HZ018

Flying Pikachu, Rising Higher and Higher! (Japanese: そらとぶピカチュウ、どこまでも高く! Flying Pikachu, Soaring High!) is the 18th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,250th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on August 18, 2023, in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2024, in Australia on March 22, 2024, in sub-Saharan Africa on April 17, 2024, and in the United States on May 10, 2024.
==Blurb==
After Liko and Roy see Captain Pikachu momentarily hover in midair during battle, they become determined to find out why it can fly. With Dot’s help, they try to get Friede to talk about it for a video, but he refuses to give any meaningful details. The other Rising Volt Tacklers offer some clues, though, and Orla finally summons everyone to a meeting to confront Friede. He gives in and recounts the story of how he first met Captain Pikachu, formed the Rising Volt Tacklers, and launched the Brave Olivine with Orla and Ludlow’s help.
==Plot==
Remembering how Captain Pikachu seemed to fly during Roy's recent training match, Liko and Roy approach Dot to question her about it. Roy is convinced that Cap is a special Flying Pikachu, but Dot cannot answer how Cap became the way he is, as she's always known him as he is now. She does, however, agree to investigate the matter with them, sending her Rotom Phone to accompany Liko and Roy as they go to question Friede and Cap at the Brave Olivine's helm in the hopes of making a good video about the mystery. Unfortunately for them, though, while Friede doesn't deny that Cap did indeed fly on the previous day, he's reluctant to answer any questions regarding their past. As such, Liko and Roy start asking questions from the other crew members. While Mollie and Murdock can only tell that Cap is a picture of health, Ludlow tells the children that Cap is the reason why Friede formed the Rising Volt Tacklers to begin with. From Orla, they learn that she and Friede used to live in Kanto together before she moved to Hoenn, and that he's shy when it comes to talking about his past, especially in front of cameras. Seeing the children's curiosity, though, Orla agrees to help them and makes an impromptu announcement to the crew that Friede will be sharing his and Cap's story in the meeting room. While initially unhappy by the sudden announcement done without his consent, Friede ultimately caves in from the pressure of everyone's curiosity and starts telling his story.
Having quit his job as a company researcher, Friede has lost the passion for his work and started to spend his days simply monotonously fishing with Ludlow. This routine changes, though, when he is contacted by his former teacher, Lucca, whom he goes to meet at Medali's Treasure Eatery restaurant to learn that she has moved from Kanto to Paldea after getting married and having a daughter. To reinvigorate Friede's passion, Lucca invites him to meet a special Pikachu that has become famous among locals. At first, Friede is uninterested, feeling he already knows everything there is to know about . His attitude changes, though, when he sees the Pikachu creating a massive vortex and floating through the sky with it. With his researcher spirit reinvigorated, he sets out to research this peculiar Flying Pikachu, but all of his attempts at approaching him are met with Pikachu either tackling him or running away from him. Noticing Pikachu getting hungry while doing squats with his tail, he and gather him some and remind him that it's also important to ensure the intake of proper nutrients.
Observing him from afar, Friede learns that Pikachu has a light body, which he's using in combination with the move and his springy tail to launch himself upwards, using the vortex of energy created by the move to climb into the sky, where flapping his tail allows him to float momentarily. Contacting Friede, Lucca is happy to learn of his discoveries and tells him that this reinvigoration of curiosity is exactly what she hoped from a meeting between him and Pikachu while taking care of her daughter Liko.
Despite continuing to observe Pikachu for days, Friede is still unable to figure out what drives him to fly every day at dawn, regardless of the recoil damage he takes from each usage of Volt Tackle. Finally deciding that simply observing isn't enough, he takes flight with Charizard one morning just as Pikachu does too and rises up to the sky with him. Looking at the sunrise, he finally realizes that what drove Pikachu was the desire to see this horizon. Forgetting to flap his tail at the sight of Friede, Pikachu starts to fall uncontrollably, but Charizard saves him. Friede asks Pikachu to become his partner so that they both can soar through the sky and see the together. Accepting this offer, Pikachu lets himself be , officially making them partners. Returning to Ludlow and his boat, the Olivine, at Porto Marinada, Friede and he sail to Slateport City, where Friede meets Orla and makes the surprising request of making the boat able to fly. Orla happily obliges and converts the Olivine into an airship, which Friede renames the Brave Olivine. Instead of any payment for her work, all that Orla requests in return is to get to travel with Friede so she can continue to take care of the airship's maintenance. Friede accepts her request and also appoints Pikachu as the captain of the airship, making him Captain Pikachu. Taking inspiration from Pikachu's flying Volt Tackle, Friede names the newly formed team the Rising Volt Tacklers, before setting sail with his new teammates.
Ending his story, Friede is met with applause from the crew, though all Liko can focus on is the fact that her mother was Friede's teacher, yet another fact that Friede had absentmindedly neglected to tell her of. Later, Liko, Roy, and Dot meet on the ship's deck. While Dot has finished editing the video, the group agrees not to publish it. Now knowing that she has her mother to thank for the Rising Volt Tacklers' existence, Liko makes sure to thank her the next time they meet. Spotting land on the horizon, the three children realize that they're finally about to arrive in the Galar region.
==Major events==
* Friede reveals how he met Captain Pikachu and formed the Rising Volt Tacklers.
* The Rising Volt Tacklers arrive in Galar.
===Debuts===
====Humans====
* Larry (flashback)
====Pokémon debuts====
==Characters==
===Humans===
* Liko
* Roy
* Friede
* Mollie
* Orla
* Ludlow
* Murdock
* Dot
* Lucca (flashback)
* Larry (flashback)
* (flashback)
* Citizens (flashback)
===Pokémon===
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Friede's; Captain Pikachu)
* (Friede's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* (Mollie's; Rotom Phone)
* (Orla's; flashback)
* (Orla's)
* (Orla's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* (; )
* (Murdock's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* (Dot's; Rotom Phone)
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Trainer's; flashback)
* (Trainer's; flashback)
* (Trainer's; flashback)
* (flashback)
* (flashback)
* (×4; flashback)
* (flashback)
==Trivia==
* The first eyecatch features Friede and his , and the second features a younger Friede and Captain Pikachu.
* The opening was played over the final scenes of the episode instead of near the beginning, with the opening credits being displayed over them. Likewise, the series logo, usually displayed during the opening, was instead displayed over a shot of the Brave Olivine.
** Oddly enough, in the YouTube and TVer distributions, the opening does also play near the beginning of the episode additionally to the end of the episode alongside with the regular opening credits with those credits not being present at the end of the episode.
* This is the first episode of to feature a location seen in , as Slateport City is featured in a flashback.
* There is no Professor Friede's Pokémon Seminar for this episode.
* This episode premiered in Japan on Ikue Otani's 58th birthday.
===Errors===
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
018
Category:Episodes written by Kureha Matsuzawa
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Daiki Tomiyasu
Category:Episodes directed by Makoto Nakata
Category:Episodes animated by Masaya Ōnishi
Category:Episodes animated by Yasue Ōno
Category:Episodes animated by Yusuke Oshida
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
Category:Episodes focusing on Friede
Category:Episodes featuring Elite Four members
Category:Episodes which aired in the United Kingdom before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in Australia before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in South Africa before the United States
de:Fliegendes Pikachu auf Höhenflug!
es:EP1254
fr:LH018
it:OP018
ja:2023年版第18話
zh:宝可梦 地平线 第18集