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talk to me about your favorite episodes of xyz !!! or your favorite moments !!

oh my god , okay , uh , i have SO many favorite episodes / moments , this is gnna take a hot motherfuckin sec ( post!editing edward here , i was right ) , uh , KDSFJGHSDFJ , okay , sO … folks , if you’ve ever wanted a somewhat comprehensive summary of all of my feelings on the xy/z series , here it is , all in one place :

001 - 002.

right from the start of satoshi showing up in kalos , the entire energy of the series was just so !!! & the battle animations were just such a breath of fresh air after having watched bw & i was just instantly drawn in . then there was the whole incident with the gablias & just satoshi following it up the tower & having calming it down enough to remove the collar , knowing that it was in pain , be the first priority , & then leaping after pikachu when an edge of the tower broke off —— my heart just was so warm throughout all that .

003.

satoshi consistently repeating that a strategy is needed against yayakoma sort of just made me smile & think , yeah he’s grown a lot since previous seasons . along with that , the moment where it clicks for satoshi why keromatsu has been described as “ the pokemon that battles as it pleases without listening to its trainer ” , understanding his feelings & working to attain keromatsu’s goal together instead of him just leaping blindly without considering how to most effectively achieve it ; that also just really made me soft , because finally there’s a trainer that actually understands keromatsu & it reaffirms that him choosing satoshi was indeed a good choice .

006.

a really small thing , but when satoshi’s stuck on how to counter viola’s pokemon & he & serena have a small talk & serena says that he told her “ don’t give up until the end ” & that he hasn’t changed & “ this is so like you ” & satoshi just pauses for a second . & then he laughs . because how could he forget ?? it’s not like him to mull things over too much , he just goes at it with fighting spirit , no matter what it may be or even if fighting spirit is all he has . that moment just always makes me smile to think about , probably mostly due to the pause & laugh , honestly .

007.

serena putting her sihorn knowledge to use & teaching satoshi how to ride one , & the moments where she was remembering herself learning & when she repeats her mom’s words of “ don’t talk !! you’ll bite your tongue !! ” & “ go for broke !! ” without even thinking —— those were sweet . also the kalos gang talking to serena’s mom for the first time , that was really adorable , especially with everyone pushing each other out of the frame to talk & satoshi excitedly talking about serena teaching him to ride sihorn & her trying to get him to shush up & ending up just shoving him away from the phone entirely before he could finish a sentence .

008.

satoshi & pikachu continuing to battle the rocket gang even after maaiika blinded pikachu by having satoshi become his eyes & guide where to dodge & where to strike ; it was a really nice way of showing the trust that pikachu has in satoshi & vice versa , because battling blind while relying on someone else’s directions does take a lot of trust to pull off smoothly .

009.

honestly just the entire episode : the backstory with the citroid , citron reclaiming his gym , the kalos gang saying they’ll grow together with citron , him declaring to his dad that he wishes to travel with satoshi & serena & stating that they’ve helped him grow as a person in even just the short amount of time that they’ve been together at that point , the promise between satoshi & citron to have a proper gym battle against each other once satoshi reaches the skill level of someone with four badges & citron promising to get stronger as well to be able to give that proper gym battle —— this entire episode was filled with so much goodness .

025.

after rewatching the orange league arc , i’d come to realize that zakuro giving his challengers the option to climb their way to the battlefield was quite similar to a previous gym leader that too had his challengers climb for the right to challenge him , but there were a few differences , one significant one being that , in kalos , satoshi has zero hesitation in his decision to climb the walls & , though he slips once , he doesn’t look down & finishes his climb with relative ease , a vast improvement from the aforementioned orange league arc , & the connection with the earlier arc makes this a moment , or rather thing , that i really liked . also the evolution of way of fighting through battle with the counter - tombs was really neat .

030 - 033.

honestly just watching corni & her lucario bond & grow & come to truly understand each other & overcome the overwhelming power of lucario’s mega evolution was all just really interesting ; also the understanding that satoshi had for her connection with lucario & for the need to battle the bursyamo in the cave on their own due to his own experience , that was nice .

