Get The Six Heroes Back! - Pokémon Horizons Episode 125 Review - 5 Heroes, 5 Battles, 5 Trainers

I would say that this episode of Pokémon Horizons showcased how much the kids and Amethio have come regarding their battle skills. Liko is finally using Hatterene in an official battle; Roy finally Terastallizes his Kilowattrel; Dot uses Gholdengo in a battle; Ult finally commands Dragonite successfully; Amethio isn’t nerfed. I feel so proud of them. Also, I wonder if there is any intentional significance that this major battle episode is Episode 125, because there are 5 Hero Pokémon, 5 Battles, and 5 Trainers. 5 × 5 × 5 = 125.

Because there were five battles going at once, it was a bit hard to concentrate. On top of that, it did feel as if the battles were meant to show off the kids’ improved battling style, so it did feel as if the Six Heroes got a little downgraded in terms of power. Regardless, I enjoyed the battles a lot from the brief moments they are shown. My favorite part was definitely seeing Kilowattrel being the star of a battle that involved Roy for once. Because his opponent is Galarian Moltres, and Kilowattrel can no longer carry Skeledirge for aerial travel, the bird has to do the heavy lifting. It was so cool seeing it terastallized and learning a new move simultaneously. I feel like getting a power-up from Skeledirge as it activates Supercell Slam feels like it’s an improved version of the Thunder Armor from that one episode back in the AG era.

I think one of the craziest things modern Pokémon has integrated into the story is using modern technology to someone’s advantage. It helped Dot’s career as a streamer, but it can also be used for bad things like how Spinel can manipulate people by making himself look good. To be honest, I really like what they're doing with things like this. It shows how technology in-universe has evolved to the point that media can be much more involved than it was before, back in the old days of Pokémon when there was just basic computers and television.

I’m glad that the Rising Volt Tacklers managed to secure a major win against the Explorers for once. I know that some people might be upset that no one caught any of the five heroes, but not everything needs to be a capture—besides, it’s been established that these Pokémon have their own lives. Now with a trailer of the second half of the arc revealed, people are speculating that Pokémon Horizons is ending in about 10-12 episodes. That does confuse me though, because new games are usually released towards the end of the year, while the anime is then released a few months after their release. Anyways, let me know your thoughts on the episode as a whole and the possible end of this anime series.

 

Thing about multi battles in a single episode is that it's bound either give the battles less contexts or it will be rushed which in turn will look like the five heroes are heavily nerfed. The battle that only felt complete is Roy vs G-Moltres. But on a grand scheme of things, it was a great episode and hopefully them being seen as criminals becomes an apparent problem for them. It's the problem in the arc 5 and 6 where writers downplay the problems and conflicts which in turn makes everything lack suspense (e.g. Friede not struggling to get himself back up and was able to observe Laquium out in the open in Laqua with the Explorers).

 

It's anyone's guess what will happen after April, but I do think that Horizons is ending. It's a story-driven show, and the climax is unfolding right now. It would be pretty contrived to do a filler arc or even a league arc after this, because the show was always about the heroes facing the Explorers. They can't do something like MPM, because Liko and Roy haven't been around for 25 years. There are no nostalgic reunions to be had.

So what else could they do? Horizons debuted 5 months after SV's release date (which was unprecedented), and it took another two months for Paldea to be visited. Who is to say that it can't work the other way around, with a new series preceding the games? Assuming that the next series doesn't follow the games too closely (like the two series before it), I don't see the problem. It's the 30th anniversary and they can afford to explore old regions (again), but it would feel like an afterthought if they did it with the Horizons cast.