The Ancient Poké Ball (Japanese: いにしえのモンスターボールThe Ancient Monster Ball) is the sixth episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,238th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on May 12, 2023, in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2023, in Australia on February 27, 2024, and in the United States on March 7, 2024. It was initially intended to air in the United States on February 23, 2024, but was rescheduled.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Amethio almost grabs Liko, but her pendant again surrounds her with a barrier—and strangely, Roy’s Ancient Poké Ball glows in sync. The three begin to battle, but Amethio has the upper hand, so Liko pleads for help. Suddenly, the pendant and Ancient Poké Ball light up, and a black Rayquaza emerges from the Ancient Poké Ball. It causes the Explorers to flee and then flies away. Later, Roy’s grandfather explains that the Pokémon is mentioned in a legend involving an Ancient Adventurer, and Roy decides to officially become a Pokémon Trainer with Fuecoco. But when it’s time for the Rising Volt Tacklers to leave, will he join them?
Plot
Continuing from the end of the last episode, Amethio's attempt to have his Corviknight seize Liko with its talons is thwarted when Liko’s pendant forms a protective barrier around her, stopping Corviknight in its tracks. To further add to the confusion, Roy's Ancient Poké Ball also starts glowing. The barrier lowers itself, and while Zirc and Onia try to hold Friede and his Charizard back, Amethio confronts Liko and Roy, telling Liko that she and her pendant have to go with him. However, Roy yells at Amethio that he will never have Liko or her pendant, so Amethio challenges the pair to a battle, using his Ceruledge against Sprigatito and Fuecoco. Despite them managing to land a hit with their teamwork, the two first partner Pokémon are quickly overwhelmed. Ceruledge prepares to finish them, with Liko pleading for help. Suddenly, her pendant and Roy's Poké Ball start glowing again, catching everyone's attention. The Poké Ball suddenly clicks open, releasing a beam of light into the sky that clears away all the clouds and materializes into a Black Rayquaza. Roy is astonished to learn that the ball wasn't just not empty, like he had assumed, but was even containing a black Rayquaza all along. Rayquaza uses Draco Meteor, raining devastation all over the beach. With this overwhelming force now in the middle of everything, Amethio orders the Explorers to retreat. Roy's pleas for Rayquaza to return to its ball are ignored, and the Sky High Pokémon eventually flies away after glancing at Liko, much to everyone's relief.
Later, while Ludlow discovers the tracker the Explorers had planted on the Brave Olivine and has Quaxly destroy it, Liko, Roy, and Friede talk about the Black Rayquaza and the Poké Ball with Roy's grandfather. He's unable to tell them anything useful, however, as he had simply found the ball on the beach when he was younger and later given it to Roy, not having an idea that it actually had a Pokémon inside it, much less the Legendary Rayquaza that's said to have obeyed the legendary ancient adventurer. He had assumed the whole thing was just a fairy tale, but now, he has reliable evidence right in front of his eyes, much to Roy's pleasure. Liko remembers how her pendant and the Poké Ball glowed at the same time, but Roy's grandfather doesn't recognize it at all. Friede is excited by this mystery and decides to investigate it, while Roy wonders where Rayquaza could've gone to. Receiving a call from Mollie, the three learn that she's finished treating Sprigatito and Fuecoco, so they rush back towards the beach, with Roy's grandfather looking after them. Aboard the Brave Olivine, Friede's Charizard gives Fuecoco an empty Poké Ball.
Roy after catching Fuecoco
Arriving at the beach, Roy shouts out that he wants to spend more time with Fuecoco, not wanting to say goodbye to someone who gets his heart racing this way. Sprigatito and Fuecoco come out of the airship, with Fuecoco spitting out the Poké Ball that Charizard had given to it, signifying that it wants Roy to catch it. With Friede's approval, Roy makes the Poké Ball throw for which he's been practicing and officially makes Fuecoco his first partner. The Rising Volt Tacklers prepare to resume their journey to Paldea, with Liko extending an invitation to Roy to come with them. Roy is uncertain, given that his grandfather has rebuked his desires to travel before, but Liko assures him that things are different now that he's a Pokémon Trainer and has a Pokémon by his side. This assurance gives Roy the confidence to talk with his grandfather, who unexpectedly appears next to them. Roy pleads for a permission to join the Rising Volt Tacklers, wanting to realize both his own dream of following in the ancient adventurer's footsteps by finding and catching Rayquaza, as well as Fuecoco's dream of becoming as strong and cool as the Charizard it admires so much. His grandfather approves his decision on the grounds of him now wanting to fulfill his partner's dream in addition to his own, and hands him his bag, already filled with everything he might need for his adventure. Taking his bag, Roy promises to be riding on Rayquaza when he comes back and let his grandfather ride it as well.
Liko's Sprigatito and Roy's Fuecoco watching the sunset
In the Explorers' base, Amethio has just finished giving a mission report to the team's leader, Gibeon. Another team member, Spinel, mocks Amethio of his failure and acts disbelievingly towards his claims of a Rayquaza having disrupted the attempt at capturing Liko's pendant. Due to his failure, Amethio is relieved from the mission, with Gibeon assigning Spinel to take it over in his place. Storming out of the hall, Amethio tells Zirc and Onia that he's now going to focus on pursuing Rayquaza instead, believing its resonance with the pendant to hold the key to the mystery behind it.
As the Rising Volt Tacklers prepare to set off, Roy gives Friede the flag he found earlier. Friede is happy to get their ship's flag back and realizes that it ended up being the factor that brought Roy and Fuecoco together. Hearing Friede's words, Roy realizes that the treasure the storm brought to him was actually Fuecoco. Friede tells Roy to put the flag back in its place, which he does before the Brave Olivine takes off. On the flying ship's deck, Liko and Roy notice the residents of Roy's hometown on the beach below, having come to see him off. Even his grandfather is amongst the crowd, wishing his grandson good luck. The two wave the crowd goodbye and turn to look at the setting sun, preparing to start their adventure together.
This is also the first time that a concurrent Fire-type first partner Pokémon has been caught outside its native region.
Main character has obtained or caught a first partner Pokémon as their first Pokémon in their home region since Serena obtained her Fennekin in A Shocking Cheeky Friendship!, 435 episodes earlier.
As of this episode:
Water-type is the only type that has not had a concurrent first partner Pokémon be caught by a main character outside its native region.
At least one Pokémon from every generation up to Generation IX has been owned by a male main character.
The commercial break occurred around the first quarter of the episode, instead of the halfway point as usual.
While the English dub's title shown on-screen during the episode lacks an exclamation point, it is included in the BBC listings.
Errors
During the scene where Roy joins the Rising Volt Tacklers, the heel of Mollie's left shoe is not drawn properly.
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