Pokémon Horizons may have opened its story following Liko, but when it comes to battle, Ash's real successor is looking increasingly like it's going to be Roy, at least when it comes to wacky yet brilliant battle strategies.

Throughout the original Pokémon anime, Ash was known for his unconventional thinking on the battlefield, often pulling out techniques that would never be possible in the games. Ash even developed a technique of his own, the Counter Shield, a means of deflecting attacks using elemental energy that was adopted by many characters, including Leon in their final battle. Now, it's Roy who has been thinking outside the box, as in episode #17 of Pokémon Horizons he attempts to take on Captain Pikachu with a combo attack from his Fuecoco and Wattrel that's more than a little silly, yet surprisingly effective.

Roy's Unorthodox Battle Strategies Are Straight Out of Ash's Playbook

In episode #17, Roy is trying to get his new Wattrel and Fuecoco to get along and comes up with an idea for a combo attack after witnessing how strong winds enhanced Wattrel's power greatly. Roy decides to test this out in battle against Captain Pikachu, who soundly defeated Fuecoco the last time they trained together. Roy starts off in a goofy pose, with Fuecoco sitting on his head, and Wattrel on Fuecoco's head in turn, before launching them high in the air. Fuecoco boosts their height further with Ember, then drops to the ground. Wattrel, now high up where stronger winds are blowing, dives at Captain Pikachu, knocking off his hat with the power of Wattrel's Spark.

This kind of double battle strategy is quite similar to another tactic Ash once employed in double battles. In his battle with Tate and Liza back in the Ruby and Sapphire era, Ash had Pikachu ride on his Swellow's back, in order to offer Swellow some protection from reflected Electric-type attacks. Ash then used thunderclouds overhead to lure a bolt of lightning towards the pair, which gave them a massive power-up as they swooped down, somewhat similar to Wattrel's power-up here. Making use of the weather to enhance their Pokémon's attacks in an unconventional way is something both Ash and Roy share now, showing Roy is growing as a trainer.

Fans of the anime have often enjoyed Ash's outside-the-box thinking in battle, so it's definitely nice to see that this will continue into Horizons, even without Ash. Roy is still only beginning his journey as a trainer, but his lack of any kind of formal instruction is allowing him to think about battle in ways that others might not. That's both a potential advantage and disadvantage, but at this point, Roy's only way to learn is by doing. Hopefully, Pokémon Horizons will continue to offer Roy opportunities to battle in unorthodox ways, so that the next time they come face-to-face with the explorers, they'll be ready.