Today's ep was clearly done with fun and Pecharunt marketing in mind (and to time it with PokeMas, clearly), but, more importantly:
Armarouge is happening next ep, Diana brought the armor that Carbou needs to evolve. AND it's actually used in a manner next ep that makes sense, as in, Carbou dresses in it and is battling in it before evolving lol. I love that!!!
Also, Amethio and RVT are raiding Exceed base, not entirely sure if they found out where the Six(/five) Heroes are or what, but basically I got what I wanted, Amethio being there for Armarouge lol.
I guess it's to be expected for the evolution to come next, but damn is this fast pacing lol. What exactly are they gonna do for the rest of the plot, because think about it: They need 18 tera types. And they need to be of same strength as the six heroes. I would not count our main cast 'mon as such. Pecharunt, maybe. So that's six + zygarde + pecharunt. So 10 more needed. If they retcon the power level need, then I guess we got all the tera types. But otherwise need about 10 more?
So yeh. I liked today's episode lol. And am hyped as fuck for the next in two weeks.
I meant to do this at the beginning of the year, but the only other episode out this year is the mochi one and I have a lot of Opinions about that, so we're going to start with hz124 (which was peak)
overall, a very fun episode because ametrio FINALLY get to work with the rvt, which I know is something that myself and so many others have been BEGGING for. I did not know what to expect with their dynamics, but I'm pleasantly surprised at how they did it?
and of course, the armarouge evo that we've all been waiting for! I love charcadet so much, but I'm so happy he gets to be mega man now! it's genuinely so cool to see ceruledge and armarouge side by side now!
more thoughts down below the cut
positives (it's mostly amethio, are we surprised)
amethio is out of anime jail LET'S GOOOO (and he's at least in hz125 yay!) I really hope he doesn't get put back in anime jail after that bc , especially after we pan from the rvt flag to him and ceruledge, like that highkey feels like foreshadowing??? (ty ace for pointing this out bc now I am obsessed with it) put him on the ship for longer than a day, horizons writers, come on!
the hero landing is both a positive and a negative lmao (positive: glad he retained some silliness and whimsy despite a year in the trenches, negative: why do we need to do all of that lmao he is so extra)
I LOVE that amethio gets to interact with the rvt:
lowkey a negative, but it's going here instead: I do wish we got to see him talk with the adults Literally At All outside of ludlow, but the writers seem to want to sideline them at all times, so I shouldn't be surprised... (also are they just chill with him now? after a year of attempted kidnapping I feel like they would be not this chill but maybe that's just me)
I think it was interesting to have him talk with Ult, of all the rvt, since he's the newest and definitely the least trusting, but it was nice to hear that Ult genuinely cares for the rvt so much now
armarouge evo!
ceruledge is so done and the battle hasn't even started lmao
charcadet is two apples tall :) (genuinely obsessed that they had one (1) battle and now charcadet is obsessed with fighting alongside ceruledge)
I saw a bunch of people critical of them not showing the evolution itself and essentially just doing a wipe to the new form, but honestly I love the point someone on twt made about how a psychic and fire move was how it evolved and, frankly, a pillar of fire is sick af (I'm biased af as also a persona 5 enjoyer)
the armor cannon animation was cool af!!! god horizons animation is top tier sometimes
liko and amethio team up (FINALLY)
hilarious that amethio tried to talk about charcadet being stubborn and it went completely over liko's head (she has one brain cell <3)
I am obsessed with how well they work together
their pokemon really bring out the best in each other..... man..... ceruledge strengthens armarouge with his fire while armarouge is a defensive tank that keeps the enemies down while ceruledge strikes... their battles will be LEGENDARY
liko's battle strategies are unhinged (girl really said you're stuck here in this fire spin with ME) but I'm here for them - go off, queen!!!!!
charcadet is actually as insane (positive) as liko bc what do you mean he's jumping in front of fire blasts, going head first into take downs, and using the armor as a shield to minimize recoil????