034.

the entire episode , really . satoshi took one look at luchabull & just went “ kin ” . the excitement & admiration he felt at meeting luchabull & him asking if kanazawa could share some stories about him & just being so !!! when kanazawa tells him he could take him to luchabull’s training spot —— it was all just so tangible & heartwarming . satoshi working with luchabull to help master the flying press & trying to help by thinking of a way to increase the speed of the attack without having to remove the personal dramatic flair aspect of luchabull’s particular move was also really sweet , along with admitting total defeat even though it was a draw between luchabull & keromatsu because luchabull had perfected his flying press after trying satoshi’s suggestions only once & impressed him + luchabull still wanting to go along with satoshi & the others .

039 - 042.

the rival trio were so great & the summer camp was a wonderful way of introducing these recurring characters , not to mention that this marks the beginning of steady discovery for serena of what sort of dream she wants to attain , with sana telling her about the trypokarons & it sparking an interest for her .

044.

oh man , the gym battle between satoshi & corni was such a ride to watch , especially just the first time around , like the animation team really pulled out some god damn stops for this episode because , holy fuck , it was like a cup of coffee for me . also , the moment with satoshi realizing he can’t really copy anyone else’s strategy because he’s got his own type of rhythm to battling was just kinda nice .

047.

serena’s first caught pokemon & her deciding that she wants to become a pokemon performer along with fokko & yancham . she’s struggled with the fact that she’s the only one she knows without a goal or a dream in life all the way up until this episode & just the fact that she’s finally so certain of something like that really warmed my heart .

053.

going off from the aforementioned ep , serena confronting her mom about wanting to become a pokemon performer & challenging her to a race with the stakes being that , if serena loses , she’s going to come back home , & even though she falls down in the middle of the race , not giving up & her determination getting her through to the finish line first . she finally had something she’s so passionate about & i just felt nothing but pride & joy for her .

054.

kojiro & maaiika , man . kojiro & maaiika .

060.

while serena may have failed in her first trypokaron , it was really heartwarming to see her finally turn around in the end & not let the failure stop her entirely from pushing on ahead , knowing that she’s not alone in it , she has her pokemon with her . also the blue ribbon she got from satoshi being used for her new look was sweet .

064.

elle & serena’s battle & serena taking elle’s advice of smiling while performing with her pokemon to heart & reaching fokko in a way that made it evolve into tairenar all hit me in the heart like a bag of bricks , not gonna lie .

067.

oh man . the entire gym battle between satoshi & citron . it really was so electrifying to watch , the animation & emotion in the battle was off the hook & i could swear that my heart was racing its own marathon during all of it . i really felt that feeling of not wanting the battle to end & wanting it to last forever , & when it was over i felt like i’d just gotten an absolute rush of adrenaline & had to slowly come down from it . it’s honestly my favorite gym battle to date , full stop ( though the unofficial gym battle against kasumi in sumo is a close second due to similar reasons as this one ) , because not only was the battle itself so incredibly well done , but the chemistry between not just trainer & pokemon , but trainer & trainer as well was just so beautifully displayed in a way that none of the other gym battles with travelling companions who were gym leaders had ( the battle against kasumi is one of an old friendship from the very early first days of their journeys , sort of an “ it’s been a long while, wonder how you’ve you been ” , while the one against citron is more that of gratitude & respect , mostly coming from citron ; they’ve got two distinctly different connections ) ; citron was inspired by satoshi to be the type of trainer he is in this episode , all the events & incidents that have happened up until this battle have made him the way he is , & he is giving it his all because it’s not only what satoshi deserves but it’s also what citron has achieved —— he’s grown as a trainer & as a person & this battle is his way of showing all his progress thus far . it’s a thank you . also , you can pry the line “ satoshi, you need me. a fighter like you needs a calm type like me by his side ” from my cold , dead grasp .

074.

satoshi dealing with the trick rooms was interesting to watch , & even though the end result may not have been quite as satisfactory as he’d hoped , the repeated use of flame charge to build up speed for when the room timed out was a heh moment that i liked ; he’s got a tendency to sometimes purposefully make his opponents think he’s making a mistake while he’s actually just waiting for the right moment to make a good move & i really appreciate those moments .

