Pokémon Adventures: Scarlet & Violet Chapter 11 Review - The Open Sky Titan VS the Power of Friendship?

The Open Sky Titan sure makes for an intimidating bird. If I was ranking the scariest birds in the Scarlet & Violet arc, I’d put it a hair over Chapter 7’s Quaxly. Trust me, that says a lot.

Once again, there will be spoilers ahead. Make sure to give the chapter a read before continuing if that’s a concern for you.

Starting off this chapter off with a bang, Titan Bombirdier demonstrates its power by knocking out Nymble with one hit, then seemingly swiping down Arven with its wing. As soon as that happened, I’d assumed Arven was going to be sidelined for the fight and it would be up to Violet to magically finish the battle. Yet right after that, Violet’s put into immediate danger as Bombirdier prepares to crush him in its talons. I’m so used to Pokémon Adventures protagonists pulling a trick out of their sleeve right before a disaster, but at this moment my only thought was, how are they gonna get out of this one? This scene truly excelled at keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Bombirdier was genuinely a threatening opponent—probably the toughest one Violet and Arven have fought so far. Both Hidenori Kusaka and Satoshi Yamamoto’s talents kept the stakes high and the suspense effective.

I really liked that Mireia (AKA Keiko, as I called her in last chapter’s review before realizing she had a direct in-game equivalent) came to the rescue with her music; it’s nice to see her contribute after I’d assumed she was just someone that Violet and Arven would have to rescue. Another nice surprise was when out of the blue, Arven had Nacli bring Bombirdier to the ground with Smack Down. I love seeing him get the chance to shine and be relied on. It’s satisfying to see everyone work with each other to get out of the situation instead of having one take all of the spotlight and be a hero to the rest. These two “best friends” and the stranger they meet demonstrate a powerful group dynamic that I haven’t seen in this manga for quite some time. In a character-focused series, this is what makes moments like these so much fun.

Similar to the one big gripe I had last chapter, I was a little peeved that Violet’s Wooper happened to evolve into Clodsire and we didn’t get to see it. I also wonder when that had the chance to happen in the first place. It definitely was a Wooper last chapter according to the cover, so maybe it just happened to evolve as they made their way up the mountain? I know I shouldn’t dwell on this, but it is a little weird that this is the second instance in a row where a main Pokémon evolved in a fairly unceremonious circumstance.

With Violet and Arven able to defeat the Titan Bombirdier thanks to Mireia’s help, everyone is treated to another sandwich party. Finally, this includes Mabosstiff. While it was surprising that Arven and Mabosstiff didn’t get to have a moment in Chapter 8, it was really sweet to see one now as he teared up when Mabosstiff’s eyes opened. It might have been more impactful if we’d seen more about the way Mabosstiff’s health affected Arven during his journey so far, but I’ll take it. At long last, Mabosstiff and Arven’s relationship was beginning to be explored—and then things immediately shifted gears to show Miraidon sparkling and Professor Turo calling. It was a bit frustrating to see the spotlight pulled away so quickly from Arven and put onto his father, but I’m sure he’s quite familiar with that. I’m intrigued about Violet’s relationship with his parents. As Arven points out, he’s never seen speaking with them. It’s also strange that Rotojī is reporting to them—wouldn’t it be easier for them to just speak with their son directly? Interestingly, Arven is only silent at this moment. I wonder if he too realizes this is weird, or if he’s finding comparisons with his relationship with his own father. It’s been established that he is able to sympathize with Violet’s lack of connection to his family, so maybe he is doing the same once more.

I liked that the last scenes brought us back to Scarlet and Nemona. It makes me happy to see both protagonists get plenty of chances to shine, and I hope this continues. Nemona particularly stood out in these brief moments. It’s really sweet how much she admires Scarlet. While she had come on a bit too strong in the first chapters of this arc, it’s clear that she genuinely cares for Scarlet. It was kind of her to take Scarlet’s preference for secrecy into consideration and come up with a disguise before she could go on Iono’s show. She’s a good friend.

Overall, this was a fun chapter! The confrontation with Bombirdier has to be my favorite battle in the arc so far. I really like all of the characters and their relationships as they grow. Arven and Violet’s ability to battle together serves as a testament to their strengthening friendship (but I’m choosing to pretend Arven never went back on saying Violet was his best friend). Even Scarlet, while still blunt, seems to be slightly less annoyed with Nemona recently. It’s really satisfying to see that all of this growth is truly getting somewhere. I love how much weight is given to character relationships, and I’m excited to see where the story goes from here. What did you think about this chapter?