HZ002

The Pendant That Starts It All (Part Two) (Japanese: はじまりのペンダント　後編 The Pendant of Beginning, Part 2) is the second episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,234th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on April 14, 2023 as a one-hour special alongside HZ001, in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2023, in Australia on February 27, 2024, in Canada on March 2, 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==
Liko and Sprigatito continue to flee Amethio, but when Friede swoops in with his Charizard, Amethio is forced to pause the pursuit to battle. During the fight, Liko is nearly hit by an attack, but her pendant suddenly surrounds her with a barrier. Inside, Liko is shocked to see an unfamiliar Pokémon, but it quickly reverts back into the pendant. Liko and Sprigatito fall, but Friede and Charizard catch them and take them to the Brave Olivine, an airship that’s home to the Rising Volt Tacklers. Liko has lots of questions but no time to ask them. Amethio is back, so Friede calls on a powerful partner—Captain Pikachu!
==Plot==
Picking up from the end of the previous episode, Liko suddenly finds herself surrounded by a green sphere of energy created by her pendant. Looking around, she spots floating in the air in front of her. After a few seconds, the Pokémon transforms back into her pendant and the sphere disappears, causing Liko and her to start falling. Fortunately, Friede and his save her in the nick of time. With all the crazy things that have happened to her over the course of the night, Liko feels like a new chapter has just begun in her life. Friede tells Amethio that they have to continue their some other time and has Charizard fly away. Looking at the endless night sky, Liko feels she was only able to take the leap of faith that led her to this moment thanks to Sprigatito being by her side and takes a moment to compliment her partner. Behind them, Amethio, Zirc, and Onia call out a and a pair of to continue their pursuit.
With her initial rush of excitement wearing off, Liko starts freaking out with how many unexplained things have happened to her, including being saved by a man whom she doesn't even know yet. She tries to ask for him to drop her off, only for them to start approaching a massive airship named the Brave Olivine. A battlefield-like structure called the wing deck comes together at the back of the ship, allowing Charizard to land. Friede is approached by Murdock and Mollie. When Liko questions who they are, they berate Friede for leaving her in the dark and bringing her along without telling her anything. They are then approached by a and a , which Liko recognizes as being from her home region of Paldea. Murdock explains that these Pokémon settled down with them during their travels, along with a group of other Pokémon from other regions. Seeing that these Pokémon seem comfortable around these people, Liko figures they are most likely not bad guys. She's momentarily mesmerized by the cuteness of seeing Sprigatito playing with the other Pokémon but quickly refocuses her attention on what's important. However, before she can ask any questions, Friede learns that the three people from before are still after them, while Mollie informs him that Orla has detected a huge stormcloud on their path. Friede tells to be on the lookout and asks Mollie to watch after Liko as he leaves for the wheelhouse and sends Charizard to help Orla in the engine room.
Before Liko and Mollie can head downstairs, a blackout cuts the power to the elevator. Just then, Noctowl alerts them that their pursuers are approaching. Using a telescope, Mollie recognizes them as the notorious Explorers group. In the wheelhouse, Friede takes over the helm from the ship's captain, Captain Pikachu, and decides to steer them into the incoming stormcloud to hopefully shake off their pursuers. Amethio, however, refuses to give up and orders the Explorers to use the ship to shield themselves from the wind. They are soon at the wing deck, which Mollie is unable to retract due to the blackout, so she heads outside to try to retract it manually, leaving Liko to watch after the Pokémon. Leaving the wheel to Murdock, Friede and Captain Pikachu head outside as well, picking up Charizard from the engine room along the way. Unfortunately for Mollie, she's unable to retract the wing deck before the Explorers break through the barrier surrounding it. Freaking out, Liko starts feeling like she's the main character of this story. Looking at the scared Pokémon, she feels guilty about them being caught in the crossfire, all because of the pendant her grandmother gave to her.
The Explorers enter the airship and find Liko. Amethio asks her why she fled, along with if she can truly trust her rescuers, and what her pendant's glow was about. While she doesn't know the answer to any of those questions, she's sure that she can't trust the Explorers. Sprigatito lunges at them, but Onia easily holds it back. Liko tells them to let Sprigatito go, being ready to surrender herself to them as long as they leave the Pokémon alone. Amethio agrees to this, feeling that since Liko is clearly a part of the pendant's secret as well, they'll be taking her in addition to it. However, they don't make it further than the wing deck before Friede swoops in with Charizard, promising to protect Liko and Sprigatito. Friede and Amethio properly introduce themselves to each other, with Friede presenting himself as the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers. Refusing to let them take Liko, Friede agrees to continue their earlier battle, though this time, instead of Charizard, he chooses to use Captain Pikachu against Amethio's Ceruledge, which Amethio scoffs at. Pikachu makes the first move with , which Ceruledge blocks without issue. Pikachu follows up with . Ceruledge deals with the copies with a flurry of s, before attempting to attack the real one with , only for it to turn out to be a copy too. The real Pikachu is standing at the top of the airship and summons down a big thunderbolt to strike himself. Powered up thanks to the lightning bolt, Pikachu slams into Ceruledge with a powerful .