076.

the gang parenting the newly hatched onbat was so sweet & so cute , especially with satoshi & his flying types , helping it learn to fly . it’s kind of a small thing , but it’s so adorable & heartwarming that i can’t help but call it a favorite .

085.

kojiro stepping up & helping serena with tairenar’s broken stick because he understands the feeling of losing something that may seem easily replaceable to others but holds immeasurable value & memories to the one who owns said something . it was honestly just so sweet & so heartwarming & he was happy for tairenar even while getting blasted off , i mean come on . my heart was mush .

087.

tiny thing but satoshi sprawling out in his sleep to the point of having an arm draped over citron was really cute & a favorite thing .

092 - 093.

first off , i dig gojika’s whole Thing so much & i think she might be my favorite gym leader purely aesthetic - wise ; second , the foreshadowing of satoshi - gekkouga & gekogashira’s backstory , holy shit . not gonna lie , the lines “ what keromatsu wanted was something deeper . i call this … love . […] this one’s future … is you two climbing up towards a future of new greatness … that no one has ever seen before . ” hit me in the heart like a bowling ball . & oh man the gym battle … god it was so much fun to watch & i loved every moment of it , particularly satoshi having pikachu time the amount of time it takes for gojika’s future sight to strike , & Oof the moment where gojika sees satoshi & gekogashira’s future in the water pulse .

100 / xy&z07.

gekogashira’s evolution & the first instance of satoshi - gekkouga … honestly , almost every time i rewatch an instance of it after a while of not seeing any , i realize i forgot just how intense the satoshi - gekkouga state is , like even just the powering up part on its own .

106 / xy&z13.

something about the abruptness of the ends of the battles between satoshi - gekkouga & jukain & mega lizardon always cracks me up , i don’t know what to tell y’all . also the exchange of “ satoshi, what was that ?? how can you do that ?? please tell me !! ” “ i don’t know either. my vision goes bam & then i’m all rargh. ” “ i see, i see … wait, that does not help !! ” .

112 - 113 / xy&z19 - 20.

even though she lost in the end , the fact that serena had even made it to the point of facing off against elle in the first place was such a huge deal & i can honestly say that i cried a Lot during these episodes & that they are the reason i now instantly get teary - eyed upon hearing serena’s dori - dori song . also , it was really nice that musashi accepted her loss as well as she did , casually stating that it was because of the rest of the gang that she made it even that far , even though just a few trypokarons ago she would have blown her lid off at a loss when she was so close to her goal ; the rest of the gang being just so proud of her & kojiro & nyarth being more than willing to pay for the celebratory dinner was really sweet , too .

116 / xy&z23.

small things stuck with me & make this a nice episode to rewatch , such as the start of studying satoshi & gekkouga’s synchronization , pikachu shouting at satoshi for calling out onvern for a battle instead of him & getting pouty , the small details of satoshi’s eyes narrowing just as he’s about to resume battle with gekkouga having freshly powered up & his pupils contracting in a closeup when an attack is incoming which are such tiny things but delight me to no end , & just the enthusiasm with which satoshi goes into his decision to raise his own strength closer to that of gekkouga’s .

118 / xy&z25.

where can i even begin with this episode Holy Shit … first off , this ep reaffirmed to me that carne is such a delight , honestly , def one of my favorite champions , second … that battle though … that battle … poetic cinema … the battle choreography , the animation , the way satoshi - gekkouga’s theme seemed to perfectly sync up with what was on screen , satoshi moving in perfect sync with gekkouga’s movements as he attacked as though he were the one performing the attacks , the raw emotion in satoshi’s voice as he called out attacks & declarations of becoming much , much stronger … it was such a rush of adrenaline to watch , even bigger than the one i got while watching the gym battle between satoshi & citron , i felt like my heart stopped beating the moment the battle was abruptly ended by satoshi losing consciousness . & hey , the animator(s) responsible for the scenes with the white background & black paint splatters , let me get y’all’s number , i wanna treat y’all because holy fuck those were intense . i loved them .

