Shine, Terastal! Liko Vs Roy!! - Pokémon Horizons Episode 67 Review - The Match We've All Been Waiting For

This week's episode of Pokémon Horizons was the perfect way to end an arc. I’ve been here since the beginning of Horizons, and seeing Liko and Roy grow from only spamming Leafage and Ember to now being competent trainers got me getting all emotional. They’ve come so far!

(Before reading on, please note that there will be spoilers!)

After the events of last week’s episode where the trio saved the school from the Explorers, they’ve been lauded as the saviors of the school. Dot gets a win from the Roy look-alike, Rai, who mentioned this to her, causing her to get embarrassed once she learned Penny was behind it. It’s nice to see that their efforts have been rewarded. First, Liko had her Implementation Test results changed once Grusha had his change of heart. Now, their being the school saviors got the audience super hyped up for the final match of the battle tournament, which is the long awaited Liko vs. Roy match.

I have to say, Liko vs. Roy was INTENSE! I've always said that Pokémon Horizons has a tendency to upstage the previous cool battles they've aired, and this was no exception. This episode clearly holds the title of the best battle by far! I love that this match isn’t just about the bond between Trainer and Pokémon, but more about the bond made between two long-time friends. Liko and Roy have been together since the early days of Horizons. They battled and trained together during their fledgling days. I still remember how they first battled each other on the Brave Olivine where they just spammed Leafage and Ember, back in Episode 7. Now, sixty episodes later, the novice gloves are finally off, and how! They’re already at intermediate mode when it comes to their battling! They’ve come so far! The best part of this battle was that they, and Liko especially, were NOT holding back. It was amazing to see both Liko and Roy use a variety of moves and strategies to bounce off of each other and try to get the upper hand. Best of all, they even used both of their Pokémon! Kilowattrel finally gets the justice it deserves by scoring a win from beating Hattrem. However, Hattrem’s loss wasn’t in vain as her ability is revealed to be Healer, allowing Floragato to be cured of her paralysis. It does suck that Hattrem still hasn’t had an official win, but there’s always a next time. Floragato mainly did the work on Liko’s side, facing off against Fuecoco, Kilowattrel, and now Crocalor. It sort of makes sense why she lost, as she got a lot of hits from Fuecoco and Kilowattrel combined in addition to the type advantage Terastallized Crocalor had. But hey, at least she learned Sucker Punch, so there’s some reward for her!

Speaking of Crocalor, I like that he evolved in the finale! From what I’ve noticed, the finale of an arc always has some sort of surprise. The end of the first arc had Friede finally beating Amethio after multiple instances of no results, while the end of the second arc had Sprigatito evolve into Floragato. Now, the end of this arc finally had Fuecoco evolving into Crocalor! I do like that the anime staff finally have some incentive to make the most popular first-stage first partner of the generation finally evolve. In the past, they kept holding back generation after generation, as seen with Dawn's Piplup, and Ash's Oshawott, and Rowlett. Fuecoco is the most popular first-stage Starter for this generation so it was a matter of ‘will it or will it not’ for the dopey fire croc. The anime staff finally did it. This means that this is the second time we see all starters evolve into their second stages in the Pokémon anime. The only other instance this had happened was back in the Advanced Generation saga and that over two decades ago.

I really liked how they brought back everyone the kids have interacted with since the beginning of the arc. Katy, Grusha and Rika are here because they faced off against Liko; Brassius, Hassel and Ryme are here because they faced off against Roy; Larry and Poppy are here because they battled Dot, with Iono making an appearance towards the end; Clavell and Geeta are there because of their being the school principal and headmaster; Nemona and Penny are there because of their bond with Roy and Dot; and Dendra is there as referee. However, where the heck is Jacq? He met the kids in the beginning, but he doesn’t show up? I get that Kofu and Tulip don’t show up because Sidian and Coral have ditched the Terastal Training course, but come on, you don’t make Jacq show up? Did they forget about him or something? I mean, they brought Arven into the episode despite him not showing up since the beginning, yet they didn’t add Jacq in?

The Explorers made their appearances towards the very end of the episode. Sidian and Coral enjoy their snacks, consisting of a rice ball (onigiri) and a sandwich, matching their pseudonyms at the school. I liked the little detail of Coral sharing half of her sandwich with her Glalie. She may make it use Self-Destruct way too often, but she does care about it. Same with how Umbreon cares for Spinel despite him using it to show off the Laquium. Spinel might be like Volo where they have friendship evolution Pokémon as their aces, but aren’t necessarily good people. I still do wonder what Spinel and Chalce’s goals are. They’re even hiding their plans from Hamber. Something suspicious is clearly going on…

I feel like I wrote too much for this episode, but it’s the finale, so it deserves a long review! Overall, I really think this was a good arc despite its flaws. The writing was handled a lot better compared to the previous arcs and the kids’ growth are believable. I honestly can’t wait to see what the next arc beholds! I’m excited to get back into the story and see what Kitakami has to offer! What are your thoughts on this episode, and the arc as a whole?