The Pendant That Starts It All (Part One) (Japanese: はじまりのペンダント 前編, Hepburn: Hajimari no Pendent: Zenpen, trans. The Pendant of Beginning: Part 1) is the 1st episode of Pocket Monsters: Liko and Roy's Departure of Pocket Monsters (2023 series), and Pokémon Horizons: The Series of Pokémon Horizons: The Series.
Synopsis[]
Leaving her home in Paldea, Liko travels to Kanto to enroll in Indigo Academy and become a Pokémon Trainer. She's nervous but also excited to learn new things about herself and the world. After Liko meets her roommate, Ann, both girls receive their partner Pokémon: Ann is overjoyed to get Oshawott, but Liko seems disappointed when her partner is Sprigatito, a Pokémon from Paldea. Still, Liko attempts to befriend the Pokémon, and they eventually begin to bond. But one day, a mysterious young man approaches Liko, claiming to have a letter from her grandma. He also seems interested in Liko's pendant, but Liko is suspicious…[2]
Episode plot[]
Liko arrives at the bus station, eager to start her first day at Indigo Academy. Along the way, she encounters two girls and attempts to make friends, but her nerves get the better of her, and she misses the chance. When the bus arrives, she notices the girls are engrossed in a stream by Nidothing, whom Liko admires as well. Despite her fandom, she's too shy to introduce herself. On the bus, she marvels at the many Pokémon she meets until they reach the academy. At the academy, Liko makes her way to room 303 but is startled to find someone already there. She dashes out in fright. The person inside, Anne, introduces herself and shares that she has never left Kanto. In turn, Liko reveals that she has never left Paldea.
At the academy grounds, many students are busy tending to their Pokémon, while another two are in a battle. One Trainer's Machoke uses Dynamic Punch on another Trainer's Espeon, who uses Reflect and follows-up with Psychic to win the battle. Anne is excited about the entrance ceremony as they would pick their partner Pokémon, scaring Liko as she is unsure as to which one to pick, having done online interviews with the staff. A Charmander greets the two, only for its Trainer to pick it up. That night, Liko writes about her experiences before going to sleep.
The following day, as the ceremony concludes and classes are taken, the new students pick their partner Pokémon; Anne picks Oshawott, while Liko ends up picking Sprigatito. Liko is charmed by Sprigatito's cuteness, but it rebukes her and wanders off, causing her to chase after it. During the process, she goes over a roof railing, but the two fortunately fall onto a Snorlax lying below before it goes off again. Liko has a rough time bonding with Sprigatito but hopes she can understand it in the future.
The next day, Anne and Liko have a Pokémon battle, though it ends up being inconclusive after Oshawott manages to hit Sprigatito with Water Gun. That night, Liko and Sprigatito sneak out to practice using Leafage to no avail and they sneak back in the dorms. As Liko writes about the day's events and looks at a strange pendant, Anne surprises her and asks what it is. Liko tells her that her grandmother had given her the pendant, though she does not wear it as she felt too young to do so. Liko decides to study Sprigatito to understand it better.
A few days later, a group of people arrive at the Academy to look for Liko for reasons unknown, though they are initially unable to find her. The academy has a short break and Anne takes the time to go visit her family, while Liko decides to remain at the academy for the time being. Another person arrives at the academy and asks a faculty member for Liko, claiming to have written permission. Liko comes out and the man introduces himself as her grandmother's messenger, giving her a letter. Sprigatito is immediately agitated by the man as Liko takes the letter and leaves. Both Liko and Sprigatito are immediately suspicious of the man's intentions, who had followed her and knocked on the door, startling her. Liko decides to sneak out just as he comes in, leaving him exasperated as he gives out an order to secure the area.
As Liko and Sprigatito try to sneak out, the man's associates spot her and give chase, with her running into one of them and his Rhydon. Liko orders Leafage, which Sprigatito uses, but has no effect. The man laughs and claims that they'd never win with such a pitiful move, causing Liko to realize that she doesn't need to win. She orders another Leafage, which lands on Rhydon's eyes. Sprigatito then jumps on Rhydon and emits a sweet scent, causing it to fall asleep as the two make a run for it. The advantage is short-lived as the three corner her, only for a man with pilot goggles and Charizard drop down to intercept. Both men claim to have business with Liko, so they decide to settle with a battle. The suited man calls out a Ceruledge, while the pilot uses Charizard.
The two Pokémon clash and begin to damage the academy, causing Liko to try and escape to get the men away from the academy. The suited man, spotting her, orders Ceruledge to use Psycho Cut to stop them, but just before it hits, a strange shield envelops both her and Sprigatito.
Debuts[]
Character[]
Pokémon[]
- Sprigatito (Liko's)
- Quaxly (Nidothing's)
- Pawmi
- Finizen
- Ceruledge (Amethio's)
- Terapagos (anime) (Liko's grandma's/Liko's pendant)
Move[]
Trivia[]
The episode's title card used in the original airing (Japanese).
- This is the first main episode:
- where Ash Ketchum and Ash's Pikachu have been moved out of the protagonist list.
- where the Team Rocket trio have been moved out of the antagonist list.
- without featuring a male protagonist in any capacity.
- Liko's room is 303.
- This episode originally aired as a one-hour special with "The Pendant That Starts It All (Part Two)". In this broadcast, the title card was edited to remove the 前編 (Part 1) designator and the next episode preview was cut, with this episode leading directly into the next one.
- This is the first time that both parts are shown with only one title card in the original airing. Previously, both title cards would be shown, therefore presenting it as two episodes, as opposed to being packaged as a single one-hour episode.
- On July 20, 2023, the first 11 minutes of the English version of this episode premiered as a sneak peek at San-Diego Comic Con and was later posted to the official English Pokémon YouTube channel.
- This episode shows a new Rotom form, a Rotom pad, which Liko uses for notes.
Errors[]
- Despite Machoke using Dynamic Punch, which guarantees confusion, against Espeon, it wasn't afflicted with the status condition.
Videos[]
Sneak Peek[]
Full episode[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ Pineda, Rafael (2023, April 22). "Japanese Animation TV Ranking, April 10–16 - News - Anime News Network". From Anime News Network (ANN). Archived from the original on April 22, 2023.
- ^ (n.d.) . "The Pendant That Starts It All (Part One) | Pokemon.com". From The Official Pokémon Website | Pokemon.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2024.