119 / xy&z26.

this episode is less of a favorite due to what happens & more of a favorite due to the content as a whole . upsetting to him as it may have been , satoshi had been having a huge winning streak , alan & black - outs excluded , so a loss was imminent , & , honestly , understandable . seeing that shoota had surpassed him in an aspect & grown so strong in such a short amount of time got to him & affected his psyche ; kid got scared . he got nervous & , as we all know , a nervous trainer leads to a faulty battle . i will say though that the little bit after the internal thoughts in the middle of the jukain vs gekkouga battle of satoshi saying shoota surprised him delights me to no end & i blame how rica said the line along w/ the small motion satoshi makes while saying it .

120 / xy&z27.

satoshi literally saying “ hold my jacket while i fight this guy ” . i can’t call anything else a favorite even though i loved this episode because everything else just made me emotional & upset ; particularly the fact that the preview for the next episode was silent except for the snowy wind blowing & satoshi dejectedly reading out the title of the episode without even saying the “ everyone, get pokemon ” line at the end .

121 / xy&z28.

putting aside the upsetting factor of the title not being read out by anyone … the flashbacks of younger satoshi with all those wild pokemon really warmed my heart after all of the upsetting stuff that had been going on . also the moment of satoshi & gekkouga finally making their power their own , based on their mutual strong desire to save one pokemon , along with them both deciding to start fresh from zero , gekkouga rolling his monster ball towards satoshi just as like when he initially chose him & everything .

122 / xy&z29.

oh honey when satoshi - gekkouga showed up … oh Honey … again , the thing with satoshi moving in sync with gekkouga’s moves as though he were the one attacking , except this time even more intense than during the battle with carne ; for some reason the aerial ace kick downwards always gets me & that small bit is one of my top favorite parts of the entire episode somehow .

123 / xy&z30.

satoshi & eureka finishing off the preview for the next episode together while citron’s in the background wordvomiting about the wonders of ingenuities . that is all .

125 / xy&z32.

satoshi’s declarations of aiming to win the entire league , serena having to physically drag satoshi away from a battle before it begins when he’s already running out of time to get registered for the conference , satoshi doing the arm thing on trova , seeing the frustration of someone who failed to get all eight badges in time , just so many favorites across the episode .

126 / xy&z33.

the various mega - evolutions , tierno & shoota’s battle , & numelgon rejoining the team were all Oof .

127 - 128 / xy&z34 - 35.

satoshi’s eyes shining while watching alan’s fight honestly made my heart go ding , not gonna lie ; the boundless excitement building in him is real & it’s wonderful . & the start of the battle between satoshi & shoota … i felt like satoshi using pikachu’s electric ball against bloster’s grip was a nice callback to using it to get out of horubee’s grasp on his tail in the first episode , & honestly the part where satoshi had pikachu block gillgard’s entry into its shield was such a heh moment , like it really was so on brand for him to pull something like that , something that would have failed were the timing off even in the slightest ; also i really liked the small detail of satoshi’s pupils contracting when he spots a chance for dealing with king’s shield & the little laugh he did when shoota’s peroream returned the favor for what onvern did . but holy fuck the finale of the battle between satoshi & shoota … the fight between satoshi - gekkouga & mega jukain … oh man i absolutely felt that battle ; the adrenaline rush i got from watching it was on par with the gym battles against corni , citron , & urup , & the battle against carne . the raw power in it … wrow … the animation , the battle choreography , just how absolutely tangible the attacks were … but the true oof was yet to come … this was only the semi - finals … the biggest big dick energy of them all was still only just around the corner …

129 / xy&z36.

honestly this episode had just really tiny things that i liked , like the nurse joy at the beginning of the episode wishing for satoshi to do his best in the finals with a shine in her eyes which was honestly really cute , citron & eureka’s dad stealing the citroid’s line about waiting in line for 2h being an easy feat , the jirachi keychain , alan genuinely being excited for the finale & battling satoshi , & how could i list off favorites in this episode without mentioning the ending song , oh my god , it’s the softest & cutest & sweetest shit , i swear i could get a cavity from watching it on repeat .

