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Thinking about how Spinel started off the chapter declaring that "the world will be kneeling in front of us soon" and then proceeded to use Pokemon with the move Gravity to make sure intruders literally cannot stand before him and have no choice but to kneel in front of him.

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Liko and Uruto's motivations to become stronger.

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Spinel thanking Agate.

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This was such an interesting line coming from Spinel, considering the fact that he is analytical and methodical in his ways and can't handle uncertainty well.. to the point he was caught off guard when Friede relied on his intuition and decided to follow his gut when they battled in Rakua and took a bet on Spinel's Ohbem's Ability, even though he had no proof.

Yet, in this moment, Spinel is acknowledging that the RVTs are surpassing what his prior data would suggest. It feels like he is more open to unexpected developments and acknowledges that his opponents have room for growth in a way he can't necessarily predict.

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Spinel is the most relatable character in Horizons because I, too, am fixated on that old man (Gibeon).

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Promotional stuff for HZ107 (here and here).

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I wonder if Uruto's Kairyu will be his only means of transportation that doesn't make him feel sick?

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Any ideas about who the mystery Pokemon in Uruto's Dusk Ball could be??

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Dot catching a Pokemon who can control and manipulate others is interesting, considering the fact that we've seen another Pokemon who can manipulate people in the series and it's Spinel's Ohbem.

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Amethio and Dot's quests to gather things for Pokemon.

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Enjoying company.

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I really look forward to Spinel and Amethio's potential confrontation in the future. No idea what to expect from it.

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Some character notes and episode notes for HZ103, writing them down for future reference.

Nanjamo and Gurumin are going to do a collab event. Liko is overjoyed about it, and Zir, who was planning to attend as well, lost his entry ticket. When Liko and her friends run into Zir, they decide to help him look for his ticket.  

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I liked the small Grusha appearance. Grusha being tsun about being a fan and dancing around calling himself one and just saying that "he is doing things that one would expect a fan to do" while holding the ticket with the number "6", which shows that he lined up early and that he is a passionate fan.. I think it's cute. The gap moe of it all? It's interesting that he appeared in an episode that would pave the way to Amethio appearing again, because Liko's battle against Grusha in HZ063 also led to Amethio showing up in the following episode.

Dot's character particularly stood out to me in this episode, especially her kindness towards others.. Dot was the one who was initially okay with giving away her own ticket for the event (under the pretense that it didn't interest her anyway) and she reached out to Zir. Dot remembered that Zir and Conia helped her and her friends in Rakua, and it's what made her want to help him in turn. I thought it was a great show of her growth, and it pleasantly surprised me. Dot wasn't someone who warmed up to others easily and she is fiercely loyal to her friends. The Explorers have gotten in the RVT's way multiple times before and we saw how strongly she reacted towards Spinel because of what he did to Liko.. So the fact that Dot was willing to help someone from the "enemy side" was really interesting to me, because I thought that she would be wary of anyone on the side of the Explorers.

It highlights that Dot has become a much more patient and forgiving person after Rakua, and I think it's really wonderful to see? It's lovely seeing how much she has changed. She valued the good things Zir and Conia had done for her and her friends at Rakua (and she even brought up the cotton candy he recommended to her back in chapter 1!), and she was willing to extend a hand to help them when they were in need and didn't have to be told to do it. She didn't do it half-heartedly either, because she asked Nanjamo for information to help Zir efficiently. I think it's interesting seeing Dot being willing to help more people now.. She went from someone who mostly helped her friends, to someone who helped her fans (in HZ036, when she asked Liko and Roy to help Yuno), strangers (Dot helping the restaurant owners with their menu in Terastal Debut), and people who opposed her friends and got in their way in the past (Zir and Conia). There is a gradual progression in this aspect.

On a personal level, it made me reconsider potential interactions between Dot and Amethio.. I thought that Dot would be someone who wouldn't budge on her position when it comes to the Explorers (I am specifically not using the terms "holding a grudge" because I don't think they are adequate and Dot has good reason to be wary of the Explorers anyway, since they went after her friends multiple times and put Liko in danger). Since Dot was willing to offer her help and sympathy to Zir and Conia because they both helped in Rakua, I think she would probably remember and value the fact that Amethio helped in Rakua as well.

I think there are people that Dot probably won't be able to tolerate in the future (I am mostly thinking of people like Spinel, she had a particular and specific resentment towards him), but she has grown warmer and more open towards others in general.

