#hz101

Ooh Meowscarada is a cheeky and scheming little shit.

Plotting evil shit and enjoying it alright.

That third one is obscured by the subtitles but you can see the wicked grin. Girlie is an evil and wicked little shit. Like Pokémon, like Trainer.

Liko and the others go to Orange Academy to meet with Omodaka and Principal Clavell in order to tell them the truth about the Strong Spheres. 

They also go to talk with Zinnia to share the information they've gathered about the Rakurium. 

Roy then meets Nemo, and the two of them battle for the first time in a while. 

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I’ll start with the battle.. Which was fine. The thing I focused on the most was Nemo’s voice acting because her VA was really good at conveying her intense excitement and feelings, and the way others get swept up in her energy. Admittedly, I’ve been pretty burnt out by battles in this chapter so far, because there are battles in every episode and it’s not really my thing and I prefer the focus on characters' moments. I like that battles in Horizons are usually for the plot-related moments and when they carry lots of meaning in relation to the bigger picture, so having them in every episode can get tiring. (For example, I liked the battle in HZ094 because of the emphasis on teamwork, Tebrim’s development, the idea that healing was the solution over damage and how it relates to multiple characters’ arcs, etc.) It makes sense that Roy got to face Nemo again, but still. 

I am curious about the fact that his battle with Nemo, which was a 2 vs 2, led into Dot being set up to have her own 2 vs 2 against Botan.. It makes me wonder if Liko will be set up to have her own 2 vs 2 later on, since the kids are facing personal opponents in this kind of setting. Usually, with Liko’s battles, they tend to be more focused on, she gets individual eps, and she doesn’t really face random characters either.. Her battle against Chili had stronger focus in HZ056 compared to the other Elite Four battles, her second Terastal test against Grusha was significant and was built up and resolved through multiple episodes, she often faces personal opponents such as when she faced Diana in Rayquaza Rising and even in this arc, she got to face Kaede again because Kaede is someone she has history with.. her battles always get meaningful writing and focus (and they are a vehicle for her emotional growth), so it makes me wonder if they are thinking of making her face a personal opponent for a 2 vs 2? 

This episode also made me wonder if they are planning something with Roy’s Lucario. This was the 12th episode of Mega Voltage, which means we’re halfway through the chapter and we still don’t know much about Lucario, which is kind of sad (especially since that’s a Pokemon I really like in general). I feel like they were stuck in a difficult position with Roy’s Lucario, because he was a later addition to his team. If Lucario suddenly got all the spotlight upon his appearance in Mega Voltage and took away from everyone else in the cast, it wouldn’t have felt right (and I wouldn’t have been okay with it either). But at the same time, if he doesn’t get moments highlighting the kind of character he is, he feels like he doesn’t particularly stand out outside of battles. I feel like they don’t want to take away from the Pokemon we already know (which is a good thing really, because that was my fear once Lucario was revealed, that he’d take away from the others or Achigator).. Lucario feels a bit like an obligatory addition at the moment, and the moments fleshing out his personality are sparse. The more time goes by, the more it stands out, especially in comparison to Uruto’s Yamirami, who is a new addition to the cast but feels like a character full of quirks and personality (which I know it’s different, because Yamirami is Uruto’s main partner, unlike Lucario who isn’t Roy’s main partner). I wonder if they want to make Lucario’s potential backstory the 18th episode of Mega Voltage, just like how Cap’s backstory with Friede was the 18th episode of the first chapter..? But until then, Lucario is stuck in this strange limbo until his potential backstory drops.

I already wrote about the research side of things (here). I do genuinely wonder if the handling of the Rakurium will change in the narrative or if it’ll be considered as “something that needs to be erased” until the end. Ultimately, that was Lucius’s wish. Currently, it’s Liko and the others’ turn to write their own stories.. They don’t have to be bound to Lucius’s wish forever, though I could also understand if the narrative around the Rakurium didn’t change. We have multiple researchers in the series who think its potential is interesting and who have a neutral stance towards the Rakurium, and it’s not inherently a bad thing. I don’t see why it’d be different from Mega Evolution or Terastal. It could be used for good. I don’t blame Spinel for wanting to analyze something like that.. I could see where both Lucius and Gibeon came from about it, and I wonder if the story will reach a middle ground about this. The story emphasizes communication and that it’s possible to understand someone’s perspective if you listen to them, so maybe? So far, the RVT and the Explorers were in opposition to each other, but both factions do not have to keep being like that. Amethio (someone from the Explorers side) was capable of cooperating with the RVT on different occasions, so I feel like it builds up to both factions “getting along” by the end..? We’ll see. 