130 - 131 / xy&z37 - 38.

ho - ly - shit . i mean , this was the finals match , so no fucking shit the battle would radiate big dick energy , but the absolute wave of power that ran over me while watching it was absolutely phenomenal . the animation , the movements , the emotion , the raw power behind each call of attack & execution of move , the absolutely palpable energy of the battle … whew … i needed to sit back for a few minutes & just catch my breath after all of that … like , putting aside how much hatred i have for the constant baiting of a league victory for satoshi ( with him declaring he’s aiming for victory throughout the entire series & a bunch of characters saying lines that imply a league victory ( not to mention , the final episode of the conference being called “ kalos league victory !! satoshi’s ultimate match !! ” , like holy shit , can you pull a bigger dick move ) ) , only for alan to beat satoshi - gekkouga with a move that he’d easily blocked before in spite of gekkouga using an insanely more powerful counter attack than the first time while also having the type advantage ( but go off i guess ) … it was an incredibly well executed battle & , really , the end result was the only thing that i would ( & did ) change . also , a bunch of tiny things that i really loved were citron’s hand trembling out of excitement during the start of the battle , luchabull coming out of his monster ball on his own when onvern was defeated & badly hurt , alan experiencing the same feeling that most trainers feel while battling satoshi —— the feeling of wanting the battle to continue on for as long as possible because they’re deriving such fun & enjoyment from the raw passion that arises in the midst of the fight , kojiro starting to root for satoshi & while initially giving him slack for it musashi & nyarth joining in on it , rocket gang stating that they were the ones that helped make satoshi as strong as he is ( which , honestly , go off y’all three because you’re so right & i’ve been saying it for a while now ) , & again , the fucking ending song , i swear it could cure my depression if i watched it enough times . & then there was the start of fleur - de - lis’ plan being set into motion …

132 - 134 / xy&z39 - 41.

rocket gang broadcasting live coverage of the happenings in miare city , the zygarde showdown , serena & platane going to save hari with manon & rocket gang following them & the “ this is that “ the enemy of our enemy is our friend ” thing ” , citron kicking flare gang ass … satoshi & gekkouga resisting energy that was powerful enough to control zygarde & satoshi’s speech of loving this world & there being people & pokemon he loves & the absolute raw Emotion in his delivery as he shifts into the bond phenomenon along with the return of … the Thing with the white background & black paint splatters (seriously , people responsible for those , hit me up & let me treat y’all ) … poetic cinema … in the midst of fighting against fleur - de - lis , satoshi honestly dropped some intense fucking lines , not gonna lie , & you can’t deny , like … “ fighting instinct, whatever … there’s more to a pokemon’s power than that. i’ve realized during my journey … that me & my pokemon’s strength is constantly believing in each other … & constantly loving each other no matter what. if you don’t get it, i will show you here & now !! ” & “fleur - de - lis !! i don’t care if you hate this world or not ; the world belongs to humans & pokemon alike. it belongs to everyone !! stop being selfish & talking about … how you’re going to destroy or change it, or that we won’t live to see tomorrow !! those who will meet someone dear to them tomorrow, those who will achieve their dreams tomorrow, those who will start their journeys as trainers tomorrow, & those whose wounds will heal tomorrow ; each & every one of them has their own tomorrow !! you have no good reason to not let them see that tomorrow !! that’s why … me & my pokemon will fight for their tomorrow !! ” were some raw as fuck lines . & speaking of raw as fuck … holy shit did eureka bringing squishy back to its senses absolutely tear me apart … this child … she’s scared for her life & in tears , but she’s not crying for herself , she’s crying for the one she’d promised to protect & never let go of … & she finds it in herself to sing to it the song she’d made up just for it & that she’d sung & hummed to it throughout their journeying together … & the more she sings it , the louder she does so , hoping , knowing … it will help bring her friend back … & it does . & , if you listen closely , you can hear edward in the background absolutely sobbing just remembering it all . oh but the emo shit doesn’t end there , oh no - no - no … there’s the citroid . i have one image for that …

135 - 136 / xy&z42 - 43.

