HZ044

The Plan to Capture Rayquaza (Japanese: レックウザ捕獲計画 A Plan to Capture Rayquaza) is the 44th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,276th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on March 22, 2024, in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2024, in Australia on October 1, 2024, in sub-Saharan Africa on October 10, 2024, and in the United States on November 22, 2024.
==Blurb==
After determining that the Explorers are behind the appearance of a mysterious tower on a nearby island, the Rising Volt Tacklers jump into action. Dot starts working on a program to disable a device the Explorers plan to use to summon the black Rayquaza, while Friede, Liko, and Roy head to the tower to investigate. Spinel traps Friede and Captain Pikachu inside, but they manage to escape after a fierce battle. Meanwhile, Liko and Roy find Chalce, Coral, and Sidian at a lighthouse, where the Explorers are using their device to mimic Terapagos’s resonance with Rayquaza. When Rayquaza finally appears, the Explorers launch a surprise attack… Will their plan succeed?
==Plot==
Friede goes to the island with the suspicious tower to check out what the Explorers are up too. He finds the tower and sees Spinel's and circling it, before spotting Spinel himself and his going inside. Friede heads back to the Brave Olivine and shows his findings to the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers. Seeing the photos, Liko and Roy recognize Spinel as the one who once stole Liko's pendant in Levincia. Figuring the tower must be what the Explorers must be using to summon the Black Rayquaza, Friede decides to use Captain Pikachu's electricity to destroy it, while Dot says she can put together a shutdown program. Friede's ready to charge in any time, but the ship would be easy to spot, as would be arriving on , so he instead has Ludlow get a boat ready. Liko and Roy offer to come along, and though Friede initially tries to refuse, seeing that determine stares on their faces convinces him otherwise, so he just tells everyone else to wait at the airship.
The group arrives at the island on a boat, Friede telling them not to make a sound. They pass a group of , and a ends up spooking , forcing Roy to shush him. Friede urges everyone on, and they all shush Cap when he gives the command. The group eventually arrives at the tower, slowly walking up to the door, which, to Friede's surprise and suspicion, is unlocked. He has Ludlow look after the kids as he enters the tower. He and Cap look around before the door suddenly shuts behind them, trapping them inside to Liko's distress. Friede tells Spinel that the others missed out on his trap. Spinel appears, and Friede remembers his voice from his assault in the Levincia alleyway. The Explorers admin explains that this tower was made to hold Friede, who calls out to the children and tells them this is the wrong place. Ludlow asks the children to stay calm and leave Friede to his battle. Liko takes a breath to calm herself down before going with the group to search for the right tower.
At the , Chalce uses soundwaves from a speaker to start summoning the Black Rayquaza. Coral has a hard time believing it will work. She also asks where Amethio is, and Chalce says that it was Spinel's idea that the four of them finish the mission without him. Coral remarks on Spinel hating Amethio being pampered before Sidian tells her to get back to her post. Spinel reveals to Friede that the device they are using is a resonance generator made for the purpose of recreating the same energy output emits when calling to Rayquaza. Friede wonders if they can even beat Rayquaza if they do summon it, and Spinel says that three other admins are already there to subdue it, saying that he is using them to it without him needing to do anything. Friede is about to send out his Charizard, but he hesitates as Spinel points out that its flying capabilities would be useless in this confined space. As such, Captain Pikachu offers to fight Umbreon instead, which Spinel scoffs at. Spinel starts by having Umbreon use . Cap takes the hit and uses and , which Umbreon blocks with . Cap uses Double Team again, and Umbreon responds by wiping all the clones out with . Cap meets Umbreon head on with Thunder Punch, but the gets behind him and lands a hit with . While Friede wonders what their next move should be, Captain Pikachu points out the crack him hitting the wall caused, giving Friede an idea.
Meanwhile, Liko, Roy, and Ludlow have failed to find anything on the island, thinking they should search Levincia instead since it is close by. Terapagos, emerging from Liko's bag, turns her attention to the Levincia Lighthouse, with Liko and Roy suddenly sensing the Black Rayquaza's presence from above. The clouds part, and sunlight pours down as Rayquaza descends and lets out a mighty roar. Elsewhere, , who is in the middle of a stream, also spots Rayquaza in the distance. The group heads to the lighthouse on their boat, Ludlow sending out his and speed them up with . Chalce sees that Rayquaza has let its guard down, just like Spinel predicted, having Coral and Sidian move in to attack. The two admins have and attack Rayquaza with and , respectively. Chalce joins in too, commanding her to use . The group arrives at the lighthouse, spotting the generator they used to lure in Rayquaza and informing the Brave Olivine about it. Dot finishes the shutdown program, but says that she'll have to connect it to the machine directly. As Murdock offers to help, Dot looks at her Pokémon, saying that she'll go. The group is shocked by this, Murdock protesting against Dot's decision. However, Dot says that if Liko and Roy can fight out there, then so can she. Moved to tears by Dot's bravery, Murdock agrees, and the team starts moving in.
