amelikos

[amelikos]

Some character notes and episode notes for HZ049, writing them down for future reference.

The ep starts with the trio heading to Hakkou City. Roy is singing happily with Hogator (they are super cute), while Liko and Dot comment on his good mood and how passing his test must have taken a weight off his shoulders. Liko encourages Dot and assures that she'll be able to pass her test, since she was able to pass it too (I really need to point out how Liko seems to put herself down in some ways sometimes and minimizes her achievements... Something that Dot does as well at times... Liko and her confidence issues etc). Dot thinks Liko is fussing too much but she smiles about it. Liko gets a notification that a new Gurumin video got uploaded and wonders if Dot filmed it out and about. Dot explains she prepared some videos before the Terastal course, and takes into account Liko's comment (maybe she'll film outside sometime), and Liko is happy about it. Then, Roy calls out to them and tells them they reached Hakkou City. (I really like how we get continuous small moments of Liko and Dot talking, just the two of them, and their interactions always give so much to think about.)

As they are in Hakkou City, Roy comments that this place is still as great as ever (boy lived on an isolated island most of his life, so it's cool that he keeps getting excited about big cities and stuff like that). Liko sees a Nyahoja ad and feels nostalgic about it (Nyarote doesn't look impressed though ww). Dot is calling Friede (who is with everyone else) and tells him they reached the city (good that they keep in touch and that they let the adults know where they are). Orio and Mollie suggests that they swing by and stay at the dock during Dot's test, and Murdock tells Dot he brought her cake (and she is embarassed about it). Then, an ad featuring Nanjamo is shown in the city and Roy wonders if they'll be able to see her before Dot's test, to which Dot says that they won't since she is busy. Though, it turned out that Nanjamo was at the place where Friede and the others are, and Dot seemed surprised about it and told her she doesn't live there or anything... Nanjamo thinks she cares about the details too much and that a streamer who shows her face like her needs a place where she can relax (and she is eating some of the cake Murdock brought too). She is the one who showed the RVT the dock where Orio is fixing the ship though, so it's not like she didn't do anything for them. Murdock gives cakes to everyone (the one Sango missed in HZ047.. I thought about her when I saw it), including the Pokemon, and Dot is enjoying her food (very important).

Friede asks Liko and Roy how their course is going, Liko says she is somehow hanging in there, and Roy says it's going great (I always liked the different responses both of them give, Liko's are always more measured, while Roy's focus on the more positive aspects, which fits their personalities). Friede says Dot will face Nanjamo next (he didn't use honorifics with her btw, he called her just "Nanjamo"). Nanjamo tells Dot she has a favor to ask for her, so they all go outside.. Nanjamo explains to Dot that her basics tests are streamed on her channel, so they'll rehearse for it (it's not something specific to Dot, but something she does with everyone taking the course apparently). Nanjamo won't go up against Dot herself (or else she'd be revealing too much of her strategies), so Roy steps in (she keeps calling Dot's friends her "IRL friends", it's cute). Friede seems particularly interested in seeing how much Roy has grown. Nanjamo says she won't stream the rehearsal, but the real test will be filmed. Dot seems nervous around cameras (which Liko immediately notices and points out that Dot isn't like usual). The battle quickly ends with Roy's win because Dot was too nervous to battle while being filmed, so she didn't actually call out any moves. She admits that her mind went blank with all the cameras pointing at her. Roy wonders why since she streams as Gurumin all the time. Nanjamo understands that Dot must have gotten stage fright since she wasn't in her suit (her voice at that moment sounded really soft). Nanjamo gives Dot advice and tells her that both influencers and those who want to use Terastal need to dazzle and put on a good show. Dot isn't confident she can dazzle as herself, if she is not Gurumin (she doesn't have much confidence as herself).