liko's so proud of her little guy wahhhhh she deserves the world!!!!!!!
negatives (mostly just questions about the writing tbh)
general/I didn't know where to put this
hilarious that Hatterene is included in the intro when she has literally not been involved in the story since she evolved
congrats to Hamber and Diana getting added to the intro ig - maybe one day we'll get hamber's backstory...
we're really going to have amethio (and maybe zirc and onia) sleep over on the brave olivine and we're not gonna show any of the fun shenanigans??????? come on I really have to write everything myself
I feel like dot's hacking is there solely to serve the plot, which I know is usually how hacking in media goes, but it lowkey felt like they didn't know what to do with her this ep, which sucks
I really wish we got to see Ult bonding more with the rvt - I've been rewatching s3 and I feel like we had a bit of it, especially between Roy and Ult, but I feel like we could be having interesting conversations with Liko and Ult and Dot and Ult too, not to mention all of the adults who would love to talk more with a kid who doesn't trust easily (we literally have only had him talk to Mollie :/)
how did we get here
how did we get to the point that amethio is now joining the team and running strategy meetings. we were just dealing with mochi??? and prior to that we were still examining Friede's and exceed's data??? we have gone on exactly one stealth museum and it was a museum, it wasn't the heart of exceed hq??? have they been texting to plan this? is there a group chat?
it's crazy to me that they're asking five teenagers with no stealth training to sneak into exceed HQ and expect this to go well
infiltrating exceed felt far too easy - like maybe that's the point? spinel sees them coming from a mile away and burns a few guards to pretend like he considered them a threat? - but if this is actually what we're dealing with, then the explorers are pretty stupid and not in a funny way
the six heroes (is this a retcon?)
I know Pokemon is all about bonds and such, but it is so weird to me that they're going with "the six heroes, who attacked each other in the finale of s2, didn't attack each other in s3 bc of their bonds" like what. what happened in s2 then??? I literally just rewatched the s2 finale and they were actively attacking each other? am I stupid (probably) did they forgor (also probably)
"we gotta rescue them now before strong spheres make them forget their bonds" how do strong spheres do that though??? is it like the mind wiping stuff that Liko dealt with where they just forget themselves with additional use??? did this already get established and I'm just being dumb???
the plan
this makes me Squint because what do you mean exceed, this all powerful threat for the last three seasons, isn't going to pay attention to a giant airship coming in from the top???
I think amethio is right in that they need to distract as many explorers as possible, but again, it was weirdly simple to get into exceed
character questions
I need indy and rubella to have literally any personality trait besides "Threat To Overcome With Good Pokemon" - like I know amethio calls them spinel's pets (and he's right) but I would love to learn literally anything more about them. if their whole thing is that they're in it for the money or fame, that's cool! can I see that! I normally wouldn't care about the less important villains, but you made the other ones so much more intriguing that these new guys are sorely lacking
not that I don't love amethio and liko getting along swimmingly, but I feel like? we have an episode or two missing between this and the mochi one? they're battle stupidly well together, despite having only battled once together prior, and they're way friendlier with each other than I expected? it feels like we had a training montage episode and I missed it :/ I'm trying to keep head canon separate from canon rn, but even based on their characters in the show, it feels like we skipped past a lot of the friendship and trust he built in the rvt to get to this ep do I have to write that too
overall, again, I did like the episode, but that's because amethio and liko are my favorite characters, so I was gonna have a blast regardless - I just have a lot of questions about some of the writing choices rn
I think the cool thing about the recent episode in which Liko's Armarouge and Amethio's Ceruledge cooperated is that they defeated a pair of Salamence. Salamence, the most like what people think of when they think of a medieval dragon.
A pair of knights slaying a pair of dragons together. I love it.
The weekly Pokedoko show featured a few snippets from HZ124.
The scene shown and the quiz about the next episode have something to do with Amethio.
I watched some bits from Pokedoko, so I'll go over what was shown before next ep airs.