Back in the other tower, Cap uses Thunder Punch, which Umbreon repeatedly intercepts with Foul Play and throws Cap against the wall. While Spinel remains confident that Pikachu's efforts will amount to nothing in the cramped space, Friede is ready to execute his plan and commands Cap to use . Umbreon uses Reflect, and Cap responds by turning around and bouncing off the barrier, which provides enough force to break through the cracked wall. Spinel is surprised by this, as Friede escapes on his Charizard and heads for the Levincia Lighthouse. Looking after him, Spinel decides Friede is worth studying further.
With Rayquaza covered in ice and salt crystals from Coral and Sidian's attacks, Chalce pulls out an Ultra Ball to catch it. Liko and Roy confront her, only to be challenged by Sidian. The Brave Olivine arrives on the scene, and Roy has Fuecoco use to shake up the lighthouse. uses Quick Attack to distract Sidian and Garganacl as Chalce throws the Ultra Ball at Rayquaza. However, Roy has use to knock it away. Medicham retaliates with Psybeam, which blows Wattrel out of the air, with Roy catching it before recalling it. Coral and Glalie try to attack next, but Friede stops them with Charizard's . Murdock positions the airship above the lighthouse, Dot jumping down to face Chalce while using her Nidothing suit to cushion the landing. She has and keep Medicham busy while she comes out of her suit and plugs her Rotom Phone into the generator, shutting it down with her program. She quickly retreats and praises her Pokémon, Roy and Liko praising her as well.
With a roar, Rayquaza breaks free from the ice and salt crystals. Chalce commands Medicham to use on the Sky High Pokémon, but before the move can connect, Rayquaza uses , which hits Medicham, wreaks havoc on the area, and destroys the Explorers' resonance generator. The meteors rain down all around the Brave Olivine as well, making it rock violently and forcing Murdock to start pulling out for now. Crying out in frustration, an enraged Coral recklessly charges towards Rayquaza against Chalce's protest, leaping off Glalie as it flies into its using . The violent explosion is enough to send Rayquaza reeling back and crashing straight into the Brave Olivine, causing massive damage on the airship and horrifying everyone as it starts slowly falling from the sky.
==Major events==
* Friede meets Spinel in person for the first time and has another against him.
* The Explorers begin their operation to capture the Black Rayquaza.
* The Rising Volt Tacklers confront the Explorers to stop their plan.
* Liko, Roy, and Dot encounter Chalce for the first time.
* The Brave Olivine suffers major damage when the Black Rayquaza is sent crashing into it.
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* ()
==Characters==
===Humans===
* Liko
* Roy
* Friede
* Mollie
* Orla
* Ludlow
* Murdock
* Dot
* 
* Spinel
* Coral
* Sidian
* Chalce
===Pokémon===
* ()
* (Liko's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Friede's; Captain Pikachu)
* (Friede's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* (Ludlow's)
* (Murdock's; Rotom Phone)
* ()
* ()
* (Dot's; Rotom Phone)
* ('s)
* (Spinel's)
* (Spinel's)
* (Spinel's)
* (Coral's)
* (Coral's; Rotom Phone)
* (Sidian's)
* (Sidian's; Rotom Phone)
* (Chalce's)
* (Chalce's; Rotom Phone)
* (Lucius's; Black Rayquaza)
* (; ; flashback)
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers'; Alolan form)
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers')
* (Rising Volt Tacklers'; )
* (; )
* (multiple)
* 
* (; multiple; debut)
* (; ×2)
* (; multiple)
* (multiple)
==Trivia==
* Professor Friede's Pokémon Seminar: "How does develop its powers?"
** Choices: Muscle training, yoga, battles
** Answer: Yoga
* The first eyecatch features Spinel and his , and the second features Chalce and her Medicham.
** Umbreon's artwork is updated to feature Umbreon redrawn with fixed proportions. This artwork was first used in the dubbed version of Quaxly, We Can Do It.
* This is the final episode in which the episode preview is announced by Nidothing and in the style of an internet video. Afterwards, the episode previews are presented in a more traditional style, similar to previous series.
* This is the fourth episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series to have its n dub released before the English dub, being released on September 6, 2024.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU-9xEheMYk
===Errors===
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
==References==
044
Category:Episodes written by Kureha Matsuzawa
Category:Episodes storyboarded and directed by Hiroaki Takagi
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Hiroaki Takagi
Category:Episodes directed by Hiroaki Takagi
Category:Episodes animated by Yusuke Oshida
Category:Episodes animated by Chiaki Kurakazu
Category:Episodes animated by Masaya Ōnishi
Category:Episodes animated by Akihiko Oka
Category:Episodes by one-time animation directors
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
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 South Africa before the United States
de:Der Plan, Rayquaza zu fangen!
es:EP1280
fr:LH044
it:OP044
ja:2023年版第44話
zh:宝可梦 地平线 第44集