HZ040

Farewell, Sprigatito? (Japanese: さよなら、ニャオハ？ Farewell, ?) is the 40th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,272nd episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on February 16, 2024, in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2024, in sub-Saharan Africa on August 23, 2024, in Australia on September 25, 2024, and in the United States on November 22, 2024.
==Blurb==
After Liko is injured in a training accident, her guilt stricken Sprigatito flees the Brave Olivine. Liko tracks it to a center owned by Marnya, a feline Pokémon Breeder who cared for Sprigatito when it was young. There, Liko learns all about her Pokémon partner, from its lonely past to how special it truly is. Liko uses her new understanding to encourage the reluctant Sprigatito to battle against a Spidops—will their friendship survive the test?
==Plot==
Still stationed near Steelbound Town, the Rising Volt Tacklers patch up the holes in the Brave Olivine made by . runs off with Dot following behind. Friede and Murdock see this, the latter tearing up at how Dot has grown up, prompting Orla to tease him. Liko's Sprigatito is laying down next to her , who is giving and a bath. Liko wants to give Sprigatito a bath as well, but she just walks away. Just then, she sees a house with cat ear-like windows in the nearby forest.
Just as Liko finishes washing her Pokémon friends, Roy comes over wanting to battle, which she accepts. starts off with , which Sprigatito dodges. As she is about to use however, Fuecoco keeps her back with . Sprigatito uses to cut through Fuecoco's following Ember. Terapagos and Hatenna see the battle and come out onto the wing deck. Liko commands a big , but as Fuecoco dodges, Hatenna and Terapagos end up in Sprigatito's line of fire, prompting Liko to shield them. Getting blown down, Liko lands on her wrist, injuring it to Sprigatito's horror. Sprigatito tries to apologize, and her Trainer says it's fine. Roy takes Liko to the infirmary to have Mollie look at the injury. As Mollie patches up Liko's sprained hand, a guilt stricken Sprigatito can only watch before walking away from the door. Soon, Sprigatito decides to head over to the house she spotted earlier. Mollie gives Liko a brace for her left hand and informs her not to use it to hold anything heavy. After reassuring Terapagos and Hatenna, Liko notices that Sprigatito is gone.
Sprigatito arrives at the gates to the house, spotting several other Sprigatito playing together. Sprigatito walks through the gates. The person inside spots Sprigatito and recognizes her. Meanwhile, Ludlow tells Liko that Sprigatito went towards the house in the forest. Liko tells Hatenna to watch Terapagos for her while she goes to find Sprigatito. However, Hatenna panics when she turns and sees that Terapagos has instantly vanished. As Liko looks for Sprigatito in the woods, she wonders if this is her fickle side showing again, though she's never wandered so far from the ship before. Liko arrives at the house, hesitantly wandering inside before spotting a , running after it thinking it may be hers. However, she becomes overwhelmed running into more Sprigatito before being greeted by Marnya, the owner of the house. Liko frantically apologizes for trespassing. But as she's about to introduce herself, Marnya reveals that she already knows Liko from the Indigo Academy, which shocks her.
Marnya shares with Liko that she is a Pokémon Breeder and shares her love for cat Pokémon. Liko asks how Marnya knows her, and she says that she never forgets the Pokémon that head out into the world, or the people who pick them as their partners. Liko becomes excited to know that her Sprigatito was raised here. Marnya says that she also helps with helping Indigo Academy students find their partner Pokémon, and she remembers Liko particularly well. Marnya shares how Liko's Sprigatito was unique with its fickle and carefree nature, even more so than the rest of its peers, and had trouble fitting in. Liko hears that Sprigatito didn't look to happy when Marnya spotted her earlier, saying that she suddenly ran off. Marnya tells Liko that it's rare that a Pokémon leaves its partner and comes to her place by itself. Marnya shares a sad truth about a Pokémon and its Trainer not getting along and having to stop being partners. Liko is horrified to hear this and insists that she and Sprigatito are doing fine before going off to look for her partner.
As Liko looks around, she firmly believes she knows Sprigatito better than anyone; she is probably somewhere sunny with a great view. Liko knows this when she spots Sprigatito on the roof of Marnya's house. Sprigatito also spots her, but turns away in guilt upon seeing her brace. Despite this, Liko tells Sprigatito that it wasn't her fault. Liko also tells Sprigatito that how she found out that this is where she grew up. Liko wonders if Sprigatito is mad at her when she walks away. Liko thinks Sprigatito must be feeling sulky, offering to get some matcha cake for it on the way back. Sprigatito hops through the window, Liko trying to get her to come back to the ship so they can finish their battle with Roy, or have some snacks first. Liko gets distracted by two other Sprigatito making scent on pillows before continuing to follow her Sprigatito. As Hatenna and Terapagos arrive at Marnya's house, Liko catches Sprigatito and questions how it's feeling. Not wanting Sprigatito to quit on their partnership, Liko desperately tries to convince her to stay. However, Sprigatito scratches Liko's hand and runs away, leaving her in a state of dread. Reminded of how Sprigatito was acting when they first met at the Indigo Academy, Liko starts to believe that her partner doesn't like her anymore. Marnya comes over and invites Liko inside for tea and sweets. Liko recognizes the flavor of the tea as matcha. She tastes it and shakes at the bitter taste, but finds it relaxing too. Marnya offers Liko sweets too, but she declines. Noticing Liko's uneasiness, Marnya notes that Sprigatito used to make that same face.