When Amethio has Ceruledge fight back with Psycho Cut, the attack gets deflected and strikes the room where all the Pokémon are. Not wanting anyone to be hurt anymore, Liko tells them to stop the battle, ready to follow through with her surrender. She's sure Sprigatito is feeling the same way, until suddenly, the jumps off her arms and starts crying out to her in a determined manner. Seeing her partner's refusal to surrender, Liko realizes she's been lying to herself and stands up to Amethio. With all the confidence she can muster, she orders Sprigatito to use . The attack erupts out of Sprigatito with such intensity that both Friede and Amethio are left in shock at its power, while Liko feels happy to have finally succeeded in using a proper move with her partner. However, the attack also breaks the barrier surrounding the wing deck, allowing the stormy winds to blow in. Friede is able to keep Liko from being blown away but is unable to stop Sprigatito from flying overboard. Deciding on a tactical retreat, Amethio orders the Explorers to withdraw, snatching Sprigatito mid-fall as they fly away, leaving Liko to helplessly watch and cry out as her partner is kidnapped and taken away from her.
==Major events==
* A briefly appears from Liko's pendant.
* Amethio is revealed to own a .
* Liko is introduced to the Rising Volt Tacklers.
* Murdock is revealed to own a .
* Friede is revealed to own a nicknamed Captain Pikachu.
* Amethio kidnaps Liko's Sprigatito.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* 
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (; )
* Captain Pikachu
* Murdock's Rockruff
==Characters==
===Humans===
* Liko
* Friede
* Mollie
* Orla
* Ludlow
* Murdock
* Amethio
* Onia
* Zirc
===Pokémon===
* ()
* ()
* (Friede's; Captain Pikachu)
* (Friede's; Rotom Phone)
* (Mollie's; Rotom Phone)
* (Orla's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* (Murdock's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* (Amethio's)
* (Onia's)
* (Zirc's)
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers'; debut)
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers'; debut)
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers'; Alolan form)
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (; ; debut)
==Trivia==
* Professor Friede's Pokémon Seminar: What is needed to intensify 's sweet scent?
** Choices: A battle, a sun bath, a meal
** Answer: A sun bath
* This episode introduces a new series of eyecatches, with both the first and second halves featuring a different character and their Pokémon.
** The first eyecatch features Liko and her , and the second features Friede and his .
** This is the first episode of the English dub to retain the static eyecatches.
* A new title card is introduced.
** Starting from this episode, Liko reads the title card in every episode.
* During the episode's initial broadcast as a part of a one-hour special with the previous episode, neither the title card nor the eyecatches were shown, and a special preview introducing Roy in addition to the next episode was shown instead of the regular preview.
* For this episode, the ese, n, ese Mandarin, Cantonese, and dubs use the regular opening theme for the series (Heart-Pounding Diary in Japan, We Go in Korea, and We Go (English Ver.) in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand) as the ending theme, with the title card appearing immediately after the recap at the beginning. Other international dubs use the regular opening theme (Becoming Me internationally, We Go (English Ver.) in Asia, and Let's Get Started in South Asia) before the title card and the regular ending theme (Instrumental version of Becoming Me internationally and Boom Kaboom in South Asia) for the credits.
* On April 17, 2023, three days after the initial airing of this episode, the official English Pokémon profile on Twitter revealed the first little information about the mysterious Pokémon and a post about the episode and its reveal, noting that it would appear in The Indigo Disk.@Pokémon on Twitter: A newly discovered Pokémon appears in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet! Its splendid aura is reminiscent of the Legendary Pokémon Terapagos, but this Pokémon’s name and true nature are shrouded in mystery.@Pokémon on Twitter: What’s happening with Liko’s pendant? There’s even more to discover about this mysterious Pokémon and its connection to Liko’s pendant in PokemonHorizons: The Series! This marks the first time the has introduced a previously unknown Pokémon since 's appearance in Who Gets to Keep Togepi?. On August 8, 2023, this Pokémon was revealed to be in its .Two Forms of the Legendary Pokémon Terapagos! - Pokémon Scarlet and Violet website
* This episode marks the first time a Pokémon makes its animated series debut past its debut generation since made its debut in A Togepi Mirage!.
* This and the previous episode are the first two-part episode since Rocking the Virbank Gym! Part 1 and Rocking the Virbank Gym! Part 2 aired almost 11 years earlier.
===Errors===
* Amethio's gloves are white instead of black when he pulls back his wet hair. This was fixed in the English dub.
* When Amethio's emerges from its to catch Sprigatito, the sound effect of a Pokémon being recalled is used.
HZ002 error 1.png|Amethio with white gloves 
===Dub edits===
* The Japanese text depicting Captain Pikachu's name is edited out.
* In the BBC release, the scene where Pikachu uses is shortened and slowed down.
==In other languages==
==References==
002
Category:Episodes written by Dai Satō
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Daiki Tomiyasu
Category:Episodes directed by Makoto Ōga
Category:Episodes directed by Ayumi Moriyama
Category:Episodes by multiple assistant directors
Category:Episodes animated by Toshihito Hirooka
Category:Episodes animated by Chiaki Kurakazu
Category:Episodes animated by Masaya Ōnishi
Category:Episodes by one-time animation directors 
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
Category:Episodes focusing on Liko
Category:Episodes focusing on Friede
Category:Episodes focusing on the Explorers
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 Australia before the United States
Category:Episodes which aired in Canada before the United States
de:Der Anhänger, mit dem alles anfängt! Teil II
es:EP1238
fr:LH002
it:OP002
ja:2023年版第2話
zh:宝可梦 地平线 第2集