's declaration of intent towards the beginning when she affirmed that her adventure (and everyone's adventure by extension) was hers and hers alone was very important to me. She asserted herself and her agency and free will. She went on an adventure because she wanted to and what she got out of her journey belongs to her alone. The friends she made, the Pokemon she met, the feelings she experienced.. Everything she did was for her own sake and it doesn't belong to anyone else. Whether the Explorers "used" Liko and her friends for their own convenience or not has nothing to do with it. Liko was planning to go on Rakua anyway and it was her decision to do so. No one pushed her to do it.
Liko's whole moment reminded me of Amethio in HZ083, too. That scene when Amethio had a hunch about Liko being related to Lucius and when he smiled at the thought of destiny linking them.. Which was immediately followed by Amethio asserting his own agency: he wants to take up his grandfather's will, but that doesn't mean he'll fight in his place. Whether Gibeon initially wanted Amethio to take up his will or not has nothing to do with it. Amethio is choosing to do this on his own terms. He is carefully picking the parts of Gibeon he agrees with, and he'll make them part of his worldview. He also chose to save Gibeon (something I'm still curious about because what does it entail exactly). Which, again, doesn't mean he'll fight in his place or that he'll follow him in his destructive ways.. which we know he won't, because he'll team up with Liko and the others to stop him.
Either way, Liko's moment definitely adds a lot to my liking of her character and my appreciation of AmeLiko in general. Both characters are carving their own paths and assert their agency while doing so. They are not fighting in place of their ancestors, but as themselves. The paths they are choosing to follow is something they do for themselves, for their own reasons and beliefs, independently of what anyone else wants them to do. (And they happen to meet while following their chosen paths.. because it leads them to the same destination, etc. Too good. Too poetic.)
In terms of battles and interactions.. I liked all four battles.
Roy and Sango is a dynamics I'm enjoying more and more, because I feel like Roy matches her so well in terms of energy and can keep up with her? They both get worked up during battles and tend to talk loudly during them. They both clash in a very straightforward way. It's also neat that Roy has female characters as opponents (Nemo, Sango). Sango also considers Roy in a very personal way. She said that she didn't want to lose to him specifically, which shows that her battles with him have weighed on her mind and that she remembers her loss to him last time they battled in HZ066. I also thought it was somehow cute when Sango showed off Onipurin and even told the trio where she caught her Pokemon.. Sango talking about herself and sharing things is something she's done before (in HZ047 for example, when she told Liko and Roy that she came all the way to Paldea for cakes). Almost makes it feel like she could have been friends with them in another setting, since Sango actually goes her way to talk about herself and acts in a familiar way with them. It's both cute and a bit sad.
Also, Sango's Terastal phrase was a fun one? It gave me magical girl vibes. Onipurin seemed much more confident this time around too, compared to how scared she was in Area Zero. Sango's personality probably rubbed off on her? That bit when Roy told Sango that he wasn't scared had big Nekoyashiki Mayu Cure Lillian from Wonderful Precure vibes as well (I actually thought that he'd say the "kowakunai" line twice because of it w).
Liko and Onyx.. Liko using the field to her advantage was cool. I feel like she is growing so much more confident and composed in battles. She does everything to win. Really liked the bit with Onyx complimenting Nyarote's speed, too. He has an honorable side to him that I find charming. I feel like he is talking way more lately too, idk. I think it was nice when he realized that Liko, Roy and Dot were inspiring each other in the midst of the battle. I wonder where that will lead for him. This ep actually got me curious on Liko's potential thoughts on Onyx. She said his name in HZ066 after he left. Onyx seems to have respect towards her and acknowledges her openly much more, but I wonder how Liko feels. Also, Onyx reacting so quickly to Sango using Boomburst (a move that deals damage to opponents and allies included) two separate times and using Wide Guard to protect his allies.. good on several levels. It shows off Onyx's personality and values (something we've seen back in HZ055 when he lost trying to protect his ally in the Elite Four battle). Also adds to Sango and Onyx's relationship in general, because he was so quick to react to Sango's move? Like, he pays attention to her and will cover for her when she pulls stuff like that. On Sango's side, I wonder if she allows herself to go wild like this because she knows Onyx will be there to protect the rest of the team..? A kind of silent mutual trust? (Either way, I think it's pretty interesting that in this m/f duo, the guy happens to be the protective one while the girl is unhinged and destructive.. Many layers to it.)
Dot and Agate.. Something I like about Dot is that even though she is growing confident, she still has moments when she gets overwhelmed and nervous during battles? That's an aspect of her personality that I like. She can grow more confident in other areas, but it doesn't mean she completely has to "get over" her fears or that being nervous means her growth is any less valid.. It's nuanced. Agate keeps her true feelings to herself most of the time and remains composed, so I like when she is haugthy and sarcastic, I support her for that.
