After 26 years of thrilling adventures in the Pokémon anime, Ash Ketchum, the eternally 10-year-old protagonist, has finally bid farewell. However, The Pokémon Company is shaking things up in Pokémon Horizons by allowing its new protagonists, Liko and Roy, to age and mature. This unprecedented move was unveiled in the latest CoroCoro magazine, which detailed the upcoming arc, Mega Voltage. This arc introduces a time skip that ages Liko and Roy by about three years, complete with new, more mature designs for the main characters.

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This development is particularly intriguing because Liko and Roy exist within the same universe as Ash Ketchum. Although Ash is currently not part of the anime, this time skip implies that he, along with other beloved characters like Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, and Serena, have also aged by three years off-screen. Fans are buzzing with excitement and speculation about whether we might see a grown-up Ash in this arc or a future season.

Mega Voltage is set to bring back the thrilling concept of Mega Evolutions, aligning with its return as a mechanic in the upcoming game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The arc also showcases Liko's Floragato evolving into Meowscarada and Roy's acquisition of a shiny mega Lucario, adding new layers to their journey.

However, the reveal was missing one key character: Friede, the captain of the Rising Volt Tacklers. His Pikachu appears with Friede's goggles, which some fans have noticed are cracked, hinting at a possible unfortunate event involving Friede.

The Mega Voltage arc is slated to premiere in Japan on April 11, though viewers in the United States will have to wait longer due to the delay in the English dub. While our review of Pokémon Horizons Season 2 was lukewarm, rating it a 5/10 for not fully capitalizing on its potential, the introduction of a time skip in Mega Voltage offers hope for a revitalized and engaging continuation of Liko and Roy's story.

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