Overall, I think Dot was really good in this ep.. It's cute how she brought up the fact that Liko didn't have to stand in line because she was willing to give her a ticket, but Liko wanted to get her ticket in the proper way. Liko doesn't want special treatment from Gurumin just because she is friends with Dot and she wants to be like any other fan. Dot thanking Zir and Liko as Gurumin at the end was cute and she probably did it because she wanted to make up things for Zir and end things on a good note after he found out who she was.. Dot didn't have to do it, but she still did because she cares for the feelings of others. 

As an aside, I liked that Dot only shook hands during her event because she wasn't necessarily into the idea of hugs as fanservice.. so I am glad she didn't do them. When she did something extra at the end to cheer Zir up, it was on her own terms and because she wanted to do it, and no one had to tell her to do so.

Zir and Conia were really good, and I appreciated the fact that they were fleshed out as characters, along with their Pokemon who showed a lot of personality. Zir being happy that his ticket number was the same as Saidon's Pokedex number was sweet. Saidon being the one who got back the ticket at the end was good, I think it gave a lot of agency to Zir and his Pokemon and made them active in their own search. Conia's Golduck not being able to swim in sea water was a fun bit. It made the Pokemon feel more like real beings with their own preferences and tolerance towards certain things? It also shows that Conia knows her partner well and won't make Golduck do anything that he can't tolerate.

Both Zir and Conia are worried about Amethio and they were starting to feel hopeless about the fact they couldn't find him. It was weighing on their mind, so we can infer that their interests are a way for them to take their mind off things and look at something else? Their hobbies are taken seriously too, and they aren't being diminished for them. Seeing the way they acted in this episode made me think that it’s no wonder Amethio eventually warmed up to them. 

Liko was fun in this episode. I thought it was nice of her that she wanted to make Uruto feel included and asked him to tag along to the event, even though he ended up not going with everyone. She is the type of person who wants to make others feel included. Uruto doesn't seem to take Gurumin seriously, but Liko defended her (Dot was about to step in because she felt offended, but Liko spoke first).. I wonder if Uruto knows about online celebrities because he doesn't seem like the type to be into that kind of stuff? He seemed confused about Orange Academy when Liko and the others mentioned a "school" a few episodes ago, so it feels like there are things he doesn't know. 

I like that Liko is completely open about being a Gurumin fan, even in front of Dot.. She isn't embarrassed anymore, in fact Dot seems to be the one who is surprised at times about her behavior as a fan. Which is the opposite of the first chapter, Liko was embarrassed around Dot when she brought up the fact that she was Gurumin, while Dot was more relaxed about it. In this ep, Dot was surprised that Liko lined up like everyone else to get her ticket and she seemed caught off guard when Liko told Gurumin that she loved her. I think it's fun that Liko doesn't mind these things anymore (she was even all "I'm not looking!" when Dot took off her costume, I think part of Liko probably really enjoys acting like that and owns up to the fact that she is a complete fan).. I like the nuance that there are things that Liko will do/say to Gurumin but not necessarily to Dot? Liko shakes hands with Gurumin, but she has little physical contact with Dot. It's not prioritized as their form of closeness. Liko and Dot don't necessarily "need" physical contact to fill some arbitrary requirement of closeness.

I thought Liko's reaction to learning about Amethio going missing was interesting, especially in contrast to the way her scene was framed when she witnessed Friede falling from the ship in HZ089. In one case, her expression was shown and in the other, it wasn't. Liko's expression was shown when she saw Friede falling, while her reaction to learning about Amethio's current situation wasn't depicted. Liko's emotions were conveyed through her voice (her VA's acting in this scene was so effective), and it made me wonder what expression Liko was wearing when she heard about what happened to Amethio.. I wonder what went through her mind at that moment. Perhaps she remembered the way things ended in Rakua and how she and Amethio both acknowledged each other and nodded to each other before leaving. I wonder if she thought of Friede, too? 

The fact that Zir and Conia specifically asked Liko to help look for Amethio was also really important.. Liko’s words about “not giving up until you find it” (being about the entry ticket as much as it was about Amethio) really resonated with them. Both of them saw the way Amethio reacted when Hamber mentioned that Liko was related to Lucius and Rystal in HZ083, so I wonder if that was the specific moment that made them think that Amethio was paying attention to her and that he acknowledged her. Thinking about it, they weren’t present in HZ045 and HZ065 (Amethio saving Liko and her Pokemon from Rayquaza’s Draco Meteor, and the “Liko and Amethio stuck in the cave together” ep, which were both pivotal moments when it comes to their dynamics).

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Going over information for August episodes (from HZ105 to HZ108).

The link for the monthly calendar is here (featuring Amethio and his Pokemon).