Back to the ship, Dot is in her room facing her Gurumin suit. Nanjamo told Dot she was willing to let her take her test as Gurumin. Roy thought Nanjamo was nice even though he acknowledged that she wasn't doing it exactly for her either (since Nanjamo wants lots of views). Liko wonders if Dot is okay with it, and ponders about the fact that Gurumin isn't Dot. Which is really interesting tbh, because back in HZ036, Liko was all "there is nobody inside Gurumin" and didn't exactly reconcile the fact that Dot was the one behind Gurumin.. or at least at that point, not fully. She was jumpy and a bit embarassed about it, but now there is an actual shift in perspective. Liko fully acknowledges it and reconciled Dot and Gurumin in her mind. Like, it would be kind of easy to keep the humorous aspect of Liko freaking out around Dot and keep things static, but no, it's part of the development that the shift in perspective is gradual, happened over time, to the point that now, Liko and Dot can talk about Gurumin in a more comfortable way and that Liko can fully see behind Dot's facade, etc. It makes their dynamics much more compelling to think about. (Thinking about other anime I watched and sometimes, when there is a dynamics with someone being a "fan" of the other, it leans too much into that aspect so the dynamics kind of remains static and it feels unbalanced... which isn't the case here. Not only is there an intentional shift in perspective over time, and Gurumin's aspect is tackled in a thoughtful way in regards to Dot's arc and the performer aspect. Anyway, Liko and Dot's relationship is great.)

Afterwards, Dot starts livestreaming as Gurumin on the ship and says she'll have an announcement to make. (I liked the small moment with Roy catching Liko's attention by putting his hand on her shoulder.. just seeing what kind of physical contact characters tend to have or not shows how comfortable they are around the other, etc.) She streams around Hakkou City with her Pokemon and tries lots of stuff. Liko notices that Gurumin isn't the same as usual this time.. Kuwassu doesn't seem convinced by Dot's act either. Either way, Liko and Roy meet up with Dot in some kind of alleyway. Roy thought she seemed to be having lots of fun, and Dot says that she feels stronger as Gurumin so she'll take the test as Gurumin since she got Nanjamo's permission. Liko seems skeptical... Dot notices Liko still has something to say, and Liko goes like "oh no it's fine, it's really fine but..." and asks Dot if she is really okay with it. Liko admits she felt like Dot was pushing herself and making herself act extra cheerful (which Roy didn't notice). Dot is defensive and says she wasn't forcing herself.. Kuwassu drags her Gurumin costume away and doesn't want Dot to take it. Roy wonders if Kuwassu also thinks Dot was acting odd, and Liko asks again if Dot is okay with taking the test as Gurumin, but Dot cuts her off and yells at her and says it's no big deal and she already made her decision.

The whole interaction was good tbh. I love how Liko's non confrontational nature is highlighted (she doesn't want to upset others and phrases things in a specific way as to not offend her friends), but she still takes that step to convey what she thinks, because she cares about Dot and wants to know how she truly feels.. The differences in the dynamics Dot has with Liko and Roy too (Liko specifically being the one who notices Dot's feelings is something constant, she is much more in tune with her, while Roy usually doesn't exactly notice... the friendships she has with the two are a bit different, Liko is the one Dot confides in about her fears and they have deep talks together, etc). The way Kuwassu could see something felt off about Dot too (and how he tends to push her and be a bit strict with her). And I also like how Dot can be irritable sometimes tbh (she reminded me of a character from a shoujo who was a bit like her in the way she refused to have friends, who then became friends with the protagonist and felt like it was a pain sometimes because discovering the joy of friendship means you have to be careful and considerate of your friend's feelings... it made me think of that, especially with the way Dot said "it's a pain" after she yelled at Liko).

Afterwards, Dot's Gurumin costume gets taken away by a Pokemon called Burorom (who really scared Kanuchan too), who goes downtown. There's lots of people there, and Dot wants to take back her costume but she thinks she can't battle with so many people around... though she eventually musters the courage to (Liko and Roy wanted to step in to help, but Dot told them she'd handle it herself). Dot battled and thought of a plan and eventually won (and Liko knew that she had something in mind, she trusts her). Nanjamo was watching from afar (idk from where though w) and made an announcement that Dot would be taking her basics test with her and that it'd be streamed. She has high hopes for Dot. (A bunch of background characters were filming Dot's battle and I really dislike these nameless background characters now. I feel like it shows this modern problem of people filming strangers, which is very invasive.)

At the end, Dot wanted to pick her Gurumin costume back up, but Liko and Roy already took care of doing it. They went to hide it in an alleyway, and Dot joined them and thanked them for that (she didn't get exposed as Gurumin which is good, because it wouldn't have been her choice if it happened). She also apologized for yelling at them, and seems happy about being called "Dot" by Nanjamo for the first time and feels like she got acknowledged a bit. She decides that she'll take the test as Dot. Back at her place, Nanjamo is also looking forward to their battle. (I feel like we could see the senpai kohai aspect of their relationship more clearly now. At first, it felt like Dot and Nanjamo started off as seemingly equals since they are both streamers who are competent in their fields, but Dot's walls are crumbling a bit now and we can see that there is still a lot she has to learn. Nanjamo also genuinely looks forward to battling her personally and it's also nice seeing this side of her. Like, she wants to encourage that growth. She was happy about Dot making IRL friends and also helped her look for Liko back in HZ015. There's just lots of history there, so I look forward to their battle.)

