Pokémon Horizon may have opened its story according to Riko, but as it goes into battle, Ash’s real successor looks more and more like it’s going to be Roy, at least when it comes to quirky combat strategies but excellent.
Throughout the original Pokémon anime, Ash is known for his unconventional thinking on the battlefield, often using techniques never possible in the game. Ash even developed a technique of his own, Counter Shield, a means of deflecting attacks using elemental energy that has been adopted by many characters, including Leon in the final battle. their same. Now it’s Roy who thinks out of the box, as in episode #17 of Pokémon Horizons, he tries to confront Captain Pikachu with a combo attack from his Fuecoco and Wattrel, which is a bit of a hit. silly but surprisingly effective.
Roy’s unorthodox combat strategies are completely out of Ash’s books
In episode #17, Roy was trying to get along with his new Wattrel and Fuecoco and came up with the idea of a combo attack after witnessing strong winds that raised Wattrel’s powers to so many. Roy decided to test this out during his battle with Captain Pikachu, who clearly defeated Fuecoco the last time they trained together. Roy starts off in a goofy pose, with Fuecoco perched on top of him and Wattrel perched on Fuecoco’s head respectively, before tossing them high. Fuecoco increases their height even further with Ember, then falls to the ground. Wattrel, currently aloft, where stronger winds are blowing, lunges at Captain Pikachu, knocking his hat off with the power of Wattrel’s Spark.
This type of doubles strategy is quite similar to another tactic that Ash has used in doubles fights. During his battle with Tate and Liza in the Ruby and Sapphire era, Ash had Pikachu ride on his Swellow, to provide Swellow with some protection from Reflex Electric attacks. Ash then uses the thunderclouds overhead to draw a bolt of lightning towards the pair, giving them a buff on their descent, a bit like Wattrel’s buff here. Leveraging the weather to enhance their Pokémon attacks in a unique way is something Ash and Roy both share nowadays, showing that Roy is growing as a trainer.
Anime fans generally like Ash’s out-of-the-box thinking in battle, so it’s great to see this continue in Horizons, even without Ash. Roy is still just starting his journey as a trainer, but his lack of any form of formal instruction is allowing him to think about the battle the way others have. may not think. That’s both an advantage and a disadvantage, but at this point, the only way to learn from Roy is to practice. Hope, Pokémon Horizon will continue to give Roy the chance to fight in unorthodox ways, so that the next time they face adventurers, they’ll be ready.
