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| Season | Pokémon Horizons: The Series (Horizons Season 1) · Interludes & the Lapras Pirates arc (HZ027–HZ034) |
| Episode | Horizons Season 1, episode 28 · English episode 1252 · Japanese episode 1261 · Bulbapedia code HZ028 |
| English title | The Stolen Treasure |
| Japanese title | ぬすまれた宝もの Nusumareta Takaramono — “The Stolen Treasure” |
| First aired (Japan) | 10 November 2023 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 9 August 2024 · Netflix |
| Screenplay | Michihiro Tsuchiya |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Haro (Halo) – yama × BotchiBoromaru · RVR ~Raijingu Borutekkāzu Rappu~ PART2, Mollie Ver. – Roy (Yuka Terasaki) & Liko (Minori Suzuki) |
| English opening | Becoming Me – Haven Paschall (version 2, with clips from Halo) |
| Previous episode | As Long as I’m with My Friends (HZ027) |
| Next episode | Orla and the Poké Ball Smith (HZ029) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeTepenHatenna uses Confusion
The Stolen Treasure is the 28th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1252nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1261, Bulbapedia code HZ028). It first aired in Japan on 10 November 2023 and in the United States on 9 August 2024. It falls within the season’s Interludes & the Lapras Pirates stretch (EP27–EP34).
Released on Netflix in the US on Friday 9 August 2024 with the rest of Part 3 (HZ024–HZ034); it had appeared first on Australian iTunes and Google Play (1–10 April 2024), and BBC iPlayer released it in the UK on 27 May 2024.
Synopsis
Diana’s old adventuring partner Tepen, now a shady antique dealer, steals Roy’s Ancient Poké Ball for a mysterious buyer, and Liko and Roy chase his Pokémon across town until Captain Pikachu and Diana bring him to account. Following Diana’s note, Liko leads Friede and Roy to Tepen’s stall, marked by a Lampent on a signpost, where he tries to sell them a special sleep powder and a “20,000-year-old fossilised” Rotom Phone. Learning that Liko is Diana’s granddaughter, he reminisces about their adventures, including a week spent trapped in an Ariados’s web. When Roy shows him the Black Rayquaza’s Ancient Poké Ball, Tepen reacts with shock, claims never to have seen anything like it, and asks to inspect Roy’s whole bag before handing it back. Hatenna senses his bad intentions and tries to warn them, but Roy and Fuecoco are too hungry to listen.
At a restaurant, Sprigatito notices movement in Roy’s bag, and a Foongus pops out: Tepen has swapped the Ancient Poké Ball for it, and his stall has vanished. Friede searches on Charizard, but Tepen dumps his cart on him and escapes through a produce market, where Charizard’s pursuit damages the stalls and lands Friede in trouble with the merchants. Learning that Tepen’s Lampent has the ball, Liko and Roy chase his Pokémon into a museum, where they blend in with the exhibits and pose as a statue, then out of a window into a park. Fuecoco dodges Honedge’s attacks, and Roy escapes when Honedge’s ringing strike stuns Bronzong. Liko’s Leafage is blocked by Bronzor’s Iron Defense, and Hatenna uses Confusion to cut the bag from Lampent, but Tepen appears and has Lampent take it back with Thief.
Tepen admits a stranger offered to buy the ball, convincing the children that the Explorers are behind it. In the battle that follows, Lampent’s Ally Switch redirects Quick Attack into Bronzor, Bronzong’s Rain Dance douses Fuecoco’s flames, and although Wattrel’s Spark lets Sprigatito grab the bag, Honedge’s Metal Sound knocks the ball loose and Bronzong traps it inside its body. Tepen’s Foongus then puts all the children’s Pokémon to sleep with its powder, until Captain Pikachu arrives, defeats Tepen’s whole team with a single Thunder Punch and recovers the ball, while Friede and Charizard cut off his escape. Diana confronts Tepen over the fake ancient text he sold her, and Liko stops Arcanine from torching him. Pointing to something on Bronzor that shows he still longs for adventure, Diana tells him the first step is always the hardest; Tepen tearfully apologises to his Pokémon, resolves to start over, and gives Liko the address of the Poké Ball craftsman who wanted the ball.
Major Events
- Tepen. Diana’s old partner Tepen steals Roy’s Ancient Poké Ball
- Hatenna uses Confusion
- Captain Pikachu’s single Thunder Punch beats Tepen’s team
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Michihiro Tsuchiya.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Kanto, Galar and Paldea story.
Part of our Pokémon Horizons: The Series guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.