This episode was written by Naohiro Fukushima btw, who also handled the screenplay for HZ036 and HZ039 (Dot helping one of her fans with the Perfuton problem and asking Liko to help her, and the Kanuchan capture episode). He is also handling the next ep, so he is on this two-parter. That's a lot of Dot-centric episodes he was on, so maybe going forward, he'll write more episodes centered on her.

#hz049 #character notes #episode notes

[amelikos]

#always love this ep #amethio and soublades have such a good color palette #hz gifs #hz045 #amethio #amethio gifs #soublades #black rayquaza

[amelikos]

Something about Dot gravitating around people who are completely different from her in terms of personality and taking inspiration from them (Blanca and Nanjamo) while she personally finds solace in people similar to her (Liko).

#good addition! thank you for sharing #huge parenthesis in my own tags but tbh i think dot and nanjamo's relationship is really interesting #because dot is the one who reached out first by sending a message to her #then we don't really know how it went off from there #maybe nanjamo took interest in gurumin as a budding streamer and liked her videos #or maybe dot kept sending her messages afterwards and they became acquainted #but the fact is that dot reached out first when she didn't have to #and has attachment to nanjamo to the point she calls her nee-san which she doesn't do with anyone else #as you said it's like a pipe dream or a kind of longing #either way i agree and i also wanna see dot interact with different kinds of characters to see how she'd react and what it'd mean to her #i liked how she got to interact with diana a bit in chapter 2 for example #(diana asking for help and managing to reach out to her and complimenting her etc. even liko was impressed that grandma got to befriend her #(anyway don't apologize i really like reading your perspective!) #dot #nanjamo #hz049 #character notes #episode notes

[amelikos]

mini trainers

#cute! #art by op #liko #liko art #roy #dot

[amelikos]

As much as Dot's development revolved around food in the first two chapters (food as a way to connect with others, come out of her shell, and try out new things), I feel like they were kind of dancing around showing Murdock giving food to her directly?

The first time Dot ate something onscreen was when she tried out the donuts Murdock made for her back in HZ008. He left them in the kitchen for her and communicated through written messages to let her know about them, but he didn't give them directly to her. From then on, Dot gradually tried out new things. Liko included her in the picnic in her own way (with Murdock's help) in HZ013 and she enjoyed it. In the following episode (HZ014), we also know Murdock gave her breakfast (Friede asked him about it) and that she was happy about it. Even fastforward in HZ019, she was seen drinking coffee and Murdock asked her if it was too sweet for her and she replied to him without fully facing him. But in both cases, we didn't see Murdock giving her breakfast or coffee, it happened offscreen.

And in the other significant moments revolving around food for Dot (like the curry in HZ027), Murdock was acting more an an observer and watching from afar instead of getting involved directly. I think part of him doesn't want to come off as pushy or like he is forcing her (since we know Dot apparently almost blocked him over him sending her messages).. I think it really shows through in HZ039 when Dot wasn't exactly too thrilled about going out shopping at first and he immediately took her side and said that she didn't have to go (he didn't encourage her to go, but I think his reasoning was that he thought Dot needed someone on her side in this situation and he didn't want to get on her bad side or for her to dislike him if he told her to go out.. which is such an uncle-like reaction). In general, I think he both wants to respect her boundaries and do something for her even if he doesn't know what exactly, and while knowing she won't easily open up to him especially since he is her uncle. Which isn't exactly wrong per se, because Dot mostly needed a peer like Liko she could connect with and open up to, and that's why Murdock mostly watches over them instead of getting involved and doesn't interfere (though I also think he may be underestimating himself a bit on some level because while there are things only Liko or Roy can do for Dot as her friends, there are also things only Murdock can do for her).

Either way, that's why I thought it was sweet in HZ049 when Murdock told Dot that he brought cake for her. It wasn't "hidden", it wasn't something he said through a message, he said it directly to her and was happy at the thought of giving cake to her and being directly involved in that. Especially since food is his way to communicate and how he expresses love, so I feel like he is getting more open about showing his affection to his niece, and in turn, Dot is more willing to accept it.

