Okay, let's dig into this episode.
- So, even though the first episode of this three-parter ended with Roy looking quite upset over his loss to Lucario, suggesting that Roy may be dealing with some kind of emotional turmoil, it turns out that Roy is just okay and him looking all upset was just dramatic fakeout to make us invested, and believe this would be something meaningful for him? Sure whatever. God forbid Roy was given any interesting writing. They could have easily added a small bit of Roy feeling pressured to grow stronger and live up to Friede, but they don't even bother. It's like Roy is perfectly unaffected by everything that happened. He's peachy, fine and already the ideal trainer. Like genuinely why should I care?
- Okay, they definitively confirmed that Ult never knew what's inside the Dusk Ball, which means that the whole dialogue spoken by the weird man (speculated to be Ult's father) was for the audience's benefit only. Ult never met this Pokemon, has no connection to this Pokemon, which again reinforces how ridiculous it is that Ult/Dragonite have the established "bond" to trigger Mega Evolution when they've never met before. Ult getting a disobedient/disrespectful Dragonite storyline while simultaneously being able to mega evolve said Dragonite makes zero sense.
- I'm still a bit confused about Ult's backstory. So Ult is a Kalos native, apparently, so was he always living alone? Who gave him the Dusk Ball? Was it one of his family members? Or a random person he met on the street? Feels weird that they never elaborated on that part.
- It's kinda cute how both boys have unopened Poke Ball as something in common, and Roy actually had an endearing moment when he tried to tell Ult about it.
- Emma is pretty likeable. I like the idea of her empathizing with Ult and helping him, having gone through similar circumstances as him. She's essentially her Z-A self here, except she still has her XY design. I wonder if we'll see her again one year later. It would be cool for Emma see Ult who's matured a little bit and who is less abrasive than before.
- It's interesting how they haven't brought up Ult's quirk of being shy or flustered around women yet. I guess it's because he already knows Emma well, so he'll act naturally around her, but it's such a prominent part of his character in Mega Voltage that it's kinda weird it hasn't been displayed here at all. Not complaining, I just find it curious. I guess there's only been one female character so far in this three-parter.
- The Roy vs Ult battle was whatever. It was just Sableye spamming attacks and Crocalor dodging every attack, which makes for a boring and uninspired battle. I do like how Ult was immediately called out for his lack of awareness and not being mindful of Sableye in general. Props to Kureha Matsuzawa for already establishing this detail in the previous episode, so it didn't feel like it came out of nowhere. It's also frustrating because this writer clearly knows how to write interesting characters and give them some growth, but when it comes to Roy they seemingly just don't know what to do with him. Roy is perfectly okay. He has no emotional turmoil, his bonds with his Pokemon are so ideal and so perfect that Ult needs to learn from him. He displays no weaknesses or shortcomings that would cause him to learn in any capacity. Like, why should anyone care? Why is Ult getting all the juicy story bits while Roy is just the perfect ball of sunshine who inspires everyone around him? Bleh.
- We are now two episodes into this three-parter, and Roy/Lucario have yet to share a single moment together. I can only assume Lucario will be so deeply impressed by Roy's bond with his Crocalor that it will lead to Lucario mega evolving? And then it will join Roy for that reason? Okay, sure, whatever. Lucario still has zero personality other than looking lowkey menacing/creepy whenever it's spying on Roy/Ult from a distance.
Not a bad episode, but it's sad that Roy is being outshined in his own special.
