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| Season | Pokémon Horizons: The Series (Horizons Season 1) · Roy and the Ancient Poké Ball arc (HZ004–HZ008) |
| Episode | Horizons Season 1, episode 7 · English episode 1231 · Japanese episode 1240 · Bulbapedia code HZ007 |
| English title | Special Training with Cap! |
| Japanese title | 特訓！キャプテンピカチュウ Tokkun! Kyaputen Pikachū — “Special Training! Captain Pikachu” |
| First aired (Japan) | 19 May 2023 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 7 March 2024 · Netflix |
| Screenplay | Kureha Matsuzawa |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Dokimeki Daiārī (Heart-Pounding Diary) – asmi feat. Chinozo · RVR ~Raijingu Borutekkāzu Rappu~ (Rising Volt Tacklers Rap), Ludlow Ver. – Liko (Minori Suzuki) & Roy (Yuka Terasaki) |
| English opening | Becoming Me – Haven Paschall (version 1, with clips from Heart-Pounding Diary) |
| Previous episode | The Ancient Poké Ball (HZ006) |
| Next episode | The Door That Never Opens (HZ008) |
Plot episodeSprigatito learns Quick AttackDot is Nidothing
Special Training with Cap! is the 7th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1231st episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1240, Bulbapedia code HZ007). It first aired in Japan on 19 May 2023 and in the United States on 7 March 2024. It falls within the season’s Roy and the Ancient Poké Ball stretch (EP4–EP8).
Released on Netflix in the US on Thursday 7 March 2024 with the rest of Part 1 (HZ001–HZ012); BBC iPlayer had released it in the UK on 15 January 2024.
Synopsis
Liko and Roy train with Captain Pikachu, trying to land a single hit on the lightning-fast Pokémon, and the lesson pays off when Sprigatito learns Quick Attack, while the episode reveals that the reclusive Dot is secretly Nidothing. As the Brave Olivine continues towards Paldea, the person behind Nidothing puts on the costume to record a new video. Roy, a Trainer at last, challenges Liko, but Sprigatito and Fuecoco simply trade Leafage and Ember until both are exhausted. Friede installs the Rising Volt Tacklers app on their Rotom Phones, which serves as a membership card and group chat, and gives Roy a Pokédex, which thrills him so much he barely listens to the explanation. When Roy wonders how to find Black Rayquaza, Friede suggests asking Dot, Murdock’s reclusive niece, who built the app and gathers the team’s information. At Dot’s door Nidothing’s theme is playing inside, but only a Quaxly appears through a hatch, carrying a note with a drawing of Roy and Fuecoco after a loss.
The cheeky note gives Liko an idea: since Roy wants to be strong enough to catch Rayquaza and she wants to protect her friends from the Explorers, they ask Friede to train them. Friede expects to use Charizard, but Captain Pikachu arrives in a flash of lightning and volunteers as their opponent; to win, they need to land just one hit. Cap dodges every attack with tiny leans, evades the combination of Leafage and Tackle, and surrounds them with Double Team copies. Liko spots the zigzag pattern in Cap’s retreat, and the partners destroy the copies one by one, but Sprigatito’s Scratch misses and both Pokémon fall asleep from exhaustion just as Cap lands. Over Murdock’s lunch, Liko notices that Sprigatito likes bitter food while Roy and Fuecoco love spicy dishes.
After lunch Friede has Liko and Roy battle again, reminding them of what they learned against Cap. This time they react to each other’s moves instead of shouting commands blindly: Fuecoco dodges Scratch and counters with Tackle, and Sprigatito dodges in return. When Roy goes for a finishing Ember, Liko tells Sprigatito to run past it, and her partner suddenly moves at blinding speed, slipping past the flames and knocking Fuecoco out with a move Friede identifies as Quick Attack. Roy fist-bumps Liko, promises a rematch, and both thank Friede and Cap. Then a message from Dot sends them back to her door, where Quaxly delivers another note: a drawing of Rayquaza flying over Paldea. Roy thanks Dot and runs off, Liko says she hopes to get to know her better, and as she walks away, the Nidothing costume can be seen lying on Dot’s bed.
Major Events
- Training with Cap. Liko and Roy get the Rising Volt Tacklers app and Roy a Pokédex
- Training to land one hit on Captain Pikachu
- Sprigatito learns Quick Attack and beats Fuecoco
- Viewers learn that Dot is Nidothing
- The first episode without the Explorers
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Kureha Matsuzawa.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto, Galar and Paldea storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- The opening now shows Lucius’s Rayquaza in Roy’s sky shot (HZ007–HZ008)
Part of our Pokémon Horizons: The Series guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.