Something about the fact that Spinel manipulated Liko's memories upon their first meeting, which led her to temporarily forget Nyahoja, while Liko's words to Spinel during their last confrontation triggered a memory he buried, which made him remember the moment Eevee evolved.
Anyway, something something, Liko feeling like "something had just begun" in ep 2 and constantly trying to grasp for the moon at the beginning.
The contrast between Liko's beginning high up in the sky and Spinel's last scene in ep 136 being at his lowest (underground? And also quite similar to Gibeon's fall through the crevice in Rakua in the flashback of ep 75).
Also reminiscent of hit ep 65 (Liko and Amethio) when Liko reached Paldea's highest peak with her friends in contrast to Amethio's fall and being at his literal lowest (expelled from the Explorers, etc).
Anyway, the moon is everpresent in Spinel's last scene in ep 136 (the scene starts with the full moon and it's shown again at the end). And his main Pokemon is literally the moonlight Pokemon.
That combined with the fact that Liko was constantly associated with the moon (it was a prominent motif in early episodes, and even in openings such as Halo or Only One Story), so yeah I just think the moon belongs to Liko and Spinel actually. It's their thing.
I'm still processing the ending of the chapter. It may take a few weeks, to a few years. It really depends on what happens next, but I'm still forming thoughts and I will write at my own pace.
Watching the ep has been tough for me for various reasons. I actually delayed watching the sub version and didn't get around to it until a few days ago. I am not sure what to say now that the Rakua part of the story is actually over (technically "over", because the Pokemon are going to rebuild it so maybe we'll go back there someday).
I considered the conclusion of Rayquaza Rising fully "satisfying" but I don't feel the same way about this climax. Something is still missing. I can call it "appropriate" but I can't use the word "satisyfing". I'm still going to have to think about it more to try and parse out the intent.
So far, how I feel about the different arcs is that chapter 1 to 4 (Liko and Roy Set Off -> Rayquaza Rising) were thematic peak. Genuinely, what a unique premise, engaging characters and mysteries, emotional complexity, compelling dynamics, it was So Good and a blast to follow in real time. Chapter 5 (Mega Voltage) was quite cool too. I think it had some fumbles here and there due to that One Gimmick, but the chapter ultimately centered Liko and gave us ep 104, which is one of the most moving and impressive story that this franchise has delivered and I'm still lacking words to describe how profoundly emotional it was. Chapter 6 (Rising Again) is "Roy And His Dog Have Ruined Everything". I'm not happy at all with how they've written Roy post-timeskip and I can't support him anymore. His writing has caused so much damage to literally everything that it's genuinely hard to see, and the way everyone has to be diminished to prop him up is really repulsive to me. Liko, Dot, Friede, Cap, they all suffered from that. Even Uruto feels like he was just made for that sake (and he's more interesting currently because at least, there are things to analyze with him). I'm scared to see what they'll do in the next chapter because it feels like the writing has to resort to lying and the narrative has to bend itself over when it comes to him now. (This chapter had good and satisfying eps btw, but they all had to do with the other characters, and it's a shame that the arc closing off the Rakurium story had so much stuff that was whatever. If I wanted to see some male character growing stronger type of story, I would watch anything else, not Horizons lol. We could have had more Explorers. Or Spinel. Whatever.)
Anyway, I'm not sure what to think of Wonder Voyage either. I'm not a huge fan of the game stuff being pushed in the anime. Which I keep saying, but it just baffles me that it's something that should be considered essential for the anime to do. Terastal Debut was actually fine, because it was implemented in a way that pushed the actual story and plot along. Mega Evolution was an example of a clumsy implementation. Now that we've resolved the "big plot" so to speak, I'm not sure how this new game adjacent stuff will be used to tell an interesting story. I just don't want to see the story and characters I love be warped beyond recognition. I want them to be given satisfying closure when the time comes for it.
No strong opinions on the new character (Navi) either. She has a cute design. Uruto ended up being quite interesting despite being a late addition (though how he was meant to fit in the bigger narrative is still quite mysterious, the marketing intent is so blatant, sorry you had to deal with that Uruto because you're actually a character with a unique premise), so maybe Navi will be too.
