Pokémon Horizons, the anime series taking forward the Pokemon lore, introduced its new villains, the Explorers, some time ago. Replacing the original Team Rocket which was tasked with being a menace for Ash and company, the Explorers are supposed to be more dangerous for the series’ new protagonists.
While Team Rocket was largely unsuccessful in their attempts to steal Pikachu and, to be frank, largely incompetent to pull off any of their boss Giovanni’s bidding, they had one trick up their sleeve that has so far been unparalleled in the new series. Team Rocket’s Jessie and James were masters of disguise, showing off their ability to stealthily find themselves in just about any environment or surroundings without being detected.
The same cannot be said for the Explorers. The new Pokemon Horizons arc called “Terastal Debut” showed protagonists Liko, Roy, and Dot join the Naranja Academy of the Paldea region to learn how to use Terastallization. The Explorers’ Coral and Sidian had the same idea but enrolled in the academy with fake names such as Sandwich and Rice Ball.
The disguise and fake names were supposed to work out, but Liko and Roy immediately found out the truth. In fact, the protagonists have even agreed that they will not let the Explorers find out that their disguises are not working, and will be playing along to find out what their plan is.
Say what you will about Team Rocket, but Ash, Misty, and Brock were hardly ever smart enough to recognize Jessi and James.
