HZ012

The Future I Choose (Japanese: わたしが選ぶ未来 The Future I Choose) is the 12th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,244th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on June 23, 2023, in the United Kingdom on January 15, 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.
==Blurb==
With Arboliva’s forest ruined, Liko and friends set out to replant seeds and encourage new growth. Even Ludlow helps with his Quagsire, whose Rain Dance brings water to the dry land. After Arboliva restores the forest, Liko’s pendant glows and turns into the unfamiliar Pokémon from before. Liko, Roy, and the Pokémon then receive a fleeting message from a mysterious man, and Arboliva returns to its Ancient Poké Ball. Later, Friede and Liko’s mom discuss the situation, and Liko and Roy read about the Ancient Adventurer who traveled with six Pokémon. Liko’s grandma might know more, so it’s up to Liko to decide what’s next…
==Plot==
Looking at the burnt-down remains of Arboliva's Forest around them, Liko and Roy understand the dire situation the forest is in. Mollie explains that the uses its nutrients to heal injured Pokémon, akin to a doctor, but with the forest being so badly damaged, there's only so much it can do, which will inevitably lead to more Pokémon ending up like the they helped. Liko declares that they're going to replant the forest. As such, she and Mollie start gathering , while Roy has till the soil with and he himself clears out rocks and burnt-down tree parts. The gathered Berries are planted, leaving water as the only missing thing. Unfortunately, Paldea doesn't experience much rain during this season, so they're going to need help.
Aboard the Brave Olivine, Dot is about to upload her latest video, when she notices problems with the connection. She relays this information to Friede, Murdock, and Orla, explaining why they haven't been able to get in touch with the others. Friede departs with and Captain Pikachu to see where the problem might lie. He soon identifies the culprit as a that's emitting electromagnetic waves that cause the disturbance. Once Pikachu has shocked it and driven it off, the phone reception is instantly restored, allowing Liko's phone call to reach Friede. She explains the situation to Friede, and he goes to gather help. Soon, Friede meets up with Liko, Roy, and Mollie, followed by Orla and Ludlow. Ludlow pulls out a Dive Ball and calls out his , whose helps to dampen the dry soil. Once the rain has ended, Arboliva uses its Ability to make the planted Berries grow into new trees. The restored trees allow the Pokémon that had fled the fire to return, much to Liko and Roy's pleasure.
Suddenly, Liko's pendant starts to glow and transforms into . Arboliva reacts to the Pokémon's presence by creating a big ball of light and surrounding Liko and Roy with it. Inside the ball of light, Liko and Roy find themselves in the middle of a thick mist. A silhouetted figure speaks from amidst the mist, but can't finish his sentence before the mist lifts and the two s return to reality, the mysterious Pokémon transforming back into Liko's pendant in the process. The Rising Volt Tacklers barely have time to process this before Arboliva's starts glowing and it suddenly recalls itself into it. Taking this as a sign of Arboliva wanting to come with them, Friede asks Liko and Roy to look after the ball and has the team return to the airship. Unnoticed by the team, Spinel of the Explorers is spying on their every move.
At the Artazon library, Friede's attempts to find answers prove fruitless, but he's cheered up by the appearance of Lucca, whom he's been trying to reach for a while now. Simultaneously, Liko shows Roy some picture books her father had given to Roy to read, and Roy is shocked to notice that one of the books is about the ancient adventurer his grandfather has told him stories of. While Lucca identifies said ancient adventurer as a man named Lucius during her conversation with Friede, Liko and Roy read the story from the book: a hundred years ago, there was an adventurer who, accompanied by the Black Rayquaza, befriended five strong Pokémon. Together, the adventurer and these six Pokémon traveled from region to region, until they found a place simply called "paradise." The man, with his Pokémon friends, had gone on to settle down and live there, becoming forever known as the "ancient adventurer." Given the description of how one of the adventurer's partners had the ability to heal wounds, Roy deduces that it must mean Arboliva, which, in turn, means that the Ancient Poké Balls contain the adventurer's partners, and there are still four more of them out there, making him excited at the thought of finding them too.
