The battle between Tera Dragon Rayquaza with Roy and Ult was actually nice! All of the Pokémon in each Trainer’s roster was used, and contributed in Rayquaza’s defeat. However, it does show that Roy is the more capable trainer as his Pokémon contributed more than Ult’s. I think that Skeledirge being the Pokémon to actually land the final blow on Rayquaza was both poetic and deserved. He’s been there since day one, from the moment Roy’s Ancient Poké Ball opened and revealed the Shiny Rayquaza. It wasn’t just Roy’s dream, but his as well.
I do feel bad for Ult in the sense that it was inevitable that he wouldn’t achieve his goals, but at least he was a good sport about it. It’s much different from how he was in his debut. Also, there was a bit of lore about him revealed in this episode. It turns out that he’s a member of the Dragon Tamer clan due to his father Salt who is the Great Subterranean Adventurer. The way he’s described reminds me a lot of Byron's appearance in the Diamond and Pearl arc of the original anime series, with his obsession with digging. The major difference here is that Salt is definitely a deadbeat dad if he left his son without a secure shelter, because the kid was homeless in Lumiose City for a while. I do wonder what Ult is going to do now that Roy caught Rayquaza. Will he get a new goal? If so, what will it be?
Other than that, I think this episode was a great way to celebrate 30 years of the franchise. I can’t believe I’m still a fan of the franchise to this day, but I don’t think I’ll stop. I’m glad to be able to spend a milestone with the Pokémon Horizons cast, Bulbagarden staff and my dear readers. With the reveal of Gen 10 games being released in 2027, this means that Horizons will still be airing for another year. . I do wonder what’s going to happen once the Laquium is purged, though… Let me know your thoughts on the episode!