Starting with HZ105 (here).

There is no staff list so far apparently, which is curious. My main point of interest is always that I want to know the scriptwriter, especially since Amethio will be appearing in this episode.. I'm guessing Naruki Nagakawa will be the one writing this episode because he hasn't written an episode in a while (last ep was HZ095, Strong Sphere) and they tend to take turns in terms of writing, so we can more or less guess the scriptwriter for an episode depending on when their last script was.

Amethio episodes are always written by very specific writers too, and for my sanity they need to keep handling him with that level of care for the rest of the series. That, and this writer was the one who wrote HZ027, which was also a curry episode for Dot, so I could see parallels between both episodes.

Anyway, about the summary itself.. where the hell is Friede when we need him shirtless in a beach episode :/ This is the second time we're being deprived of this, some crimes cannot be forgiven etc.

I have no idea if the coin Pokemon will end up being officially caught by someone. The preview seemed to point to Dot interacting more with it?

Most intriguing part of the ep (and the one I look forward to the most) is Amethio and Landau interacting.. Landau being one of the founding members of the RVT and the owner of the boat which became the Brave Asagi, so Amethio is getting "closer" to more RVT members now. The fact that they are making curry specifically, and that being the first dish Amethio will eat onscreen. Which is significant, considering that curry (and food in general) has been depicted as a social activity and something that deepens bonds in HZ027. Which was important for both Liko and Dot who got closer through that experience. Dot trying out different kinds of food and opening up, her world expanding, etc. Food was also used to explore different sides of Sango and Onyx notably, so we'll probably see a new side of Amethio. It would be cute if he did the heart hands thing, but who knows if it'll happen.

Either way, I'm very interested in this part of the ep. Food is such a prominent motif in Horizons and has been used to further characters and their arcs. Also pleased with the fact that Amethio's experience with food happens through Landau.. He gets to interact with another character and expand his world, so we'll get to see new sides of him he doesn't necessarily show around others. Landau is old and has lots of wisdom to share, which could be good for Amethio. Amethio is getting yet another grandpa, too (wow Amethio, who let you have three grandpas-). Maybe Amethio will be reminded of Gibeon? It's funny because Landau had a specific reaction to Gibeon too and joked about wanting to learn from him since he was really old (and referred to him as "dai senpai" too).. Also, it's good that Amethio learns to cook and that it happens through Landau (he gets to learn from an older male character), because it if happened through Liko or something, I would have lost my mind (in a very negative way).

Anyway, Amethio meeting Mighty G wasn't something I expected, but it's cute and has lots of potential. Something about the fact they'll meet in a cave too. Significant meetings happening in this specific setting with Amethio.

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Continuing with HZ106 (here).

I learned about that Taggingru Pokemon through this summary. Ep written by Deko Akao.. She wrote a few Dot-centric eps before, so we'll see how she handles an Uruto-centric ep.

I'm curious about the fact that Uruto will talk about his Pokemon to the person he'll meet. What kind of Pokemon talk is it going to be? Uruto's Dusk Ball is also something I genuinely want to know about, but I'm not sure if they'll actually reveal what Pokemon is inside in this episode.. Does Uruto even know who it is? Will he mention this Pokemon's name once he realizes his Dusk Ball is gone? Idk what Pokemon could fit him as a secondary team member. The choices are quite limited if we go by the Dusk Ball description (something that fits better for Pokemon living in caves, etc).

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Onto HZ107 (here).

No summary or staff list at all so far, seems like they want to keep their secrets longer.

This is the episode that has the sparkles around it on the monthly calendar, so it should be special. It'll also be the 18th episode of Mega Voltage, so I wonder if they want to depict a backstory as a way to parallel HZ018 (which was Friede and Cap's backstory in the first chapter).

I speculate that the title could be referring to two humans, or maybe a human and a Pokemon. Roy and Lucario? Roy and Uruto? Uruto and the Pokemon in the Dusk Ball? All of them? Other characters entirely? The previous episode is Uruto-centric, so I feel like it could lead into this episode and explain how Roy and Uruto met? We need to know more about Roy's Lucario too because he hasn't been explored much, which is a shame (and I don't know if whatever he'll get in the future will be enough).

The title itself is also interesting to me because it feels special.. it's one of those titles that feel unique (like the title for HZ075). The use of the word 友 (tomo) to refer to a "friend" also feels unusual to me because I feel like we haven't heard this word much in the series.. Usually, characters refer to their friends (humans or Pokemon) as "nakama" (the RVT use this word for each other, Zir used that with Amethio, etc).. I remember a few instances of other words ("yuujin" or "tomodachi") being used when it comes to friendships, but "tomo" feels different (almost feels more formal to me, too). I can't recall any instance of this word being used before in the series. So it gets me thinking and it makes me wonder who it's referring to.