So.. Amethio is on the Brave Asagi, and he hasn't been on it since HZ002 which was when he boarded it by force. I wonder if he'll think about those events or not. Back then, he wasn't an ally but now, he is.
I wonder why he is on the Brave Asagi in the first place. Maybe he tracked the RVT to spontaneously offer help, or maybe they stationed somewhere to wait for him. I'm not sure they have his contact information, or if they are going through a third party to communicate with him. Perhaps they'll have a strategy meeting before enacting their plan, which would be why they need him to be there.. we'll see.
I wonder if we'll see Amethio inside the ship or just outside on the deck. Either way, it's interesting to see him casually show up there because of how different the context is from the first two episodes. This is Liko's second home too, so in a way, he is getting to witness a part of her life, just like Liko did with him when she got to see his house with Zir and Conia in ep 104.
Anyway, the bits shown in Pokedoko are Amethio and Uruto talking. The Pokedoko hosts referred to it as just the two of them having a talk. Uruto's room is in the observatory deck so maybe he saw Amethio outside and decided to go talk to him..? This is an interesting combination. I've been curious about their potential interactions since the preview for ep 111 where the two of them talked. Uruto panicking, Amethio telling him to calm down and command his Pokemon with composure, etc. I liked Amethio and Dot's small exchange a lot in ep 111 (showed their acknowledgment and mutual respect towards each other), so it's neat that he gets to open up to more people. Something quiet and soothing about characters talking at night and getting to know each other, too. I wonder if their talk will be interrupted/someone will see them talking, or if it'll remain just between them.
Also, the weekly quiz is about the content of their conversation. It seems that Uruto will be telling Amethio something about the Rising Volt Tacklers. There are two potential answers (that they are his henchmen, or that he likes them a lot, very rough translation that doesn't convey the speaking patterns used).
Anyway, it seems like a conversation focused on emotions! Which I like. Focus on characters' interiority and thoughts. Both of them were kind of outsiders to the RVT too (Uruto came in later, and Amethio was formerly an enemy before becoming their ally). I wonder what compels this conversation in the first place..? Either way, I currently think the answer to the quiz is the second one. It'd be cute.
I look forward to this scene a lot, probably the one I'm most curious about along with the developments between Liko and Amethio and their Pokemon. Something about Amethio and Uruto being two characters who opened up to Liko around a campfire, and the contrast between one of them growing up in wealth and the other in poverty, and their main Pokemon are purple.
Starting with Amethio and Uruto's conversation. Their conversation was something I was really looking forward to ever since PokeDoko revealed that they would be talking one on one. It felt special because Amethio only ever interacted with three characters from the RVT in an isolated setting (Liko, Friede, Landau). He had an interaction with Dot in HZ111 (apologizing to her because he felt responsible for Zygarde lacking in strength, and Dot thanking him for helping Liko and the others), but it wasn't an isolated setting. Their conversation was unexpected, but this duo of characters really makes sense given their similarities (outsiders to the group who became allies later on, characters who can't easily open up to others, etc).
I also really liked that Uruto mentions that he'll trust Amethio because the others acknowledge him and trust him too. It's reminiscent of Zir and Conia telling Liko in ep 104 that Amethio acknowledged her even when she was still his adversary. And it's because Amethio acknowledged Liko that Zir and Conia were willing to put their trust in her and reach out to her, too. Uruto, Zir and Conia being kind of "outsiders" to the history and personal interactions/moments these characters share among each other but willing to trust their friends' judgment all the same. This willingness to extend trust being something only Uruto could do, and this interaction in general being something that only Uruto could say, as someone who has no personal history or baggage with Amethio. Uruto doesn't know Amethio much and only met him as an ally to the RVT, so he's never seen him as an enemy to the others.. His perception of him is untainted in that sense. I feel like this moment really showed his levelheadedness and maturity. He can be abrasive, but he is perceptive too. Uruto can be so guarded and we get the feeling that he never really connected with many people before this, but he's reached a point where he is comfortable enough admitting that he likes the RVT (which was cute as hell, I'm glad he can be open about this to a third party outside the RVT) and openly cares about others and willing to trust someone he's just met because his friends do too. In turn, I thought it was interesting that Amethio was willing to talk to someone so casually and tried to see things from the RVT's perspective. Observing the scenery and taking it in, reflecting on it and coming to his own conclusions about the freedom they enjoyed (leaving an implication that he didn't have this freedom before and felt trapped, and that he can enjoy it currently as he is pursuing his own path).