#pokemon horizons #i think it's neat how their uncle and niece dynamics still has room to evolve in small ways like that #dot #murdock #hz049 #character notes #episode notes

[amelikos]

I like her a normal amount

#she looks good in that outfit! #art by op #orio

[amelikos]

Something about Dot gravitating around people who are completely different from her in terms of personality and taking inspiration from them (Blanca and Nanjamo) while she personally finds solace in people similar to her (Liko).

#something about the mask dot puts on as gurumin etc #and how her energy as gurumin is similar to blanca's (pointed out both in universe and pr wise) #it's interesting how blanca and nanjamo are kind of similar (talkative and energetic and extraverted etc) #and how dot ends up having nanjamo as a 'guiding' figure (she is kind of like her senpai) #when nanjamo is very different from her (and dot sometimes can't keep up with her) #and nanjamo means a lot to her (dot was so happy that nanjamo used her name and is one of the few chara dot doesn't call strictly by name) #there is a lot to say about this dynamics in particular but i like how dot kind of sees nanjamo as someone to reach #(which is why i feel like dot will pass her test but lose the battle and gain something through their confrontation) #either way i like it and both kind of characters are important to dot's development (liko and nanjamo affect her in different ways) #dot #hz049 #character notes #episode notes

[amelikos]

It's really interesting seeing moments where Liko is overly careful with her words, to the point it feels like she is walking on eggshells and prefacing her thoughts with "it's fine, I really think it's fine but..." even around her friends.

#(which makes an interesting contrast with sango again since the latter generally spouts whatever is on her mind) #liko really didn't want to upset dot or make her think she thought something was wrong #but she still tried to convey what she thought while putting a bunch of 'it's fine really but maybe...' before her words #liko and her tendancy to try and please people etc. #it's such a compelling aspect to explore! and it feels realistic for her to be this way #like in a way part of her doesn't want to ruin what she already has in her friendships #especially with dot because she came so far with her #but she still said what was on her mind #very nice facet to explore for the dynamics tbh #it makes me wonder if liko and roy could have a kind of argument down the road #the two of them generally get along so well and they are so compatible and chill together #that it could be interesting seeing them argue for some reason and then make up afterwards #either way i love liko and all these small moments showing her character #liko #hz049 #character notes #episode notes

[amelikos]

Dot noticing Liko was pushing herself (HZ027), and Liko noticing Dot was pushing herself (HZ049).

#love the way these two are in tune with each other's feelings #and know each other well enough to notice something feels off when the other is being more hyper than usual #(first pics are from the curry ep when liko wanted to include dot and make her have good memories etc) #pokemon horizons #hz027 #hz049 #dot #liko #character notes #episode notes

[amelikos]

I wonder if Kuwassu will evolve against Nanjamo in HZ050..

#would make some kind of sense to have nanjamo pushing dot's growth as a trainer even further during their battle #since nanjamo is kind of dot's 'mentor' figure (or aspiration) #which was really further reinforced today (in hz049) #like maybe they won't have kuwassu evolve for the moment #but later down the road idk if there'll be an opponent that hits on such a personal level for dot #and hits the same emotional beats as nanjamo given her long history with dot etc #i guess we'll see (summary for ep 50 is strangely late for some reason) #dot #kuwassu #hz049 #character notes #episode notes

[amelikos]

More sprigaliko!

Gonna use the tag # sprigaliko for every sprig post lol

#so cute! #art by op #liko #liko art #nyahoja

[amelikos]

Gibeon vc: He took Terapagos in the divorce :/

#he [lucius] took the keys to rakua in the divorce etc #post written under the assumption that gibeon partly keeps himself alive out of sheer grief over what happened to lucius decades ago #which may or may not have been his fault #the thought that gibeon might have done something he can't ever take back #which may have led to lucius's demise #even though they were potentially friends before that #and maybe now gibeon is trying to do something about it in the worst possible way #bringing down everyone with him in his fall #just so he has a chance at doing something about his past deeds #the thought is so. good #i need to know more about the story of these two #and maybe they can get closure eventually too #hz045 #gibeon #character notes

[amelikos]

i love dot’s new outfit but i miss her comfy wear….

#love her fond look towards her pkmn <3 #art by op #dot #kuwassu #kanuchan

[amelikos]

Informative list of Horizons episodes (which I'll try to update as chapters are released).