My interest and investment in Horizons is/has always been/always will be linked to Liko and the Explorers. I'm really worried we'll never see the Explorers again. They are part of what makes Horizons so unique. All I want going forward is to see Liko shine and have strong focus. I'm asking for the bare minimum.
I'll keep watching to follow Liko's journey until the end, and with the faint and perhaps foolish hope that I'll get to see Spinel again. I will love Liko and Spinel forever. The rest of the cast, you're on your own <3
Similarly, I'll keep writing about Horizons as long as I have things to say. I consider that what I write on here is only 30/40% of My Actual Thoughts. I do have much more to write about and pick apart. I still have things I want to write about Liko, Spinel, the Explorers in general, my favorite dynamics, etc. And someone out there needs to objectify that old man and that ikemen, so it might as well be me.
Anyway, I've written a lot over the past 3 years and I think it's a testament to how much this story and the characters have moved me. There is so much to pick apart? In terms of themes, parallels, and intent. The mysteries were actually fun, and speculating and trying to figure things out as the story was unraveling definitely enhanced my watching experience. I love the story and its characters (for the most part). Probably the most fun I've ever had with Pokemon. I never wrote this much for anything else.
Mostly focus on the scene with Crave, Friede and Amethio at the end.
I'll go over the ep very slowly but for now, I just want to focus on these specific scenes.
Mostly because I've really enjoyed Crave's character in general. There is so much to infer from what little there's been of him, and that's compelling to me. He feels resonant and flawed in a realistic and human way to me.
I liked that he went from a character who was generally passive/not in the know about things and overwhelmed by his circumstances to the point of paralysis, to someone who can act (and whose contributions can be valuable, no matter how "small" they are), and who will actively take responsibility for things.
Namely, I appreciated that Crave felt partly responsible for not being able to stop Spinel. I just liked that someone, anyone, felt responsible for Spinel and wished that they had been able to stop him sooner, or perhaps guide him more properly. The idea that Spinel just became "like that" overnight without any reason is ridiculous, considering the fact that Gibeon Is Right There and is the one who put him on this path without any guidance. I feel like Gibeon's responsibility towards Spinel has been somewhat lessened, so in turn I appreciated that Crave felt like he could have done something for him. It makes me think he reflected on these events on his own, and developed thoughts and regrets, etc. Makes him feel like a full character to me.
I also liked that Crave pointed out that Amethio didn't have any burden to bear in regards to Exceed. In general, I just liked the way "responsibility" and "duty" were explored through various characters (Hamber, Crave, the Six Heroes/Pagogo/Zygarde feeling like they had to do something for Rakua, etc). Something I appreciated about Amethio's depiction post ep 89 is that they stressed and emphasized the fact he is still a kid and doesn't have to rush, namely through his interactions with Mighty G. So I liked that Crave drew a strict line and said that it's his job to rebuild Exceed and that Amethio doesn't bear responsibility. Amethio being protected and allowed to be a kid, etc.
I also thought it was touching that Amethio finally got to express his wish and got to speak with his heart, and that his final line in the episode is him saying that he wants to be with his father. After everything, I'm happy that he gets to express such a simple wish and that what he wants is to be with his family and someone he loves. He went through loss multiple times (his mother and his grandfather), so I'm just happy that he really doesn't have to be alone now.. and that he can be with his family and rebuild his relationship with his father. (I've seen art of them visiting Maria's grave together, so I'm sure they could do that and catch up on lots of things and get to know each other more, etc.)
Speaking of, I felt rewarded for all my thoughts I've written about Friede and Amethio in particular, because the fact that Friede gets to be there when Amethio tells his father that he wants to be with him.. Almost feels like making up for the lack of interaction between them during two years ww (I did notice the fact that Friede and Amethio interacted earlier in the ep btw, and I was happy about that too because it felt casual) It's something they did for me specifically. Crave's character was specifically introduced through his relationship with Friede (just like the way they introduced Lucca, Liko's mother, through her relationship with Friede in ep 12, thematic threads /!\), and Amethio clearly projected his need for attention and validation on Friede during the first year of Horizons. So yeah, Friede's reaction being highlighted specifically after Amethio tells his father he wants to be with him. Makes me kinda insane, idk.
