Pokémon Adventures: Scarlet & Violet Chapter 9 Review - Scarlet the Avant-Garde?

There’s a lot to love in this chapter—whether it’s the hilarious facial expressions drawn by Satoshi Yamamoto, the chaotic characterization of Brassius, or the little insight we get into Scarlet’s life. I found myself smiling throughout it.

As usual, there will be spoilers ahead! Please keep this in mind if you haven’t had the chance to read it yet.

I like how this chapter picks up directly where the last one left off, leading us to meet what is perhaps the most unhinged adaptation of Brassius’s character. He looks so intense in every panel—I feel like if someone were to take one out of context and show it to a person who’s never played Scarlet & Violet, they would automatically assume he’s a villain. His dynamic with Scarlet is also hilarious, as the two are respectively the most and least emotional characters. I love that after he pesters her with questions, the conclusion he comes to is that she’s some artistic prodigy. I sincerely hope we get to see more of him outside of this chapter.

I’m happy to see Nemona reunited with Scarlet. It was really sweet that she packed a sandwich for her after she lamented not being able to give her one last chapter. I had a similar expression to Brassius and Nemona upon seeing Scarlet try to eat the entire sandwich in one bite. Is that how she was able to clear out Katy’s bakery? Anyway, Nemona’s enthusiasm and kindness toward Scarlet makes it sting when she’s quite blunt to her, as we see in this scene where she calls her “simple-minded,” but it’s reassuring that Nemona doesn’t seem to take offense to this. Her relentless positivity makes it easier to laugh at this part, and I love that she was able to spin the situation around to point out that Scarlet actually doesn’t mind traveling with her.

Despite supposedly being used to the antics of Brassius and other artists, the townsfolk of Artazon are gravely concerned about a serious-looking girl taking on the Gym Test. Of course that scene immediately transitions to Brassius casually jumping off the windmill to begin the Gym battle. The battle itself wasn’t too engaging aside from the fact that we learned Scarlet had two Pokémon we’d never seen before. Unfortunately, neither of them were present for very long during the battle, and it was only to repeat the strategy she’d used against Katy. While it’s in character for Scarlet to end a battle in the fastest way she knows how, I was hoping to see something new and a bit more exciting. A lot of other Pokédex holders who take on Gyms are met with at least one specific challenge presented by a Gym Leader that they learn to overcome throughout the fight. Doing something like this would show us more about the way Scarlet’s mind works and how she approaches a new challenge. It just feels a bit like a missed opportunity for some characterization.

That being said, I did enjoy the flashback. Until this point, we know that Scarlet typically prioritizes her own interests over anything else. However, after some shadowed-out members of Team Star give her a Charcadet and an Auspicious Armor as a parting gift, she refuses to take the latter because she knows its value. This seems unlike the Scarlet we know so far, who last chapter we learned let Nemona take an attack from Gimmighoul so she can take its coins. After everything we’ve seen from her, why would she not jump at the opportunity to get something so rare and valuable? Especially when it was offered to her? Despite being blunt and seemingly devoid of empathy, Scarlet keeps having these unexpected moments of kindness that make her an incredibly interesting character. While she’s a bit frustrating, it’s kind of a good frustrating, because it makes us invested in her doing the right thing.

It was a relief to learn Nemona had been carrying Scarlet’s Badges, as it’s been a long time since a Pokédex holder has actually earned all eight. I hope she gets there one day. My favorite part of this chapter takes place just after the battle, when Scarlet automatically assumes there will be a buffet for her (because that’s what happened when she fought Katy). This feels like one of the only times so far where she’s shown in a comedic light. Usually she’s surrounded by highly unserious characters, so I like that she gets a chance to be a little nonsensical. It’s also nice that after she admitted to growing accustomed to hunger, she’s now eating entire sandwiches at once and demanding buffets.

Seeing Scarlet challenge the Gyms has been a lot of fun so far! How did you feel about this chapter? What do you think about Scarlet in general at this point?