Below is a list to keep track of who writes what in Horizons for future reference. I'll use Bulbapedia's numbering system.

Chapter 1: Liko and Roy's Departure

Total of episodes written by Dai Sato in chapter 1: 6. Total of episodes written by Naruki Nagakawa in chapter 1: 5. Total of episodes written by Kureha Matsuzawa in chapter 1: 7. Total of episodes written by Muga Takeda in chapter 1: 4. Total of episodes written by Michihiro Tsuchiya in chapter 1: 2. Total of episodes written by Deko Akao in chapter 1: 1.

Chapter 2: The Sparkling of Terapagos

Total of episodes written by Dai Sato in chapter 2: 1. Total of episodes written by Naruki Nagakawa in chapter 2: 3. Total of episodes written by Kureha Matsuzawa in chapter 2: 5.

Total of episodes written by Michihiro Tsuchiya in chapter 2: 3. Total of episodes written by Deko Akao in chapter 2: 3. Total of episodes written by Naohiro Fukushima in chapter 2: 3. Total of episodes written by Kimiko Ueno in chapter 2: 2.

Chapter 3: Terastal Debut

To be added.

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General stats:

Total of episodes written by Dai Sato as of the end of chapter 2: 7. Total of episodes written by Naruki Nagakawa as of the end of chapter 2: 8. Total of episodes written by Kureha Matsuzawa as of the end of chapter 2: 12. Total of episodes written by Muga Takeda as of the end of chapter 2: 4.

Total of episodes written by Michihiro Tsuchiya as of the end of chapter 2: 5. Total of episodes written by Deko Akao as of the end of chapter 2: 4. Total of episodes written by Naohiro Fukushima as of the end of chapter 2: 3. Total of episodes written by Kimiko Ueno as of the end of chapter 2: 2.

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General writer notes:

Dai Sato is the main writer and the one who handles the series composition (some clarification here).

Kureha Matsuzawa, so far, is the most prolific writer of individual episodes (12 episodes written as of the end of chapter 2). He is also listed as the script coordinator of the series.

As of chapter 2, two script writers joined (Naohiro Fukushima and Kimiko Ueno).

Chapter 1 has the most episodes written by the core writers.

---

Chapters opening and climax:

Chapter 1's debut episodes (HZ001 and HZ002) and climax (HZ024 and HZ025) were written by Dai Sato (main writer).

Chapter 2's debut episode (HZ026) and climax (HZ044 and HZ045) were written by Kureha Matsuzawa (script coordinator).

Chapter 3's debut episode (HZ046) was written by Dai Sato. ---

Plot-related stuff (Six Heroes, Lucius, Terapagos, Explorers):

The episode with Oliva joining the group and the first Lucius appearance, as well as Liko and Roy reading the story of the ancient adventurer (HZ012), the one with Galar Fire joining the group and Lucius appearing (HZ023), the one which introduced Lapras (HZ031) and with Lapras joining the group and Lucius appearing (HZ032) were written by Kureha Matsuzawa. So far, he seems to be the writer handling the episodes with the Six Heroes joining the group and the Lucius appearances.

However, the build up episodes introducing the Six Heroes can be handled by other writers. The episode which introduced Oliva in the forest (HZ011) was written by Naruki Nagakawa. The episode which introduced Galar Fire in the mines (HZ022) was written by Muga Takeda.

The episode with Terapagos appearing for the first time (HZ001, HZ002), the episodes showing Terapagos's true form in Lucius's memoirs and with Terapagos reacting to Amethio (HZ024), the episode showing Terapagos's Terastal form (HZ033) were written by Dai Sato.

The episodes with Rayquaza coming out of Roy's Ancient Pokeball (HZ006), showing up at the end of the episode in which Lapras joined the group (HZ032), and appearing in the climax of chapter 2 (HZ044, HZ045) were written by Kureha Matsuzawa. The episode with Rayquaza battling Terapagos (HZ033) was written by Dai Sato.

The Explorers episodes (with the characters from the organization physically appearing), so far, are exclusively written by the core writers.

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Pokemon captures and evolutions:

The episode in which Liko met Nyahoja (HZ001) was written by Dai Sato. The episode in which Nyahoja evolved into Nyarote (HZ045) was written by Kureha Matsuzawa.

The episode in which Liko met Mibrim and caught her (HZ021) was written by Naruki Nagakawa.