I also think it's amusing that Friede and Amethio are now in a setting where they could potentially be interacting offscreen (which is criminal, because I should be witnessing everything about them). During the first year of Horizons, I entertained thoughts of Amethio being a kind of assistant to Friede to learn more about Pokemon (that was when their rivalry was at its peak), so to think that they are more or less cooperating for the same purpose and maybe even working together..? That's something I didn't expect to be true, but it's interesting that there is new possibilities to explore with them now that Friede knows that Amethio is Crave's son and that Amethio probably knows that Friede used to work for his father.
Anyway, to go back to Crave feeling responsible for Spinel, I wonder if he'd go visit him sometimes..? What follows is in the realm of personal thoughts and "what ifs". It would be nice and I want Spinel to have human contact and maybe talk to someone.. I like the idea of Crave being like "Spinel-kun, I can fix you / I won't look away now" (he goes back to referring to him with the "-kun" to establish the hierarchy they had and it shows that he still considers him as someone he used to trust, and he won't look away because he used to do that), and maybe he'd want to know more about him in general and understand his perspective. Maybe at first, Spinel wouldn't be too responsive but eventually, he'd talk a bit.
Anyway, I think it'd be interesting if Spinel said that it would help if Crave got to show him "bonds" a bit more. He probably understands them a bit more now, but he wants to "feel" them more, see. If you go with the train of thought that "something happened" between ep 89 and 104 in regards to Crave and Spinel, it adds another layer to it and some kind of past history. I mean, maybe something happened or maybe it didn't, and if it did, they were just keeping each other company and helping each other with their respective feelings of grief and emptiness. Crave would be strict and assert that what happened was something he shouldn't have done and something he doesn't intend to repeat. Either that, or he'd say that he already told Spinel that he didn't intend to overstep a boundary. Either way, Crave wouldn't budge on his position and he'd want to keep an eye on Spinel because he'd worry about him. Anyway, something about the concept of Crave taking it upon himself to fix Gibeon's mistakes regarding Spinel, and Spinel being quite lonely and wanting to feel the weight of "bonds" and not getting something he'd ask for.
Anyway, it's the only thing I have left at this point. I love Spinel, whatever.
There is something about the fact that Sango and Onyx went from not really wanting to be stuck together as a team (Sango protested Hamber's orders in ep 24 and wondered why Onyx had to be brought along, while Onyx told her to stay out of his way), only to end up as the only two admins who stayed together after most of the story's events, entirely by choice.
The Explorers admins mostly all going their own ways, with the exception of Sango and Onyx who are the only ones they specifically showed to be together after everything.
These are thoughts I've had for a while and that I just never really got around to write. Ep 130 gave me more to think about on the subject, and I am writing it down as future reference before the final episode of this chapter.
The main focus is Spinel, but I'll mention some other characters to get to my point. I can't talk about one character without mentioning others because everyone is connected.
Thinking about how the series establishes the importance of communication and reaching out, which we've seen multiple times through several characters, notably through mentors and students, coaches and disciples, someone who guides and the person being guided or in general, even people and Pokemon.
Friede, who is explicitly Spinel's foil as a former Exceed researcher, was lost at a point in his life. Lucca, his former school teacher, reached out and helped him and she is the reason he met Cap and pursued his passion. (The contrast between Friede and Spinel stands out even more, considering that Friede stepped away from the laboratories, while Spinel sank deeper and deeper into them.)
Hamber was the one who scouted Sango, Onyx and Agate. He felt responsible for the paths they took and reached out to them in a battle to teach them a last lesson and try to remind them of what's truly important. His actions eventually had an effect on them, as they had a change of heart and decided to go against Spinel’s orders.
Agate especially stands out, as she is the closest to Spinel. Her relationship with Hamber parallels Spinel's relationship with Gibeon. Both Agate and Spinel have been chosen for similar reasons. Gibeon acknowledged Spinel's skills as a researcher, and Hamber knew Agate was a brilliant teacher before meeting her. Spinel and Agate both became able to stand on equal grounds with the "person who chose them" as well (Spinel worked in tandem with Gibeon, while Agate could challenge Hamber in a unique way that Sango and Onyx weren't able to do).
