HZ036

Mission: Find Oinkologne's Partner! (Japanese: パフュートン仲良し大作戦！ Operation Friendship!) is the 36th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,268th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on January 19, 2024, in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2024, in sub-Saharan Africa on August 19, 2024, in Australia on September 19, 2024, in Canada on October 26, 2024, in Southeast Asia on November 8, 2024, and in the United States on November 22, 2024.
==Blurb==
As the Rising Volt Tacklers head toward Paldea, Nidothing hosts a livestream to answer viewer questions. The final question comes from a girl named Yuno, whose Oinkologne named Twirly is reluctant to enter an upcoming Multi Battle tournament. As a result, Nidothing asks Liko, Roy, and Quaxly to go to Pigton Town to help Yuno. It seems Twirly, a female Oinkologne, is interested in a male Oinkologne named Prince, but Prince doesn’t feel the same way. At the same time, Yuno is flustered by Prince’s Trainer, a boy named Renta. Can Twirly gain the confidence to win Prince’s approval so they can enter the tournament together?
==Plot==
The episode starts with Dot doing a Nidothing livestream. Liko feels nervous, trying very hard to think of what to say. As the stream continues, Nidothing gets to a commenter in Pigton Town who has recently become the trainer of an . She says that the Pigton Town Multi Battle Tournament is starting soon, but her partner doesn't want to team up with anyone. Nidothing thinks for a moment before knowing just the girl to help. After the livestream, she immediately calls Liko. Her startled cry catches Friede, Captain Pikachu, and off-guard in another room, as she is shocked to hear that she was the girl Nidothing had in mind during her livestream. Dot asks Liko to go to Pigton Town to give the commenter a hand. Liko blushes knowing that Nidothing is asking her for a favor. Dot explains that Pigton Town is a place full of Trainers with pig Pokémon. Roy and Liko happily accept Dot's request.
Dot catches shots of Pigton Town on her Rotom Phone, leaving Liko overwhelmed that she's tagging along for a Nidothing shoot. Yuno, the commenter from the livestream, runs over to excitedly greet before asking Liko if she is friends with Nidothing. Liko is happy, but hesitant to answer at first. Yuno introduces her partner, a female Oinkologne named Twirly, who is feeling down. Later, Yuno is excited to hear that Liko is "Sprigatito Love", having seen her collab with Iono. Yuno points out her problem with Twirly's feelings. Liko reassures Yuno knowing that she and struggled with the same problem until she let the know how she felt. Yuno tries it for herself, telling Twirly that she wants to enter the Multi Battle tournament, but not if it will make her sad. Twirly also gets encouragement from Quaxly, raising her spirits.
Later, the group comes across a male Oinkologne, whom Twirly has feelings for. Yuno is dismayed by this, knowing that Oinkologne belongs to Renta, Yuno's childhood friend who she can't stand. Urged on by her partner, Yuno reluctantly tells Renta that Twirly wants to team up with his Oinkologne, Prince, which Renta finds amusing. Renta leaves the decision up to Prince, who turns away to Twirly's dismay. Prince releases his sweet scent from his tail, attracting a lot of female pig Pokémon to him. Liko panics when Sprigatito gets mesmerized as well. Twirly then runs off crying seeing Prince's stunt. At the fountain, Dot suggests that Twirly gets a glow-up and a more confident attitude that will catch Prince's eye. Looking at Quaxly, Liko gets an idea. They wash Twirly and brush her fur to make her more polished. Liko gets the feeling that Yuno feels differently about Renta than what she shows. The group cheers for Twirly as she walks with a more proud posture. Then, Twirly tries to balance a pose. Liko notices that Yuno is still talking about Renta, getting the feeling that she is interested in him.
The group meets back up with Renta and Prince. Renta remarks that this is not about Twirly and Prince teaming up, but rather Yuno and himself. An embarrassed Yuno denies it, but Liko knows differently. Yuno sends Twirly to put Prince in his place with a charming pose, but despite the effort, he is still not impressed, leaving Twirly downhearted. As Renta and Prince are about to walk off, however, Quaxly steps in to challenge Prince, to Dot's shock. The Trainers in the area hear Nidothing's voice and recognize her Quaxly. The Duckling Pokémon then breaks into a dance that amazes Liko and Roy, and shocks Dot even more. Yuno and Twirly are left in awe at Quaxly's dance. Eventually, Quaxly's dancing steals Prince's crowd. Jealous, Prince kicks dirt into Quaxly, to the group's dismay, although Quaxly quickly brushes himself off. Suddenly, Twirly tackles Prince back in retaliation, angering Renta. As Liko and Roy watch the two argue, Twirly steps between them and releases her sweet scent into the air. The scent relaxes and mesmerizes everyone, except for Dot, who can't smell anything through her phone. Liko figures out that Twirly is giving off the scent for Yuno and Renta since they aren't being honest about each other's feelings. Prince walks up to Twirly, who, in a display of irony, turns away to his disappointment. Renta finally decides to team up with Yuno, who is still in denial. Dot thinks those two never change, but Liko knows that they are getting along in a way, the same with their partners. Liko tells Yuno that she's happy for her, and Yuno says it is only because Renta begged her to join him. With that, Renta and Yuno request a practice Multi Battle with Liko and Roy before the Pigton Town Multi Battle Tournament, which they accept.