The episode in which Roy met Hogator (HZ004) was written by Dai Sato. The episode in which Roy actually caught Hogator (HZ006) was written by Kureha Matsuzawa.

The episode in which Roy met Kaiden (HZ013) was written by Kureha Matsuzawa. The actual capture episode (HZ014) was written by Muga Takeda.

The episode in which Dot caught Kuwassu (HZ016) was written by Naruki Nagakawa.

The episode in which Dot met Kanuchan and caught her (HZ039) was written by Naohiro Fukishima.

The episode where Friede narrates his meeting with Cap (HZ018) was written by Kureha Matsuzawa.

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Pokemon joining the ship:

The episodes in which Potdeath and Yabacha (HZ030) and Ikkanezumi (HZ038) joined the ship were written by Deko Akao.

---

Last edited: May 7, 2024

#hz masterlist #hz writers #episode notes #i'll try to edit this in the future to organize and keep track of things

[amelikos]

#art by op #dot #kuwassu

[amelikos]

Pokemon (Shinsaku Anime) | Ep45 | Don’t get in my way!

#teamwork!! #i hope they have another opportunity to team up in the future #hz gifs #hz045 #friede #amethio #amethio gifs #lizardon #soublades #black rayquaza

[amelikos]

Some character notes and episode notes for HZ048, writing them down for future reference.

The ep starts with Roy doing some training with Hogator and gets too fired up during it. Afterwards, the trio heads to Bowl Town and a festival seems to be taking place. They meet Hassaku (Liko calls him sensei too!) who explains that it's an art festival that takes place every year and that he is there as an art instructor. Colza's sculpture of the Black Rayquaza and the Kimawari is at the entrance of the festival and is the centerpiece of it (nice that they brought it up again after HZ010). Roy asks Hassaku if Colza is at the gym because he wants to challenge him so he leads the trio there.

Hassaku and Colza have nicknames for each other, which Liko notices and she asks them if they are friends. Colza explains that Hassaku is his mentor and that he helped him when he was going through an art block and that his current art style took shape thanks to him. They go back a long way.

Liko's dad shows up too, and she is surprised to see him there. He knows Colza (which was brought up before in HZ009 and HZ010), and also Hassaku. Makes sense that the three of them seem close given that they are all artists. Liko tells her dad she passed her basics test. She also introduces Dot to him since it's the first time they meet. Dot seems nervous, and Alex tells her that he heard about her from Liko. Dot is going out of her comfort zone a lot since the beginning of this chapter, she is meeting new people and feels a bit anxious about it.

Roy tells Colza that he is there to challenge him, and Colza is also curious to see how much Roy has grown. However, he has no time since he is busy finishing an art piece for the festival so Roy has to wait. Hogator seemed curious about it. Roy tells him he can't wait because he wants to get stronger to battle Rayquaza again, but Nemo shows up and suggests they battle. She also tells Roy that since students can't use Terastal against each other during the course, she'll go by these rules and won't use it against him. Roy tells her she can use it though, and she points out he seems confident. Interesting exchange there.

Either way, they battle. Nemo seemed happy about Roy's Hogator learning new moves. She just seems to be about recognizing potential where she sees it and encouraging it, because she brings up the word "fruitful" a lot. She wants to participate in Roy's growth as a trainer (which she did in this episode). It started raining partway through their battle and Roy didn't notice it, which is one of the reasons why he lost because he was so engrossed in the battle that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. Roy immediately wants a rematch against Nemo and says he lost because of the rain, but Colza tells him it's no use and that he cannot win as he is now.

Hassaku suggests that they should all try making art pieces for now. The rule is that they should make a piece together with their Pokemon. Liko and Dot are on board, but Roy still wants to battle Nemo. Liko says it'd be good for him to switch things up, and she makes him notice that Hogator seems interested in Colza's art. So Roy is willing to try for Hogator. Nemo leads the trio to the gym, which serves as a public workspace during the festival, so they can make their pieces.

Liko decided on painting something which fits her since she likes drawing and she is creative. She wondered if she could paint something nice like her dad (which is cute, because she admires him as an artist). She got help from her Pokemon who all painted with her. Nyarote was really into it too and used her paws and bud. Liko ended up doing a painting of Oliva and called her piece "Oliva in full bloom". Two things I like about it. The proximity Liko feels towards Oliva (the first of the Six Heroes she met after Rayquaza, the first one she decided to help, Oliva showing up to protect her from Spinel, and to help her calm down Galar Fire, Oliva being a Grass type like Nyarote fitting Liko's themes of life etc, there is a lot going on here and I like that Liko just feels close to Oliva and decided to paint this Pokemon specifically). Also liked the use of "full bloom" in the name of the piece, like in Liko's Terastal phrase (which I think fits Liko's character since she really is blooming alongside Nyarote and revealing her potential, being more courageous and going forward, etc).