Hamber and Gibeon were both characters willing to go to great lengths for their goals. Hamber said that the Explorers were not an organization of justice (ep 130), so he has no illusions about what he's been doing. His bond with Diana was strained during the early parts of the series, but they eventually reconciled (and she made him pay up for the damage he caused to her place). He was wandering and was lost at some point, but eventually found his way back on the path he wanted to walk (Gibeon helped him, and Diana was probably also an important presence to knock some sense into him after he joined the Explorers). Similarly, Gibeon had bonds which were important to him and reconsidered his views in Rakua thanks to Lucius, Amethio and Zygarde.
So, even Hamber and Gibeon who were in a position of "person who guides"* got to be on the receiving end of help and guidance at some point. (* Hamber as Sango/Agate/Onyx's coach, and Gibeon as Spinel's boss <- their relationship is complex, so I'm settling on this simple word to describe Gibeon's role towards Spinel, I could go on for hours otherwise.)
I think Spinel stands out even more in how alone he is, in contrast to all these characters who got reached out to and specifically in light of ep 130 which depicted Hamber feeling the need to take responsibility for Sango, Onyx and Agate.
Gibeon didn't take responsibility for Spinel (and can’t take responsibility anymore).
Spinel didn't get the luxury of being accepted or rejected. Gibeon didn't give him either. Gibeon could have taken a moment before he passed to tell Spinel to let everything go. Maybe Spinel wouldn't have listened, but it could have been something to hold onto, or words to remember. But Gibeon didn't, and Spinel was left abandoned. We don't know what Gibeon could have told him had he considered Spinel to be someone that may have needed some last words directed at him, so we are left with uncertainty regarding the matter or on what Gibeon thought of Spinel. On a personal level, I find that delicious narratively but it also fucks me up in light of the contrast to other characters who got reached out to by their respective mentors/guiding figures (Sango, Onyx, Agate, Friede). Spinel will never have anything of the sort.
(This is unrelated to Horizons, but something about Spinel's lack of closure with Gibeon reminds me of Light Yagami from hit series Death Note. (Which I want to write about, because the similarities between the two situations have been on my mind for months, so I want to remember that.)
In Death Note, Light's father eventually dies and his death leaves so many unanswered questions to Light. On his deathbed, his father looks at Light in the eyes and expresses relief when telling him "Light, I'm glad you're not Kira." His father had the Shinigami Eyes, which allowed him to see a person's real name and lifespan (if he can't see that person's name and lifespan, it means they are a Death Note holder), and he concluded that Light wasn't Kira since he could see his name. It showed that he still had doubts for years about his son's innocence after L's death and that he couldn't shake off the underlying feeling that Light may have been Kira. And the thing is, he was. He died comforted by a falsehood. He will never know the truth, and he will never accept Kira either. Which leaves so many potential questions: how would his father react if he knew his son was Kira? Would he understand? and so on. The appeal lies in these questions being unanswered forever. Light is stuck with a lack of closure, and I find that beautifully haunting. That's the one bit from the Death Note story that's made me insane for years ok.
It reminds me of Spinel's situation, though in an opposite way because in his case, he wasn't "seen" by Gibeon in his final moments and he didn’t even get any words from him either, but the idea of that lack of proper closure being haunting and deliberate strikes me as similar.)
Anyway, I wonder if Gibeon will get mentioned in ep 136. I understand that sometimes, not addressing something within the narrative is also a way to address it and that can be interesting in its own right. Though, I think that Hamber and Gibeon both hold responsibility in regards to the paths the Explorers admins took. Hamber's responsibility was addressed in ep 130, but it's unclear whether they'll touch briefly on Gibeon's part in shaping the current Spinel.
Spinel wasn't made in a vacuum. Gibeon has a share of responsibility in this. He chose him because he found him promising as a researcher, and he is the one who showed him the Rakurium and tempted him. Spinel probably wouldn't have known about it otherwise. In fact, their very meeting was only made possible through the Rakurium as Gibeon used it to prolong his own life, which eventually led him to meeting Spinel. Rakurium is what brought Gibeon and Spinel together in the first place.
