The status quo has shifted, the villains are in power, and the Rising Volt Tacklers are on the back foot. But now that they're finally back together, it's time to start launching a counterattack or at least start investigating what exactly has happened in the past year. The first batch of Rising Hope episodes was all about establishing the new positions that everybody was in. This batch of episodes is about establishing the next step on this journey while giving our cast so much-needed character development. This part gives almost every member of the main cast, including some side characters, their own time to shine. Almost everyone gets at least one hype moment that was solidly built up while also laying the seeds for more development down the road. There is a general sense of hopelessness throughout this arc as the main cast is very much placed in the underdog position, but I like the fact that there is a real sense of growth as they try to overcome insurmountable odds.

Of the main cast, Roy probably gets the least amount of spotlight, which makes sense considering that he was very much frontloaded at the beginning of this new arc. Now he takes on a bit more of a supporting role. I like how his relationship with Ult is highlighted a lot more here, foreshadowing the series potentially going into how they first met while also making it clear that Roy still has a lot to learn as a leader when it comes to understanding his teammates. Ult definitely feels more fleshed out as a character after these episodes compared to his introduction. Before, he very much came off as the louder and more abrasive shounen protagonist, and while he never really gets out of that archetype, the show definitely highlights where that attitude comes from. The sense of loneliness and belonging he craves is well illustrated here, even if the specifics of his backstory are a little bit confusing. Ult's desire to be accepted as a part of something is physically represented by his desire to be worthy of a Pokémon that was left for him. That works well on paper and symbolically, but in execution, it's a little bit odd considering that he's trying to gain the acceptance of a Pokémon who seems to listen to him just fine. I hope future episodes will elaborate a bit more on what exactly that issue is.

However, when it comes to Amethio, everything is crystal clear. It is very much just the Zuko arc from Avatar: The Last Airbender with a privileged boy losing all direction in life after being cast aside by people and an organization that gave him a sense of purpose, but it's still done really well here. It's one thing that he's been hiding since the Explorers have been after him, but it's another to follow through on the parallels that he and Liko have had since the last arc to get him out of his slump. If anything, I do feel like Amethio's arc is handled better than Liko's in part one. But the fact that these parallels are more physically represented in the Pokémon they have was a really nice touch. Considering what the show is setting up, I am very much looking forward to seeing that character arc get explored more later on.

Speaking of parallels, that is a consistent theme throughout the season; our protagonists are receiving Pokémon that act more as representations of where they are in the story. Liko's Charcadet acts as a rival and parallel to Amethio's Ceruledge as it tries to prove itself. There is Ult's mysterious Pokémon that's always hiding away in its Pokéball to showcase his insecurities. Even Dot's new Gimmighoul better represents her becoming more outgoing as the series goes on. Dot's character arc seems like a further extension of the arc she was already on, but it's still really solid considering that she was one of my favorite characters from the last arc.

Thankfully, the presentation also took a massive step up from the last batch of episodes. There are some genuinely gorgeous animated hype moments present throughout that really give a lot of these new Pokémon the sense of gravitas they deserve. There was only one episode where the animation felt very stiff and lifeless, which is a shame because it was arguably at a climactic point in the series. But outside of that, this is definitely a more consistent step up from what I saw before. That also includes the voice acting, which continues to be incredible. Daman Mills and Laura Stahl, in particular, are given great material and Amethio and Ult, respectively, as the show explores darker layers to their characters. Also, a special shout-out to Larry Kenney for continuing to kill it as Might G.

Overall, this second batch of episodes is a step up from the last one in almost every way. The show is still taking advantage of the timeskip to tell a slightly more mature story; most of the cast is given a lot more depth, the symbolism is stronger, and the animation has greatly improved. Some things are a little messy, and there's still more room for things to get even better, but that's exciting in its own way. Seeing these characters come into their own has been a treat, and I'm curious what new direction they'll go in part three.