Also, the outcomes of all three battles: Agate wasn't defeated, Onyx was defeated, Sango was defeated but she sent another Pokemon to continue the battle. A bit different on all fronts.
Friede vs Spinel was the most interesting battle to me. Brilliantly written and I loved all the clever strategies used. A battle that made full use of Pokemon abilities. I thought it was a smart play when Spinel used Thunderbolt to confirm Pikachu's ability. The use of Skill Swap, Friede acting on intuition and taking risks because his strategy was a gamble on Ohbem's ability.. He wasn't sure it was Telepathy but he acted on that assumption, and it turned out to be right. Which sets apart Friede from Spinel, because Friede is willing to take risks while Spinel remains calculated and doesn't act without proof.
I also liked that Cap showed his independence during the battle? That's an aspect of Cap that I really appreciate. Cap has an idea and acts on his own, and Friede decides to trust him even if he doesn't know what Cap is up to. It feels different from bonds where the Pokemon waits for their trainer to come up with a strategy. Cap is intelligent and won't necessarily wait for Friede to tell him what to do during a battle. On Spinel's side, I really like that Blacky is so fierce and strong. Something about Spinel having an Eeveelution when Eevee is a mascot for the franchise, and that Blacky is as much as a freak as him? Giving this kind of Pokemon to the antagonist.. Blacky managed to withstand lots of attacks and Lizardon's Tera-powered move too, and I think it's cool.
Something that stood out to me during the battle is the way Spinel talked too.. I already noticed before that his speech pattern is polite, but for some reason I paid attention to it more during this ep. Maybe because Spinel was giving commands to his Pokemon during the battle? Either way, he speaks in an interesting way to his Pokemon as well. He uses the 〜なさい form to issue his commands to his Pokemon, and I think it's neat. The way he speaks is just so compelling to me? He talks very politely, more than most characters in the show, and I feel like he rarely drops those polite forms.. If he was only pretending, there could have been moments where he dropped the pretense and talk much more rudely, but I don't remember that happening. Even when he got worked up against Friede in this ep, he still didn't. So the fact that he seems to be genuinely like that.. Makes me think a lot. I like the way his speech pattern is crafted and carefully constructed. His body language was quite interesting this time too (all theatrical at the beginning when he thanked Friede for all the work the RVT did for the Explorers, or when he was frustrated..). Also, I think it's funny that he left right after the battle and didn't stay around to listen to Friede talk. His objective was mostly to buy time for Gibeon, after all.
I thought this confrontation added a lot to Friede and Spinel's dynamics. Their chemistry as two researchers (former Exceed researcher in Friede's case since he doesn't work there anymore) is really compelling. Both of them are intelligent in their respective fields. Friede managed to get under Spinel's skin by admitting that he relied on his intuition, which was unthinkable for someone as rational as Spinel.. I think a lot about how Friede faced both Spinel and Amethio in battles and the fact that he managed to affect them both in different ways. I like how composed Friede remains when he faces the Explorers, and his "nonchalant" facade irritates them as a result. Friede is just that cool, I think.
Gibeon's scene at the beginning was good. I felt like he sounded almost possessed with the way he was only speaking in isolated words. The fact that "betrayal" is a word he brings up, too. I wonder if he was thinking about Lucius at that moment. The scene felt quite sad to me too, because last time he was at Rakua, he was with his friends and they were all genuinely happy to have reached Rakua. This time, Lucius and Rystal aren't there anymore and Gibeon is still clinging to his wish.. Rakua was a fairy tale he believed in and it consumed him. The way he was heading into the pink mist made me think about how the tragedy is repeating itself and he is about to commit the same mistakes he did in the past. But he probably can't see that because he is too focused on his wish to see anything else? The next episodes will probably shed light on a few things I'm wondering about Gibeon.. One thing I am curious about is his relationship with his daughter.
Overall, very entertaining episode! Gibeon, Friede and Spinel appearing in the same episode was a gift for me specifically. Their VAs were excellent in this ep. Especially Spinel's VA. He got worked up during his battle so he sounded a bit different than usual, which was interesting.
Also, the Only One Story picture was nice this week. Nyarote and Tebrim chilling in the background is cute! The PR twt saying "100年前、ルシアス、リスタル、ギベオンも 冒険の途中でこんな風に空を見上げていたのかも…" was sad.. Don't break my heart even further by making me think about Lucius, Rystal and Gibeon stargazing together during their adventure. Or Lucius and Gibeon talking about their shared dreams late into the night. The original Explorers really invented tragedies.