It's possible that Spinel already felt the way he did about connections and betrayal prior to meeting Gibeon, and meeting the latter when he was in such a desperate position didn't help things. If anything, they probably validated each other’s pre-existing mindsets instead of challenging each other on them. Gibeon not acknowledging him in the end may have been a (possibly another?) betrayal in Spinel’s eyes and proof that people can’t be trusted, and Zygarde leaving Gibeon may have been proof that Pokemon can’t be trusted either (even though Zygarde did that to convey something to Gibeon that the latter eventually understood, and it wasn’t abandonment). At the moment, Spinel witnessed multiple acts of “betrayal” which probably reinforced his belief that his mindset was correct.
I think we get an insight on Gibeon's character and mindset through Hamber and Spinel, who are the two people he chose at different points in his life and opened up to. Both of them, as well as Amethio, mirror different sides of Gibeon (Amethio represents his noble sides and his pure dream of helping people and Pokemon, Hamber shows Gibeon’s desire to guide and nurture but leans into a gray area in terms of what they are both capable of for their goals, Spinel represents Gibeon’s darker and more “obsessive” sides in a way), and what Hamber and Spinel focus on is quite telling of Gibeon's potential priorities at the time he met them.
(ep 83 / ep 89)
Gibeon's dream, focusing on people and Pokemon’s prosperity, is what left an impression on Hamber. On the other hand, Spinel focused on the Rakurium. They met the same person, but they had two different priorities.
My personal speculation is that Gibeon was probably more content with life at the time he met Hamber. After all, he reached out to the man somehow, even though Hamber had no connection to him or Exceed, unlike Spinel. Hamber has seemingly known Gibeon for a long time, and I imagine that Maria was still alive at the time because Hamber became the family butler and knew Amethio as a kid. Thus, Hamber was influenced by the “noble sides” of Gibeon’s dream.
On the other hand, Spinel met Gibeon much later. Gibeon grew older and was probably much more desperate and focused on the Rakurium. Maria was no longer alive, and I think that played a part in Gibeon's hastiness and desperation to try and give some meaning to his life for the time he had left. That mindset is probably what made him choose Spinel.
I think the circumstances Spinel was picked in were a recipe for disaster waiting to happen.
Spinel is the culmination of the miscommunication and fear of betrayal that fostered for a century. He is the accumulation of hurt, isolation and grief that Gibeon carried and passed on to him. The embodiment of Gibeon’s original sin, and the monster that was created by him and then left behind.
Gibeon and Spinel’s relationship stands out uniquely among others because of that. It is unclear whether they communicated or not, but there seems to have been misunderstandings between them that they probably weren’t aware of.
It feels like Spinel was left to his own devices without much guidance from Gibeon. For example, Gibeon seemingly didn’t know about Spinel’s personal research on the Rakurium. When Amethio told him about the “Rakurium Sphere” in ep 87, Gibeon just retorted that Spinel took initiative towards drawing out the Rakurium’s power, and that it wasn’t wrong to do so. It’s unclear whether Gibeon knew what Spinel was doing in his lab, and Spinel probably would have wanted to hide it anyway?
On the other hand, Spinel probably thought that he “understood” Gibeon’s vision and that he was the closest one to, but his current actions don’t match Gibeon’s ideals at all. (Though as of now, he may be pursuing his own agenda unrelated to what Gibeon would have wanted.) Again, it’s unclear whether Gibeon properly expressed his vision to Spinel the way he did with Hamber. On Spinel’s side, there was probably a refusal to share and communicate, and on Gibeon’s side, he may have considered that his intentions were obvious? I find that really compelling. They may have thought that the other “understood” them, but did they really? (Which is just like Lucius and Gibeon all over again.)
Anyway, I’m not ascribing any moral value to all of this, I’m just lovingly sighing at this thematically resonant and completely disastrous mess that is Gibeon/Spinel <3 I’ve never seen such a unique relationship before, where two characters make each other spiral even more in a way that doesn’t feel intentionally malicious, but completely accidental yet tragic all the same.