If it's Roy and Uruto, I'm hoping we get more on them and Mega Evolution in a way that makes it feel like it earned its place narratively speaking. Same for Uruto. Why does Mega Evolution specifically need to be focused on in the context of this story?

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And HZ108 (here).

First ep of August and last ep of August are both written by the same writer (who is my favorite), so it's cool! Really happy about Diana coming back and the focus on her and Liko. Intergenerational bonds between female characters..!

When Liko caught Carbou, I thought of Diana since she also has a Fire-type so it's neat that they are going there and making them battle. Happy about the Carbou focus and that he's treated as a full character, really like that they are fleshing him out so much. Amethio and Diana being involved in Carbou's growth is really good. Both characters helped Liko a lot in different ways (Diana gave Liko her pendant, which set her on an adventure, and Amethio is someone who manages to motivate Liko a lot, etc). Soublades probably motivated Carbou to grow stronger, so I wonder what'll happen during the Diana battle.

I wonder what Diana found, and if it has something to do with Mega Evolution. Hoping we get something about the Explorers in this ep too.

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We're probably approaching the climax of this arc, but I'm not sure what to expect. What are Sango and Onyx up to? Is Friede going to show up in September? Legends ZA is releasing in October, so I wonder if Mega Voltage will end in September or in October. Terapagos Shine started towards the end of October, for example. Idk what to expect of "Mega Evolution" in the story. I wonder if Amethio will find Zygarde by the end of this chapter? What is Spinel's issue, too. I need to know what's his problem and what brought him this far.

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Acknowledgment.

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A few notes about the Pokedoko show that aired on August 3 (two days after HZ104 aired).

There were bits covering the relationship between Liko and Amethio in the series.

I think I'll need to rewatch some bits a few times, but basically they talked about HZ104 and recontextualized it by going over Liko and Amethio's relationship in the series.

What I liked is that the description for Liko and Amethio's relationship was "不思議な関係" (a mysterious relationship). The element of mystery surrounding them is one of their greatest strengths.

In order to give more context to HZ104, they went over bits from previous episodes to show how their relationship has developed from the beginning. They showed the scene from HZ002 when Liko told Amethio that she couldn't trust him/them (Liko used "anata-tachi" so she was referring to Amethio, Zir and Conia). After that, they showed a single scene from HZ088, which was Amethio standing and showing his back (to the audience) as he told Liko that he would carve a path for her and Masquernya.

The episode they focused the most on was HZ065. It was the one they showed at length. They played clips from that episode and commented on various parts of the episode. They showed the scene when Liko and Amethio were in the cave, Liko asking Amethio if Soublades could lit a fire, them both talking and opening up to each other.. I'll need to go over that again, because I really liked this bit. And the importance of HZ065 being emphasized again and again (by the scriptwriter or other parties, such as Pokedoko) makes me happy because it's such a pivotal episode encompassing the themes of the story. Liko and Amethio talking in the cave was an important moment!

One of my favorite bits from this show was when they described Liko and Amethio's relationship as お互いを信頼してる関係性 (a relationship of mutual trust). They started off as adversaries (敵) and now they trust each other. I was really pleased by this description because of the careful choice of words.. It's a unique relationship that they don't have with anyone else. It is a bit difficult to find the right words to describe them, so "a relationship of mutual trust" works really well. They both respect each other, too. I really liked this description.

I liked the bit which went "リコとアメジオからメガ目が離せない". I don't have to be told this because I'm never taking my eyes off them, ever-- The scene they used to at that moment was made for me specifically because it was the moment in HZ104 when Liko tells Amethio that "she'll be stronger next time" and Amethio stares at her for like.. a long time. And when they said "目が離せない" ("keep your eyes on/don't take your eyes off") in Pokedoko, it overlapped with Amethio looking at Liko. It was fun. Saying this line, while Amethio himself was not able to take his eyes off Liko. I liked this specific choice of scene for the whole "don't take your eyes off [specific thing]", given my personal stray thoughts when it comes to this moment.

Overall, it was fun looking back on the relationship between Liko and Amethio.. They picked very good moments, and I liked the comments too. "A relationship of mutual trust" is important to me.

Also, they usually show a few clips from the next episode in Pokedoko, which is what they did this time too. Amethio and Mighty G will be something to look forward to.

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Big sister Masquernya and little brother Soublades.