I’m pleased that they are leaning into Dot being the one who emulates and takes after Friede’s researcher side, and seeing her work genuinely complimented by teachers who are specialists in their fields felt satisfying.. In general, I really liked that the trio had to compile their sources and explain what they witnessed in detail. It felt respectful of their characters and intelligence, I think. Dot growing more confident but still having insecurities and feeling worried about doing a presentation felt realistic. I like how both things aren’t contradictory? Just like how Dot being Gurumin didn’t mean she was okay battling in front of cameras, etc. I like that Dot has all these nuances and things that appear contradictory to her character, it makes her feel fleshed out. 

Dot and Botan’s interactions were really cute.. My favorite bit might be Botan letting her cunning side show at the end and asking Dot for a battle because she could see her desire for carnage. I think it’s really cool that characters like Liko or her get to be unhinged to some extent when it comes to battles? Nemo was surprised that Botan actually wanted to battle, which shows how special Dot is to her if she is willing to battle. 

Botan’s room being a bit similar to Dot’s was a cool touch. I noticed that Botan had a picture of an Irukaman on her wall, so maybe she is a fan of the superhero Pokemon? Just like Dot. Which is an aspect I enjoy about this specific friendship. Dot and Botan share similar interests and Dot gets to talk about certain things only with Botan. Botan helping Dot also highlights a collective spirit I really like.. Liko, Roy and Dot don’t have to do things alone and they get help from people they met along the way. It reminds me of how Diana managed to gather lots of information about Lucius and the Explorers by talking to elderly people who had actually met them and kept records of them.. Diana didn’t find anything about Lucius when she was doing things alone, but she got closer to the truth by getting help from others. It’s the same thing now. Everyone, friends and teachers etc, can help in their own way. 

Other moments I liked.. Murdock being the one who encouraged the kids to go on their own. This mention stood out to me since Murdock was usually a worrywart, so him being the one who told the kids to go to Orange Academy by themselves shows that he trusts them to handle themselves. The fact that Murdock said that the kids were the ones taking the helm now, too. Liko, Roy and Dot all heading the crew together and representing what the RVT stands for.. The way Liko, Roy and Dot work together makes me think of the three Explorers too. The beginning of Mega Voltage reminded me of that specifically. Dot contacting Roy, who then sought out Liko’s help made me think of the interactions between Lucius, Rystal and Gibeon. Their first meeting was Rystal standing up for Lucius, which was something Gibeon listened to and he reacted to her words and stood up for both Lucius and Rystal and defended them when they were mocked. In this way, Liko, Roy and Dot are similar to the three Explorers and embody Friede’s spirit, too.

Liko and Roy encouraging Dot when she was nervous about her presentation was endearing. I liked how they hyped her up and believed in her. It’s fun when they get serious and intense about their encouragement. Roy telling Dot to think of her presentation as a Gurumin vid was interesting to me. The fact he was the one who brought it up at all, and how it actually helped Dot to see it that way. 

Nemo’s fist bump with Roy, and her comment on Roy growing taller was cute. Roy is around her height now. 

Masquernya teasing Uruto with a Trick Flower when he was feeling sick on the ship.. Her little mischievous grin was cute. I wonder if she acted like that to snap Uruto out of his mood and make him think about something else? 

Uruto picking the same spot as Diana for his room was cute.. When he picked that spot, I immediately thought about Diana and I was happy that Liko thought about the same thing and mentioned her. It’s kinda interesting, makes me think that Diana and Uruto both have a longing for freedom? 

Zir and Conia’s scene at the end.. I think it added nuance to both their characters, especially Conia? I liked seeing her melancholic, a bit desperate and praying to Zygarde to lead them to Amethio. Their strong loyalty to him really shines through, and it seems like they’ve been searching for him for a while but still haven’t found anything about him. At this point, I feel like everything is meant to make us think that Friede and Amethio are potentially in cahoots or that they were at least in contact once post-Rakua..? I’m not sure where they’ll go with this. Zir and Conia feel regret for not being able to protect Amethio, so I wonder what happened to him after he left Rakua.

