Quick Links
Warning: Contains spoilers for Pokémon Horizons episode #89.Pokémon Horizonshas ended its biggest arc yet with the finale ofPokémon Horizons: Rayquaza Rising, changing everything just in time for its upcoming timeskip inPokémon Horizons: Mega Voltage. It’s the biggest shakeup to the anime’sstatus quosince Ash was retired as the protagonist, and the finale toRayquaza Risingset it up perfectly.
In the climax ofPokémon Horizons: Rayquaza Rising, the Rising Volt Tacklers finally found Laqua atop Kumuri Mountain, and Liko, Roy, Dot, and Friede moved to investigate the area and the full depth of the danger Laquium posed to the world. Naturally, the Explorers had also made their way to Laqua, and while Liko and everyone fought off some of their lower-ranked members,Liko and her friends inevitably found themselves meeting Gibeon and Spinel at the dying center of Laqua. The stage was all set for the final battle, and with it finally over, there’s plenty to unpack.
How Pokémon Horizons: Rayquaza Rising Sets Up Its Final Battle
The Final Battle Of Pokemon Horizons: Rayquaza Rising Explained
In the center of Laqua, as Gibeon’s Zygarde entered its 50% form and Pagogo called on the powers of the Six Heroes, a Laquium crystal shattered and revealed, to everyone’s surprise, a still-living Lucius. Lucius explained that the Laquium kept him alive for over a century, and while imprisoned,Lucius formed a psychic link with Zygarde where they devised a plan to find trainers worthy of Pagogo and the Six Heroes who could eventually destroy the Laquium. Those trainers were the Rising Volt Tacklers, and those efforts had brought them all there that day for the final battle.
Gibeon was furious at Zygarde’s betrayal, and to make matters worse, Amethio also turned against him to make him listen to the dangers of using Laquium. The Six Heroes began sending their power into Pagogo to finally get rid of the Laquium, and while Lucius tried to get Gibeon to surrender, Gibeon instead begged Zygarde to fight with him one last time.Zygarde, to everyone’s surprise, took Gibeon’s side again for the final battle, and with Friede’s Pokémon out of commission due to exposure to Laquium, it fell on Liko, Roy, Dot, and Amethio to defeat Zygarde.
How Pokemon Horizons: Rayquaza Rising Ends Its Final Battle
Who Won Between The Rising Volt Tacklers & The Explorers?
With the power of Terastalization and Roy’s Crocalor knowing the super-effective Disarming Voice, Liko, Roy, Dot, and Amethio put up a decent fight against Zygarde, especially when Liko got Amethio to properly work together with them. Unfortunately, Zygarde’s power ended up being too much for them, and despite getting a few good hits in, it wasn’t long before Zygarde defeated everyone and moved on to take out Pagogo. Liko, however, refused to give up, and not only did she inspire everyone else to keep fighting, butLiko’s determination caused Florgato to evolve into Meowscarada.
Betting everything on Meowscarada, Amethio had Ceruledge use the last of its strength to help Meowscarada get close and unleash an onslaught of attacks on Zygarde, eventually sending it to the ground with Flower Trick. Gibeon commanded Zygarde to keep attacking, but in a surprise twist,Zygarde only fought with Gibeon to give Liko and her friends a final test and left Gibeon after determining that they passed thanks to the power of their bonds. Gibeon stared out in disbelief, and as he did, Pagogo finally powered up into its Stellar Form and destroyed the Laquium in the surrounding area.
As Gibeon lamented his failure, Lucius and Amethio told him that even though his methods were wrong, the genuine care he had for Pokemon was still admirable, and the purity he used to act with was why Zygarde stuck around as long as he did. It was then that Gibeon finally understood how wrong his actions were, and as he did,Lucius and Gibeon’s bodies started to fade away as they no longer had any Laquium to support themselves. Lucius and Gibeon entrusted Liko and Amethio with the future, and with that, they were both able to die in peace.
How Pokémon Horizons Sets Up Its Big Timeskip
Everything To Know About Pokemon Horizons: Mega Voltage
With Gibeon defeated and the Laquium destroyed, everything seemed to be taken care of, but Spinel refused to let things stand. Taking charge of the situation,Spinel used some spare Laquium he had on him to make the Six Heroes save for Rayquaza go berserk, with most of them working to destroy Laqua and everyone in it in their frenzied state. Rayquaza did its best to hold off the other Six Heroes by itself, and as it did, Liko, her friends, and Amethio made their escape from the crumbling Laqua.
Liko’s group made their way back to the entrance to Laqua where the Rising Volt Tacklers were there to pick them up in the Brave Olivine’s new jet-powered Infinite Rising mode, but due to engine trouble and high winds, Friede and his team nearly fell off the ship before they could get inside. Realizing there was no way for them all to survive,Friede helped Captain Pikachu back onto the Brave Olivine before he and Charizard were blown off into the air, and asFriede presumably fell to his death, Liko’s narration remarked how that was their last adventure.
The final scene cut to a year later, with everyone evidently having gone their separate ways. Liko is back at school with Pagogo sleeping inside its Poke Ball, Roy has been traveling the world for unknown reasons with Captain Pikachu and has caught a shiny Lucario, and most startlingly,Spinel, now the head of the Explorers and Exceed, has captured the Six Heroes save for Rayquaza and framed the Rising Volt Tacklers for the destruction of Laqua and the outbreak of Pokémon going berserk around the world, with the Explorers now seen as the heroes trying to fix everything.
Why Pokémon Horizons: Mega Voltage Will Be Pokémon’s Best Arc In Years
Why Pokémon Horizons: Mega Voltage Is So Exciting
With everything that happened inRayquaza Rising’s final act, there’s plenty to be excited about withMega Voltage.ThePokémonanime going through a timeskipfor the first time is exciting all on its own, but rather than the characters simply being older,Pokémon Horizons: Mega Voltage’s timeskip now throws everyone into a new setting where Friede is missing, the world is in chaos, and Liko and Roy have to fix everything while the world is being tricked into blaming them. It’s a bigger shakeup than anyone could have expected, and it will be great to watch it play out.
All of that will be especially great when taking everything before it into account. From day one,Pokémon Horizonshas been a wonderful change of pace thanks to its great animation and engaging linear storytelling that made for more dynamic character development, all of which peaked inRayquaza Rising’s final act, soPokémon Horizons: Mega Voltagewill be an amazing development if it can capitalize on everything that the series has done up to this point.Pokémon Horizons: Mega Voltageis coming very soon, and after such a stunning finale, it can’t come soon enough.
