To a Place Far, Far Away - Pokémon Horizons Episode 45 Review - The End of the Second Chapter

What a great way to end the second chapter of Pokémon Horizons! The raid battle against the Black Rayquaza in this week's episode was intense! Liko, Roy and Dot all show off their improved battling tactics alongside Friede and Amethio, who shows up unexpectedly after his colleagues retreated. Just seeing the fruits of their hard work, from Amethio mastering Terastal, to Liko and Roy battling so competently without the need of Friede’s handholding, to Liko’s Sprigatito evolving into Floragato, a rare occurrence for Grass-type starters.

The battle between the Trainers and the Black Rayquaza was really good. I loved how Friede chose to split them up, taking Roy and Fuecoco with him and leaving Cap with Liko and Dot, so that he could command Cap to use Volt Tackle to launch Quaxly and Fuecoco up into the air. The way Roy even landed a hit on the Black Rayquaza with Disarming Voice was so cool to see! When Amethio comes into the fray, he shows off his Tera Ghost Ceruledge, and the double battle with him and Friede's Tera Dark Charizard was so cool to watch! I can see why the kids want to learn Terastal now.

I was very surprised that the writers would allow Sprigatito to evolve into Floragato. In the past, it's seemed like the Pokémon anime writers have had a severe allergy towards making Grass-type starters evolve. Since Black and White, Ash’s Snivy never evolved; Clemont’s Chespin never evolved; Ash’s Rowlet ate an Everstone and couldn’t evolve; and Goh’s Grookey didn’t evolve. I was expecting the same thing to happen to Liko’s Sprigatito, but it seems like the writers actually went beyond my admittedly low expectations. I have hopes that the same will happen for Roy and Dot, and that all three kids will get their Starters to be fully evolved later on. Fuecoco also learned Flame Charge in this episode. It’s nice to see Fuecoco continuing to learn all sorts of moves. I do wonder when he’ll evolve. Hopefully sometime in the next ten episodes?

I’m glad that the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers are okay after the major damage the Brave Olivine took. I do worry about Carkoal’s safety though, as it’s not present with the other evacuated airship Pokémon. Hopefully, it’s just safe in the engine room as it does look quite heavy to be evacuated safely, though I guess the flipside there is that they seem to have been able to move a Nosepass with ease. Because it will take a while for the airship to repair, it seems like the Rising Volt Tacklers adventures will come to a (temporary?) halt here. Since the kids will be attending school in the next arc, I have to wonder what the adults will be doing during this time. Will they take up jobs nearby and meet up with the kids occasionally?

The Explorers section of the episode was quite interesting. Gibeon tells them to lay low and wait for the Rising Volt Tacklers to get the Six Heroes, and then take them from them. That sounds like a solid plan for now. He also wants them to monitor Terapagos and Liko. Uh-oh. Given the fact that Gibeon knows about Lucius, it seems that he is most likely aware that Liko is his descendant. A glimpse of Gibeon is seen towards the end. He has white and black hair, but in a different pattern from Amethio. I’m assuming they’re related, but perhaps as ancestor and descendant as Gibeon isn’t supposed to be alive in this era. I’m convinced he’s an AI. He also has a Shiny 10% Forme Zygarde, suggesting that Legends Z-A lore may be integrated into the anime in the near future. At very least, it has to be an easter egg for the upcoming game. I’m also wondering why Spinel smirked at the end before being dismissed from the meeting. He seems to have more ambitious goals, so I’m curious what his deal is—and it’s not because he’s my favorite or anything, okay?

Overall, The Sparkling of Terapagos chapter was a good arc. It was nice seeing progression for Liko and Roy as they grew from novices to more experienced trainers. I can’t wait to see how they will grow with Dot once they study more about Terastal at Orange Academy. In fact, I can’t wait to see their school adventures! What are your thoughts on the second chapter now that it ended? Are you looking forward to the third chapter as much as I am?