The content of Amethio and Uruto's conversation being a reflection on the current state of Amethio's relationship with Liko and by extension, the RVT (the contrast between stormy/rainy and calm weather, reflecting how tumultuous and shaky his relationship with Liko used to be).
Uruto offering Amethio a place to rest and suggesting he uses the couch was really cute.. He has manners now and he is mindful of others. Amethio reminiscing his first time on the Brave Asagi and declining Uruto's offer after remembering his moment with Liko in ep 2.. it was good (understatement). I love that we can infer that Amethio feels regret and guilt for his past actions towards Liko and refuses because he feels undeserving of using this specific couch.. internally feeling these conflicting emotions but it's not outright expressed and it's left unsaid. It reminded me of Dot in ep 103 remembering the events in Rakua and the fact that Zir and Conia stepped in to help them, which is what made her want to help Zir and give him a ticket to the Gurumin event.. Dot clearly felt grateful and wanted to pay him back in her own way. I love moments like these which assume the audience is clever enough to connect the dots and come to the right conclusions without outright spelling it out for us. It feels respectful towards both the characters and the audience.
Overall, it was such an enjoyable interaction to me. It showed off both characters' charms and growth, felt poetic and nuanced (talking about the weather to refer to something else), and established a meaningful connection between two characters who had little history prior that. Trust and connections being formed in the most unlikely places, which is what will lead to Spinel's downfall. In a way, this moment highlighted some of my issues with the way Roy is currently handled because Uruto is a character allowed to have vulnerable, meaningful interactions with other characters (Matiere, Taro, Mollie, Amethio now, etc) and have his emotional depth and interiority explored in a way that doesn't happen with Roy.
The thing I mentioned about Uruto being abrasive but having moments of levelheadedness reminds me of Sango too, which kind of gives another layer to their interaction in ep 95 (which was when Uruto interrupted the battle and helped Liko and Roy and called the way Sango and co battled with the Strong Spheres "uncool"). Sango can be loud and explosive, but she's had multiple moments where she surprised me by being perceptive or calm in general (the fact she was willing to listen to Amethio and doubting Spinel's word when he framed him in ep 65, or that she is someone who actually wants to put in the work and line up to get her sweets instead of being handed things on a platter, etc). Something about both of them being gremlins, etc.
In terms of the matchups we got at the end of the episode, I need to think more about it but there is something to be said about Liko facing off Basagiri, while Amethio is stuck with Lapras, the two Pokemon among the Six Heroes who have an individual relationship (which has been emphasized, and the only two of the Six Heroes to share a unique bond) and who are rivals. Which could mean anything, or nothing. It's funny because Basagiri and Lapras is literally my only Pokemon ship in Horizons. You will think about how Lapras' memory of Lucius was the last moment she shared with him in Rakua as he promised he'd meet everyone again, in contrast to Basagiri's memory of Lucius being his first meeting with him as Lucius accepted him and reached out a hand to him. And how upon awakening from her slumber, Lapras gathered friends, while Basagiri isolated himself, waiting for someone to meet him. And how Lapras will forever carry the physical mark of her first meeting with Basagiri, being willing to take a scar out of love for her trainer, and how they moved past that despite their tumultuous start.. which is a bit similar to Liko and Amethio, in a way, as they were able to form a unique bond despite the way their first meeting went down.
