Japanese Title: The Future I Choose
Original Airdate: June 23, 2023
UK Airdate: January 15, 2024 (special airing)
US Airdate: March 7, 2024
Seeing that a forest fire has caused a lot of damage to Arboliva's forest, Liko and Roy decide to ask their friends for help in restoring it. Through their teamwork, the Rising Volt Tacklers restore the forest and the giant Arboliva returns to its ancient Poké Ball, having decided to join them. Later, Friede meets up with Liko's mother, Lucca, even getting a clue to her mother's whereabouts through a reliable source. Through that source, the Rising Volt Tacklers decide to head to the Galar region to find Liko's grandmother. Meanwhile, Spinel of the Explorers is spying on the team.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Big Damn Heroes: Liko, Roy, and Mollie have successfully been able to replant the forest, but there's no water to make it grow. Cue Friede and Orla arriving with Ludlow, who then breaks out his Quagsire to use Rain Dance and get some water flowing.
- Breaking Old Trends: In the past, Eevee and its evolutions have been owned by heroic characters (Gary and his Umbreon, May and her Glaceon, Serena and her Sylveon, Lana and Sandy, and Chloe and her Eevee). This time, one Eevelution is explicitly owned by one of the villains.
- Casting a Shadow: Spinel is revealed to own an Umbreon.
- Cool Old Lady: According to Liko, her grandmother is a well-seasoned traveler, though she's never easy to track down as a result of always being on the move.
- Connected All Along: While the previous episodes brought up that the Rising Volt Tacklers had been hired to protect Liko, that reason runs deeper than a simple hiring job; Liko's Mom was Friede's teacher.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Spinel demonstrates himself as this compared to Team Rocket and the lengths they would go to. The TRio wouldn't hesitate to stalk the twerps so they could wait for the prime opportunity to pilfer their Pokémon, but Spinel shows he's willing to hack their entire surveillance network to steal all the information he can from them.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Spinel may be the franchise's equivalent of The Joker, but he's very affectionate towards his Umbreon (which can only evolve when its friendship level is high enough).
- Extra-ore-dinary: Spinel's Magneton is a part-Steel Type.
- Foreshadowing:
- Nidothing's latest video is about Pokémon Abilities. Arboliva uses its own to help regrow the forest.
- Mollie is surprised to learn that Ludlow owns a Quagsire. This isn't the first big secret that he's hiding, and it won't be the last.
- Lucca makes mention that Friede doesn't really look much like a Pokémon Professor, which he sheepishly admits he was never a fan of lab coats. Later episodes would reveal exactly why.
- Gentle Giant: In sharp contrast to last episode, the giant Arboliva is nothing but grateful that Liko and friends are willing to go out of their way to help regrow the forest. When Ludlow has his Quagsire use Rain Dance to provide water, Arboliva uses its giant arms to shield everyone from the rain, and then agrees to allow the group to care for it when it returns to its Poké Ball.
- Hidden Depths: Ludlow comes along to help the rest of the group, and brings out a Quagsire to use Rain Dance. It turns out Mollie wasn't even aware he owned one.
- Internal Reveal: The heroes finally meet the mysterious Pokémon inside Liko's Pendant—Terapagos, who shows up to convince Arboliva to come along with them. That said, they don't learn its name.
- Making a Splash: Ludlow owns the primary Water-Type Quagsire, whom he commands to use Rain Dance.
- Mythology Gag: Lucca looks very similar to Florian/Julia's mom in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Last episode, it was mentioned that Dot blocked Murdock's number. She texts him to warn him that someone's interfering with the Rotom Phone signals.
- Parrot Pet Position: Lucca's Yellow-Plumage Squawkabily takes its place on its trainers' shoulder, as is typical of the trope.
- Psychic Powers: Spinel is shown to own a Beeheeyem.
- The Reveal:
- We finally get to meet Liko's Mom, Lucca, and she was apparently Friede's teacher.
- The legendary explorer from ancient times is named Lucius, and he traveled with a Shiny Rayquaza and five other partners to find a hidden paradise.
- Shock and Awe: Spinel owns the part-Electric Type Magneton.
- There Is Another: It turns out there's at least four other Pokémon out there whom Lucius partnered with.
- This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Lucca declines to speak to her daughter, not wanting Liko to have to decide where to go next because her mother said so. Liko ultimately makes the decision to go to Galar and speak to her grandmother.
- Viler New Villain: In contrast to the honorable Amethio, and even the goofy Team Rocket, Spinel shows he's far more willing to cross moral lines by hacking the entire Rising Volt Tacklers' network to steal every bit of information he can. And he's only gonna get worse from there...
- Wham Line: Dot sends a text to her Uncle Murdock that the Rotom Phone signal is being interfered with.
- Wham Shot:
- As Liko and Roy tend towards helping the forest, Spinel is shown having kept their entire network under surveillance.
- Roy happens to find the story telling about the ancient adventurer. Upon further reading, they realize that he had six partners, two of them being the escaped Shiny Rayquaza and the Arboliva they just found.