putting aside the rocket gang also kicking flare gang ass & continuing to broadcast live coverage of the mayhem unfolding , i think we all know who the true hero of the zygarde arc was . it was eureka , that’s who . she befriended a basically - god & saved it & protected it & made it & another basically - god of it’s kind realize that the world is worth saving . i love her & i’m proud of her . that being said … eureka tickling a spot on the other z - core while saying that squishy likes when she does that & it just nodding next to her like she’s said the wisest truth in the universe was really hecking cute . the little detail of daigo kissing his key stone to activate mega evolution was neat , & oh damn carne & the gym leaders assembling to assist … they came in ready to kick ass & kick ass they did . everyone charging in on the megalith , even the rocket gang joining in , the back - to - back champion fighting , everyone doing everything within their power to save hari & stop the maglith … & the zygarde !!! “ we have set our hopes on humans. she has protected us this whole time. she promised she would never let us go. now it is our turn !! ” oh honey … i’m telling you , eureka saved the world with her kindness . but the use of the piano instrumental of squishy’s song when the zygarde are saying goodbye & the ending song bye nyarth was illegal , bye .

137 / xy&z44.

honestly just someone instantly recognizing satoshi from the league made me really happy somehow , especially since the only other time someone’s recognized him from a league that i can name of the top of my head was masato way back in advanced . the citroid learning about the joys of gym battles all over again was really nice , too .

138 / xy&z45.

serena deciding to hold a pokemon performance in miare city’s square to lift everybody’s spirits higher with sana & musashi joining her in it absolutely lit my heart up , so i’d say serena was quite successful in her plan . also , satoshi pointing out things he knows are of interest to serena while they’re out in the city & him pulling her along by the hand to battle when he notices her being gloomy was really cute & sweet ; i might not be on board for them as a ship but man i can so absolutely see the appeal . also - also , the mention of pokemon contests !!! which makes me think that it’d be really interesting for serena to meet with haruka & hikari & their rivals & face off against them , which i know we’ll never get to see but it’s nice to think about . also - also - also , yashio saying she’s a fan of serena’s & the beginning of dori dori kicking in really yanked at my heart strings & still makes me instantly turn into a tearful mess , thanks .

139 / xy&z46.

the long - distance battling with satoshi - gekkouga was really nice , especially since i’m particularly fond of any & all scenes that display the powers / abilities brought out by the bond phenomenon ( something i might make a post on some day , actually , since it really is such an interesting thing to think about ) … but alas , it was time to say goodbye to gekkouga … it was sad , yes , but the knowledge that their bond will always connect them no matter the physical distance is a comfort … the promise between squishy & eureka to go on an adventure again when eureka’s a trainer sort of punched me in the soul , honestly .

140 / xy&z47.

hanako & okido !!! pikachu squishing his face on the monitor !!! satoshi leaning way into the camera !!! it was all so cute !! also , rocket gang editing the footage they filmed so that it looked like they were the ones responsible for the defeat of the flare gang & it actually working ; i also really liked the little heh detail with the solrock & lunatone keychains as a nudge about the upcoming sumo series . but good lord eureka’s speech to dedenne about not wanting to say goodbye either but knowing that they have to & that one day she’ll become a trainer with dedenne as her partner … i barely skimmed over that part while rewatching the episode & even two lines from it made me start crying . also , what does it say about me that the first thing i thought when citron said “ [..] can i also ask one last favor ?? there is something i want to do very badly. ” was if he wanted to kiss satoshi too ?? i will say though , them having one last battle before parting ways warmed my heart a lot … the flashbacks of everyone’s adventures throughout this journey & the glimpses of what the side cast were up to hit me in the emotions , but what truly played my heart like a violin concerto … was satoshi coming home . there was no big fanfare , no grand welcome back , just a boy returning to his home town after a long journey , nothing but the sounds of the night accompanying him as he makes his way to his house , followed by a message of “ & to your own way. ” , unlike in previous finales where the send - off was “ next time … a new beginning !! ” , a sign that , from here on out , we are no longer going to follow satoshi , that , though he still has a ways to go before achieving his goal of becoming a pokemon master , we won’t be accompanying him on his next journey . the way satoshi arriving in masara town was executed … it felt final & it really felt like coming home . & i for one can only wish satoshi the best on his next adventure .