With Friede and Lucca, Liko's mother is unable to provide any answers regarding the pendant, since it was a gift to Liko from Lucca's mother, and advises them to talk to her for answers. The accompanying her takes flight and starts repeating the words "Galar" and "castle." Lucca decides not to go see Liko, wanting her daughter to decide her own future. Liko, meanwhile, calls her father, who says the storybook is based on tales of Liko's grandmother, so he believes the story to be just fiction. Roy, however, remains convinced of the story's authenticity, given their encounters with the Black Rayquaza and Arboliva.
Later, the Rising Volt Tacklers gather in a meeting. After sharing what he learned, Friede leaves the decision up to Liko. Liko decides that she wants to go meet her grandmother, with Roy also eagerly agreeing to the idea in the hopes of finding out more about the Ancient Poké Balls and the ancient adventurer. Since she travels around the , though, Liko has no idea where she is right now. Friede, however, believes that Squawkabilly's words were a clue on her whereabouts, so, following a unanimous agreement, the Rising Volt Tacklers decide to head for Galar next. Unknowingly, the airship is being observed by a and the Magneton from earlier, both belonging to Spinel, who's been thoroughly studying the Rising Volt Tacklers and declares that Liko's pendant will soon not be hers anymore.
==Major events==
* Ludlow is revealed to own a .
* The briefly emerges from Liko's pendant again.
* The goes inside the second and is taken under the care of Liko.
* Friede meets Lucca, Liko's mother.
* Liko and Roy learn more about the Ancient Adventurer, Lucius.
* The Rising Volt Tacklers decide to head for Galar.
* Spinel is revealed to be spying on the Rising Volt Tacklers and own a , an , and a .
===Debuts===
====Humans====
* Spinel (in person)
* Lucca
====Pokémon debuts====
* ()
==Characters==
===Humans===
* Liko
* Roy
* Friede
* Mollie
* Orla
* Ludlow
* Murdock
* Dot/Nidothing
* Spinel
* Alex
* Lucca
* Lucius (silhouette)
* Citizens
===Pokémon===
* ()
* (Liko's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* ()
* (Friede's; Captain Pikachu)
* (Friede's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* (Mollie's; Rotom Phone)
* (Orla's)
* (Orla's)
* (Orla's; Rotom Phone)
* (Ludlow's)
* ()
* (Murdock's; Rotom Phone)
* (Spinel's)
* (Spinel's)
* (Spinel's)
* (Alex's)
* (Alex's; Rotom Phone)
* (Diana's; ; debut)
* (Lucius's; Black Rayquaza; flashback)
* (; )
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Trainer's)
* (×2)
* 
* 
* (×5)
* (×2)
* (; )
* (silhouette)
==Trivia==
* Professor Friede's Pokémon Seminar: "What kind of personality does have?"
** Choices: Being mean, being gentle, being wild
** Answer: Being gentle
* The first eyecatch features Ludlow and his , and the second features Liko and her .
* This is the first appearance of a in the since Capacia Island UFO!, 454 episodes earlier.
** This is also the first appearance of a in the animated series since All They Want to Do is Dance Dance!, 223 episodes earlier.
*** This also marks the first appearance of a Steenee in the animated series other than the one that belonged to .
* A special preview for future events was aired after the episode.
===Errors===
* When Liko, Roy, Mollie, and their Pokémon are cleaning the ground to plant new trees, there is a scene where uses to till the field. When the Pokémon is about to leave the scene, for a few frames, its nose is missing.
* When Liko gets surprised by Roy's shocked voice upon recognizing the ancient adventurer's story, the right side of her hair is hanging over her finger.
	
HZ012 error 1.png|Fuecoco's missing nostril
HZ012 error 2.png|Liko's hair covering her finger 
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
012
Category:Episodes written by Kureha Matsuzawa
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Hiromasa Amano
Category:Episodes directed by Junya Koshiba
Category:Episodes animated by Izumi Shimura
Category:Episodes animated by Masaya Ōnishi
Category:Episodes animated by Shin'ichi Yoshino
Category:Episodes animated by Toshiko Nakaya
Category:Episodes animated by Kurika Yamagata
Category:Episodes animated by Studio Massket
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes which aired in the United Kingdom before the United States
de:Die Zukunft, die ich wähle!
es:EP1248
fr:LH012
it:OP012
ja:2023年版第12話
zh:宝可梦 地平线 第12集