Dot took on a more mechanical project. Kanuchan liked the material so she decided to give it a try and really got into it. She asked Roy to let her borrow Kaiden. It was nice to see a one on one interaction between Roy and Dot (they have moments, but usually we see more Liko and Dot or the trio in general, so it's always cool to see Dot interacting with more characters one on one). I also always like when a character lets another borrow their Pokemon, because it shows trust between them (and we need to see Kaiden more, so it's good she thought about him). Either way, Dot made a ferris wheel and had her Pokemon and Kaiden help show it off with their moves.

Roy took on a clay project. He is into crafting things (after all, he made a secret base back in his island, and he created things several times during the show like when he wanted to help Kaiden, he also fixed the ship flag etc). Hogator was looking at art of Lizardon, so they decided to made Lizardon with clay. It's always adorable when they emphasize how much Hogator looks up to Lizardon and wants to be like one someday (which, btw, is a good way to use older gen in contrast to the current gen, and how the mentor character, Friede, has these older gen Pokemon and inspires the kids etc, there is a lot to be said but I just like how Horizons uses these concepts efficiently). Either way, at first Roy couldn't use the clay well so Colza gave him a hint that anything in reach or in sight could be the clue he needs to create his art. Roy eventually figures out that he needs to use Pokemon moves as materials, and that hints can be found in all places (and the same goes for battling). He managed to complete his piece and its title is "I wanna get stronger", which is inspired by both his and Hogator's feelings. Colza was impressed, and deems that Roy is ready to take on the basics test.

On to the battle (Hogator vs Usokkie). It was good. I think new BGM were used during it? I hope we'll get to hear more new tracks during this chapter. Roy is growing more strategic as he managed to guess who the real Usokkie was (after the latter used Subtitute) after seeing it sweat from Hogator's Flamethrower (it wasn't Roy's initial intention, but something he managed to see after his consecutive use of the move, so maybe in the future, he'll try to think more before battles or come up with similar strategies using his environment or things he notices etc). Roy used Terastal too, in response to Colza using it (different from Liko, who used it first against Kaede). His Terastal phrase was great. For a character like Roy, I would have expected something going on about "fire" or "passion", but the fact he talked about the crystal of his dreams caught me off guard in a good way (he is much more of a poet than I thought). There is this longing feeling to it, in relation to his dream, which I find interesting. He also used "shine", just like Liko (which makes sense since Terastal is described as the phenomenon making Pokemon sparkle and shine like jewels, so maybe Dot will use that verb too for her own Terastal phrase).

Either way, Colza knew most of Roy's moveset but the one thing he didn't account for was Hogator knowing Nitrocharge, which is eventually the move that defeated Usokkie. Roy won the battle (he faced Colza and lost before, so I figured he'd win this time, but it's still satisfying to see the buildup paying off!). I like the way Roy's growth as a trainer is depicted tbh (it's slowburn, he is taking small steps every time but it feels organic to me). Colza congratulated him and told him he passed the basics test. Also liked that Roy was specifically set up to face Colza, who is an artist, because as an artist, he takes time to analyze things etc, and that's something Roy needed to learn since he is more impulsive and tends to act first and think later (he tends to be hasty and impatient but needs to take time to think.. Roy is quite perceptive already, he just needs to make a conscious effort not to rush).

The ep ends with Dot feeling nervous knowing she'll take on her test next, and the trio deciding to visit the food stalls at the festival. (The preview was also cute, because Liko and Roy hype up Dot for her test and she is a bit embarassed about it)

Anyway, this ep was written by Michihiro Tsuchiya. The most recent ep he wrote was the Nyahoja backstory ep. He also wrote Hogator and Kaiden's argument back in HZ017, among other things (so it makes sense Kaiden appeared here).

Additional note, but Colza's way of speaking is kind of funny. I didn't pay attention that much to the way he spoke back in HZ010, so it kind of surprised me seeing him refer to others casually as "kisama" and talking in a grand way.. On the other hand, Hassaku seemed overly polite in his speech pattern.

#hz048 #character notes #episode notes