Either way, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again but I am still so pleased that they are highlighting the similarities between Friede and Amethio currently.. They are both the missing pieces and their absence is shaping the narrative. We learned about Friede’s current status last week (alive, but his whereabouts are unknown), which leads to learning about Amethio’s current status this week (which is a complete mystery). Both Friede and Amethio are so connected right now that it feels like their actual appearances will be back to back, too.  

Friede's legs got added to opening.

He is absolutely the finale of this arc.

It reminds me a little of how Hamber talked about it to Amethio, Zirc, and Onia. He said Laquium draws out the latent power of Pokemon, and should perhaps be thought of as a source of life. He also points out how Gibeon discovered it can extend a person's youth for an extended period of time depending on how it's applied (which is how he managed to stay alive for so long).

Even when Liko does point out the negative effects of the Strong Sphere to the Explorers the underlying theme seems to be not strictly "Laquium is bad" but rather how it's applied relative to their inherent skill as Trainers and the fundamentals.

Like on one hand with Coral and Sidian she was like "Why have you taken it this far?! Just look at your Pokémon! That way of battling is anything but normal! It's the Strong Spheres, isn't it?" and "We know you don't need to rely on those things!". It felt like she was almost trying to get through to them? She knows that they're naturally strong Trainers and fundamentally honest by nature. She's battled them and talked with them in casual settings and definitely knows their characters really well. She knows their honest and genuine strength, one where even though she doesn't know it outright, is strength that was earned through rigorous training under Hamber. Her words to them feel more like "You're better than this, come on".

And then on the other hand with Spinel's new personal subordinates Indy and Rubella she just bluntly told them "Even if you use Strong Spheres, you can never beat us!". Coral and Sidian are genuinely strong and competent, and capable of honest progress in strength, but these two on the other hand just plain suck and don't have the willingness to put in the effort to improve earnestly, and Liko seemed to catch onto that and bluntly pointed it out. Her sentiment to them was basically "Before you think of challenging us again, actually try to better yourselves".

She's well aware of the negative effects of Laquium, but doesn't seem to fully deny its potential? She's not as intellectually oriented as say, Dot, Friede, or Chalce, but seems to have particular thoughts on it. She's definitely opposed to the way it's currently being used, since it's used in a very unstable manner and in a way that harms Pokémon, but doesn't seem to fully align with the idea that it needs to be vanquished entirely. Which sort of aligns with how Jacq felt about it for that matter, since he actually finds it quite interesting (he also points out even Terastal hasn't been fully researched and there's still much to learn about the Terastal phenomenon). Clavell and Geeta have agreed to help out and trust the RVT, as has Jacq, but they need further information before deciding on what the right course of action with it is. It seems they'll be exchanging info about it along the way (now Chalce, you certainly have gathered some information about Laquium and probably know some things, do you? Got anything to share with the class, "Agate-sensei"? Mind talking with Liko and Dot personally about it? You three could benefit much from actually sharing info with each other).

While Liko and the others are currently wary of the Rakurium because of what they witnessed and think it needs to be dealt with, we're also shown a neutral stance towards it through the Orange Academy staff. Clavell and Omodaka believe in Liko and her friends, but said they needed more detailed data and video proof before deciding what measures they should take. Zinnia considered that the Rakurium was "interesting" once he learned that it's a substance that stimulates the activation of life force and wanted to know more about it. He even likened the Rakurium to other crystals and mentioned that the Terastal phenomenon which is still undergoing further research.

The Rakurium wasn't considered uniquely "bad" in comparison to other known phenomenons such as Terastal, but as something that needed further study. The teachers do take the kids and their research seriously, but also teach them to back up their claims and be thorough about their studies. Even Friede mentioned in his message from HZ100 that he wanted to solve the mysteries of the Rakurium. Friede is a researcher like Gibeon and Spinel, and the latter two both thought that there was potential in the Rakurium and that they couldn't simply let it go without studying it further. Spinel himself said he was aware of the risks but thinks that it can used safely through mindful handling. There are multiple characters on both sides (the RVT and their allies, and the Explorers) who have a nuanced but cautious approach towards the Rakurium, and don't necessarily consider it as something inherently "bad" or "good", but just as something that needs to be studied more.

The link for the monthly calendar is here (it's a cute illustration).