Just two characters who are a bit too similar for their own good, in the “best” and “worst” ways. They share traits and hold similar values (they are intellectually curious and compatible and the only ones who saw eye to eye with each other on the Rakurium), and they have the exact same (very human) fears (betrayal). They may have been drawn to each other even more because of these fears (this is speculation on my part), and ended up enhancing them even more and feeding into each other’s worst impulses. Maybe they felt validated and were comforted by each other’s presence because of their similarities (the comfort can be in many ways btw, physical or else).
Spinel being similar to Gibeon is no coincidence, he is like another possibility of what Gibeon could have been without bonds. Spinel is what you get as a result of the century long tragedy mixed in with the lack of connections, and an enhanced attachment to something out of this world. Yet, despite all of this, they share a striking similarity, in that they both have had Pokemon by their side, through everything. Gibeon considered Zygarde to be the only one who remained by his side for 100 years and believed in him as his partner. Spinel’s Blacky is a steady, loyal presence for Spinel (and has tried to save him after seeing him be engulfed by the Rakurium) and they will seemingly highlight their interactions in the next episode. Zygarde and Blacky are quite similar in the way that they are more levelheaded than their Trainers who can be reckless and too focused on their goals. Zygarde managed to get his feelings across to Gibeon in the end. We’ll see about Blacky. I intend to watch over them until the end.
Anyway, I wrote this out of my love for Spinel and Gibeon’s characters and the way their relationship makes me go “damn, isn’t it kinda fucked up that Spinel’s isolation shines through so clearly compared to (gestures) literally everyone else and contrasts with the story’s themes of reaching out and taking the first step, and the ways lack of communication and connection are so poisonous and destructive in his and Gibeon’s case?”
Either way, it’s so sad. I’m eating it up nomnom. Love wins or whatever.
The gif is very pretty and I'm so excited. We are getting Liko vs Spinel. No one interfere. This is their moment.
Anyway, I was thinking it's interesting that what Spinel did to Liko in ep 14 was kind of an early version of the consequences of the Strong Spheres, considering that tampering with Liko's memories and erasing them led her to forget her friends. She lost her bonds, most notably she forgot her meeting with Nyahoja. A reverse version of the Pokemon losing their bonds with their Trainers, in a way. So, Liko knows quite well what this means and she is the only one who does, too.
Also, isn't it kind of peak soulmatism of Gibeon and Spinel to be facing the same Pokemon in Rakua? It dawned on me seeing Masquernya fire her Flower Trick in the gif that, yeah, Nyarote evolved into Masquernya during the battle against Gibeon in Rakua. They made a point to highlight her bond with Liko back then. And Spinel witnessed all of that, and now he is going to be on the receiving end of Liko and Masquernya's bond, just like Gibeon was. I love when history repeats itself.
Liko vs Spinel has the potential to be much more personal as a confrontation for Liko than the one with Gibeon, though. Gibeon mostly needed to settle things with Lucius and his personal interactions were with him, Amethio and Zygarde. Liko vs Spinel compels me because Spinel is "closer" to her as a character, and he is someone she's met quite a few times in settings that were important. So, I wonder what kinds of words they'll exchange..
I wonder if Spinel will call Liko by her name? He already referred to her by name before (ep 16 and 64), but I wonder if he will again. In a "I acknowledge you" kind of way.
I wonder about the timing of their battle too, because the PR account post got me confused a bit.. so we'll see.
There is so much at stake with this battle specifically, because what the story has to/wants to convey will show through their confrontation particularly. It could just make or break the narrative for me. Kinda insane. It's not a light matter.
Either way, I look forward to this part the most. No one get in Liko, Spinel and Blacky's way. I've been waiting for this since ep 14.
I genuinely love that Blacky is actually going to get pissed at Spinel and show anger. It really shows how much agency the Pokemon have in the series in general, and I love that.
Blacky doesn't blindly follow Spinel in everything he does. If he does something she considers risky or stupid, she will react. It happened in ep 16, when Blacky pulled on Spinel's sleeve to get him to back off when Oliva showed up to protect Liko, and Spinel actually listened and retreated. It was an impactful moment to me when ep 16 aired, because it showed the kind of mutual relationship they have. Human and Pokemon willing to listen to each other. The fact Blacky shows disapproval for certain things emphasizes her agency when she does agree with something (for example, going along with the Rakurium experiment, even though it was dangerous).
