Showdown! The Paldea Elite Four


Season	Pokémon Horizons: The Search for Laqua (Horizons Season 2) · The Elite Four & the legend of Laqua arc (HZ055–HZ057)
Episode	Horizons Season 2, episode 10 · English episode 1279 · Japanese episode 1288 · Bulbapedia code HZ055
English title	Showdown! The Paldea Elite Four
Japanese title	対決！パルデア四天王 Taiketsu! Parudea Shitennō — “Showdown! The Big Four of Paldea”
First aired (Japan)	21 June 2024 · TV Tokyo
First aired (US)	7 February 2025 · Netflix
Screenplay	Naruki Nagakawa
Opening / ending (Japan)	Will – IVE · Let me battle – Giga & TeddyLoid feat. 9Lana
English opening	My Favorite Pokémon – Isaiah Tyrelle Boyd and Haven Paschall
Previous episode	The Treasure of Eternity (HZ054)
Next episode	Liko vs. Rika! Towards the Battle’s End (HZ056)

Plot episodeElite Four Multi BattlesDot and Iono beat Poppy

Showdown! The Paldea Elite Four is the 10th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Search for Laqua, the second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1279th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1288, Bulbapedia code HZ055). It first aired in Japan on 21 June 2024 and in the United States on 7 February 2025. It falls within the season’s The Elite Four & the legend of Laqua stretch (EP55–EP57).

Released on Netflix in the US on Friday 7 February 2025 with the rest of Part 1. BBC iPlayer and CBBC had premiered it in the UK on 13 January 2025.

Synopsis

Back at Naranja Academy, each Tera Training student teams up with the Gym Leader who tested them for Multi Battles against the Paldean Elite Four, and only Dot and Iono win. Director Clavell announces friendly battles against special guests, and Geeta reveals that they are the Elite Four, thrilling the students; Coral and Sidian, it turns out, have passed their tests too. Dot fears certain defeat until Nemona explains the pairings. First up, with Dendra refereeing, Dot and Iono face Poppy’s Tinkaton, Tinkie, and Copperajah, Rajah; to keep the spotlight on the students, Clavell rules that Gym Leaders may not Terastallize, to Iono’s disappointment. Iono’s opening Discharge shocks Quaxly too, Poppy’s Sandstorm batters only her opponents, and Tinkie’s Brick Break shatters Bellibolt’s Reflect, the first time the anime shows that effect of the move. A combined Rock Slide and Rock Smash rains rocks down, and Bellibolt shields Quaxly. As the sandstorm fades, Dot has Quaxly dance on Bellibolt’s belly to trigger Electromorphosis, Bellibolt flings Quaxly clear of a Gigaton Hammer, and Dot Terastallizes Quaxly for a Liquidation that clashes with the hammer.

Bellibolt then climbs onto Rajah’s back and fires a point-blank Zap Cannon, and the Copperajah’s collapse gives Dot and Iono the win. Dot credits Iono, but Poppy tells her she is overthinking and hopes for a rematch. On the next field, Coral has Glalie use Self-Destruct, knocking out every Pokémon including Larry’s Flamigo and Oricorio and Kofu’s Wugtrio; because a Self-Destruct that knocks out everyone counts as a loss, Larry wins. Kofu laughs it off, but Coral storms away, leaving Sidian and Chalce exasperated. Brassius partners Roy against Hassel’s Baxcalibur and Flapple. Fuecoco’s Flame Charge only powers up Baxcalibur through its Thermal Exchange Ability, which Brassius never warned Roy about, so Roy switches to Disarming Voice, effective against both Dragon types, while Flapple’s Grav Apple bonks Fuecoco when he mistakes it for real fruit. Dolliv boosts a Flamethrower with Helping Hand, but Flapple’s Twister turns it into a fiery tornado that Baxcalibur enters, freezing and shattering it and growing stronger still.

Dolliv’s Grass Knot pulls Fuecoco out of the path of Glaive Rush, and Protect blocks a combined Seed Bomb and Flamethrower. When Roy Terastallizes Fuecoco and merges a boosted Flamethrower with Dolliv’s Energy Ball, Hassel has Baxcalibur freeze the combination with Blizzard and smash through the ice with Glaive Rush, knocking out both Fuecoco and Dolliv. Roy says he had fun and is left awkwardly watching Hassel weep over how much he and Brassius have grown, then tells Nemona he is still no match for Rayquaza and vows to grow stronger. Meanwhile Sidian and Tulip lose when Sidian’s Garganacl falls to Rika’s Clodsire and Dugtrio; Rika criticises Sidian for accepting defeat to protect his backup Pokémon, but he replies that he would rather lose than win in disgrace, and Tulip agrees. Finally Liko and Katy take the field together, eager for the battle, while Rika smiles confidently, determined to keep her winning streak alive.