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Once More, To the Skies, Part 2 - Pokémon Horizons Episode 91 Review - Reunited After A Year

It’s so nice to see Liko and Roy reunited. I do like that there’s some parallels in this episode to how they met back in the beginning of Pokémon Horizons, with Roy sneaking into the Brave Olivine to meet Liko, saying that he wanted to see her again (though, he wanted to see Fuecoco). This time, he snuck into Liko's school campus from the skies to meet up with her again. It’s like Roy’s always the one to find Liko. I also found it sweet how Roy’s first thought was to see Liko when he realized he needs more help to stop these Laquium outbreaks. It shows that Roy’s someone who cherishes bonds, and that both he and Liko are very good friends and trust each other. Roy has always been very understanding of Liko, like with how when she refused at first, he accepted her answer. It shows that even though Liko’s someone who wants to understand others, Roy’s also good at understanding people’s emotions too. I guess there's a reason he's popular with the girls now?

Seeing Roy and Ann interact again is super nice, because they both have similar energy and that they both care for Liko similarly. I really liked their battle! I can see why Ann’s one of the best in the school, because her battling skills have increased since the Terastal Debut arc. Ann knows how to use her Samurott’s capabilities to the fullest. The Razor Shell and Drill Run combination to give Samurott a three-sword style could make Roronoa Zoro proud. While this battle was to show off Roy’s Lucario’s capabilities without Mega Evolution, nobody was a pushover. Ann can’t go with Liko and Roy on their adventure, but if there is a possible Blueberry Academy story, whether it be a mini-arc or an actual arc, I’d love to see Ann again and how she’d fare in the BB Academy’s environment.

It was bad enough with people calling Roy a discount Ash after the first part, but I've been seeing people now outright calling Roy a copy of Ash on social media due to how he and his Lucario were seen using aura, and it's honestly getting annoying really fast. Like, whether Horizons is a different universe from the Ash anime or not, just because Ash had certain capabilities regarding aura doesn’t mean that he should be the only one to have it. First people complained about Liko having a special lineage, and now they’re complaining about Roy having a Lucario. It feels like they’re complaining just to have something to complain about, but all they're accomplishing here is ruining people's enjoyment, both other people's and their own.

The battle between Liko and Roy in this episode was quite good. It’s a way for Liko to get that spark back. This is the first time we've seen Meowscarada battling Crocalor since her evolution, so it’s nice to see that Liko’s still a talented battler despite not being as active as she was on her adventures. She knows how to use Flower Trick to catch her opponent off guard. It does make sense that Roy would beat both Liko and Ann, as he’s been training with actual battles in the past year and has gotten a level up in both appearance and battle prowess. Though, I do wonder how they can Terastal in Indigo Academy. Do they have a Tera Crystal set up on the campus? Speaking of which, I do like that it was Meowscarada helping Liko figure out her true feelings. Meowscarada has always been Liko’s guiding star ever since she was a Sprigatito. Whenever Liko cannot decide something, her cat has always been the one to push her forward. I really love their bond. I also love that she legit walked off when she saw Liko being indecisive again, a trait that she hadn’t been seen doing since she was a Sprigatito. It was reminiscent of the earlier episodes, but this time, it was to show Liko that, deep down, she does want to make things right.

As this is the premiere of the new arc, a lot of questions have risen. Since they couldn’t find Friede despite searching for him, the Rising Volt Tacklers had to disband. During the flashbacks, Roy was back in his home island with just his Crocalor. I have to wonder exactly how Captain Pikachu came to accompany Roy, and what made Roy want to go to Kalos and obtain Mega Evolution. Another question I have is whether revealing herself as a member of the Rising Volt Tacklers will affect her schooling in some way. Is she back to doing remote schooling, or has she taken a break from school? And the biggest question of all is how will the kids go to different regions…how did Roy get from Hoenn to Kanto in a matter of days? Spinel shows up at the end with the reveal that he captured five of the Six Heroes as well. How did that happen? I know I said in the review for part 1 that they're usually good about showing this stuff in flashbacks, but I can only hope they don't take too long to show us all of this. My only gripe for this episode is the existence of those two juniors. Who are they to spread rumors? Who are they to ask Liko to explain? They annoyed me. Ann better scold them, or they better apologize to Liko when she returns with the truth.

The new opening song is so good (though it was played as an ending for this episode). I love that they show both Liko and Roy’s perspectives, showing off the dual protagonists. I've really liked all the songs they’ve used for Horizons—there hasn't been a single bad opening song so far. The singers for the new opening is a duo called Yuzu, who've previously performed done songs for Hunter x Hunter. I’m surprised that they decided to go back to using Japanese artists after using two K-pop groups in a row. It makes me wonder what sort of song the new ending will be…

Now that Liko decides to join Roy with a new outfit, I can’t wait to see what their dynamic will be like. Will it be the same as it was a year ago or will some things change? Since it seems that Uruto will join the group soon too, I can’t wait to see what sort of dynamic the new group will have. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

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