I think Basagiri and Lapras are also interesting choices for them because of the Pokemon's individual traits. When Liko and the others met Lapras, she was fierce and led a group of Pokemon who didn't mingle much with humans. Despite that, Lapras is also deeply loyal and kind underneath her tough exterior. Which is similar to Amethio (and even Liko, who shares Lapras's traits). Basagiri was described as a lone warrior when the group first met him (it's the title of ep 73), and I think his steady, quiet loyalty are traits reminiscent of Liko and Amethio.. I think the lone warrior motif is also interesting in relation to Onyx, who very much feels like one too. I'm still in the process of thinking about the other matchups, but I thought Dot and Agate being with Oliva stood out in the sense that Oliva watched over a forest.. something about Dot and Agate having educator roles (Dot making educational videos about Pokemon and Agate being a former teacher), and sowing the seeds of knowledge.
Btw, I think it's neat that Liko is facing Onyx again one on one (seemingly) because it's been so long. Uruto facing Rubella is fun (because they keep making him face girls). I am just looking forward to seeing more of the Explorers again in general.
Dot personally thanking Zir and Conia was really thoughtful of her, and I liked that she spontaneously did that.. I love seeing the ways she is so considerate and openly mindful of others. Zir being excited that Gurumin thanked him was cute! In general, I liked that this episode highlighted that every character's contribution mattered and was important. Amethio thanked others multiple times, everyone thanked each other and acknowledged/uplifted each other. It's something I also liked in ep 120. Dot got help from Crave to infiltrate the Exceed Museum. Crave isn't a typical fighter, and he is portrayed as someone with contributions only he can provide. Similarly here, Zir and Conia have roles and things only they can do. Everyone shares the burden and there isn't a single person who can do everything by themselves, it's a collective effort. (Just like with Uruto's scene, I feel like this ep also indirectly highlighted another issue I have with Roy currently. While this one stresses everyone's achievements, we got an ep recently with Roy's achievements blown out of proportion for things that were collective efforts, diminishing everyone else in the process in order to elevate one single person at everyone else's expense.)
The subs having Amethio call Indy and Rubella Spinel's "pets" was funny and also kinda insane. They are making it easy to joke about Spinel and his many adventures with his subordinates. Whatever shall I do.
Indy and Rubella calling Amethio a traitor, and the fact he questioned who was the real traitor was interesting. Something about the narrative being manipulated/perhaps Spinel seeing that as his "truth", and Amethio trying to shed light on the truth by sticking to his own path.
I feel like we never got to see Roy's room on the ship before this ep..? I was happy to see it. Other than that, Dot's Pokemon sleeping on her bed is cute, I do like how the Pokemon are always included in everyday life scenes like these. Same with Liko's Pokemon. I think Liko was drawing or maybe writing on her tablet in her room, I thought it was neat. Carbou wanting to wear the armor was such a cute scene, and the fact Liko let Carbou do as he pleases, despite commenting on how it might be hard to move in, was good (the whole respecting a Pokemon's wishes and agency, etc).
I think Spinel is hot as hell on his Gibeon-like kind of throne and petting his cute loyal Pokemon (the fact that this is the one thing that's remained consistent about Spinel is so interesting too, especially since he breaks bonds).. Why did the PR account post a gif of Spinel petting Blacky right after the episode aired, and how do they know so precisely what the audience wants. They know exactly who they are targeting with Spinel, and I will be saying this every time because it's true. I love Spinel bait and falling for it every single time <3 If Spinel locked me up in the Explorers basement, I would simply let myself get beaten by the Six Heroes so he could wear the prettiest smile on his face <3 RIP to Liko and the others, but I'm different.
Anyway, Spinel emulating Gibeon to some extent and standing where he would have been is so compelling- trying to fill the void of his absence, recreating his presence, defiling the original purpose of the Explorers, and chasing someone who isn't there anymore. I like thinking of Spinel as the monster created by Gibeon and who was left behind by him, someone who reflects his most extreme sides (and unlike Gibeon, he never had someone like Lucius), the widow lashing out in grief.. Spinel, Gibeon isn't going to [redacted] and [redacted] you, king.