I also like that Spinel is shown to be arguing back in the preview. He is enaging in a dialogue with Blacky. Sure, it seems that they are arguing and not even using the same language, but they are having a conversation and probably sharing their feelings. They are equals and communicating. It's interesting to me, because that means Spinel is someone who can argue with his partner Pokemon. (A bit reminiscent to me of ep 35 when Friede and Cap were beefing over petty stuff, but it showed that they had the capacity to argue!)
I thought it was interesting that Spinel said both humans and Pokemon could betray too, which to me implies that he considers betrayal from Pokemon on an equal level of hurt that humans' betrayal can have.
I wonder what they are arguing about.. Blacky may be angry about the fact Spinel left her behind. The cry Blacky let out when Spinel disappeared in the Rakurium and the desperate way she tried to tackle the crystal to free him from it was really good, and painful to watch. I don't wanna see Blacky go through that kind of heartbreak ever again. Spinel better take responsibility. (As an aside, I liked that both Onyx and Liko worried about Spinel at that moment too. They are good people who don't wanna see others get hurt.)
I wonder if Spinel thought Blacky would understand him and his course of actions? Or maybe the opposite, that Blacky couldn't understand him after all? I look forward to the conversation there. Spinel is seemingly going to raise his voice and get emotional, which is compelling since he is so composed usually. I love that his Pokemon is the one getting these feelings out of him. Again, ties back to the bonds between humans and Pokemon. I hope Blacky's feelings get through Spinel. That Pokemon cares about you man, and you talked about Pokemon's capacity for betrayal in front of her smh.
Also.. The Masquernya vs Blacky bit from the opening is the only thing that hasn't been shown yet. I will go batshit insane (extremely negative) if it doesn't happen, so what I'm writing is under the assumption that it will take place in the next ep because there is no way they would show this without any reason, considering that everything else that they showed in the opening happened.
Anyway, it's kinda interesting because this whole time, I thought that Masquernya vs Blacky would happen in a kind of antagonistic setting, while danger was still imminent. Though I still wondered how it would happen considering that Maquernya was supposed to fill a slot as one of the 18 Tera Types (ie, if the battle had to happen during the imminent danger part of the finale, how could Masquernya do both).
Considering that Spinel will be freed from the Rakurium in the next ep, it seems like the battle will happen after the crisis. If Spinel is freed from the Rakurium, it means the plan worked and they successfully erased it. So, the Rakurium shouldn't be around anymore once Spinel is back.
I'm thinking that Liko could challenge Spinel to a battle. That, or Blacky would want to battle alongside Spinel. Though, Liko could challenge him and Blacky would be onto it and would need to convince Spinel. I wonder how Spinel would accept...?
I assume that battle would be a way to communicate something to Spinel, much like how Zygarde tried to show the power of bonds to Gibeon. It would draw more parallels between Spinel and Gibeon too, considering that their Pokemon tend to be much more levelheaded than them and try to keep their humans from being too reckless.
Gibeon felt overwhelmed with emotion the moment it dawned on him that Zygarde understood him the whole time. It always comes back to Pokemon, and the bonds they share with humans. And generally, battles are used as a means to make humans and Pokemon closer and make them understand each other (we had that with Gibeon and Zygarde, but also Amethio and Soublades, Liko and Nyarote, Dot and Welcamo, Agate and Charem..).
So, Spinel having a battle with Blacky and understanding something through that battle would fall in line with this. Spinel is stubborn and isn't really close to people. But Blacky is the exception, and always has been. If someone can move his heart, it's his Pokemon. The series always emphasizes that "as long as there are Pokemon, things will be fine" and Spinel is no exception to that. It's telling that even though he is someone who struggles to connect with others, he still has a faithful Pokemon by his side. Zygarde saved Gibeon, and Blacky can help save Spinel too.
I quite like the idea of Liko vs Spinel being the final battle taking place in Rakua, and potentially the last battle happening in the next ep..? For the weight it holds narratively. A battle with the partners Pokemon and with Liko's philosophy at stake. Spinel represents the antithesis of her views on bonds. If Liko can help move someone's heart through her actions, especially if that person is Spinel, that'd be interesting. I'm generally insane about heroines and antagonists/villains relationships where they carry something they learned from each other forever as they move forward in life. Amethio wasn't an antagonist figure anymore by ep 104, but it's one of the reasons why I liked the battle in ep 104 so much too. I think Amethio will forever remember what Liko did for him, and it was an important step for him to rekindle his own fire, as well as Soublades'.