Dot gets the scoop as the battle is about to begin. Prince makes the first move, using a that Sprigatito dodges. uses , but Twirly blocks it with . Liko is amazed by how in sync Yuno and Renta are before commanding Sprigatito to use . Twirly dodges using the dance moves she learned from Quaxly before using on Fuecoco. As Prince uses , Sprigatito and Fuecoco charge with and . Prince avoids using before coming back up and attacking Sprigatito. Liko asks her partner if she is okay, and Sprigatito is ready for more. Sprigatito and Fuecoco blow both Oinkologne back with Leafage and . Yuno, Renta, and their partners decide to go all out with Double-Edge.
The combined attack against Sprigatito and Fuecoco transitions into it knocking out a , resulting in Yuno and Renta winning the Pigton Town Multi Battle Tournament. Nidothing gives her scoop on their marvelous victory before interviewing Yuno about it. She says that it was thanks to the support of Nidothing and "Sprigatito Love". Nidothing asks Yuno if she and her "ideal partner" are getting along, and she immediately becomes bashful. Liko and Roy are amazed by everything working out for Yuno as Dot reads the comments. However, she becomes embarrassed when one of her comments reads about Nidothing playing Cupid.
==Major events==
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* (both genders)
==Characters==
===Humans===
* Liko
* Roy
* Friede
* Dot
* Yuno
* Renta
* Trainers
===Pokémon===
* ()
* (Liko's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* (Roy's; Rotom Phone)
* (Friede's; Captain Pikachu)
* ()
* (Dot's; Rotom Phone)
* (Yuno's; Twirly; female; debut)
* (Renta's; Prince; male; debut)
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (; )
* (Trainers'; ×4)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
* (Trainer's)
==Trivia==
* Professor Friede's Pokémon Seminar: Which traits is linked to 's sweet scent?
** Choices: Gourmet palate, neatness, heat sensitivity
** Answer: Gourmet palate
* The first eyecatch features Nidothing and her , and the second features Liko and her .
* The premise of this episode is very similar to Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?, and shares several parallels to it.
** Both episodes star a pair of characters of the day, Yuno and Renta and and , who have known each other since childhood. They have an outwardly contentious relationship with each other but appear to also have feelings for each other deep down, which and Liko successfully notice, but and Roy fail to.
** Both pairs own a male and female of the same species, Nidoran and respectively, both nicknamed by their Trainers. Their Pokémon have affection for one another, and the premise of the episodes involves Misty and Liko stepping forward to help the two Trainers and their Pokémon come together and ultimately ends in a situation that requires both characters of the day to work together. 
* With the exception of those owned by the Rising Volt Tacklers, every Pokémon appearing in this episode is at least partially based on a pig.
* Roy's Fuecoco and Dot's Quaxly are both confirmed to be male in this episode, while Liko's Sprigatito is confirmed to be female.
* This episode marks the first time that all three concurrent first partner Pokémon had their genders revealed since Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!, 604 episodes earlier.
** Much like in the aforementioned episode, the first partner Pokémon was confirmed female, while the - and first partner Pokémon were confirmed male.
** This is also the first time since the aforementioned episode that a Grass- and Water-type first partner Pokémon have received a confirmed gender.
* This episode marks the first appearance of an since Mission: Defeat Your Rival!, 507 episodes earlier. 
** This is also the first physical appearance of a since Battling Besties!, 199 episodes earlier. 
* This is the second episode to have its English dub released on the Pokémon Asia ENG YouTube channel before its debut in the United States, being released on November 8, 2024.
===Errors===
* When Liko, Roy, and Yuno, cheer on Twirly when posing, Liko's shadow is missing.
	
HZ036 error 1.png|Liko's missing shadow
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
036
Category:Episodes written by Naohiro Fukushima
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Hiromasa Amano
Category:Episodes directed by Fumihiro Ueno
Category:Episodes animated by Takashi Shinohara
Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes which aired in the United Kingdom before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in South Africa before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in Australia before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in Canada before the United States
de:Mission: Partner finden für Fragrunz!
es:EP1272
fr:LH036
it:OP036
ja:2023年版第36話
zh:宝可梦 地平线 第36集