Now, onto Liko and Amethio, and their battle.. many things happened and I might not mention everything here.
I liked their battle because it's generally how I like them being implemented in the story. Battles as a means to develop characters, relationships, Pokemon, and as a storytelling tool to convey something specific.
Amethio referring to Carbou as "stubborn" and teasingly wondering "who it takes after" was a lot (his voice was so gentle).. And something I want to mention is that both Diana and Amethio have basically referred to Liko as "stubborn." When Diana met Nyahoja in ep 24, she told her to look after Liko and said Liko was "more stubborn than she looks" and now, 100 eps later, we get Amethio commenting on one of Liko's Pokemon being stubborn and thinking this trait comes from Liko. Diana and Amethio didn't use the same words (Diana used 頑固 iirc, and Amethio used 強情, their meanings are the same though) but the fact that Diana and Amethio have the same assessment of Liko..? Diana knows Liko the best and inspired her. I think it's interesting that they describe Liko the same way and came to the same conclusions about her. Gaining insight into Amethio's perception of Liko's character was enlightening.
The emphasis on Liko and Amethio doing things "together" and combining their powers was so nice.. it stood out to me when they both used different words to say "together." Liko saying 一緒に and Amethio 共に, using different words but the endgoal being the same, ie doing things together. It reflects their differences and similarities.
I loved how creative Liko was with Carbou's armor during the battle. The armor had drawbacks to it (it was difficult for Carbou to move in it), but Liko using it as protection and telling Carbou to hide inside was such a clever move. I especially liked Carbou taking the initiative to use the armor to reduce the damage from the recoil of his own move. It shows that Carbou is a full independent being and can think on his own. Love when Pokemon are full characters on their own and treated as such.
The way Liko used Clear Smog and Fire Spin was really cool. She is just the coolest and so resourceful with her moves. Using a firestorm as defense to lure in her opponents (and Amethio being impressed at that!!) and telling them that /they/ had nowhere to run.. I love how tricky her strategies are, not just relying on brute force but making the most of everything she has. The way this battle utilized Pokemon's abilities, too. Liko and Amethio both knowing how the other works and making the most of each other's Pokemon's abilities, the Pokemon themselves acknowledging each other's strengths and acting on their own.. just impressive and strong stuff all around. The callback to Carbou's training in ep 118 was also neat to me, because we can see exactly how Liko and Carbou got to the point they are now. Carbou was training and learned to fire Ember rapidly in ep 118 and this was brought up again now.
I thought there was something about Carbou's evolution not being shown and the moment it happened being engulfed in the fire. I'm still thinking about it and trying to phrase it. But there is something about the fact that it was hidden that stood out in a good way.
Overall, I just loved Liko and Amethio's teamwork. The way they deeply respect each other and admire one another. Amethio complimenting Liko and her Pokemon. Liko thanking both Amethio AND Soublades (the Pokemon are full beings that are considered with as much respect as the humans are). The fact that none of this is something natural to them. It's not something taken for granted. They had to work to get to that point and this is the result of the bond they forged by themselves by reaching out to each other and opening up to each other. It's the fact that their communication is what changed things, and it's why it's so deeply satisfying to see them work so seamlessly and in such harmony now. Because it could have been different, but because Liko and Amethio are the way they are, things are the way they are now. Their bond is their own and unique, and the result of their compatibility and respective personalities. And it makes me insane ok. None of this is unexpected because it's literally been set up from the start and it's just the logical continuation of things and the way things were meant to develop but it's still so satisfying. Because this is really the story they want to tell.
Anyway, when the story is peak because it naturally focuses on the two core characters the story is about and the narrative pillars who carry the story's themes, and when it fully leans into its thematic strengths and when the Pokemon get to shine. And when Spinel shows up, etc etc.
I could write more, but I gave myself a time limit.
