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Warning: Spoilers for Pokemon Horizons Episode 66Pokemon Horizons Liko had just seen her first major victory over the Explorers, and much like Ash, was rewarded for her bravery in unexpected ways, helping to make up for her poor performance in her Terrastal Implementation test. This turn of events is perfectly in line with how Ash has achieved several gym badges over the years, and goes to show that Lico is becoming a worthy successor.
In episode 66 of Pokemon HorizonsNaranja Academy was under attack by the Explorers, who carried out a hack from inside the school. The ax was caught by Penny, who alerted Dot, who then called Lyca and Roy for more help. The team is finally able to expose one of the high-ranking members of the Explorers, Chalce, who has managed to disguise himself and secure a job as a teacher at the academy.
However, Chalce is not alone, and Cydian and Coral are soon called upon to stand in the way of Lyco and Roy.
Lyco’s battle against Sidian showed her skills
Lico fought bravely to protect Terapagos and save the school
Recognizing the effects of the salt cure on a security guard, Lyca immediately took off to follow Cydion from the Explorers, leaving her Hatrem to heal the hapless guard. When Liko confronted Sidian, he noticed Terapagos in Liko’s bag and tried to wrestle her gargoyle to take it from her, forcing Liko to defend himself. While Lico’s Floragato had the type advantage, Garganacl proved to be an exceptionally difficult opponent, using healing moves to regenerate any damage Floragato managed to inflict.
Meanwhile Grusha arrived at the academy and saw the remains of the salt cure, then followed Hatrem to a window from which they could see Lyka’s battle taking place. Sidian used his Terra Orb to terrestrate his Garganakle, forcing Lyco into a difficult position; After she failed her exam, she wasn’t supposed to use terrastalization anymore, but the situation left her with no choice.. Lico terrestalized Floragato and was finally able to overpower Garganakl with a tera-boosted magical leaf, defeating Sidian. Unfortunately, the hack was complete by this point, and Sidian took the opportunity to escape.
Grusha called Lika to the chief, where Clavel and Geta were waiting with him. Grusha apologized for failing Liko, and noted that her skill in battle came out because she was defending something dear. As a result, Clavell and Geeta allow Liko’s mind to be retroactively changed to pass, allowing her to keep her Terra Orb, partly as thanks for helping to protect the school from the Explorers.
Liko’s heroic actions are rewarded just like Ash
Ash often benefits from saving the day
This turn of events is a familiar one for many fans of the anime, as something similar often happened to Ash Ketchum. Perhaps the first notable example of this was Ash’s attempt to challenge Erika’s gym. Ash didn’t fare too well in their battle, but the battle was interrupted when Team Rocket set the gym on fire. While Brock and Misty helped to fight the fire, Ash bravely ran back into the burning gym to save Erika’s Gloom, and was rewarded for his courage with the Rainbow Badge, despite their battle being unfinished..
Impressing a gym leader like Erika or Grusha is no easy feat, and it seems that gym leaders have a lot of room to decide what actions are deserving of their approval, be it to earn a badge or to pass the terrestal course of the academy. Ash would go on to win most of his later badges the old-fashioned way, and fans often debate to this day whether he deserved to receive the Rainbow Badge. It’s clear, though, that this is a perfectly legitimate way to get a badge in the anime, even if it’s not an option in the video games.
If anything, Liko’s situation is a bit more straightforward than Ash’s, as Grusha still got to see her skill with Terrastal in particular, which was the original purpose of their battle. Like Ash, Lyco has shown that she is at her best when she defends someone else, calling on all her experience and knowledge to protect what is dear to her. It also proves that Liko has really become stronger as a result of the Terrastal course, as before she did not support well in the battle against the Explorers. This kind of unconventional success has been a trademark of Ash, and it seems Pokemon Horizons Lika will carry the torch from now on.