Marnya shares Sprigatito's story with Liko. She would rest on her favorite spot on the roof until she would get bored. Seeing the other Sprigatito playing together, she'd want no part of it. This was until Sprigatito saved one of its friends from a fall with her unusually powerful Leafage. After this, she became popular among the other cat Pokémon, and would actually leave the roof to play with them. However, one day while Sprigatito was using her Leafage to pick Oran Berries from the trees, her friends were snatched up by a that would come around and cause trouble with its traps every now and then. Sprigatito managed to use Leafage to drive it off, but accidentally ended up hurting its friends in the process. Sadly with this, the others began to fear and avoid Sprigatito, sparking a long-lasting repression of using Leafage again. As her friends found Trainers and left Marnya's, Sprigatito stayed on that roof, unable to let go of her guilt. Just then, Liko thinks back to Sprigatito having trouble using Leafage when they first met, figuring out that she was repressing herself because of what happened with Spidops. Liko looks at her brace, realizing that accidentally hurting her with Leafage made Sprigatito think that she would fear her, like all her friends did. Marnya says that it was a relief that Liko and Sprigatito were able to meet in her interview for the Indigo Academy. Sure enough, Marnya was there too, and she knew that Liko would be the perfect partner for Sprigatito seeing how the Grass Cat Pokémon couldn't stop gazing at her.
Finally taking in the pain Sprigatito carries, Liko goes to find her partner. Sprigatito arrives at the Oran Berry trees, making her feel bad again. Liko finds her, and just as Sprigatito is about to avoid her again, she steps in front of her partner and catches her. Liko then tickles Sprigatito before the Grass Cat Pokémon prepares to scratch her again. However, Liko doesn't mind if Sprigatito scratches her, reminding Sprigatito of everything they have been through together since they met. Everything new and scary to Liko felt possible to overcome because she had Sprigatito with her. Liko tells Sprigatito that she wants to face the future with her partner by her side. As Sprigatito retracts her claws, Liko embraces her.
Just then, Liko hears Hatenna's voice, and she and Sprigatito find her and Terapagos in the Oran Berry patch. The two can barely react before they are snatched up by the same Spidops from back then, enraging Sprigatito. Just as she is about to hesitate again though, Liko gives her encouragement. She commands Sprigatito to use Leafage, which becomes a new move, . The attack knocks Spidops away and frees Hatenna and Terapagos. As Liko and Sprigatito celebrate their victory, Marnya points out that their bond caused the move to evolve. Liko praises Sprigatito, as do Terapagos and Hatenna, with Marnya proud that Sprigatito was able to find a great family.
Back at the Brave Olivine, Roy and Liko decide to finish their battle. Fuecoco uses Ember, which Sprigatito dodges with Quick Attack. Roy commands a , and Liko responds by having Sprigatito leap high in the air. She then commands Sprigatito to use Magical Leaf, shocking Roy. The Magical Leaf knocks Fuecoco out in one shot, making Liko the winner. The Rising Volt Tacklers praise Liko as she and Sprigatito exchange a celebratory high five.
==Major events==
* Liko's Sprigatito learns .
===Debuts===
====Pokémon debuts====
* 
==Characters==
===Humans===
* Liko
* Roy
* Friede
* Mollie
* Orla
* Ludlow
* Murdock
* Dot
* Amethio (flashback)
* Onia (flashback)
* Zirc (flashback)
* Liko's homeroom teacher (flashback)
* Marnya
* s (flashback)
===Pokémon===
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (Friede's; Captain Pikachu)
* (Orla's)
* ()
* ()
* (; flashback)
* (Amethio's; flashback)
* (Onia's; flashback)
* (Zirc's; flashback)
* (; )
* (multiple)
* 
* 
* 
* (×5)
* (Galarian Form; ×2)
* 
* (×2)
* 
* 
* (×2)
* 
* (×2)
* (×2)
* (×2)
* (male)
* (debut)
* (flashback)
* (flashback)
* (flashback)
* (flashback)
* (flashback)
* (flashback)
* (flashback)
==Trivia==
* Professor Friede's Pokémon Seminar: What does use to capture prey?
** Choices: Saliva, threads, foul odor
** Answer: Threads
* This episode aired six days before in Japan.
* This episode marks the first appearance of a in the other than the one that belonged to .
* The first eyecatch features Liko and her , and the second features Liko in her school uniform and her Sprigatito.
* In the Japanese dub of Farewell, Sprigatito?, Marnya describes Liko's Sprigatito using the word きまぐれ kimagure, which is the official Japanese translation of the Quirky nature. This aligns with the Nature Liko's Sprigatito was assigned in a later Scarlet and Violet event distribution. 
===Errors===
===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
040
Category:Episodes written by Michihiro Tsuchiya
Category:Episodes storyboarded by Hiromasa Amano
Category:Episodes directed by Hiroyuki Okuno
Category:Episodes animated by Ryōtarō Aoba
Category:Episodes animated by Kōsuke Hiramatsu
Category:Episodes by one-time animation directors
Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors
Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears
Category:Episodes in which a main character's Pokémon learns a new move
Category:Episodes focusing on Liko
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
de:Mach’s gut, Felori?
es:EP1276
fr:LH040
it:OP040
ja:2023年版第40話
zh:宝可梦 地平线 第40集