Japanese Title: The Secret of the Unopened Door
Original Airdate: May 26, 2023
UK Airdate: January 15, 2024 (special airing)
US Airdate: March 7, 2024
Liko wants to become friends with Dot, but her distant attitude and busy schedule as Nidothing is causing them to have a rough start. Fortunately, Liko's kindness left a mark on Dot, who begins to open up to her teammates. Meanwhile, Roy is experiencing his first visit of a town that isn't on his island.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Brick Joke: Roy spots Friede trying to hide something in the middle of the night, and tells Liko about a hidden cabinet where they're keeping the snacks they're "sneaking". Liko goes to check it out, unaware of the Alcremie inside. Said Alcremie promptly buries Liko and Sprigatito in frosting, much to their chagrin. Then, when she tells Roy about that Alcremie, he happily runs off so he could get coated in that frosting.
- Con Man: Zig-zagged. The cloth salesman's product's do actually work as advertised, but he lies about knowing the location of the shiny Rayquaza and that the Explorers are after it just so he can force Roy and Friede to buy his product.
- Continuity Nod: Roy is quick to put his training with Captain Pikachu from last episode to good use, successfully defeating a Spearow with Fuecoco.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Dot is slowly becoming this as she is touched by Liko's kindness.
- Dramatic Irony:
- The episode makes Liko believe that Dot is a fan of Nidothing. This starts up a Running Gag where she can't seem to figure it out that Dot really is the streamer.
- Later on, Dot does admit she's interested in new treasures in the Pokémon World, unaware of the fact that her new teammates happen to have such treasures in their possession. The two promptly lampshade the irony.
- Even the Dog Is Ashamed: Quaxly gives Dot a rather pissed off look for her shooing Liko away as bluntly as she did.
- Foreshadowing: Liko and Zirc's handles during Nidothing's streams match their partners perfectly, and Dot winds up giving them both advice. This pays off dividends for the latter later, but the former's handle becomes crucial to when Liko herself goes missing several episodes later.
- Innocently Insensitive: Liko's initial attempts at befriending Dot don't go as planned when she tries discussing an apparent shared love of Nidothing. What Liko has no idea is that Dot is Nidothing, and she's trying to prepare for a livestream—a livestream that Liko is preventing with that very conversation. However, Quaxly's disapproving look of Dot's behavior makes the streamer feel guilty about her bluntness.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Dot was rather rude towards Liko's first attempts to befriend her, but she's convinced to make up for it by reading Liko's comment as Nidothing, despite it being very close to home.
- Must Make Amends: Dot realizes her attitude towards Liko was inappropriate and decides to make it up to her by reading her comment as Nidothing.
- Poor Communication Kills: Murdock's been secretly trying to make some solid foods that Dot will eat, with a little help from Friede and Cap, but the girls think that the three are having late night snacks for themselves. Friede wonders why Murdock just doesn't come clean about it, but Murdock doesn't want his teammates going out of their way to help Dot out like that.
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: This is how the Rising Volt Tacklers decide who gets to stay with the ship. This time, Roy loses, but he convinces Liko to switch with him.
- Sure, Let's Go with That:
- When Mollie takes note that several of the food supplies are running low, she, Liko, and Orla take suspicion towards Murdock having midnight snacks. He, Friede, and Captain Pikachu more or less just run with it, not wanting to reveal they're just trying to make something Dot will actually eat.
- Later, Roy begs Liko to switch places with him in watching the ship by promising to tell a secret about the hidden snacks cabinet. Liko goes along with it, since she really wants to stay on the ship and watch Nidothing's livestream.
- Was Too Hard on Him: After brushing off Liko's attempt to be friends with her, Dot gets an unimpressed look from Quaxly, and it helps her realize that she might have been too hard on her.
