HZ081

(Japanese: 大バトル！大地を穿つ炎 A Great Battle! The Earth-) is the 81st episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,313th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on January 24, 2025.
==Plot==
After resting for the night, the group arrives at the site where was spotted and have a small picnic. They discuss more about Entei being in Area Zero and their suspicions of it being one of the Six Heroes this time, all while being watched by Coral and Sidian unknowingly. As the group is packing up, Entei appears before them, albeit with a slightly different appearance to the one they met in Johto. However, Pagogo's resonance and the appearance of the other Six Heroes under Liko's care confirms this Entei is indeed the one they are looking for. Holding Lucius's belt, Liko approaches Entei and asks it to join them. In response, Entei brings out its and passes it to Liko. Her happiness at the thought of it joining them is short-lived when Entei suddenly swipes Lucius's belt from her, challenging them to retrieve the belt from it. With no other option, Liko, Roy, Dot, and Friede get ready to while Briar and Pagogo watch from the sidelines.
Once Entei secures the belt in its fur, uses to target the weakness of the , but Entei uses to protect itself and render Stomping Tantrum useless. tries to follow up with but not only did the attack fail but Quaxwell is from touching Entei. presses forward with but dodges at the last second, receiving a small burn in return. When the heat surrounding Entei's body disappears, Dot comes up with another strategy once she realizes Burning Bulwark uses a lot of energy, thereby Entei cannot use it for long. Using , Stomping Tantrum, and , the three Pokémon successfully get Entei to use Burning Bulwark again and maintain their distance until the move wears off, allowing Captain Pikachu to land a that barely caused any damage. In retaliation, Entei uses , to everyone's shock. With this new piece of information, Dot, Friede, and Briar come to same conclusion — the Pokémon before them is not Entei but a Paradox Pokémon.
Briar elaborates further on what Paradox Pokémon are, with Roy realising the strange-looking from before was also a Paradox Pokémon. Since the existence of these Pokémon is only recognised in the recent years, it is likely both Lucius and Rystal mistook the Paradox Pokémon for Entei. Since they are battling a completely different Pokémon, Dot deduces this one is a Pokémon, leaving Stomping Tantrum as the only effective move against it. Despite this, their strategy doesn't change and Floragato and Quaxwell attack once more, but the Pokémon did not use Burning Bulwark as expected. Dot has Quaxwell jump into the river, with Cap using to distract the Paradox Pokémon, and use from there, learning in the process. Fed up with the attack, the Paradox Pokémon uses Burning Bulwark again, resulting in Crocalor unleashing a powered-up Stomping Tantrum once the flame wears off. Roy attempts to keep up the momentum, but the Paradox Pokémon shoots a Dragon Pulse into the sky, causing the clouds to part such that sunlight would hit the Pokémon directly and trigger its Ability, . With its attack power raised, it uses , which Briar remarks looks like a pillar of fire. She realizes something and with reference to the Scarlet Book, Briar tells everyone the true identity of the Paradox Pokémon — .
Gouging Fire is able to deal severe damage to Floragato, Crocalor, and Quaxwell with Raging Fury. When Floragato tries to stand up, Cap uses Double Team to distract Gouging Fire once more but ends up being cornered. Roy has Crocalor save Cap by using . In spite of the strength of their opponent, everyone finds it fun and Dot is inspired to come up with another strategy to beat Gouging Fire. At that point, they notice Gouging Fire acting once the flame wears off. Dot is entrusted to create a new strategy with Sidian still watching while holding off Coral, who is itching to battle. With a new plan in place, Gouging Fire uses Raging Fury as Liko, Roy, and Dot stallize their Pokémon. The three Pokémon attack Gouging Fire from all directions before Quaxwell uses a flurry of Aqua Cutter to lure Gouging Fire into the river and extinguish its flames, leaving it wet and confused. This gives Cap an opportunity to land an effective Thunder Punch, with Lucius's belt coming out from Gouging Fire's fur during its struggle. Floragato captures the belt with its vine and Dot holds it before Gouging Fire, victorious.
With the battle over, Liko asks Gouging Fire if they have earned its approval. Gouging Fire shows the group a vision of Lucius also earning Gouging Fire's approval after his trouble with befriending it. Despite the trouble, Lucius is grateful for all the encounters that has occurred and together with Rystal, the two set off for Laqua. Afterwards, Lucius's Gouging Fire allows itself to be recalled into its Ancient Poké Ball. Holding the Ancient Poké Ball, Liko comments how the Entei they believed to be one of the Six Heroes was really Gouging Fire. Roy enthusiastically declares all that they need to do now is find the Black Rayquaza, which Liko agrees. Suddenly, Pagogo and five of the Six Heroes resonate again, with the clouds above parting to reveal the Black Rayquaza, stunning everyone as it flies down the sky.
==Major events==
* Liko, Roy, Friede, and Dot find Lucius's , but discover it is actually a .
* Dot's Quaxwell learns .
* Lucius's Gouging Fire goes inside the fifth and is taken under Liko's care.
* Lucius's Pokémon summon the Black Rayquaza.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* ()
==Characters==
===Humans===
* Liko
* Roy
* Friede
* Dot
* Coral
* Sidian
* Rystal (flashback/vision)
* Lucius (flashback/vision)
* Briar
===Pokémon===
* (; stallized)
* (Liko's; Pagogo; )
* (; stallized)
* (Friede's; Captain Pikachu)
* (; stallized)
* (Dot's; Rotom Phone)
* (Coral's)
* (Coral's; Onipurin)
* (Lucius's; Black Rayquaza)
* (; )
* (; Galarian Form)
* (; )
* (; )
* (; debut)
* (Briar's; Rotom Phone)
* (fantasy)
==Trivia==
* Professor Friede's Pokémon Seminar: What kind of weather will power up in?
** Choices: Sunny, cloudy, rainy
** Answer: Sunny
* The first eyecatch features Friede and Captain Pikachu, and the second features Briar.
* Despite the item having existed since Generation I, this episode marks the debut of the Burn Heal.
* The scene where slides back after being hit by 's may be a reference to the popular "".
* Roy, , , Liko, Pagogo, Dot, and narrate the preview for the next episode.
* While the official Japanese Pokémon YouTube channel releases every episode after its television airing for viewing on YouTube for a limited time in Japan, this episode was not geo-locked to Japan after its release.【公式】アニメ「ポケットモンスター」第81話「大バトル！大地を穿つ炎（ほむら）」（見逃し配信） - ポケモン公式YouTubeチャンネル
===Errors===
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
==References==
081
Category:Episodes written by Michihiro Tsuchiya
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Makoto Nakata
Category:Episodes by one-time directors
Category:Episodes animated by Yoshitaka Yanagihara
Category:Episodes animated by Masaya Ōnishi
Category:Episodes animated by Toshinari Abe
Category:Episodes animated by Izumi Shimura
Category:Episodes animated by Natsumi Hattori
Category:Episodes animated by Keita Hagiwara
Category:Episodes animated by Yūhei Takaboshi
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which an alternately colored Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which a Paradox Pokémon appears
de:Dai Battle! Daichi o Ugatsu Homura
es:EP1317
fr:LH081
it:OP081
ja:2023年版第81話
zh:宝可梦 地平线 第81集