When he was first introduced Roy was annoyed by Uruto’s antics, but now that Uruto is their companion, the dynamic feels more like an older brother trying to tame his younger brother as he keeps calling out on his selfishness and impatience. With Liko, Uruto’s a bit more vulnerable due to his general awkwardness around girls—on that note, I just want give people a reminder that Uruto does not have a crush on Liko. He behaves the same way around other women in this episode—awkward, flustered, bumbling.
As a character, Uruto is very self-centered and arrogant, but he does have a bit of depth, with his desire to get stronger stemming from wanting someone’s approval in the form of a Dusk Ball. I’m assuming that’s his second Pokémon who does not acknowledge him at all? I do like that he gets called out for his behavior several times in this episode. First is from Roy after Uruto eats all of the leftover pancakes at night. He tells him that if he wants to travel with them, he has to be more considerate. It makes sense why Roy would tell Uruto this as both Roy and Liko have been traveling together for a while. Even when they traveled with Dot, who’s not the most athletic person, they try to match her pace. Next, he gets called out by Liko who knows about his desire to be the strongest, as she tells him that his desire to be the strongest can’t be attained by himself. The leader of the Dragon Rampage Gang, Neki, doesn’t like him at all, telling him that she doesn’t like his tone, and even abandoning him at one point. As for the scene where he tells Rayquaza that he doesn’t think he’s strong if he’s just sleeping for a year, while that could be divisive for fans and viewers, I believe that Uruto is just trying to tell Rayquaza to get strong the next time they see each other, but in his own awkward way.
I also noticed that Rayquaza is seen in this episode curled up like how it's encountered in Sky Pillar, and I think that’s the first time it’s seen in that state in the history of the anime. With how the episode was building up, I was expecting a dud, but I'm glad to say it wasn’t! Given that it’s only six episodes into the new arc, Rayquaza is definitely going to play a huge part later on. That’s why the reunion is early! All the pancakes Liko made in this episode looked very tasty! It also reminds me of the Diamond and Pearl episode Doc Brock!, where Ash and Dawn look after the gang’s Pokémon as Brock goes out, and Dawn makes pancakes for lunch. I don’t know why I thought about that episode—maybe it’s because a blue-haired girl makes pancakes and a Pikachu was involved… Still, Liko’s artistic skills shows up with her talent for pancake art. One more little thing I want to talk about is how Roy's Lucario seems to be full of personality in this episode compared to its previous appearances. It dabbed when it wanted to collect firewood with Roy, growled in anger when all the pancakes were eaten, and gestured that Crocalor was out of commission due to his stuffed belly. I wonder why it took this long to give Lucario a personality, but I’m all for it—I need more.
Now that the group has reunited with Rayquaza, the next order of business is to meet with Murdock who has been working at Patisserie Soapberry with Katy since the group’s disbandment. It’s nice to see that he decided to work there full-time after being a part-time worker throughout the third arc. The next episode seems to be a solo Dot episode, which excites me because she’s finally getting some action and not be mission control anymore!
Just to let you know, there will be a break next week, so the next episode will air on the 30th! In the meanwhile, let me know your thoughts about this episode!