Anyway, we'll see how the next ep is paced, but as of now, I'm thinking Liko could challenge Spinel, and prove something to him through the battle.
Essentially, I think Spinel's beliefs can't be proven right. He thinks people and Pokemon will betray one another. Blacky is the living embodiment that his Pokemon do care about him and will not betray him. I'm thinking that Indy and Rubella will stick by his side too. They seemed worried about him in the ep. I don't have strong opinions on them (though some of their lines were interesting to me), and the fact they don't have partners Pokemon doesn't help (I love the Explorers because of how unique their relationships with their Pokemon are, it's a huge part of what makes them so appealing). It may be that Indy and Rubella as characters were introduced as Spinel's subordinates so they could stay with him after everything. Blacky will disprove his belief that "Pokemon will betray you" and Indy and Rubella that "humans will betray you."
Again, it would tie Gibeon and Spinel closer since Gibeon's bonds were prominent at the end. He reconciled with Lucius and acknowledged Amethio, and understood Zygarde's intentions. I'm thinking something similar could happen to Spinel.
As for what could happen in the future, I don't know. My thoughts are that Spinel can't be proven right (so he would have bonds to depend on). The Strong Spheres will probably be withdrawn from the market (they can make up an excuse that some items were found defective). Crave will probably reprise his role as Exceed director.
I'm not sure Spinel could stick around Exceed (no matter how funny I think him being a menace around Crave is, and it entertains me greatly). He could disappear in the wild and show up again someday. I can imagine that they won't hear of him after Rakua because Spinel is good at covering up his tracks. Btw, I am not sure they'd go the route of spreading the "truth" about Spinel either (I think it'd add a lot more on Amethio if his grandfather's legacy took more damage because of Spinel). Besides, Spinel doesn't really care much about others so I don't think it'd affect him too much if they knew how he is? It doesn't feel "personal" enough. What could hit Spinel deeply (in a good or bad way) has to do with Blacky imo, and they'll probably deal with that in the next ep.
Anyway, I have more thoughts about Spinel but I won't write all of them in this post. He was hot in this ep. His voice was beautiful too. I'd like to think and speculate more about his lines regarding betrayal. I wonder what made him so cynical. Was it just Gibeon, or did Gibeon just rub salt on a wound that someone else made?
I hope we'll get to learn a bit more about him considering this will be the finale of this arc next week. I love Spinel a lot. I hope the upcoming developments won't break Blacky's heart. I'd like to see interactions between Liko and Spinel, and also Amethio and Spinel.
Something interesting to me about the way Gibeon and Spinel's motivations/fears are highlighted in such a similar way, yet their reactions to them are distinct.
They both fear/despise/are wary of betrayal and have the potential to be greatly hurt by it, yet Gibeon was someone who kept making bonds despite that. He was heartbroken after the events of Rakua and what he perceived to be Lucius and Rystal's betrayal and their inability to understand him, but he still reached out to others and craved connections, and he is naturally someone others gravitate around.
He kept believing in Zygarde as his partner, had a family of his own and a daughter, entrusted Exceed to his son-in-law (which speaks of a level of trust he was willing to give to Crave), and chose Hamber and Spinel and shared his ideals with them.
On the other hand, Spinel seems to keep everyone at arm's length and can't truly get close and open up to others. While Gibeon experienced companionship during his Explorers days (which is what made the betrayal hurt more, because he thought his friends would understand him), it seems like Spinel's fears (of uncertainty, betrayal) prevent him from building such connections (or if he does, he is let down, as he clearly wanted Gibeon to consider him worthy and shared an ideal with him), which leads him to finding refuge in things he considers "stable" or "certain" (data he can make sense of).
In a way, both Gibeon and Spinel mirror Liko well in this regard. She initially had a fear of reaching out and started off knowing that she had trouble being understood and worked on conveying what she wanted with her words.
